Not far from where Shen Shuzhen had walked, a horde of lesser ghosts had already barged in.
Shen Shuzhen could only stand still and wait.
A Ghost King's procession was naturally grand, with dozens of lesser ghosts leading the way, carrying banners, holding signs, beating gongs, and fanning. It was a dazzling spectacle.
Their current display was far grander than that of the Ghost King of the Rong City Bai family. It was likely that because Qiantang was a large city, its Ghost Kings were more powerful and held more sway than those in Rong City.
After a group of lesser ghosts cleared the path, two massive sedan chairs were carried forth. The chairs were sumptuously decorated, indescribably luxurious, with countless precious gems adorning even the sedan curtains.
Shen Shuzhen's subordinates stood at a distance, heads bowed humbly, not daring to look directly at the sedan chairs.
Even the people who had been busy stopped in their tracks.
Witnessing this scene, Shen Shuzhen silently frowned.
Soon, the Ghost Kings' sedan chairs stopped, and the curtains were thrown open by giant hands, revealing the heads of two Ghost Kings.
Qiantang had five major Ghost King families.
They were: the Yu family, the Wei family, the Shen family, the Yao family, and the Zhou family.
According to what Xu Qian had said earlier, the Yu family had two Ghost Kings.
Combining this with Shen Shuzhen's statement that the Yu family was not strong in the past, and the Yao and Zhou families didn't even exist, the Yu family later rose to prominence, conquering the Ghost Kings of the Wei and Shen families, and then supporting and nurturing the Yao and Zhou families.
The current five major Ghost King families looked to the Yu family for guidance. With these five great families united, Shen Shuzhen was utterly incapable of resisting them.
Yan Shouyi and the others inside the house saw the appearance of the two Ghost Kings clearly through the windows.
Xu Qian whispered, "The one arriving is the Yu family's second son, Yu Jinhong, and the Zhou family's Ghost King is Zhou Yuhu."
The Yu family had two Ghost Kings: the elder was Yu Jinbo, and the second was Yu Jinhong.
Yan Shouyi observed their physiques, both exceeding six meters. It seemed that even Zhou Yuhu was several times stronger than Bai Muyu had been.
Long Feicheng began to feel a headache: "They're coming at this time, it must be to demand an explanation. What should we do? We definitely can't fight them. What about escaping? Are we sure we can get away?"
Yan Shouyi couldn't be bothered to answer Long Feicheng's question, merely saying, "Let's see how Senior Shen handles it."
…
"Old friend! Old friend! We meet again!"
Yu Jinhong stepped out of the sedan chair, greeting Shen Shuzhen from a superior position with his massive frame.
In front of Yu Jinhong, Shen Shuzhen's age seemed to be a mere formality. Even with her advanced years, she appeared like a young girl, completely lacking in deterrence to Yu Jinhong.
Zhou Yuhu, on the other hand, surveyed the surroundings, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, your manpower is getting thinner and thinner. Can we still trust you to handle the affairs of our five great Ghost King families in the future?"
Shen Shuzhen ignored Zhou Yuhu's mockery and calmly asked:
"My humble domain has not received any Ghost Kings as visitors for a long time, let alone the two of you. Tell me, what is it?"
A flicker of anger crossed Yu Jinhong's eyes, but he quickly hid it. He smiled and said, "We are old acquaintances, and even more, old friends. We're just here to see you, there's nothing improper about that, is there?"
Zhou Yuhu even crouched down and nudged Shen Shuzhen with his enormous finger, "We have distinguished guests, why haven't you prepared tea?"
Seeing this, Cui Yu was so angry he felt his lungs would explode, but he dared not speak. He quickly ordered someone to prepare tea for the Ghost Kings.
Shen Shuzhen took a deep breath and said, "We are all intelligent people, there's no need to feign ignorance. I am old, and it is late at night. I fear I cannot stay awake much longer. So, the two of you, speak quickly if you have something to say."
Yu Jinhong smiled and said, "My old friend has truly not changed at all. Then I will be direct."
"Last night, in the old district of Qiantang, a junior of our Yu family was killed. According to the lesser ghosts who returned, the perpetrator was a disciple of the Maoshan sect named Han San. Do you know about this matter?"
Shen Shuzhen shook her head, "Disciples of the Maoshan sect are spread all over the world. How would I know what they have done."
Zhou Yuhu sneered, "But when Han San acted, your people were present, that is, the night watchman Xu Qian!"
Zhou Yuhu was truly a smiling tiger, always hiding a knife behind his smile, leaving no room for escape.
Yan Shouyi and the others inside the house began to feel tense.
However, Shen Shuzhen remained calm, "Although Xu Qian is my subordinate, my relationship with him is not good. He hasn't come to me in a long time. As for what he has done, I am even less clear."
"Keep pretending!"
Zhou Yuhu pointed his enormous finger at Shen Shuzhen's head, "We made an agreement back then: no major sects were to interfere in Qiantang's affairs. You handle our troubles, and we will restrain ourselves. But if outsiders interfere, our five great Ghost King families are not to be trifled with!"
"Speak, did you invite the Maoshan people?!"
Seeing Zhou Yuhu's aggressive questioning, Long Feicheng couldn't help but ask Xu Qian, "What does this Zhou Yuhu mean?"
Xu Qian replied with a deep voice, "Years ago, Grandma Shen and the five great Ghost King families made a three-chapter agreement. Both sides agreed not to let outside sects interfere in Qiantang's affairs. Otherwise, if the five great Ghost King families felt threatened, even at the risk of their own annihilation, they would wreak havoc on Qiantang's citizens. Grandma Shen feared they would actually do this, so for many years, even though she endured constant bullying, she never sought outside help."
"These Ghost Kings are truly insidious and despicable!" Long Feicheng gritted his teeth. "They actually use the ordinary people of Qiantang as a threat!"
Outside, Zhou Yuhu incessantly interrogated Shen Shuzhen and made some insulting gestures towards her, all with the aim of provoking her.
Shen Shuzhen raised her head and said coldly:
"I truly do not know Xu Qian's whereabouts. As for the so-called Maoshan disciple matter, I believe you should not ask me, but rather ask Maoshan. Do you lack the courage to question Maoshan, and can only vent your anger here?!"
Just as Zhou Yuhu was about to fly into a rage, Yu Jinhong stopped him.
Yu Jinhong said, "Old friend, the matter is actually very simple. We merely want an explanation. Whether this matter has anything to do with you or not, what can we do to you? After all, we have a deep relationship, and we benefit each other."
Yu Jinhong turned around, surveyed Shen Shuzhen's subordinates, and smiled,
"However, our Yu family's juniors are not to be killed so easily. This matter requires an explanation!"
"Considering our long-standing cooperation, I, Yu Jinhong, can promise you that as long as you hand over those who killed our Yu family's junior, I will let Xu Qian off the hook. We can all coexist peacefully as before."
It had to be said that the conditions offered by Yu Jinhong were very tempting. If Shen Shuzhen truly wished to resolve the matter peacefully, handing over Yan Shouyi and the others at this moment would be the best option.
At this moment, Long Feicheng was extremely nervous.
And Cui Yu was already eager to speak, wanting to help his great-grandmother resolve this crisis.
"Old friend, give me an answer. I am waiting for you," Yu Jinhong said, staring into Shen Shuzhen's eyes with a smile.