Headless Immortal

Chapter 74 Silver Exchange
睡，
It is the enjoyment of life.

Even on a bumpy carriage, this is true.

The black cat was fast asleep in its newly built den.

Even when sleeping, cats keep their ears perked up and remain vigilant. This isn't something Lu Xun does intentionally; cats are just like that—they're light sleepers.

No wonder Sun Shen didn't give the county yamen's headman a friendly look.

So this is what riding in a horse-drawn carriage is like; it's not as comfortable as a donkey cart or an oxcart.

The team leader's order to slow down the line was actually making the passengers' backsides uncomfortable.

Let's leave that as a joke.

The carriage from Bailudong Academy sped along, driven by a middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth. He was skilled and the three horses worked in perfect harmony, running side by side without any disorder. Before dawn, they had already reached the foot of Wulao Peak.

Looking back, the rainbow light rose from the earth and spread along the edge.

In late autumn, a moist, warm breeze caresses the fiery red maple leaves.

Before I knew it, the sky had cleared up and turned into a clear blue sky.

noon.

The car stopped and the three strong horses grazed and drank water on the spot.

People also got out of the carriage, took out the prepared dry food, and started eating.

The late summer heatwave is still intense.

The heat this month isn't scorching, it's stifling.

People also need to seek out shady spots in the woods.

The sweat was so thick and sticky, like it had been mixed with flour, that the temperature kept rising.

"It's a pity there's no good wine to quench my thirst," Wu Agui said with a hint of disdain as he chewed on the dried meat.

He now felt a little regretful. What kind of supernatural powers could a monster have to find his family? He had suffered for nothing. If there was any redeeming quality to it, it was that all his tension turned into complaints.

Cheng Yan gulped down two mouthfuls of water, wiped his mouth, and advised, "Just bear with it, it'll pass. At our speed, we'll reach the county town before dusk."

Is there really a rush?

Wu Agui took the water bag and looked at his two senior brothers.

Senior Brother Yang Shen maintained the same expression, not blaming Wu Agui for his rudeness, and slowly explained, "If there were only Donglin Temple, we would run into each other all the time, and we could probably get it by discussing it properly. I heard that now there is a Lushan Sect that wants to buy Qingquan Temple as a branch temple."

Cheng Yan frowned and said, "There's always a first-come, first-served principle. The academy deposit has already been paid."

"The highest bidder wins," Yang Shen said with a helpless smile.

The black cat, having eaten and drunk its fill, was licking its fur rhythmically to the side.

The eagle on the treetop turned its eyes and surveyed the surroundings.

Grey Treasure returned to the carriage early, captivated by the several boxes of gold and jewels.

The gray treasures beside the treasures seemed much more lively.

The coachman, Xu Liu, carried a sickle and cut a bundle of grass, mixing it with the fine beans he had prepared beforehand. The only problem was that he hadn't brought much water for the journey. Jiujiang had no shortage of water, so he planned to unload the cart and lead the three horses to a tributary stream for a good drink.

"Let Senior Brother Ma go with you," Yang Shen instructed.

The usually stern-faced Senior Brother Ma nodded and stood up.

I rested for a full hour.

As the sun began to set in the west, a cool breeze eased some of the oppressive heat.

Xu Liu harnessed the horses to the carriage frame and set off again.

Sure enough, the outline of the county town could be seen before dusk.

On the way there, they were robbed by bandits, but the way back was surprisingly smooth.

This left Lu Xun, who was eager to catch a few more monsters, somewhat disappointed.

If there are no monsters, then some blind bandits and robbers would be fine too.

At least get some ashes to enhance the Five Gods' magic.

……

Upon entering the city, Wu Agui's timidity vanished, and the servants of the Wu family had prepared a carriage and were waiting at the gate.

He directed his servants to move the jewelry and some silver he had exchanged at the academy onto the new carriage. He then cupped his hands in greeting to Cheng Yan and asked cautiously with a smile, "Brother Cheng, would you like to come with me? As long as the jewelry is exchanged for gold and silver, I will never forget your kindness."

Cheng Yan chuckled to himself. Did Wu Agui think he was some kind of opportunistic person who would abandon all principles for personal gain?

Even if Wu Agui didn't speak, he would still go with him.

He crossed his arms and bowed to his two senior brothers, saying, "Senior brothers..."

Yang Shen clasped his hands and replied, "Junior brother, please go ahead. We'll wait for you at the county government post station."

"Uncle Cat, why don't you go to the county government office with your senior brothers?" Cheng Yan said in a low voice.

