Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kong Fusheng turned his head and suddenly heard light, slow footsteps approaching at a leisurely pace. He glanced down at Meng Yingying, who calmed her breathing, blew out the only lit oil lamp, and pulled him to a nearby pile of clutter. They slowly descended, their breaths catching in their throats. Suddenly, the sound of bells rang out—a familiar sound. With each step, the bells on the person's body clinked crisply. Kong Fusheng pressed himself against the wall, praying that the person wouldn't light the lamp; if they did, they might discover him.

Meng Yingying, standing on the outside, held her breath and peeked out. Suddenly, a pair of beautiful eyes appeared before her. He had a slight smile on his face, and the mountain spirit coin clattered against the wall. He slowly moved closer to her, and Meng Yingying gasped, touching her lips to a finger. The two were very close, almost touching. Hearing this, Kong Fusheng asked softly, "Senior Meng, what's wrong?"

Shang Mang whispered in her ear, "Let him go." His voice was as cold as a snake's breath, striking her earlobe. Meng Yingying unconsciously twisted her fingers. Seeing that she didn't respond, Kong Fusheng held out a hand. Meng Yingying was startled and said in a slightly raised voice, "You go first." Kong Fusheng paused for a moment in the darkness, then frowned slightly, "What about her?"

"I'll handle it." Meng Yingying's voice trembled slightly as she tried to stay straight. She didn't know if he noticed. He stood up beside her and said, "Then, Senior Meng, I'll wait for you outside. Take care of yourself."

He walked away without asking a question. Meng Yingying frowned slightly. Was he really that stupid? Couldn't he at least ask? He tiptoed upstairs, disappearing into the distance. Only then did the man in front of her lower his finger. Downstairs, there were no lights, and the air felt even colder with someone dead. Meng Yingying swallowed hard and broke the silence.

Why are you here?

Shang Mang asked, somewhat puzzled, "You can come here, but I can't?"

Meng Yingying was already used to his sarcastic tone, so she slowly moved her feet, wanting to move a little further away from him, because it was always cold next to him, so cold that she felt like she was alone. She wasn't used to it, so she moved and a hand pressed down on her shoulder, pressing down hard.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a smile, seemingly just asking gently. Meng Yingying was in a very strange mood. After what had just happened to her venereal disease, she felt a heavy weight on her heart. Upon hearing this, she said, "To help her pass on to the afterlife."

Shang Mang suddenly chuckled, took her hand, and rubbed it: "What are you afraid of?"

"Isn't it just a dead man?"

Meng Yingying's hands were constantly sweating. She saw Hua Liu die, saw Li Zhaodi die, one after another, these clearly vibrant lives died just like that. Li Zhaodi's death was like a dream, like she was having one dream after another. Her whole body tensed up.

“It’s not just a dead person, it’s a life.” She calmed her breathing, withdrew her hand, took out a tinderbox and lit the oil lamp. Shang Mang stood up, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, and said boredly, “Then you really cherish life.”

His words were sarcastic, and Meng Yingying glanced at him, saying calmly, "Only by cherishing life can you live long." She then squatted down beside Hua Liu, a look of sorrow flashing in her eyes, and covered Hua Liu's unwillingly closed eyes with her hand. Shang Mang chuckled coldly. Meng Yingying fiddled with the magical artifacts placed on the ground, kneeling and chanting incantations. Shang Mang's gaze fell on Hua Liu. Ghostly energy was gradually gathering around her, as if she were about to turn into a zombie at any moment. This was no ordinary ghost; it seemed to have been catalyzed by someone. Shang Mang smiled, his gaze fixed on her, thinking that if she were bitten later, her face would be filled with pain. Just thinking about it made him happy.

Thinking this, the smile on his face deepened.

Hua Liu lay on the ground, her wrists blistering as if burned. Meng Yingying hadn't opened her eyes yet. Shang Mang's expression suddenly changed, and Hua Liu's eyes snapped open. Meng Yingying's eyes remained closed, her hair clinging to her temples, her lips slightly pale. Shang Mang spoke, "Meng Yuan."

Meng Yingying didn't move, but Hua Liu suddenly sat up, raising her hands to clutch them. The blisters on her hands sizzled, but no fire burned on her. The bloody, mangled area on Hua Liu's face looked even more disgusting. Her eyes were filled with pain as she suddenly stretched out her five fingers to grab Meng Yingying. Shang Mang saw this, raised his hand, and the ring on his ring finger transformed into a silver whip that wrapped around his body, striking at the hand. Shang Mang's face turned ugly as he lifted her up. At this moment, she opened her eyes, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes bright and clear.

“Don’t you value your life?” she said. Shang Mang gritted his teeth: “You cunning liar.”

Meng Yingying felt inexplicably better. She said, "A white lie." She accepted his insult of calling her a liar with a clear conscience, then drew her soft sword and raised her arm, saying, "No one in the world cherishes my life more than I do." It was funny to see him get flustered, especially when he was angry, his eyes would droop, his face would turn ugly, and he would look somewhat spoiled.

Meng Yingying wielded her soft sword swiftly, engaging Hua Liu in a fierce battle. She was in great pain, and the more she suffered, the faster her resentment seemed to grow. She fought while pondering: what could cause her transformation into a zombie so quickly, and to increase her resentment so much? Ordinary people who die naturally usually don't harbor much resentment. Hua Liu was different; she was forced to death by the madam, but her resentment couldn't have grown so rapidly. Such a transformation could only be achieved through either deliberate manipulation or Hua Liu's own inherent resentment—the latter being an option that could be ruled out.

However, the catalysis of the zombie transformation requires someone to be present, but it is unlikely that Meng Yingying was present throughout her death. So what exactly happened?

