Chapter 32: Could you draw a few more? I really have a use for them.

"Whew, I'm truly something else!"

"A miraculous recovery!"

Lin Jingyu felt smug inside, though he gave a light cough on the surface. "Alright, alright, as long as the person is fine. Uncle Xu, there’s blood all over the ground here; you’d better clean it up."

Old Xu nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I'll go fetch a basin of water right now."

Lin Jingyu clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone disperse. If you’re all blocking the way, how is anyone supposed to do business? Move along, move along."

Huang Zhongxiong and his wife were soon led into the shop by Old Xu’s wife. With no more excitement to watch, the crowd quickly dissipated. Still, many who walked away kept casting curious glances back at Su Chen.

Lin Jingyu turned to Su Chen. "Buddy, are you really okay?"

Su Chen shot him a faint look. "I lost half my life force. What do you think?"

"I can tell; you’ve never been like this before." Lin Jingyu stroked his chin as he spoke. "I’m going to Uncle Xu’s shop for a moment."

Ah Biao sighed. "Brother, please don't use acupuncture again next time."

"We'll see." Su Chen returned the full box of iron nails to him. "Iron nails are truly difficult to use. I’ll have to get a set of gold... no, silver needles later. I can't afford gold needles yet."

"With silver needles, acupuncture will be much easier. At least I’ll be able to hit the acupoints without having to... never mind. Ah Biao, you two have been burning paper all day; aren't you tired?"

Ah Biao scratched his head. "How could burning paper be tiring? I just hope Brother Awang receives enough so he can live comfortably on the other side... But tell me, brother, is there really an Underworld? Can the paper money we burn really be used? Can ghosts really be reincarnated? And, and—is there really a Bridge of Helplessness and Lady Meng?"

Su Chen: "...That’s a long story."

"It’s okay, it’s okay. I believe in your skills, brother. Just give me the short version."

Su Chen: "..."

Who was it that said I needed to rest?

What a disaster!

When Lin Jingyu returned, he heard Su Chen quietly explaining the world below to Ah Biao.

"So, it’s not just paper money; we have to burn houses too? Otherwise, he won't have a place to live?"

Su Chen nodded. "You can also burn paper cars and horses, otherwise he’d have to drift around. You can also burn paper effigies to serve as attendants. Oh, and the master who crafts the paper effigies and cars needs to be highly skilled. You must be sincere when you burn them, otherwise, the items might be destroyed halfway there, or break down after one or two uses. Also, when you burn them, you must clearly state who they are for; otherwise, in this world, there’s no shortage of lonely ghosts who will snatch them up."

Lin Jingyu: "!!!"

"No way? Buddy, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Ah Biao: "Does that mean everything we burned today was for nothing? You don't think Brother Awang missed out on all of it, do you?"

The two of them wailed in dismay.

Su Chen looked at them with a strange expression. "You just burned them? Without saying a word?"

Both: "Heh, heh..."

Lin Jingyu explained, "The older generation never warned us about that."

Ah Biao nodded repeatedly. "Exactly."

Then, a sense of relief washed over them. "Luckily, this is only the first day. We still have two days left. We will definitely remember to burn them with sincerity and keep chanting Brother Awang’s name."

Lin Jingyu handed a brand-new towel to Su Chen. "Buddy, you still have sweat on your forehead. You should wipe it off."

"Thanks." Su Chen took it and wiped his face, then asked, "Did you check the graveyard?"

"We did, we did." He glanced left and right, then lowered his voice. "We took Uncle Ye along, and since he didn't have any objections, we settled on it. But regarding the moving of the grave..." Lin Jingyu scratched his head, looking troubled. "Although Uncle Ye told us the location, I’ve never been there and I’m afraid I won't find it. Could you come with me when you have a moment?"

Su Chen put down the towel. "Uncle Ye’s hometown isn't far; it’s only a half-day trip by car. That shouldn't be a problem."

"That’s great, that’s great. I’ll feel much more at ease with you there."

