Chapter 1270: I Bet I'll Cover Your Drinking Expenses for the Rest of Your Life

Besides, don't the wealthy usually value their lives? Why does Lord He insist on subduing the Rosheng Armor, eradicating the Ghost King in Howling Forest, and involving himself in the war between the Situ family and the Bixia people? He seems to head straight for danger.

"Indeed," He Lingchuan smiled, "even money from a gambling house can't be left lying around, or others will always be eyeing it." He recalled Fu Liushan's versatile acorn figurine, which wasn't always used for scouting.

He pulled out a golden crane hairpin. "The Copper Mountain Casino deposited funds at my money house, and that's how I saw this."

This was a piece of gold jewelry he'd brought back from the Ghost King's treasure in Howling Forest, given to Fu Liushan as a bonus.

It turned out Fu Liushan hadn't gone anywhere for days; he'd been staying at the Copper Mountain Casino the whole time!

He'd been eating, sleeping, and gambling there.

Or, more accurately, losing money.

He Lingchuan glanced at the casino's back wall. Winners at the tables usually didn't escape that way.

If he wasn't mistaken, Fu Liushan seemed to have even used a wall-penetrating escape technique.

Fu Liushan scratched his head. He Lingchuan noticed his eyes were a little red.

Spending days and nights at the gambling table would make even an iron man's eyes bloodshot.

He Lingchuan sighed. "How much of your newly acquired bonus did you lose?"

"Just a bit."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

Fu Liushan rolled his eyes. "I mean, there's only a little bit left."

That was a significant sum of money. Even if Fu Liushan had indulged in daily carousing, it should have lasted him until he was utterly depleted by drink and debauchery.

Yet, Master Fu, overly concerned with his physical well-being, had chosen the fastest possible way to squander his fortune.

But before he lost everything, he finally came to his senses, realizing he couldn't continue like this. He needed to at least save some money for a wife, so—

He decided to cut and run, conveniently forgetting his debts.

"Hey, they were cheating!" Fu Liushan declared indignantly. "Cheating is stealing! How could I let them get away with my money for free!"

He Lingchuan walked beside him, accompanying him outside. "Leaving without a word, Master Fu, that's hardly fair."

Given Fu Liushan's attire and his current state, he was likely planning to sneak out of the city under the cover of night, without a word to anyone.

"Lord He is a busy man, I didn't want to bother him further," Fu Liushan said with a light cough. "Goodbyes are always melancholic; it's better to simply depart."

Situ He had long been rescued, and the Ghost King had been vanquished. What reason did he have to stay?

Departure was his most familiar theme.

He was a wanderer of the world, having spent more than half his life on the road.

He Lingchuan smiled. "With the Rosheng Armor subdued and the Ghost King gone, what are your plans now, Master Fu?"

The ancestral mission of the Fu family had been to seal the Rosheng Armor, preventing it from harming people. Now that He Lingchuan had subdued it, Fu Liushan's most significant life purpose had suddenly vanished.

Fu Liushan scratched his neck. "Plans? The same as always, I suppose: subduing demons, catching ghosts, and earning a bit of money for wine."

Though he claimed "the same" with a carefree air, He Lingchuan could still discern his underlying bewilderment.

When a person spends their entire life doing the same thing, even if it's boring and they complain, at least there's always something to occupy them.

Remove that purpose, and he was at a loss.

So He Lingchuan asked again, "And what else?"

Fu Liushan pondered deeply, thinking for a long, long time before finally saying seriously, "Get a wife."

He wanted a home.

"A good idea," He Lingchuan said, subtly changing the subject. "The second night after we returned from Howling Forest, Master Fu recounted tales in the tavern, and he was truly excellent."

Locals referred to storytelling as 'telling ancient tales'.

Fu Liushan exclaimed, "You were there? How did I not see you?" He'd had too much to drink that night and couldn't recall what he'd said when he woke up the next morning.

"When I arrived, you were just recounting the tale of catching ghosts in Jishi Village. The tavern was packed, everyone captivated by your endless chatter. The innkeeper mentioned his business was rarely so good." He Lingchuan recalled that during their earlier drinks in Wuxian Town, Fu Liushan had always been a lively conversationalist, with anecdotes and unofficial histories readily at his tongue. After a few drinks, he became even more eloquent.

With wine and an audience, he could talk for three hours straight, making every detail vivid and engaging.

"His business is poor because he dilutes his wine too much," Fu Liushan chuckled. "Before, when there were no ghosts to catch, I'd often go to taverns to tell tales for drinking money."

He had many skills that could earn him money.

"As long as Golden Flash Plains remains as it is, you'll never run out of mountain demons and wild monsters to catch, not in a hundred lifetimes," He Lingchuan told him. "If you had an endless supply of wine and an endless wellspring of stories to tell, would you be willing to settle down somewhere?"

"Well... that sounds wonderful," Fu Liushan responded, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Who enjoys sleeping rough and having no fixed abode? Does Lord He intend to cover my drinking money for the rest of my life?"

Just a few days ago, he was rolling in money. Now, alas, he was down to his last cent.

Money, money, why did it always seem to abandon him?

"Precisely. And the money you owe the Copper Mountain Casino, I can help you write it off," He Lingchuan teased. "If you deposit what little money you have left into my money house, I'll even waive the custody fee."

"?" It was Fu Liushan's turn to look bewildered. "Depositing money requires a custody fee?"

It was the first he'd heard of such a thing.

"You don't know? It's standard practice," He Lingchuan explained. "Unlike the banks people know in another world, these money houses don't pay interest to depositors. Instead, they charge a custody fee."

Such vast sums of money take up a lot of space, and money houses assume the risks of fire, flood, theft, and robbery when safeguarding them.

Therefore, depositors must pay for the security and convenience.

Fu Liushan rubbed his belly. "How would I know? I've never had spare money to deposit in a money house."

Now, with just this little bit left, a few days of drinking and a couple of gambling rounds, and it would be gone again.

"The Yangshan Merchant Association has already opened taverns and restaurants in Jucheng and the capital of Pengguo, and they're recruiting storytellers to perform in their establishments," He Lingchuan said. "Performers are easy enough to find; even training them on the spot would be quick. The real challenge is compiling and writing new scripts. Master Fu, you've roamed the four corners of the world, slaying demons, capturing ghosts, and punishing villains – you have a belly full of incredible stories! Why not share them with the world?"

"Huh?" Fu Liushan asked, stunned, pointing to his own nose. "You want me to stay and tell stories?"

"Not just storytelling, but also compiling scripts. Actually, mainly compiling scripts," He Lingchuan corrected him. "If you dislike sitting at a desk with a brush, you can simply perform at the taverns, and I'll have someone transcribe your words. Later, they'll be compiled into volumes and distributed to other storytellers. Then, the stories they tell will all be ones you've created."

He Lingchuan further tempted him: "Putting other things aside, seven generations of your Fu family sealed the Rosheng Armor, making them heroes of Golden Flash Plains. Heroes shouldn't be forgotten or nameless; don't you want their deeds to be widely known and celebrated by all?"

That final sentence struck a chord deep within Fu Liushan.

Bringing honor to his ancestors – who could refuse such an opportunity?

"Would they truly believe that the Fu family members are all heroes?" Fu Liushan was unsure. From childhood, he had been taught that the Fu family was destined for atonement.