Chapter Six: Striking at the Weak Spot

【Latest Report】Tomorrow is 5/15, the anniversary celebration of Starting Point, the day with the most benefits. Besides the gift packs, you absolutely have to check out the "515 Red Envelope Frenzy" this time—how can you not snatch red envelopes? Set your alarm~

I don't know who Zhao Haikun is waiting to meet, but I understand that this person must be extremely important, closely tied to the affairs of the Zhao family.

I have a feeling that, from the very first moment we saw Zhao Haikun sitting expectantly at his doorstep, the true purpose was to await this person's arrival...

With curiosity about the visitor and sorrow for the old squad leader, I asked Zhao Haikun, "Who's coming?"

Zhao Haikun turned to me, slightly embarrassed, and replied, "An undertaker, here to seal the coffin for Old Second."

"Seal the coffin?" I was surprised. Isn't sealing the coffin something the family does themselves?

Just as I was about to inquire further, the woman who looked like a man—Gui Yuxiu—snapped impatiently at me, "Why are you fussing, stranger? Just stay cool in this room!"

I... am an outsider?!

Gui Yuxiu's words made me furious.

The old squad leader is my master! Even if it was a 'private' apprenticeship, he is still my master. In the old days, disciples would wear mourning for their masters. Moreover, we chefs from the Five Viscera Temple place great importance on tradition and rules. How could I be considered an outsider?

Besides, with the coffin about to be sealed, they wanted me to sit aside and do nothing? That was impossible—I couldn't just sit still!

So I spoke up, "Brother Kun, let me join you! After all, I'm the old squad leader’s only apprentice. The coffin's about to be sealed... I want to see him one last time."

Zhao Haikun nodded slightly toward me, then looked expectantly at his wife.

His gesture made my heart sink—clearly, Zhao Haikun fears his wife most, and she fears nothing, least of all him.

Sure enough, before I could react, Gui Yuxiu glared at Zhao Haikun and shouted, "What’s the point of staring at the dead? If you really want to see, I’ll send you a photo later—look at it all you want! Pretending to be the dutiful son, I don't care!"

Her words enraged me! She didn’t even give me face, nor her own husband’s—his wife had now elevated herself to the 'boss' of the household?

Honestly, though I was angry, I had no solution. When under someone's roof, who doesn’t bow their head? If I fought her, things would only get harder.

If force failed, I’d have to try persuasion.

Despite Gui Yuxiu's tough demeanor, I felt she had a weakness to exploit.

After a little thought, I quickly took out five hundred yuan from my pocket.

I gently slipped the money into her hand, forcing a smile. "Sister-in-law, this is my share for the comrade upstairs—a little contribution for this joyful day. Please grant me the favor of seeing the groom one last time..."

As expected, Gui Yuxiu's eyes lit up at the sight of money!

She grinned, stowing the cash, and praised me, "Oh, what a righteous brother! For your loyalty, you’ll definitely get to see the old squad leader one last time. Follow us!"

I gave a dry laugh, feeling hot and awkward, at a loss for words.

Regarding Gui Yuxiu, I can only say one thing: she’s become an expert—an expert at money!

...In utter frustration, I asked Xian Hongye to keep an eye on Wang Hou, while I pushed Zhao Haikun’s wheelchair back to the Zhao family’s courtyard, where the feast had taken place.

The courtyard was empty now, the midday banquet dispersed. Only Zhao Hong and Ah Si lingered, looking bewildered.

After the guests departed, the silent tables and the desolate mourning hall struck me as painfully stark.

I stopped Zhao Haikun’s wheelchair and gazed at the coffin in the center of the hall, the portrait, incense, and offerings before it, sighing deeply.

I found that whenever I approached the coffin, I lacked the courage to look inside.

Since arriving at the Zhao family home, this conflicted feeling has haunted me. I truly wanted to see my old squad leader, to behold my comrade in the coffin, to see if his appearance was peaceful.

But... I lacked the courage. Not just me, Zhao Hong lacked it too.

Thus, I hesitated.

At this moment, Zhao Haikun seemed to sense my inner conflict. He waved me to stop and said, "Let’s wait. When that person arrives, we’ll go together."

I nodded, frowning as I stared at the portrait, reminiscing about my past with the old squad leader...

After a while, seeing the undertaker had not yet arrived, I asked Gui Yuxiu, "Isn’t he already here? Why are we still waiting?"

Before she could answer, a hoarse, almost broken voice beside me replied.

"Zhao Haipeng died a violent death! He’ll become a fierce ghost! If this Heavenly Master doesn’t don the Northern Dipper Fiend Robe, how could I subdue him!"

