Otherworldly Merchant

Chapter 472: Among Men, Lu Bu; Among Steeds, Red Hare

The three of us ran to Gao Erhus house. When we arrived, we saw that his wife was awake. Contrary to our expectations, she didnt look to be in bad condition, nor was she dying! 

There was a small puddle of blood on the floor. It looked like the spirit was here already. 

I looked around the house but didnt see Gao Erhu. Maam, wheres Gao Erhu? 

The woman didnt answer. Instead, she looked at us suspiciously. Her eyes flashed with guilt. Who are you?  

Did she deceive Gao Erhu or something? Or did this couple deceive us? 

Either way, Gao Erhu was missing, and I didnt have time to consider the possibilities. I gave the woman a disdainful glance, saying, Maam, Im here to save Erhu. Youd better tell me where hes gone, or youll regret it! 

Hes telling the truth. Maam, this is a powerful master! Erhu asked him to come to your house to capture a ghost. Baldy walked forward, talking to the woman. 

The womans hesitation was evident from her expression as she looked at us. After a long moment, she burst out crying. I dont know what happened to Erhu. He rushed into the backyard and sharpened his knife. Hes gone to kill Hou Saner. 

What? Killing someone?  

Li Mazis jaw dropped, and he questioned her words. Erhu looked like an honest man. Why would he kill somebody? 

I knew Gao Erhu was possessed, but when I asked the woman where Hou Saner lived, she didnt want to answer. It appeared she had something she wanted to hide. 

Fortunately, Baldy knew Hou Saner and showed us the way to his house. We got in the car and drove toward the mans place. On the way, Baldy told us that Hou Saner was one of the butchers that helped us tonight. He had a close relationship with Gao Erhu. There was no reason for Gao Erhu to kill him! 

Well see when we get there I rubbed my eyes. 

Tonight was full of surprises. I had a feeling that the truth would be revealed soon, and I urged Baldy to move faster. 

It was almost dawn, the first beam of sunlight shining on the horizon. The air was cool and refreshing. It gave people a sense of clarity and wellness. 

Eventually, Baldy stopped his car in front of an independent villa in the village. Thats Hou Saners house. 

I got out of the car and saw the gate wide open. Taking a few steps forward, I faintly heard the clanging noise of two metal objects clashing against each other. I didnt dare linger any longer. Immediately, I headed toward the source of the noise. From a distance, I saw two people entangled in a fight against each other. It was Gao Erhu and Hou Saner! 

Hou Saner was as slender as a bamboo stick. At first glance, one would think that he was the weakest among the two. However, at this moment, he was fighting evenly with Gao Erhu. I really admired his boldness! 

One had to remember that Gao Erhu was possessed by a spirit that even I was helpless against!

Unexpectedly, Hou Saner suddenly turned to us, brutally screaming, Where did you come from, pests? Get lost! 

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice rude, not sounding his age at all. I realized that Hou Saner was also possessed. 

No wonder they were fighting! Two different spirits were using their bodies to fight. 

I knew that if I didnt leave now, the two of them would join hands to attack me. Left with no choice, I waved at Li Mazi and Baldy, telling them to head back. 

After we left Hou Saners house, we heard them fighting again. Seeing that the sun was about to come out, Li Mazi said anxiously, Little Brother Zhang, should we really leave like this?

He also knew that this was a rare chance. I looked at the mini villa, and when I saw that the lights were on, I suddenly had an idea.

Do you know the phone number of Hou Saners wife? I asked Baldy. 

Baldy checked his phone for a long time and eventually found it. I asked him to call her. 

Soon enough, the call went through. A woman was sobbing at the other end of the line. 

Mrs. Hou, were here to save Hou Saner. Were at your door. Could you tell me what happened before those guys got into a fight? I snatched the phone and quickly questioned her.

The voice on the other end whined for a while before speaking up with a trembling voice. I dont know. My husband and I were sleeping, but we were awakened by a sudden chill. When I opened my eyes, I saw a shadow standing in front of our bed, holding a big knife. He laughed and said that he had to kill Old Hou. He kept ranting too. 

What was he saying? 

Shameless traitor who sold his master for glory or something like that. He spoke in a very outdated fashion, too. He sounded like someone from ancient times. However, when I turned on the light, I saw Gao Erhu. 

The woman continued with disbelief, Erhu is my husbands best buddy. Yet, hes here to kill us! Whats even stranger is, when Old Hou saw Erhu attempting to kill him, he was baffled at first. Then, he slumped onto the ground, shivering. When he got up again, it was as if he became another person. Even his voice changed 

I was starting to gather something from listening to the woman. However, it wasnt enough to draw any conclusions. I asked her to stay on the line and tie the phone to a rope, dropping it to where the other two were fighting. 

Shortly after, the woman stopped talking, and I heard a rattling noise, which told me she was releasing the rope. 

Around two minutes later, I heard people yelling and fighting.

Gao Erhu shouted, Hou Cheng! You turned your back on me and joined the despicable Cao! Tonight, I will take your dog life! 

The spirit in Hou Saners body laughed oddly. Well, a smart bird knows where to perch. Youve always been arrogant, Lu Fengxian! Youve wasted the steed Red Hare and the Sky Piercer! You only sought pleasure with Diao Chan and treated us like slaves! Why should we serve you? 

Then, they resumed their fight. Li Mazi and Baldy dropped their jaws in shock when they heard that.

