The Complete Collection of Yellow River Ghost Coffins

Chapter 37

"This is it?" Huang Zhihua reached out to take it, and my gaze fell on the back of his right hand. I was shocked again; in the blink of an eye, the back of his hand had swollen up like a steamed bun. I didn't dare hand him the bag directly. I found some newspapers in the room, wrapped it up in layers, and handed it to the old man, kindly reminding Huang Zhihua again that he needed to go to the hospital to get it checked out.

The mission was finally completed, and the girl asked me curiously, "Brother Xu, where did that snake go?"

"There's a snake hole here, and it went inside." I had just blocked everyone's view, so no one saw where the little snake went.

If it weren't for the fact that a well-trained People's Liberation Army soldier was injured by the snake's tail, the matter would have passed uneventfully. After all, the young master's crappy guesthouse was filthy and chaotic, and it wasn't unusual to find a snake in a room.

When Huang Zhihua returned from the guesthouse, he went to the police officers' medical room. The medical staff cut open his wound and squeezed out a large amount of black pus and blood, which smelled terrible. The young master and I felt bad, so we accompanied him to the medical room. The young master kept apologizing and flattering us.

Huang Zhihua could only manage a wry smile. To think that he, a distinguished soldier of the nation, had been injured by a snake the size of a thumb, and not just in its mouth, but in its tail—this was blatant disrespect from the snake towards a human, greatly stimulating his pride.

Yellow River Ghost Coffin 3, Chapter 3: Striking the Gong to Shake the Ghosts

As the sun set, the old man came to my room again. Without any preamble, he went straight to the point and asked: "Mr. Xu, what kind of snake is that?"

What? I'm confused by the old man's question. What snake?

What? I was confused by the old man's question. What snake? How would I know? I didn't raise that snake.

Mr. Xu, let's not beat around the bush. You know what's going on. This old man isn't blind; he can tell that snake is no ordinary one. The old man chuckled strangely twice, took out a cigarette, and slowly puffed on it.

I immediately got anxious when I heard this. The old man was probably jealous. I frowned and said, "Old man, what do you mean? Do you suspect that snake is a relative of mine?"

The old man said it wasn't an ordinary snake; he smelled a strong, stench of death on it. He said it was definitely something from a grave, and that Huang Zhihua might lose both his hands. Hearing this, I broke out in a cold sweat. It was one problem after another. The snake looked exactly like a primordial snake, but primordial snakes were legendary creatures, enormous and powerful. How could it have turned into such a small snake? Primordial snakes had nine tails, but that snake clearly only had one.

My head is spinning. Adding to what happened last night—nightmares and murder—I can't have a moment's peace until Wang Quansheng's corpse is removed. I can't afford to offend this old man either, so I can only force a smile and say, "Old man, you didn't come to me just to ask about that snake, did you?"

The old man said the snake was one issue, but he had other business with me—Old Luo said the God of Wealth wanted to see me, otherwise he wouldn't set off. Tonight I'll accompany him to send off the God of Wealth.

In an instant, my vest was soaked with cold sweat—the old man's "sending away the God of Wealth" naturally meant sending away Wang Quansheng's corpse. He always had to bring up the very thing I didn't want to talk about; my biggest fear right now was Wang Quansheng's body, and yet he insisted I go see him. But I couldn't refuse. After dinner, when it was late at night, the old man called me, and I went outside with him. The young master had prepared a tricycle waiting at the door.

The moment I saw that tricycle, I thought of how I wrapped Wang Quansheng's body in a blanket and went out to dispose of it. Now, it was my turn to ride in that tricycle. What a cycle of cause and effect, karma is swift and certain, and to make matters worse, the old man was with me. The old man had already climbed onto the tricycle and sat down. The young master kept urging me to get on, so I reluctantly climbed onto the tricycle and sat opposite the old man.

The young master immediately displayed his selfless spirit, pedaling the tricycle with even more vigor than when I was disposing of the body. The old man pointed out the route along the way. Gradually, we left the South Palace Gate, and the road became increasingly remote and bumpy, making my bones feel like they were about to fall apart.

Since it was already past midnight, there were no pedestrians on the road, and the road the young master was walking on was even more desolate. Under the old man's guidance, they finally stopped by the roadside.

