Chapter 354

The town mayor actually died?

I was somewhat surprised: "Is the cause of the town mayor's death the same as the others?"

The town mayor's family worships the Yellow Immortal; did any of his ancestors who were made into human-skin figurines have blood relations? Doesn't the Yellow Immortal protect him?

Think about it again—with the Yellow Immortal's character, not only would he not protect him, he'd probably rush up to curry favor.

It's not impossible to actively offer the life of the town mayor's ancestors to curry favor.

"Exactly the same." Hui Moqiong said disdainfully, "But he's old and skinny to begin with; after being drained, his corpse looks even uglier than others."

Li Qingying pinched him: "The dead are to be respected; keep virtue in your speech."

Hui Moqiong said indifferently: "I neither have children nor wish to Fēishēng Chéngxiān; what's the point of hoarding so much virtue? The town mayor committed countless evils, who knows how many he harmed—I'd love to whip his corpse."

"Pah, pah, pah, cut out that defeatist talk." Li Qingying scolded, "You follow Seventh Lord and Xiao Jiu, Merit added to body, you'll surely ascend someday, a bright future awaits you."

Hui Moqiong suddenly fell silent, looking at Li Qingying with eyes full of hurt.

Li Qingying was bewildered by his look: "What's this expression? Did I say something wrong?"

"Yingyingzi, you have no heart!" Hui Moqiong accused, "If you don't ascend, what's the point of me ascending?"

Li Qingying's face flushed instantly.

"Alright, alright, you two troublemakers, cut it out—important business comes first." I couldn't help but speak up: "I'll go check the situation at the back courtyard wall."

The pawnshop's back courtyard originally had a small side door that led directly out, but when it was later renovated, that door was sealed; now you can only exit through the main gate.

When we turned around the back courtyard wall, we were violently shocked by the sight before us!

Indeed, six thin corpses were gathered at the wall's corner, one of them shriveled—who else could it be but the town mayor?

His eyes were wide open; being so thin, his eyeballs bulged out, looking a bit frightening.

But even more shocking, around these six corpses lay the bodies of snakes, rats, insects, and ants, interspersed with some severed limbs……

On those severed limbs, fragments of armor could still be discerned—nothing like modern items.

At that moment, a wave rose on the Zhu Pan River, pushing the water level around us up into a Water Wall, which then swiftly fell back down.

Because Fu Wan was controlling it, the water level on our side remained low.

But precisely because our side's water level was low while the surroundings were high, when another wave of various biological corpses surged from the water, we saw them with extraordinary clarity!

That feeling was like……like all the yin and evil entities from every direction were flowing with the current toward the pawnshop.

Jin Wuya's words—"The terrain of Wufu Town resembles a pixiu; the pawnshop protrudes to the west, standing alone, clearly the pixiu's head; all the filth in the whole river gathers at this bend, to be swallowed entirely by the pawnshop's mouth into the pixiu's belly"—were now made concrete.

The rain grew heavier and heavier.

We were still in shock when another wave hit, bringing an unbearable stench that hit us in the face; Hui Moqiong suddenly shouted: "Damn, what the hell is this?!"

Saying that, he flashed forward and charged up.

I and Li Qingying looked over at the same time, seeing only a fleeting afterimage.

That afterimage seemed still to be shouting, very faintly, being dragged westward by something.

I and Li Qingying also gave chase, but in the water, Li Qingying's movements were much faster than mine.

But before they had gone far, Liu Junyan flew in from ahead, reached out, first lifting Hui Moqiong up, then stepping forward a few steps and grabbing Li Qingying as well.

The instant Liu Junyan pulled them up, that afterimage just then skimmed close beneath the water's surface and flashed past, swiftly crossing in front of me.

This time I saw it more clearly—the afterimage that had just been shouting for help was Huang Jiaobao, the town mayor's son.

He must have been hooked by something, being dragged back and forth in the water.

When being pulled westward, Huang Jiaobao was still shouting.

When pulled back from the west, Huang Jiaobao had already fallen silent.

Wherever it passed, a spray of blood bloomed, and the next moment the blood was diluted by the river water, vanishing without a trace.

Liu Junyan set the two down.

Li Qingying was a bit dazed, and Hui Moqiong howled: "Seventh Lord, why did you pull me? I was just about to grab that thing!"

You almost died.

Liu Junyan said sternly: "You dare chase without even seeing what it is—are you three tired of living?"

This was the first time all three of us were scolded together, each looking at Liu Junyan in utter confusion.

Liu Junyan came over, ruffled my head, then said to the two of them: "The thing dragging Huang Jiaobao around is the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook; it likely surfaced from the bottom of the Zhu Pan River, unknown how much resentful qi and vengeful spirits it has absorbed—Huang Jiaobao is surely doomed. If you two go after it, you'll perfectly become a pair to serve as his stand‑ins."

It turned out to be the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook!

Back then, Dou Zhile died becoming a Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook for the Dang Pu; it was the weapon that killed Dou Jinsuo's parents.

I never expected there to still be one at the bottom of the Zhu Pan River!

As we spoke, that foul stench came again.

Not long after, Huang Jiaobao was again dragged through the water before us, and this time we saw him especially clearly.

One of the hooks on the Heaven-Earth Mandarin Duck Hook pierced straight into Huang Jiaobao's temple; his eyes bulged, his eye sockets filled with bloodshot veins, and his face and neck were covered in red or black claw marks.

His clothes had long been torn to shreds and fallen off; his flesh was ripped into tassels, with black blood congealing in the wounds, making him look especially hideous.

"It turns out the wounds on his body weren't made by the hooks," I gasped, saying, "Those wounds look like scratches, and they carry a strong baleful qi."

Liu Junyan said: "The one Dou Zhile brought into the Dang Pu and this one should be a pair; however, that one was salvaged and processed, so its resentful baleful qi isn't as strong as this one's—their master is likely sealed in the Zhu Pan River bed, waiting until enough people are killed to see the light of day again."

Hui Moqiong asked: "Seventh Lord, what should we do next?"

Liu Junyan grabbed me and left: "First return to the Dang Pu, tell me what information you have, then we'll make preparations."

After returning to the Dang Pu, Liu Junyan understood the full situation and said: "The death toll is so low because Huang Fan and Mei Lin Shuang cooperated well, quickly protecting the townspeople at the fastest speed."

Those who didn't go to the assembly hall—partly because they distrusted Huang Fan, partly because they feared Mei Lin Shuang—anyone left outside could not escape death.

Indeed, that's the case.

Liu Junyan began to deploy: "Mo Qiong, in a while take your people to the assembly hall, fully cooperate with Huang Fan and Mei Lin Shuang, reinforce the defenses of Wufu Town's assembly hall; if nothing unexpected happens, there won't be major trouble during the day, but tonight will surely be a bloodbath."