The One in Control

After the three men had a discussion in the cellar, Zhou Yang noticed that it was getting late and it was almost time to go to the blacksmith's shop for work, so he bid farewell to the Cui Family brothers.

Once you leave here, you two will still be the Cui Family brothers.

"Throw your original names as far away as you can."

Afterwards, Zhou Yang climbed out of the cellar and left Old Zhang's dilapidated house with the other three.

He hurried toward A Fu's blacksmith shop.

Last night, I used the "white paper banner" that A Fu gave me directly, but Afu did not A Fu the result he wanted.

Now that I'm going there, I'll inevitably be questioned and tested by A Fu.

Zhou Yang still cannot see through A Fu's true nature, so he tries his best to avoid conflict and confrontation with A Fu, maintaining only a superficial relationship.

After passing through an alley, you can see the big locust tree in front of A Fu's courtyard.

When Zhou Yang arrived here, he would subconsciously glance at the top of the big locust tree before looking at A Fu's courtyard gate.

But this time, he managed to suppress the subconscious urge to look up at the top of the locust tree—he was always mindful of this, not letting himself develop a fixed habit.

Habits are also a form of path dependence. Zhou Yang approached the entrance of A Fu's courtyard.

A door was wide open. Zhou Yang ducked and squeezed through the gatehouse, passed through the passage behind the door, turned around the wall facing the entrance, and saw A Fu, whose skin was taut and whose face was oily, standing on the steps in front of the shed, smiling at him.

A Fu stood on the steps for an unknown amount of time, as if he had known Zhou Yang would arrive at this time.

Upon seeing him for the first time, Zhou Yang's heart stirred slightly, but he feigned surprise on his face:

"Master, are you home?"

"Yes, I came especially to see you."

A Fu grinned, revealing a red patch inside his mouth.

Looking at his upturned lips, Zhou Yang always worried that a snake's tongue would spit out and hiss at him.

He stood in the doorway of the shed, showing no intention of letting Zhou Yang in to work.

Zhou Yang stood in the courtyard, smiling as he bowed respectfully to A Fu: "Master, were you worried something might have happened to me last night?"

"Hehe--Thanks to you, although last night was dangerous, I managed to get through it unscathed!"

"The white paper banner you gave me, I used it the very first day it was light!" Later, I saw that the paper strip had turned black, so it must have worked—it protected me. At that time, I don't know what happened, but my body seemed to be constantly moving, and I just wanted to run towards your house.

"I think I was possessed by a ghost back then? Luckily, I didn't actually run after it, so nothing bad happened."

A Fu continued to laugh upon hearing the sound, and Zhou Yang couldn't discern anything from his expression.

He said, "You're quite capable too."

"I didn't even notice before... I thought you probably wouldn't make it through the first three hours of guarding the fire tower."

I never expected you to come home alive.

"Sun San has already delivered money to your house, hasn't he? He told me everything."

Upon hearing A Fu's words, Zhou Yang's heart leaped into his throat!

Sun San was a key participant in last night's events!

Zhou Yang never expected that this A Fu seemed to have some connection with Sun San!

"Yes, they already came to my house to deliver the money." Zhou Yang chuckled a few times and said, "Sun San really helped us a lot last night—"

Before he could finish speaking, A Fu shook his head and interrupted, "You're lying." He still had a smile on his face, but it looked increasingly fake.

Like a rubber mannequin sculpted to look all smiles, staring at it for too long can make you feel uneasy.

What made Zhou Yang even more uneasy was that A Fu realized he wasn't telling the truth!

Did he really meet Sun San?

Sun San told him everything that happened last night.

Or perhaps, the Human-Skin Ghost in Guan Village share information with each other, and A Fu is one of them?

But if the reason is the latter, why would he emphasize that "he had met Sun San"?

Upon realizing this, Zhou Yang's mind suddenly cleared!

At that moment, he felt very uncertain.

But A Fu wasn't sure either!

It is highly unlikely that A Fu can share information with the other ghosts in the Guan Village, like the Human-Skin Ghost.

So he wanted to emphasize the fact that he had met Sun San —but it was precisely because he emphasized this that it suggested he might not have actually met Sun San at all! Zhou Yang couldn't be entirely sure if his guess was true or false, so he chuckled awkwardly twice and said, "You saw through me. I didn't mean to hide anything, I just felt it was a bit inappropriate to talk about this."

"Actually, Sun San almost killed someone thinking they were a ghost, and I had to go to great lengths to stop him!"

"The leader of this Patrol Team isn't very reliable either..."

While speaking, Zhou Yang would occasionally reach up and scratch the back of his neck.

He tried his best to act normally, but these unnecessary little movements only made him seem more suspicious.

"Still lying," A Fu said with a smile.

"You're lying, you old fool!"

Zhou Yang laughed inwardly several times!

He finally realized that A Fu knew absolutely nothing and was completely ignorant!

Zhou Yang lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

The ripples of the "fat mirror lamp" flowed inside his body. "", "", "", "", "", "hand-type", "update"

A Fu had been staring at Zhou Yang, and then he noticed that the other man had goosebumps on his neck.