"Come on over..." the old man called out, lighting a cigarette and stepping aside to walk. I hurriedly followed behind him, and after only a few steps, by the dim light of the young master's flashlight, I could vaguely see two people standing in front of me.

"We're here!" the old man said, stopping in his tracks. I could see them more clearly now; one was Lao Luo, the man the old man had mentioned, and the other was Wang Quansheng. "This old man seemed so honest in life, how come he's so troublesome after death?" I thought to myself as I turned around, still terrified of Wang Quansheng, instinctively hiding behind the young master.

The young master's legs were trembling, revealing his inner fear. I basically dared not look at Wang Quansheng; I just stood by Yuanyuan, wanting to see how Lao Luo would deal with Wang Quansheng's corpse.

But my refusal to go over didn't mean the old man would let me through. The old man and Lao Luo whispered something to each other, then beckoned me over. At this point, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach. The more afraid I was, the more I couldn't help but glance at Wang Quansheng's corpse.

I only glanced at him, but I couldn't help but gasp and involuntarily backed away. The young master was right behind me, and as I stepped back, I landed right on his foot. We both lost our balance and fell to the ground. I, on the other hand, got a huge advantage, landing right on top of the young master, who became my perfect cushion.

Instinctively, I pressed one hand to the ground and hurriedly tried to get up. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my palm, as if I had been bitten by something. Panicked, I didn't have time to look at myself and hurriedly got up from the ground, while pulling the young master up.

I had only glanced at Wang Quansheng's corpse briefly, and I was immediately terrified. His body looked normal, but the fact that he was still standing gave it an eerie feel. However, that wasn't enough to make me panic—Wang Quansheng's head was twisted at an unsettling angle, turned behind him, and a yellow paper talisman was stuck to his forehead.

This... isn't this exactly what I saw in Huang Zhihua's office last night? Could it be that last night wasn't a hallucination, and I really saw Wang Quansheng's corpse? But why were the curtains in the office drawn tightly when the young master came later?

"Why is it like this?" the old man gasped and asked.

"The young master and I can't answer that question," Old Luo said coldly in a deathly tone. "Yesterday when I sealed it in the office, it was fine. Today when I went to check, two of the seven-star lamps were off, and its forehead looked like this..."

The Seven Star Lamp? Could it be that the Seven Star Lamp he's talking about is the seven eerie lamps I saw last night, lit in the basement? As Lao Luo spoke, he looked at me coldly and said, "Ah, his wish was not fulfilled, and he refused to go on his way. You are the people he saw when he died, so send him on his way."

An indescribable sense of terror filled my heart. It felt as if a fire was burning on my back, yet my palms were ice cold—how could this be? This was simply too bizarre and strange. Wang Quansheng's affair had completely overturned my previous beliefs.

Do ghosts exist in this world?

The old man said, "Now that we're all here, you can begin?"

Old Luo didn't say anything, just nodded. I watched as he took out several yellow paper talismans from his pocket. It was only then that I noticed that Old Luo had changed his clothes at some point. He was wearing a long robe with wide sleeves, which should be a Taoist robe. There was also a large Tai Chi symbol embroidered on the back.

No one knows what method Lao Luo used, but with a flick of his wrist and a few shakes, without using an open flame, several yellow paper talismans were lit directly.

As the yellow paper talisman burned out, I clearly felt a chilling wind suddenly rise in the originally clear night sky, making my hair stand on end. I couldn't help but shiver.

With a flick of his wrist, Lao Luo scattered a large pile of ghost money. Instantly, in the dark sky, large yellow butterflies fluttered and swirled in the wind. The young master asked me, puzzled, "What is this for?"

I understand to some extent that Lao Luo's profession is corpse transporter. Chinese people are very particular about this. A tree may grow ten thousand feet tall, but its leaves will eventually fall back to its roots. People who die far from home must have their bodies transported back to their hometowns for burial. However, in ancient China, many people who died far from home could not even afford a coffin, let alone hire someone to transport it home. Thus, corpse transporters came into being.

Corpse drivers—as the name suggests, are people who drive corpses home directly, letting them walk home on their own. It sounds unbelievable now.

I once heard that before a corpse-driver moves a corpse, he would often worship in all directions and then scatter money to buy a way through the underworld, so naturally, he would use joss paper.

