Chapter 44 The puppet will turn you into the most beautiful and most imposing ghost in the world...
"..."
The two brothers looked at each other, but neither spoke first. They stood side by side, gazing at the setting sun in the distance. After a long while, Chen Changsheng finally said, "I need to go to Yu Chen County the day after tomorrow."
Chen Ping'an was taken aback. There were no questions as he had expected, and the anger in his heart deflated instantly.
Where to?
He let his mind wander, and as he always did when he was about to go on a long trip, he asked softly, "Hmm, how long will you be gone?"
"I'm going to Jingzhou to discuss a business deal." Chen Changsheng gazed into the distance. "It'll probably take about half a month. I'll try to come back as soon as possible."
Chen Pingan nodded.
Suddenly the two brothers fell silent. Chen Ping'an wanted to gather his anger, but looking at his elder brother's face, he couldn't say anything.
Never mind, let's wait until he gets back before we talk about it.
But what could he say?
Chen Ping'an was caught in a dilemma for the first time. What could he change by saying that?
Right now, the close relatives of both sides are discussing their marriage in the main house. Can their brief encounter and acquaintance overshadow the arrangements made by their parents and matchmakers? And it hasn't even been revealed what Shang Su thinks of him yet, but since she agreed to this marriage, it means she truly likes his elder brother.
Chen Ping'an lowered his eyes, realizing for the first time that some things cannot be obtained through struggle. His brother would no longer be like he was when they were children, giving up his things as soon as Chen Ping'an wanted them.
“The family,” Chen Changsheng patted his shoulder, then noticed the red mark on his neck and behind his ear, and paused for a moment, “is in your care.”
"I understand, brother."
Chen Changsheng looked at his younger brother, who had matured and had a handsome face, with complicated emotions, and hesitated several times before trying to say something.
"Her..."
He made the first move, and Chen Ping'an immediately understood and looked up at him.
Chen Changsheng choked, then composed himself and said, "They are a widow and her child. You are the man of the family, so you should protect her."
"..." Chen Ping'an did not respond.
"Safety?"
Chen Ping'an looked at him with a slightly complicated expression: "Brother, do you really want me to take care of him?"
He's made his point so clear, he couldn't possibly not understand. Both of them are intelligent people, so why bother to spell it out so plainly?
"Stay home and wait for me to come back..." He paused, patted his shoulder, "We'll talk about everything when I get back."
"……good."
The two looked at each other in silence, stayed outside for a while, and then went inside.
Just then, Chen's mother finished talking to Shang Su. Shang Su looked at Chen Changsheng, and the two exchanged glances before leaving the house one after the other.
Chen Ping'an wanted to follow, but he had no excuse.
Shang Su boarded the carriage, and Chen Changsheng stood in front of the horse, saying to her, "I will be gone for half a month this time, and I will be back in half a month."
"Okay." A hint of reluctance appeared in Shang Su's eyes. "Have a safe journey and come back safely."
Chen Changsheng smiled, the radiant light in his eyes concealing the grief in his eyes.
After watching the merchants leave, Chen Changsheng suppressed his smile and went back into his house. As night deepened, Chen Changsheng, dressed in black and wearing a black cloak, quietly left home.
The night breeze was slightly cool.
"Knock knock knock—"
"Coming, coming~ Who is it? Knocking so urgently so late at night, can't a person get any rest?"
A graceful and beautiful woman swayed her hips and impatiently opened the wooden gate. Her face, which had been burning with anger, instantly melted away like snow melting in spring when she saw the handsome and gentle face of the newcomer.
"Oh~ What a rare guest! I wonder what business Little Changsheng has with this widow in the middle of the night?" She gave him a flirtatious wink, her behavior frivolous.
With a gentle smile on his face, Chen Changsheng said in a tone that left no room for refusal, "Wei Sanniang, I've come to find Chen Chengdong."
"Oh dear, Changsheng, what are you saying? Chen Chengdong is an unmarried man, how could he possibly come here? Besides, I'm all alone, who would I have anyone with?" Wei Sanniang said coquettishly. "Changsheng, if others hear you say that, my reputation will be ruined. Will you take responsibility for me?"
Her beautiful eyes darted around, but the person in front of her ignored them. He said coldly, "Since he's not here, I'll go look for him at his house. You don't want everyone to know, do you?"
Wei San Niang covered her mouth and laughed: "Chang Sheng really loves to joke. If he's not here, he's not here."
"..." Chen Changsheng hadn't expected Wei Sanniang to be so stubborn. His patience was almost exhausted. He said coldly, "Do you want to ruin their plan?"
Wei San Niang's eyelids twitched, and her expression instantly changed.
"Oh dear, I was just joking with you, don't be angry with me~"
Chen Changsheng pushed aside her leaning against him and stepped into the courtyard.
"This way, please~" Wei San Niang said with a smile as she led the way for him.
The two walked to the backyard and stood beside a dry well. Wei San Niang moved the dry grass on top, and the two jumped into the well one after the other.
