Chapter 56 – Entering the Trap

The van stopped in front of a small courtyard, which looked like one of those houses in the urban-rural fringe areas waiting to be demolished. The surrounding walls had been torn down and rebuilt several times, and the small building inside, originally a single-story structure, had been haphazardly extended with two or three additional floors, making it look crooked and misshapen. Not far away, there were many similar houses, likely part of a suburban village about to be relocated. Without giving Wei Yang any time to observe, the middle-aged man led the two of them into the courtyard.

The layout inside the house was no different from that of an ordinary residence—shabby, dirty, and cluttered, showing no signs of being the hideout of a criminal gang. On the couch facing the entrance on the first floor, a few people were slouched, looking somewhat listless. Beer bottles and cigarette butts were scattered all over the table. When they saw the middle-aged man enter, one of the men who had been smoking immediately stubbed out his cigarette and walked over. “Uncle Miao, why are you back so late? Are these the two you invited?”

His tone carried a hint of doubt, as both Wei Yang and Zhang Xiuqi looked too young, and with their injuries, they didn’t seem particularly reliable. The middle-aged man surnamed Miao frowned and lowered his voice. “Why are you back too? Never mind, just stay at home these days and don’t wander around. Be careful not to get spotted by thunder boys. In the underworld, “cops” were referred to as “thunder boys”. Wei Yang had sharp ears, and upon hearing this, his heart tightened. Anyone who was warned like this was most likely a wanted criminal. It seemed this organization was involved in something serious and wouldn’t be easy to fool.

At this reminder, the man snorted. “With the old man in that state, how could I stay outside? Don’t worry, Uncle Zeng, I’ll leave as soon as this is dealt with. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on things here, in case someone tries to pull a fast one…” As he spoke, he glanced at Wei Yang, his gaze cold and menacing.

Wei Yang didn’t meet his gaze but instead turned to the man surnamed Miao and asked, “Where’s Xiao Sun?”

“Master Sun is resting in the next room. I’ve already sent someone to bring him over. Why don’t the two of you take a look at the patient first?”

Though the words sounded polite, there was no hint of releasing anyone in his tone. Wei Yang frowned slightly and, pulling Zhang Xiuqi along, walked over to the couch and sat down. He replied calmly, “No rush. Let’s wait until we see Xiao Sun first.”

This attitude was somewhat overbearing, and the expressions of the people in the room changed. The man standing next to Uncle Miao even glared angrily. “Don’t push your luck, kid…”

Wei Yang sneered. “Evil spirits usually act at night, right? It’s only just past the hour of the rooster¹5-7 PM. What’s the hurry? Let me see the person first.”

His words carried a certain confidence, but what surprised the others even more was his accurate assessment that the disturbances occurred at night. For the past few days, strange phenomena had indeed only appeared after dark, leaving them restless and on edge. These people might be ruthless and bold, but after years of grave robbing and corpse desecration, encountering such supernatural events naturally made them uneasy. With their boss in such a state, if things continued like this, morale would collapse, and their business would fall apart.

The man surnamed Miao immediately stopped his companion and gave the others in the room a meaningful look before replying, “Master Wei, please wait here for now. Master Sun will be here shortly.”

Without waiting for anyone else to respond, he led his men out and closed the door behind them. Once outside, he turned to the man beside him and said, “Xiao Wei, these two do seem to have some credibility. They were the ones who handled the situation at Sunshine Andrology before.”

To ensure he understood the situation, Miao Yun explained in detail. The trouble this time stemmed from a tomb from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Initially, it was his elder brother, Wang Tang, the boss of their organization, who had led the team to excavate the tomb. Afterward, the burial artifacts were sold off in batches, earning them a hefty profit. However, soon after, strange occurrences began at home. Not only did two of the skilled tomb raiders die, but Wang Tang himself also fell victim to some evil influence.

This was no small matter. Miao Yun immediately began investigating the whereabouts of the stolen artifacts that had been sold. Although they hadn’t personally handled the transactions, they managed to track down some information about the buyers. Eventually, they traced the artifacts to Sunshine Andrology. Although Director Li had been tight-lipped, rumors of supernatural disturbances had leaked out due to the number of people involved. Later, news of a master who had come to exorcise the evil also spread. After some investigation, Miao Yun confirmed that the two masters who had dealt with the haunting were from the Jieshui Studio.

Although he was surprised by the youth of these “masters,” with his brother’s condition worsening by the day, he had no choice but to treat them as a last resort and “invited” them over directly. However, after the journey and hearing Wei Yang’s earlier remarks, Miao Yun began to believe in their abilities. At the very least, their demeanor and composure were impeccable. Perhaps only someone so unflappable could deal with such supernatural threats.

After hearing Miao Yun’s explanation, Wang Wei still had his doubts. “If these two are really effective, do we still need to ‘deal with’ them?”

After all, their line of work involved tomb raiding. If something like this happened again, having an extra card up their sleeve would be beneficial. If they killed the masters, wouldn’t they just be creating more trouble for themselves?

