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墨書 Inktalez
Wei Qiuxi took Ning'er out but did not rush to find the God of Joy. Instead, they stopped in a corner of the Corpse Driver Inn.
Wei Ning asked in confusion, "Grandpa, aren't we supposed to look for the God of Joy? Why aren't we going?"
Wei Qiuxi smiled slightly. "The God of Joy, we will wait here; it will come to us."
"What?" Wei Ning asked, puzzled.
"Ah," Wei Qiuxi sighed and said, "Child, when you grow up, you'll understand that sometimes the most terrifying things in this world are not the monsters but the hearts of people."
At her age, Wei Ning could not grasp the deeper meaning behind Wei Qiuxi's words. Seeing that her grandfather had stopped talking, she obediently refrained from asking further questions. After a while, the door of the Corpse Driver Inn opened, and Zhang Laosi peeked out nervously. Wei Qiuxi and his granddaughter quickly hid. When Zhang Laosi saw that no one was around, he went back inside. After a moment, he emerged with two strangers carrying a coffin.
I was right after all, Wei Qiuxi thought to himself.
Once the three men had carried the coffin out, Wei Qiuxi and Wei Ning leisurely stepped forward. With a half-smile, Wei Qiuxi looked at Zhang Laosi and said, "Did I not tell you to wait at home? What are you doing now?"
Seeing that Wei Qiuxi had not gone far, Zhang Laosi realized his "good deed" had likely been discovered. His expression became somewhat awkward as he cleared his throat and said, "Well, Master Wei, weren't you going to look for the God of Joy? Why haven't you left yet? If you wait too long, it will be harder to find as the sun sets."
Wei Qiuxi scoffed, "If I truly believed your words, I might never find the God of Joy in my lifetime."
Zhang Laosi forced a smile and replied, "Master Wei, that's not what I meant. Our three generations have something urgent to attend to and are in a hurry to leave."
The two men carrying the coffin included one in his forties with an honest face—a typical farmer—and behind him was a young man. The three bore some resemblance to each other; they seemed like a family spanning three generations.
Wei Qiuxi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is inside that coffin?"
Zhang Laosi said, "What else could it be? Someone died in the town yesterday, and we are here to help carry the coffin for the burial. Master Wei, please step aside; it would be bad if we miss the burial time."
Wei Qiuxi asked, "Can I take a look?"
Zhang Laosi's expression tightened at Wei Qiuxi's request to open the coffin. He replied, "That might not be a good idea. The person is already dead; let's not disturb him any further."
Wei Qiuxi said coldly, "I fear that what’s inside isn’t just anyone but rather the God of Joy that I brought."
Zhang Laosi responded, "How could that be? Master Wei is truly joking."
Wei Qiuxi sighed and said, "Do you know where you’ve slipped up?"
"You all have indeed prepared thoroughly. Whether it’s the incision made by our footman or the rules for receiving the God of Joy, you’ve imitated everything perfectly, enough to pass for genuine. However, there’s one detail where you made a mistake..."
"It’s impossible! We studied for three whole days," one of the young men carrying the coffin interjected impatiently.
Zhang Laosi felt a sinking sensation, realizing that their side had been completely exposed.
"If I’m not mistaken, you aren’t the owners of this Fortune Inn, nor are you from Yuanling; you should be from Changsha or Yiyang."
"My grandmother is from Yuanling! We’ve always spoken Yuanling dialect; you couldn’t possibly tell!" The young man thought he had revealed their identity through language and hurriedly defended himself.
Wei Qiuxi nodded. "Your language does sound like that of the locals, but you forgot one taboo in our line of work: none of the footmen or bosses from Fortune Inn have ever had the surname Zhang, nor would they accept disciples with that surname."
"Why is that?" Zhang Laosi asked.
