CHAPTER 864: CHAPTER 578: SI XUE: DON’T COME BACK UNTIL YOU’VE FIXED THE TROUBLE YOU CAUSED (PART 2)

"Go out and fix the trouble you caused, if you can’t, just buy yourself a burial plot."

Si Xue’s cold voice sounded, then she hung up the phone.

"Huh?"

Her abrupt words left Liu Zheng a bit taken aback.

He’s caused a lot of trouble outside, but which one is this about now?

"What are you pondering? Hurry up and get lost."

Niu Ma urged.

"Big Brother, can I borrow your Memorial Medal?"

Liu Zheng cautiously asked.

"Take it, and hurry up."

Niu Ma directly tossed the Memorial Medal to him.

"So straightforward? It’s obvious that he really wants some peace and quiet."

Liu Zheng shrugged, left the lounge, and headed outside the restaurant.

Upon seeing the brass bullet floating in mid-air and the bored pacing skinny horse, he immediately knew what the trouble was.

"Sir, has Qian Zao’s soul been found?"

Liu Zheng respectfully asked.

The skinny horse nodded, then shook its head.

"Sorry, I didn’t understand what you meant, sir."

He said honestly.

The skinny horse did not answer, just raised a hoof to point at its back.

"Are you asking to take me back to the cemetery, sir?"

He asked.

The skinny horse nodded.

"Then I’ll just call a car to get myself there, really don’t want to trouble you to carry me personally."

Liu Zheng said hastily.

The skinny horse rolled its eyes, suddenly grabbed his clothes in its mouth, and tossed him onto its back.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Seeing the skinny horse about to set off, Liu Zheng quickly said.

The skinny horse indulgently put down its hooves, turned its head, and looked at him with big eyes.

"I have a few urgent matters to handle. If the Gravekeeper asks me to rob a tomb, could you please put in a good word for me and delay it a bit?"

Liu Zheng whispered in its ear, slipping a wad of cash and some dried fish into its satchel.

"Neigh~"

The skinny horse snorted, neither nodding nor shaking its head.

Its body leaned slightly back, front legs kicking off powerfully, and the hind legs quickly following. After a standard sprint action, the pair arrived in front of the cemetery’s archway.

"Thank you for the ride, sir."

Liu Zheng dismounted and cupped his fists in salute.

"Neigh~"

To his surprise, the skinny horse stood up and returned the salute with its hoof.

"Haha, you are a horse of character, sir."

Liu Zheng laughed heartily.

"By the way, do you drink, sir?"

He thought to ask.

The skinny horse nodded eagerly.

"Alright, I’ll bring some back for you, Brother Ma, when I visit the Du Kang Wine Workshop."

Liu Zheng said opportunistically.

Upon hearing the words "Du Kang Wine Workshop," the skinny horse’s eyes widened larger than Niu Ma’s.

It stood on two legs, pinned Liu Zheng by the shoulder, and turned him around.

It cautiously peeked over the archway and then took out an empty wine bottle from its satchel.

The black bottle was embedded with a golden helmeted elder, and other parts were covered in mysterious script.

"Looks familiar."

Liu Zheng took out "Hell in Front," finding the text on the bottle matched the script on the scabbard.

The auction house had mentioned the script was Runic, so the old man should be Odin, the main god in the Nordic Pantheon?

"Brother Ma, are you asking me to get you another bottle of the same wine?"

He tentatively asked.

"Neigh~"

The skinny horse nodded, then shook its head.

"So, Brother Ma, you mean this specific bottle has to be bought, but other wines too?"

Liu Zheng seemed to finally get it.

"Neigh!"

The skinny horse nodded satisfactorily.

"Alright, I’ll make sure to complete the task."

He readily agreed.

Liu Zheng realized that everyone in Metropolis seemed to be a drunkard.

It wasn’t often he got a chance to buy wine on a work trip; he might as well buy a lot and maybe even sell some for a profit.

"Neigh~"

The skinny horse pinned him in place, then itself stepped inside the archway.

A few minutes later, a hoof extended out, beckoning to Liu Zheng.

He instinctively felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint why.

But since sticking your neck out or not would both lead to the same end, he still resolutely stepped past the archway.

It was only when Liu Zheng saw the skinny horse suspended in mid-air did he realize where the abnormality was.

The protruding hoof had been reversed.

