On this day, walking as if he was about to become immortal, Qu Zhicai arrived at the territory of the Jin Sect. Once there, it was essential to pay a visit to the renowned Linhe Painting Boat!
In Linhe District, there was no curfew. Even in the deep of night, various idlers still roamed between gambling houses and pleasure houses.
Qu Zhicai was one of them.
For example, if his luck was bad at the gambling house one day, he would go across the street to a brothel to find a girl to "refresh" his luck. Once he felt the fishy smell and fortune, he would return to the gambling house.
This was nothing out of the ordinary for a libertine. But Qu Zhicai, in a fit of foolishness, did something he absolutely should not have done!
That day, his luck was bad. He went to Cuiyun Building to "refresh" his luck. However, during his visit, he inadvertently saw the girl's jewelry box!
Inside, there were not only gold hairpins and silver hairpins but also various pearls and jade pieces, as well as fragments of gold and silver.
Qu Zhicai asked the girl, "Why are you saving up so much money?"
The girl replied, "Today is the last business I will ever do here. Once it's done, I'll use the money I've saved over the years to find my adoptive mother and redeem myself."
The girl also said, "You, young master, are my last benefactor on this path to redemption. I will make sure to serve you well."
In the girl's eyes, Qu Zhicai was the last whisper of wind and the last speck of dust she encountered in her life of debauchery. So, she used all the skills she had learned over the years, and served him meticulously!
After Qu Zhicai left, the girl took the jewelry box and went to find her adoptive mother. Just as she was about to redeem herself and get back her contract, she found out that all the valuables in the box had mysteriously vanished!
This was her life's savings!
The girl almost fainted on the spot. Fortunately, the madam of Cuiyun Building had principles. After asking about the situation, she didn't need to say much. All the friends who had received her physical "donations" came!
Old and young, using canes or being carried on stretchers—anyone who could still breathe came!
Though somewhat exaggerated, it truly highlighted the network of the "Goddess of Mercy."
The crowd, filled with righteous indignation, was ready to turn Linhe District upside down.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the patrol office and the stationed soldiers.
The officers initially arrived with their own frustrations, thinking that this bunch of prostitutes and gamblers were causing trouble again in the middle of the night.
When they arrived and heard the reason, their anger flared even more!
But this time, the anger was directed at the freeloader!
As the old saying goes, "Thieves don't steal medicine money, and robbers don't steal from prostitutes."
The former means that money saved for medical treatment should never be stolen. The latter means that the money a prostitute earns by selling her body should never be robbed!
Even in the lowest of professions, these are the basic rules!
After all, stealing a prostitute's money is a great act of immorality. If word got out, it would be shameful not just for ordinary people but even for thieves!
Just as the angry mob was hollering in front of Cuiyun Building, another incident broke out at the Pear Blossom Courtyard down the street!
It turned out Qu Zhicai was not satisfied with just one theft. After losing his money at the gambling house, he made a return trip. This time, with more cunning, he targeted another girl at Pear Blossom Courtyard, but this time, his luck ran out in every sense, and he got caught in the act.
In a panic, Qu Zhicai had no choice but to jump from the attic and run stark naked.
Although it was not broad daylight, running naked under the moonlight was not much better. A night patrol officer saw the scene, thinking he was a notorious flower thief in action, and immediately chased him like a cat chasing a mouse.
The patrol chief and the stationed soldiers at the gambling house also moved swiftly and began to pursue him towards Pear Blossom Courtyard.
Passing through the Vegetable Market, rounding Tongzi Street, they finally caught up with him near Cui's Mill, where the patrol chief finally joined the night patrol officers.
"Where is he?"
"Reporting to the chief, the thief ran into that alley!"
"Oh? If I remember correctly, that's a dead-end alley."
"Follow me!"
Patrol Chief Zhao Zhonghe rushed into the alley to capture the freeloader. He saw someone near the freeloader, about to climb over the high wall of the mill.
Indeed, it was a case of 'when it rains, it pours.'
Seeing that person about to retreat, Zhao Zhonghe didn't hesitate and drew his prepared crossbow.
Xu Qing saw this and blacked out.
Because that crossbow bolt was aimed directly at him, Xu Qing!
He was trying to escape from the Corpse Worker Mill when a group of soldiers charged into the alley. Who would have thought it was all because of this fiasco!
When Xu Qing reflected on this, Qu Zhicai's 'legendary' life was not yet over.
It was the dead of winter, and Qu Zhicai, bare-bottomed, was taken to the Government Office.
The officers questioned him overnight and learned that he had taken the girl's redemption money to improve his gambling performance!
Tsk, what a big-hearted guy!
The gambling house owner thought, "How did this get connected to me? If word spreads, what will happen to our reputation?"
With no other option, the gambling house owner, suppressing his anger, put together the girl's redemption money.
See, even a gambling house owner has a higher sense of morality than Qu Zhicai!
By then, not just the brothel and the gambling house, but the people in the government office were boiling with silent fury. They came up with a nasty trick: they didn't give Qu Zhicai any bedding or clothes.
By the next day, looking through the cell door, the criminal who engaged in theft and gambling had curled up into a ball, completely silent.
...
Reflecting on the freeloader's life, Xu Qing felt a surge of anger, wanting to kick him a few times.
If it weren't for Qu Zhicai running into the alley near the mill, he wouldn't have been shot by the patrol chief's arrow.
He still recalled how, a few days ago, the chief met him holding his dog-beating stick, saying he reeked of makeup and was too effeminate!
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became!
In the end, the Sutra of Salvation rated the corpse as "Human - Lower Grade."
Seeing the rating, Xu Qing strangely felt relieved.
It was his first time hoping the corpse's rating wouldn't be high.
As for the reward from the Sutra of Salvation, it was a witchcraft from the Shu Region called "Green Toad Returning Money Spell."
The Southern Border Witch Annals mentioned that in the south, there was an insect called the green toad, which resembled a cicada but was larger. Whenever the green toad laid eggs on leaves, if the larvae were taken, the mother toad would trace them no matter the distance.
Some witches used this method, taking advantage of the characteristic that mother and offspring would reunite after being separated. They smeared the mother's and the child's blood on money, making the money return to its owner after use. This was the origin of the 'Green Toad Returns Money' phrase.
However, the Green Toad Returning Money Spell Xu Qing received did not require the blood of the mother or child. Instead, it only needed the spell to be cast on the silver coins to give them the automatic characteristic of returning.
After learning the spell, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time.
Isn't this still freeloading?
The freeloading spirit of the freeloader was truly impressive. Even after death, his instincts revolved around this.