Chapter 48: A Round of Boasting

"Go ahead, speak!"

Everyone turned to look at me.

Evidently, my little display of skill earlier had been effective. At the very least, they now held a modicum of respect for my opinion.

I cleared my throat and said, "Actually, we only need to come to a consensus: let's all head into the city together tonight. That way, the driver gets what he's owed without having to worry about taking a loss. As for the aunties, once you've arrived at your destination, surely you wouldn't have the face to refuse payment, right? And finally, the two young ladies won't miss their interviews tomorrow morning. Doesn't that solve everyone's problems?"

With that said, I stood smiling, ready to receive their applause.

However, the very next second!

Everyone simply turned their heads away and resumed their previous bickering.

"Give me my refund!"

"Drive us back right now!"

"No! We have to get to the city for our interviews!"

"I can't afford to take a loss! I came out here to make a living!"

"..."

I stood there blankly, staring at them.

What was the meaning of this?

Were they giving me no face at all?

Did they pretend I didn't even exist?

I stood awkwardly in place.

Fatty Er turned his head to look at me. "Tiangang, it seems like they're ignoring you..."

Hearing this, the smile on my face vanished completely.

I shot Fatty Er a withering glare.

"Is your mouth the only part of you that works?"

With no other choice, I picked up the bronze bell once again.

*Jingle-ling—*

Yet the moment the bell rang this time, my brows furrowed deeply.

My sixth sense as a Village Guardian flared up instantly.

It felt as though danger was lurking right there in the darkness on both sides of the road.

My ears twitched slightly, and I immediately snapped my gaze toward the darkness on the right!

But just as quickly as it came, that feeling of danger vanished.

Was it just my imagination?

How could it disappear in a flash?

Back in the village, whenever someone died, that sensation would linger for a very long time, and you could even track down whose house it belonged to by following the feeling. It was never just a fleeting moment.

With everyone turning their attention back to me, I quickly brushed off my lingering doubts.

Smiling at the crowd, I said, "If you'll just let me finish, I can break this evil magic. Once it's broken, won't everyone be able to arrive safely in the city?"

Finally—

This time, they didn't resume their shouting match.

A burly man looked at me skeptically and said, "Are you even capable? Don't go dabbling in superficial tricks and fail to clear this up properly; otherwise, we'll all be doomed. We can't afford to gamble our lives on you."

Just as I had anticipated.

I was still too young, and my weight didn't carry enough sway.

With just a few empty words, how could this many people be willing to gamble their lives on me?

The people standing nearby nodded in agreement one after another.

"That's right. Although this young man seems to have some genuine tricks up his sleeve, we just don't dare gamble with this kind of thing. Heading back is the safer bet."

"Going back is definitely the safest choice. If something goes wrong and that Daoist priest put some other kind of evil spell on the driver, what happens to the safety of everyone in the bus? Once an accident happens, it's over for all of us."

"Ah, now that you mention it, it does make sense. Better not to take the risk."

Seeing them react this way, I immediately started frantically exchanging glances and making faces at Fatty Er.

We had rehearsed this part.

Fatty Er caught on immediately!

"Come on, everyone, hold your horses! Stop yelling and screaming like a bunch of lunatics! Just listen to your big brother here!"

He deliberately deepened his voice.

It sounded precisely like the lines northern frontiersmen would spout while drinking heavily.

My mind went blank.

This was supposed to be drunken boasting, but he was taking it way beyond mere bragging.

Everyone frowned slightly.

Being called a younger brother by a chubby kid—when most of them were older than him—felt a bit rich.

Fatty Er continued, "Go and ask around within a hundred-mile radius. Who could possibly outdrink Fatty Er here? Any of you lot would be knocked silent after a single round. That Old Wang from the east end of the village, didn't I send him straight to the hospital with my drinking?"

The crowd stared blankly at the suddenly unhinged Fatty Er.

"Could this chubby kid... have been possessed by something?"