But even after Lao Luo distributed joss paper and bought a path to the underworld, Wang Quansheng's corpse didn't move an inch. I couldn't help but find it a little funny, wondering if this old man surnamed Luo was some kind of swindler from some ghostly place, completely unprepared for corpse-driving? Was he just out there pretending to be a ghost to cheat people out of money? Before I could finish my thought, Lao Luo, the corpse-driver, appeared in his hand as if by magic. I was curious and couldn't help but stare at the gong intently. I was utterly puzzled. Since ancient times, gongs and drums have always been about perfect harmony, but the gong in Lao Luo's hand was hollow in the center... How could such a gong make a sound?

As I was thinking this, I heard a soft "clang," as if striking a chord in my heart. The sound wasn't loud, but it was deeply moving. A ghostly gong? I couldn't help but shiver. Could this be the legendary ghostly gong—the one that shakes ghosts with its sound? "God of Wealth, start...go!" Old Luo's voice trailed off in the night sky, carrying an indescribable quality.

The three of us, six eyes fixed on Wang Quansheng, hoped he would do something, but to our surprise, after Lao Luo's shout, "God of Wealth" Wang Quansheng remained completely still. Lao Luo, standing beside me, gently nudged me and whispered, "Go talk to him, tell him to get off work early." I immediately felt a headache coming on. Although I hadn't killed Wang Quansheng, he had always been a knot in my heart. Now, with the old man's push, I could only grit my teeth and move forward. I stopped less than three steps away from the corpse, staring at that extremely strange body—its head was upside down on its back.

“Wang Quansheng…you can’t blame anyone else for your death. We’re doing a fair trade. You’re willing to sell and I’m willing to buy. If you have to blame someone, you should blame the Yellow River God…” I thought to myself. Wang Quansheng was a “Yellow River Monster” in life, so he must have worshipped the Yellow River God. Even after death, as a ghost, he probably still retained his faith from his previous life? As soon as I finished speaking, Wang Quansheng’s head, which had been twisted, suddenly started clattering and turned towards me. His eyes, which were faintly glowing red, stared coldly at me. His mouth split open at an eerie angle, and he grinned grotesquely. I could even see his yellow teeth.

The gong struck again, but Wang Quansheng's corpse remained motionless, merely staring coldly at me. Old Luo wiped his sweat, looking at me. Confused, I rolled my eyes at him, cursing inwardly, "You're incompetent, yet you drag me down with you? You can't even handle one corpse? If you did as I said, just send the body to the crematorium and burn it, let's see if he can still cause trouble then!"

The old man appeared beside me at some point and whispered, "What unfinished business did he have before he died? Tell me." Damn it—I only met Wang Quansheng once, how would I know what unfinished business he had? Why are they all coming to me instead of the young master? If it weren't for the young master's jinx, I wouldn't have bought bronzeware from him, and this stool trouble wouldn't have happened.

I thought about it. That night when I was drinking with Wang Quansheng, I promised him that I would go to his hometown soon and collect all the remaining bronze artifacts from his family. Could he still be thinking about that? With that in mind, I had no choice but to try. I forced myself to say, "Wang Quansheng, I understand your intentions. You probably don't want your wife and children to suffer and want to leave them some money to live a better life. Don't worry, I'll go to Linhe right now, find your house, and collect all your bronze artifacts. The price will be what we originally agreed on..."

Before I could finish speaking, Wang Quansheng's previously contorted head returned to its original shape, no longer looking at me. I couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief; it's really unpleasant for a living person to be stared at by a dead one. "Clang!" The gong sounded, and the "God of Wealth" began to move. Under Lao Luo's command, Wang Quansheng brought his feet together and jumped straight forward. I was already close to him, but his movement startled me again. I hurriedly stepped aside to make way for the "God of Wealth," lest I block his path.

Watching Lao Luo and Wang Quansheng's corpses disappear into the distance, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. Damn it... finally, I've gotten rid of that old bastard. I can finally go back and get a good night's sleep. On the way back, I couldn't help but ask the old man, "Who is Lao Luo? Does the profession of corpse transport still exist?" He replied, "Now that cremation is the norm, generally, corpses are cremated directly after death." The old man just smiled and didn't explain anything.