After walking through the dark path, the view gradually opened up, and an underground palace appeared before us. In the center was a wide flat area, and extending outwards from the flat area were layers of stone steps leading upwards. On each stone step, a huge "person" supported by a frame was suspended.
Chen Changsheng felt goosebumps rise on his skin after just one more glance.
These are the soldiers they want to rebuild.
Everyone who reaches a certain age is required to voluntarily dedicate their body and soul to Maitreya.
Those people were all made into messengers of the saint, ghost messengers from the underworld.
At the entrance, they were facing a mural and relief depicting flying spirits, ghosts locking souls, and people paying homage to the saintess. The scene was eerie, bright, and lifelike.
Chen Changsheng took a deep breath and, together with Wei Sanniang, bypassed the sleeping ghost messengers and entered another door.
Behind the stone gate, Chen Changsheng was looking for Chen Chengdong, who stood in front of a stone bed. On the stone bed lay a man over fifty years old, his eyes closed, the skin around his eyes dry, cracked, and sunken into his eye sockets, and next to him was a person using a soul-removing knife to separate his flesh.
"Cheng Dong."
Chen Chengdong turned around and saw Chen Changsheng. He grinned and said, "Brother Changsheng, what brings you here? Uncle Chen has always been against you two getting close to us."
Ignoring the teasing in his words, Chen Changsheng went straight to the point: "I'm here to tell you to let Ping An go and not to set your sights on him."
Chen Chengdong grinned, revealing that he was missing a front tooth, which was quite obvious. Chen Changsheng was stunned for a moment, but did not say a word.
"You saw it too?" He pointed to the hollow tooth. "Your good brother did it, for a woman."
"..."
He said arrogantly, "You probably already know who that person is, right?"
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
"Although Chen Ping'an is a scholar, he is still a member of our cult. He has an obligation to dedicate himself to the revival of our cult!" He said with a smug and manic expression, pointing to the person lying on the stone bed at the mercy of others. "Chen the Blind, look, although he is not yet fifty-five, he is willing to offer his body and soul to the Holy Maiden for the revival of our cult. After Cheng Cai takes care of his body, he will become a ghost messenger who is above one person and above ten thousand people!"
"..." A hint of fear flashed in Chen Changsheng's eyes. He thought to himself that Blind Chen did not do it voluntarily. He was forced to become an object of worship because he discovered your affair with Wei Sanniang.
"So you pretended to be drunk and said those things in front of me just to provoke Ping An?" Chen Changsheng guessed his intention. Because of the county magistrate's secret surveillance, no one in their village dared to act rashly. They could only use various pretexts to turn the "fit" people in the village into ghost messengers.
However, no suitable candidate could be found to serve as one of the four envoys under the Holy Maiden. But Chen Ping'an's birth excited everyone, as his destiny was extremely suitable.
However, his parents did not want them to get involved. They had long given up on the idea of revival and only wanted to live a good life and live out their lives peacefully and long. So when they were young, they used various methods to prevent them from being poisoned by the religion.
As a result, their brainwashing symptoms were milder than those of Chen Chengdong and his group.
But they didn't want to let go of such a good destiny.
“Yes,” Chen Chengdong said casually, “Chen Ping’an, that mad dog, is still as impulsive as he was when he was a child. He gets angry and bites people as soon as he is provoked.”
Chen Chengdong touched his lips and could still feel the stinging pain.
"So, I deliberately said it to anger him, and took the opportunity to insert the Soul-Devouring Gu into his brain. When the time is right, he will be under our control."
Chen Changsheng's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Chen Changsheng's collar and shouted angrily, "Who gave you the guts to lay a hand on him?!"
"Heh, Chen Changsheng, don't think you're the boss just because you offer some money to our sect. This is his destiny. I just put the Gu worm in beforehand, and it hasn't taken effect yet. What's your hurry?"
"you!"
Chen Chengdong looked at his angry expression with an appreciative expression, and whispered in his ear, "Who told him to mess with me!"
Enraged, Chen Changsheng tackled the man to the ground and delivered a powerful punch, breaking his other front tooth.
Chen Chengdong chuckled and spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood.
A yellowed tooth lay in the blood.
His eyes hardened, and he shook off Wei Sanniang, who had come forward to check on him, and launched a counterattack.
The two of them, both beautiful and delicate, started fighting inside.
Wei San Niang winced in pain, glanced at her scraped palms, and tried to persuade the two to stop fighting, but her eyes watched the fight with great interest.
"..."
The person in front of the stone table was disturbed and was very dissatisfied. He swept his cold gaze over Wei Sanniang, who was watching the show. The latter felt a chill down her spine and cowered, trying to hide her presence.
"Enough!" he shouted coldly. Chen Chengdong stopped, but was punched hard by Chen Changsheng, who did not stop.
Just as he was about to retaliate, the man said again, "Chen Chengdong."