"My goodness, this place is entirely too creepy. I'm definitely never leaving the house at night again..."

"Why does this sound exactly like me when I'm drinking with friends? Did this chubby kid secretly chug some Erguotou earlier?"

Everyone began pointing fingers at Fatty Er.

I slapped a hand hard against my forehead.

Was I out of my mind to put my trust in the village idiot?

"Shut your damn mouth!"

I stepped forward, grabbed Fatty Er to put a stop to his ramblings, and dragged him off to the side.

"What on earth are you doing?!"

Fatty Er immediately protested, "Didn't you tell me to brag? I was right in the middle of it! Don't worry, I had another set of drinking toasts lined up to recite to them—"

"Recite your grandfather's toast!"

I cursed at him in exasperation.

"Brag about my formidable skills, how I slay demons and vanquish monsters with ease! Just say my Daoist arts are peerless and passed down through generations in my family—we are not drinking alcohol, do you understand?!"

Fatty Er blinked and nodded. "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I..."

I rubbed my temples in sheer helplessness.

"Fatty Er, my fault. Go on, brag away. Good boy..."

Fatty Er nodded promptly.

He then turned back to face the crowd and announced, "Just now, I was merely joking with everyone. Here is the deal: the young master here is a truly formidable figure down at the foot of Changbai Mountain. Five hundred years ago, he raised havoc in the Heavenly Palace!"

"Ahem, cough-cough—"

I immediately coughed to signal that he was exaggerating wildly.

"Havoc in the Heavenly Palace? Isn't that the Great Sage Equalling Heaven?"

The crowd stared at Fatty Er.

Fatty Er glanced at me and hastily corrected himself, "Ah, I misspoke. Fifty years..."

"Ahem-hem-hem—"

Fatty Er tried again, "Five years ago, you've heard of Qingqiu Mountain, right? Whoever went up there was doomed! Well, this man right here, his name is Han Tiangang! Up there, he slept in coffins and flirted with female corpses—he lived life just that recklessly. And yet, he's standing right before you today, fit and full of vigor! Tell me, is that badass or what?"

After saying his piece, Fatty Er blinked at me.

I signaled with my eyes that this version was acceptable.

The crowd remained half-skeptical.

"If he's that impressive, how do you prove it? He looks so young, isn't he just a student?"

"Exactly. Whether he actually has skills remains to be seen, all we've heard is talk. What if an actual ghost or monster shows up?"

Seeing that they were still doubtful, I immediately shifted my gaze toward the female corpse on the bus.

Then, I raised my voice and said, "Everyone, look over here! The one on the bus, do you see her?"

The crowd nodded.

"And?"

I immediately smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, this young lady right here is the very female corpse I flirted with back then! Since I'm capable of subduing her, surely you can trust my strength now?"

The crowd looked at me.

Then they turned their heads to look at the female corpse on the bus, whose face was ice-cold and seemed ready to murder someone at any second.

Finally, they turned their gaze back to me.

"This young woman is so pretty, and she's sitting there so quietly, how could she possibly be a corpse..."

"You're making this up way too wildly."

"Yeah, young man, forget it. Let's just all head back!"

Growing anxious, I blurted out, "I can make her prove it! Just wait and see!"

With that, I hurried over to the side of the female corpse.

Leaning against the window, I said to her, "Miss, please help me prove it. Otherwise, staying stuck here in a stalemate isn't a solution. The sooner we get into the city, the sooner we can all find a place to rest, right? You must be exhausted after I carried you on my back the entire way. Show them what you can do..."

Female Corpse: "..."

She continued to stare at me with a deathly glare.

She clearly looked immensely displeased that I was using her to prove my badassery.

I quickly added, "Fine, if you won't help, we'll just stay stuck here!"

Finally, the female corpse spoke in an icy tone, "When you're asking someone for a favor, shouldn't you use a pleasant form of address?"

"What pleasant form of address?" I looked at her, baffled.

The female corpse lightly raised an eyebrow and said, "Call me Master..."