Chapter 522: Han Duo Again Demands Money, Even After Death

"What can we do? We can't find the bankbook and household registration, the money has nowhere to go, and the child can't even get into school." Shao Long rubbed his hands, anxiously.

"It would be fine if the person could come back; why ask about the bankbook? Since you can't find your aunt, just consider yourself unlucky." Yun Shu patted Shao Long's shoulder and comforted him.

"What do you mean 'consider yourself unlucky'? It's all Mom's fault, hiding everything so tightly; in life she feared I, her son, would take the money, and even after death she wanted to bring it into the coffin. Who knows if she's really my mother? That old hag, does she even treat me as her own son?" Shao Long muttered complaints, actually starting to blame his deceased mother.

His attitude made me roll my eyes; it hadn't been long since his mother passed, yet he flew into a rage over money and started cursing his own mother.

Sometimes, what causes a family to split isn't that the family is wealthy; poverty is also a sword, making people strive to climb up while becoming real, becoming estranged from even close relatives.

Han Duo was packing up to leave, but at that moment Shao Long's wife came out carrying a large bag of clothes. She asked Shao Long, "Honey, what should we do with Mom's things—burn them or put them in a box?"

"Just burn it if you want to burn it, toss it if you want to toss it; don't keep it, it's an eyesore and bad luck." Shao Long waved his hand impatiently.

His wife gave an "oh" and was about to stuff the clothes into a garbage bag; it looked like she was preparing to take them outside to burn.

"Wait… just a moment!" Under the bewildered gaze of the Shao Long family, I stepped forward and snatched the bag of clothes from his wife's hand. Then I rummaged through the bag and pulled out a small cotton jacket.

The style of this cotton jacket is very old-fashioned; it should have been worn by a child of the previous generation. But my feeling tells me that the soul's obsession lies on this small cotton jacket.

Yes, just now, when Shao Long's wife was about to burn the clothes, I suddenly saw the smiling face of the Shao family's elderly mother on the garment. A person who, in life, loved something too much, or often gazed at an object, carrying it close at hand, after death leaves that item with the ghost's obsession.

My spiritual sense tells me that the place of strongest obsession is this small cotton jacket. Thinking this, I involuntarily turned and asked Shao Long, "Is this jacket your son's?" In my view, this should be the jacket Shao Long's son wore as a child.

Unexpectedly, Shao Long shook his head and said, "No, this is something my mother sewed for me when I was young."

Only then did I suddenly realize that this jacket was what Shao Long wore as a child—no wonder the style is so antiquated. I examined the jacket carefully, but Shao Long impatiently urged his wife to burn the clothing.

"Wait…" Two minutes later, I shouted loudly again, and everyone's gaze fell on me.

"What's there to look at? It's just a rag. Give it to me, I'll burn it." Shao Long impatiently snatched it. Because I was gripping it too tightly, the cloth tore with a puff, splitting in half; at that moment everyone in the room froze, even Shao Long's eyes widened involuntarily.

From the jacket's interlayer fell two items—two small booklets, the household register and the bankbook, the very things Shao Long had been desperately searching for, tucked inside the jacket's interlayer.

"Mom…" Shao Long shrugged his shoulders, a big, burly man actually sobbing softly like a child.

"Actually… the old lady hid it just to keep it safe for you. You thought Grandma Shao valued money too much, but the money is actually in the interlayer of your childhood clothing. After all, the mother hid the money so strictly because she wanted to leave it for her own son. I think this jacket must mean a lot to you." I shook my head, comforting Shao Long, though I felt a bit sorrowful inside. Why does a son have such a deep misunderstanding of his mother? I want to enjoy maternal love, but my mother left me long ago.

Those who dwell in blessings never know they are blessed, and do not cherish their blessings.

"All right, now that the things have been found, the money should be mine, right?" Han Duo was packing up to leave, but then suddenly turned back and reached out a hand to the weeping Shao Long.

I almost couldn't help but curse out loud—this bankbook and household register were clearly found by me, yet she has the nerve to turn around and ask for money; just how thick-skinned must one be to make such a demand?

"I don't care; I already said beforehand that any undertaking has a failure rate. I've summoned the soul, performed the rites—according to our prior agreement, you owe me half the cash!" Han Duo said without a trace of guilt.

