Chapter 13 The Vengeful Ghost Seeks Revenge; Every Grievance Has Its Source and Every Debt Its Res
He Family West Courtyard.
"Ah Feng, Chen Quanhai is dead!" A man paced anxiously back and forth in the courtyard.
Gu Feng suddenly stood up and smashed the wine bottle on the table.
"What did you say?"
"Chen Quanhai is dead!" The man's face was pale with a bluish tinge, his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and he gripped Gu Feng's arms tightly. "This morning, his body was pulled out of the lakeside pavilion where we drank ten days ago!"
He loosened his grip, clutched his head, and looked horrified: "I saw it from afar. The body was swollen from being submerged, and the face was blurred; I could hardly recognize it! But he was wearing the green shirt from that day!"
He gripped Gu Feng's arms again, his eyes wide open: "And that red robe! He was wearing another red robe over his clothes!"
Gu Feng's knees buckled, his legs trembled, and he had to brace himself against the table to avoid falling and losing his composure.
"...Red clothes?"
"Yes! It's that red dress! Chen Quanhai was killed by her! She's become a vengeful ghost!"
"Yuan Zheng, don't talk nonsense... There are no demons or monsters in this world!" Gu Feng said sternly, his courage growing with each word, and he straightened his back. "Don't overthink it! Chen Quanhai just drank too much and fell into the lake!"
"..." The man named Yuan Zheng nearly went mad, laughing wildly for a long time before awkwardly wiping away his tears. "Gu Feng! Don't be naive! Didn't you see everything that night?"
He leaned close to his ear and whispered ominously, "You saw it too, didn't you? That wine-selling woman? She's been dead for so long... what else could she be but a ghost?! We all saw it! Me, Wei Lai, Gou Ting, oh, and Chen Quanhai who died in the lake!"
Yuan Zheng's facial features were slightly distorted, making him appear even more terrifying in the dim candlelight of the night.
For no apparent reason, Gu Feng's knees buckled, and he slumped onto the stone bench.
"No, that's impossible..." Gu Feng's throat was dry and hoarse. "Didn't we have the monks perform a ritual to help her pass on to the afterlife? Shouldn't she have already been reborn into the cycle of reincarnation?!"
"..."
"But what about Gou Ting, who hanged himself? Wei Lai, who fell to his death? And Chen Quanhai, who was only pulled from the water today after drowning?" Yuan Zheng was so terrified that he almost couldn't stand, his heart pounding with fear. "They were all people who saw Fang Wuyan that night and were friends with us..."
"..." Gu Feng was speechless for a moment, and slumped his back in dejection.
Yuan Zheng picked up the wine glass on the table, his eyes unfocused, and took a sip. "This wine seems to have been brewed by her too. It's really delicious..."
He poured the wine on the ground and knelt heavily on the stone slab: "Fang Wuyan, we were bewitched. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have listened to Gu Feng because of momentary greed..."
The resolute and ruthless look in his eyes gave him a bit of courage.
"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. If you wish to take a life, then take Gu Feng's life!"
"Yuan Zheng!" Gu Feng was also furious. He immediately stood up and glared at him.
After speaking, Yuan Zheng pulled out a white silk ribbon from somewhere and walked step by step toward Gu Feng.
“Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. I have brought justice for you, and I beg you to show leniency and forgive me…”
"Yuan Zheng, you've gone mad!" Gu Feng shouted as he circled the table, trying to figure out how to escape. "Help! Help! Gu San!"
"Hehehe, stop yelling. I sent Gu San away when I came. There's no one left in this West Courtyard who can help you..." Yuan Zheng straightened the white silk and slowly walked towards him. "Leave peacefully. I will find a good place to bury you. Every year I will burn lots and lots of paper money for you and invite a Taoist priest to chant sutras for you so that you can be reborn into a wealthy family in your next life..."
"Madman! Absolutely a madman!" Gu Feng circled around the beam, veins bulging on his forehead, his chest heaving violently, almost fainting from anger.
"Murder is a crime! Yuan Zheng! Do you still want to pass the imperial examinations?!" Gu Feng was still trying to buy time. "If you kill me, I'll have Tang Peiqian sue you!"
"Hahahaha..." Yuan Zheng laughed maniacally, "Tang Peiqian...so what if I kill you? At most, it's just another life, isn't it? It's not like we haven't killed people before!"
"..." Seeing that this person had truly gone mad, Gu Feng decided not to bother with him any longer. He grabbed a broom from the side and rushed over to fight him.
No one knew that this seemingly frail person could unleash such great strength, knocking him to the ground and sending the broom flying far away.
When the soft, cool white silk touched his warm neck, Gu Feng shivered and goosebumps rose all over his body.
Breathing was blocked in her throat, her blood seemed to freeze in her brain, and the person in front of her had become a vengeful Yama, a demon from the underworld, and Fang Wuyan, who had been beaten half to death by them...
"Gu Feng! Give me back my life!"
"ah!"
The darkness receded, but the burning, suffocating sensation in my throat remained.
"Cousin? Cousin, how are you?"
The person before him was no longer the ugly face of the wine seller, but his own cousin's bright and beautiful face.
Meeting her worried gaze, Gu Feng finally felt a real sense of being alive.
"I...I'm still alive?"
When he spoke, the burning, dry sensation stunned him for a few seconds, followed by the joy of being reborn.
