Chapter Forty-Nine: A Desolate Scene

I pondered that if the dough figurine in the old woman’s hand was indeed her own handiwork, she must be a renowned master of pastry arts in the Liangzu Temple. Furthermore, after hearing Zhao Shuihe’s analysis, I felt even more strongly that the old woman was inextricably linked to that "Su Zi Zuo." Since she and Zhao Shuihe were both part of "Su Zi Zuo," how could they possibly not know each other?

Facing my questioning, Zhao Shuihe replied with great dissatisfaction, "I’m not a deity! How could I possibly know everyone? Stop smearing the name of 'Su Zi Zuo'! We all run legitimate businesses here at Liangzu Temple. We aren't charlatans, nor are we bad people!"

Her words inexplicably reminded me of Xiao Jiuer—that ruthless, heartless girl covered in snake gu. Not bad people? I could only scoff at that. Feeling helpless and observing Zhao Shuihe’s attitude, I was forced to abandon my interrogation. However, I made a mental note: this old woman was very likely connected to Su Zi Zuo and the Liangzu Temple.

As we spoke, Zhao Shuihe and I walked past the northernmost street of Zhao Family Tower and arrived at a fairly large open space. It was a vast expanse of broken bricks and shattered tiles. Seen from a distance, set against the backdrop of the night, it looked indescribably desolate. Zhao Shuihe pointed to the milling crowd in the clearing and said, "Haipeng’s body is over there."

Confronted by this bleak patch of land, I couldn't help but knit my brows and ask Zhao Shuihe, "Looking at this site, there must have been a grand mansion here once, right? Why is it reduced to nothing but rubble now?"

Zhao Shuihe spoke with the sentimentality characteristic of the Zhao family, "This used to be the 'Zhao Family Tower,' the ancient tower that our ancestors upheld and protected for over five hundred years."

Her words left me stunned. I scanned my surroundings, unable to reconcile this scene of ruin with a three-story ancient tower. Yet, the sheer scale of the area and the jagged, towering remnants of masonry still hinted at the grandeur and glory that the tower once possessed. Six hundred years ago, the Zhao Family Tower stood, and because of its existence, the Zhao family flourished; when it fell, the family was scattered to the winds. I stood upon its "corpse," and it was here that my former squad leader’s body had been discovered. I felt that finding his remains here was no mere coincidence—perhaps it was the result of someone's deliberate design.

Amidst the ruins, I saw many people holding flashlights and torches, almost all of them men. Among them, I quickly spotted Zhao Haijun in his wheelchair, standing beside him were the uncle-nephew duo Lei Ren, Little A-Si, Zhao Hong clutching his stomach, and... Master Duan, who was standing nearby, puffing on a cigarette and chatting with a smug, sinister smile.

What was that swindler Duan doing here?!

At this moment, Master Duan was whispering something to Zhao Haijun, who looked ashen-faced, staring fixedly at a coffin before him. Seeing that fraudster made my blood boil. Earlier, Xian Hongye and I had analyzed the suspicious points surrounding him. This bastard, who claimed to know the "Six Meridians Divine Sword," was likely the mastermind who had ambushed us on the road to Old Qi’s place. Combined with the bizarre, life-threatening ordeal I had just survived tonight, my rage was intense.

Consumed by anger, I marched toward him, gripping the combat knife in my hand tightly, ready at any moment to sever his tendons. Cripple him first, then interrogate him later! In military terms, this was "act first, report later."

But just as I had taken a few steps, I was intercepted by Xian Hongye, who had appeared out of nowhere. She looked at the wounds covering my body, clearly shocked. "What happened?" she asked urgently.

I didn't answer her, continuing to glare at that bastard Master Duan, who was still spouting nonsense to Zhao Haijun with a lewd grin. Xian Hongye understood my intentions immediately. She gripped my hand, which was clutching the knife, and whispered, "There are so many people here; if you act rashly, something bad will happen."

Her words were very reasonable, but her hand, which was wrapped around my arm, was even more so. It was the first time in my life a woman had been this close to me! Of course... I mean under normal circumstances. Her touch made me shiver. I stared at her blankly for a moment, then nodded in silence.

I had no choice but to ask, "What exactly is going on? How did you find my squad leader?"

With a grave expression, Xian Hongye pointed to the coffin and said, "It was Zhao Hong."

She then explained that after she and Zhao Hong left, they followed Zhao Haijun’s suggestion and rallied the villagers. Once the villagers heard that the second Zhao brother had "risen from the dead," they were naturally gripped by fear. With little effort, a dozen or so people followed Zhao Hong to search for the body. With so many people, the pace was swift. Within half an hour, someone had spotted the body among the ruins.

"The body... it didn't... hurt anyone, did it?" I asked nervously.

Xian Hongye shook her head but told me, "When Zhao Hong and I arrived, your squad leader was already lying there stiffly. We didn't see that old woman, but... your squad leader was surrounded by cats!"

"Cats?" I asked in astonishment.

"Cats! A whole group of them were standing all around him."

Cats?! Cats again! Why were these creatures like vengeful spirits, always entangling themselves with the Zhao family and me? Could it be that they truly intended to make my life a misery and plague three generations of my family?

In my fury, I glanced at Master Duan again. Although there was no direct link between him and the cats yet, he was the only suspect I had at the moment. He was also the only target upon whom I could vent my anger.

Seeing this, Xian Hongye grabbed my hand again and whispered in my ear, "Killing someone is easy, but consider the 'things' behind him and your own future."

Having said that, she turned to look at Zhao Shuihe behind me and said, "Shuihe, your 'grand-disciple' isn't thinking clearly. Keep a close eye on him for me."

Zhao Shuihe nodded. From the look in their eyes, I could tell they had clearly conferred behind my back and were now on the same side. Women, they really do love to band together...

Xian Hongye’s stance was firm, yet pragmatic. She forced me to calm down and to continue playing along with Master Duan patiently until I could uncover their true purpose. Otherwise, a reckless attack would be far from the best strategy.

Feeling helpless, I walked up to the coffin containing my squad leader, accompanied by Zhao Shuihe and Xian Hongye. Zhao Haijun, seeing my battered state, pointed to the coffin and said, "I have made you suffer. Haipeng’s body is inside, waiting only for you."

I nodded, and under the complex gazes of the crowd, I leaned forward and nervously glanced at my squad leader’s remains. In an instant, my heart froze, and I found myself unable to believe my own eyes.

Why had my squad leader’s body turned into this?