Although we now knew the truth, a strong wave of emotion rose in my heart. 

The spirit we encountered this time is that of the Warlord Lu Bu! 

If this is true, the otherworldly item could be the Sky Piercer  his halberd! 

Lu Bu was a very notable figure in history. He was peerless and was invincible in his time. When the eighteen feudal vassals planned to attack Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu defeated the generals of the joined army as if he were chopping vegetables.  

He was even more famous after the Battle in Hulao Pass, where he had a great battle against Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. 

Although formidable generals were as common as clouds during the era of the Three Kingdoms, everybody thought that Lu Bu was the invincible one. That was why Chinese people had a proverb saying, Among men, Lu Bu; among steeds, Red Hare. 

Unfortunately, Lu Bu was later besieged by Cao Caos great army in Xu Province. Hou Cheng Lu Bus subordinate had stolen the Sky Piercer while Lu Bu was sleeping. Then, he tied up Lu Bu and turned the general over to Cao Cao. 

Cao Cao beheaded Lu Bu and gave his steed, Red Hare, to Guan Yu. However, the Sky Piercer went missing ever since. 

I was so excited that my hands were shaking. The Sky Piercer was an extraordinary weapon, one of the most famous weapons in the era of the Three Kingdoms. Forget its worth in the modern-day; even if it was in ancient times, it was already priceless! 

Li Mazi was stunned for a long time. When he pulled himself together, he screamed excitedly, Little Brother Zhang, this is a good chance for us to get rich! 

I didnt reply. Nonetheless, I was strangely happy. Even if it werent the Sky Piercer, it would still be a superb, priceless otherworldly item. Moreover, Hou Cheng was also involved. In history, this man was famous as well. Thus, the otherworldly item that he was possessing should be worth a lot of money! 

After screaming, Li Mazi looked at me bewilderedly. Why do I feel that you knew it was Lu Bu before this? How did you know that?

That spirit wore armor popular in the era of the Three Kingdoms. Moreover, it felt like he was invincible. At that time, Inner Mongolia belonged to the Bing Province. There arent many famous historical figures from Bing Province, let alone famous generals. Thats why I immediately thought about Lu Bu!  

My brother sure is amazing! Li Mazi said happily. Then, he asked in a low voice, But what should we do now? 

We can only wait. In the morning, well address both of them. 

Guan Yu couldnt defeat Lu Bu after fifty rounds, so Hou Cheng was nothing in his eyes. Since they were on equal footing in their battle, I assumed it was because I previously wounded Lu Bu.  

I suddenly had a nasty idea. I asked Baldy to drive us back to his hotel. When we arrived, I took the bags of unused lime and poured the content into the hole where Lu Bu was taking shelter. Afterward, I added water. 

Soon, the lime boiled up, and a wave of heat expanded from the hole. The three of us had to back away. 

I asked Li Mazi to pick up all the things we left in the car. Then, we waited for Lu Bu to return.

The mixture of lime and water could generate high temperatures, which was very effective when it came to stopping Yin energy. The heat would produce Yang energy, the representative of justice. Yu Qian, an official in the Ming dynasty, wrote the Song of Lime to compliment the material, saying that it was so tenacious that it wouldnt break even after being hammered a thousand times. 

After a night of fighting, Lu Bu would return here to replenish his Yin energy. At that time, the strong Yang energy from the lime would forcefully swallow his Yin energy. This time, I had even brought the Yin and Yang Umbrella, so it should be easy to capture him. 

After we prepared everything, Li Mazi asked gingerly, Do you want to deal with Hou Cheng first? Itll be easier to deal with him than with Lu Bu. 

Eh? I looked at him in surprise. Although Li Mazi had a smooth tongue, he was never too intelligent when dealing with otherworldly items. This time, he suddenly became much smarter. 

I dont know why, but I feel that its better not to mess with Lu Bu today. My intuition is telling me that something unexpected will happen! Li Mazi said casually. 

However, listening to him, my heart suddenly sank. As we had been working in this business for quite a long time, we always trusted our sixth sense. I decided to listen to his warning. We packed up and went to Hou Saners house. 

Before we approached his house, we heard a noise. Someone was lamenting and crying, and people were speaking in low voices. I had an awful premonition. When we entered his yard, we saw a funeral hall being set up. 

A rough coffin that hadnt been painted was placed opposite the villa. Some men were using brushes to paint the coffin red. 

Not far from the coffin, a thick layer of blood was found on the ground. It was the place where Lu Bu and Hou Cheng had fought before dawn. 

Hou Saner is dead? 

I walked past the group of people to enter the house. A woman wearing linen mourning clothes was sitting on the edge of a bed, wiping her tears. 

Baldy muttered to me that she was Hou Saners wife. It seemed Hou Saner was dead. 

It was a little out of place if we asked any questions now. However, I had to try, and I went up and patted her shoulder as I said my condolences. 

She was surprised when she heard my voice. In the next second, she lifted her head, shooting me a glance that conveyed her loathing. It appeared that she hated us because we didnt save her husband when he was in danger. 

I did think about saving him, but I wasnt strong enough to stop them! 

Maam, how did brother Hou pass away? Baldy was a talkative person. Yet, at this moment, he seemed to choke on his words.

With a sorry face, he implored Hou Saners wife to tell us the situation. That's how we could get revenge for Hou Saner!