The academy's silver was packed in boxes, amounting to at least several thousand taels, and in order to compete with others, it could even be tens of thousands of taels.

Wu Agui knew perfectly well that the jewelry he possessed was worth more than a thousand taels of silver; he understood the relative importance of each item.

We must prioritize the important matters of the academy.

The old cat sent Toothless away to look after the academy's property, while it itself jumped onto the hard leather treasure bag and perched there.

There were two experts from the academy watching over there.

Toothless patrols the sky. Nothing will likely happen.

What could possibly happen at the county government office?
Even the great demons dared not force their way into the battle formation of heavily armed soldiers.

Cheng Yan did not refuse Uncle Cat's kindness. To be honest, he was a little scared. Although Lu He said that the monster only took silver, there was a wet corpse lying in the yamen that day, which was beyond doubt.

If a monster goes berserk, or if you encounter a vicious monster seeking revenge, a battle is inevitable.

With Uncle Cat there to help, he immediately calmed his pounding heart.

They parted ways right at the city gate.

Senior Brother Yang and his group headed straight for the county government post station, while Cheng Yan and Wu Agui went to the pawnshop.

If you were to ask where the best place to sell gold and jewels was, the shops around the Drunken Tower in Dongcheng would be the best choice. The area was connected to the Huangshui River, a tributary of the Xunyang River, and had a well-developed shipping industry, making it a resting place for countless merchants and dignitaries.

The long street is just as brightly lit at night, even more bustling and lively than during the day.

Inns, taverns, pawnshops, gambling dens...

And the most magnificent Drunken Tower.

It seems that night never comes at Dongcheng Wharf.

……

Dou Family Shop.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with gray hair and beard, sitting steadily in his seat, his head bowed as if he were dozing off.

This made Wu Agui very anxious. He crossed his legs, leaned back, and asked loudly, "Give me a straight answer, sir. How much silver can I get for these things? Two thousand taels won't do, then one thousand five, or even one thousand if you think it's too cheap."

The old shopkeeper, as if waking from a dream, cupped his hands in greeting, chuckled, and said, "Jewelry isn't worth that price now."

"How much would you like to say, sir?"

The old shopkeeper stretched out a slightly aged hand, trembling as he retracted the remaining three fingers, and gestured with his thumb and forefinger.

"Eight hundred taels?!"

Wu Agui shouted and stood up, yelling, "You're playing dirty tricks!"

He was about to throw a punch.

How could he, the eldest son of the prestigious Wu family, tolerate such humiliation?

If it weren't for the fear that keeping these jewels at home would be a disaster, the Wu family would have paid the two thousand taels of silver themselves.

"Young Master Wu, are you unaware of the recent murders that have occurred in the county town?"

Wu Agui's arm stopped in mid-air.

The old shopkeeper continued, "The cases are piling up, and the master is extremely busy. He's even hired Taoist priests and Buddhist monks, all in an effort to track down the monsters."

“Now, apart from my Dou family shop, everyone is on edge and no one dares to accept these jewelry and jade artifacts of unknown origin. Young Master Wu first tried to fool this old man with ‘ancestral things,’ so how can I blame myself for being wrong?”

Feeling embarrassed and uneasy, Wu Agui couldn't help but look at Cheng Yan beside him.

Cheng Yan also had no good solution.

Wu Agui sighed, "Alright. No flying money or silver notes, just cash."

The old shopkeeper shouted loudly, "A box of river mud clam pearls, peck, eight hundred taels!"

Should I call a donkey cart for you two?

"No need."

Wu Agui refused with a livid face; the carriage was waiting at the door.

……

After a flurry of activity, Wu Agui sat back in the carriage and cursed, "What a rip-off!"

"Young Master, shall we return to the manor?"

The servants were somewhat intimidated.

People in the city are now in a state of panic, deeply fearful of this kind of exchange of jewelry for silver.

“Go back. Never mind, have my father send another thousand taels to the East City Wharf.”

Wu Agui instructed two servants to move the boxes containing the silver.

He managed to scrape together 1,800 taels to get by.

The group arrived at Dongcheng Wharf.

The river breeze made Wu Agui shiver.

When they turned back, the two servants were trembling with fear.

He quickly looked at Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yan carried a treasure bag on his back, his expression remained calm and he showed no fear. His composure made Wu Agui breathe a sigh of relief.

The two started chatting casually.

Oh!

The black cat lying on the treasure pouch suddenly twitched its ears.

Look up slowly.

The golden cat eyes stared at the shadows on the shore.

(End of this chapter)