The "young master" caught by Yan Shouyi was only fifteen or sixteen years old, at his most rebellious age.
Unlike the honest corpse drivers, the young master, even after being subdued by Yan Shouyi, continued to struggle. Had his face not been pressed into the dirt by Yan Shouyi, he likely would have hurled insults.
Yan Shouyi sat on the young master's back. The young master instantly became still. He felt as if Yan Shouyi's body weighed a thousand pounds, making it almost impossible to breathe. If he struggled further, he wouldn't last long.
In reality, Yan Shouyi wasn't heavy; he just possessed great strength and was deliberately pinning the young master. His pressure was perfectly calibrated, ensuring the young master wouldn't be genuinely injured but also wouldn't find it too easy.
Seeing the young master's immobility, the others assumed Yan Shouyi had used excessive force and cried out in panic, "Release the young master quickly! We can discuss anything!"
Yan Shouyi remained unmoved, coldly asking, "Are you still planning to make a move against my friends?"
"No, absolutely not!"
The crowd panicked, shaking their heads vigorously.
Only then did Yan Shouyi slightly ease his grip on the young master, tugging his hair to let him lift his head and breathe.
"They call you Young Master, which suggests you have some background," Yan Shouyi said. "But no matter your origin, meeting me today means you've hit a wall!"
The young master, accustomed to a life of privilege and having rarely faced adversity, quickly caved when confronted by a true "ruthless character" like Yan Shouyi.
The bound corpse driver sighed, "We are indeed no match for him, and we are not your enemies. Let's all calm down and talk things through properly."
Long Feicheng kicked the corpse driver.
"We saw it all. You offered a coffin to that malevolent ghost. What was inside? A living person? Boys and girls? Or souls?!"
The corpse driver quickly replied, "Three fresh corpses and some remnant souls."
"A group of fiends and villains, just as I suspected!" Long Feicheng exclaimed angrily. "Look at you, with apparent abilities, how did you become lackeys to that evil spirit?"
The young master struggled, "You outsiders don't understand our situation here, so don't judge so carelessly!"
"So, you believe offering tributes to the malevolent ghost is justified?" Yan Shouyi asked, frowning.
The young master retorted, "The corpses we give them are unclaimed or dismembered bodies. As for the souls, they are given to us by the deceased themselves after we help them fulfill their last wishes!"
Yan Shouyi let out a cold snort. "Even unclaimed corpses should be laid to rest. And as for souls, regardless of how you explain their origin, you are making a deal with malevolent spirits."
"What's wrong with making a deal? The five great ghost king families of Qiantang have absolute control here. If we didn't appease them by supplying them with corpses and remnant souls weekly, could the people of Qiantang live so peacefully?!" The young master's defiance was unyielding.
"So, that malevolent spirit just now was from the five great ghost king families of Qiantang?" Yan Shouyi asked. "This confirms you are working for the ghost king families."
Long Feicheng interjected, "And also, what about those young people who recently went missing in this village?"
The corpse driver sighed, "Those were indeed people we captured. We ran out of fresh corpses and souls recently, and the ghost king families were pressing us. To prevent the equilibrium from being disrupted, we had no choice but to capture some living people to substitute. However, we only captured those who were extremely wicked!"
The young master chimed in, "That's right! Although Xie Dazhi wasn't a good person, he had some restraint. His subordinates recently committed a heinous crime against an eight-year-old girl in the neighboring village. If someone had to be killed, who else but them?!"
Yan Shouyi was shocked. He hadn't expected Xie Dazhi's subordinates to have committed such acts.
However, a life was still a life. In this society, there were laws and order. The lives and deaths of ordinary people should not be dictated by the powerful forces of the Xuanmen. If this concept were accepted by those in the Xuanmen, it would be a disaster for ordinary people.
The power of life and death should not rest in the hands of a select few.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi could not accept the explanations of these people.
He surveyed the surroundings, feeling that all these individuals were mere underlings.
To resolve this matter, he needed to speak with their leader.
So, Yan Shouyi grabbed the young master by the hair and asked, "They call you Young Master, so your elders must be their leader. Tell me, who are your elders, and take me to see him!"
The young master gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "My great-grandmother is Shen Shuzhen!"
Shen Shuzhen?!
Yan Shouyi's expression changed. He exchanged a glance with Long Feicheng.
Shen Shuzhen, wasn't she the elder respected by the Xuanmen followers in Qiantang that the night watchman Xu Qian mentioned yesterday?
As the leader of the orthodox path in Qiantang, she was actually leading the charge in dirty dealings with the evil ghost king families?!
Yan Shouyi's face darkened completely. He couldn't understand, nor could he accept Shen Shuzhen's actions.
"Get up!"
Yan Shouyi lifted the young master with one hand. The young master, still dazed and confused, stood up without understanding what had happened.
However, he was still under Yan Shouyi's control.
"We've told you everything, now release our young master!" the corpse driver urged anxiously.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Whether I release him or not is up to me!" Yan Shouyi said coldly. "Let's go, take me to see Shen Shuzhen!"
"You want to see my grandmother?" the young master exclaimed in surprise. "You're courting death!"
Yan Shouyi kicked the young master. "I know whether I'm courting death or not. I simply cannot tolerate your grandmother's actions. Today, I must meet her and ask her what she's thinking!"
The crowd was filled with anger, viewing Yan Shouyi as excessively arrogant. However, with the behemoth Zhu Shanzao present, and the young master in Yan Shouyi's grasp, they dared not make a move against Yan Shouyi rashly.
The corpse driver sighed, "Why bother? This is our own business in Qiantang. You outsiders..."
"Shut up!"
Yan Shouyi shouted, "Outsiders, outsiders, outsiders! I detest hearing those three words the most. The world is vast; is there a line drawn on the ground or a monument erected that divides it into 'inside' and 'outside'?"
"My reason for wanting to see Shen Shuzhen today is not for any other purpose, nor is it from the standpoint of an outsider who wishes to disrupt things. It is from the standpoint of a righteous person who cannot tolerate Shen Shuzhen's conduct!"
"But if you ask me why I insist on meddling in your Qiantang affairs, the reason is simpler – I am not a disciple of the Maoshan sect; I am a descendant of the Lu Ban school of the folk sects!"
"Shen Shuzhen's actions are a disgrace to us folk sects!"
"Today, I will meddle. Take me to see Shen Shuzhen!"