"..." Chen Chengdong clutched his cramping stomach in frustration, squatting on the ground to relieve it. His teeth chattered, and he said defiantly, "Chengcai, look what he did to me!?"
Chen Cheng didn't even spare him a glance. He put down the Soul-Slaying Knife in his hand, slowly washed his hands, and then said in a low voice, "Why should Changsheng get so angry?"
Chen Changsheng shook off the hand that was reaching out to him, which faintly reeked of decay and blood, and stared at him with cold eyes.
Chen Chengcai's alluring face turned cold for a moment, then he smiled. "Chengdong and Ping'an were just joking around. Here, this is the antidote for the Gu worm. Give it to Ping'an, and he will be cured in three days."
Chen Changsheng was skeptical and was about to reach out to take it when the latter closed his palms and said with a smile, "Hey, I have a condition."
"..." Chen Changsheng's face was stern, revealing an expression of "I knew it," "Speak."
"Give me 30% of this year's profits."
Chen Changsheng gritted his teeth: "Chen Cheng, don't go too far!"
He only kept 20% of the money he made from business over the years for his own family, and donated the rest to the church. What more does he want?!
"No, don't overthink it. When I said 'give it to me,' I meant 'give it to me,' not 'offer it to someone.'"
Chen Chengcai spoke frankly, not afraid of others being jealous if they heard him. After all, he had inherited the skills from his parents and could turn people into ghost messengers. He could even do it better than them. Even if the people in the sect were dissatisfied, they still had to respect him.
"..."
"If you don't agree, I'll turn your brother into a dried-up human body right now." He grinned, his sinister aura startling Chen Chengdong and Wei Sanniang who were standing nearby.
"I've heard that your future wife also has a good destiny..."
Chen Changsheng's eyes were bloodshot as he stepped forward, grabbing the man's collar and gritting his teeth, demanding, "What do you mean?!"
Chen Chengcai wasn't afraid at all, and said with a grin, "This is all thanks to Chengdong's investigation. That's how we found out that your fiancée has the exact same birthday as the Holy Goddess! This is such a wonderful thing!"
Chen Changsheng's hands trembled, and he wished he could kill the person in front of him: "What can I do to make them go?"
Chen Cheng smiled and stroked his strong, broad arms with both hands: "Don't you know? Your body is so beautiful! It's perfect for being a ghost messenger!"
As he spoke, a delirious, fanatical look appeared in his eyes.
Chen Changsheng was dejected. He let go of her hand and took a few steps back.
“Alright, as long as you don’t try anything with them, I’m willing to offer my body to you before I turn fifty, plus the 30% of the profits.” Chen Changsheng accepted the small celadon bottle.
Chen Cheng smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"..." Chen Changsheng ignored him and turned to leave.
Chen Chengcai ignored his indifference and hostility, staring intently at his body, his eyes revealing greed and affection.
"Brother! You're just going to let him go back like that!?" Chen Chengdong shouted indignantly.
Chen Cheng ignored him, still thinking about that figure, and murmured, "Such a beautiful body..."
It would be absolutely gorgeous to make them into ghost messengers.
He can't wait until he's fifty...
Chen Chengdong shuddered involuntarily and shut his mouth in embarrassment.
He immediately stopped making a fuss, fearing that his brother would take a liking to him, skin him alive, and turn him into a ghost messenger.
-
On the day of departure, Chen's parents and Chen Ping'an saw Chen Changsheng off, and Chen's parents talked on and on.
Chen Changsheng listened with a smile, nodding in agreement from time to time.
After they finally finished nagging, Chen Ping'an was finally able to talk to his brother.
"Have a safe journey and return safely."
"Okay, take good care of your parents at home..." Chen Changsheng said in a low voice, "And please take care of what I asked you to do."
“…Hmm.” Chen Pingan replied, lowering his eyes.
Chen Changsheng patted his shoulder and smiled, "Wait for me to come back."
Once he had everything arranged, he would take them away from this awful place, never to return, and never to have anything to do with them again.
A new life will always come.
Chen Changsheng mounted his horse, cracked the whip, and rode forward. Thinking of the new beginning and Susu waiting for him, he felt a surge of pride and excitement.
The figure gradually disappeared into the road ahead. The person on horseback suddenly had clear eyes that turned cloudy and dim. The smile froze on his face. He looked like a wooden puppet, blank and dazed. The veins on his neck bulged, as if something was struggling and swimming inside.
Chen Chengcai appeared before them, his alluring, pale face appearing even more eerie and sinister because of his hearty laughter.
"We meet again, Changsheng."
"Money is nothing but an external thing to me, but your body is currently in its prime. I can't wait more than thirty years. Don't blame me for breaking my promise."
He looked up to admire the body, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He raised his hand and smiled, "Chang Sheng, come with me."
"Brother will take you somewhere."
He laughed out loud.
"Brother will make you the most beautiful and strongest ghost messenger in the world."
"OK?"
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Author's Note: Happy 5.20!!! [Cheering][Sprinkling flowers]
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