Wandering Gods of Day and Night
Chapter 159 - 148 Bone Elder Association

"There are many water ghosts here, but they’re all villagers who drowned nearby. They’re timid, except for those who have truly been officials, with a strong addiction to power and courage. When they see the official uniform, no matter how you threaten them, they won’t run! Look at this Big Head Baby’s manner, he must have held quite a position while alive."

Zhou Xuan nodded, staring at the Big Head Baby.

The baby walked up to the altar cloth, raised its tiny hand, and grabbed the official uniform to put it on.

On the paper uniform, there were pre-drawn Daoist talismans. The baby was very small, and the uniform was too big, but as soon as it wore it, the paper clothes automatically shrank to fit perfectly.

The Big Head Baby looked at the snug paper clothes, grinned, and smoothed out the wrinkles.

"It’s taken the bait."

Zhou Xuan cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the "Ghost Hand" tattoo placed in advance on the willow tree, "What are you waiting for?"

The tattoo came alive, spreading out and pouncing toward the Big Head Baby.

The baby saw it and started to flee toward the lake. After just two steps, the paper uniform suddenly tightened again, wrapping around it, and the hems became entangled, acting like a stumbling cord, tripping the baby.

The Ghost Hand tattoo seized the opportunity and wrapped it up as it fell.

"Finally caught it."

Zhou Xuan jogged over, lifted the Ghost Hand tattoo like a bundle, and tied the opening with a prepared red string.

Immediately, a burst of crying came from the tattoo, the voice of the Big Head Baby.

The tattoo’s "Ghost Hand" emerged from the human skin, pinching the baby’s neck, which quieted it down.

As Zhou Xuan touched the tattoo, his mind lit up like a revolving lantern, revealing the Big Head Baby’s past "deeds" one by one.

It turned out that the Big Head Baby, in its previous life, embezzled a large amount of disaster relief funds. After the incident, knowing there was no way out, it threw itself into Yuanbao Lake.

The reason its soul took on the form of a Big Head Baby was due to its habit of consuming large quantities of Purple River Carriage every day when it was alive.

Purple River Carriage is essentially placenta. Sometimes, when the Purple River Carriage supply ran short, it would eat something else...

Eating so strangely, even in death, it became a monstrous soul.

At this moment, the Ghost Hand slightly loosened, and the Big Head Baby, with its neck free, began to cry loudly again.

Zhou Xuan coldly cursed, "Don’t pretend to be pitiful. Those who don’t know might think you were some good character in life. When you were alive, you starved countless people to death, and now as a ghost, you take on this deformed shape. Whether human or ghost, you’re despicable! If I didn’t need you for business, I’d beat your soul to smithereens right now!"

He put the "Big Head Baby" into his backpack as the sky began to lighten.

...

At noon, after having lunch, Zhou Xuan went to the back door of the Old Painting Pavilion, pulled up a chair, and waited for Huang Xi.

A yellow-skinned spirit was keeping an eye on Zhou Xuan from the hillside behind the pond, ready to relay information.

After Zhou Xuan had been sitting for a while, familiar footsteps approached, and Huang Xi arrived.

She swayed her hips as she walked up to Zhou Xuan, smiling as she greeted, "Xuan, you’re here early."

"What news?"

Zhou Xuan wore a newsboy cap, a vest, and a shirt, looking like a writer earning a living with drafts in Mingjiang Prefecture.

"You’re dressed very stylishly today. I like it when people are trendy."

Huang Xi took an envelope out of her clutch, raised it high, and said to Zhou Xuan, "Money in exchange for goods?"

"Relax a bit, don’t be so rigorous. You Huang Family folks know my character in business."

Zhou Xuan stood up, casually took the envelope from Huang Xi’s hand, opened the letter, and was just about to read it... Huang Xi quickly blocked it with her hand, playfully scolding, "Xuan, what if you read and then deny payment? That would make our Huang Family’s work in vain!"

"I won’t let you work in vain."

Zhou Xuan gently pushed aside Huang Xi’s hand and quickly scanned the letter.

"This Si Ming has quite the assets!"

The letter detailed Si Ming’s holdings, without an exact number, but his properties were listed.

Mingjiang Department Store, Xiafei Dance Hall, Jingming Tram Company... The Tianxing Ferry at Mingjiang Pier, Tianci Cruise, all had Si Ming’s shares, and not a small portion.

This was a big fish!

Zhou Xuan continued reading,

Besides Si Ming’s assets, the letter also noted his Incense Fire Level.

Yet, there was still no precise record, only stating "suspected six incense."

"This information is of some value, but not too much. With no solid data, you use terms like ’suspected’! I could just as well suspect myself of having nine incense! It’s sloppy, very sloppy, and I’m not very satisfied."

Zhou Xuan handed the letter back to Huang Xi.

Huang Xi didn’t take the letter, tilting her head, asking, "What do you mean? Put on your pants, and you don’t recognize your old lover? You want to back out and deny payment?"

"I’ve already read it, and the letter is of no use to me! As for denying payment, I, Zhou Xuan, haven’t fallen to that level yet."

Zhou Xuan placed the letter on the stone railing, pulled a "Buddha’s head" tattoo from his pocket, and tossed it to Huang Xi: "My stuff is worth far more than this information of yours!"

With that, Zhou Xuan walked into the Old Painting Pavilion.

Huang Xi unfolded the tattoo, and a "Buddha’s head" came into view.

A strong Buddhist chant echoed in her ears.

She quickly folded the tattoo back up.

"Stuff from the Ancient Tattoo Clan?!"

Huang Xi now understood why Zhou Xuan was dissatisfied with the information provided by the Huang Family. In terms of value, it indeed fell short.

Weighing the tattoo in her hand, Huang Xi felt she had done a poor job with this matter.

Her impression of Zhou Xuan was that he was handsome, young, which led her to initially think Zhou Xuan’s skills were not that great and that he couldn’t offer much value. So, in investigating the Si Ming matter, though she had directed the Huang Family’s men to handle it, it was not done with much care,