With Xu Qian's support secured, Yan Shouyi already had a clearer picture of what needed to be done next.
The state of Yan Shouyi and his companions as they emerged from Shen Shuzhen's room was vastly different from when they entered.
When he first arrived, everyone was on guard against him, harboring hostility.
But as he left, Shen Shuzhen personally saw them out, showing him immense care, no less than she showed Cui Yu.
Long Feicheng was also incredibly spirited and puffed up with pride, appearing every bit the sycophant by the side of a powerful figure.
The people under Shen Shuzhen's command observed Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng with curiosity. They weren't fools and had likely guessed that Yu Jinhong and Zhou Yuhu's grand entrance was in pursuit of Yan Shouyi and his group.
However, Shen Shuzhen had chosen not to hand them over, and everyone seemed to sense something significant.
Shen Shuzhen escorted Yan Shouyi and his party to the entrance of the crematorium before being helped back by Ying Jiu. Duan Mu lingered to see them a few steps further and gave Yan Shouyi a contact.
"This gentleman is also a successor of our folk sects. It's just that his personality is rather peculiar, and he doesn't quite get along with us. However, he doesn't lean towards the Ghost King family either, maintaining a neutral stance. If you need anything, you can also find him, though it might require a small price."
Yan Shouyi took the slip of paper from Duan Mu and unfolded it. On it were five characters: "Storyteller Yin Tang," followed by an address.
"Storyteller?" Yan Shouyi exclaimed. "Qiantang truly is a place where talent hides."
"Are storytellers very powerful?" Long Feicheng asked curiously.
Yan Shouyi shook his head. "I don't know much about the profession of storytellers."
"Then why did you praise Qiantang for hiding talent, Brother Yan?"
"Although I don't understand the storyteller's profession, I do know one of their characteristics: every storyteller is a well-informed information broker. It seems there's nothing in this world they don't know. However, to get information from them, a price must be paid."
Yan Shouyi paused. "Speaking of which, this price is somewhat similar to the Nuo Ghost opera. Sometimes, storytellers don't just speak to the living, and the benefits they receive aren't always money; they can be lifespan, various secrets, information, and so on."
Due to the unique nature of their profession, storytellers became highly informed. Later, storytellers discovered this advantage and began to earn a living by trading information.
Yan Shouyi put away the slip of paper and said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Duan."
Duan Mu waved his hand. "You've done something I've wanted to do for years but dared not. I don't know how it will turn out, but I should be thanking you instead... Little Xu will be with you; you must look out for each other."
"Uncle Duan, I understand," Xu Qian replied.
Duan Mu left, leaving only Yan Shouyi, Long Feicheng, and Xu Qian walking back.
This small path led to the crematorium. The mountains on both sides of the road were filled with tombstones, with photos of the deceased pasted on them, creating an unspeakably eerie atmosphere. Few people came here during the day, let alone at night.
Xu Qian frowned. "Although I was a bit fired up earlier, now that I've calmed down, I feel that confronting the five great Ghost King families is too difficult, and I don't know where to start."
"Heh, what's so difficult about that!" Long Feicheng boasted. "When Brother Yan and I were in Rongcheng, we overthrew a Ghost King family!"
"Oh? Is that so?!" Xu Qian was astonished and looked at Yan Shouyi with renewed admiration.
Long Feicheng continued, "More than that, that Ghost King family at the time also had two Ghost Kings, and there were even powerful individuals behind the Ghost Kings. All of them were defeated by Brother Yan and me!"
Xu Qian couldn't help but shake Long Feicheng's hand. "I apologize for my poor judgment earlier; I didn't realize Brother Long possessed such strength!"
Long Feicheng's statement was like saying, "My assets combined with Jack Ma's exceed seventy billion US dollars." At first glance, it sounded impressive, but upon closer thought, he realized—this guy was indeed bragging!
Yan Shouyi said helplessly, "That success was due to many contributing factors; it wasn't as simple as Little Long described."
However, Xu Qian said, "Regardless, Brother Yan already has experience, which actually gives me some confidence!"
Seeing Xu Qian's trust, Yan Shouyi felt a sliver of pressure.
The last time he dealt with the Bai family of Feifeng Mountain, all conditions—timing, geography, and human harmony—were indispensable, and at that time, he only faced the Bai family. But this time, it was different.
Now, he had to face five Ghost King families, six Ghost King-level powerhouses, and he was a stranger in an unfamiliar land.
Fortunately, Yan Shouyi wasn't the main force. His current task was merely to sow discord between the Shen and Yao families and the other Ghost King families.
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi stopped.
Long Feicheng asked confusedly, "Brother Yan, what's wrong?"
"Where is Han Sansan?" Yan Shouyi asked, frowning. "He went to chase the evil spirits of the Yu family, but there's been no news for so long?"
"That's right! Could he have been captured!" Long Feicheng also felt a sense of unease.
He immediately took out his phone, only to remember that Han San didn't use a phone at all.
Yan Shouyi blew a whistle towards the sky. The San Yuan he had released earlier quickly appeared in the sky. After circling once and finding Yan Shouyi, it landed on his palm.
"San Yuan, did you see Han San?" Yan Shouyi asked quickly.
San Yuan chirped a few times, and Yan Shouyi's expression became grave.
"How is Ghost King Han?" Long Feicheng asked worriedly.
"Han San was discovered by those evil spirits, so he had no choice but to fight them, killing that Ghost King."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"But then Yu Jinhong and Zhou Yuhu appeared."
Long Feicheng quickly covered his chest. "Brother Yan, just say it all at once. My heart can't handle such a roller coaster."
"Two Ghost Kings appeared, trying to capture Han San. Han San was forced to use the spirit possession technique, repelled the two Ghost Kings, and then fled into the mountains. Not long after escaping, he encountered a third Ghost King!"
"But the third Ghost King didn't try to kill Han San. Instead, he hid him to evade the pursuit of Yu Jinhong and Zhou Yuhu, and finally took the unconscious Han San away."
Xu Qian found it incredible. "There are no other Ghost Kings in Qiantang. Where did this third Ghost King come from?"
Yan Shouyi replied, "San Yuan said that the small ghosts brought by this third Ghost King were holding up banners with the character 'Yao' written on them."
The answer was clear.
A Ghost King from the Yao family had appeared and taken Han San!
"Things aren't looking good..." Yan Shouyi said grimly. "Although Grandma Shen pointed out that the Yao family is not loyal to the Yu family, we can't be sure how they feel about Han San."
"Then won't Han San be in grave danger?" Long Feicheng asked anxiously.
"No, if the Yao family wanted to kill Han San, they could have simply captured him and handed him over to Yu Jinhong. Why would they help him escape?" Yan Shouyi thought for a moment. "No matter what their purpose is, at least Han San will not be in mortal danger for the time being."