Chapter 20
The next morning, a man who looked like a cultivator, carrying a whisk in his hand and a wooden sword on his back, entered the courtyard surrounded by the Zhang family members.
The eldest son pointed to the middle of the yard, very excited, "She, she was standing here last night, trying to cause trouble for my parents. I took out a big machete and rushed out, and she disappeared in no time."
"What does that female ghost look like?" the cultivator asked, stroking his chin and the tuft of beard.
The family looked at each other, then lowered their heads. Finally, the old man stepped forward, his eyes filled with warning as he looked at his family. He then said to the monk, "Wear a mask and a red robe."
"Red clothes? Masked?"
The old man was no longer the frightened man he was last night; instead, he said with unusual firmness, "Yes, I can't see his face."
This cultivator was naturally Xiao Mu in disguise. After appearing at the Zhang family's residence again last night disguised as Ye Lingxi, the Zhang family could no longer pretend to be calm. They went out early this morning to find a cultivator. They happened to encounter a wandering cultivator at the city gate.
The monk noticed that the Zhang family had taken the initiative to inquire if he had encountered any misfortune recently. The Zhang family then invited him to their home.
Throughout the journey, the Zhang family kept silent about what they had done, constantly talking about how innocent they were, how weak they were, and how difficult it was to earn money.
Even after they got home, no matter how much Xiao Mu asked, they refused to say anything about Ye Lingxi.
After Xiao Mu secretly slipped back to the coffin shop, he found that things weren't peaceful there either. Huang Zhang flew into a rage and yelled at the nearly deserted street, "Does he think he's so great just because he's rich? Trying to steal a bride, ptooey!"
Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to his cursing. Early this morning, someone from the Gou family came and said that their daughter-in-law had been abducted, and they suspected that it was done by the coffin shop's employees. They wanted all the employees in Huang Zhang's shop to be investigated.
This investigation will take ten days to half a month. If everyone is taken away, how will he continue doing business? Besides, the shop's employees all live together. Where can they hide someone who's being kidnapped?
"Does he really think he's some kind of local tyrant? Jianye Town still has government offices. If someone goes missing, go to the government office. Why are you looking for someone here!"
The two lowered their heads, recalling how they had altered their aura with talismans at the Gou family's residence the previous night. Those talismans had been burned on the way back. They had also covered their faces and changed their voices, so even if there were experts in the Gou family, they shouldn't be able to recognize them.
"You three, what do you say?" Huang Zhang gestured to the three of them.
Xiao Mu looked up and saw Huang Zhang's unfriendly gaze. Huang Zhang pointed at himself and the two people beside him and asked, "The three of us?"
Huang Zhang nodded.
"I don't know. We didn't even go into his yard. Besides, wasn't his family holding a funeral? What does that have to do with his daughter-in-law?" He leaned closer to Huang Zhang and asked in a low voice, "Did she run away with someone?"
"What rubbish!" He waved his hand dismissively, telling Xiao Mu to stay away from him.
Xiao Mu thought to himself, "Of course I wouldn't dare report this to the authorities. This is murder; who would dare report it?"
Where were you all last night?
"Go to sleep," the second brother said impatiently.
"Who can prove it?"
“…My wife can vouch for me.” The second brother was speechless and even yawned.
"The Gou family is really going too far!"
Seeing this scene, Xiao Mu felt he couldn't stay silent, so he whispered to his second brother, "Second brother, how did this bride get kidnapped? Didn't someone in his family die?"
The second brother was about to say something when he saw Huang Zhang's murderous gaze and instantly swallowed his words. Xiao Mu followed his second brother's gaze and saw Huang Zhang's expression signaling him to shut up, so he retreated back into the group.
Although he harbored resentment towards the Gou family, he couldn't reveal the matter of murder and a ghost marriage to the three outsiders, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble. He even started to wonder if he could stop having the three of them transport coffins in the future. The three of them were quick and efficient, and it was truly hard to let them leave.
The three of them had no time to think about what Huang Zhang was planning. They didn't know if anything had been done to Miss Ma, and if something could find her directly, wouldn't Su Qiwen, who was with her, be in danger?
Why is the Gou family so complicated? And how come no one noticed such a strong demonic wind in this small town of Jianye before?
