Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 450 My Lady

"I have a good friend named Guang Yin, a counterfeit monk who indulges in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Whenever someone in the city dies, he slips on his monk's robe, chants sutras, and prays in front of their house to earn some merit money. With his glib tongue, he sometimes even manages to perform funerary services, living quite comfortably.

"But half a month ago, he went mad for some reason and ran off to Crouching Tiger Hill to conduct a ceremony for a gang of bandits and hasn't come back since. I wonder if you two masters could help me look for him; if he's alive, I'd be troubled if you brought him back to the city, but if he's dead, please just send me a message."

"Crouching Tiger Hill?" Gu Qingyi was taken aback upon hearing this and was about to accept the request outright.

Unexpectedly, Ma Lu next to her interrupted first, "Crouching Tiger Hill is a den of bandits, you know. I heard there are several gangs there."

Shopkeeper Wan nodded, "Otherwise, I would have gone myself and not bothered you. How about this, if you agree to help me, you won't need to compensate for the red sandalwood coffin, and I'll even give each of you a fine quality coffin as well."

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"Ah, that's really not something you should be giving away."

"What's the matter? Everyone has to die. Don't think you're too young; look at these seven people lying in coffins—they include the young as well.

"Besides, in the coming time, I'm afraid quite a few people in the city will die, and then there won't be enough coffins. Those without coffins can only be buried wrapped in a mat.

"I'll reserve two fine coffins for you. It's best if you don't need them, but if the need arises, at least you'll have something to use."

"When you put it like that, it does seem to make some sense. However, I don't need a coffin."

Ma Lu said, "Just give me the cash equivalent instead—wait a moment, I've changed my mind. I'll take the coffin.

"I'll store the coffin at your place for now. When the death count rises later in the city, help me sell it to whoever offers the highest price."

"..."

After leaving Wan's Coffin Shop, Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi left the city before sunset. Crouching Tiger Hill wasn't far from Yuchang County, just fifty li away, and could be reached in less than a dual-hour by horse.

Yuchang County's government also knew about the bandit problem, and many former county magistrates had tried to suppress them.

Ordinary lackeys could be handled by the government officials, but there were also masters on Crouching Tiger Hill apart from the lackeys.

"The largest gang on Crouching Tiger Hill is Sha's Village," Gu Qingyi said.

Since she had decided to go looking for Qin Feng, naturally she had done her homework beforehand. Now she shared the information with Ma Lu as they traveled.

"These people were originally mountain villagers nearby. About twenty years ago, a severe drought hit Qingzhou, and they couldn't afford to pay their taxes, so they simply rebelled together.

"The leader is named Sha Dingjun, a man of formidable strength. Before turning to banditry, he was a lay disciple at Vajra Temple. After turning to banditry, he must have experienced some fortune, as his martial arts skills are profound and unfathomable.

"However, while Sha's Village is said to be bandits, they mainly focus on farming, only resorting to robbery when the harvest is poor.

"Behind Sha's Village, the second strongest power is Black Tiger Village. The leader of Black Tiger Village and his deputy are brothers who were once military commanders. Unable to endure the incompetence and embezzlement of their superiors, they took to Crouching Tiger Hill to become bandits.

"They also brought a group of veterans. Although not numerous, they are formidable in battle and can form battle arrays. Qin Feng ended up joining them."

"Below Black Tiger Village is Xinghua Village, led by Hong Xinghua, who is extremely adept with poisons. For a woman to stand her ground in a den of bandits and even become a leader is not to be underestimated.

"Apart from these, the momentum of Five Ghosts Village has also surged in recent years. The Five Ghosts were already first-class martial artists in Jianghu before coming to Crouching Tiger Hill, each with their own unique expertise."

"Previously, the government invited numerous masters from the Righteous Path to encircle and suppress the bandits atop Crouching Tiger Hill, but they were repelled by the alliance of four villages and, as a result, the reputation of the bandits on Crouching Tiger Hill skyrocketed."

Ma Lu had not expected such an array of hidden dragons and crouching tigers on the small Crouching Tiger Hill; it seemed that launching a direct assault would not be easy.

It wasn't that Ma Lu was worried about not being able to fight them off; the main issue was that there were just too many people, and it was like trying to play a card game where the deck was too big to handle.

He could only be out for up to seventeen hours at a time, and that had to include the time spent on the road.

If the other side employed a war of attrition, he figured he wouldn't even make it halfway up the hill before being forcibly teleported back, so some strategy would need to be employed.

While Ma Lu was pondering how to ascend the hill, Gu Qingyi had already taken out a package and opened it to reveal a set of clothes.

"I've thought of a new identity for you. If anyone asks, you say you're a Medicine Gatherer who's wanted for murder and has come to Crouching Tiger Hill to seek refuge with Black Tiger Village."

"And you?"

"I... I'll say I'm your sister."

Gu Qingyi bit her lip as she spoke. Her Face-changing Technique still wasn't perfect. From a distance, it was fine, but it wouldn't withstand close scrutiny. To be safe, she would revert to her true female form once they reached the base of Wolong Ridge.

But Ma Lu shook his head and said, "I can't pretend to be a Medicine Gatherer. I know very little about herbs and wouldn't know how to gather them. I'll be found out too easily. I have a better idea."

"What's that?"

"I'll be He Qisheng." Enjoy new adventures at novelbuddy

"Huh?"

"I owe a large sum of money to Bliss, and even the Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng that our sect leader wanted me to present to the new Gang Leader of the Beggars' Sect as a congratulatory gift has been staked to Bliss. I lied to them, claiming I was going to find someone to raise the funds, and that's how I managed to leave the gambling house.

"But Bliss didn't trust me and sent experts to secretly follow me, whom I discovered and killed. Fearing retaliation from Bliss and having no other choice, I had to bring my wife with me to seek refuge with Black Wind Village on Crouching Tiger Hill."

"What?" Gu Qingyi only found Ma Lu's idea to fake He Qisheng's identity incredibly clever while listening to the beginning.

Almost everything he said was true, and the story would check out upon investigation. It was indeed more convincing than concocting a Medicine Gatherer's identity from scratch. What was even more brilliant was that Ma Lu could perform He Qisheng's martial arts—the Songxi Fast Sword.

This was better proof of his identity as a disciple of the Songxi Sword Sect than anything else.

But upon hearing the last sentence, Gu Qingyi was taken aback, her face immediately flushing red, and she began stammering as she spoke.

"Why... why wife? Not sister anymore?"

"Because you can't make a move, your Hold Yuan Secret and Iron Cloth Technique are too conspicuous. As soon as you're seen, people will know you're from the Iron Clothes Sect," Ma Lu explained patiently.

"And I'm at my nadir right now. If you were just my sister, you wouldn't need to join me in becoming an outlaw, but if you're my wife, it's more justifiable.

"Moreover, the most important thing is that with this identity, no matter who begins to suspect you and wants to make a move, I'll be able to step in and protect you. It's a man's duty to protect his woman, and this will also reduce the disturbances from others on the hill."

Ma Lu's explanation left Gu Qingyi speechless, realizing that it seemed she really had no other option but to pose as his wife.