Miao Yun grunted. “Let’s see if they can cure the boss first. If they’re really effective, we’ll figure out how to control them.”

With this, Wang Wei understood. This was their usual approach—use those who could be used, and eliminate those who couldn’t. After all, they had more than one life on their hands; a few more wouldn’t make much difference.

He nodded softly. “I understand, Uncle Miao. Don’t worry, I’ll have people stationed outside the room tonight.”

Seeing that his nephew wasn’t acting impulsively, Miao Yun felt reassured. After all, saving his brother was the priority now, and it wouldn’t do to fall out with the two masters. He patted Wang Wei on the shoulder, and a faint smile appeared on his usually grim face. “The boss will definitely recover. Don’t worry too much. Just lay low for a while. The family will depend on you to carry the burden.”

While the two criminals were having their tender moment outside, Wei Yang finally saw the person he wanted to see. Sun Muhua was brought in, trembling, by two men. When he saw the two sitting on the couch, he nearly burst into tears. “Brother Yang… I… I’ve caused you trouble…”

“Don’t be a coward. How am I supposed to explain this to your dad?” Wei Yang forced a bitter smile. Although this idiot looked miserable, he didn’t seem injured, which gave Wei Yang some relief.

However, this incident wasn’t really Sun Muhua’s fault. It was more a case of Wei Yang’s own lack of discretion—a classic case of “the crime of possessing a treasure.” If it had been Master Zeng from Sanliao Village, Monk Chizhi from Xuanzhao Temple, or even the Little Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain who had come out to slay demons and vanquish evil, they likely wouldn’t have been treated this way. But what was the Jieshui Studio? Just a small, insignificant operation that anyone could trample on. Getting involved with such supernatural matters would only bring trouble. If it were just about using Zhang Xiuqi, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but Wei Yang no longer wanted to do that.

After patiently comforting Sun Muhua for a while, Miao Yun returned with his men. “Master Wei, are you convinced now that we mean no harm? Let’s go see the patient.”

This time, there was no hint of consultation in his tone. Wei Yang’s expression turned serious. “To be honest, my senior brother and I just completed a major mission and are both injured. We’re not confident in dealing with evil spirits. If you can wait until the fifth day of the lunar month…”

“We can’t wait,” Miao Yun interrupted Wei Yang’s excuse. “Besides, even if the two of you are injured, isn’t there still Master Sun here?”

At these words, Sun Muhua’s face instantly turned pale. Wei Yang frowned. “Xiao Sun is just an assistant. He doesn’t know anything about this.”

“Then let him assist. You’ve brought so many tools; someone has to use them, right?” The corner of Miao Yun’s mouth twitched slightly as he sneered. He didn’t want to give this master any excuses. With his brother on the verge of death, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Wei Yang hesitated for a moment, clenching his fists, before finally turning to Sun Muhua. “Woody, you’ve been on a mission with us before. This time, you must follow my instructions and not mess up again.”

Sun Muhua opened his mouth, almost retorting. He had begged countless times before but had never been allowed to participate in a mission. How could he have been on one before? However, as the son of an old swindler, he had been exposed to some tricks of the trade and quickly caught on. He kept his mouth shut and nodded without a word.

Seeing that Sun Muhua understood, Wei Yang felt a bit more at ease. This was exactly the result he wanted. Leaving Sun Muhua in the hands of these people would make him a hostage, but bringing him along would be safer. When Director Sun arrived, it would be easier to rescue all three of them. However, they couldn’t just sit back and wait; they needed to come up with a plan.

As his thoughts raced, Wei Yang maintained a calm expression and nodded to Miao Yun. “Then please lead the way, Mr. Miao.”

The so-called “patient” was indeed hidden in the small building, but he was placed in a room on the fourth floor in a corner. Perhaps they were afraid the evil spirits would cause too much of a disturbance, so they chose a secluded spot. When the wooden door to the room was pushed open, a pungent smell hit them. Wei Yang clenched his teeth and stopped in his tracks.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t mentally prepared, but the sight before him was too much. On the only bed in the room lay something that vaguely resembled a human. A yellowish, pus-like liquid oozed from the person’s face, dripping down his cheeks. His abdomen was swollen to an unnatural size, yet his body was so emaciated it looked like nothing but skin and bones. Aside from occasional gasps for breath, the person looked like a wax figure on the verge of melting. The entire room reeked of a sour, decaying odor that made one want to turn away.

However, while Wei Yang stopped in his tracks, Zhang Xiuqi did not. He even took an involuntary step forward, his injured arm hanging limply as he drew the dagger from his waist. Wei Yang was startled and grabbed his sleeve. This action seemed to bring Zhang Xiuqi back to his senses. He turned his head, and in his eyes, there was no one else but Wei Yang. The killing intent that had been stirred up gradually cooled, and he instead gripped Wei Yang’s wrist.

“Corpse Puppet. Be careful.”

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