The two felt uneasy thinking about the woman still at Su Qiwen's house. After taking her away last night, they couldn't think of anywhere else to hide her. While they were still hesitating, they saw Xiao Mu returning home, and it was only after he suggested that they bring her to Su Qiwen's shop.
If the Gou family really did something to Miss Ma, Su Qiwen would be in danger now. At Zhou Xuanzhi's signal, Xiao Mu secretly slipped away again when no one was looking.
Su Qiwen came out of his house and returned the Ye couple to their place. Business was slow at the shop, so he picked up a book and started reading. Sensing someone enter, he looked up and saw Xiao Mu.
"Master Xiao?" Last night, he brought people to my house, saying that he had rescued a girl. It was inconvenient for them to hide a girl in their residence, so they wanted to hide her with Su Qiwen.
Looking at the woman in her wedding dress with a terrified expression, Su Qiwen knew some of the customs of Jianye Town. He was also afraid. What would he do if someone came looking for him? After struggling for a moment, Su Qiwen nodded.
There was no one behind Xiao Mu, but he was still a little scared. For some reason, ever since he came to Jianye Town, he always felt that things were not as simple as he had thought: "Where is Miss Ma?"
As Su Qiwen led Xiao Mu into the room, he said, "That girl must have been quite frightened; she's still inside."
Inside, Miss Ma had changed into the clothes Ye Lingxi had worn before. She was huddled in the corner of the bed, tears still streaming down her face. When she saw someone come in, she trembled and buried her head in her knees.
Xiao Mu used his magic to search Miss Ma's body but found nothing. Still feeling uneasy, he cast another spell on her.
Although he couldn't understand what Xiao Mu was doing, the tension made Su Qiwen somewhat worried.
“We were worried someone might sabotage us, so we just cast a spell on her to make her undetectable. I’ll also cast a spell in your shop later to ensure your safety,” Xiao Mu said.
Su Qiwen looked at Xiao Mu as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he kept his mouth shut.
"What do you want to say?" Su Qiwen was also a victim. He shouldn't have troubled him to get involved in this conflict, but there were no strongholds of the immortal sects around Jianye Town. They had also contacted the nearest stronghold, but it would take some time for them to send someone over.
Su Qiwen bit his lip, made up his mind and said, "The custom of ghost marriage in Jianye Town has existed for hundreds of years. They will not change their minds. Even the government cannot do anything about it. You are cultivators who have come here, so you must have something you want to investigate."
"But once you leave, they might become even more aggressive. What will happen to those girls? They are living, breathing human beings too! And what about your uncle and aunt? They've lived here their whole lives. How will they face the villagers after you leave?"
Su Qiwen had once considered changing this place, but after witnessing the government's repeated failures, he changed his mind and decided to leave with the Ye family. This was what Su Qiwen was worried about.
Xiao Mu could understand that these people would still have to face the villagers afterward, while the cultivators were always outsiders, not trusted by them, and even disliked.
"What if I dug up all the graves? We could free all the women from those sinful coffins, settle them in other places, find people to perform rituals for them, and let them reincarnate as soon as possible." Xiao Mu felt very sad when he thought about everything those girls had gone through.
"I said, what would happen to Jianye Town if we did that?"
Su Qiwen stared blankly at Xiao Mu. This was too idealistic. Customs that had been around for hundreds of years could not be changed overnight.
"A life for a life! We will cooperate with the government to ensure that those who deserve their punishment are punished accordingly!" A cultivator's sword can only be used against demons and monsters; these mortals will be dealt with by the law.
Su Qi felt a surge of emotion listening to Xiao Mu's words. He knew those ideals were impossible to achieve, but he couldn't help imagining such a future. Most people in Jianye Town didn't think ghost marriages were a good thing, and they were willing to see those bad people punished.
"If what you say is true, most of the people of Jianye Town will stand behind you." Thinking of Ye Lingxi, who is no longer here, Su Qiwen said, "I will stand behind you too!"
Hearing Su Qiwen say this, Xiao Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said firmly, "Wait for our good news."
Inside the coffin shop, the people sent by the Gou family had already arrived in the backyard. Left with no other option, Huang Zhang had to call everyone over.
As Zhou Xuanzhi walked into the courtyard, he sensed an aura emanating from the newcomer that was different from the others. Neither human nor demon, nor a cultivator, he suppressed his questions upon seeing this young, effeminate man, and like everyone else, lowered his head.
