Chapter 89 However, at this moment, amidst the horde of ghosts…
However, at this moment, a voice suddenly came from the corridor behind the group of ghosts, calling out "Wait!" and stopping all the ghosts. The voice sounded weak and hoarse, like that of a person who had been ill for a long time, and was somewhat powerless. However, no one could be seen for a while, so they thought they were hallucinating. But after a while, a cloud of black mist gathered in the corridor and gradually formed a ghostly figure.
He appeared to be a sickly middle-aged man, dressed in a dark blue satin burial robe specially worn by wealthy families for their funerals. His eyes were deeply swollen and bluish, and his face was gaunt and sickly. He did not look like a living person at all, but rather someone who had died of illness.
He walked slowly into the house.
The ghosts stared at him with suspicion, not noticing that He Wenqing, now awake, looked at the middle-aged man with astonishment and disbelief.
Wei Yin and He Wenqing had the same expression, “Father…He…”
The person in front of him was none other than He's father, who had passed away and been buried that day. Lu Hun stared at He's father for a while. He had a good memory, and even though he had only met He's father once when he was young, he still recognized him very quickly.
"Who are you?" a ghost behind the young woman asked angrily, "What do you want?!"
Father He did not respond, but lingered his gaze on Wei Yin and He Wenqing for a moment before turning to the young woman and the ghosts and slowly saying, "My surname is He, and I am the father of the eldest grandson of the He family behind you."
He Wenqing was so shocked by her father's voice, just like when he was alive, that she forgot all her fear.
The young woman and the ghosts were all furious. The young woman sneered, revealing a ferocious expression, "So you're also from the He family! And that old man's son! Your He family are all beasts! Worse than pigs and dogs!"
Upon hearing this, Father He remained calm, showing no anger or shame. He simply gazed at the ghosts with his cloudy white eyes.
But the young woman's words enraged the ever-arrogant He Wenqing. He stood up angrily, unafraid of the ghosts, and sneered at them, "You bunch of wandering ghosts, how dare you cause trouble for my He family and insult my grandfather? My dignified He family, and the dignified officials of the court, how could we be afraid of you ghosts? If you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for making you all turn to ashes!"
The ghosts were thoroughly enraged.
However, He's father shouted at He Wenqing, "He Wenqing, shut up! Don't talk nonsense!"
“Father?” He Wenqing looked at him coldly. “I don’t know why Father is here. Perhaps Father is no longer human. But Father, you never taught me once since I was a child. Now that you’re in the ground, you want to teach your son? But your son no longer needs your teaching. Grandfather will teach him.”
"Enough." Father He suddenly said with a look of disgust, "Shut up, and don't mention your grandfather again."
“Father!” He Wenqing usually respected Old Master He the most and could not tolerate any disrespect from others. “You were dissolute when you were alive, which made Grandfather worry. Now you don’t even know Grandfather’s good intentions and you are so disrespectful to Grandfather.”
He's father, who had initially looked disgusted, suddenly stopped and looked at He Wenqing with pity in his eyes.
Over there, the young woman who had overheard Wei Yin and Old Master He's conversation burst into sarcastic laughter, staring at He Wenqing with amusement. "You really are your grandfather's good grandson. But I really don't know whether you should call him grandfather or father?"
He Wenqing turned his face away coldly, "You little devil, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
"Sister, look how anxious he is," a ghost behind the young woman sneered.
"He didn't know anything at all."
"That old beast, he doesn't even spare his own daughter-in-law."
"Sister, what do you think? Should we tell him?"
"Tell him, sister, so he can die knowing the truth."
For a moment, the room was filled with the mocking and sarcastic laughter of the ghosts, their chatter creating a lively atmosphere like a marketplace.
Wei Yin watched this scene in silence, then glanced at Lu Hun. Lu Hun shook his head slightly at her.
Although He Wenqing didn't quite understand what these ghosts were saying, he gradually sensed something was wrong. His handsome face turned crimson with rage, and he grabbed a wooden stick from the ground and smashed it down on the ghosts.
"How dare you speak so disparagingly of my grandfather, such a dignified and upright man! You even dare to fabricate stories about my grandfather and my mother! Today, I will make sure you die a horrible death!"
The stick was useless to the ghosts; instead, they laughed even louder.
Mr. He watched for a while with remarkable calm, then closed his eyes.
Seeing that He Wenqing didn't believe her, the young woman sneered, "He Wenqing's eldest grandson, your grandfather, that old bastard, has kept all of us locked up in this place and humiliated us for years. Look, he didn't even spare me, a pregnant woman, or that innocent child. What else wouldn't he do? What's wrong with that old beast having an affair with his own daughter-in-law? If you don't believe me, why don't you ask your father, or go ask your grandfather?"
