PCJ – Chapter 266 Everything Is Coming to an End

“Hey, Old Zhang, you can’t just sit here forever. There are so many people waiting outside,” Chen Hongming said, giving Zhang Genxin a push. Unexpectedly, Zhang Genxin only shifted slightly and then remained still.

Chen Hongming didn’t think much of it and chuckled, “This old man really has some nerve, coming here to sleep. Hey, hey, don’t sleep here. If you want to sleep, go home and sleep.”

Zhang Genxin’s body felt limp, and the ground beneath him was warm to the touch, seemingly normal.

Unable to wake Zhang Genxin, Chen Hongming went to find Chen Maozhong.

“Dad, this old man has fallen asleep, and I can’t wake him no matter how hard I try. What should we do?” Chen Hongming, unconcerned, only wanted to get the man out of the way so as not to hinder their business.

“Asleep?” Chen Maozhong, more perceptive than his son, immediately felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing that the old man had fallen asleep.

Rushing into the incense hall, he saw Zhang Genxin lying face down on the ground, looking as though he was asleep. But when he touched him, his hand recoiled instantly—Zhang Genxin had no breath left.

“Dead, he’s dead!” Chen Maozhong’s face turned pale.

“Dad, hurry up and wake him. Mayor Tang is here again,” Chen Hongming ran in, out of breath, completely unaware of his father’s distress, and kept urging him, “Dad, quick! Get him up and out of here. He’s been here long enough, he should give others a chance.”

“Dead… he’s dead. What should we do? What should we do?” Chen Maozhong panicked, his eyes wide and incoherent.

“Dead? How could that be? Wasn’t he fine when he came?” Chen Hongming’s face changed dramatically as well.

“Fine? Nonsense! He was already at death’s door, not even a god could save him,” Liu Fengying suddenly spoke up.

“But didn’t we cure his illness yesterday?” Chen Hongming asked in confusion.

“How could that be? That was just a small trick of mine, making him feel a bit better and his symptoms improve. But in reality, it was just draining his life force to keep him alive. Today, he’s simply run out of energy, so it’s normal that he’s dead,” Liu Fengying said, dismissing the death as nothing significant.

“But why did you let him die here? You could have let him go home first! What are we supposed to do now?” Chen Maozhong said angrily.

“Chen Maozhong, it seems you’ve forgotten who’s in charge here. You shouldn’t talk to me like that, even if you’re right,” Liu Fengying raised her hand abruptly, and Chen Maozhong was sent flying.

“Bang!”

Chen Maozhong hit the door hard and then fell heavily to the ground.

“Spare me, Immortal, spare me!” Chen Maozhong quickly knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.

“Chen Maozhong, if you dare to speak to me like that again, I’ll get rid of you!” Liu Fengying snorted coldly.

Chen Hongming also knelt down, “Immortal, my father was just confused. But we need to handle this dead body carefully.”

“Well…” Liu Fengying hesitated, unsure of what to do.

“Immortal, we can hide him away. He came alone, and no one knows he was here. We can hide the body and then dispose of it under cover of darkness. That way, no one can link his death to us,” Chen Maozhong quickly suggested.

“Good, do that. Handle this properly, and it will be greatly beneficial to you!” Liu Fengying smiled, though her smile was rather eerie.

Chen Maozhong and Chen Hongming, feeling uneasy, quickly carried Zhang Genxin’s body into a room.

“Where should we put him?” Chen Hongming’s voice trembled.

“Under the bed, so no one can see him,” Chen Maozhong replied, struggling to stay calm.

Tang Guanying and her brother visited again that day, but Tang Mosheng didn’t come. It was just the two siblings.

“Immortal, my father took the elixir you gave him yesterday, and he’s shown great improvement. But he’s still very weak, so we came today to thank you,” Tang Guanying kowtowed to Liu Fengying, who was sitting at the incense table.

“Your father is a virtuous man who deserves to enjoy a peaceful old age. He does not have the fate of an early death, so you can rest assured,” Liu Fengying waved her hand dismissively.

As Tang Guanying stood up, she felt weak and nearly stumbled.

Her sister, Tang Xiaomei, quickly came to support her, but she too felt a bit dizzy.

“Careful,” Tang Guanying thought she had just lost feeling in her legs from kneeling too long and didn’t think much of it.

Chen Maozhong, being very attentive, rushed over, “Mayor Tang, please sit down for a while. You probably just got a bit dizzy from kneeling too long.”

“Yes, maybe that’s it. Thank you,” Tang Guanying shook her head, still feeling a bit lightheaded.

After sitting for a while, Tang Guanying and her group returned to the town. On the way back, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. When they reached the town, they found their family in a panic.

“Hurry back! The old man is not doing well!”

At Zhang Genxin’s home, no one had seen him all day, so they searched the village for him.

“I saw Genxin heading to Duimen Mountain this morning. I asked him where he was going, and he said he was going to give thanks at Duimen Mountain,” Zhang Enzhong, who met Zhang Genxin on his way to sell tofu, said.

Zhang Benrui immediately went to Duimen Mountain to ask around.

“There are dozens, if not hundreds, of people coming here to consult with the Immortal every day. How would I know who Zhang Genxin or Ma Genxin is?” Chen Maozhong felt guilty when Zhang Genxin’s family showed up.

“My father came early this morning and hasn’t returned yet. He doesn’t go anywhere else. Please, check if he’s at your place,” Zhang Benrui asked, unsure if his father had come to Chen Maozhong’s place or gone somewhere else. He didn’t want to offend Chen Maozhong, knowing that the Immortal had cured his father’s illness.

“Everyone left a long time ago. Do you think he’s hiding in my house like a child?” Chen Maozhong forced himself to remain calm, standing in the doorway to prevent Zhang Benrui from entering.

“Could I take a look inside?” Zhang Benrui asked.

“No. I’m sorry. The Immortal dislikes being disturbed,” Chen Maozhong firmly refused, using the Immortal as an excuse.

This left Zhang Benrui with no choice but to leave reluctantly. However, he continued to loiter near Chen Maozhong’s house, making it impossible for the father and son to dispose of the body.

“Everything ends today!” Liu Fengying, sitting at the incense table, muttered to herself.

A large black cat silently jumped down from the eaves of Chen Maozhong’s house. Liu Fengying, who had been sitting at the incense table, suddenly slumped to the ground.

“Meow…”

With a sharp cry, five or six shadows darted out of Chen Maozhong’s house. These black cats were just as large as the original one but even more muscular. However, in the presence of the first fat black cat, they were all very respectful.