Chapter 299

Dou Jinsuo's parents……came back at night?

But they were already killed by the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook!

Back then, Dou Zhile searched for a long time but couldn't find the corpses; the corpses harmed by the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook……what would they have to be smashed into?

After all these years, the best case scenario would be just turning into two sets of Skeletal Remains, right?

While speaking, Dou Jinsuo's eye sockets turned red, and reddening further, they turned away and covered their mouth, retching.

Dou Zhile kicked their butt and scolded: "What kind of appearance is that! Go to the back, tidy yourself up, then come back."

After Dou Jinsuo left, Dou Zhile then said: "I had always hoped to find their corpses; over these years I don't know how many times I dreamed they came back themselves, but now they really have come back on their own, and I… I find it somewhat hard to accept."

I asked: "Are the corpses still intact? Not rotted?"

"Not rotted, but not intact." Dou Zhile pointed to the temple with their big pipe and said, "Their heads are still fairly intact, just pierced through the temple by something, leaving two black holes."

The flesh all over their bodies had been almost minced by the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook, torn skin and rotting flesh hanging on them, their whole body showing a bluish-black tint.

Over these years they should have been sunk or sealed somewhere at the bottom of the Pearl Plate River, already turned into corpses; I don't know why they suddenly ran out on their own, alas, what a sin!

I sat on the bench, both hands propped on my knees, pondered for a long time, and said: "Those who suddenly came back are probably not just those two."

Dou Zhile startled, their face changed in an instant.

They are a smart person, having experienced so many things, and their family still venerates the Gray Immortal; some things become clear at a glance.

I continued: "Back then I promised you two drops of Lamp Oil; you intended to use it for them, right? If needed, we may have to act quickly."

This is my main purpose for coming to the Dou family coffin shop tonight.

The seal of the Copper Coin Person is beginning to fade; the pawn shop may soon undergo a change, after which many things will become beyond our control.

Dou Zhile's face grew solemn, and they asked: "Did Seventh Lord not come back with you? What do they mean?"

"They haven't come back yet." I said, "The recent changes in Wufu Town, you should know better than I, Elder Dou, do you have anything you want to tell me?"

Dou Zhile remained silent for a moment, then said: "As you just said, those who may come back are far more than just Jinsuo's parents; the Bai Family and the mayor's household likely also have some, and the mayor's mobilization of the grand hall may be related to this."

They thought the same as I did.

It's getting late; I stood up, preparing to go back: "I'll keep an eye on them, Elder Dou; whenever you need Lamp Oil, come find me anytime."

Dou Zhile repeatedly agreed.

They saw me to the door, suddenly thought of something, and called out: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui!"

I looked back at them.

They looked grave and said: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui……Jinsuo's parents can come back; I think, from the pawn shop……those who were carried out, might also come back……"

Those who were carried out from the pawn shop……

My heart gave a sudden jolt; Dou Zhile meant……the eight female clerks from before.

"Thanks for the reminder!"

Dou Zhile didn't say it, and I hadn't thought of it yet.

After all, I had seen those eight female clerks before; on the Pearl Plate River, they rode on red coffins, and later, together with Chen Ping, they were subdued by Liu Junyan.

But there's no guarantee they won't appear again, after all Wufu Town is quietly undergoing changes; anything is possible.

If they come back……should I hide?

No, I not only cannot hide, but must instead face them directly.

Without Liu Junyan's protection, I would be the ninth sacrificial victim!

They will surely come looking for me.

I hurried back to the pawn shop; Li Qingying also returned, and she was sitting on the sofa in the rear room looking at her phone.

Seeing me return, she hurriedly said: "Elder Wu Hui gave me a reply; he said after sending Seventh Lord to the Great Dharma King Temple, Seventh Lord went to find the Empty Silence Abbott, and the two have been behind closed doors talking until now without coming out; the Empty Silence Abbott's meditation room does not allow anyone to approach."

It seems Hui Moqiong also couldn't find out anything.

I had Li Qingying go to sleep first, and I went to guard the Nan Shu Fang for a while.

Li Qingying said she couldn't sleep, and kept me company.

The two of us were just as before; she folded gold ingots, while I sat behind the counter making paper figurines.

I have a feeling these things will sell very well recently.

At first, the outside was calm and peaceful.

I waited past midnight twelve, when suddenly a pat-pat sound of stepping in water came from the direction of Xijiekou.

The sound wasn't loud, intermittent, yet in this quiet night it was hard to ignore, making one's scalp tingle.

I and Li Qingying simultaneously stopped what we were doing, intently watching the entrance of Nan Shu Fang.

Not long after, a male and a female figure appeared on the street outside Nan Shu Fang.

Their clothing was tattered……no, what hung on their bodies wasn't clothing, but……flesh!

Those two people, aside from their heads, had no intact spot on their bodies.

Scraps of flesh, long and short, hung limp on their bodies, showing an abnormal bluish-black hue.

They were soaking wet, barefoot, with bones exposed in some places on their feet.

With each step they took, four wet footprints were left on the ground.

They slowly passed by the street in front of the pawn shop, continuing onward.

Li Qingying sprang up with a rustle, about to go out to see what was happening, but I grabbed them and said: "Don't go, it's Dou Jinsuo's parents; I went to the Dou family coffin shop last night, and Elder Dou said it's not the first night."

Li Qingying couldn't believe it: "Really seeing ghosts, Xiao Jiu, should we intervene?"

"For now we can't handle it." I said, "Let's wait a bit longer."

I said that, then lowered my head and continued making paper figurines.

Li Qingying lost the mood, just standing at the entrance of Nan Shu Fang, gazing outward.

After two in the morning, the Dou family parents passed by the pawn shop's door again, heading all the way toward the Pearl Plate River.

At three in the morning, Dang Pu closed; I returned to my room and almost fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Li Qingying was worried about me, so she slept together with me in my room.

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, while having breakfast, Li Qingying said, "Xiao Jiu, my people reported this morning; do you know where else the Dou family parents went after standing for a while at the entrance of the Dou family coffin shop last night?"

I startled: "They went somewhere else?"

Li Qingying's face looked grim: "Not only them, but others too."

I stared fixedly at Li Qingying, waiting for her to continue.

"Specifically who they were, my people couldn't tell; they said they were all bloody and skinned, about five or six of them." Li Qingying spoke with a tense voice, "They gathered from all directions in Wufu Town, finally appearing toward the town hall, standing there dazedly for a long time."

I felt my heartbeat quickening.

Li Qingying continued, "Besides, as you guessed, the magistrate's household indeed made a move; last night they transported a red coffin to the town hall, the coffin covered with talisman paper, which should be the one suppressing Mei Lin Shuang……"