Chapter 38

When it came to Boss Zhao, during the great earthquake in Liaodong, apart from the two gold ingots Wu Mian had given him, he had brought nothing else out. Afterward, his resurgence in Liaoxi County was entirely dependent on these two gold ingots. However, only one of the original two gold ingots remained, and there was no way he could repay the money Wu Mian had left in his shop.

Wu Mian's abilities were not well known to Boss Zhao, but he did know that Wu Mian had at least killed a tiger before. Just now, a casual flick of his finger had sent the fat cook flying. Such a person was not to be provoked. Even if he really asked the local officials for help, the cost and the effort required aside, it was uncertain who would end up in trouble.

Unexpectedly, the one who was in the best mood after entering the back room was Gui Bu Gui. The old man's face, which had been prepared to look bitter, instantly relaxed, and he smiled at Boss Zhao, then turned to look at Wu Mian, asking knowingly, "Is this a meeting of old friends in a foreign land? See, I told you. It's good to have more fellow countrymen. If you see someone starving, who would have the heart to owe them money? By the way, how are you planning to repay the interest you agreed on?"

After these words, Boss Zhao's expression became even more bitter. He forced a smile at Wu Mian and said, "Young man, you haven't changed a bit in these few years. Actually, the two gold ingots you left with me were buried under the old house during the earthquake at the beginning of the year. If you don't mind the trouble, you can go there yourself. It's the same shop where you used to buy meat. The gold ingots are buried under the shop. If you search carefully, you're sure to find them..."

While Boss Zhao was speaking, Wu Mian seemed not to hear him. He used his finger to draw a crooked map on the table with tea water. After finishing, Wu Mian looked up at Boss Zhao and said, "See where this is. If you can figure it out, the two gold ingots you owe me..."

Boss Zhao hopefully said, "You don't need to repay the two gold ingots you owe me," but he didn't expect Wu Mian to say, "You can delay repaying the two gold ingots for a few more months."

Delaying for a few months was better than paying immediately. Boss Zhao tilted his head and stared at the map for a long time. Although he had been in Liaoxi County for half a year, he had been holed up in the restaurant and was not very familiar with the terrain outside. After looking for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Finally, he called in a local helper from the restaurant for help. The helper took a few looks and said, "Hmm? Right in the middle of the crossroads... Isn't this the Governor's Residence?"

Reminded by the helper, Boss Zhao immediately understood, "Right, this is the Governor's Residence. But why are you two asking about this?"

Wu Mian ignored him. After getting the answer he wanted, he wiped the tea water off the table. The old man, Gui Bu Gui, grinned and answered for Wu Mian, "We're new here and want to try our luck at the Governor's Residence, to see if we can find some work. It doesn't matter if we earn money or not; as long as we can get a meal, we'll be satisfied."

Unexpectedly, after Gui Bu Gui finished speaking, Boss Zhao and the helper almost shouted in unison, "Don't go, it's haunted there..."

The story of the Governor's Residence being haunted was well-known throughout Liaoxi County. Even someone new like Boss Zhao could recount it in detail. The incident happened six months ago, during the earthquake in Liaodong. A watchman in the Governor's Residence suddenly died, and when his body was found the next morning, it had completely disappeared, leaving only his head casually thrown on the ground. The way the watchman died was so shocking that the story of the Governor's Residence being haunted began to spread.

More than a month passed, and the case remained unsolved. Just as people started to forget about the dead watchman, a second murder occurred. This time, it was a servant in the Governor's Residence, and the location was not the watchman's shed but the kitchen.

According to the cook, "That day, I was about to finish cooking, and I was chatting with Xiao Anzi. Suddenly, Xiao Anzi stopped talking. When I turned around, half of Xiao Anzi's body was gone, and he was standing there, spraying blood..."

After that, people in the Governor's Residence started dying one after another. At first, it was one every ten days or so, then every three to five days, and recently, there were one or more dead bodies being carried out every day.

When the deaths first started, the governor moved his family to another place. However, all the servants and laborers were ordered to stay in the Governor's Residence, and a thousand soldiers with bows and arrows surrounded the place. Apart from carrying out the dead bodies at fixed times, anyone who tried to leave alive would be shot on the spot.

As the number of living people in the Governor's Residence dwindled, the governor made a bizarre decision. He ordered the soldiers to bring out all the serious criminals from the prison and lock them in the Governor's Residence. After that, the dead bodies carried out included the corpses of these criminals.

Since then, every time a certain number of people died in the Governor's Residence, more prisoners were brought in to fill the numbers. By last month, the prison in Liaoxi County was empty. Soon after, news of people disappearing started spreading among the refugees from Liaodong outside the city.

After Boss Zhao finished speaking, Gui Bu Gui and Wu Mian exchanged a glance. Then, Gui Bu Gui grinned at Boss Zhao and said, "Even with the official protection, the Governor's Residence is still so haunted. Are you not afraid that the hungry ghosts will come for you?"

Boss Zhao scratched his head, looking puzzled, and said, "Don't mention it. The strange thing is, during the earthquake in Liaodong, the entire area within a hundred miles was devastated. Towns farther away from Liaoxi County were completely destroyed, but not a single tile in Liaoxi County fell. Last year, there was a severe drought, and the entire Qin Dynasty suffered, with Liaodong almost having no harvest. Only Liaoxi County had occasional light rain, and the fields were full of golden wheat. I was so envious that if it weren't for my position as a village head, I would have led people to raid it. That's why after the disaster, all our people came to Liaoxi County."

After a pause, Boss Zhao continued, "You might think the Governor's Residence is haunted, but as long as you leave the gates, nothing happens. Otherwise, how could the soldiers standing at the gate be unharmed?"

Hearing Boss Zhao, Gui Bu Gui's eyes narrowed. He chuckled at Wu Mian but didn't say anything, just turning his head toward the center of Liaoxi County, where the Governor's Residence should be.

Seeing that the old man and the young man were not speaking, Boss Zhao became unsure. He didn't understand what they meant. After hesitating, he laughed dryly and said, "You two didn't eat well just now. Let me prepare a few dishes. We have a good jar of wine in the store. Let's eat and drink while we talk. We can discuss anything after we're full."

Just as Boss Zhao finished speaking, Wu Mian suddenly turned around and said bluntly, "I don't want the gold ingots anymore..."

The sudden joy was too much for Boss Zhao to handle. He suspected he had heard wrong and stared at Wu Mian, saying, "What did you say? You don't want them?"

"I don't want the gold ingots, but there's a condition," Wu Mian paused and then said, "Get him into the Governor's Residence. As soon as he enters, the gold ingots you owe me are yours."