Chapter 122: Midnight Fire

The boss lady wasn't certain that the strange-looking man's back definitely carried an axe, because it was wrapped in cloth, the shape resembled one, and she couldn't see its true appearance.

"Hey, Xiao Jiu, have you noticed that the Bai family kid's face seems to have changed?" the boss lady gossiped, "Before he was gentle and polite, a smile made people feel like a spring breeze; now he seems to have a hint of… how to put it, sinister? Or maybe evil?"

I glanced at the boss lady and didn't respond.

The tea house has always been a place where dragons and snakes mix.

To run a tea house this well for ten years straight in Wufu Town, a place of right and wrong, the boss lady must be no ordinary person.

Before, I never thought to investigate the boss lady's identity and background; after all, we don't interact much, and she's always been friendly toward me, but now it seems wise to look into it first.

After seeing Jin Wuya off, I returned to the pawnshop, picked up the gift I had previously bought in the county town, and went to the Dou Family coffin shop.

The Dou Family coffin shop was set to reopen in two days, yet today someone was already guarding the front door.

Dou Jinsuo opened the door and welcomed me in; Dou Zhile was in the main courtyard picking out a coffin, a large pipe slanted at the corner of his mouth, the embers in the pipe bowl flashing on and off.

"Uncle Second, Xiao Jiu the shopkeeper has arrived." Dou Jinsuo called out.

Dou Zhile straightened his waist, took down the pipe bowl, tapped it, and casually extinguished the smoke.

The three of us entered the main hall together; Dou Jinsuo took the gift and then served us tea.

I sincerely said, "If it weren't for your old pipe oil that day, Miss Qingying would have gotten into serious trouble."

"It's just a small effort." Dou Zhile said, "I've dealt with the Bai family for decades; I understand some things, and I'll definitely help if I can."

Afterwards, we chatted a bit more about the sunken wood coffin, and soon the conversation turned to Bai Jingmo.

I casually mentioned what happened when I met Bai Jingmo at the tea house today.

When I mentioned that strange-looking six-fingered man, Dou Zhile's expression changed instantly: "Girl, are you sure the tea house boss lady didn't get it wrong?"

I blinked: "It shouldn't be wrong. What's up?"

Dou Zhile lowered his head, lost in thought, and remained silent for a long time.

I saw his hand holding the large pipe trembling slightly, showing that his inner feelings were turbulent and uneasy.

I asked again: "Old Dou, do you know that person?"

Dou Zhile shook his head: "I'm not certain it's him, but if it really is him returning, girl, that's bad news!"

His tone was grave, but when I pressed further, he clammed up and refused to talk.

He only said he still needed to verify this matter, and if it really was the person he suspected returning, he would inform me right away.

After returning from the Dou Family coffin shop, I began to feel a faint unease in my heart.

Who could that person be?

Why did he appear in Wufu Town at this particular time?

Was he invited by the Bai family?

And why would the Bai family invite him?

I sat alone behind the counter, reviewing everything that had happened recently, and slowly a great possibility quietly formed in my mind.

The Bai family currently needs to make a human‑skin red coffin, but after receiving Dou Zhile's first order back, they abandoned the human‑skin red coffin and instead ordered a sunken wood coffin from the Dou family.

Is the sunken wood coffin more important than the human‑skin red coffin?

Or perhaps the sunken wood coffin is rare, but the human‑skin red coffin… they've already found someone to help make it?

Just thinking about the second possibility makes my scalp tingle and my whole body feel awful.

The more I think about it, the larger the possibility seems.

If it weren't someone Dou Zhile knew well, or even a fellow sect member, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to my description.

So that six‑fingered fellow is very likely also a coffin maker!

And his level wouldn't be low either.

That's an existence that makes even Dou Zhile feel threatened.

I pressed my temples hard; the affairs in Wufu Town are tangled and complex, truly too thorny.

One wave hasn't settled before another rises, giving me no chance to catch my breath.

What should I do?

How exactly can I stop everything that might happen next?

Even now, a terrifying thought occurs to me: shouldn't we not be struggling so hard to prevent all of this from happening?

But we don't know what unimaginable consequences would follow if we let these things proceed smoothly.

After thinking it over, to be safe I went to the main courtyard to find Li Qingying.

Li Qingying was maintaining her whip; seeing my pale face, she asked, "Xiao Jiu, where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No," I said, "Miss Qingying, I have a question: Xiaoye… he should have some troops under his command, right?"

Even shrimp soldiers and crab generals count as troops.

Li Qingying nodded: "Of course there are. What's up?"

I said, "The Bai family very likely already found someone to help them make a human‑skin red coffin; no, it's very likely that coffin is already finished. Next, something might happen on the Pearl Plate River side—could you please ask Xiaoye to send some people over, just in case?"

I don't want to repeat what happened last time, when realizing to seek Xiaoye's help after the fact was already too late.

Besides, we can't keep asking Xiaoye to stand guard around the Pearl Plate River all day; so we can only request his troops.

Li Qingying thought for a moment and said, "I can go talk to Xiaoye, but there's no guarantee it'll work."

I immediately said it's fine; just do your best.

Li Qingying put away her whip, got in the car, and left.

I spent the afternoon like this, anxious, until bedtime, when no news came from the Dou family side.

The night was too quiet.

It was so quiet I didn't dare sleep, nor even turn off the light.

As soon as I closed my eyes, my mind filled with the scene of iron chains linking the eight red coffins in the Pearl Plate River, hauling up a heavy black coffin from the water.

That black coffin was like a man-eating beast; opening its mouth could tear my bones and swallow them.

Just as I felt uneasy, a commotion suddenly sounded outside.

I pricked up my ears to listen; it sounded like someone's house was on fire, and villagers were being summoned to fight the fire.

I hastily threw on my coat and went out, grabbing a villager and asking, "Whose house is on fire?"

"Bái Jiā Yīguǎn," the person said urgently, "It suddenly caught fire in the dead of night; the clinic is full of medicinal herbs. The Bai family… ever since Old Lady Bai passed away, things haven't been peaceful. Ah, that Bái Jīngmò boy is still too young; he can't hold things together…"

I loosened my grip and let the person go.

Bái Jīngmò is young? He can't hold things together?

Heh, really laughable.

But this fire indeed came suspiciously; logically, the Bai family wouldn't stir up such trouble at this juncture, so how did the fire start?

That person called out to me, "Hey, Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, we're all neighbors—won't you come help put out the fire?"

Me?

Go help the Bai family fight the fire?

I wish the Bai family clinic would burn down completely in a single night.

But I laughed and said, "I'll go change into something more practical, grab a bucket, and then head over."

That person nodded and ran toward the Bai family clinic.

I stood with my arms crossed at the entrance of the Dang Pu, gazing toward the Bai family clinic.

Just as I was watching the flames rise over there, a sudden flash caught the corner of my eye; I instinctively leaned back, and a silver needle whizzed past my nose, embedding deep into the door frame……