Scripture of Days Past

Chapter 21: The Price of Ten Ergous

Wang Cailiang shuddered as he ran a hand over the remaining fur on his back, cold sweat breaking out across his body. The fate that Chu Qiguang had just described was truly worse than death.

“Are you sure that dog ghost is dead?” he asked, his voice trembling in fear.

“I’m certain,” Chu Qiguang replied confidently. “The dog ghost tried to pounce on my master, but my master sliced its belly open with his sword and killed it on the spot.”

Wang Cailiang nodded in response. He desperately wanted Chu Qiguang’s help, but he felt too embarrassed to ask for it after denouncing him earlier, so he could only stew in a conflicted and awkward silence.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Chu Qiguang immediately guessed what he was thinking. Boys his age were often extremely vain and proud, and he was not so shameless that he would beg for help from someone that he had just insulted.

To apply more pressure, Chu Qiguang put on a relieved expression as he mused, “I once heard a story about the only son of a wealthy clan in the east who was suspected to have been possessed by a fiend. He was tied up by his parents and thrown off a cliff. Thank heavens I was able to come to you in time to avoid a repeat of such a tragedy.”

A fearful look appeared on Wang Cailiang’s face upon hearing this. If his condition proved to be incurable, then there really was a chance that his father would have killed him in order to save the clan.

With that in mind, Wang Cailiang considered swallowing his pride and apologizing to Zhou Ergou.

The hesitant look on his face allowed Chu Qiguang to read him like an open book, and he decided to give Wang Cailiang a way out. He grabbed Wang Cailiang’s hand with a sincere expression as he reassured, “Don’t worry, Young Master Wang. My master sent me here for the sole purpose of treating your condition, so I will make sure you’re saved even if I have to sacrifice my own life!”

Wang Cailiang was deeply moved, and the more he looked at Zhou Ergou, the fonder of him he became. He was struck by the urge to take Zhou Ergou to a wine shop in the county and chat the night away.

“My master and I never take payments for treatments,” Chu Qiguang continued. “However, certain medicinal ingredients are required to treat your condition, so...”

“Whatever it is that you need, feel free to tell me,” Wang Cailiang immediately replied. “Whether it be ginseng, ganoderma... As long as it can be found in Azure Sun County, I’ll surely get it for you.”

“The pills required to treat canine poisoning aren’t going to be cheap,” Chu Qiguang said, feigning concern.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Brother Ergou,” Wang Cailiang assured with a smile. “My father is the wealthiest man in the entire Wang Clan Village, and I’m his only son, so there’s no way he would hesitate to spend on me.”

Chu Qiguang slapped a hand to his forehead as he chuckled, “Silly me! I’ve heard stories from my master about how some families kill their own children because they weren’t willing to spend the money to treat them, but I forgot that your situation isn’t like theirs.”

A hint of fear flickered across Wang Cailiang’s eyes upon hearing this, and he became determined to have his condition cured at any cost.

“The canine poison has already been temporarily suppressed, so there’s no need to rush the treatment,” Chu Qiguang said with a reassuring smile. “For now, you should go and let everyone know that your condition has improved.”

***

Outside, Wang Chengwang paced anxiously back and forth in the courtyard, occasionally glancing toward his son’s room. However, all the doors and windows were tightly shut, making it impossible for him to see inside.

He was joined by Steward Wang, Zhang Da, and over thirty others. They were all servants, guards, and hired thugs of the Wang Clan, each holding wooden clubs and other weapons in their hands. Steward Wang, meanwhile, held a small tray filled with silver.

Wang Chengwang had prepared for both violence and compensation, but he had no idea which one he would have to use.

Chen Gang was standing beside Zhang Da, holding a rock with an impatient look on his face.

“Brother Zhang, if you ask me, we should just smash the door open, and I’ll knock him out! Then...”

Chen Gang’s voice trailed off into silence at the sight of Zhang Da’s threatening glare. He could only continue to stand at the ready with the rock in his hand.

At that moment, the door opened, and Wang Cailiang and Chu Qiguang stepped out, with the former looking as if he had been given a new lease on life.

Wang Cailiang strode straight toward his father, then lifted his clothes to reveal his back. It was still somewhat hairy, but now within the bounds of what was normal for a human.

“I’m fine now, Father,” he said quietly.

At the same time, he was intentionally showing his back to all of the servants present to reassure them.

Over the past few days, not only had he and his father been desperate to find a cure, all of the clan’s servants had also been living in constant fear, afraid that their young master’s condition would eventually implicate everyone.

Wang Chengwang let out a long sigh of relief, and he felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Thank the heavens,” he sighed as he patted his son on the shoulder.

He then strode over to Chu Qiguang and gave him a deep bow as he said in an earnest and heartfelt voice, “I am forever indebted to you, Nephew Zhou.”

After that, Wang Chengwang dismissed all the servants, only asking the steward to stay behind.

Steward Wang was looking at Zhou Ergou with a complex mix of emotions in his heart. Never had he imagined that there would come a day when Zhou Ergou would become an honored guest of the Wang Clan.

However, he was no fool. He immediately approached Zhou Ergou with a flattering smile as he praised, “What an extraordinarily talented young man you are, Brother Zhou. I was a blind fool to have looked down on you in the past!”

Chu Qiguang merely gave a casual nod in response, not bothering to say anything.

“The true masters of the world always hide their abilities behind a veil of modesty!” Wang Chengwang praised as he took the tray filled with silver from Steward Wang. “I know that you and your esteemed master are heroes who don’t do this for money, but please accept this offering of gratitude. The least I can do is ensure that you don’t have to worry about mundane things like food and clothes so you can focus solely on your heroism.”

Chu Qiguang glanced at the tray. It held six silver ingots, amounting to thirty taels in total. That was already the price of ten Ergous.

He shook his head with a righteous look on his face as he refused, “I can’t accept this.”

Before Wang Chengwang had a chance to say anything, Qiao Zhi hurriedly interjected telepathically, “Why are you refusing the payment? Thirty taels of silver is enough for you to buy a batch of Hundred Refinement Ointment from the Daoist temple!”

Chu Qiguang was naturally aware of how much thirty taels of silver was worth. After all, the land owned by his family was currently only worth five taels of silver an acre, which meant that this money was enough to buy six acres of his family’s land. Alternatively, it could be used to purchase thirty stones of grain, which was over 1,500 kilograms,[1] enough to feed his family for years!

With this sum of money, he would be able to focus solely on cultivation for at least a year without having to worry about doing any work. Alternatively, he could use it to buy a batch of Hundred Refinement Ointment, which would allow him to reach the first state of martial arts much sooner.

“Is Wang Cailiang’s life only worth thirty taels of silver?” Chu Qiguang scoffed telepathically. “Don’t forget that he’s Wang Chengwang’s only son, and he still requires further treatment from us in the future.”

“So what are you planning then?” Qiao Zhi asked.

“I want more money!” Chu Qiguang replied.

A flood of memories instantly surfaced in Qiao Zhi’s mind. There was a landowner who lost everything, a high-ranking official who fell from grace, demons and fiends made to toil away in mines and fields, cats and dogs forced to carry unbearably heavy loads...

Qiao Zhi couldn’t help but shudder at these memories.

He glanced at Wang Chengwang and his son, and he could already envision them going completely broke just a few months from now.

1. About 3,300 pounds. ☜