Chapter 25: My Wife, I Was In The Wrong

“Oh, is there someone I still can’t kill?”

Li Chaosheng paused with his chopsticks, while Wang Er snorted and laughed, “You really can’t kill that person.”

“Why?”

“After he killed Zheng the butcher he jumped into the river and killed himself the same day. Now the body is probably about to be buried. What could you use to kill him? Hahaha!” Wang Er laughed loudly.

Li Chaosheng could not help but sigh. What a pity. First it’s a pity to have lost this chance to reap benefits, second it’s a pity for Old Zhang’s life. He became a water ghost.

Although being beheaded by Li Chaosheng seemed cruel, it was actually an act of accruing merit and doing good.

Old Zhang murdered someone and the law would not spare him, so death was inevitable. If he were killed by Li Chaosheng, he could wash away his sins, go to the underworld without suffering, and still be reincarnated as usual.

The ghost-head blade was both a killing weapon and an instrument of merit. Acting on heaven’s behalf it executed judgment and, for the Dao, protected the people. The reason Li Chaosheng wanted to kill him was first to earn some reward, and second to let Old Zhang suffer less and have a better end. But now…

“Ah, how pitiful,” Li Chaosheng said helplessly. Wang Er took a peanut and said nothing.

At that moment Lai Shun came running back, bringing roast chicken, pig’s head meat, and pig trotters. The two ate the meat with their wine and the conversation naturally turned back to Wang Er hiding pocket money. From that they talked about his father-in-law, Apex Predator’s father, Butcher Fan.

This father-in-law, Butcher Fan, was responsible for slaughtering pigs for the pig farm. The owner of that pig farm was surely familiar to everyone: Zheng the butcher, the one who married a third wife but insisted on sleeping with a widow and was finally cut down by Old Zhang. He ran their family’s pig farm.

The Zhengs were well off. They owned a large pig farm outside the city and half the county’s pork supply came from the Zheng family. Zheng also employed many butchers, and Butcher Fan was one of them.

But during the chat Li Chaosheng heard an interesting piece of information: the Zheng family was recently hiring butchers. It turned out that the Sun family’s eldest daughter had become wealthy and returned to arrange a marriage for her younger brother, holding a three-day banquet and asking the pig farm to send twenty prepared fat pigs for the feast.

Then this incident happened to the Zheng family, so Zheng the butcher died. Several nearby slaughterhouses suddenly made a move and poached a few skilled pig killers at high prices, leaving the Zheng family short-handed.

One must understand that slaughtering pigs is not work that just anyone can do. It requires skill, and after the killing comes the processing, skinning and cutting, which only experienced butchers can do.

After those people were poached, the slaughterhouse was left with only Butcher Fan, and suddenly there was nobody else they could hire. The Sun family urgently needed the meat delivered. At this moment those competitors who poached these staff clearly intended to sabotage the Zheng family. After all, if the Zheng family could not deliver the pork on time and with quality, their reputation would be ruined.

From then on business could collapse. Perhaps the enterprise Zheng the butcher had built over half his life would be destroyed in an instant, while the other competitors would get more business. There was no other motive. Only competitors could bear such naked hatred.

Wang Er drank and said, “This pig slaughtering is no ordinary job: catching pigs, tying them, bleeding them, cutting meat…one round of this work cannot be done in less than two hours. My old father-in-law is getting old and his strength doesn’t keep up. When busy he can only slaughter three or four pigs a day. The Suns need all the pork in two days, which has badly worried the young master of the Zheng family. He didn’t even put on a big funeral for his father and is fully focused on dealing with this crisis.”

Li Chaosheng drank and a thought occurred to him: the Zheng family was hiring butchers, and butchers killed living beings too. Since the Killing Scripture rewarded killing people, what about killing pigs?

Could killing pigs also yield rewards? The execution ground had been idle lately. Why not work at the slaughterhouse for a few days and casually test whether the Killing Scripture rewarded only killing humans or any living creature?