That night, I slept very soundly. The next day, just as dawn broke, the young master came and knocked on my door, saying that Huang Zhihua was looking for us. We rushed to Huang Zhihua's office. This People's Liberation Army uncle looked very unwell, very pale. He was sitting in a chair, and when he saw us, he didn't say a word, but just raised his hand to signal us to sit down. I couldn't refuse either, so I sat down with the young master in the chair next to him. Soon after, the old man and the girl also came in. Huang Zhihua stared directly at the old man.

The old man smoked, filling the room with smoke. The girl sat beside him, frowning but remaining silent. "Let's go to the Shadow Kunlun Eye of Wind. It's time—sixty-one years!" the old man said, standing up slightly, then hesitated for a moment before adding, "Mr. Huang, since you've put me in charge of this case, I have a favor to ask." Huang Zhihua, now focused solely on breaking the curse of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin, didn't care about anything else. He'd broken all the taboos. Frowning, he said, "Old man, please speak plainly." This fellow was very polite to the old man now; he wondered what kind of sorcery the old man had used. The old man said, "That ancient bronze sword, have this young man take it to the Shadow Kunlun Eye of Wind," and pointed at me. The bronze ancient sword—the bronze ancient sword the old man mentioned is naturally the divine weapon we retrieved from the Guangchuan King's Tomb. I was overjoyed upon hearing this. I had thought I would never be able to touch the bronze ancient sword again in my life, but the old man actually made this request for me. Although I cannot keep the bronze ancient sword for myself, I would be satisfied if I could use it once more.

I originally thought Huang Zhihua would refuse, but to my surprise, he agreed immediately. Then he asked the old man what else he needed. The old man found a piece of paper, listed some tools, and asked Huang Zhihua to prepare them, and also booked train tickets for the afternoon.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself. Things had come to this point, and I couldn't say "no" anymore. After thinking for a moment, I still couldn't help but say to Huang Zhihua, "Mr. Huang, let's not beat around the bush. If we can get out of Shadow Kunlun alive, you have to let us go and not pursue this matter any further!"

Huang Zhihua nodded solemnly, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was afraid that we would risk our lives to get through the Kunlun Mountains, only to be greeted with handcuffs and police cars when we returned. In that case, it would have been better not to go at all; I might as well have gone straight to Xinjiang.

I went back and packed a few things, but there wasn't much I had prepared. In the afternoon, Huang Zhihua had someone deliver the ancient bronze sword. When I saw the ancient bronze sword again, for some reason, I was a little excited. I touched the four bird-script characters on the hilt—"Heavenly Flaw, Earthly Imperfection"—and a familiar feeling crept into my heart.

The Eight Trigrams Seal, concealing divine secrets and ghostly tricks, transforming into snakes and dragon bones, with heaven and earth incomplete!

I don't understand what these sixteen characters represent, but I have a vague feeling that they must be related to the curse of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin.

With this bronze sword in hand, I dare to venture into the Shadow Kunlun Eye of Wind.

In the afternoon, the young master, the maid, and I went to the train station. We originally thought it would just be the three of us, but we later found out that Professor Sun, Huang Zhihua, the old man, and the old man's two apprentices, Hu Lai and Wang Ming, also set off together.

The old man said he was going to Yingkunlun to locate a spot. I'd heard people mention Nanpaizi—generally, Nanpaizi don't enter tombs themselves; they usually just locate spots. He looked around, didn't say anything, found the location, pointed with his hand, turned around and left, never missing a spot.

I've heard that this industry was quite popular in old China. Come to think of it, ancient tombs have no trace left on the ground, so people who don't know much about them can't just take a shovel and dig randomly anywhere. Therefore, locating the tomb becomes extremely important.

In the afternoon, after a four-hour train ride, we finally arrived in Linhe County. We stayed there for the night, intending to rest before heading to Donghua Mountain the next day. Xian Zhihua was easy to talk to, but that old man from the south absolutely refused, insisting that getting to Donghua Mountain as soon as possible was the priority. Reluctantly, we boarded a minibus early the next morning and bumped our way towards Donghua Mountain.

The young master, the maid, and I, along with those two scoundrels, Hu Lai and Wang Ming, had all been here before, so we were quite familiar with the place. The eight of us boarded the minibus, which was already packed with ten people including the driver, and now it was so crowded that it was difficult to even move.

I kept the bronze sword in its case, slung it over my shoulder, and dared not put it down. This thing was priceless; losing it would be a serious matter. The car ride was bumpy, and I was so tired that my stomach churned. Luckily, I had just taken a four-hour train ride and hadn't eaten much, otherwise I probably would have vomited on the spot. Even so, the maid and the young master looked very unwell.