"Nonsense! Nonsense! My grandfather taught me to read since I was a child, and he was kind and loving to me. He would never do such a heinous thing! Never!" He Wenqing was almost driven mad with anger, and he spoke recklessly, "You beasts, stop trying to bewitch people. I will kill you all, kill you all!"
As he spoke, he disregarded everything and charged towards the ghosts.
He's father stepped forward and stopped him, "Wenqing, stop."
"Father!" He Wenqing's eyes turned an eerily red and menacing, his emotions running high. "These things are humiliating my He family! They are humiliating Grandfather, humiliating you, humiliating Mother, humiliating me! These shameless bastards, even in death they can't stay still and come to humiliate my He family. They deserve to have died a terrible death in life!"
He's father couldn't listen anymore. "Shut up, Wenqing! You can't talk about them like that! They were indeed harmed by your grandfather who should have died long ago!"
He Wenqing was stunned for a moment, then quickly squeezed out a few words, "Impossible!"
Father He's gaze swept across the ghostly faces in the room, including Lu Hun. Lu Hun's face was pale, and he turned his head away. The more Father He looked, the lower his head and spine seemed to droop, almost burying himself in the ground, as if he could never lift his head again.
He Wenqing, however, remained furious.
Father He chuckled self-deprecatingly and slowly began, “Don’t disbelieve me, because it’s all true. Our He family has committed far too many sins. Your grandfather was simply inhuman. He taught me to read from a young age, instructing me in the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety. I thought he was such a person too. But it wasn’t until I returned home after passing the imperial examination and told your grandfather that I realized everything he had told me and taught me was false, completely false.”
That year, Mr. He was still young, full of enthusiasm. Although he had been taught by his grandfather to be calm and composed since childhood, he couldn't resist the urge to return home and tell his grandfather after years of hard work finally paying off. Since he returned on his own, no one in the household knew, not even his grandfather, so he wasn't in the household.
One of the servants in the mansion said that perhaps Master He had gone to live in the empty house near the ancestral graves again.
Without giving it much thought, Father He rode off alone. There were few servants in the empty ancestral graveyard; most of them lived down there. Because it was late at night, even the night watchmen were dozing off. Father He wanted to give Old Master He a surprise, so he didn't wake the servants and secretly went in to find Old Master He.
But Mr. He never imagined that he would witness a nightmare he would never be able to face again.
Old Master He lived in the largest room. Looking down from the corridor, one could see clusters of bright lights. There were no servants guarding the door, and Old Master He could see everything happening inside through the wide-open window.
The father he had respected and loved since he could remember was now on top of a pregnant woman. The woman was wearing a loose-fitting white linen dress that almost revealed her snow-white breasts. The woman was crying and struggling, but Old Master He forcibly pulled her back. The woman tried desperately to back away, but she couldn't escape. Old Master He seemed to have completely changed; he was fierce and ruthless. Even though the woman was so heavily pregnant, he didn't let her off the hook and slapped her hard across the face.
Mr. He was filled with pity and surprise, but he thought that it was just a mistress that Old Master He kept outside.
But what happened next shocked him even more.
After the woman was tortured to the point of unconsciousness, Old Master He, looking both powerless and furious, instructed Uncle He inside, "Still not very useful. No good. Didn't we capture a brother and sister a couple of days ago? Let them in. I'll give them a try."
Before He's father could understand what the "try it out" meant, Uncle He pulled up a pair of siblings who were still children. They were dressed in the same white linen clothes as the women.
Uncle He stepped back, and the two siblings sat on the ground in fear, huddling together. Old Master He said with a look of fear, "Don't be afraid, children, I will take care of you."
Then, Mr. He saw that Old Master He actually...
The two siblings screamed in pain and terror, but Grandpa He laughed even more excitedly and with satisfaction. "Yes, scream like that, scream like that! I feel it's good, I feel it's good! Scream for me! Keep screaming, don't stop! You little rascals!"
In that instant, Mr. He finally understood what was happening. This seven-foot-tall man was so frightened that he sat down on the ground. The ferocious and evil old man in front of him seemed not to be the beloved father he remembered, but a devil who had become his father!
Mr. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then, he saw Uncle He leave from the other side, carrying the unconscious young woman. Mr. He followed him as if possessed.
He followed He Bo to a house where many young men and women dressed in white linen clothes were lying or sitting. Some were born with disabilities, some were mentally challenged, and there was also a pregnant woman.
Their eyes were all empty, devoid of any light, and their bodies were covered in wounds inflicted by torture.
Uncle He didn't notice that he was secretly following him. After throwing the person inside, he left. Uncle He walked over and casually pulled one of the people up, asking who they were and what they were doing here.
All those people rushed over, begging Father He to save them and take them away from Old Master He. In order to escape, they were not ashamed and cried as they showed him the injuries that Old Master He had inflicted on them.
In that instant, Mr. He was overwhelmed by immense despair and anger. He rushed out like a madman and ran to Old Master He.
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