They continued drinking and drank away the afternoon. By evening Wang Er was thoroughly drunk, but Li Chaosheng was fine. After eating that Essence-Washing Marrow-Refining Fruit, Li Chaosheng felt his alcohol tolerance and physical condition had improved by several levels. He might not be immune to a thousand cups, but it was close.

Seeing Wang Er in that state, Li Chaosheng knew he could not drink any more. There was a remaining package of pig’s head meat on the table. Li Chaosheng called to Lai Shun, “We didn’t touch this meat. Take it as your dinner.”

“Ah, thank you, Master Li.”

Lai Shun was overjoyed to hear this. In these times not everyone could eat meat. There was still more than half a package of pig’s head meat, about half a jin. Going home he could roll out a big pancake, eat a bite and it would both satisfy his craving and fill him up. Just thinking of it made his mouth water.

Li Chaosheng supported Wang Er and they walked a few streets to Wang Er’s home. He knocked on the door and a woman came out into the yard. She was plump, with a broad face, thick eyebrows and large eyes, sturdy shoulders and a round waist. She had a silver hairpin in her hair, wore plain clothes, and an apron around her waist.

“Sister-in-law Er,” Li Chaosheng called to the woman.

This Second Sister-in-law was a good person. Though not pretty, she had a kind heart. In the past she often had Wang Er bring some of the food she made to Li Chaosheng.

Sister-in-law Er frowned and glanced at the drunk Wang Er. Wang Er was truly drunk now, making gestures with his hands, “My brother, Apex Predator actually hit me over a bit of pocket money?! This won’t end here! Just wait until I go back and slap her hard so she knows who the real man is!”

“Uh… Brother Er, you’re drunk, you’re drunk.”

Li Chaosheng looked at Sister-in-law Er with an embarrassed expression. Sister-in-law Er snorted and laughed, “Seems you drank a lot. All right, Brother Li, thank you for your trouble. You paid for the drinks again, didn’t you?”

Sister-in-law Er then took out a one-liang silver coin from her bosom and handed it to Li Chaosheng, “Here, take it. That coward shows no sign of being a man. Why does he always make his younger brothers pay for drinks? Don’t be polite with Sister-in-law Er.”

Li Chaosheng looked at the silver coin presented to him and hurriedly waved his hand, “No, Sister-in-law Er, I won’t take the money. You’ve helped me plenty before. Treating Brother Er to a meal is nothing, it’s nothing.”

Li Chaosheng said this and was about to leave. Seeing Li Chaosheng’s firm stance, Sister-in-law Er hurriedly called, “Wait a moment.”

Sister-in-law Er grabbed Wang Er by the nape and, as if lifting a chick, hauled him into the yard and toward the house, while Wang Er continued to act like a drunken fool.

“When the time comes I’ll go up and grab her by the neck, give her two big slaps with both hands, then kick her in the chest, and I’ll give her two fists…”

Watching Wang Er being carried and still sniffling and gesturing, Li Chaosheng covered his face. Brother Er, I pray for your good fortune, I’ve already done what I could.

Sister-in-law Er went into the house and soon wrapped a large bundle of steamed buns in cloth and came out, “Brother Li, your sister-in-law just steamed these white buns. They’re slightly sweet. Take them and eat. You’ve been drinking all day, so eat some grain to warm your stomach.”

“Oh, thank you, Sister-in-law Er.”

Li Chaosheng quickly thanked her and did not refuse, since refusing would be too distant. Sister-in-law Er smiled and said, “All right, Brother Li, I have things to do so I won’t keep you. Be careful on the road.”

“Okay, Sister-in-law, you get busy.”

As Li Chaosheng spoke, Sister-in-law Er closed the yard gate. Li Chaosheng did not hurry to leave and paused for a few minutes. Then he suddenly heard a squealing like a pig getting slaughtered from inside the yard, “Ah!! My wife! I was in the wrong!!”