Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Hu the Butcher

It was unclear whether the shadow had noticed Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan's gaze, but the being that cast the shadow visibly grew agitated. Its body swayed, causing the surrounding bushes to rustle with a "crackling" sound.

Bai Zhengliu watched for a moment, his brows furrowing and then relaxing... finally, he took a step forward.

Mei Yinghan moved alongside him.

The two moved swiftly and quietly, arriving at the swaying bushes together.

Bai Zhengliu slightly crouched down and used his sword scabbard to push aside the bushes, revealing what was behind.

The swordsman and the knife wielder both froze in place. "This is..."

...

...

Fu, Gu, and Wang anxiously waited for half the night. During this time, they were repeatedly startled by the sound of the wind, trembling and desperately seeking places to hide. When it was almost dawn, they finally heard footsteps outside.

Yet they didn’t dare to feel relieved.

Who said hearing footsteps was a good sign? What if the female ghost had finally arrived? What if there was something else strange in Chang's residence?

Among them, Gu Miao, who had the sharpest hearing, was the most panicked.

At times like this, he couldn’t care less about how he had planned to throw Fu Ming to the ghost the day before. The young man clung to his lover’s arm, practically hiding behind Lord Wang, his words stumbling: "Three of them! Three sets of footsteps!"

Fu Ming’s face twitched, and Wang didn’t even dare to breathe.

Gu Miao’s expression looked worse than if he were crying, his voice cracking with a sob: "They’ve reached the door! They—"

The rest of the sentence didn’t need to be said, Fu and Wang both understood.

The door creaked open with a heavy sound. That long voice seemed to scrape through their skulls, resonating directly in their bones. Fu Ming immediately led Gu Miao to hide behind a screen, while Wang scrambled under the table in panic.

At the door, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan: "..."

Bai Zhengliu hesitated: "Where are they?"Mei Yinghan hesitated and followed up: "There’s still movement ahead, is it...?" Could it be that they heard us coming, but weren’t sure what was going on outside, so they hid first?

He guessed correctly.

In the main hall, Wang Shi had also heard the conversation between the knife wielder and the swordsman. Trembling, she cautiously peeked out from under the table.

When she saw the faces of the two young men, she let out a breath of relief and thought to herself, “Isn’t this Bai Lang and Mei Lang? That young master Gu is really something, not even explaining things clearly…” Halfway through that thought, she suddenly remembered something, and her expression changed slightly.

Wang Shi clearly recalled that Gu Miao had said earlier that three people were coming!

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan could only count as two, so who was the third? Or rather, what was it?

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan saw Wang Shi only peeking her head out, but it seemed as if she was stuck there, making no further movements for quite a while.

Only her eyes were constantly shifting, as if she was trying to get a better look at them. Her face also showed signs of anxiety, as though she wanted to tell them something.

At this point, even Mei Yinghan couldn’t figure it out. The two of them decided to enter the room first, bringing along the person they had picked up earlier.

As they walked, Bai Zhengliu called out: “Wang A-jie, come take a look. Is this the Brother Hu you were talking about earlier?”

Wang Shi froze.

She focused her gaze and indeed, behind the knife wielder and swordsman, there was another figure following them. The outside was still dim, so she hadn’t seen it clearly at first.

Now, as the person stepped inside, the bright light from the candles revealed a clear outline. Wang Shi immediately realized: “It really is Hu the butcher!”

She scrambled out from under the table, both worried and happy, rushing to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan’s side. She took a close look at the man who had followed them back.

Overall, the joy outweighed the worry.

Earlier, Hu the butcher had entered the mist outside the residence, and they had later heard a piercing scream from within. Though she hadn’t spoken it out loud, Wang Shi had mentally accepted that Hu the butcher must have died.

Now, seeing that he was alive and well, how could she not be happy? Not just because Hu the butcher was still alive, but also because, "If that's the case, entering that mist might not be as dangerous as we thought."

However, before she could even think of venturing into the mist herself to see if she could find her way home, she noticed something was off again.The Hu butcher in front of them was still the same tall man, but his entire body was exuding a stiff, shrinking aura. When he was at a distance, it wasn’t as bad, but as they got closer, Hu butcher almost jumped out of fear. The large frame of his body was curled up with his arms wrapped around himself, trembling in fear as he cried out, “Ghost... ghost!!”

Wang Shi was startled by him and immediately stopped in her tracks.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan were helpless and explained to her, “When we met him, he was already like this.”

This story began when Bai Zhengliu used the sword sheath to push aside the bushes and discovered Hu the butcher hiding behind them.

At that time, Hu the butcher was in the same state. Upon seeing the two of them, he looked as if he had seen a horrifying ghost. His head almost dug into the ground as his entire body shook uncontrollably.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan initially thought he might be some servant they hadn't met before. But upon a closer look at Hu the butcher's attire, they realized something was off.

Though they had only seen four people from the Chang residence, whether it was An Bo, Ping Ge, or the little maid, all of them had proper, standardized clothing. The tall man squatting before them, however, didn’t fit this mold.