At first, the Shao Long family naturally refused. After all, retrieving the money had little to do with spirits or gods. But under the mediation of Yun Shu and me, Shao Long still, thinking it better to avoid trouble, gave the money to Han Duo.

After taking the money, Han Duo left without even turning her head, not even saying thank you to me—she was really full of herself.

On this side, after Shao Long got the money, he prepared to invite me and Yun Shu to a meal. However, I politely declined and anxiously walked out the door.

Of course I wouldn't let Han Duo walk away so easily. If it were before, I'd have many doubts and would be curious enough to detain Han Duo and ask her many things. At least, Yang Shouyi had his medal taken away and lost his life, while Han Duo emerged unscathed—this alone is worth suspicion.

However, after QingSongShu and I had that conversation, I no longer felt like continuing to investigate the medal. How to put it? I feel somewhat alien toward Han Duo in my heart; I find her displeasing. First she swindled me out of a sum of money, and now I rescued her from the underworld. Many say I am her lifesaver, yet this little girl can't even utter a thank‑you—this is really too much of a failure to behave like a human.

Therefore, with the kind intention of properly educating her parents' daughter, I appeared at the intersection with a handsome turnabout and blocked Han Duo.

"Hey, little miss, we meet again." I crossed my shoulders, mimicking a soap‑opera star's flippant hair flip. However…

"Hey, young man, move aside, you're blocking my way!" A masked auntie in a cleaning uniform poked my foot with her broom.

I ""—instantly I felt as if a fly had choked my throat, extremely uncomfortable; after politely making way for the auntie, I suddenly heard Han Duo's loud laughter behind me.

"Hahaha… you've killed me, Grandpa. I ask you: if the ancestors of your Yin Mountain Sect knew their sect had produced such a goofy disciple, would they leap from their coffins, vomit blood, rise up, then lie back down?" Han Duo laughed uproariously without restraint.

To hide my embarrassment, I had no choice but to pretend to be furious, running up to Han Duo and staring at her as I extended a hand, saying "Pay back the money."

"What money? Do I owe you anything, Grandpa?" Han Duo crossed her shoulders, not at all anxious.

"Who says there isn't? Last time in Yichang, didn't you swindle me out of five thousand?" I stepped forward, insisting.

Han Duo gave an "oh", extended a hand, and said flatly, "Fine, give me the evidence."

"Evidence… wait!" Instinctively I reached into my pocket to pull out the IOU she had forced me to write. But as soon as my hand entered the pocket, I suddenly realized. Damn, if I take out this IOU, am I giving her money or is she paying me back? The note says I owe her money.

"Hah… none left, huh? Since there's none, then sis, I'm off…" Han Duo burst out laughing, turned and walked away.

How could I bear to let her leave like that, yet I'm unwilling… could I possibly bite her?! For a moment, though I wasn't alienated, I also didn't do anything outrageous to Han Duo.

Just then, as Han Duo had taken only two steps, an accident suddenly occurred—she kicked a stone and fell to the ground.

I was about to gloat over her misfortune and mock her stupidity, but at that moment Han Duo swayed her head twice, her face turning pale as she fainted.

I thought she was trying to scare me again, so I took the chance to extort her, running up and kicking her twice with my foot.

"Hey hey, get up—I'm telling you, that 'bumping' trick isn't popular anymore. Besides, do I look like such a fool in your eyes?" I said that, and quickly realized something was off—Han Duo seemed to have genuinely fainted.

I crouched down, touched her forehead, felt her pulse, and finally admitted the fact: damn, she really had fainted.

Actually, Han Duo's face had already been somewhat pale before; I reckon it's because during the Yichang ancient tomb incident, QingSongShu's heavenly eye divine ability injured her soul. She hadn't recovered yet when she went out to summon a soul for someone else. Clearly, it's because her soul suffered a serious injury, which is why she has only now fainted.

What to do… go home? That's naturally impossible—the distance is too far, we can't carry her back!

Looking at Han Duo collapsed on the ground, I suddenly recalled there was a guesthouse about a hundred meters nearby. After thinking, I felt we should first take her to the guesthouse and then decide…