CHAPTER 548: CHAPTER 280: NEIGHBORS SHARING A GRAVE

The sky had turned dark, and thirteen brand-new corpses were lined up in the funeral shop. The early autumn chill blew into the shop, causing the paper shrouds covering the bodies to start swaying.

Several government officials shivered, and only after stepping out of the shop did they feel warmth return to their bodies.

"The work done by Shopkeeper Xu really isn’t something anyone could manage."

"Who says it isn’t? It’s pitch black, with over a dozen corpses laid out inside, yet he doesn’t seem scared at all."

Another constable said, "I’m just afraid if us guys end up in trouble one day, we’ll also end up laying in Shopkeeper Xu’s shop."

"Old Five, if you can’t speak properly, then keep it to yourself!"

The quiet Underground Street resounded with the distant sounds of the constables cursing and joking.

Inside the funeral shop, Xu Qing began the examination and salvation, starting with the Cui Family members covered in white paper.

After witnessing the revolving lantern of the Cui Family corpses, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time. He had seen people die from various causes over the years, but it was his first time encountering someone who, failing to bully others, ended up causing the demise of his own family.

Yet many details still remained undisclosed.

Xu Qing, adopting a spectator attitude, began tracing the drama from the members of the Li Family covered in black paper.

However, despite watching from the beginning to the end, Xu Qing still couldn’t link all the clues together.

This massacre of both the Li Family and Cui Family was evidently missing a key person.

Xu Qing finally set his gaze on the only person from the Li Family who had not mistakenly ingested the mushrooms and who knew the whole story—the old man Li.

The Sutra of Salvation flipped its pages, and the forest of shadows emerged. As the revolving lantern of old man Li began to spin, the life experiences of the Li Family and Cui Family members instantly connected.

...

The time had to rewind to three days ago; outside Linjiang County, there was a Hundred Families Village. As the name implies, the village bustled with people of various kinds, each household bearing a different surname.

On the eastern outskirts of the village lived two families, one with the surname Cui, and the other Li.

The man who ran the Cui Family was known as Zhang Big Mouth, with a wide mouth and sharp teeth, always greedy for others’ advantages.

The steward of the other family was named Li Many Schemes, true to his name, skilled in calculation.

These two families were considered half neighbors. Why only half? Because between them was another honest family, whose head was known as Han Gui.

Han Gui was a good-natured man by nature, with a taciturn personality. Villagers described him as someone who wouldn’t even say a word if beaten three times. His mind was hardened; even a piece of crap wouldn’t pass through.

One day, upon hearing that County Magistrate Chen planned to build a school in the countryside, Zhang Big Mouth and Li Many Schemes called him for carpentry work, cutting wood to make a quick buck.

Midway through the work, the sky unexpectedly began to drizzle. Zhang Big Mouth and Li Many Schemes, who were adept, each had an excuse—one lamenting his recent cold and inability to withstand the wind and rain; the other spoke of finding mushrooms in the mountains, claiming he’d once learned from a southerner how to forage mushrooms that were so fresh, they’d take a tongue off. He promised to forage them and share with Han Gui later to take home.

Both had their reasons, and Han Gui simply chuckled in naivety, seemingly convinced, and carried on moving the wood alone through the rain.

In the deep, dense forest, Zhang Big Mouth and Li Many Schemes found an old tree, wide enough for three people. The hollow inside was perfect for resting and sheltering from the rain.

During the break, Zhang Big Mouth asked Li Many Schemes, "Did you really learn from someone from the south how to forage mushrooms? I heard those things can kill if eaten wrong!"

Li Many Schemes chuckled, "I never learned that. But two years ago, when I was doing work for the Jin Sect, I did eat a full mushroom feast prepared by southern folks. That taste is beyond fresh!"

Zhang Big Mouth laughed and scolded, "Then why did you say you’d forage mushrooms for Han Fool?"

Li Many Schemes replied, "Ha! You understand? That Han Fool is gullible. I’ll just say I didn’t encounter any, or that I ran into wolves or bears and carelessly lost them. He’d only ask ’are you okay.’ Let that fool work, while we take it easy. Anyway, the wages are all the same."

Imagine speaking such nonsense!

Zhang Big Mouth laughed heartily upon hearing this, and the two rested for half the day.

Once the rain paused by afternoon, the two stretched and yawned before heading back.

Midway, perhaps owing to the rain or the inherent dampness of the forest, Zhang Big Mouth, while driving away the dew with a stick, suddenly noticed that in the deep grass, on the rotten soil and wood, mushrooms had sprouted from decay.

Those mushrooms looked fresh and were dewy, akin to multicolored, newly opened umbrellas.

"Many Schemes! Check out this wonder!"

Li Many Schemes looked over, his eyes gleaming instantly.

These were the spitting image of the mushrooms he’d savored back in Jin Sect two years prior!

"Hey, talk about fortune! That Han Fool is focused on work and misses this chance?"

But Li Many Schemes was clear-minded; mushrooms were enigmatic, and though they appeared similar, they weren’t guaranteed safe to eat.

Li Many Schemes thought quickly and said, "If our families eat them, and we get poisoned, what then? Let’s have Han Gui test them. If he’s fine, then we’ll eat them."

Zhang Big Mouth immediately clapped his hands, "You’re sharp! They used to call you Clever Bean when we were kids!"

Their enthusiasm for work was lacking, but they showed eagerness in mushroom picking, intent on satisfying their appetites.

Zhang Big Mouth wrapped a bundle of mushrooms in a green cloth jacket, while Li Many Schemes knotted his long sleeves and collar to carry them as a pocket.

Upon exiting the forest, Zhang Big Mouth, feigning generosity, handed a small parcel of mushrooms to Han Gui, saying, "Brother Han, these are precious! Take them home to taste the freshness. This is the goodwill of neighbors!"