"Someone deliberately created a zombie? That seems unlikely," the paper artisan said, looking at me with surprise, as if he didn't believe my assessment.
It wasn't just him; I myself was starting to doubt if I had made a mistake. Considering the time elapsed, it had been less than half a month since I left Qingfeng Mountain. Even if someone had intentionally caused this, it shouldn't have resulted in a zombie so quickly.
However, if no one had deliberately manufactured the zombie, then a zombie shouldn't have appeared in the first place given the cave's location. Could I really have been wrong?
Then, I thought again, no, it couldn't be my mistake. When Sui Wan'er possessed Fang Huixin's daughter's body to return from the dead, she had become a white-haired zombie. My judgment was absolutely correct.
With this thought, I first glanced at Fang Huixin. She was also looking at me with a strange gaze, as if waiting for my explanation, or perhaps preparing to mock me.
How could I let her have her way?
"What's impossible about that? Boss Fang has personally seen a zombie, and that zombie had a significant connection with her. If you don't believe me, you can ask her!"
Honestly, I shouldn't have said that. After all, the person who almost became a zombie was her deceased daughter, and bringing it up again now felt like rubbing salt into her wounds.
But there was no other way. Initially, I thought that with just Zhang Dabiao and me, finding any trace of Zhao Defu in the vast Qingfeng Mountain would be as easy as pie.
However, the appearance of the black-haired zombie changed my perspective. After all, this was not something commonly encountered, and it was in a cave bathed in sunlight. This indicated an untold secret behind it.
It's important to know that a black-haired zombie is one level higher than a white-haired zombie. If the paper artisan hadn't discovered it in broad daylight, the situation would have been far worse at night. At that point, even a Celestial Master would have been hard-pressed to deal with it, and the outcome would have been no better than what happened to Li Zuoquan and the others.
The paper artisan frowned and looked at Fang Huixin, remaining silent, but his eyes conveyed a question.
Fang Huixin first glared at me, seemingly displeased that I had brought up her daughter again. Then, with a slightly choked voice, she said, "It's true, but there was a reason for it." She then touched the corner of her eye, appearing wronged and on the verge of tears.
Her "performance" was very earnest, but it made me want to vomit.
I didn't know if the paper artisan knew what kind of person she was, but I had personally witnessed her way of dealing with things. When I disrupted her daughter's posthumous marriage, she had berated me fiercely and even vowed to find a better match for her daughter.
If I hadn't known she wasn't possessed by Sui Wan'er at the time, I would have suspected she had a mental illness. But it also indirectly revealed something: she was very cunning.
Looking at Fang Huixin, then at the paper artisan, was she planning to use this paper artisan as her son-in-law? Although this thought was malicious, it gave me reason to consider it.
Fang Huixin's performance was diligent, but the paper artisan was not a fool. He was completely unmoved, merely looking at Fang Huixin with a questioning gaze, waiting for her answer.
After "crying" for a while, and seeing that none of us three men had moved, nor had anyone gone to comfort her, Fang Huixin stopped her "downpour." After a couple more choked sobs, she softly replied, "Mr. Song is right. My daughter did indeed reanimate, but that was due to evil spirits at work. As for whether someone was manipulating it, I don't know." She then cast a glance at me.
Seeing Fang Huixin's lips curl slightly, I felt a million horses stampeding in my mind. What did she mean by that? Did she mean that I deliberately led the evil spirits to her daughter's body?
If this blame were pinned on me, it would be like mud falling into the crotch of my pants – it would be messy whether it was shit or not, and impossible to explain. Moreover, I didn't even know the paper artisan's name, and if Fang Huixin's words were to spread, how could I continue to make a living in the feng shui world?
This was clearly sabotaging my livelihood!
Before I could speak, Zhang Dabiao threw the empty canned food box at Fang Huixin's feet with a "whoosh." He looked at her unhappily and said, "Boss Fang, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that my brother deliberately led the evil spirits to your daughter's flesh? You and I both know the specifics of what happened. Don't go around blaming others. As I said, if you think you can find that thing yourself, then go ahead. My brother and I won't accompany you." Su Dan Novel Network
"Brother, let's go. Since they don't welcome us, why should we stay? Let's go home early and enjoy life with our wives and children."
I stumbled as Zhang Dabiao pulled me. Just as I was about to ask him what he meant, I saw him frantically signaling to me, as if he had something to tell me.
"Boss Fang, as the saying goes, when conversation doesn't click, a single word is too many. If you don't welcome us brothers, we'll just leave. There's no need to be so picky."
I stood up and followed Zhang Dabiao towards the tent reserved for us. Before we had taken a few steps, Fang Huixin called out to us.
"Do you two big men have to be like this? I was just telling the truth, I didn't say you brought the evil spirits. Why are you so nervous? If I said something wrong, I'll apologize to you."
Seeing that we were unmoved, Fang Huixin continued, "If you leave now, it will mean that you were responsible for my daughter's incident. Otherwise, why would you leave? Isn't it a sign of a guilty conscience?"
Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but stop. I turned back to look at Fang Huixin with an unfriendly gaze. "What do you mean by 'guilty conscience'? Sui Wan'er wasn't someone I provoked. If you're going to say that, then I'll say that you arranged for someone to hide the black-haired zombie in the cave to ambush us."
I said this casually, but the moment the words left my mouth, I felt Fang Huixin's body stiffen slightly and become somewhat unnatural, as if I had hit the nail on the head.
Her reaction was noticed by Zhang Dabiao and me, and even the paper artisan looked at her with suspicion.
My heart sank. Could it be that I had guessed correctly?
Zhang Dabiao had once said that Fang Huixin was not a simple woman. For a woman to build such a substantial enterprise in Molu Village, even Li Zuoquan showed her deference. This showed how powerful the influential figure behind her must be.
"Heh heh... hahaha..."