I leaned against the car window, looking at the Loess Plateau outside, and couldn't help but curse the old man from the south and all his female ancestors for eighteen generations. Damn it, we were just having a good day of rest in Linhe County, heading to Donghua Mountain tomorrow morning, and one more night and someone's going to die?

Why is he rushing to the Yellow River? Is it because there's a female ghost waiting for him in the river for a date?

After a bumpy six-hour ride, the minibus finally took our group of eight to our destination. Along the way, we passed many hillsides dotted with scattered stone houses, their poverty almost unbearable. The poverty in these places was written all over their faces, not just spoken.

All seven of us had been here before, but Huang Zhihua was particularly curious, finding it hard to believe that such impoverished and remote places still existed in China. The old man from Nanpaizi explained that it was due to the terrain; every country, regardless of the dynasty, has some poor areas.

Huang Zhihua said that when he returned this time, he would have to ask his superiors for permission to allocate funds to help these places. I was deeply grateful and hoped that the government would allocate funds. Although it wouldn't be a great help to such poor mountain villages, it would still be a good deed. Amitabha.

Upon arriving in Donghua Town, we found ourselves at the same guesthouse, a traditional tenement building, but Old Cai was no longer there. I learned from the professor's notes that Old Cai had also come into contact with the Yellow River Dragon Coffin and died from its curse. Thinking back to Old Cai's enthusiasm during our last visit, I couldn't help but sigh. This time, we were being hosted by a young man in his early twenties. He had dropped out of junior high school and returned home, wanting to find work but unsure where to go. So he came to the guesthouse to help out and earn a living. The young man's surname was Zhao, and his nickname was Da Niu.

After a long, bumpy ride, we were all exhausted. When we arrived at the guesthouse, we found our room, and the young master threw down his luggage and collapsed onto the bed like a dead pig. I didn't care about appearances either and lay down as well, but I still took out my bronze sword and put it under my head.

Everyone slept until dark before going to the large canteen downstairs for dinner. Dinner consisted of rice and stir-fried bok choy. I'm not a picky eater; as long as I'm full, I'm fine. After dinner, seeing that it wasn't completely dark outside, I invited the young master and maid to go for a walk. Just as we reached the door, we ran into an acquaintance.

This person was none other than the girl whose eyes welled up with tears the moment she saw him. She must have realized it too—this person was none other than the old man who sat on the corpse. When the girl's classmate Shan Jun died, he had a strange smile on his face. Old Cai said that was called the Seven Laughing Corpse. It was the most unlucky thing for a drowned person to have a smile on their face. You had to find someone who sat on the corpse and find a way to make him cry. Only when he cried blood and tears would it be okay.

I remember clearly that the old man who sat on the corpse sat with Shan Jun's body for a day and a night. The next day, he came to me and said that Shan Jun wanted to see me.

Even now, whenever I think of Shan Jun's hideous and eerie smile after his death, his eyes that turned towards me, and that bronze piece—which I left in Shanghai and didn't bring with me—I'm still haunted by memories.

The old man sitting on the corpse was originally sitting on a bench. When he saw us, he stood up and walked towards us, which was terrifying.

The old man walked straight up to me, and I quickly greeted him with a smile, saying, "Hello, sir!" At the same time, I hurriedly took out a cigarette from my pocket and offered it to him.

The old man sitting on the corpse shook his head, refusing to take the cigarette I offered. He simply stared at me coldly for a long while before finally saying, "I'm waiting for you!"

I was completely bewildered. Waiting for me? Did he know I was coming? Before I could even speak, the old man sitting on the corpse said again that he knew we would come back. The young master and I exchanged a glance, both astonished. How did he know we would come back? I said, "Old man, what do you mean? How do you know we will come back?"

The old man sitting on the corpse sighed, waved to me, and then turned and walked towards the entrance of Donghua Town. I was curious and followed him. The young master and the maid wanted to come too, but the old man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and said coldly, "I just want to chat with a friend. You two don't need to come."

