The appearance of Da Hei brought much joy to the small courtyard. At least Sister Zhang doted on it immensely. According to Zhang Dabiao's description, Sister Zhang had always liked cats and dogs, but because she had never been pregnant, Zhang Dabiao had always forbidden her from keeping pets.
Now, even if Zhang Dabiao didn't want her to, it was no longer possible. Firstly, Da Hei was not a dog, but a genuine ghost king, and would have no impact on women who wished to become pregnant. Secondly, Da Hei's main duty was protection, safeguarding not only my safety but also the entire courtyard.
Despite this, Zhang Dabiao grumbled verbally, but in reality, he was very pleased. Sometimes, those in the Yin world couldn't touch you directly, but when they were driven to desperation, they would target your family. Da Hei's presence prevented such incidents.
As for the reminder from Fifth Gege, I had also become more vigilant. Although I didn't believe Chen Yun could harm me, one must still guard against others.
After all, she held a special identity as the true eldest daughter of the Hu family. Although this identity was preceded by "illegitimate child," it did not negate her status as a member of the Hu family.
For three consecutive days, the entire Yin world remained calm. The news spread by Zhang Dabiao seemed to have vanished into thin air, causing no ripples or waves.
Even those who had previously learned of the appearance of the Hu Kui Seal had disappeared, as if they had never existed.
"Brother Zhang, it's been three days, why is there no reaction to the news? Have the influential people in the village also disappeared? Did the Hu family kill them all?"
The debt of Hu Sixi harming me must be repaid. To casually kill people, such an old beast, letting him live was a waste of national resources. As for Hu Yuan, he probably wished he could skin me and eat me.
If it were merely a matter of the Hu Kui Seal, I would have tolerated it. After all, this matter was significant, yet also insignificant. However, through this, I saw a problem: how did Master escape with my old father?
My father's condition had not changed for ten years. How could it suddenly change in just one or two months, forcing Master to abandon the place he had lived in for over a decade?
Given Master's connections and influence, few could shake him. At least in the Northeast, there was only one person who could make him abandon his home, and that was someone from the Hu family.
In my memory, it was only the Hu family who frequently troubled Master. Since Master was not a Chu Ma Xian, nor belonged to the Jia family lineage, there had always been friction. But to suddenly force Master to leave, the implications of this matter were likely immense.
"No, there's no news at all, as if someone deliberately blocked all information. Even the Hu family has retreated and made no move, neither denying nor confirming." Zhang Dabiao recounted the news he had recently gathered.
"It's understandable that the Hu family remains silent. After all, such a harmful thing becomes more exaggerated the more it's spread, and by the end, no one knows what it will become. But the news being blocked after only three days suggests that a major force might be involved." I frowned, analyzing the intelligence brought back by Zhang Dabiao.
The masses, their mouths are not so easily silenced. Although the Hu family is powerful, they cannot silence everyone, unless a force even larger than the Hu family intervenes.
"A major force, you mean..."
Mentioning a major force, Zhang Dabiao's eyes lit up. I also thought of something at the same time. The two of us exchanged glances, seeing three words in each other's eyes: "Impossible." Could they also know about this?
"It shouldn't be, right?" Zhang Dabiao asked, after a moment of silence, his accumulated question finally voiced with uncertainty.
"I wish it weren't so. Can the Hu family manage to keep the news this tightly sealed? How could so many ghosts and monsters not be tempted? I think, besides them, it could be no one else," I sighed.
"This..."
For a moment, both of us fell silent, lost for words at the thought of the outcome.
I had intended to divert the trouble, but now I found it had backfired. Not only had the trouble not been diverted to the Hu family, but it might even burn me. This was truly like lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet.
I had always hoped this trouble would not come to me, so every night before sleeping, I would pray, not only for my ancestors to protect me but also for all the gods and Buddhas to overlook this minor mistake.
However, the more I feared something, the more it happened. On the fifth day after the news spread, as we were having dinner, there was a sound of urgent braking outside the courtyard.
Zhang Dabiao and I exchanged glances, then the gate was pushed open, and three men and two women strode in.
"Who are you? How can you barge into someone's home?" Chen Yun had become accustomed to living here and considered it her own home. Seeing someone barge in so casually, she immediately spoke up in reprimand.
The leader was a man around thirty, with stubble on his chin. Chen Yun's words naturally caught his attention, and his eyes lit up, his frivolous demeanor vanishing.
"Miss, hello. I am Wang Defa, the leader of the Special Action Team. May I ask your name, Miss?"
Wang Defa?
Hearing this name, I nearly burst into laughter. What were his parents thinking when they gave him such a name? Wasn't it an insult?
"Haha..." Chen Yun laughed heartily, disregarding everything. After a few laughs, she felt something was amiss. Completely ignoring the dark expression on Director Wang's face, she asked, "Director Wang, what guidance do you seek?"
Wang Defa's already dark face eased considerably when he saw Chen Yun smile, but he became serious when the matter was brought up.
"This is Zhang Danian's residence, isn't it!" Wang Defa stated with certainty.
"Zhang Danian? Are you looking for the wrong person?" Chen Yun directly denied.
Not only did Chen Yun not know about this, but even Sister Zhang didn't know who the true owner of this small courtyard was. Zhang Dabiao naturally knew. Even the villagers only knew that Master's surname was Zhang and his name was "Master Zhang," with very few knowing his real name.
"We are not mistaken. Zhang Danian has a disciple named Song Qingyun, which should be you, right?" Wang Defa ignored Chen Yun's question and directly looked at me.
I frowned, looking at him, and did not deny it. "What do you want with me? Do we know each other?"
"We don't know. We just heard some news and want to confirm with you if this news originated from you. Please think carefully before answering."
"Damn it, you come to my house to find someone and then threaten me? I think you're looking for death?" Zhang Dabiao was usually calm, but facing people coming to his house to interrogate him, he couldn't suppress his anger. He stood up, ready to act.
But with a few clicking sounds, Zhang Dabiao's face also darkened, because the people following Wang Defa all produced guns.
One must know that while the country allows you to fight with knives, the use of firearms is strictly prohibited. No matter how powerful your backing, using a gun leads to only one outcome: death.
The three men and two women in front of us were carrying firearms and displayed them without fear, indicating their unusual identities. Otherwise, they wouldn't have such contraband.
I patted Zhang Dabiao's arm, telling him not to act impulsively. Fighting these people would yield no good results; we had to be diplomatic, not confrontational.
"You can ask whatever you want. As for these things, you'd better put them away. I have female guests here."
Wang Defa thought for a moment, perhaps finding it reasonable. He raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to put away their guns, and then repeated his earlier question.
"This news did indeed come from me, but..."
"But what?" Wang Defa asked anxiously.
"Someone placed a gag order on me, threatening to kill my entire family if I spoke out." I looked at Wang Defa with a hint of grievance.
"Kill your entire family? Who is so audacious? Don't they know this is a society governed by law?"