Distracted, his gaze lingered on her face. Her somewhat horrifying features, coupled with her pained and distorted expression, made her appear even more bizarre. Forcedly catalyzed ghosts are rare, suggesting that Hua Liu's resentment wasn't particularly strong. However, this catalysis caused her to painfully endure the resentment.

If we don't help her break free, she might be consumed by this resentment and eventually become its vessel.

Meng Yingying dodged the scratches, took out a talisman from her pouch, mustered her strength, and closed her eyes. She aimed for the woman's forehead, but the soft sword flicked away. Meng Yingying opened her eyes; the talisman was crookedly stuck on, but thankfully it had landed on her forehead. She breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed the soft sword. Hua Liu grimaced, but her body was completely immobilized.

This talisman can only hold a burning incense stick in place at most. With that thought in mind, Meng Yingying took out ten talismans from her purse and stuck them on one by one before she felt at ease.

Turning her head, Meng Yingying saw Shang Mang standing there calmly. She cursed inwardly, "He doesn't even know how to help. Even if you're a villainous male supporting character, you can't just not help at all. But considering that you just saved my life, I'll let it go for now." Meng Yingying had just taken a step.

A dozen or so people suddenly emerged from behind and surrounded the two of them.

As the madam descended the stairs, Meng Yingying finally got a clear look at her. Her brows were stern, and her eyes were sharp, like a mean and ordinary old woman. If they met on the street, Meng Yingying might not even offer her a seat.

The madam's gaze briefly fell on Hua Liu before turning to Meng Yingying, her brow furrowing slightly as she asked, "Are you a Taoist priest?" Her voice was different from her usual tone, sounding like that of a kind old woman. Meng Yingying looked at the madam's entourage, which seemed to indicate a murderous intent. However, she wasn't afraid of so many people; she had some Taoist training. She coughed politely and said, "This is truly a last resort. We were just passing through this place when we saw the eerie black mist, which is why we came here."

"As expected, I witnessed the process of the corpse turning into a zombie. If it is not dealt with in time, it may damage the reputation of Cui Xiang Lou." She said, and it was unclear whether she believed it or not. After she finished speaking, she stopped talking and remained calm. She originally did not want to help him, since he was definitely not afraid of these people. But she was afraid that Shang Mang would rise up and kill people, which would be terrible. It was better to avoid trouble.

The madam observed her for a few moments, a hint of amiable smile appearing on her usually harsh face, bordering on obsequious. But the girl herself remained oblivious.

"So you're a Taoist priest. All of you, put down your weapons and don't be disrespectful to him." She raised her hand, and the men who came put down their sticks and knives at their sides. The madam smiled and said, "May I ask, Taoist priest, is this woman under some kind of evil spell? Will it affect the brothel?"

Meng Yingying felt sorry for Hua Liu. This madam wasn't worried about whether she could rest in peace after death, but rather whether it would affect the brothel's business. Her face displayed the full extent of her meanness. Meng Yingying touched the soft sword at her waist, somewhat embarrassed, "To be honest, there might be something wrong with the atmosphere in this brothel. Normal people don't harbor resentment after death, let alone such great resentment. I wonder how this young lady died, and why she harbors such great resentment."

Since she's so heartless, I might as well try to extract some key information from her while I'm at it. Anyway, she probably won't let me out anytime soon.

The madam said casually, "Any girl working in this brothel who doesn't encounter a few customers with venereal diseases is bound to have one. She contracted a venereal disease, and to make matters worse, her face was injured. She couldn't take any more customers, and she couldn't bear it, so she died." She sighed softly and continued...

"How could I, as her mother, not feel sorry for her? Even if she has a sexually transmitted disease, she can still do odd jobs. I won't deprive her of a way to survive." Her distressed appearance made Meng Yingying feel nauseous. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have truly believed that the woman genuinely cared for venereal diseases. In reality, she was cruel and cold-hearted. This madam must have guessed that they had been there from the beginning, which is why she said those words, certain that Meng Yingying wouldn't admit to being there from the start.

Meng Yingying unconsciously cracked her knuckles, and upon hearing this, she comforted her, "I was offended. I wonder if anything strange has happened in the building recently?"

The madam glanced at her: "What would be considered strange?"

"There's no reason or cause for this. If such a thing has happened, please tell me, otherwise someone might die in the building." She lowered her voice and spoke intently. She said this only to put pressure on the madam. Otherwise, she was very tight-lipped and would never reveal anything about what happened in the building.

The madam pondered for a moment, then said, "A strange man came today. He opened his mouth and bit one of the girls in our building, tearing off a piece of her flesh. Then, for some reason, he suddenly burst into flames, his body covered in terrifying blisters." She glanced at the brothel owners nearby, and Meng Yingying noticed that the madam was unwilling to explain what this meant.

"That strange man kept shouting 'Xinghua Village, Xinghua Village' and stuff like that." After she finished speaking, she seemed to find it a bit odd, and her brow furrowed.

At this moment, she didn't have much to think about, so she needed to quickly give the madam a reaction. This madam was exceptionally cunning. Meng Yingying nodded slightly and said, "As expected, Xinghua Village is a strange place. Your building must have been tainted by evil energy."

“There are too many customers coming and going. That young lady may have come into contact with people she shouldn’t have.” After Meng Yingying finished speaking, she observed the madam. Sure enough, her expression changed slightly, but she quickly composed herself.

"Is there a way to break this?" The madam seemed uneasy. She stepped forward and took Meng Yingying's hand. The madam's hand was very rough, and it made Meng Yingying's hand feel uncomfortable.