"Yes, you are still alive. It was these immortal masters who saved you."
Gu Feng followed her gaze and saw four people sitting there, their sharp eyes all fixed on him.
It was as if they were examining something through his physical body.
Especially the one dressed in the same red clothes that Fang Wuyan wore when she hanged herself.
His face, which was originally bright and beautiful, now reminded him of the devil who takes away souls.
Gu Feng felt a chill run down his spine.
He avoided the man's sharp gaze, cupped his hands in a humble and polite manner, and said, "Thank you all, immortal masters, for saving my life. I will repay you tenfold!"
"Exorcising demons, upholding justice, and saving people from suffering are what we cultivators should do," Cui Mingcan declared loudly.
Gu Feng smiled and nodded repeatedly: "The Immortal Master is truly righteous!"
"I, Gu, would like to ask the immortal masters about something..."
Cui Mingcan: "Please speak freely."
"Was the person who harmed me last night the legendary female ghost?"
Cui Mingcan was about to answer when Bai Yuheng stopped him, saying with a faint smile, "Yes, but also no."
Gu Feng was taken aback.
"I am foolish and ignorant, and I hope the immortal master can give me some guidance."
"The one who wants to kill you is a demon, not a ghost..."
Gu Feng was secretly relieved when he heard this, but her next sentence gave him goosebumps.
“But Brother Gu, that demon, definitely knows him.”
"..." Gu Feng sullenly forced a smile, "Immortal Master is joking. How could I possibly know such a heinous thing?"
Bai Yuheng smiled but remained silent.
Cen Ying couldn't hold back any longer and questioned, "What were you doing the night Fang Wuyan hanged herself?"
Gu Feng pulled out his prepared speech, which he had rehearsed hundreds of times, and calmly replied, "That night, my friends and I were drinking and making merry at Yichun Tower. If you don't believe me, you can go to Yichun Tower and ask Miss Zijuan."
His gaze was so frank and direct that Cen Ying was so angry she wanted to hit him: "You!"
Bai Yuheng pulled her back and said with a smile, "Thank you for your explanation, Young Master Gu. We've troubled you. Please take good care of yourself and we'll be leaving now."
Gu Feng nodded with a smile: "Hui'er, please see the immortal masters off for me."
He Huilan nodded: "Then you should get some rest, cousin."
"Please follow me, fellow immortals."
Once the room was completely empty, Gu Feng wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and exhaled a deep breath.
"Thank you all, immortal masters, for saving my cousin in time. I am very grateful." After saying this, He Huilan was about to bow to them.
"No need, Miss He."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, my cousin would already be a cold corpse..."
"Catching demons and saving people is what we should do."
He Huilan rubbed back the tears in her eyes and asked again, "Does the immortal master have any way to capture that demon?"
Bai Yuheng shook her head: "The origin of this demon is still unknown. When we arrived, the demon had already left. The person who strangled your cousin with the white silk was just being controlled by the demon."
The group walked to the gate of the He residence.
"Miss He, please leave here."
"Immortal Master, could you please stay? I'm afraid that the demon, having failed to kill my cousin, will return..."
Choi Myung-chan peeked out from the side and chimed in with a grin, "Okay, okay—oh dear!"
Cen Ying tugged at Cui Mingcan's ear and said apologetically, "Miss He, don't worry. If that demon comes again, we will catch it."
He Huilan could only nod.
Why are you pinching my ear?!
Cui Mingcan suddenly turned around, trying to break free from Cen Ying's grasp, but accidentally bumped into the person behind him.
"Why aren't you watching where you're going!"
A childish voice questioned him.
"Dog Egg, you can't do that!"
"grandmother!"
"I'm so sorry, sir..." Cui Mingcan and Cen Ying helped the old man up. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I will definitely take responsibility!"
"It's alright, it's alright..." The hunched-over old lady who was bumped waved her hand, "It's my fault for not standing properly."
"What are we going to do with this embroidery!" The little boy, whose clothes were worn but still clean and tidy, looked at the bright red embroidery lying on the ground with heartache. "It's all your fault for not looking at people properly!"
Cui Mingcan was blamed by a child, but it was indeed his fault for accidentally bumping into him. He apologized profusely and said, "How much is this? I'll pay you back."
The little boy glared at him and shouted, "This is the embroidery for Miss Hui's wedding! My grandma stayed up many nights to embroider it! How can you afford to pay for it!"
"Dog Egg! You mustn't be rude to such an important person!"
"Hey, so what do you suggest we do?" Cui Mingcan asked anxiously.
He Huilan, who was standing nearby, recognized the old woman who had helped her years ago and quickly said, "It's alright, it just fell on the ground, it'll be fine after washing it off..."
"Grandma Yang, it's been a long time." She rarely left her room, and all those embroidered items were delivered to her by others.
“Miss He is becoming more and more beautiful. I wish you a happy marriage and a long and happy life together.” Grandma Yang’s cloudy eyes were filled with tears. “Thank you for accepting my embroidery all these years, which has given us a way to make a living.”
He Huilan smiled faintly: "I haven't thanked you for your help back then, otherwise there would be no He Huilan today."
"It was just a small favor..."
The two reminisced about the past and thanked each other.
Seeing that the old woman's legs were weak and trembling, Cen Ying slapped Cui Mingcan and said to her, "Grandma, let me take a look at your legs."
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