Chapter 2 Another Death

Another philanthropist. Fatty had grown numb to the term, as in his experience, so-called philanthropists rarely lived up to the name.

"The Wu family's old brand certainly has a good reputation. We heard about it in Shanghai. It's a pity about Master Wu, such a good man." Yuan Shanyuan looked kind and compassionate, as if he sympathized with the chubby shop assistant.

"By the way, do you know how Master Wu died? Logically, the Wu family's old brand wouldn't lack any rare medicinal herbs. Could it have been some rare disease?" Yuan Shanyuan changed the subject, tossing the question back to the chubby shop assistant.

A hint of doubt also appeared on the chubby shop assistant's face. Seeing that there were no other customers at the tea stall, he simply moved a wooden stool and sat down next to them. "I've always found it strange. No one in town heard about Master Wu being sick. By the time we found out, he was already dead. I guess…it must have been some kind of acute illness."

"So, it was quite a terrible disease," Jiang Cheng said, stroking his chin in agreement. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked at the shop assistant with a panicked expression. "That disease isn't contagious, is it? If an acute illness that the Wu family's old brand couldn't cure were to spread, that would be fatal! We experienced a contagious acute illness in Shanghai, and it was terrifying!"

Seeing the customers panicking, the shop assistant, who wasn't a bad person at heart, quickly reassured them. "No, no, you're all worrying too much. Master Wu passed away several days ago, and nothing's happened in town."

"Nothing's happened to the Wu family either? No one else has died?" Jiang Cheng pressed on, continuing to pump the shop assistant for information.

But this time, a clear look of hesitation appeared on the shop assistant's face. Hesitation wasn't quite the right word; it was more of a struggle, along with lingering fear.

Yuan Shanyuan chuckled and waved his hand. "It's fine. If it's not convenient to say, then don't. After all, we're outsiders. We understand."

Hearing Yuan Shanyuan say this, the chubby shop assistant quickly explained, "It's not like that. Please don't misunderstand, everyone. Something strange did happen in the Wu family, and someone died, but it happened before Master Wu passed away, so I don't know if it's necessary to tell you. Besides, this person didn't die of illness."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. Lin Qianqian, who had a gentle demeanor, asked softly, "What happened? How did someone else die?"

The chubby shop assistant shook his head, wearing a similarly puzzled expression. "Actually, I only heard about this by chance. Not to mention you out-of-towners, even few locals know about it. Before Master Wu passed away, one of the Wu family's managers also died. It's said that he encountered a wild beast on his way home at night and was mauled to death."

"There are wild beasts in town?" Ding Zhenzong feigned a look of fear. The group's coordination was quite practiced.

"No, no, the man wasn't mauled to death in town, but in the forest. It's said that the body was discovered by a hunter in the mountains. The scene was particularly gruesome. The man's stomach had been…had been emptied by the wild beast." The shop assistant couldn't help but swallow.

Hearing this, the hairs on Jiang Cheng and the others' backs stood on end. The way he died sounded exactly like Master Wu's death. What truly made their spines chill was why the Wu family's second young master hadn't told them about such an important matter.

No, the entire Wu family hadn't told them!

And the wooden frame made of coffin wood, why had the things on it disappeared? Who had hidden those evil things, and most importantly, what was their purpose?

Now, the Wu family seemed like a pool of stagnant water on the surface, but the water wasn't calm. On the contrary, it concealed a huge whirlpool, threatening to drag them all in. There was likely more to Master Wu's tragic death than met the eye.

After leaving the tea stall, everyone's mood remained uneasy. Too many complex and chaotic clues had flooded in at once, leaving them at a loss.

The corpse with its heart and lungs torn out, Master Wu crawling out of his grave every night, the second young master's sudden leg ailment, the mysterious Blood Corpse Tomb, the missing burial goods, the strange high threshold, the large red and white lanterns, and the Wu family's reticent attitude…

All of these indicated the complexity and strangeness behind this matter. They were like people who had fallen into a huge whirlpool. The more they struggled, the deeper they sank. A sense of pale helplessness surged up, and Fatty's mood suddenly turned sour.

"Let's split up and look for clues," Luo Tianhe said, stepping forward with a calm and powerful tone. "Wolong Town isn't like a big city like Shanghai. A group of us together makes too conspicuous a target."

"Everyone needs to be more vigilant, and we don't have much time left. Do you remember what the Wu family's second young master promised us when we arrived at the Wu mansion last night?" Luo Tianhe asked, looking at everyone.

"He promised to guarantee our safety last night," Li Bai replied with certainty.

Luo Tianhe nodded. "That's right. He only promised to guarantee our safety last night, which means that starting tonight, we'll be in the same danger as the Wu family." After a pause, Luo Tianhe added, "Everyone, perhaps I'm being too cautious, but as people chosen by the mission to come here, our danger is only greater than theirs. I think someone among us will definitely die tonight, and there's a high probability that the death will be similar to that of the manager and Master Wu."

These words, spoken by Luo Tianhe, carried a convincing air. Although unpleasant, even Fatty understood that they were the truth. One of them would be killed by a ghost tonight. Judging from the difficulty of the mission, this was almost inevitable. Moreover, he could be sure that Luo Tianhe, Yuan Shanyuan, and that Bai Yu wouldn't be on the list of the dead. These were three people whom even Doctor was extremely wary of, especially Bai Yu, who never expressed her opinion.

Before his death, Li Shanru had revealed a secret to him: that Bai Yu wasn't a person, but a ghost, and a very special one at that. If they didn't get rid of her, everyone would die.

When it was just him and Doctor, Fatty had discussed the possibility that Luo Tianhe, Yuan Shanyuan, and Bai Yu had come in together, meaning they were in cahoots.

Fatty thought it was likely, since they had once gathered intelligence as a group. But Doctor's understanding was that it wasn't necessarily the case. They might have simply been wary of each other, afraid that the others would stab them in the back, so they had gathered together to restrain each other.

Moreover, Doctor had bluntly stated that if these three had really come together, then all of them combined might not be a match. This Luo Tianhe was similar to Yu Chengmu, whom they had encountered on their last mission—both were experts in unorthodox methods. Yuan Shanyuan hadn't revealed his strength yet, but he was definitely not ordinary. What's more, they were carrying a ghost.