In the ancestral home of the Yu family, Yu Jinhong transformed from a mass of ghostly energy into human form and then spat out a living person!
The living person was in a sorry state. Upon landing, he found himself surrounded by coffins and a colossal Ghost King, Yu Jinbo, seated above him. His face immediately turned ashen.
"Big brother, Shen Shuzhen has recalled all her subordinates who were out. Only this brat snuck out to see his lover, and I caught him red-handed!"
Yu Jinhong grabbed the man's head with one hand and threatened,
"Come, introduce yourself. Tell me who you are. If you don't... I'll crush your head and devour your soul!"
After absorbing Zhou Yuhu's essence, Yu Jinhong's strength had advanced another level. The pressure he exuded was almost on par with Yu Jinbo's.
The man stammered, "My name is Chu Fangzhen, I am... I am a paper-crafting inheritor..."
Yu Jinbo, seated on his throne, scrutinized the paper-crafting inheritor from above. He actually had some impression of this person, having likely seen him by Shen Shuzhen's side.
Chu Fangzhen trembled and said, "Lord Yu, we paper-crafters and your Ghost King lineage have always minded our own business. Why have you suddenly attacked me today? Have I done something wrong?"
"You're still playing dumb?"
Yu Jinhong directly grabbed Chu Fangzhen's head and smashed him to the ground!
"What Shen Shuzhen is up to, you think we don't know?" Yu Jinhong roared. "How Zhou Yuhu died, you think we wouldn't be suspicious at all?"
Chu Fangzhen, disoriented from the fall, knew the game was up upon hearing Yu Jinhong's words. However, a declaration of war was inevitable, so Chu Fangzhen was not afraid, merely gritting his teeth and remaining silent.
Seeing this, Yu Jinhong was about to attack Chu Fangzhen again, but was stopped by Yu Jinbo.
Yu Jinbo slowly rose, transforming into a streak of ghostly energy before Chu Fangzhen. He grabbed Yu Jinhong's hand and said calmly, "Jinhong, I've told you many times, this is not how you solve problems."
Yu Jinhong snorted and withdrew his hand.
Yu Jinbo smiled at Chu Fangzhen and said,
"Mr. Chu, I know you are loyal to Shen Shuzhen, and you are a man of great loyalty and righteousness. You most likely will not answer my questions truthfully, but that's alright..."
"When Jinhong returned, he brought your little lover along. If you don't want her to meet an untimely end, you'd best answer my questions honestly."
Upon hearing this, Chu Fangzhen's face turned deathly pale, and he quickly pleaded, "Lord Yu, she is innocent! Don't touch her... Whatever you ask, I'll tell you the truth, alright?!"
Yu Jinbo showed a satisfied smile and returned to his throne.
His methods had been deployed. The rest was up to Yu Jinhong.
Yu Jinhong laughed heartily, "Big brother is still the most formidable. With just a few words, he made this fellow speak!"
He grabbed Chu Fangzhen again, his face full of malice, and asked, "Has Shen Shuzhen begun preparations to attack us?"
"Yes."
Chu Fangzhen lowered his head helplessly. To protect the woman he loved, he could only betray Shen Shuzhen and the others.
"Shen Shuzhen has quite the nerve!" Yu Jinhong asked angrily, "I don't believe she dares to contend with our Ghost King lineage solely on her own. Let me ask you again, is anyone else helping Shen Shuzhen?"
"There are a few outsiders..."
"Could it be Han San, the Taoist from Maoshan?!"
Chu Fangzhen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He was indeed telling the truth, but only answering Yu Jinhong's questions. As for what Yu Jinhong didn't ask, Chu Fangzhen saw no need to reply, this being his final loyalty to Shen Shuzhen.
"How do they plan to deal with us?" Yu Jinhong asked.
Chu Fangzhen lowered his head and replied, "Sowing discord, making the Zhou family turn against you, weakening your forces, and then finding an opportunity to ambush."
"Interesting, very interesting!" Yu Jinhong laughed in anger. "Shen Shuzhen is not only bold but has also played a good game. I was also careless and fell into her trap... Big brother, what do you think we should do about this?!"
Yu Jinbo was very calm. He looked at Chu Fangzhen with cold eyes and said coldly,
"It was not wrong for Zhou Yuhu to kill him, it's just a pity he died too soon. Although Shen Shuzhen harbors rebellious intentions, she dares not engage us head-on, and instead uses schemes, which precisely shows her lack of leverage."
"Big brother is right!"
"You had already agreed with the Wei and Shen families before, right?"
"We agreed long ago. They are willing to help us destroy Shen Shuzhen!"
"Good!" Yu Jinbo slapped the armrest and directly declared, "Gather all the forces. We cannot give Shen Shuzhen any more time to bide her time! Tonight, it's tonight, this king will bloodbath the crematorium and let Shen Shuzhen and the others understand that Qiantang has always belonged to the Yu family!"
Upon hearing Yu Jinbo's intention to directly attack the crematorium, Chu Fangzhen's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected Yu Jinbo to be so decisive, and he wondered if Mr. Yan and the others were ready.
If Yu Jinbo launched a surprise attack, it was feared that Shen Shuzhen and the others would all perish!
Seeing Chu Fangzhen's expression, Yu Jinbo became even more convinced he was on the right path, and his resolve to bloodbath the crematorium tonight intensified!
...
"Brother Yan! Brother Yan!"
Just as Yan Shouyi was still reeling from the shock of Long Feicheng and Liu Zhiqiao's affair, Han San rushed to Yan Shouyi's side, saying anxiously,
"I just received the latest news from the Yao family. The Yu family is already organizing their forces and preparing to launch a surprise attack on the crematorium tonight!"
Yan Shouyi was quite calm. "What is bound to happen will happen, it's just a day earlier than I anticipated."
Liu Ying frowned, worried, "Are you prepared?"
"We are, but not fully prepared. We still need a few more formations, and the progress needs to be expedited."
Yan Shouyi immediately began urging everyone to speed up.
In reality, with the current strength of both sides, a confrontation might not necessarily result in a victory for the Yu family. However, Yan Shouyi did not wish for any innocent casualties; ideally, they could destroy the Yu and Wei families without shedding a single drop of blood.
Therefore, the necessary formations had to be prepared in advance to wear down the enemy's strength as much as possible!
Just then, Zhong Yan ran over in a panic, "Mr. Yan, something has happened!"
"What happened?" Yan Shouyi frowned. At this critical juncture, it was crucial that nothing major occurred, as lives were at stake!
Zhong Yan said, "Grandma Shen's old illness has relapsed. She suddenly fainted just now. We don't have professional doctors in the mountains, and we've been relying on traditional remedies. I'm afraid they won't hold any longer!"
Yan Shouyi immediately felt a headache. At this juncture, the backbone of their group, Shen Shuzhen, suddenly fell ill. If their morale scattered, how could they possibly contend with the Ghost King lineage!