Jin Ming, carrying the cage containing the lover, followed closely behind. Da Bao was stunned for a moment, and only after realizing that he was the only one left in the room did he suddenly understand and follow him out.
"Hahaha—"
Feng Fei and the others followed the innkeeper back to his room.
As soon as Feng Fei stepped into the room, he saw the innkeeper scoop up a thin silver needle and plunge it fiercely into the third and fourth figures in the black box. At the same time, the innkeeper's face was filled with the cruelty and bloodlust of someone who had succeeded.
Feng Fei and the others were stunned at the door, and as they listened to what the innkeeper was saying, they broke out in a cold sweat.
"Hahaha, don't you guys really like being prickly? I'll do the same to you, how does that feel? Hmm?"
The innkeeper's face grew increasingly ferocious: "This is how you tortured my Xuan'er back then, and even skinned him alive in the end! Hahahaha, well then I'll skin you too! So you won't have to do inhuman things while wearing human skin!"
"Waaah, my poor Xuan'er—"
Suddenly, the innkeeper let out a roar and collapsed to the ground. Feng Fei and the others were startled and were about to go forward to check on him when they discovered that the innkeeper was staring at the roof beam with his eyes open, his lips moving as if he were saying something.
All six of them listened intently.
The innkeeper watched as Su Cheng and his men kidnapped Xuan Lang and Yuan Qing and brought them into his inn, and he even helped cover for them.
She even helped bury Xuanlang in the end.
What Xuanlang suffered was not only what Fengfei felt in his dream; at that time, Xuanlang was only in a deep coma, not dead. After seeing Xuanlang faint, Su Cheng ignored Yuanqing's wailing and wanted to call someone in.
However, he had sent his men away and they wouldn't be back for a while. Coincidentally, Ding San was passing by the door with the foreign businessman when they heard Su Cheng's furious voice from inside the room, as well as Yuan Qing's painful cries. The two exchanged a glance and went into the room.
Upon entering the room, Ding and his companion were both startled, while Su Cheng remained unperturbed, instructing them to close the door before sitting down at the table to drink tea.
"I recognize both of you."
Su Cheng's words startled Ding San and his companion. Ding San immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, while the foreign businessman pondered for a long time before addressing Su Cheng, "Young Master Su?" Seemingly confirming Su Cheng's identity, he grinned and said after seeing Su Cheng nod almost imperceptibly, "Young Master Su, you seem to be in high spirits!"
Su Cheng snorted lightly, disdainful of responding to the foreign businessman's words.
The foreign businessman, however, seemed unconcerned, deliberately ignoring Yuanqing's screams, and slowly stood beside Su Cheng: "If Young Master Su helps me close this deal..."
Are you threatening me?
"No, no, no, how could I dare? It was just business talk..."
Tanxuan?p>
"What a fine saying, 'Business is business!'" Su Cheng laughed. "Then let's consider this a business negotiation!"
The foreign businessmen nodded repeatedly.
"Ding San, go and find the long needle."
Upon hearing Su Cheng's instructions, Ding San immediately scrambled out the door and returned shortly afterward, clutching a handful of gleaming silver needles and wearing a fawning smile: "Our boss is here. If it's not enough, he can send me to scoop some more!"
Su Cheng nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the foreign merchant and instructed, "You and Ding San poke the person on the pillar with a needle. If he doesn't react, then use this dagger to skin him!" With that, Su Cheng threw the dagger at the foreign merchant's feet.
This foreign businessman was also a ruthless person. Upon hearing this, a hint of fear flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a faint excitement.
Before long, the dagger was used on Xuan Lang. The innkeeper watched all of this silently from outside the window.
A year later, he learned that the young man he had helped kill was actually his only son with his wife in the countryside, and the pregnant woman beside him, slowly dying, was his daughter-in-law! His grandson had also been killed by Su Cheng. At that moment, he went mad! He frantically dug into the soil of the backyard, and perhaps because his Xuan'er had been unjustly killed, the body remained exactly as it had been!
His heart was breaking!
At that moment, he wanted to kill Su Cheng! But he wanted to kill Ding San, who had personally carried out the attack, and the foreign businessman even more.
Because of Su Cheng, the foreign businessman had successfully established a business in Yangzi Town long ago, and thus frequently traveled between Yangzi Town and his hometown. Perhaps it was also because he met Su Cheng at the Copper Coin Inn that he achieved success in his business, so the foreign businessman always stayed at the Copper Coin Inn.
The innkeeper had been waiting for the right moment, and finally, he killed Ding San and the foreign merchant without anyone noticing.
However, the innkeeper found that all of this did not bring him relief, but instead made him even more cruel.
He wished he could devour the flesh and blood of Ding San and the foreign merchant, but they had been dead for many days and their bodies were extremely decomposed.
But will that stop him from seeking revenge?
No! His grandfather was a coroner! He knew these things extremely well!
So, the innkeeper dug out the flesh and blood of Ding San and the foreign merchant, and using his unique method, sculpted them into tiny figures, carefully carving out their facial features and every other detail. He then soaked them in the remaining blood from their corpses, and finally, the tiny figures came to life. His grandfather had told him that this was a method to prevent someone from entering the cycle of reincarnation, and that only the most wicked should do it. And those who used this method would be forever barred from reincarnation.
He truly didn't care, so what did it matter to him if he didn't have a next life?
