I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 56 - 45: Throwing A Shoe to Ask for Directions

Xu Qing often passed by Shuimen Bridge, where there were indeed a few fortune-tellers and medicine sellers working in less conventional ways. But was it really true that their fortune-telling was so accurate?

If so, he would probably have to avoid Shuimen Bridge in the future. After all, it would be troublesome if one of them were to look at him a few times and, with a quick calculation, uncover a dead person.

In the mortuary, the Sutra of Salvation was still flipping pages. After receiving guidance from the Divination Master, the gambler hurried to Cuiyun Building.

The big teapot greeted him with laughter, and the gambler followed him to a quiet loft. After reporting their arrival, they heard a sharp voice from inside.

"If you want to buy our treasure, it’s not impossible, but the price—"

"The price is negotiable. How about one hundred and twenty taels?"

After being enlightened by the fortune-telling master, the gambler was determined to get the treasure that would bring him winnings, and immediately offered a price.

It was all the money he had scraped together, selling everything he owned, even his wife, except for a few taels set aside as a backup. He had lumped the rest together and blurted it out whole.

Fearing that the dignitary in the loft would look down on this amount of silver, the gambler added, "Once I win a few rounds, I’ll be willing to give you even twelve hundred taels!"

"You’ve misunderstood. Not only won’t we charge you money, but we’ll also give you money to spend."

As he spoke, an attendant walked out of the loft, holding a tray with the Pixiu Jade Pendant on it.

"This Jade Pendant is made of Yin Spirit Jade. Inside is a Gambling Beast we’ve trained. With this little beast’s help, you’ll win every bet."

Hearing the words ’Yin Spirit Jade,’ Xu Qing’s heart stirred.

Also known as Yin Ghost Jade, it was one of the key materials for nurturing the Silver Armored Wandering Corpse mentioned in the Corpse Nourishing Scripture.

He hadn’t expected to find the item he’d been searching for so hard, right here!

Outside the loft, the attendant gave the gambler the Pixiu Jade Pendant and one hundred and twenty taels of silver. He then took out some Spirit Incense and carefully instructed, "The Gambling Beast needs to be fed one stick of incense every day. There are seven sticks here. You must offer one stick daily and never let the pendant leave you, or it will lose its power."

Impatiently, the gambler asked, "When will this Gambling Beast help me win?"

"As long as you offer one stick of Spirit Incense each day, it will ensure you have a good gambling experience."

Overjoyed with the Jade Pendant and the silver, the gambler left Cuiyun Building in high spirits.

He was rather carefree, not questioning why strangers would help him or even give him money.

Hadn’t he heard that nothing cheap comes without a price? When have meat pies ever fallen from the sky?

Moreover, when something is given freely, there’s likely a catch!

The gambler, blinded by greed, only thought of winning. He cared about nothing else!

With the Jade Pendant and silver in hand, he ran back to his room, eagerly lit a stick of Spirit Incense, held the pendant in his hands like a pious believer, and murmured auspicious words for good fortune.

As the incense burned, Xu Qing once again smelled the familiar scent from Cuiyun Building.

Once the aroma had fully spread, the gambler suddenly collapsed to the floor, muttering incomprehensibly in his sleep.

The room filled with smoke, and the stick of Spirit Incense seemed to have a special power, transforming the entire room into a bustling casino.

The gambler, like a sleepwalker, stood up stiffly, holding the Jade Pendant, and circled the incense altar.

In his dream, he roamed the casino, believing himself to be a gambling god, winning every bet and every hand.

Seeing this, Xu Qing pondered.

The dream effect caused by the rosemary incense was remarkably similar to his Dream Creation Skill.

However, the gambler’s dream wasn’t as realistic as the Dream Creation Skill.

Peering through the translucent dream scene, Xu Qing noticed the Pixiu Jade Pendant floating three inches above the gambler’s head. The pendant and the crown of the gambler were connected, continuously siphoning Spiritual Light from the gambler’s body.

For the next seven days, a different color of Spiritual Light was extracted from the gambler daily until, on the final day, completely drained, he could no longer enter the casino dreamscape.

With his last bit of strength, he looked up at the floating Pixiu Jade Pendant, seeing a ghostly figure with a familiar face demanding his last bit of spirit.

The gambler’s eyes widened in horror, recognizing the ghost’s appearance was identical to his own, realizing he had never left his room!

On his deathbed, the gambler finally understood that the Gambling Beast inside the Pixiu Jade Pendant was none other than himself!

The silver given to him was not gifted freely but used to buy his life!

After witnessing the gambler’s life, Xu Qing deduced the identity of the Yin Sect Member at Cuiyun Building.

Besides being a material for evolving Silver Armored Wandering Corpses, Yin Ghost Jade had a special purpose of cultivating ghosts.

As Corpse Drivers nurtured and refined corpses, the Yin sect member hidden at Cuiyun Building was clearly an expert in ghost cultivation.

’The Yin Ghost Jade has already harmed two people, but the suspected eunuch procurer from the palace has not yet appeared...’ Xu Qing frowned.

Could it be that the number of victims was still not enough?

Xu Qing thought for a moment, suppressing his speculation. The whereabouts of the Yin Ghost Jade remained unknown, but as long as people continued to fall victim, it would eventually come to him.

After all, not everyone was as greedy as Wei Fang, allowing Yin Ghosts to take advantage.

After delivering the gambler’s corpse, the Sutra of Salvation’s evaluation was the same as Wei Fang’s: lower class.

However, the rewards were different. The gambler’s rescue reward had the characteristic of a gambler, providing a Shoe Throwing Inquiry Technique.

As the name suggests, if one were lost or unsure of where to go, removing a shoe and throwing it would indicate the direction to proceed by where the toe pointed.

Xu Qing looked at his shoe skeptically.

Really, could this thing be accurate?

...

At the mortuary bed, after inspecting two corpses, Wang Lingyuan smiled and asked, "What do you think, do you have any findings?"

Xu Qing pondered and replied, "The cause of death for both corpses is pretty much the same. If there is a murderer, it’s likely the same person."

"Also, the records show that the first body was found by Wei Fang in a gambling hall."

"There may be some connection, but the details require further investigation."

Wang Lingyuan nodded, "This case is tricky and will likely become an unresolved case. We’ll see how the Government Office adjudicates it. If it’s related to demons, we may have to report it to the Prefecture City."

Xu Qing’s heart skipped a beat, "Report to the Prefecture City? Does the Prefecture City have the means to handle such strange cases?"

"Of course, the Prefecture City has a specific bureau for handling demon-related matters. Recently, a Demon Hunting Captain even came to investigate the Celestial Heart Sect’s whereabouts but found nothing."

Xu Qing asked more about the Demon Hunting Bureau, but Wang Lingyuan knew little, only that the Divine Strategy Camp stood above the Demon Hunting Captains, known for their elusive experts.

Noting the late hour, Wang Lingyuan urged Xu Qing to head back.

"Junior Brother, the child student examination is in two days. You should study more and stop coming here, lest you get distracted."

Xu Qing agreed repeatedly. Leaving the Government Office, not seeing the Wu brothers, he had a sudden idea. Seizing a moment when no one was around, he removed a shoe and threw it to the ground...