Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Gift of Silver

The sky gradually brightened. After the vengeful spirits disappeared, the group left the forest.

At first, they had trouble distinguishing the direction, but eventually, they walked towards a lower-lying area. After walking for a while, they began to hear voices.

Listening carefully, the sounds seemed rather lively.

With their previous experience of hearing bustling noise and then seeing the Tan family’s gate, the group’s expressions became a bit subtle.

Fortunately, not long after, they emerged from the forest. This confirmed that the noisy voices in the distance were not from the Meng family bandits standing at the Tan family gate to entertain guests, but from travelers carrying shoulder poles. Upon seeing the group of Jianghu guests, the traveler smiled and greeted them, "How are you, heroes? Heading up the mountain?"

Halfway through, the traveler suddenly realized that the direction the Jianghu guests were coming from seemed a bit off.

The traveler’s face showed slight confusion. He quickly glanced at the feet of the Jianghu guests—fortunately, everyone had shadows.

However, the plump figure next to them didn’t seem quite right. He hadn’t heard of any martial arts suitable for such a build.

After a few thoughts, the traveler grew curious about the group.

The Jianghu guests then asked, "Sir, are you heading to Tan Family Village?"

"Indeed!" The traveler chuckled, "There’s a big market today. I’m going to sell the items I’ve woven myself."

When the group looked down, they indeed saw many woven baskets and hats on the traveler’s shoulder poles. The lively, earthy scent of the market filled their hearts, and everyone felt relieved. They were finally certain—they had returned to reality.

They continued with the traveler to Tan Family Village. On the way, Jun Tao even bought five hats and placed one on each of them.

Once they arrived, the basket weaver bade them farewell. The group looked at each other, unsure of what to say for a moment.

It was Qian Gui who spoke first: "I’m grateful that I could escape that ghostly place, and it’s all thanks to your help, heroes! Since my merchant convoy hasn’t shown up yet, I don’t know how to reunite with them. For now, let me treat you all to a good meal and find a place to rest, then we can discuss what to do next."

The group thought for a moment, didn’t refuse, and nodded.

Even the Jun brothers, who were eager to return to Emei to report the deaths of their master and mistress, hesitated for a moment before deciding to stay.

Putting themselves in others’ shoes, they realized that, although they had lost their master and mistress, they already knew where they were. Compared to the families of the other wandering spirits, they at least had some peace of mind.

The matter of reporting back was urgent, but it wasn’t something that had to be done immediately. The more pressing task was to share the responsibility of "visiting the homes of the wandering spirits" with Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan.Understanding this, the Jun brothers' mood became much more stable. The group indeed went to eat a meal first, during which they also casually inquired if anyone had recently gone missing or if any merchant convoys were looking for their shopkeepers.

And they really did hear some news.

They found out that the merchant convoy had indeed reported the case to the county city, and now officials were coming to search for them. Qian Gui couldn’t sit still anymore and began to move around... The group noticed and chuckled, "Brother Qian, go meet your people. We’ve been missing for so long, they must be worried sick."

That’s right. When they met the basket weaver earlier, they had already inquired. This situation was different from when they were at the “Chang residence”—they had been in the “Tan Family” for three days, and three days had also passed outside.

Upon hearing this, Qian Gui immediately said, "Alright!" After a brief pause, he added, "But don’t hurry to leave. Even if you do leave, please leave me a message with the boss. You all were planning to visit those people's homes, I also want to do my part!"

The group nodded and replied, "Of course."

Qian Gui hurried off, leaving the four Jianghu guests behind.

After days of only having cold water and dry biscuits, now that they encountered the abundant food outside, they were supposed to feast. However, thinking of Nie Qing'e and Lu Qing, and considering how many places in the world were like this one, like the Guang'an County Governor's mansion, the group felt somewhat lacking in appetite.

They still tried to eat. Jianghu people couldn’t waste food.

But after finishing what was on the table, they didn’t order more dishes. Instead, they sat in place and began discussing.

First, the matter of the Tan Family Village’s wandering spirits. Mei Yinghan had the habit of carrying writing supplies. While in the forest, Bai Zhengliu had already used these to jot down information about the wandering spirits’ families. Now, they decided to divide the list and each take half.

Also, they needed to retrieve the money that Ma Er had buried, as well as the “Star Snatching Record” they had hidden earlier... Looking at it this way, there was indeed quite a bit to do.

The group decided to get to work. By the time Qian Gui returned with a pouch of silver, the figures at the table had already disappeared. Fortunately, the Jianghu guests had indeed left him a message, so Qian Gui wasn’t left confused but instead rushed to where the others were heading.

He moved quickly. When he finally found the second shopkeeper of his family’s store, she was both dazed and exhausted. After following Qian Gui for some distance, she was too tired to continue, panting heavily, and called out, "Master, master!"

Qian Gui turned around to look.

The second shopkeeper gasped, "Huff, huff! Master, how could you run so fast?"

Qian Gui was puzzled, "Did I run fast? You’re even two years younger than me, yet you’re so weak?"

