Chapter 59: The Beauty Trap Doesn't Work on Me

Hearing this, Yang Xiao glared at Su Tingting, his tone rising as he said angrily, "I already said the senior wouldn't care about these worldly possessions; what are you doing?"

Su Tingting reacted quickly, immediately following Yang Xiao's lead as she said in a soft, frail voice, "This... this is all my fault. I was just panicked for a moment. After all, without the old senior's guidance, those of us in the Yin Hang would likely all perish in this business."

Speaking to the point of desperation, Su Tingting's voice couldn't help but take on a sobbing tone, saying that she had an elderly mother and father to support above, and a good-for-nothing younger brother below. If there were truly any other way, who would be willing to scrape a living in the Yin Hang, acting as a Grave-Tending Guest who doesn't know if they'll see tomorrow?

Suddenly overcome with grief, Su Tingting cried out in grievance. This left Yang Xiao stunned; when this Su Tingting got serious, her acting was no worse than his own. He really needed to stay on his guard.

Hearing Su Tingting's tearful complaint, Shopkeeper Liu's angry expression quickly dissolved, and in the end, he actually became somewhat flustered. "Don't, young girl, don't cry. We are all people of the Yin Hang, and I... I also want to help, but this matter is truly difficult to handle. Oh, don't cry, don't cry. This old man once had a daughter; if she were still here, she would probably be about your age."

Hearing this, Su Tingting cried even harder, mumbling incoherently about how her old father had never lived a good life since he was young, and now that he was old, his eyes were failing. She was doing this line of work just to earn more silver to find the best doctor for him and to provide for his end-of-life care.

Yang Xiao: "......"

He hadn't expected this combination of tactics to be surprisingly effective on the stubborn Shopkeeper Liu. After hesitating repeatedly, Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand, and the group sat back down at the stone table, while he let out a long sigh. "Sigh—we are all people of the Yin Hang. This old man and you, young girl, can be considered... considered to have a connection. Your voice is very similar to my daughter's."

"I humbly ask the old senior to point out a way to survive." Yang Xiao cupped his hands in a salute.

"I know a thing or two about the rules among you Grave-Tending Guests. I won't ask about your employer or the details of the incident. I will only ask you: how much time do you have left?"

Yang Xiao looked bitter. "Probably just today and tomorrow."

Shopkeeper Liu nodded slowly. "About what I expected. Then there is no time to wait. You cannot wait until tomorrow. Now... you must set off now and open Chun Jie's grave."

"Open the grave?" Su Tingting felt fear just hearing it.

"Old senior, didn't you say before that there was no corpse in that coffin?" Yang Xiao asked in a lowered voice.

Shopkeeper Liu snorted. "No corpse is true, but it is definitely not an empty coffin. I suspect there must be something Chun Jie used during her lifetime inside. You must search carefully; you will certainly be able to find Chun Jie's Birth Date and Time on some object."

"Women are naturally weak, but mothers are strong. A child overcoming the mother is ominous; that child is her flaw."

Shopkeeper Liu stared at Yang Xiao with his hollow eye sockets. "By the way, when you were entangled by that thing, did you see her carrying a child?"

Yang Xiao and Su Tingting recalled for a moment and answered in unison: "No."

"Then that's it. She must be looking for her child everywhere. This is her obsession. Only by returning the child to her is it possible to let her leave this world in peace."

"But where are we supposed to find that child?" Su Tingting asked.

"That will have to depend on yourselves. If the child is alive, then just give her the object with Chun Jie's Birth Date and Time written on it. However, that possibility is very small; after all, if the child were still alive, that thing would have gone to find it herself."

"If the child is dead, then you need to take that object to the vicinity of the child's burial site. Mother and child are connected at heart; that thing will be able to sense it."

"However, if that is the case, then you must be careful. There must be something strange about the place where the child is buried; otherwise, with that thing's abilities, it shouldn't have failed to find it."

Shopkeeper Liu seemed to have a taboo against the name Chun Jie, using "that thing" to refer to her every time. After saying this, he stood up. "Time is pressing, I won't keep you any longer. Remember, do not believe everything the employer says; disaster does not descend without cause."

"Many thanks for the senior's guidance." Yang Xiao bowed, turned, and prepared to take his leave.

"Stay a moment." Shopkeeper Liu turned and shouted toward the front courtyard. Soon, the previous clerk came running over. Shopkeeper Liu instructed him: "Go, bring me my Coffin-Splitting Axe."

Before long, the clerk returned, holding an axe in his hands. The front of the axe head was wrapped in red cloth, with the long wooden handle exposed.

Taking the axe, Shopkeeper Liu turned and handed it to Su Tingting, saying softly, "Young girl, take this axe. Use it to open the coffin; it can break the baleful energy inside. Remember to have someone return it to me after you are done."

"Thank you, thank you senior!" Su Tingting was moved and respectfully took the axe with both hands. Yang Xiao took one look and knew it was a good item; the handle part of the axe was stained black-brown by filthy blood.

Waving his hand, Shopkeeper Liu signaled for them to leave.

The clerk led Yang Xiao and the other away. Suddenly, Su Tingting stopped in her tracks, then turned and walked back alone. She quickly arrived in front of Shopkeeper Liu and took out the ingot of silver from her bosom, stuffing it into Shopkeeper Liu's withered hand.

Shopkeeper Liu was stunned. "Young girl, what is this..."

"You treat me like a daughter, so this is my filial piety to my godfather." Su Tingting stuffed the silver into Shopkeeper Liu's hand, then pulled his other hand over, overlapping both his hands. "Godfather, take care of your health. If there is another chance, I will come to see you again!"

Having said this, Su Tingting did not linger and left with Yang Xiao. Following the clerk's directions, the two headed toward the desolate mountain not far away; Chun Jie's grave was there.

Of course, since leaving the coffin shop, the axe had fallen into Yang Xiao's hands. He hadn't dared to snatch it inside the shop, fearing Shopkeeper Liu would beat him.

"Hey, are you really a college student?" Yang Xiao felt more and more that this girl was not right. Whether it was real or fake, her acting was a bit too good.

Su Tingting looked at him with some surprise. "Yes, I'm a junior."

"Hmm... what are you studying?"

"I'm at an art school, in the acting department."

Yang Xiao instantly felt it made sense. "Acting department, no wonder your acting is so good. Heh, don't try this routine on me, otherwise, once I find out..."

"I won't. Your acting is even better than our professor's. The rarest thing is that there are no traces of performance; it's completely natural." Su Tingting praised: "And you are also very capable and know so much. By the way, are you... are you really working at a milk tea shop?"

Yang Xiao carried the axe. "What, doesn't it look like it?"

"It doesn't. You look like someone who works in literature. Hmm... I have a teacher who teaches screenwriting; he is also very young, and your temperaments are very similar." Su Tingting's tone was natural.

Yang Xiao: "!!! A woman's damn sixth sense!"

However, he didn't show it on his face. Yang Xiao sneered, "Less talk. Don't think about flattering me into taking the lead; the beauty trap doesn't work on me!"