The two talked for a while longer before rushing off—one saying he needed to burn more paper money to make up for the loss, and the other saying he had to find Old Zhong to see if he could craft some paper cars and houses.

Su Chen shook his head slightly and closed his eyes to rest.

The sun gradually sank in the west.

As the horizon glowed with thousands of sunset rays, the meditating Su Chen suddenly felt a streak of golden radiance rush into his body. His lips curled upward.

This merit energy was far greater than the previous two combined. If he wasn't mistaken, it was granted for resolving the matter with Uncle Ye. That was, after all, a hairy stiff corpse. Although Uncle Ye’s mood was currently stable and he wouldn't do anything in the short term, zombies are filled with baleful energy. Long-term exposure to that energy would eventually make his temper volatile. Once it erupted, everyone on Chunming Street could be in danger...

The Heavenly Dao of this world was quite reasonable.

Thanks to this influx of merit energy, Su Chen’s body recovered quickly.

Just as he finished helping Lin Jingyu pack up his stall and was about to move his own chair and table into the hardware store, Old Xu’s wife and Huang Zhongxiong arrived.

Old Xu’s wife took his hand, full of gratitude. "Young man, we truly owe it all to you today. If it weren't for you, our Jiaojiao... sigh, that child would have suffered so much."

Su Chen gave a dry laugh. "She lost quite a bit of blood this time, so she needs to nourish herself well for a while."

Huang Zhongxiong nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I know. I’ll go buy some ginseng later and stew some chicken soup for her."

As he spoke, he pulled a bulging red envelope from his pocket.

"Master, if it weren't for you today, I don't think I would have even known she was poisoned. Jiaojiao might have ended up bedridden indefinitely. You are the savior of our family. I know this money is nothing to you, but please, you must accept it."

Seeing Su Chen accept it, joy spread across Huang Zhongxiong’s face.

Earlier at his brother-in-law’s new noodle shop, that man named Lin had specifically come over to remind them that the Master had exhausted himself greatly to save Jiaojiao and that they shouldn't just give 20 yuan—advising them to be generous. He had immediately agreed.

It wasn't just about his generosity; he had been to the hospital, and the doctor he knew through connections had told him privately that for a case like Jiaojiao’s, it would cost at least a thousand or two to keep her in the hospital, and that was just for conservative treatment with no guarantee of recovery. Now that Jiaojiao was already better, giving 500 was a massive bargain.

This Master was truly talented and not petty; he should definitely keep in touch with him.

Right, he had to go to his sister’s house tomorrow to thank her properly.

As he thought this, Huang Zhongxiong caught sight of the talismans on the table. He paused. "By the way, Master, how much are these talismans? Can I buy one?"

"Peace talismans, 20 each."

Just as he said this, a figure rushed over.

"Where’s the stall? Where is it?" The figure dashed over, then quickly retreated, pointing at the talismans on the table. "Master, how much is this talisman?"

Upon learning they were 20 each, the man immediately said, "I’ll take them all."

Huang Zhongxiong hurriedly pressed his hand onto the peace talisman. "Hey, hey, hey! Do you know anything about first-come, first-served?"

When he saw who it was, he was surprised. "Boss Zhang?"

Zhang Yugui didn't recognize Huang Zhongxiong and gave him a suspicious look. "Who are you?"

"It’s me, Huang Zhongxiong, I work for the government. We’ve eaten together before; I was with Director Liu. Don't you remember?"

"Director Liu? Oh, oh, oh, I remember now. Little Huang, I’m sorry, but could you please not fight me for these talismans today? I... I have a real need for them."

Huang Zhongxiong smiled and nodded. "If you need them, Boss Zhang, I certainly wouldn't dare compete. Please, go ahead..."

As he laughed sheepishly and withdrew his hand, he heard Zhang Yugui count the talismans and mutter, "Why are there only nine?"

At the mention of this, Su Chen felt a bit guilty.

He had originally intended to draw more talismans at noon to build up a stock, but then Aunt Chun caused such a scene that he had completely forgotten.

Zhang Yugui pulled out his money while asking, "Master, could you draw a few more? I, I... I really have a use for them."