CH 10.1

The old couple who were selling wontons at the door were particularly enthusiastic every time they saw Lou Muge. At first, the old man was unwilling to entertain Lou Muge, but after suffering a scolding from his wife several times later, he no longer dared to detest him in his face. 

Every day when he woke up early, he would sit at the wonton stall and chat with them.

The grandpa was surnamed Wang, and his wife was surname Guo.

Elder Guo was also four years older than Elder Wang, and they had been married for more than thirty years.

Lou Muge inquired curiously and learned that their family was somewhat special. Elder Wang’s parents went hunting in the mountains when they were young and never came back. Elder Wang became a young beggar who grew up eating a variety of meals.

Elder Guo, on the other hand, had a demented brother, who was off his head all day. No one in Shan’an was willing to marry this burden home, so Elder Guo had never married. Later, someone matched the two, and they got married.

More than 30 years later, Elder Wang never disliked Elder Guo’s demented brother, and Elder Guo never disliked the once beggar Elder Wang who had nothing. She gave him all her belongings, and the two of them set up a wonton stall. So many years had passed, and they now had a son and a daughter, living in peace and prosperity.

Their ability to keep each other company was a blessing. After listening to their story, Lou Muge felt warm deep inside. They worked at sunrise and rested at sunset; this was a life that many people could not not envy.

“Shengsheng.” A soft call interrupted their idle chatter.

The moment Lou Muge heard the voice, he recognized who it was. He turned his head to look, and saw Ning Shaosi slowly walking with the chill of the morning sun, but with a warm smile at the corner of his eyes.

“Do you want a bowl?” Lou Muge raised a bowl at him.

Ning Shaosi nodded with a piece of silver in his sleeve already ready.

“Today we can go over to the graveyard again.” Lou Muge said, “There has been no progress at all in the past few days. I hope I can find something today.”

Ning Shaosi nodded along.

Lou Muge had gotten used to his reticence, as if he would never take the initiative to speak. Every time, except for answering questions or responding in a parrot, he had no sense of existence most of the time.

He also honestly performed the task he had assigned to him a few days ago. He went back and forth to visit those who have contracted the strange disease, but he failed to draw out any information except endless weeping and sobbing. 

A bowl of hot wontons was served, but before Ning Shaosi could use his chopsticks, he was interrupted by someone’s shout.

“Elder Wang! The fool of your wife’s family has run out and made a big mess! Go and take a look!” The man was extremely loud, his yell reaching them even from half a block away.

Elder Wang’s expression immediately changed. He dropped the task at hand and ran after the man. Elder Guo also panicked and said to Lou Muge, “Little Divine Immortal, please look after our stall!”

After instructing, she took off running in pursuit. Lou Muge stood up off the bat, “Let’s go. Let’s go and see, too.” 

Ning Shaosi put down the chopsticks he just picked up, and left the piece of silver. He tapped his fingertips on the table, and a faint glow flashed away.

By the time he retracted his hand, Lou Muge had already run far away. He gathered his sleeves and chased after him without panic.

Lou Muge followed the people and ran two streets before seeing the crowd packed in the street. Wailing and roaring emerged from the crowd, along with Elder Guo’s cries.

He pushed through the crowd and squeezed in. At a glance, he found that one of the men lying on the bloody ground had his left leg cut off and lay aside. There was also a hideous laceration on his neck that made blood gush out freely.

What was bizarre was that the man was holding a blood-soaked knife in his hand.

The two young men beside him were beating another man curled up on the ground with fury, hitting him violently, beating him to the point of screaming.

Elder Guo was kneeling on the ground, crying and begging them to stop. Elder Wang was standing by her side in a daze, his eyes suffused with incredulity.

There was also a woman kneeling beside the man, crying and shouting. Coupled with the incessant chatter of the spectators, the noise and all the voices stirred together, making Lou Muge feel a ringing in his ears.

Just as he was sighing, another cry sounded around him. He looked in puzzlement and saw that Chang Anning was crying with his face all reddened. He looked wretched.

“Why are you crying again? Is the one who died or the one who was beaten your relative?” he asked.

“It must hurt to be beaten like that.” Chang Anning pointed to the man curled up on the ground and replied, “Didn’t you hear him screaming?”

Lou Muge was full of doubts. He rummaged through his clothes and found the fan that Ning Shaosi had given him earlier. He pulled it out and waved it at the two men who were committing violence.

The fan hit one of them. The man staggered, but when he turned around, Lou Muge caught him. The bell tied on the fan handle did not ring for a bit.

The man turned back and roared, “Who are you?!”

Lou Muge stepped out of the crowd. The chilly shade on his face inexplicably frightened the people: “What skills do you have to torment a fool?”

The one lying on the ground was Elder Guo’s foolish elder brother named Guo Chuangen, whose body was now painted with footprints. He looked tragic, but but he looked better than the people around him.

When the man saw that it was Lou Muge, he didn’t dare to cause any more trouble and pointed at Guo Chuangen, accusing angrily, “This foolish man killed my father! Why don’t you let me beat him?”

Lou Muge raised his legs and walked to the corpse. He looked down and saw that the dead man was none other than Uncle Zhao who had gone mad on the street the other day. He hadn’t heard news of him after Zhang Rong restrained him.

Half of his face was buried in a pool of blood, but a smile of satisfaction and happiness actually was on his face.

Elder Guo darted forward and hugged Guo Chuangen, shouting, “My brother doesn’t know anything! Don’t you guys hit him!”

The young man’s anger grew into hatred, and with it, he hated Elder Guo as well. He lifted his foot and kicked her in the back. He was about to kick the fool again when Elder Wang regained his senses and pushed him away.

At this point, Elder Wang’s children also arrived. When they saw their mother beaten, they were naturally angered. The two families raised hell and were very noisy.

Lou Muge forced them to shut up. He squatted beside the man and reached out to probe him, but found that the man’s soul had disappeared, leaving only an empty shell.

He stood up sullenly.

Ning Shaosi approached calmly, and upon seeing the fan in his hand, he seemed rather delighted. He stepped half a foot in the pool of blood and softly asked him, “What’s wrong?”

“His soul is gone.” Lou Muge replied equally softly.

The soul of a new human corpse would remain for 12 hours. After leaving the body, it would enter the ghost path. Only the underworld and practitioners could detect them. However, Uncle Zhao had just died, but his soul had disappeared entirely. It was obvious that someone had taken it away.

Lou Muge scanned the surroundings but could not see anyone unusual.

The two families were still pulling and arguing with each other, and while Lou Muge was distracted, Ning Shaosi suddenly tweaked the bell tied to the tip of his hair.