The skinny horse glanced at him, then awkwardly turned its head away.

"Sir Gravekeeper, what’s this?"

"Punishment."

The Tomb Guardian expressionlessly replied.

"It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have let Brother Ma speak for me."

Liu Zheng confessed.

Of course, he didn’t say anything about being willing to take the punishment in place of Skinny Horse.

The punishment that Skinny Horse could endure, he might not be able to endure.

"It lingered outside without returning, and it’s bound to be punished, the only difference is between a week and a month’s suspension."

The Tomb Guardian said blandly.

"I see. Then Brother Ma, you’ve worked hard. I’ll come to visit you when I have time."

Liu Zheng looked at Skinny Horse with sympathy.

"Neeeigh???"

Skinny Horse’s eyes showed a human-like shock and confusion.

Watching the interaction between the man and the horse, the Tomb Guardian smiled silently.

"How is the fire collection going?"

He asked.

"We’ve collected two types of fire so far, and the third type is in the process of being collected. Oh, and I also got this."

Liu Zheng showed "The Payback from the Dumplings."

The flames in the pipe should also be enhanced with the item’s second effect.

"Where’s the pipe?"

The Tomb Guardian asked.

"The pipe has been taken to collect the third type of fire. Also, the pipe has now been upgraded to a ’Super Fire-Resistant Pipe.’

He replied.

"Hmm. Considering your capabilities, your efficiency is indeed very high."

The Tomb Guardian nodded after pondering for a moment.

"As long as you’re satisfied."

Liu Zheng maintained a humble attitude.

"When do you want to postpone it to?"

The Tomb Guardian asked.

"Is the day after tomorrow okay, Mr. Tomb Guardian?"

He asked cautiously.

"At least five types of fire."

The Tomb Guardian stretched out five fingers.

"No problem."

Including the "Seven Deadly Sins·Anger" flame, he had already collected four types, so finding another one shouldn’t be difficult.

"Hmm."

The Tomb Guardian took an ivory pillow out of Skinny Horse’s saddlebags.

The pillow itself was hollow, with six faces carved into patterns related to sun, moon, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

"What is this?"

"This is the person you are looking for."

The Tomb Guardian replied.

"Huh?"

Could it be that Qian Zao was actually a pillow spirit?

"No, the pillow is just a vessel, and it’s also a medium."

The Tomb Guardian saw what he was thinking and shook his head to explain.

"I don’t quite understand."

Liu Zheng stated frankly.

"Do you know about ’insects’?"

The Tomb Guardian asked.

"Insects or ’Alien Insects’?"

"Neither. In some places, ’insects’ is a general term for a type of life. Some of them look like insects, some don’t at all, some have forms, some are shapeless. The people there consider them the most primitive life forms or the ’thoughts’ of nature."

"The forms and habits of ’insects’ vary, but the common point is that they possess abilities that even transcendent beings find difficult to understand."

"And the Qian Zao you’re looking for is one such ’insect.’ To be precise, it’s the product of a combination of ’insect’ and ’dream.’"

"She is like life yet not life, like existence yet not existence. Therefore, after she died, she had no actual soul and could only return to the form of an ’insect’ and return to the host’s dream."

The Tomb Guardian introduced.

"So it’s the pillow dreaming?"

"No, it’s the host’s soul residing in the pillow that’s dreaming."

The Tomb Guardian shook his head.

"Wow, a Russian nesting doll situation. So how can I meet Qian Zao?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Dreaming."

"You mean, I have to dream on the pillow to meet Qian Zao?"

He was initially startled, but then quickly realized.

"That’s right. And be careful. If you wake the host’s soul, Qian Zao will cease to exist completely."

The Tomb Guardian said.

"That’s so troublesome. Is there a way to change the host?"

Liu Zheng asked.

If Qian Zao could be transplanted into the Red Pig’s dream, it would be much more convenient.

"No, they cannot be separated. Once separated, both the host’s soul and Qian Zao’s existence would vanish simultaneously."

The Tomb Guardian shook his head.

"Alright. Is there a way to keep the host’s soul in a continuous sleep?"

He asked for a less ideal alternative.

Although it wouldn’t be fair to Qian Zao’s host, at this moment, he could only prioritize his friend.

"There are many ways. Which one do you want to hear?"

The Tomb Guardian asked.

"Of course, the most cost-effective way."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.