I waved my hand, stopping Huang San from continuing, as I already knew the outcome of what he was about to say.
"Huang San, what do you think about this matter?"
Huang San's expression shifted multiple times. He opened his mouth twice before finally stating with a harsh tone, "The Hu family deserves to die."
His answer caught me off guard. Huang San had previously suggested that just as one observes animals, so too should wild immortals observe humans. How could his thinking have changed so drastically in less than a day?
Seeing my surprised gaze, Huang San explained, "I know you have questions, Young Master Song, but this is not the past when spiritual energy was abundant. Humans are the dominant species in modern times. Furthermore, the notion that the strong can oppress the weak is a disgrace to our reputation as wild immortals."
"You once asked me why I didn't join the Hu family. My answer was that the Hu family was overbearing and arrogant. But the real reason is that the Hu family is no longer the same as it once was. They have changed..."
Huang San's words left me speechless. I had intended to vent my frustration, but instead, I found myself unable to answer Huang San, as he saw through the affairs of the human world with such clarity.
The will of heaven, the order of the world, no one is the protagonist forever, nor can anyone claim to be the protagonist. Therefore, I felt both happy and a little sad that Huang San could see things this way.
The Hu family had indeed benefited the world, but they also relied on their ancestral merits to continue enjoying their ancestors' blessings, didn't they? The death of someone in Madam Sun's family, and an ordinary person at that, had already violated the laws of the human world. Even if the living world did not pursue it, the underworld would not let it slide. The Hu family had truly courted disaster.
However, these were just thoughts in my mind. Huang San sensed the Yin energy, but whether it was the Hu family's doing remained to be confirmed. This sparked suspicion in me again. Was the Hu family the old monk from Beishan Mining Town was looking for the same Hu family I had encountered?
If the Hu family I had met was the one the old monk wanted me to deliver a message to, then I felt it made no difference whether I delivered the message or not. I believed they were no longer the Hu family the old monk intended for me to contact.
I decided to stop talking with Huang San. After all, Mr. Chen was still in the room, and it was better not to let him know certain things, even though he was sleeping soundly after drinking.
Lying on the bed, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, my mind filled with chaotic thoughts. When I opened my eyes again, it was already broad daylight, though a light rain had begun to fall, making the sky look rather gloomy.
Whether it was due to the fire at Madam Sun's small courtyard or my own state of mind, the air felt somewhat oppressive, tinged with a faint, intermittent Yin energy.
Seeing Huang San restored to his original form, without any unusual expression, I felt somewhat relieved, attributing the excessive Yin energy in the air to the rainy weather.
After the events of yesterday, I felt a growing distance between myself and Mr. Chen. Although he had been very welcoming, I decided to pack my bag and leave.
Regardless, he was still an ordinary person. Getting too involved in matters of the supernatural would bring him nothing but harm. Madam Sun's demise due to the Hu family's affairs was her own karmic retribution; it was impossible to say who was right or wrong.
The rain was not heavy, just a sparse drizzle. Holding an umbrella felt superfluous, yet not holding one would leave me drenched. Glancing back, Madam Sun's small courtyard had become a pile of ruins, with only the surrounding cordon tape and a scorched appearance remaining.
Perhaps due to the fire, or perhaps for other reasons, there weren't many people around. Even the occasional passersby hurried through the rain, appearing very busy.
I had intended to take a taxi directly to the station, but I couldn't even catch one. Not only that, but I waited for half an hour for a bus to the passenger terminal and still didn't see one.
I swayed, shifting the backpack on my back, and jokingly asked, "Huang San, do you think the buses are on holiday today?"
"..."
To my surprise, Huang San, who usually loved to talk, suddenly fell silent. Just as I was about to provoke him further, I noticed the rain had intensified slightly.
At the same time, a graceful figure appeared in the distance.
A woman, holding a small Jiangnan-style umbrella, gracefully approached in the rain. She was dressed in a blue and white cheongsam with a high slit, and wore red embroidered shoes. She swayed her body as she strolled through the rain.
Her face was obscured by the umbrella, revealing only a sharp, delicate jawline. Judging by her fair skin, she was undoubtedly a beauty, and a great one at that.
"Damn it, why has this gentle Jiangnan beauty come to the north? It's the height of summer, but too much rain can easily lead to a cold."
I sighed inwardly. It was a pity for such a beautiful girl to be walking in such heavy rain. If I had a car, I would have stopped beside her and offered her a ride to shelter from the rain.
As I was sighing, I suddenly felt my backpack move. Huang San, who had been inside, suddenly poked his head out. He glanced at the red-clothed woman holding the umbrella, and then his body trembled as if he had seen a ghost. He tore open the zipper of the backpack and vanished from my sight with a 'swish'.
"Huang San, what are you doing?"
"Young Master Song... Young Master Song, I'm going to find Boss Bai. Be careful." Huang San's voice came from a distance, his words choppy, indicating he had already run far away.
Going to find Boss Bai? Be careful?
This made me look intently at the red-clothed woman approaching me. Huang San, though somewhat timid and prone to fear, was merely acting according to his nature. He hadn't fled when facing the three-tailed fox, he had merely been unwilling to show himself. Now, seeing a red-clothed woman, he ran faster than a rabbit. What did this signify?
It meant that Huang San could not afford to offend the woman before me, and didn't even have the courage to meet her. This made my heart tighten. Could this person holding the umbrella be a supernatural entity after all?
It shouldn't be!
Despite the heavy rain and the slightly oppressive Yin energy, it was still daytime. Ghosts and evil spirits would not dare to show themselves. Therefore, the woman before me must be human, not a supernatural entity.
If she were a supernatural entity and could walk in daylight, her cultivation would be far beyond what I, a mere minor Yin diviner, could handle. But if she wasn't a supernatural entity, why did Huang San run so fast? And why did he say he was going to get reinforcements, Bai Ling'er? Wasn't that ridiculous?
As I was pondering who she might be, she had already walked closer and stopped about three meters away. An indescribable fragrance entered my nostrils, delicate and mellow, making me feel drowsy.
"Are you Song Qingyun?"