Having made their intentions clear, even the most thick-skinned young master couldn't bring himself to follow any further. The maid blushed slightly, secretly tugged at my sleeve, and whispered, "Be careful!" I nodded solemnly. I had a feeling that this old man sitting on the corpse was inexplicably strange, but then I thought about his profession and it made sense. Just imagine locking a drowned person and a living person together, I'd heard the longest being seven days and seven nights, and even making the smiling corpse cry—such a person was probably more troublesome than a necromancer or a corpse driver.

I followed the old man sitting on the corpse, and we were almost at the intersection of Donghua Town when we stopped in front of a dilapidated archway. The old man didn't speak, and neither did I; in fact, I had no idea why he wanted to see me.

We remained silent until finally, I couldn't take it anymore. After a long day of traveling, I was so exhausted that my bones felt like they were going to fall apart. I figured it would be more comfortable to go back to the guesthouse and relax. So I cut to the chase and asked, "Old man, what do you want from me?"

The old man sitting on the corpse looked at me and grinned. To be honest, it would have been better if he hadn't smiled. His smile made me stumble. This old man... this smile... was so strange. It was exactly the same as the hideous and terrifying smile on the face of someone who had died from the curse of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin.

I must have glanced at it; how could such a terrifying, eerie laugh appear on a living person? Fortunately, it was only for a moment before the old man returned to his original appearance and whispered, "Please don't go there, okay?"

I'm confused. To be honest, I don't understand what the old man sitting on the corpse is talking about at all.

The old man stared at me blankly, and I stared back at him. After a moment of eye contact, I forced a small, friendly smile. Seeing that it was getting darker and darker, I was, to be honest, a little wary of this old man sitting like a corpse. I frowned and said, "Old man, if you have nothing else to do, I'll head back now."

Seeing that I was about to leave, the old man sitting on the corpse immediately became anxious and hurriedly stopped me, stammering, "You can't leave!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Last time I was here, I hadn't paid much attention to this old man sitting on a corpse. There are always strange people in the countryside and the city, and although this old man sitting on a corpse was a bit odd, it was also quite reasonable. Moreover, the young master said last time that he carried me back from the eye of the Yellow River, and it was this old man who threw a handful of sand down and saved my life. Otherwise, I might have been dead long ago. So, in a way, this old man sitting on a corpse could be considered my savior.

"Old man, what exactly do you want? Just say what you want to say. I haven't even thanked you yet because you saved me last time!" I said.

The old man rubbed his hands together, frowned, and stammered for a long time before finally saying that he knew we had come for the purpose of seeing what was in the Yellow River Eye, and begged us not to go there.

I was stunned. What was in the Yellow River Eye? Wasn't the dragon coffin in the Yellow River Eye taken back to Taiyuan by the professor? The old man wasn't far away, surely he knew? What else was in the Yellow River Eye? Our purpose in coming here wasn't the Yellow River Eye, but the Shadow Kunlun Phoenix Eye.

I said, old man, you've got it wrong, haven't you? We're not looking for what's in the Yellow River's eyes, but... At this point, I honestly shut my mouth. Grave robbing isn't exactly something to be proud of, even though this time it's backed by the state.

The old man sitting on the corpse shook his head repeatedly, as if speaking to me, or perhaps muttering to himself, "You will definitely go to the Demon King's Cave... you will definitely go..."

Demon King's Cave? What kind of place is that? Just the name sounds terrifying! For some reason, I couldn't help but shiver. I gave the old man an awkward smile, turned around and left. I just wanted to find the young master and the maid as soon as possible.

The old man sitting on the corpse caught up with me from behind, grabbed my clothes, and pleaded, "Don't go, please don't go..."

I sighed. Looking at him like this, I really couldn't bear to refuse him. If I could, I would absolutely not want to go to the Shadow Kunlun Eye, but I had no choice now! I frowned and said, "I have no choice either. This isn't something I can decide." The old man said he didn't care about others, as long as I didn't go.

That's strange. Why does he ignore everyone else and only want me to stay? Does that mean everyone else can go, but I can't? After hearing what he said, I couldn't help but start to back out again. But then I thought about how Huang Zhihua had something on me, and how things were going to turn out was no longer up to me.

Seeing that I didn't speak, the old man looked at me somewhat uneasily, and after a long while said, "If you really want to go to the Demon King's Cave, please inform him before you go." With that, he turned and left.

Just as the old man was about to leave, I couldn't contain my curiosity and chased after him, asking, "Grandpa, how can I contact you if I want to find you?"