His words infuriated me! His tone reeked of charlatanry, and I felt nothing but contempt.

Without thinking, I turned and pointed at the scoundrel’s face, barking, "You’re the one turning into a fierce ghost! Show some respect for the dead!"

Perhaps my words caught him off guard, for he froze in place.

In that brief moment, our eyes met—I saw his true face.

He was... a bizarre-looking man!

At first glance, he was dark-skinned and skeletal, standing motionless like a dried corpse.

He wore hemp shoes with six ears, rough cloth pants, and a vest painted with seven stars and mountain geography. The vest had no sleeves, exposing his skinny arms. In one hand he held a wooden box, in the other a white rooster.

The visual impact was so sudden and strong that my mind blanked—I didn’t even know what to say...

I couldn’t tell—was he a monk, or a Taoist?

As I wondered, the skeletal man chuckled, pointing at my face, "Why aren’t you scolding me now? Have you been subdued by the aura of this Heavenly Master?"

His words made my blood boil—how arrogant was he? Did he think a vest gave him some kind of aura?

Just as I was about to retort, Gui Yuxiu suddenly smiled.

To my confusion, facing such a rogue charlatan, she not only smiled but also flattered him:

"Oh, Master Duan! Don’t mind them—they haven’t seen your skills and spoke out of turn. Please forgive them!"

With these words, she performed an action that stunned me.

She took the money I’d given her from her pocket and handed it all to the skeletal man.

I immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

A woman willing to give money to a man like that must believe he’s either very skilled or very persuasive—though in my view, he was the latter.

Worst of all, the Zhao family clearly hadn’t realized any of this.

After accepting the money, the skeletal man beamed, stowed it away, then patted Zhao Haikun’s shoulder and spoke a few comforting words.

From their conversation, I quickly understood why this Master Duan was here.

It turned out that after my master Zhao Haipeng died, the blow to Zhao Haikun and Gui Yuxiu had been devastating—they were completely lost.

Instead of calling the police or arranging the funeral, their first thought was to invite the famous 'Master Duan' to figure out what had happened.

Driven by money, Master Duan had come three days earlier to inspect the scene and insisted that Zhao Haipeng died from demonic possession in Jinan. He claimed that after death, he would turn into a fierce ghost, and only proper measures could prevent this.

What measures? Arrange a ghost wedding, ink the coffin, and finally, invite him to perform a ritual—the three-step process.

Thus, under his guidance, the Zhao family paired my old squad leader with a village girl who had died five years ago and was only nine years old by ghost reckoning, resulting in today’s bizarre wedding for the dead.

Sigh! After learning all this, I was at a loss for words. The Zhao family’s actions could only be described as "pitiful in intention, lamentable in deed."

But since things had come this far, though my heart ached, I had no solution.

After all, the Zhao family had spent plenty of money for my squad leader; if I pressed further, I’d only add to their distress.

Fine—turn a blind eye, let it be. Consider it money spent for peace of mind.

But once I stopped berating him, this notorious 'Master Duan' really took advantage!

After a few words of comfort to Zhao Haikun, he began boasting, and the more he boasted, the more outrageous his claims became.

He opened his wooden box, took out ritual implements, set up incense and candles, all while bragging about his skills and long-standing credentials.

I endured it all, but in the end, I couldn’t hold back.

He kept getting more mystical, finally claiming his ancestors were ghost hunters from the royal family, named Duan Zhengchun, with inherited 'Six Meridian Divine Sword' ghost-hunting techniques, and that he even knew Wang Chongyang’s One Yang Finger! Any ghost, he could subdue with a single finger!

Hearing this, I couldn’t stand the charlatan any longer!

There must be limits, even to deception—if you’re going to cheat people, at least have some decency!

So I sneered at Master Duan, "You know the Six Meridian Divine Sword? Well, show us! Let everyone see what it looks like!"

Of course, I didn't expect him to actually demonstrate—I was just mocking him.

After all, if he truly had the Six Meridian Divine Sword, he wouldn’t need to make a living by pretending to be a spiritual master, and martial arts fiction hardly translates to reality.

But unexpectedly, the skeletal man smiled confidently the moment I finished. His smile made me strangely uneasy.

He then stood tall and said to me, "Very well! This Heavenly Master will show you the Duan family's Six Meridian Divine Sword!"

With that, he held his breath, raised his skinny right hand, slowly lifting it with the air of someone about to display earth-shattering skill.

PS. 5/15 "Starting Point" will rain red envelopes! Starting at noon, there’s a round every hour—a wave of 515 red envelopes, all depending on luck. Go snatch them, and use your Starting Point coins to keep subscribing to my chapters!