Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 295 Life is nearing its end
The sun had already set, and the entrance to the cement house was dimly lit.

A sickly old fox stood by the door, its tangled fur making it look very unwell.

Ran Qing looked at the old fox in surprise. After Mo Li finished speaking, the old fox made that familiar, aged woman's voice.

"...Sir, I apologize for disturbing you."

Compared to when they were at Old Wang Mountain, the old woman's voice sounded much more tired and weak.

What Fox Six said about his great-grandmother being seriously ill seems to be true.

Is this old fox really sick? Was what Lao Liu said just an excuse?
Ran Qing looked at the old fox in surprise and asked, "Does the old lady already know the cause and effect?"

The old fox must have been here for a while; Mo Li must have told him what happened.

But is this old fox really that vengeful?
With so many fox cubs and offspring in its den, and having been so cowardly and timid before, it actually came to the city to seek revenge because of the death of one of its grandchildren...

Ran Qing was somewhat confused.

He thought the old fox wouldn't care too much about Lao Liu's death.

The two, one human and one fox, locked eyes. The old fox had clearly guessed Ran Qing's suspicions. It said wearily and sadly, "Little Liu is my most beloved grandson. He lost his parents when he was young, and I, this old woman, raised him bit by bit."

"It is also the most intelligent and capable one among my fox offspring."

"I was hoping it would take over my job, and after my wife dies, this litter of foxes will depend on it. But I never expected...sigh..."

As the old fox spoke, he couldn't help but sigh again, his expression growing even more sorrowful.

It said softly, "I was originally going to come by myself this time, but my injury flared up. Little Liu insisted on coming to the Dharma assembly in my place, saying there wouldn't be any danger... Sigh..."

As the old fox spoke, he couldn't help but sigh again, his expression filled with sorrow and grief.

It was clearly just a fox, but its eyes and brows were incredibly expressive, making it seem like a real person.

Ran Qing asked, "What are the old lady's plans?"

Although they all shared the same enemy, Ran Qing didn't trust this strange old fox. Sharing intelligence was fine, but teaming up was not.

The old fox was clearly aware of its own limitations. It sighed weakly and wearily, saying, "I plan to go to the elevator building tonight and have a talk with Mr. Kawasakichi."

"I came to your house to bother you first, to find out what happened, and to help me collect my poor grandson's body."

The old fox looked sorrowful and did not linger.

After meeting Ran Qing and exchanging a few words, it prepared to leave.

As night fell, the old fox, carrying the corpse of the sixth fox, disappeared from Ran Qing and the other two's sight.

Long Zongshu said, "That old fox is quite pitiful."

Zong Shu's sudden exclamation made Ran Qing and Mo Li look at him at the same time.

The tall, thin boy scratched his head and said, "This old fox doesn't look like he has many years left to live."

"I didn't see its true form when I was at Laowang Mountain before. I only realized today that this old fox is about to die."

"It has a strong stale smell, the smell of an old monster nearing its end."

"To be precise, these monsters live longer than their species should. In the last few years of their lives, the old monster's physical body is actually dead, but its brain is still alive and its soul has not yet left its body."

"Because their bodies are constantly decaying, they will be tormented and afflicted by all sorts of strange diseases in their later years."

"To be honest, not many of the foxes in Old Wang Mountain have developed intelligence, and none of them can amount to anything. They are only smarter than ordinary foxes because they follow the old fox and absorb the demonic energy from him."

“If a real monster isn’t born from this den of foxes before the old fox dies, then the foxes in the monster’s den will soon become more and more stupid, and eventually they will all become ordinary foxes.” Long Zongshu sighed, “But monsters aren’t so easy to become. My grandfather said that most mountain demons’ clans quickly collapse after they die. It’s very rare for two generations of monsters to emerge in a row.”

"That sixth fox was indeed quite talented, what a pity."

"However, among the fox den on Old Wang Mountain, there are still one or two foxes with evil auras. This old fox has raised his fox cubs and grandchildren quite well."

"It's probably because the other foxes are really not as good as the sixth one that the old fox got so worked up..."

Long Zongshu sighed softly.

As someone from a family that dealt with mountain spirits and monsters, he had heard many stories of various mountain demons and evil spirits since childhood, and had some understanding of these monster groups.

Witnessing the changes in a group of monsters, he was deeply moved.

After understanding the cause and effect, Ran Qing also roughly understood the situation.

He stared in the direction the old fox had gone and said, "Could it be that this old fox is planning to take his enemy down with him before he dies...?"

The old fox's profound despair and despair gave Ran Qing that feeling.

Mountain demons and monsters are brutal and wicked, and they hold grudges the most.

Now the old fox is nearing the end of his life, and at this crucial moment, his most beloved grandson is killed...

Ran Qing shook her head and said, "Never mind, we can't trust this old fox, let's ignore him."

"Let's go find Xiong Dacheng after we finish eating."

Ran Qing went to stake out near Xiong Dacheng's house as soon as it was light and kept watch over Xiong Dacheng all day.

Although she unexpectedly saw some extremely cringe-worthy scenes that still make Ran Qing's heart race when she thinks about them, at least she is certain that Xiong Dacheng will be at home tonight.

This burly ghost-keeper doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving home.

Mo Li asked curiously, "Speaking of which, what did you see today? Why did you look so absent-minded and preoccupied when you came back... Did you run into some old friends? Or someone you know?"

Mo Li blinked curiously at Ran Qing.

Curiosity and inquiry flickered in those beautiful eyes, as if trying to see through what Ran Qing was thinking.

Under such gazes, Ran Qing suddenly felt her face burning and inexplicably guilty.

What I saw today...

You absolutely cannot tell.

Ran Qing then gave a few perfunctory replies to brush off Mo Li's questions, before abruptly changing the subject.

"...When we make our move tonight, we need to find a way to lure Xiong Dacheng out."

"But the problem is, this guy is a ghost keeper, and the ghosts he keeps aren't in his house..."

Ran Qing pondered this matter and still found it strange: "I looked all day, and there was no jar for raising ghosts in his house, nor any deathly or yin energy."

"Logically speaking, ghost keepers keep their ghosts by their side and rarely separate them from their ghost jars."

There are many schools of thought on raising ghosts in the world. In Southeast Asia, people raise ghost children, but in China, the most common practice is to raise ghosts in jars.

They would mix cremated remains with special soil from graves to make earthenware jars, and then keep ghosts inside them.

(End of this chapter)