The Wronged Spirit's "Memories"

Zhou Muzhi gave an "oh," his expression turning approving, while inwardly he let out a long breath of relief.

To be honest, searching for these so-called memories of the wronged spirit had already begun to annoy him.

If he still could not find them, Zhou Muzhi might resort to his own methods and use his martial cultivation to forcibly beat this wronged spirit to death a second time.

The only uncertainty was whether he could kill it for good.

After all, this was something unknown. Based on the knowledge he had encountered, his understanding of gods and ghosts was still very limited.

"Not bad, Third Master. You really are the man for the job. Nobody knows this town better than you."

As he spoke, he patted Third Master's shoulder. Third Master bowed, his aged face straining into a smile, his voice humble. "Master Zhou, when you give me a task, I have to get it done even if it costs me this old life!"

Tsk.

Zhou Muzhi felt embarrassed just listening to him and said nothing more.

"Lead the way. If you do well, I really can put you in charge of that gambling den."

"Right you are, Master Zhou. This way."

Third Master still let those words go in one ear and out the other. He could listen, but there was no need to take them to heart.

The two headed straight on, following the route Third Master had come by. After winding through at least four alleys, they stopped in an extremely narrow, secluded spot.

Zhou Muzhi looked around again and again. He had never known Suming County had a place like this.

These were alleys within alleys. It was no exaggeration to say that getting in was possible, but getting out would probably be difficult. The paths were simply too convoluted. No wonder he had searched for so long without learning anything.

This was a place where even sunlight could not reach. There were only four or five dilapidated brick houses inside, their moldy red bricks turned gray. A small tree stood outside the houses.

The tree was tiny, as thick as an arm and barely a meter tall, putting out tender buds.

It was the only color in this place.

They had only just arrived when rustling came from behind the doors, as though someone inside was peeking out, or hiding from something.

Zhou Muzhi could also smell a faint, strange odor. It smelled peculiar, but he could not say exactly what was peculiar about it.

Third Master stepped forward. For a hoodlum like him, dealing with those weaker than himself was practically enough to trigger his survival-of-the-fittest instinct all on its own.

"Everyone, come out! Master Zhou has questions."

Third Master had the sort of thug's air that would frighten any honest person who saw him.

At that single command, four of the five households opened their doors. A glance revealed that everyone coming out was a child in ragged clothes. There were no adults at all.

Zhou Muzhi frowned. Why were they all children?

The children all had dirt on their faces, and their palms were black as though they had been grabbing coal. Their clothes had been patched over and over. There were all sorts of colors in those clothes, but now only black could be seen. Fear was written in their eyes.

Third Master had evidently already learned something of the situation and showed no particular reaction to the children before him.

Turning, he said to Zhou Muzhi, "Master Zhou, these are the people. They know the whereabouts of the person you're asking about."

Zhou Muzhi was no indiscriminate do-gooder. He had never concerned himself with other people's fates, and merely nodded.

"Did you show them the portrait?"

He had specifically found someone to draw that portrait. As for whom he had found, there had been quite a few assailants that night.

"Yes, yes, Master Zhou."

Then this was almost certainly it. Zhou Muzhi stepped forward and was about to speak when one of the children spoke in a young, timid voice, though his eyes held a show of courage he was struggling to maintain.

"M-Master Zhou."

Hearing this, Zhou Muzhi instinctively looked over and saw a half-grown boy immediately squeeze his eyes shut. He was the tallest of the group.

"Please give Sister Yuan back to us. Granny Chun hasn't gotten out of bed for days. We're little, and we can't get a doctor."

He was quite polite.

He had come to learn about the wronged spirit's past memories anyway, so he followed the boy's words with a question.

"Why should I give her back to you?"

At these words, several children visibly began wiping away tears in secret, clearly saddened that Sister Yuan was not coming back.

This time, it was still the half-grown boy who had closed his eyes.

He opened them, his face flushing red and his voice rising.

"Impossible! Sister Yuan comes back every night! She even said she'd soon have enough silver to take Granny to see a doctor. She wouldn't not come back. You're lying to me!"

He had barely finished when another child spoke.

"We'll listen from now on! We won't go mining at Guang Heizi's place anymore. Little Doggy sneaked off to mine yesterday and hasn't come back today. It must be because of these things that Sister Yuan won't come back!"

Zhou Muzhi asked Third Master, "What is Guang Heizi?"

Third Master lowered his head. "A mine, managed by someone nicknamed Guang Heizi. Street children are useful. They use these children and only feed them. If they die, they pay some silver for their companions to bring back."

Zhou Muzhi nodded. He had a rough idea of the situation now, and some understanding of this wronged spirit.

"Take me to your Granny Chun."

There really was little to discuss with a bunch of children. He might as well find the only adult here.

At this, the children stopped making a fuss. Their eyes all turned toward the only closed door, and one child spoke.

"Granny Chun told us to leave. We don't dare go in."

Zhou Muzhi beckoned to Third Master. Without another word, Third Master went straight up and tried the door. It was not shut, so he pushed it open and went inside.

Before long, Third Master came back out, his face taut.

He looked at Zhou Muzhi, shook his head, and said quietly, "Gone. There are already maggots."

Together with the smell he had noticed at the beginning, that meant it was the odor of a decomposing corpse...

Presumably, Granny Chun had known she was near the end and, afraid of frightening the children, had used her last breath to keep them from coming in.

With no adults left, he could only learn so much from the children.

Zhou Muzhi fell silent. What lay before him seemed to be a sad story.

Looking at the frightened children, Third Master thought of the foundation he had built that had perished in the sea of flames.

Those hoodlums, too, had been this age when he picked them up and raised them. In the blink of an eye, the white-haired had been left to bury the black-haired.

The hoodlum's path was no easy one either.

After a few more questions, a complete story gradually came together. It was the story of an old street child and a grown street child struggling to raise a group of little street children and survive in a small town called Suming County.

Such was the world. Everyone had their own fate.

"This should be enough," Zhou Muzhi murmured.

Then he had them look for something the wronged spirit had kept close. Third Master led the search for quite some time before finding a pair of embroidered shoes with lotus-leaf patterns at the very back of the house.

"Granny Chun embroidered these for Sister Yuan. She said Sister Yuan could keep them as a memento after she married. Sister Yuan treasured them and only wore them a few times. Could you not take them away?"

The shortest street child, who wore a long braid, said this, tears spilling from the child's eyes as the words came out.

Of course Zhou Muzhi had to take them. A wronged spirit was no joking matter. He had to be sufficiently cautious.

"Master Zhou, could I keep these children? I happen to need a group of little beggars under me." Third Master spoke at an appropriate moment, his aged face lowered all the while.

Zhou Muzhi had already turned away. Hearing him, he replied, "Fine. You are useful, at least. Go to Lao Xu for some silver every month from now on. There ought to be some benefits to following me."

Joy rose in Third Master's heart. When he looked up, Zhou Muzhi had already disappeared. Turning back to the uneasy street children, he murmured,

"That old one and that young one really did protect you well."