I smiled at him. "You speak harshly, but you need the ability to kill me!"

Before he could speak, I raised my voice. "Wang, you've been planning this for so long. The underground palace is about to open. Aren't you going to come out and fight for the door?"

Li Yulan was startled at first, but quickly regained her confident demeanor. "It's come to this. Why bother pretending? If Wang is here, I'll be the first to kill him."

I suddenly shouted, "Zhao Zhuang, watch out behind you!"

Zhao Zhuang was shocked and slashed his knife behind him. But his blade stopped on Ding Zhong's shoulder. Ding Zhong's dagger, thrust from behind, was aimed at Zhao Zhuang's chest.

If Zhao Zhuang hadn't turned around, the dagger would have struck a vital point in his back.

"It's you..." Zhao Zhuang roared, pressing down on his knife. "You're helping the water ghost kill me?"

I said calmly, "He is the Wang Family Ancestor."

Old Liu exclaimed, "Wasn't Wang Laogui killed by you?"

"Who among you has seen the true face of the Wang Family Ancestor?" I laughed. "Have you noticed something interesting? That the Wang family all look alike!"

The Wang family members I had seen, dead or alive, bore a striking resemblance to each other.

Some people's genes are just that dominant. Three generations of ancestors standing together look like you can see a person's youth, middle age, and old age all at once.

The Wang Family Ancestor I killed looked no different from the idiot Er Zhu, except for the age difference.

As Zhao Zhuang looked at me, a sneer appeared on Ding Zhong's face. "He's right. The ghost in the graveyard was just my son. But, I'm curious, how did you see through my identity?"

Zhao Zhuang's eyes widened. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Stop!" I waved my hand to stop Zhao Zhuang. "It won't do you any good to cut him to pieces. A person with the Soul Shifting Secret Art (移魂秘法) isn't afraid of a knife to the neck."

The sudden appearance of the Wang Family Ancestor stunned not only Zhao Zhuang, but also Li Yulan.

I guessed that Li Yulan would not act rashly under the sudden change. The key to my comeback was the time they were wary of each other.

I glanced at Li Yulan, whose eyes were bloodshot. The yin energy around her body was already surging. Her fingernails, hanging beside her, had grown several inches, like eagle claws. Yet, she suppressed her killing intent and did not act rashly.

Her fear of the Wang Family Ancestor ran even deeper.

I waved Zhao Zhuang back to the side and said to the Wang Family Ancestor, "I can guess why you would sneak into the underground palace. It's simple."

"You have what Li Yulan wants in your hands, and she has what you want in hers. The two of you have been deadlocked like this for a century, and neither of you has been able to do anything to the other."

"Li Yulan could convince Zhao Zhuang to act as an inside man and open the restrictions of Fish Basket Village. Do you think you could just stay quietly in the grave without making any plans?"

"I don't believe for a second that someone who plotted against the Water Watch Camp, plotted against the seven warlocks, and plotted against Li Yulan would wait in the village without using his brain."

My voice suddenly deepened. "You knew long ago that Li Yulan and Zhao Zhuang were in secret contact. You also knew very well that Li Yulan would not sincerely trade with Zhao Zhuang. As soon as she got what she wanted, she would immediately slaughter the village."

"You have been letting things take their course, just to let Li Yulan win."

"That's impossible, right?" Old Liu said subconsciously, "If the water ghost wins, what will he get?"

I shook my head and said, "You're wrong about that. Most people will relax when they are sure of winning. A smart hunter will also choose this time to fight back from the brink. As long as the hole card in his hand is strong enough, he will definitely win beautifully."

"Wang Laogui is actually just doing one thing, and that is secretly helping Li Yulan win."

I looked at the Wang Family Ancestor. "Actually, I admire your courage. In order to trick Li Yulan, you gave up all your plans at once. What if you lose?"

The Wang Family Ancestor didn't take my bait, just smiled at me without saying a word.

I explained step by step, "When Zhao Zhuang led people to ambush the ghosts in the ancestral坟 (fén) [graveyard/tomb], you knew that there was a trap at the foot of the mountain, but you were fueling the flames to wipe out all the ghosts in Fish Basket Village. This is your first step."

The Wang Family Ancestor nodded and said, "Without Zhao Zhuang, I would have to find a way to make their souls fly away, lest someone go to the underworld to sue and ruin my good deeds. Zhao Zhuang's actions saved me a lot of trouble."

Zhao Zhuang's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. He had to know that there were also ghosts of Zhao's ancestors on the mountain.

Perhaps he had struggled before taking action, but his struggle would soon be drowned out by the obsession to leave the village. He would not think about anything else when he took action.

And now?

Annihilating souls is a conspiracy.

Killing ancestors is a trap.

He was confusedly exterminating the souls of his ancestors and losing his own children. The fact that he could suppress his impulses was his greatest restraint.

I said again, "Your second step was to sell Far Mountain Village to us. And you were in Fish Basket Village刺-激 (cì-jī) [stimulating] Li Yulan to kill people."