"Who were the people who delivered the coffin yesterday?" The man's voice was also strange, giving one goosebumps.
Zhou Xuanzhi and Xiao Mu stepped forward. The man was displeased to see that there were only two people. "Didn't you say there were three people?"
Huang Zhang only then noticed that Xiao Mu was not there. He frowned and asked, "Where is Xiao Ji?"
Zhou Xuanzhi looked up at Huang Zhang, then lowered his head and said, "Brother Xiao has an upset stomach and is in the outhouse."
Huang Zhang waved his hand and ordered someone to drag Xiao Ji out of the outhouse. Actually, he didn't want to do this either, but the Gou family members were still standing there, and now he just wanted this person to leave as soon as possible.
“It’s alright, we can still ask questions even if not everyone is here. What did you do yesterday?” The man stopped the person who went to call Xiao Mu and came to Zhou Xuanzhi’s side to ask.
Zhou Xuanzhi could clearly sense that this person was testing whether he had any spiritual power. He replied, "Yesterday, the boss asked the three of us to deliver a coffin to your... Gou family outside the city. After we came back, we swept the floor, then helped my second brother paint the coffin, and then went to the kitchen to help."
When did you go to the kitchen?
"In the evening, I'll help prepare dinner." Fortunately, I had sealed my spiritual power beforehand, so no one who comes now can discover my true identity. However, the waters of Jianye Town are truly deep. So much trouble has arisen in such a small town; it seems the person behind it must be someone extraordinary.
"What's the name of the person next to you?" The man patted Zhou Xuanzhi on the shoulder, but looked at Shi Yunzhou beside him.
"Master Zhou Yun".
It was another test. He tightened his grip on Zhou Xuanzhi's shoulder, and Zhou Xuanzhi offered no resistance. Those around him watched as his shoulder was pressed lower and lower, and saw the sweat beading on his forehead. But no one dared to speak up, not even their close friend, Bao Kou, their second brother.
Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi being bullied like this, the second brother wanted to step forward and say a few words, but Huang Zhang stopped him. Huang Zhang shook his head, telling him not to act impulsively.
The man released his grip and then wiped his hand on Zhou Xuanzhi's chest, as if he had just touched something dirty.
Shi Yunzhou almost jumped out and killed the man, but seeing everyone in the coffin shop covered in sweat and looking resentful, he held back. They still needed to investigate their master's affairs, but they hadn't made any progress yet. The people in the coffin shop had treated him well, and he couldn't implicate them.
Zhou Xuanzhi had never experienced anything like this before. The most difficult period of his life was his childhood, but at least on the surface he was the eldest son of a noble family. Even though he was targeted by his stepmother, he did not suffer this kind of personal humiliation.
The man acted as if nothing had happened, looking at Zhou Xuanzhi and asking, "And what's your name?"
"Master Xuan".
"Shi Xuan, a good name." The man murmured the name Shi Xuan, then stood behind Zhou Xuanzhi, leaned his head on his shoulder, and asked in his ear, "What was the name of the person who had diarrhea just now?"
"Xiao Ji".
"His surname is Xiao." The man approached Shi Yunzhou again, repeating his old trick, "Where were you last night?"
"Go to sleep." Shi Yunzhou suppressed his bad tone.
"Is it possible to prove it?"
He pointed to the crowd standing behind him and said, "Everyone can."
"So you didn't leave last night?"
Shi Yunzhou nodded as if he remembered something, "Yes, I have gotten up at night."
Upon hearing Shi Yunzhou's answer, the man smiled and then asked, "Have you ever heard of the name Zhou Xuanzhi?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard the name; they had never heard of it before. Shi Yunzhou only showed a fleeting unease in his eyes, unaware whether the other person had noticed. "It seems not," he replied.
The man then turned to Zhou Xuanzhi and asked, "Have you ever heard of the name Shi Yunzhou?"
Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head, "No."
"These two are descendants of an old friend. I heard they've come to Jianye Town." The man looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and said slowly, "If I had the chance, I'd really like to talk to them about our old friend."
Zhou Xuanzhi looked up at the man and slowly said, "I don't know this person, so I'm afraid I can't answer your question."
"That would be for the best, otherwise he'll be in big trouble!"
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