He was dressed in rough, homespun clothes, and as they got closer, they could even smell the strong scent of meat from his body. His cheeks were somewhat sunken, but one could still make out his past fierce demeanor. Plus, his hands made it clear to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan that this man likely had a job that required him to hold a knife for long periods.

With that, the answer became clear.

Normally, they would have asked about the situation. But Hu the butcher's state was clearly not right, and even after exchanging a few words with him, all they got were the repeated phrases of “ghost” and “help.”

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan briefly discussed it and decided to take him back to the main hall first.

At first, they thought this would be a difficult task, and both of them were prepared to knock him out and carry him off if necessary. To their surprise, Hu the butcher surprisingly complied.

Bai Zhengliu simply said, “If you can understand, just follow us,” and before he could finish with, “If you don’t understand, I apologize,” Hu the butcher stood up immediately.

Thus, he walked behind the knife wielder and swordsman all the way.

“Pitiful,” Wang Shi sighed after listening to the two young men’s account. Her earlier fear had dissipated, and she let out a sigh.

Looking at Hu the butcher’s ragged clothing, she couldn’t help but imagine the dangerous and terrifying things Hu the butcher must have encountered outside.

It must have been extremely dangerous, something to make people fear... for such a strong man to be so terrified that he was nearly paralyzed.

Wang Shi rubbed her chest, then felt a sense of relief, thankful that she hadn’t gone out with Hu the butcher the previous morning.

During the pause in their conversation, Fu Ming and Gu Miao, who had been hiding without any issues, came out and asked, “How did you end up bringing someone back? Did you find anything over at the main courtyard?”Bai Zhengliu briefly stated, "We did make a discovery..."

Just as he was about to elaborate, Wang Shi interrupted, "Come in and talk. You've both been out the whole night; you're certainly exhausted."

Although Fu Ming was anxious, he knew there was no reason to deny them a chance to sit and speak. He quietly held back his impatience, and luckily, from the door of the main hall to the bench by the table, it didn’t take long.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan sat down, but Wang Shi still carefully observed Hu the butcher’s condition. The two families were from the wealthier side of the town and the local farmers. It was rare to encounter something like this, and now they were all unfortunate victims of ghosts and spirits. Wang Shi carefully helped Hu the butcher sit down, then found a seat for herself.

Fu Ming, unable to wait, quickly asked, "Speak, did you encounter Old Master Chang?"

Gu Miao also asked anxiously, "Is he human or a ghost?"

Bai Zhengliu responded objectively, "He seems to be human."

Mei Yinghan added, "He could still speak with me and Bai Zhengliu, and he was able to escape when he heard noises." He briefly recounted the encounter in the main courtyard with the knife wielder and swordsman.

Though the words were brief, they did not omit any important details. When they mentioned the dried-up pond, all three present—excluding Hu the butcher—held their breath. When the talking paper doll was mentioned, Gu Miao even let out a small exclamation.

Mei Yinghan, interrupted by the startled cry, was momentarily silent.

Bai Zhengliu helped clarify, "It's not some bizarre thing; it’s just a paper doll."

Gu Miao still furrowed his brows, and Fu Ming, dissatisfied, said, "If it’s just a paper doll, why make it sound so frightening?" He then added, "Paper dolls are meant to be burned for the dead, aren't they? It's still bad luck."

He secretly felt disgruntled. Wang Shi, however, found his words excessive. After a night of fear, she had started to figure things out. Regardless of Fu Ming's noble status, his behavior in the haunted house could be summarized in two words: coward!

In her mind, her support shifted toward Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan. Facing the wealthy people she used to never dare to provoke, she boldly raised her voice, "How is it scary? It sounds fine to me. Besides, if Mei Lang and Bai Lang hadn’t explained all the details clearly, what would happen if something goes wrong afterward? Wouldn’t we be left in the dark?"

Fu Ming glared at her. How dare this village woman speak to him like that?

Wang Shi glared back... Well, after she finished speaking, she had used up most of her courage. Her heart was pounding now, and she pulled at her sleeve, glancing at the knife wielder and swordsman, hoping they would say something as well.

Her wish was granted. Mei Yinghan continued, "There’s been no more talk of paper dolls. In the end, Old Master Chang was caught by me and Bai Zhengliu, and he told us something important."

Bai Zhengliu added, "He said it was 'important,' but it’s actually the same story the steward and the little servant told us before. Huang Shi harmed Liu Shi first, and then Liu Shi harmed Huang Shi. However, the discoveries we made in Miss Huang's room yesterday still have no explanation."As he was speaking, a gaze landed on him.

Bai Zhengliu instantly felt the same chilling sensation as when he had battled the Blood Demon Ancestor and was locked onto by the demon’s gaze. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and his fingers instinctively reached toward the direction where the Twenty-Eight Generals were.

At the same time, he followed the direction of the gaze and looked over. In that moment, his eyes met a pair of eyes.

The knife wielder gently inhaled.