The pitch-black, cramped alley was littered with filthy, foul-smelling garbage, and rats scurried brazenly across it.
At its narrow end, a faint fire glowed, black smoke rising slowly from it, making the place look even more sinister and eerie.
In her expensive high heels, Qin Hong approached cautiously, step by step. Suddenly, something unknown darted out, nearly making her scream.
"Mmph-"
Qin Hong clamped a hand over her mouth, afraid of disturbing something. Her eyes were filled with shock, anger, and resentment.
Only after moving closer could she make out the scene at the far end.
A hunched old man was burning spirit money in a brazier, muttering insistently under his breath. His words were hard to make out, like some kind of incantation.
"M-Master?" Qin Hong called in a trembling voice.
The old man abruptly looked up, his blood-red eyes flashing with a beast's ferocity. Qin Hong recoiled a step in fright, swallowing the words in her throat.
"What are you doing here?!" The wrinkles on the old man's face seemed even deeper now, as though carved by a knife.
"Master, I..." Qin Hong trembled, unable to get the words out.
The old man withdrew his gaze and continued what he was doing. "Jian Ran is no ordinary person. Your son is no match for him."
"Master," Qin Hong said, gathering her courage and moving closer, "I've watched Jian Ran grow up. He doesn't have any real abilities. Is it possible..."
"That something has possessed him?!"
At those words, the old man jerked his head up again. "What did you say?!"
Qin Hong smiled smugly. "I'm his mother's own cousin. How could I not know him?!"
"Something like this will come out sooner or later. You can't hide the truth forever. I've even brought Jian Ran's mother here. She