The scholar had just repeated the phrase when he decisively gave up, looking at Li Ang with suspicion. "You were just fine up on the roof. Why come down?"
"Like you, I serve my lord and am loyal to my liege."
Li Ang was calm and composed, already slipping into the role of someone from the Ghost Market. "Protect Huai Langzhong, and Kou Zhi’an will give me an extra sum of money."
The hostility from the scholar, the elder, and the dwarf lessened considerably, but their expressions remained somewhat guarded.
"There’s no need to worry. Now that I’m here, you are safe."
Li Ang smiled. "My team has extensive experience handling demon and Alien creatures. The new methods we’ve invented have successfully suppressed a large number of Evil."
The scholar glanced outside the house, where there was no one else. "You’re the only one here."
"Yes. The new methods we’ve invented are based on the principle that ’demons are produced from people who die with strong resentments.’ For each exorcism, we let two partners sacrifice themselves voluntarily. Once the two of them are killed by the demon, they turn into two ghosts right there. Two ghosts fighting one ghost create a numerical advantage in the brawl, allowing us to successfully suppress it."
Li Ang said all this with a straight face, "Our team started with ninety-nine people, but as business expanded too quickly, we gradually ran short of hands. In the end, only I was left. I see the three of you have extraordinary skeletons. Are you interested in joining my team?"
"No thanks, no thanks."
The three Abnormal People, wanting to live a while longer, vigorously shook their heads and waved their hands, their hearts filled with doubt.
This dragon-headed strange man acts bizarrely and speaks madly. Though there isn’t a trace of Spiritual Energy fluctuation from him, he inexplicably gives us a strong sense of oppression. We can’t tell which of his words are true and which are false.
"Hey, don’t be afraid of death. What’s there to fear about dying? You’re not dead before death, and you can’t be afraid after you’re dead."
Li Ang smiled and remarked, "Additionally, here’s a little secret to longevity: every time you’re close to dying and you see Black and White Impermanence coming to take your life, if you scare yourself half to death, you can successfully return your soul to your body."
What a curious and supposedly helpful little life hack... Yeah, right.
The scholar and the others couldn’t keep up with Li Ang’s train of thought and didn’t know what expressions to make.
"Anyway, Huai Langzhong, why don’t you let me see the old lady’s condition?" Li Ang turned to look at Huai Rui. "She was the first to be entangled by the Evil Ghost, but the ghost creature didn’t harm her. The reason might lie with her."
Huai Rui nodded. Given how wary the scholar and the others are of Li Ang, he must also be a Cultivator, and a much stronger one...
Li Ang took a step forward. Just then, with a THUD, a dark-colored palm burst through the floor tiles, gripping Li Ang’s left ankle and dragging him toward the ground.
The scholar and the others were shocked; some readied their Flying Swords, others clutched talismans, preparing to step forward and help.
However, despite the hand’s strong pull, Li Ang stood his ground, unmoved.
Li Ang’s expression remained indifferent. He lifted his right foot and stomped down hard.
His body, strengthened by Mo Si’s enhancement, transferred the Powerful Force underground.
A sharp screech echoed from beneath the soil as the creature once again fled into the distance.
The scholar shouted anxiously, "The Array in the bedroom is completely useless against it! That ghost creature can pass through walls and burrow underground. We need to get off the ground—go upstairs or to the roof!"
"A good strategy, but I think I’d like to make a slight modification." Li Ang’s voice drew out slightly. In the next instant, he violently raised his hand, clasping Huai Rui’s neck and lifting him entirely off the ground.
"GHK—" Huai Rui, lifted by the neck, struggled instinctively, his face turning deep crimson from lack of oxygen.
Seeing this, the scholar and the others drew their weapons, pointing them at Li Ang. "What is the meaning of this, sir...?" they demanded loudly.
