Otherworldly Merchant

Li Mazi and I were quite nervous as we looked at the rooster below. The rooster quietly lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

As for the sluggard, he was probably awake since I could still hear his rapid breathing. No matter how bold one was, it was unlikely that they would get sleepy when their life was in danger.

Time passed, and I was in a perpetual state of nervousness, which made me feel exhausted. But, just as before, I didn't dare to relax for even a moment.

At long last, the rooster moved!

It moved a bit and then jumped down from the bed. Afterward, it frantically flapped its wings, jumping around the room. I knew that it had sensed the impending danger.

Animals were much better than humans when it came to detecting danger.

However, the rooster quickly quieted down and lay on the ground without moving in the slightest. It was looking at the entrance of the bedroom, absolutely terrified.

I knew that the rooster had spotted something!

Then, it suddenly looked upward, gazing at the two of us.

My heart skipped a beat. The situation didn't look good! Had that otherworldly item discovered my tricks?

The eyes of the rooster were gloomy, and when we looked at each other, I felt as though it was mocking me. They didn't feel like the eyes of a rooster... but rather that of a human.

Just as I was staring at the rooster blankly, Li Mazi suddenly asked, "Little Brother Zhang, why did you hit me?"

I immediately shivered, because I hadn't touched Li Mazi at all.

After seeing my strange expression, Li Mazi was startled, and he discovered that there was something behind us!

Just when he was about to turn around, I faintly shook my head, taking out a small mirror and aiming it behind us.

A tall human figure appeared in the mirror.

The figure was pitch-black, as though it was a mass of black mist. I could only tell that the figure was wearing a set of ancient battle armor and had two glistening red eyes—absolutely terrifying.

But, very soon, the human figure disappeared from the mirror.

It seemed that it was the thing hiding inside the blue and white porcelain!

Just as I was preparing to chase after the figure, Li Mazi grabbed me in a flurry, saying, "Little Brother Zhang... quickly looked at the sluggard!" 

"What about the sluggard?" I lowered my head and looked downward. What I saw in the next moment startled me, making me speechless.

At this time, the sluggard had crawled out from under the bed and was holding the neck of the rooster, his mouth wide open and ready to bite.

The rooster was in great pain and continually flapping its wings, struggling desperately.

Nevertheless, its struggle stimulated the sluggard even further. The sluggard bit again and again, directly tearing off the head of the rooster. Right now, his whole mouth was filled with feathers.

Li Mazi and I were scared shitless. Yet, we didn't head down to stop the sluggard because we still had no idea how he’d offended the blue and white porcelain.

The sluggard suddenly cast aside the rooster in his hands and headed outside.

His posture was very strange. He was walking on his tiptoes, with his body leaning forward. This posture was very similar to that of a mantis. He staggered as he moved forward, but he still didn't lose his balance or fall to the ground.

At this time, his whole body was covered in the blood of that rooster, with his upper half naked. If one of the unaware villagers were to see him, they would definitely be scared to death.

Li Mazi and I cautiously followed the sluggard.

Along the way, I thought about the black figure I’d seen in the mirror.

The armor the figure was wearing was seemingly the one used in the Eight Banners Division during the Qing Dynasty. In addition, it seemed to be the armor of a figure of the general rank.

Here came the problem... how was this blue and white porcelain related to a great general of the Qing Dynasty?

We knew that the blue and white porcelain originated from the Imperial Palace. As such, was it possible that they’d used the teeth and fingernails of some great general to manufacture it? But, why would they do such a thing? One had to keep in mind that ancient people attached great importance to matters such as burying and bringing peace to the dead. As long as they didn't suddenly go crazy, they wouldn't spoil the remains of the deceased—not to mention that the other party was a general holding great power.

In this fashion, we followed the sluggard and arrived at a willow tree forest outside the village.

It was late at night, and not even the moonlight could pass through the dense trees. Moreover, the dense black mist was everywhere, and the ground beneath our feet was muddy. The surrounding environment was terrible.

What worried me the most right now was losing sight of the sluggard due to the scarce illumination.

Luckily, the sluggard moved forward at a moderate pace, and he didn't get out of our line of sight.

Just as we were wondering why the sluggard had come to the woods, he quickly climbed up a tree and snapped off a few branches.

What was he doing?

Li Mazi and I looked at each other, unsure as to what the sluggard was trying to do.

After snapping enough branches, the sluggard jumped down from the tree. He collected them into a bundle and rushed forward while carrying the said bundle on his back.

Now, I was sure that we’d been discovered, because the sluggard had intentionally passed through the place where Li Mazi and I were hiding. He’d even turned his head around to look at us.

Those blood-red eyes seemed to be full of contempt.

Li Mazi and I followed after him while wondering what his objective might be.

I said, "I think I know what he wants to do..."

Li Mazi asked out of curiosity, "What’s he doing?"

I replied, "Offering a humble apology."

"Offering a humble apology?" Li Mazi was startled. "And, to whom does he want to offer this apology?"

I replied, "I don't know. Let's keep following him."

If the sluggard wanted to offer a humble apology, it meant that he’d committed some kind of crime.

From the looks of it, the blue and white porcelain wasn't targeting him without a reason!

I suddenly saw the light. It seemed that the blue and white porcelain wasn't truly an evil item. As long as we discovered how the sluggard had offended it and offered it an apology, this matter should come to an end.

While pondering this matter, most of the anxiety in my heart disappeared.

The sluggard ran until he arrived in front of a rice field. There, he knelt on the ground and took out a branch from the buddle, ruthlessly whipping his back.

After using the willow branch to whip his back, he would throw it on the ground.

After whipping his back with all the willow branches, the sluggard started to dig in the rice field.

His movements were both quick and vigorous, and he kept digging while shedding tears. The soil of the rice field was soft, and it was possible to dig with one's bare hands. But, soon afterward, the fingernails of the sluggard started to bleed.

From the looks of it, the problem lay with this rice field!

I took a step forward and grabbed the hair of the sluggard, pulling him backward and stuffing an onion into his mouth.

At first, the sluggard struggled with all his might, and Li Mazi and I—two grown men—were having trouble controlling him. However, as he chewed on the onion and ate a part of it, his struggles decreased and became weaker and weaker...

In the end, the sluggard slowly regained consciousness.

Li Mazi and I were squatting in the rice field, gasping for breath and looking at the sluggard.

The sluggard looked around in a daze, and then looked at us. He spat out several fragments of onion and asked, "What... what am I doing here?"

I sneered. "From the looks of it, you’re still concealing the truth from us! Forget it... Li Mazi, we’re going back! We’ve saved your life again and again, but you’re still not telling us the whole truth. There’s no hope for you, no one can save you."

After saying this much, I prepared to turn around and leave.

But, the sluggard pounced forward and held my thigh. "Big Brother Zhang, I told you everything I know!"

"Nonsense," I said angrily. "Did you do something to this rice field? Carefully think about it."

Li Mazi reminded him, "Doesn't this field belong to your family? You definitely did something bad in this place!"

The sluggard hesitated for a moment, and finally patted his head. "I knew it, I knew it... That bone must be the reason..."

"What bone?" My eyes lit up as I stared at the sluggard. I was sure that this bone was the key to solving the problem!