The second shopkeeper replied, "..." The other day, I was so anxious looking for you, I couldn’t sleep at night, and now you say I’m weak?Qian Gui saw the second shopkeeper’s reaction and immediately realized what was going on. He scratched his head and laughed, "I’m just going to meet a few friends. Don’t worry, if you can’t keep up, just stay here! I’m an adult, I won’t get lost."

The second shopkeeper gave him a long, questioning look.

Qian Gui: "..." Oh, it seems like I did get lost once earlier.

He was now at a loss, unsure whether to wait for the second shopkeeper or hurry to find the Jianghu guests.

While he was thinking, the figure of the person he had been waiting for appeared ahead on the road.

His face lit up with joy, and he told the second shopkeeper, "Alright, no need to run. The person has arrived!"

The second shopkeeper straightened up and looked toward the end of the road. As Qian Gui had said, he saw several Jianghu guests who stood out with their distinct temperaments—young and handsome. As the master had said, he had been with them for the past few days...

But together with them... what exactly had they been doing?

The master didn’t say.

The explanation had been vague, and from the tone, it was clear there was something off.

However, the second shopkeeper didn’t press further.

Even if there was something off, it was between the master and madam, and it was better for him not to get involved.

He watched as Qian Gui walked toward the Jianghu group, still carrying the silver pouch, and said, "I know you’re going to get the money, but how much could it possibly be? Just use mine. With so many people, they should at least get a little more."

Hearing this, the group felt a slight stir in their hearts. Considering the number of wandering souls, and then thinking about Qian Gui’s wealth, this time, the Jianghu guests all nodded in agreement.

Originally, they had been a bit worried. Ma Er had plenty of savings, but once divided among everyone, it would barely be enough. Now that Qian Gui had shown up, it was a relief that had solved their immediate problem.

After some discussion, they decided that the money given to each household would be based on three taels. If it was an ordinary family, they would receive that much. However, for families with additional hardships, like those with severely ill elderly or infants to feed, they would secretly hide another two taels in the pouch.

For the wealthy families, this amount of money would only be enough for one banquet. But for the people of Tan Family Village, with this silver, they wouldn’t have to worry about food and clothing for the next three to four years.

The Jianghu guests hid in the shadows, watching as the people who received the silver initially appeared confused, but then quickly went out to inquire discreetly. Once they realized that the families who had received the money were the ones whose loved ones had gone missing, the group exchanged glances and were filled with an incredible sense of speculation.

And thus, a legend began to spread through Tan Family Village.The people who had gone missing earlier were indeed no longer around. However, they had not died unexpectedly. Instead, they had been summoned by the Lord of the Land to do some work. Now, having received a stipend, they had all sent the money back home to support their families.

At this moment, the Jianghu guests had already left.

The five of them parted ways. Before leaving, Qian Gui said, "For those whose families are outside, I’ll have my merchant caravan inquire about them whenever it passes through. If we can find their families, we’ll send them the silver."

The group nodded, and Jun Tao smiled, "You’ve gone above and beyond, Brother Qian."

Qian Gui shook his head, "How could this be called ‘extra expenses’? We are still alive, but they... sigh." He sighed and then asked, "What do you all think? Will this kind of thing happen more often? Now that I think about it, White and Mei have encountered resentful ghosts twice in such a short time, it really makes one uneasy!"

Especially this time, he didn’t have the life-saving hairpin.

Qian Gui secretly thought to himself that once he returned, he’d be sure to search for a similar object to purchase. If he could find out where the hairpin was sourced from, especially the jade mine, he’d tell the four Jianghu guests... But, of course, that might not be possible.

The group could see his concerns. Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan exchanged a glance, and Bai Zhengliu said, "Brother Qian, let me be honest with you. When it comes to these resentful ghosts, it’s not just you, we’re just as clueless."

Mei Yinghan immediately added, "But you’ve reminded us. Before we part ways, you should learn how to draw the blood symbol. If we encounter such things again, we’ll at least have some way to respond. Also, if we encounter unavoidable situations like at ‘Chang Residence,’ that’s one thing. But if we come across something like ‘Tan Family,’ with all their strange legends, you absolutely must find out more. Never let it happen again."

Qian Gui nodded solemnly, his worry easing a little as he regained his focus and began to study the symbol carefully.

As a result, the group’s departure was delayed a little longer. But it was only half a day before they each set off on their respective journeys.

That night, in the inn.

Two of the Jianghu guests shared a room. At this moment, Bai Zhengliu was lost in thought, with the "Twenty-Eight Generals" arranged in front of him.

Mei Yinghan sat beside him, thought for a moment, and asked, "Are you thinking about the female general from that day?"

Bai Zhengliu pursed his lips and nodded.

Mei Yinghan continued, "Actually, I have some thoughts on this."

Bai Zhengliu smiled, "I also have some thoughts."

Mei Yinghan asked, "Shall we discuss them?"

Bai Zhengliu replied, "Brother Mei, you’re interested in this? ...Well, alright."The two of them looked at each other and spoke in unison.

Their voices echoed in the room: "She is the only female general among the twenty-eight generals of the founding, Yang Chunyu."