"Do you remember the Jiao Yao specimen?" Li Ang asked indifferently. "The Gold Department Doctor in the Ministry of Revenue oversees trade in the East and West Markets. He interacts with powerful Sea Merchants from all over and has seen countless exotic treasures. How could such a man be fooled by a low-quality prop made from Monkey Bone, brought by Jianghu charlatans to deceive naive men and women?"
"I really... don’t know..." Huai Rui gasped, gripping Li Ang’s arm and struggling to speak.
"Furthermore, the ancestors of the Huai family once held the post of Minister of the Secretariat in Yu Country and were illustrious figures of their time. But in your generation, the family’s fortune declined, and you had to start from a minor official position in the Ministry of Revenue."
Li Ang continued, "You had an illicit affair with Zhao Sanniang, a married woman, and her husband confronted you—a story that spread throughout Chang’an City. To quell public opinion, you paid her husband to divorce her, and then you formally married Zhao Sanniang. However, the stigma of breaking up another’s marriage remained, affecting your career progression. A year later, Zhao Sanniang fell gravely ill and passed away. You did not remarry. Instead, you continuously publicly mourned your deceased wife. This successfully reversed your reputation, and your career path became smooth sailing, allowing you to rise to the position of Gold Department Doctor. Too smooth, too coincidental, isn’t it?"
The scholar and the others finally caught on. "What you mean is..." they questioned.
"According to common rumors, in the six months before Zhao Sanniang died, she was bedridden deep within the residence and saw no outsiders. Perhaps it was this Huai Langzhong who personally killed Zhao Sanniang, the woman affecting his career."
Li Ang said indifferently, "Mourning his deceased wife, a tale of deep affection—sounds so pleasing to the ear, doesn’t it?"
Huai Rui, his eyes bloodshot, choked out, "I didn’t... kill Sanniang..."
Li Ang ignored Huai Rui’s struggles and pleas, continuing, "As for the brocade box that contained the Jiao Yao specimen, the jade used for decoration is understandable. But the tiger power hanging at the box’s opening is the very essence bone of a tiger, capable of suppressing Evil Spirits. If this brocade box was given to you by a Sea Merchant who claimed the Jiao Yao human wax could ward off evil, why would you also need to hang tiger power on it? Surely you wouldn’t use one evil-warding item to suppress another, right?"
At this point, the scholar and the others also realized something was amiss and asked suspiciously, "What you mean is..."
Li Ang said indifferently, "If I’m not mistaken, what was originally in the brocade box wasn’t some fake Jiao Yao specimen at all. It was a real... human."
"Human?" The scholar frowned. "Such a small box, how could it hold a human body... unless it’s... an infant..."
"The infant Zhao Sanniang was carrying in the months before her death." Li Ang tilted his head, gazing at Huai Rui. "That was your child, which is why you treasured it in the brocade box. And now... it’s gone..."
Huai Rui suddenly stopped struggling, looking expressionlessly at Li Ang. "You’re right. What was originally in the box was indeed my child with Zhao Sanniang. I was bewitched by her and, in a moment of impulse, married her. Only later did I come to my senses. The foundation of the Huai family began with my great-grandfather serving as Minister of the Secretariat; future generations could only safeguard it through official service. But by marrying an already married woman, I became a laughingstock, a subject of common gossip. There was no way I could advance further in my career. Only her death could clear the way for my future."
The scholar’s expression turned to horror. "To kill your wife and child... you actually..."
"The Academic Palace has said that this is an era of great conflict." Huai Rui spoke indifferently, "Both beasts and humans need to be fierce and ruthless to survive..."
Before he could finish, the bedroom floor erupted again. A dark shadow burst from below, striking Li Ang’s wrist that clutched Huai Rui’s neck, allowing Huai Rui to break free.
"COUGH, COUGH—" Huai Rui fell to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing violently. The shadow gradually solidified, crawling up Huai Rui’s pant leg and perching on his shoulder like a small monkey.
It was an infant... with bluish-purple skin and grotesque features.
"Good child, my good child." Huai Rui caressed the infant’s head with a tender expression, and the latter affectionately nuzzled his palm.
A picture of fatherly love and filial piety.