He was pleased; he was about to trick Zhou Yang into revealing his true intentions.

Having exposed Zhou Yang's two lies, the other party was already trembling with fear and looked completely lost. At this point, it would be possible to get some real information out of him.

I know exactly how you spent the first three hours.

"Why lie to me? Tell me the truth, do you think I'd eat you alive?" A Fu said with a smile. "If you don't tell the truth, your good days are truly over."

Don't follow Cao Qing's old path...

"I have another question for you. Think it through before you speak, speak clearly, and tell the truth—"

"In the fourth hour, did you really use that white paper banner as I instructed?"

Zhou Yang shuddered upon hearing the name Cao Qing.

After A Fu finished speaking, his face turned deathly pale.

His lips trembled, and after a long while, he said in a trembling voice, "I... I didn't lie. In the fourth hour, I really did stick the white paper banner on my body as you instructed... It's just that the white light suddenly came, and I panicked. I was supposed to stick it on my back, but I stuck it on my chest instead!"

"Sun San can also testify; he saw it too!"

Sun San couldn't possibly have seen it.

At the time, it was only focused on chasing that Fanzi.

A Fu listened to Zhou Yang's words, his tense face twisted into a smile.

His smile vanished abruptly, and he shouted sternly, "You're still lying!"

"I'm not lying, I'm not lying!"

Zhou Yang was so frightened by the stern shout that tears welled up in his eyes. He gasped for breath and trembled as he rummaged through his pockets—under A Fu's watchful eye, he fumbled around for a long time before finally pulling out a coarse cloth bag.

Unfold the coarse cloth bundle, and a small coffin was revealed inside.

Pushing open the finger-length coffin lid revealed the completely destroyed straw figure.

Zhou Yang, panting, said haltingly, "I did... I did hide something from you... but I really didn't say anything, I didn't lie..."

"I asked you for a piece of white paper and a white paper banner. I asked my mother for this small coffin... Your white paper banner worked, and this coffin also worked. I've only just passed the fourth or fourth hour..."

Zhou Yang's meticulous preparations were all for the sake of performing this very act well!

His last words were absolutely true!

From the very beginning, he had no intention of hiding the fact that Huang Shaozi had given him the small coffin—this item was enough to dispel all of A Fu's suspicions about him. What he had been trying to hide was what he had done in the previous three hours.

If you were to list everything he had done in the first three hours, it would surely make A Fu feel that he had completely lost control over him.

Once the other party feels out of control, they are capable of doing anything!

To prevent A Fu from taking any risks, Zhou Yang also needs to bring out this small coffin!

This object will subtly tell A Fu that the Zhou Family values and cherishes him Zhou Yang.

If he suddenly disappeared, the Zhou Family would really come looking for him from house to house!

At that time, A Fu will be the first suspect!

Being in Guan Village, A Fu was bound by the unseen rules and regulations of the Guan Village.

He was able to kill Cao Qing back then because Cao Qing clearly expressed his desire to escape the village—and anyone who showed such an intention would surely die a violent death in the village. So, A Fu's killing of Cao Qing at that time was in accordance with the Guan Village's rules. But if he wanted to do something to Zhou Yang now, he would be breaking the rules.

"So that's what it is, no wonder..." A Fu's eyes lit up when he saw the small coffin in Zhou Yang's hand. "Your mother really loves you, Little Yang."

This thing used to "cure evil spirits" can cause unbearable pain to the person being cursed under normal circumstances.

However, in the fourth hour, when the white light shines and the soul leaves the body, this pain can precisely bring back the soul that has left the body.

A Fu suddenly understood why Zhou Yang was able to escape the fourth hour.

He felt a deep sense of regret and was so anxious that his whole body itched.

Those hair roots embedded in the flesh seemed to be growing hair again!

But now, he was helpless against Zhou Yang.

"Get to work."

Finally, A Fu casually uttered a word and made way for Zhou Yang to enter the shed.

As Zhou Yang passed by him, lifted the curtain of the shed, and was about to enter, he suddenly heard a chilling shout behind him:

"Zhou Yang!" "Ah--"

Zhou Yang turned around in alarm!

He instantly sensed a strange fluctuation spreading towards him.

The fluctuation was clearly colorless and odorless, yet it reminded him of thick blood plasma, as if his mind was tainted with a heavy stench of blood!

These are A Fu's ripples!

What is A Fu trying to do?

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yang opened his own Ghost Mouth!

Beneath his skin, countless Ghost Mouth opened, instantly covering his neck and the backs of his hands!

Every Ghost Mouth echoed with A Fu's shrill cry, "Zhou Yang! Zhou Yang! Zhou Yang!"

Zhou Yang turned his head, Da Le- eyed at A Fu, his panic barely concealed!

But A Fu smiled and helped him lift the curtain a little wider.

He held the curtain open with one hand and patted Zhou Yang on the shoulder with the other. "Little Yang, it seems your breathing technique has improved again." After saying that, he went into the shed with satisfaction.

In that instant, he was certain that Zhou Yang was still under his control.

Zhou Yang stood at the door, one arm propping up the curtain, stunned for a long time.

During this period, he believed that his performance had made A Fu feel that he was still under Afu's control.