A Way Out

Inside the room, Zhou Sheng's heart tightened, knowing his Master had murderous intent.

Over the years, his Master had rarely made a move, to the point where Zhou Sheng himself sometimes forgot what horrifying deeds this seemingly old man had committed in his youth.

During the years they hadn't settled in Qinggu County, the two of them traveled extensively. His Master would occasionally disappear for a period, returning with a heavy scent of blood, and suddenly, there would be a lot of money at home.

His Master claimed it was the effect of feng shui fish gathering wealth, but news would soon spread.

Either a den of villains would be wiped out overnight, or a corrupt official who bullied men and women would have his head taken at night.

Then his Master would take him and leave for the next place.

It wasn't until they came to Qinggu County that his Master stopped 'disappearing' and settled down as a doctor.

If placed on Earth, calling him a bloodthirsty killer would not be an exaggeration.

Zhou Sheng quickly opened the Ghost Raising Altar and gently tapped its wall.

The next moment, a gust of yin wind blew out from within, transforming into a semi-transparent figure.

His beard was streaked with white, his skin was wrinkled like dead wood, his eye sockets were deep, as if he hadn't had a peaceful sleep in a long time.

Zhou Sheng's gaze fell upon his hands.

Uncle Xu was usually casual about everything, but he was very protective of these hands that played the fiddle, always keeping them clean, never letting them get dirty.

But now, his fingernails were filled with black mud and bloodstains.

His hands were cracked, bloody and mangled.

"Uncle Xu."

Hearing this somewhat familiar address, Old Xu visibly flinched, then looked at Zhou Sheng in surprise.

"Old Xu, your yin soul has been greatly damaged and is about to dissipate. I can't save you."

Yu Zhensheng suddenly spoke, his voice calm, without any embellishment, directly delivering a death sentence.

"But for the sake of you teaching this child his vocalizations for three years and helping him through his molting season, my disciple will avenge you."

"Consider it repaying your kindness."

Zhou Sheng also nodded, "Uncle Xu, don't be afraid. My Master and I can help you."

At this moment, Old Xu finally understood that the young man who had asked him to teach vocalizations back then was no ordinary person.

No wonder he had such excellent singing skills but never went to an opera troupe to perform.

He no longer hid anything, his eyes filled with tears as he revealed the murderer.

"The one who killed me was that villain Zhu Zong, and that pack of jackals and wolves in official uniforms who devour people without spitting out the bones!"

Zhou Sheng nodded. As expected, the true culprit who killed Uncle Xu was indeed Magistrate Zhu.

However, one was a high and mighty county magistrate, the supreme authority of the county, while the other was an artist who played music and sang for a living in taverns and brothels. They were worlds apart, so how did such deep hatred arise?

"Before you and Doctor Yu came to Qinggu County, I was playing music in a brothel. A sick girl, before she died, gave me her newborn daughter."

"She said she wouldn't live long, and that the brothel madam would definitely not raise a three-month-old child. Let alone raise her into a young woman, even if she raised her to four or five years old and sold her to a human trafficker, she might not even make back the cost."

"She begged me to give this child a way to live."

At this point, Old Xu sighed, "Although I was poor, living from meal to meal, I couldn't just watch a baby die!"

"So I raised that child. I steamed the black flour until it was cooked, then dried it, rolled it into fine noodles, and mixed it with boiling water to make a paste. I fed it to the child one spoonful at a time."

Speaking of this, the residual resentment in Old Xu's eyes unconsciously dissipated, and his voice softened.

"That child was quite sturdy and actually survived. Later, as she grew, she followed me through wind and rain to sing for money, holding a basin larger than herself, bowing to everyone for tips."

"Cui Cui was cute and sweet-tongued. With her around, I could always earn more money."

"But how could a girl like her go with me to those places? She's still young, but what about when she grows up and wants to get married?"

"Later, I saved up some money, pulled some strings, and got her a job as a long-term servant in the Zhu Mansion. I thought working in the county magistrate's residence would be a good place, but I never expected... I was pushing that child straight into a fiery pit!"

At this point, Old Xu instinctively clenched his fists, his eyes turning red, his voice trembling.

"Everything went smoothly at first. The child was diligent, intelligent, and eloquent. Soon, she gained the favor of the County Magistrate's wife, who took her in as her personal maid."

"Cui Cui was also filial, often coming back to see me and leaving most of her wages. I saved it all, thinking of it as her dowry. But about a month ago, Cui Cui suddenly stopped coming back."

"I was worried, so I went to the Zhu Mansion to see her. However, the servants there wouldn't let me in. Fortunately, I found a dog hole and crawled in at midnight."

"Heaven was merciful, and I found Cui Cui in the woodshed. But at that time, she was already... insane!"

"She saw me and became very agitated, babbling incoherently, saying things like... 'Madam is not Madam,' 'The well has a ghost,' 'Don't kill me.'"

"I felt sorry for the child and wanted to take her away, but I was discovered by the servants. They called me a thief, beat me dozens of times, leaving me bruised and bloody, and threw me out of the Zhu Mansion."

"A few days later, they sent Cui Cui back, but by then..."

Old Xu almost gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and said word by word, "Cui Cui was already a corpse!"

"Those beasts said Cui Cui stole the Madam's belongings and committed suicide out of shame. But how could a person who had gone mad steal something?"

"What's even more detestable is that before she died... she was violated by many people!"

"Although she wasn't my biological daughter, she called me 'Father' for so many years. I can't let her die with regrets!"

"So I wrote a blood letter, ready to go to the Bing Prefecture yamen and beat the drum to appeal to the Prefect, but what's hateful is..."

Zhou Sheng lowered his gaze and said, "What's hateful is that, let alone Bing Prefecture city, you couldn't even leave Qinggu County."

Old Xu nodded, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred.

"That night, I was strangled to death by the yamen runners and then thrown into the Pear Blossom River!"

Zhou Sheng was silent.

He already knew what happened next. Uncle Xu not only met a tragic end himself, but more importantly, the anger in his heart, seeking justice for Cui Cui, lingered and eventually transformed into an evil corpse.

And during this time, he himself had gone to Yangcheng to perform the Stage Breaking opera.

Perhaps the resentment that almost burst the corpse's abdomen wasn't about seeking justice for himself, but originated from a father's simple love for his child.

"Back then, I held her when she was so small, like a kitten, crying from hunger every day..."

"You say, we endured such hardships, why can't you live now?"

Old Xu's eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists.

"That night, I died at the bottom of the Pear Blossom River, but I couldn't close my eyes no matter what. I used my hands to claw at the mud. I thought, even if I had to crawl, I would crawl to the Zhu Mansion and ask that beastly County Magistrate..."

"Why can't you give us poor people... a way to live?"