Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 289 A Series of Ghost Stories
As the fog shrouded the ruins, Ran Qing and the other two sat in chairs and heard the old man in the wheelchair say something that sent a chill down their spines.

Their disguises were so perfect that they changed not only their faces, but also their voices and body shapes.

Even Ran Jianfei and the Corpse-Driving Taoist, two acquaintances, didn't recognize them, but the old man, Chuan Zengji, recognized their true identities...

Ran Qing was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Sir, we are very interested in your suggestion. How to block the Wuzhai Pass and survive this calamity... Do you have a plan?"

Ran Qing was indeed interested in this matter, and these words were not just casual remarks.

But the reason he stayed until the end was actually to observe the situation and take a closer look at the others present. He hoped to have a chat with this mysterious old man, Kawasakichi, if given the chance.

While waiting for the opportunity to track down Xiong Dacheng.

Unexpectedly, the old man summoned a thick fog, obscuring the view of the ghost-raising people nearby.

The elderly man, slumped in his wheelchair, stared at Ran Qing with cloudy eyes.

His seat was directly opposite Ran Qing, with a strange coffin separating the two.

The combination of the red coffin lid and the dark black coffin was extremely eye-catching, reminding Ran Qing of Li Hongye's corpse.

The coffin where Li Hongye was buried also had a red lid.

In the thick fog, the old man sitting opposite the coffin stared intently at Ran Qing, then glanced at Mo Li sitting beside Ran Qing.

The old man's gaze lingered for a moment before he slowly said, "...No plan."

"I have another purpose in summoning my fellow practitioners from the vicinity of Moonlight."

"The so-called request for everyone to join forces to overcome the tribulation is just a pretext. I know this is impossible to achieve, and no one would agree to it if I brought it up, so I deliberately raised such a trivial and doomed topic."

"My true purpose is to gather everyone here and see how many people are still alive."

Facing Ran Qing and the other two, the mysterious and eccentric old man suddenly changed his tune and contradicted what he had said in front of everyone.

He sat blankly in his wheelchair and said, "I know that there are things in Moonlit City poisoning people in the Xuanmen sect, and I know that some people have died, but I don't know how many people have died, or who is killing them."

"The reason we've gathered everyone here is simply to probe the situation."

“The deceased will not attend the meeting, and the evildoers who hide and harm others will not dare to attend the Dharma assembly. So, those who come to the Dharma assembly tonight can at least be ruled out as suspects and can be trusted to some extent.”

The old man stared intently at Ran Qing and the other two with his cloudy eyes, coldly revealing his true purpose.

Ran Qing and the other two looked at each other in surprise, not expecting the old man to be so honest and tell them such an important truth.

Could it be that this old man is a close friend of Aunt Liu? And that's why he trusts Ran Qing and the other two?
But as soon as the idea popped into her head, Ran Qing immediately rejected it.

When Sixth Aunt passed away, she gave many instructions, including those for Old Sheepskin, and even for Meng Laoqi, saying that he could ask Meng Laoqi for help if needed.

But this mysterious old man in front of them, who was sitting in Moonlit City and living in a strange elevator building, was so powerful and mature, yet Aunt Liu had never mentioned that Ran Qing had come to this person for help when she was in trouble.

That can only prove one thing.

—In Aunt Liu's mind, this old man was not someone she could trust or rely on.

Ran Qing, who was clearly aware of this, was not fooled by the old man's apparent sincerity and kindness.

He was wary inside, but his expression was sincere and friendly.

Looking at the strange old man in the wheelchair, Ran Qing asked, "Old sir, are you looking for those villains who secretly harm people... to get rid of them?"

In the wheelchair, the old man stared at Ran Qing with cloudy eyes and said, "I do have this idea, but I am too old and frail to do it, and I also advise young people not to do it." "The villains in Moonlit City are cunning and powerful. In recent times, as far as I know, several seasoned veterans with excellent skills and insightful vision have fallen."

"I just want to know who I need to be wary of and who I can trust, so I can have a better understanding of who to deal with in the future."

"Now that the gates of hell are wide open everywhere in Moonlit City, the days ahead will be increasingly difficult for us unorthodox cultivators. When we occasionally encounter danger, we will have to band together and help each other."

"If you remember in advance who you can trust and who you can't, that's... very important for survival."

The old man spoke in a blank tone.

At this moment, he suddenly changed his tone and revealed his true feelings, transforming from a mysterious and unpredictable hermit with a heart for the world into a selfish figure who manipulates everyone and only cares about himself.

But Ran Qing stared at the mysterious old man, still not entirely believing his words.

This old man speaks to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language... who knows which of his words are true?

What if these words were also made up to deceive Ran Qing and the other two?
Looking at the strange coffin in front of him, Ran Qing asked, "Old sir, is there a corpse inside this coffin?"

Ran Qing abruptly changed the subject.

But the old man didn't mind. He stared at the strange coffin with his cloudy eyes and said, "It's an empty coffin. There's nothing inside."

After saying that, the old man added, "This is what I prepared for myself. After I die, I will be buried in this coffin."

The old man was telling terrifying things.

Having witnessed the suffering of evil spirits and vengeful ghosts tormented by resentment, those who practice unorthodox esoteric practices almost always seek peace after death and avoid becoming evil spirits or vengeful ghosts themselves.

But the old man in front of me had prepared such a strange coffin for himself. According to the description in "Witchcraft and Ghostly Arts", people who die in such coffins will become very fierce and their souls will be restless, turning into vengeful ghosts.

The old man didn't seek peace after death; instead, he wanted to become a vengeful ghost after he died...

Ran Qing made no comment on this strange behavior, nor did he ask any further questions.

Through a brief exchange, he keenly noticed the old man's strangeness.

This is a strange old man who is full of lies and whose true thoughts are unknown to anyone. Perhaps this is why Aunt Liu knows him but does not tell Ran Qing about it.

This old man is so strange, it's best to stay away from him.

However, the risk to the elderly should not be high.

If this were a highly dangerous criminal, Aunt Liu would definitely have given him some instructions before she died.

After a moment's thought, Ran Qing stood up and took her leave.

When he decided to leave, the old man did not try to stop him, but nodded in farewell.

As the three emerged from the ruins, the three armchairs behind them hopped and skipped into the depths of the mist.

Meanwhile, the thirteen ghostly figures next door appeared in the mist.

They seemed completely unaware of their isolation, continuing to mock and ridicule the old man's self-inflicted humiliation with sarcastic and cynical remarks.

Among them, Xiong Dacheng's voice is the clearest.

(End of this chapter)