Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 291 XX and Dog, Forever and Ever

From the dimly lit, old stairwell, the sounds of a television and conversations between men and women could be clearly heard from the third-floor apartment.

A hot-tempered man and a timid woman—this should be a couple.

And this is Xiong Dacheng's home.

This vicious and cruel man, who kills and raises ghosts, actually has his own family.

But at his age, he has a wife but no children?

Ran Qing memorized the place, silently retreated, and left with her companions.

Mo Li muttered under his breath, "This Xiong Dacheng doesn't have any children... At his age, he shouldn't be like this."

The Zangke people love having children. Even in later times when the economy developed and birth rates in other regions plummeted, Zangke's birth rate still ranked first in the country.

Not to mention the present day.

Long Zongshu looked back and said, "I heard my grandfather say that people in our line of work need to accumulate good karma. Some people rely on their abilities to harm others, and if they do too many immoral things, they will suffer retribution in this life."

"Those who are childless or whose children never grow up will suffer retribution on their children. Sometimes the retribution will come on to themselves; such people will develop inexplicable boils and scabies that can never be cured."

"This Xiong Dacheng probably did too many despicable things and is now getting his comeuppance."

The three whispered among themselves and walked away silently.

But they had only walked a short distance when Xiong Dacheng’s angry roar suddenly came from behind them.

"Who the hell is this guy? You son of a bitch, you've brought another bastard home!"

"Go ahead and heat it up! I'll tear your rotten mouth apart!"

The angry roar carried far under the night sky, and the three people who had just walked a short distance looked at each other in bewilderment.

From the stairwell behind them came the angry curses of a man and the pitiful cries of a woman begging for mercy.

And the crackling sound of whips or similar objects striking one's body.

The loud noise was too disturbing, but when Ran Qing and the others turned around, they saw that the other residents of the walk-up building had simply closed their windows to block out the noise.

The residents seemed to have gotten used to such noises.

Ran Qing and the other two stood in the shadows at the intersection and listened for a while. The crying and whipping sounds from the house continued for quite some time, interspersed with the woman's pleas for mercy, explanations, and promises of repentance and that it wouldn't happen again.

The three people looked at each other in bewilderment at this strange situation.

Ran Qing initially felt a sliver of sympathy for that woman, who had married such a rude and wicked man as Xiong Dacheng. She hadn't expected the woman to be just as troublesome as she seemed…

After the three walked a distance, they whispered among themselves, "We've found the address. Should we go back and cast the curse immediately?"

"They're so close, the curse should arrive very soon..."

Within Moonlit City, based on the previous speed of the Fate Master Card, once the curse is placed, Xiong Dacheng will be found by the Fate Master Card within 24 hours.

In other words, they can prepare to set off tomorrow night to cause trouble for Xiong Dacheng.

"But what about that woman?" Long Zongshu scratched his head and said, "There are people all around here, and the soundproofing is so bad. If we go to her door and make a little noise, all the neighbors will hear us. We don't want to be arrested as burglars..."

This is indeed a problem.

There are too many residents nearby, and the population density is very high. Even the slightest noise will attract the attention of other residents.

Mo Li said, "When we find a way to get him to be alone, this guy can't possibly stay at home all day without going out, right? As long as he goes out alone, we'll have a way to deal with him."

Things have come to this, and that's all.

Ran Qing and the other two returned to Park Road, only to find a silver-white fox guarding the entrance of the cement house.

After the Dharma assembly, Ran Qing chased away the fox named Lao Liu, letting it return to Lao Wang Mountain on its own. Unexpectedly, after the three of them wandered around outside, Lao Liu actually ran to their doorstep and waited there.

Upon seeing Ran Qing and the other two return, Lao Liu chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well... sir, it's getting dark, I don't dare wander around, afraid of running into the Red Gate... and there are no cars this late..."

The sixth brother cautiously pleaded for help.

Ran Qing thought about it and agreed.

"Then you can stay one more night and go back by yourself tomorrow," Ran Qing agreed to let Fox Six stay.

This fox had hitched a ride on the minibus that took Lao Wangshan to Yue Zhao. It said it hid on the roof of the minibus and followed it into the city.

Now, the road back to Laowang Mountain is long and arduous; relying on its four legs, it's hard to know how long it would take to get back.

Moreover, there are many villages and towns along the way where dogs are kept.

Even a fox that has become a spirit is afraid of those country dogs.

There are still countless ghost gates open in Moonlit City, making it truly dangerous for Lao Liu at this moment.

Ran Qing let the sixth fox stay overnight, but the sixth fox didn't go inside. Instead, it obediently lay down in the corner by the door and slept.

Mo Li brought Xiao Mianhua into the house to look at the DVDs she had just rented from the music store.

Ran Qing went back to her room and started studying, doing her usual practice problems.

This time, Zong Shu didn't read any martial arts novels; instead, he took out his test paper and started doing the questions along with Ran Qing.

School is about to start, and although Zong Shu is lazy, his laziness is relative to the other students in his class.

As a top student in the elite class of the No. 3 Middle School, Zong Shu's grades would place him in the top 100 in the entire grade, giving him a good chance of getting into a top-tier university.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the scratching sound of their pens sliding across the paper.

At midnight, Zongshu couldn't stay awake any longer and went to bed.

Ran Qing turned off the main light, leaving only the small desk lamp on, and continued working on her problems under the dim light.

He wasn't a gifted genius, nor was he particularly intelligent; he used the most rudimentary but effective method of rote memorization and endless practice problems.

Now that he has become a spirit medium, he only needs to sleep two hours a day, which is a huge boost for Ran Qing.

He was indeed a bit too lazy for a while.

But now that the start of the school year is approaching, Ran Qing quickly immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge after picking up her old study habits again.

After staying up all night doing practice problems for who knows how long, Ran Qing finally felt sleepy.

He yawned, turned off the lamp, and quietly went to bed in the dark.

Muneki, a terrible sleeper, was wrapped in a blanket and fast asleep.

Ran Qing lay down at his feet, listening to Zong Shu's heavy and rhythmic snoring, and soon fell asleep as well.

After a hazy, indistinct period of time, Ran Qing suddenly sensed some sinister malice approaching while she was still asleep.

Almost instinctively, Ran Qing suddenly opened her eyes.

His mind was foggy and not fully awake, but his eyes were fixed on the bedside in the darkness.

Two tall, thin, dark figures stood silently beside his bed.

This eerie, familiar shadowy figure extended its slender claws from the darkness, but this time it did not reach for Ran Qing.

Instead, he grabbed at Muneki, who was lying unconscious to the side.

(End of this chapter)