The headless corpse stared in stunned silence. When it had fought them before, they had seemed to possess some ability.
How could they be gone so suddenly?
Even when the bat swarm had clashed with those inept minor deities last time, a few had survived. These two, however, had vanished without a trace.
The most logical explanation was that their master's cultivation had advanced another level.
He had been planning to mock them, but now the opportunity was lost.
"Bring them all out!"
The newcomer spoke coldly.
This expression was his true normal state.
The headless corpse immediately bowed and said, "Yes, subordinate obeys!"
It beckoned the fat and thin ghosts, and soon, several people were gathered in a room.
With more people, and all of them their own kind, Qin Shouchi and the others felt a surge of secret delight.
If they had been questioned individually, it would have meant an ongoing investigation, and they might have been held here for months, even a year or two. But being gathered together could only mean good news: the matter had reached a conclusion.
Perhaps they were all about to be released; otherwise, they wouldn't be allowed to gather to collude.
Thinking this, Qin Shouchi felt a sense of pride: "Don't say I'm arrogant; it's just that I have connections and backing! In this Lishui City, I am the king!"
Though they spoke no words outwardly, their eyes met, and they understood each other perfectly.
The headless corpse was about to ask for instructions when the newcomer spoke:
"Each of you, take a slap first!"
"Yes!"
Receiving the order, the headless corpse immediately winked at the fat ghost, signaling it to act.
The fat ghost heard and immediately stepped forward, landing a series of smacks.
This beating stunned Qin Shouchi and the others.
For some reason, their faces burned with pain. It felt as if they had been slapped, yet they couldn't see who had done it.
Looking at the others around them, they were all clutching their mouths.
"You, you... have your faces been hit too?"
Qin Shouchi asked.
"Can that be false? Do you see our postures are the same as yours?"
Er Leng Tao said, continuing to cover his mouth.
"Hit them! Don't stop!"
The newcomer continued to command.
"I'll go help!"
The thin ghost also volunteered to step forward.
This was an opportunity to perform, and he had to seize it.
The headless corpse immediately agreed and subtly glanced at the newcomer.
The newcomer said nothing, seeming to tacitly approve.
The thin ghost stepped forward and directly slapped Ma Yunqi, who was wearing a black outfit.
"Ah!"
"Ouch!"
Ma Yunqi cried out.
He hadn't intended to yell so loudly, but the pain was unbearable, a bone-deep agony.
For some reason, everyone could only shake their heads from side to side. Their faces ached, but they couldn't see the person hitting them.
"Oh heavens, what's happening? Weren't we about to be released? What is all this..."
The one shouting was Cui Guangliang.
He covered his mouth, dodging, while muttering.
With years of unspoken understanding, he could already discern Qin Shouchi's intentions from his every movement.
Clearly, they were told that the person behind the scenes had acted and they would be released home, so why were they suddenly gathered here to suffer? Could they have encountered ghosts?
Thinking this, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing. He mumbled, "Mercy, grandpa, mercy! If I have offended you in any way, please spare me!"
"Hmph! Look at your cowardly demeanor. We aren't afraid of ghosts in the mortal realm, so why would we fear dead ones! Ouch!"
Ma Yunqi was speaking.
Even though he was also being hit, he felt no fear in his heart.
For people like them, who were either fighting or on their way to fight every day, a few slaps were bearable.
"Don't tell me there really are ghosts; otherwise, why are we being hit and can't see anyone?"
Someone said, interspersed with sounds of "Ah, yah, woo woo woo."
Several people involuntarily knelt on the ground and began to kowtow.
"Mercy, grandpa, mercy!"
Cui Guangliang, usually cunning and eloquent, blurted out, "If grandpa wants revenge, at least show yourself. Even if you're going to kill us, let us die with understanding!"
In reality, his words were ordinary and lacked persuasive power.
But the newcomer didn't care. He had only one purpose: to inflict pain on them, and that was that.
"Whoosh!"
"Stop!"
Two voices spoke almost simultaneously.
The newcomer, along with the headless corpse and the fat and thin ghosts, materialized in the room.
"Ah! A ghost!"
A woman screamed and fainted. Another woman didn't scream, but she too lay on the ground, her limbs weak, her eyes tightly shut.
"You are Qin Shouchi?"
The newcomer pinched Qin Shouchi's chin with one hand, staring intently at him.
Qin Shouchi was startled, his heart pounding. He wanted to answer, but he couldn't utter a sound. His eyes were filled with terror, yet he couldn't look away.
In all his years, nothing had ever frightened him. He hadn't even feared the ghosts he'd heard about as a child.
He had even tried to find ways to see what ghosts were truly like.
But now, the man looking at him was very young. His face looked merely stern, not as terrifying as legends described.
His profound fear stemmed from the man's gaze, sharp and aggressive. It felt as if a cold blade were placed on his bones, constantly scraping back and forth.
"Yes..."
Qin Shouchi was so terrified he couldn't speak, managing only to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth after great effort.
The newcomer wasn't using his full strength; otherwise, he could have crushed Qin Shouchi's jaw.
Killing him instantly would be too easy a fate.
"Good, good! Smash them with wine bottles, every single one!"
The newcomer commanded.
With a casual wave of his hand, a table laden with wine bottles appeared.
The headless corpse had seen the video that day and clearly remembered the scene, understanding even more precisely what the newcomer was referring to.
It stepped forward, picked up an empty bottle, and "clang" – placed it on Qin Shouchi's head.
Did you think Qin Shouchi was the only one to experience this?
Soon, the other men also had beer bottles smashed onto their heads.
Let them share the joy and the suffering together!
"Crack, smash!"
"Bang, pop!"
It wasn't satisfying enough, so the fat and thin ghosts took turns, keeping a rhythm.
You hit with a "bang," and he'd follow with a "pop!"
Interspersed with the "ouch" of several bloodied men, the scene was unbearable to behold...
If they continued smashing like this, they would soon die from excessive blood loss.
But that wasn't the newcomer's goal. They couldn't die; it was as simple as that.
"Hahaha, let me lend you a hand!"