The appearance of Yue'er made things a bit delicate. Although Li Zuoquan was angry about the Duck Leg Man acting on his own, he only scolded him fiercely and did not impose any further punishment.
As the Duck Leg Man left, he gave me a look that said "be careful." I knew this situation wasn't as I had initially thought. Li Zuoquan must have known they were coming to deal with us, or perhaps he was pretending not to know, turning a blind eye.
After the bodyguards were all sent away, only the four of us remained in the tent. Li Zuoquan sat on his sedan chair, looking as if he were about to fall asleep, but I knew he was just pondering how to speak.
The losses from this mountain expedition were considerable. Li Jian had brought over twenty people, and they were almost wiped out overnight. Li Jian, Fang Niubizi, and Kang Pangzi were among the missing, and their fate, alive or dead, remained unknown.
How could Li Zuoquan possibly accept such a result? If it weren't for his apprehension regarding Yue'er's identity, I believe Li Zuoquan, true to his nature, would have moved against us.
As for the interlude just now, it was likely Li Zuoquan testing us, perhaps even to force Yue'er to reveal herself.
With this thought, I glanced at Yue'er, who was listening to music with her earbuds in. I truly couldn't understand if this was her personality or a split personality. Her actions were as capricious as a child's.
After a long silence, Li Zuoquan tapped his sedan chair. When we looked at him, he cleared his throat and said slowly, "This expedition was due to my poor planning. I didn't expect such a large group of mountain spirits to block the road. Fortunately, you all returned safely. However, my nephew and Daoist Fang have been terribly harmed by me." He shed a few crocodile tears, and it was unclear who he was mourning for.
Seeing that no one responded, he continued, "Did you search for them after dawn?"
I shook my head. "My life was saved by Yue'er. Do you think I had the ability to go back and check the situation? Wouldn't that be like an old man hanging himself to court death?"
Zhang Dabiao, still holding a grudge against Li Zuoquan for what had just happened, snorted and replied, "I would have liked to go back, but certain people wouldn't let me. Serves them right!"
As soon as he finished speaking, I saw the veins on Li Zuoquan's hands, gripping the sedan chair like chicken claws, bulge. It was clear that Zhang Dabiao's remark had angered him considerably.
Seeing this, we quickly interjected, "Elder Li, we all said the situation was completely unexpected. Those mountain spirits had always stayed peacefully in the valley. No one knew why they suddenly rushed out. Miss Yue'er can testify to this. If you don't believe me, you can ask her." I passed the ball to Yue'er.
The old man was clearly trying to bully us because he saw that Zhang Dabiao and I had no backing. If he had the ability, he should go and wrestle with Yue'er. Let's see who was more powerful, her or him?
Although Yue'er was wearing headphones and listening to music, my words still reached her ears. Seeing me draw her into the fire, she glared at me fiercely, as if to say, "You just wait."
Li Zuoquan was also an old fox. Seeing me shift the focus to Yue'er, his attitude immediately did a complete 180-degree turn. While he displayed his superior demeanor when speaking to Zhang Dabiao and me, he showed a kind and amiable grandfatherly look towards Yue'er.
However, Yue'er was not swayed by his tactics. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't dawdle. I'm sleepy," she said.
Li Zuoquan did not get angry at Yue'er's rude behavior and remained smiling, as if her temper was only for others.
"Yue'er, I only have one question. After I ask it, you can do as you please."
Yue'er nodded, agreeing.
"Did you see their bodies?"
"No."
Upon receiving Yue'er's affirmative answer, Li Zuoquan was clearly relieved, because as long as no bodies were found, there was still a possibility that the people were alive.
But then Yue'er said something else that almost made Li Zuoquan explode with anger.
"Not only were Li Jian's bodies not there, but even the bodies of the ordinary people were gone. Perhaps those mountain spirits were too hungry and took them as food."
Without waiting to see Li Zuoquan's displeased expression, she directly found a tent, threw everyone inside out, causing a group of grown men to wince in pain. Her arrogant and overbearing behavior was no less than that of the Duck Leg Man.
Yet, no one dared to bother her, perhaps knowing her capabilities.
Seeing that Li Zuoquan had no intention of asking further questions, I also prepared to pull Zhang Dabiao to rest. We had been through a lot all day, and my whole body felt like it was falling apart. After the fight just now, many of the blisters on my body from the sparks had broken, and they stung fiercely under the stimulation of sweat.
"Elder Li, since everything is fine, we'll go rest too. They are blessed by heaven and will surely be alive. They might be hiding somewhere where it's inconvenient to return. We can look for them again when it's dawn."
With that, I was about to leave, but before I could take two steps, Li Zuoquan called out to me.
"Young friend Song, please stay."
I stopped, looking at him with some confusion, wondering what else he wanted to say.
"I'd like to ask young friend Song for a favor."
"A favor? What favor?"
There weren't many ways I could be useful in finding people. But if it was about finding dead people, then I could definitely help.
"I want to ask you to perform a divination."
Li Zuoquan's words immediately made my expression turn grim. Since he knew I was an Yin Gua Master, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the rules of Yin Gua. Coming here had already broken two rules, putting me in a life-threatening situation. If there was a third time, even my ancestors wouldn't protect me. Wasn't this asking me to court death?
With a somber face, I replied, "I only perform divination for the dead."
A smile appeared on Li Zuoquan's face. "I am well aware of that. Since Miss Yue'er has confirmed that the bodyguards who came with them are all dead, I want you to find Hei Zi and have him help guide us. Wouldn't that allow us to find Daoist Fang and the others?"
They say old people are cunning, and old horses are talkative. This old saying is absolutely fitting for Li Zuoquan. He was acting like a shrewd and cunning Sima Yi.
After a moment of thought, I replied, "It's not impossible, but I'm not sure if he knows where Li Jian and the others went. And..." I stopped here.
When Hei Zi was alive, he might have worked for money or other reasons, but after his death, he had no connection to you. To ask a ghost for help, you must agree to one of its conditions.
Generally, the conditions demanded by ghosts are extremely harsh. I once saw a ghost demand an unreasonable condition: a life for a life. Because he was a wronged ghost, he could not reincarnate without someone to take his place.
In fact, Hei Zi could be considered among the wronged dead. He was disemboweled by mountain spirits for no reason. Moreover, mountain spirits are inherently Yin. He has likely become a fierce ghost by now.
Seeing that I had stopped mid-sentence, Li Zuoquan couldn't help but press on, "And what? If you have any difficulties, just say so. If I can help, young friend, I certainly won't make things difficult for you."
With Li Zuoquan's guarantee, this matter became easier to handle. I then explained my concerns and the things I needed.
After listening, Li Zuoquan frowned. "Birth dates are easy to obtain, but how could Hei Zi have become a fierce ghost overnight? Are you trying to trick me, boy?"
Upon hearing this, I became a little displeased. Wasn't he questioning my identity as an Yin Gua Master? Who said a fierce ghost couldn't be formed overnight?
"Elder Li, I've said what I should and shouldn't say. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. I'm just saying he might have become a fierce ghost. Although this is a mission, he died unjustly, and coupled with the inherently Yin nature of mountain spirits, this possibility is very high. If it were an ordinary Yin soul, I could handle it, but if he has become a fierce ghost, I have no way to deal with him."