Mortgage

I consider you all kin." I shrugged, making my stance clear.Si Huang frowned, as if weighing the pros and cons.She asked anxiously, "Are you leaving here soon""What do you mean Your tone sounds like...My brother looked at my belly and let out a helpless sigh.

Now I'm really stuck between a rock and a hard place!

I'm already a worrywart, and after having a child, I imagine it will be even worse. I'll be constantly anxious and worried about their safety.

The best way is to eliminate the threat of the Situ family as soon as possible. However, he is currently quick-acting and has deep ties with the higher-ups. The Lin family dares not openly confront him. We can only gradually expose the cards that Situ Lin has accumulated over the years and then destroy them one by one.

》》》

According to the customs of our hometown, whenever there's no major event happening, all the descendants of the family are expected to come to the ancestral home for a dinner gathering.

My everyday meals are simple, mostly vegetarian with the standard fare of three dishes and one soup. I'm treated very well; Aunt Zhang personally cooks a special soup for me every day.

I sat beside my grandfather and watched the many descendants who came to bow to him. Unable to help myself, I whispered, “Grandpa, we’ve met your daughter from before you lived in this house. It's been so many years, have you considered giving her a proper name and place in our family records This wouldn't affect your relationship with Grandma…”

The old man nodded slightly. "Your great-grandmother said many years ago that the child was innocent, because of her he lost his father's protection and added karmic debt to himself. She told me this many times... But I didn't want to, afraid that those women's children would make her suffer."

"After all these years, all those women you used to have are gone, their children are now old, where is there any more spirit" I advised: "After all, they are still your children."

Grandpa smiled at me: “Xiao Qiao, becoming a mother has softened your heart, hasn't it”

I hung my head a little, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Giving birth at my age must seem quite ridiculous to normal people, right

"Xiao Qiao has always been soft-hearted. When she imprisons evil spirits, she always gives them a Ghost Passing Talisman… what a waste!" My brother said with a laugh.

The grandfather was in a good mood and said to my brother, "You two siblings have surprised me. You're quite capable. In the past year, you've made quite a name for yourselves and even brought some glory to our family... Just be careful not to encounter any evil things, those can really ruin people."

"Uh-huh, got it."

Mid-sentence, a clansman stumbled in, shouting, "Grandfather, two troublemakers are outside looking for a fight!"

Spot the difference

The old man raised an eyebrow. Did these two fools think they could just barge in and start trouble Who dared be so brazen

"Invite the person in properly. Let me see who this accomplished individual is, who dares to bully an old man like me."

He was truly ironic, saying that. With so many descendants in this room, they could even run amok in the countryside if they ganged up. How dare he call himself a poor old man

My grandfather, as the eldest son, immediately went out with several clansmen upon hearing his grandfather's command.

Before anyone even stepped into the courtyard, I smelled something strange and wrinkled my nose. "What's this smell... it smells strongly of bleach..."

My brother stood up and pulled me behind him, saying, "This is the smell of handling corpses. High-concentration bleach, along with a mixture of formaldehyde and deodorant... Don't smell these fumes, just watch from back here."

This is an old-fashioned flower hall. The corridor leading to the inner courtyard is behind the screen wall, and I hide behind the screen wall and look out from the carved wooden window.

A short and stout man strode in first, followed by a young man.

Both of them were short, barely reaching 1.7 meters, but the stout man was particularly sturdy. He had red pimples all over his face, and his temples protruded slightly. This kind of person should be a master of internal martial arts.

The young man behind him was sullen and taciturn, his small eyes scanning everyone in the room before falling back to stand silently behind the short, stout figure.

What's even more terrifying is that three stiff-bodied "people" were following them, each wearing a piece of cloth over their head.

They took one step, and the "people" behind them followed suit.

"May I ask who is in charge Is Mr. Mu here" The short, stout man spoke, his voice booming like a gong.

The old man leaned on his cane, squinting at the two of them with both hands gripping it.

Everyone stood, only Grandpa sat down, so the short and fat man bowed to Grandpa and began speaking in a string of slang.

"I hear old Grandpa is quite the powerful figure! The two of us have been wanting to cross this line, and Old Broomstick sent us with a message. We hope you'll listen."

The old man nodded slightly, then shook his head and said to the short, stout man, "A half-buried old man, you should speak plainly... If you have anything to say, tell me, your grandson. Don't look at him, he may be getting older, but he is sharp as a tack and gets things done."

Okay, I can only understand half of what you're saying.

Later, my brother translated for me. "份腿兒" means a respected person. In slang, they call their master "本" and their apprentice "利".

He's saying that: we've heard that the old patriarch is a well-respected figure in the underworld, and my master and I were passing through your area by order of our leader. We've come to deliver a message and hope you'll give us some face so we can return with a proper reply.

My grandfather replied: "I'm already buried up to my waist in dirt. It's time to know when to step aside. Now it's the young people's turn to take charge. If you have something, tell me, your eldest grandson. Don't just look at me – I'm young and handsome, but I understand the ways of the world and can handle things."

I couldn't help but think to myself, maybe I should learn some of this slang too

My father had never intended for me to be involved in family affairs. He didn't teach me anything about handling the business, managing the shop, learning Taoist practices, or collecting goods in the countryside... he simply never taught me any of it.

I'm probably the one in this family who's treated most like an ordinary person. I guess many people don't understand why Grandpa favors me so much

My older brother had everyone else leave first, only leaving Grandpa and a few other elders sitting.

The short and stout man claimed his surname was Shi, while the young and gloomy one went by Long.

Shi, the fat man, spoke bluntly: "We are from the Black Pagoda clan. A while ago, a man came to find our Miao King and demanded the Great Corpse King. Our Miao King refused, so he offered many conditions..."

It must be Si Tu Lin.

They didn't say it, but we guessed it anyway. He wanted the Great Corpse King

“Later, he had a long closed-door meeting with our King Miao. When he left, he asked us to consider it. King Miao then dispatched his disciples from all over to investigate his background. We learned that he had directly confronted your Mu family and that you destroyed the village of the zombie cultivators... We want to ask, how did you defeat the zombie demon”

"A Corpse Demon" My brother frowned and shook his head. "I wouldn't dare fake it, we've never seen a Corpse Demon."

Shi Pangzi was taken aback and questioned suspiciously, "Impossible, they are secretly raising Corpse Demons, but Corpse Demons don't distinguish between friend and foe, and are difficult to control. They wouldn't dare release them easily. That's why they are trying every means to refine a Corpse King to fight!"

Suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind, and I quickly came out from behind the screen.

"I've seen it! I've seen the thing you were talking about—"

< >ght. There are already many people inside, and the village's supplies are not enough at all." Long Xiao commanded.It was already evening, and snow was falling. The small town was covered in a layer of...