Yan Shouyi’s words instantly stunned everyone. They hadn’t expected this man, who looked no older than twenty-something, to possess such courage.
Who was Shen Shuzhen?
At least in the eyes of these people, Shen Shuzhen was a god-like existence. Without her, they wouldn’t be who they were today.
Yet, Yan Shouyi had captured the young master and insisted on seeing Shen Shuzhen himself.
Wasn’t he precisely the kind of person who knowingly walks into a tiger’s den?
“Take him to see Grandma Shen,”
At this moment, the tied-up corpse handler sighed and said.
The crowd hesitated for a moment before finally clearing a path.
Yan Shouyi then had Long Feicheng untie the corpse handler.
After getting up and stretching his limbs, the corpse handler said to Yan Shouyi, “Follow me, I’ll take you to see Grandma Shen.”
Long Feicheng leaned closer to Yan Shouyi and whispered, “Brother Yan, can we trust them?”
“Their young master is in my hands, they wouldn’t dare make any rash moves.”
Yan Shouyi’s hand still rested on the young master’s neck, holding him like one would hold a kitten. The young master dared not move.
Led by the corpse handler, Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng, with the young master between them, walked out of the encirclement.
Those left behind exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily at a loss.
Fortunately, one of them quickly recovered and said, “Quickly go notify Grandma Shen!”
Several nimble individuals immediately bypassed Yan Shouyi and his companion, taking a shortcut back to anxiously report the night’s events to Shen Shuzhen.
…
Walking down the dark path, the corpse handler introduced himself, “My name is Zhong Yan.”
This corpse handler was of the same lineage as Zhong Qi.
This was because folk sects were often passed down from generation to generation, meaning most sects would have only a few surnames. For instance, the coffin bearers before mostly used the surname Guan, and the skin painters often used Ong.
Yan Shouyi asked, “What’s your young master’s name?”
“Our young master’s name is…”
“Hmph, I have a mouth myself!” the young master interrupted. “My name is Cui Yu!”
Yan Shouyi directly slapped the young master hard. “Did I ask you?”
Cui Yu was stunned. He had never been hit like this in his life!
His grandmother doted on him, and everyone around him protected him. He had hardly ever been hit while growing up, and even when he was, it was only when he made a grave mistake.
But for merely speaking a word, Yan Shouyi had slapped him!
Damn it!!
Cui Yu felt a surge of indignation. The manly man’s eyes turned red, and he was on the verge of tears.
Seeing this, Long Feicheng couldn’t help but mock, “You were so defiant just now. It seems you’re just a greenhorn who’s never faced hardship, unable to endure a little grievance. How embarrassing!”
If everyone had an attribute list, Long Feicheng’s mockery value would surely be maxed out.
Cui Yu immediately broke down and unleashed a torrent of insults at Long Feicheng, spewing out every vulgar word he knew.
Long Feicheng, however, remained impervious, his grin unwavering. For someone like him, who had grown up navigating the rough streets, words that insulted families and ancestors were something he’d long since stopped caring about.
When Cui Yu had cursed himself hoarse, Long Feicheng immediately retaliated with a slap, making Cui Yu yield instantly and repeatedly apologize.
Long Feicheng held up his hand and said, “See? You cursed for so long, and I didn’t care at all. But this slap of mine landed squarely on your face. Does it hurt?”
Cui Yu, with red eyes, nodded.
“It’s supposed to hurt. Keep your mouth clean from now on!” Long Feicheng lectured. “My mouth is far fouler than yours, but I know when to mock and when to back down.”
Yan Shouyi, listening from the side, couldn’t help but chuckle. To think there was someone in this world who could lecture Long Feicheng; this young master was indeed too pampered.
The corpse handler, Zhong Yan, couldn’t stand it any longer and said in a gentle tone,
“I respect both of you as men, but please don’t take your frustrations out on the young master anymore. He is Grandma Shen’s precious one. If she learns you’ve hit him, she will surely be angry.”
Long Feicheng sneered, “If she doesn’t educate her descendants, someone else will. Today we only slapped him, but tomorrow if he provokes someone truly ruthless, it could be a slit throat.”
Zhong Yan knew Long Feicheng’s words had merit, so he offered a perfunctory劝说. This way, if Cui Yu were to complain later, he could at least claim to have tried to intervene and protect himself.
The path the four were taking led directly to the crematorium.
Yan Shouyi now thought it made sense. Shen Shuzhen was a mortician; she would either be at the funeral parlor or the crematorium.
It seemed the crematorium was Shen Shuzhen’s territory, which would conveniently allow them to steal corpses for the Ghost King family.
By the time the four reached the crematorium’s entrance, over twenty people were already guarding it.
These individuals’ aura was clearly much stronger than those outside the village earlier. From afar, Yan Shouyi could already feel a sense of pressure, as if his face were too close to a fire, or as if a needle were pointed at his brow. In short, it required sheer determination to move forward.
But having come this far, Yan Shouyi had no turning back. He shouldered the pressure and walked at the forefront, arriving at the crematorium’s entrance.
The opposing group, upon seeing the dishevelled Cui Yu, showed flashes of anger in their eyes, but they suppressed their rage and coldly said to Yan Shouyi,
“Grandma Shen is inside. Follow us.”
Following the escort, the group entered the crematorium. After walking for a short while, they arrived outside a room that resembled an office. The escort knocked on the door before letting Yan Shouyi and his companions in.
Yan Shouyi, with Cui Yu in tow, entered the office and immediately saw an old woman seated in a redwood chair at the front.
Besides her, there were only two middle-aged men in the room, so the old woman must be Grandma Shen.
One of the middle-aged men was unshaven and wore a military-green work uniform. The other wore heavy, pale white makeup, making him look less like a living person late at night.
Together, these two men exuded an indescribable eeriness, even more peculiar than Meng Te.
Grandma Shen sat calmly, brewing tea, without even looking up at Yan Shouyi and his companions, seemingly indifferent even to her own grandson.
The two middle-aged men, seeing Cui Yu being held by Yan Shouyi, could no longer contain themselves. They stood up and shouted angrily,
“How dare you! Release Xiao Yu at once!”
Long Feicheng sneered, “What a joke. This brat is our only bargaining chip. Why would we release him just like that?!”
But as soon as Long Feicheng finished speaking, Yan Shouyi let go and pushed Cui Yu towards Shen Shuzhen.
Cui Yu himself was a bit confused. By all accounts, he shouldn’t have been released. What was Yan Shouyi’s game?
Long Feicheng anxiously asked, “Brother Yan, this brat is a valuable chip, why are you just letting him go?”
“We all belong to folk sects, and there are rules. If I abide by the rules, they won’t act recklessly. But if I break the rules, it’s only natural for them to retaliate.”
Long Feicheng, half-understanding, wondered what rules folk sects had.
Yan Shouyi didn’t elaborate further. He directly cupped his fists and bowed to Shen Shuzhen, saying loudly,
“Yan Shouyi, descendant of Lu Ban, pays his respects to Senior Shen!”