Therefore, the innkeeper did not hesitate to accuse Ding San and the foreign merchant of being villains.
Gradually, the innkeeper's hatred lessened considerably, but he missed his son, daughter-in-law, and unborn grandson even more.
In the end, he sculpted his own son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, but not wanting them to be unable to turn around, he used ordinary clay. However, after placing them alongside the two miniature figures of Ding San and the foreign merchant for a while, he was surprised to find that his son's miniature figure was also beginning to come to life!
He was terrified! He feared his son wouldn't be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation, so he spent his days and nights pricking Ding San and the foreign merchant with silver needles. However, he couldn't stop the lifelike figures of Xuan'er and the other two from coming to life.
But just when he was in despair, he actually saw Yuanqing, his daughter-in-law! Now that he knew there was a possibility of meeting Xuan'er again, he felt like he was going crazy with joy! But why wouldn't they agree?
"Why! Why can't you say yes to me!"
The innkeeper suddenly turned to Feng Fei and his companions, his face contorted with rage, and he spoke with a hoarse voice.
With a roar, the innkeeper lunged at Feng Fei, who was standing at the very front.
"I'll kill you all if you don't agree to my demands!"
Seemingly surprised by the innkeeper's reaction, everyone was taken aback, but Feng Fei quickly recovered and stepped aside. Xiao Bao then stepped forward and subdued the innkeeper.
Despite having his hands and feet restrained by Xiao Bao, the innkeeper's face remained terrifying.
"Let me go!" The innkeeper's voice sounded like a beast's roar.
Seeing the innkeeper like this, Feng Fei and the others felt extremely heavy-hearted.
For a moment, only the innkeeper's roar could be heard around.
"Perhaps we can arrange for you to meet Xuanlang."
In the end, it seemed that Xiao Bao couldn't help himself. Because he was holding the innkeeper, even the thick-skinned Xiao Bao could feel the innkeeper's deep pain and his urgent desire to see his son.
"What?"
The innkeeper was stunned for a moment, but quickly raised his head and stared straight at Xiao Bao: "Is yours real?"
Xiao Bao was a little embarrassed. He glanced at Yuan Jue and then at Feng Fei, choosing to remain silent.
The innkeeper, who had regained his senses after hearing Xiao Bao's words, was also dejected, his whole body going limp in Xiao Bao's hands.
"Still not working..."
Then, the innkeeper slowly shed tears. These tears were more heartbreaking for Feng Fei and the others than all his previous pleas and accusations.
"We agree."
Feng Fei spoke slowly, and seeing the joy slowly appearing in the innkeeper's eyes, a smile also appeared on his face.
"Thank you, thank you all..." The innkeeper, who had been released from his grip by Xiao Bao, immediately knelt down and thanked Feng Fei and the others profusely.
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the corridor.
"Father—Wife—"
Chapter Twenty-Six: Requests (Various Requests~)
Feng Fei and the others turned around in horror, while Yuan Qing suddenly threw herself onto the cage, completely disregarding its corrosive effects: "Xuan Lang! Xuan Lang! Is that you! It's you! I remember your voice!"
"My lady—" The word "my lady" was extremely faint, yet extremely gentle, which made Feng Fei and the others feel a little relieved.
The innkeeper stared blankly at the direction the voice came from: "Xuan'er—is that it?"
Feng Fei and the others couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw a somewhat transparent figure slowly floating out from the darkness at the end of the corridor.
"Xuanlang—" Yuanqing's expression grew increasingly excited.
A figure gradually emerged from the darkness. It was a young man dressed in linen clothes with the sleeves tied up, possessing a gentle and refined temperament and delicate features. A faint smile played on his lips.
"My wife, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
As Xuan Lang drew closer, Jin Ming frowned, but suddenly unlocked the cage.
Yuanqing seemed not to have expected this, and after a long moment of stunned silence, she threw herself into Xuanlang's arms with a look of wild joy.
"Xuanlang, I miss you so much."
"Me too."
Xuanlang embraced Yuanqing emotionally, tears welling in his eyes. Yuanqing, too, had already shed tears.
Ghosts are heartless and do not shed tears, but the love they had in their past lives is etched into their souls. Even after becoming ghosts, how can they forget it?
Feng Fei and the other six stood silently to the side, letting Xuan Lang and Yuan Qing pour out their hearts to each other.
The innkeeper, who had been kneeling on the ground, quietly wiped away his tears: it was all his fault, that his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had lost their lives. The moment this thought entered his mind, the innkeeper froze on the ground as if struck by lightning.
Yes! He only just realized that all the blame was his!
But another voice clamored in his mind: "No, no! All the responsibility lies with Su Cheng! It's all that Ding San and the foreign businessman!"
"ah--"
The innkeeper's manic voice shattered the somewhat warm atmosphere around them.
"I'm going to kill you, Su Cheng—"
"No, no, no! I should end my own life!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill you! Kill you!"
The innkeeper has gone mad!
His hands moved incessantly in the air. One moment he would stare in a certain direction with a vicious and hateful gaze, and the next he would clutch his head in pain and beat himself.
No one expected things to turn out this way, and they all stood there stunned.
Jin Ming was the first to react. He leaned forward, and as he approached the innkeeper, he flicked his right sleeve, releasing a cloud of pinkish-white powder. When the powder landed on the innkeeper, the innkeeper's expression froze, and he even stopped moving.