"Heh heh, you should know what surname is common in Jiangxi. The Chen lineage from Chen Prefecture and the Maoshan lineage have been enemies since ancient times. How could there possibly be a disciple with the surname Zhang?" Wei Qiuxi was referring to Master Zhang from Jiangxi's Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Wei Qiuxi continued, "I was also puzzled at first, because for decades, the Chen lineage has been practically extinct. It wouldn't be impossible for someone named Zhang to run a Fortune Inn. However, I have spent my entire life serving the God of Joy and have never encountered a situation where the God of Joy would turn malevolent. When the God of Joy turned malevolent, I noticed that the talisman on his back door had been torn off. At that time, besides you and Ning'er, there was no one else present. Who else could it be but you?"
"I was just curious to see if the Corpse Driver that has been passed down for hundreds of years actually existed. I didn't expect it would trigger his malevolence," he added.
Wei Ning interjected, "So it turns out that the one who almost got me killed by the God of Joy was you."
At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been silent spoke up, "Dad, why waste your breath on him? Are we afraid of this old fool and a kid? Let's head back; Xicui is still waiting for her gold earrings."
Wei Qiuxi sighed and said, "I guessed correctly; you are indeed after this corpse."
The Young Man replied, "That's right. So what? I'm going to take it. If you're smart, you'll get lost quickly. I'm in a good mood today and don't want to waste time talking to you."
Wei Qiuxi said, "I know you are after money, but a gentleman seeks wealth through proper means. We have our own rules in our line of work; you should have your own rules as well. When did you start resorting to such despicable acts of threatening people for money?"
"Heh heh, so what? Business is tough these days; we stopped robbing graves long ago. We do whatever brings in quick cash," the Young Man replied.
Wei Qiuxi sternly said, "What you're doing is illegal! Do you realize that?"
"Heh heh, we are criminals, but how are you any better? Carrying a corpse through the streets and pretending to be supernatural isn't just as much a scam? How about this: let's partner up and get some money from Secretary Yang's family. We'll split it later; it's better than dragging a corpse from Changde to Yuanling."
"We rely on skills passed down from our ancestors to make a living; we don't steal or rob. We stand tall and act with integrity."
"Enough already," the Young Man scoffed lazily. "Do you really think so highly of yourselves? Who knows what tricks you're using? You might fool some kids with your talk of corpse tricks and Corpse Drivers, but do you think I'm an idiot? You really believe in ghosts?"
Wei Qiuxi sighed and said, "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. There are many things in this world that you don't know about."
"Why waste words on him?" The middle-aged man said impatiently. "Let's go and see what he does. Do you really think he dares to call the police?"
They were about to lift the coffin.
"Put the coffin down! Do you know what you're doing? If we really leave, once the God of Joy departs, none of us will survive."
The Young Man, clearly a product of New China and raised under the red flag, was deeply rooted in Marxist materialism and didn't believe in ghosts at all. He scoffed, "Stop trying to scare me. I grew up in Grave Hill. I've seen all kinds of corpses."
This was not an exaggeration; the three generations of their family were well-known tomb raiders from Yiyang and had indeed seen many corpses.
Wei Qiuxi knew they wouldn't believe him and urged, "Have you ever encountered the God of Joy?"
The Young Man replied smugly, "Not only have I encountered him, but I also urinated on him. What was that county party secretary? He used to be so impressive, but now he has to drink my urine. Let that corrupt official be greedy; he lived a life of excess while he could. We are just robbing the rich to help the poor and eliminating harm for the people."
Wei Qiuxi stamped his foot in frustration. "This is bad! The God of Joy just finished his curse. If he comes into contact with anger, it will produce Corpse Poison. Look at your arms—do you see any changes?"
Zhang Laosi had seen Wei Qiuxi perform magic before, so unlike his son and grandson, he was not completely dismissive. In his youth, he had encountered some phenomena that modern science could not explain while tomb raiding. He cautiously rolled up his sleeve and noticed a large white patch on his elbow that had appeared without him realizing it. It didn't itch or hurt; it just had a faint odor. Looking at the other two, he saw they had similar white patches in the same spot.
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