Chapter 62: The Qin Family

In the main hall of the four-door compound, a large group of people had been driven there.

All of them were servants of the Qin household, crouching or kneeling in fear.

Wang Tianyou scanned the crowd and said, “I’m a kind-hearted man. You’re merely servants of the Qin family. Grievances have their source, debts their debtor—I’m willing to give you a path to life, if you tell me where Qin’s youngest son is hiding.”

Ding Junhui stood nearby, smiling coldly.

After a moment of hesitation, the servants scattered, leaving only one man in servant’s attire, his face dark, standing in place.

At that moment, his eyes were filled with despair.

“I told you I kept the Qin household under tight watch—not a single fly got out. How did Qin’s third young master vanish?” Ding Junhui walked over, wiped the man’s face, and came away with a hand full of soot: “So you’ve been hiding among the servants. Young Master Qin really knows how to endure hardship.”

Qin Huan’s legs trembled as he stared at the two men before him: “Spare my life—I’ll leave Rongxian County right now and never return, never oppose you.”

Wang Tianyou burst into laughter, walked over, and kicked the man squarely in the stomach.

Qin Huan flew backward a full zhang and landed on the ground, writhing in pain.

“Three months ago, your Qin family sent people to cause trouble at the Tudimiao. You never intended for me to live.”

Wang Tianyou’s eyes burned with hatred. If not for that day’s incident by the Qin family, he would have captured that beautiful female apparition, and his standing at home would have risen.

Instead… something went wrong, and his status at home declined.

Ding Junhui’s expression was equally cold.

Wang Tianyou had merely lost some “support” within his family, but the Ding family had actually lost direct blood relatives killed by the Qin household.

This was blood vengeance.

Ding Junhui snorted: “Why waste words with him?”

He walked over, grabbed Qin Huan’s hair, and dragged him outside.

In the corner of the courtyard stood a “menhai”—a large water vat, meant in feng shui to gather wealth, used normally to collect rainwater for emergencies like fire.

And this “menhai” was full to the brim.

Ding Junhui shoved Qin Huan’s head straight into the vat.

Qin Huan struggled violently, but Ding Junhui’s hand holding his head was steady.

The Qin household servants turned their heads away, unable to watch.

Soon, Qin Huan’s struggles weakened, then ceased entirely.

Only then did Ding Junhui release him.

Wang Tianyou smiled: “Now we can both report back to our families.”

“Mm.” Ding Junhui gave a slight nod.

At that moment, both men turned their gaze toward the “menhai.”

A foul aura rose from it.

Qin Huan, who had been motionless, suddenly twisted violently, his movements grotesque—jerking and spasming in unnatural ways.

“Not dead?” Ding Junhui froze.

Wang Tianyou shook his head: “No—he’s been possessed.”

At that moment, “Qin Huan” lifted his head from the vat. His appearance had changed: on either side of his neck grew a large fleshy tumor, each bearing eyes, a nose, and a mouth—like a doll’s face.

“You killed Father. You killed Brother… I’ll eat you!”

The two doll-like tumors spoke in infantile voices, their words disjointed.

The sound was deeply unsettling, making one feel like vomiting.

“A Huangguai?” Wang Tianyou stared: “How can a Huangguai possess a human?”

“Who cares what kind of guai it is? Cut it into ten or twenty pieces—it still dies.” Ding Junhui grinned savagely.

His expression was so sinister it made Wang Tianyou instinctively step back.

…

Li Lin slept poorly that night, unwilling to sleep too deeply, for this was not his own “territory.”

The next morning, he emerged from the upper story and bought two steamed buns and a bowl of soy milk on the street to eat.

Then he saw many people hurrying toward the other end of the street, whispering among themselves.

Curious, Li Lin grabbed a passerby, slipped a copper coin into his hand, and asked: “Brother, why are you all heading that way? What happened?”

“Word is something terrible happened at the Qin household,” the man whispered, pocketing the coin. “Everyone’s dead. Blood and flesh everywhere. Horrifying.”

Li Lin froze. The Qin household… had Wang Tianyou and Ding Junhui slaughtered everyone inside?

But with their strength, even if they went on a rampage, they wouldn’t leave such a bloody mess.

Li Lin finished the buns and soy milk in a few bites, picked up his red-tasseled spear and satchel, and followed the crowd.

As soon as he reached the Qin household’s gate, he smelled the stench of blood.

A few pallid government office runners stood on either side of the gate, and three hunting spirits, each wearing a white jade token, guarded the entrance.

Many passersby came to the opposite side of the gate to peer inside, then turned pale and fled.

A few even vomited.

Li Lin used the Willow Fluff Body Technique to glide onto the rooftop across the street and looked down—his brow furrowed.

The entire ground of the Qin household… was covered in a layer of red-black substance.

Closer inspection revealed it was a uniform coating of blood and flesh.

So horrific!

As Li Lin sighed, he instinctively glanced to his right—on a nearby rooftop, a new figure had appeared.

“Li Xunshou, my young master invites you—please come with me.”

Li Lin recognized the man—he was one of Wang Tianyou’s subordinates.

Li Lin picked up his red-tasseled spear and followed.

They arrived at an inn and climbed to the third floor.

Pushing open the largest room’s door, they saw Wang Tianyou leaning against the bed, his face unnaturally bluish.

Li Lin stepped forward, startled: “Your face looks like this? Poisoned?”

Wang Tianyou nodded weakly: “Careless. Won’t kill me.”

“What happened inside the Qin household?”

“Qin Feng, that old bastard, left a backdoor—he summoned two demonic doll guai and fused them with his youngest son. So cruel—he sacrificed his own son just to trap us, and turned the whole place into a sea of blood and flesh.”

Li Lin glanced around: “What of Brother Ding?”

Wang Tianyou fell silent for a moment, then said: “Dead.”

Li Lin was instantly shocked: “What? How did he die so suddenly?”

“Don’t worry—this has nothing to do with you. If the Ding family seeks vengeance, they’ll come after me.” Wang Tianyou coughed twice, spat blood—his handkerchief was black with green tinges: “Those two doll guai were likely created by the legendary ‘Wangliang Tai Cang Mi Yi’ sorcery. Also, those two secret manuals you have—memorize them, then burn them. I fear Qin’s old bastard left something behind on them.”

Li Lin nodded.

“Brother Li, leave now. With this disaster in the Qin household, if you don’t go, Rongxian County may lock down again.”

“What about you…”

“Don’t worry—I’m still of the Wang family, and I have some old ties with the county magistrate.” Wang Tianyou forced a smile. “Besides, my body isn’t fit for travel right now.”

“Alright, I’ll go. We’ll meet again.”

“Once I’ve recovered, I’ll come to Yulin County to repay your favor.”

Li Lin left Rongxian County. As Wang Tianyou had said, barely had he passed through the city gate when the gates behind him slowly closed.

Like a vast black mouth shutting tight.

(End of Chapter)