Qiang Zi was a bit anxious, unsure whether to speak or not. He considered simply killing himself with his copper coin sword, or perhaps using a couple of explosive talismans if that didn't work.
Yu Daohen tilted his head, signaling Qiang Zi to proceed without him.
Qiang Zi nodded, and the two turned, taking a step towards Elder Tai's home.
"Hey, what's going on with you two youngsters? Why aren't you responding?"
The old man behind them shouted.
With the old man's shout, passersby on the road all turned to look at Yu Daohen and Qiang Zi, who were walking away.
The two stopped, their expressions turning serious. One hand instinctively went to the Kang Long Jian and copper coin sword at their waists.
Yu Daohen looked at Qiang Zi beside him. Qiang Zi nodded, thinking that if that little ghost dared to approach, he would smash it into oblivion with a single strike from the Kang Long Jian.
Just as the standoff continued, a voice called out from ahead: "Old Man Zhang, these two little ones are my grandsons."
An old woman, her face full of wrinkles, walked over from the front.
Seeing the old woman arrive, Yu Daohen's face broke into a smile. "Granny Wang, what brings you here?"
Granny Wang came up to the two of them. "Little Yu, you're here."
Yu Daohen wanted to speak, but with something in his mouth, he could only nod. Granny Wang then looked at Qiang Zi, who gave a polite nod.
Granny Wang nodded, then turned to Old Man Zhang. "These two youngsters are my grandsons, they're mute and can't speak."
Old Man Zhang nodded. "So that's how it is. I was wondering why they didn't reply to me."
Granny Wang nodded to the surrounding pedestrians, and everyone resumed their walking.
"Alright, you continue enjoying your sun. I'm taking these two little ones home," Granny Wang said.
Old Man Zhang's tone carried a smile, but his face showed no trace of it, which was particularly eerie.
"When people get old, they just like to bask in the sun."
Qiang Zi looked up at the sky. It was pitch black, with only a single moon visible. If he hadn't known he wasn't being deceived by ghosts, he would have suspected he was losing his mind.
Granny Wang led the two into a small alley. The surrounding lights grew dimmer, with only the streetlights flickering erratically.
"Alright, spit it out now," Granny Wang said.
Qiang Zi immediately spat out what he was holding. "I'm suffocating! This thing smells awful. Next time, I wouldn't hold this even if I were to die."
Yu Daohen felt a sense of helplessness as he spat out the item. He looked at Granny Wang. Her previously dark hair had all turned white, and her body had hunched over. She was completely different from the last time he saw her, as if she had aged ten years overnight.
"Granny Wang, your health?"
Granny Wang smiled. "Driving the formation to seal the Golden Toad consumed a lot of my lifespan, and living here for so long, it's inevitable that I've aged a bit."
Yu Daohen felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. If Elder Tai were still alive, he would probably have aged over ten years by now too.
"Granny Wang, you could actually move out," Yu Daohen said.
Granny Wang waved her hand and smiled. "At my age, I'll live one day at a time. I'm used to staying here. Going out would be uncomfortable."
Yu Daohen didn't try to persuade her further. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to leave, but rather that she felt indebted to the villagers of Xiaotun Village.
Granny Wang looked at the scar on Qiang Zi's face. "Little one, your injury is quite severe. You should have died already. You must be sustained by something, right?"
Qiang Zi nodded. "Senior is correct."
Granny Wang nodded without asking further questions and arrived in front of Elder Tai's home.
Granny Wang looked at Yu Daohen and Qiang Zi. "Alright, this is as far as this old woman can escort you."
Yu Daohen nodded, a smile appearing on his face, and watched her go. "Safe travels, Granny Wang."
Granny Wang nodded and walked into the darkness.
The area around Elder Tai's home was completely dark. Yu Daohen turned on his phone's flashlight and led Qiang Zi forward.
Reaching the doorway, Yu Daohen looked at the wooden door with a bitter expression. He pushed it open and stepped inside.
Entering the main hall, he turned on the light. A layer of dust had settled on the furniture. Yu Daohen blew away the dust on the table and put down his backpack.
Qiang Zi glanced around, then looked outside at the rockery in the middle. "Master Yu, the feng shui here is quite good."
"The feng shui here has been specially arranged," Yu Daohen said, going inside to get three red incense sticks.
He approached a stone statue and looked at Qiang Zi, who was wiping a stool. "Lend me your lighter."
Qiang Zi patted his pocket, pulled out a lighter, and threw it over. Yu Daohen caught the lighter, lit the red incense, and bowed. "Disciple Yu Daohen pays his respects to the Ancestral Master."
He then kowtowed once, stood up, and inserted the three red incense sticks into the censer.
Qiang Zi looked at the stone statue and suddenly remembered. "Master Yu, I recall Elder Tai was the sect leader of the Yan Huo Sect, right?"
Yu Daohen nodded. He remembered his master saying that he was the only one left in the Yan Huo Sect, so technically he was the sect leader. "I suppose so. Before my master left, he didn't explicitly say he was the sect leader, but the sect leader's token was passed to me by him."
"Holy crap, Master Yu, you're the sect leader of the Yan Huo Sect!" Qiang Zi exclaimed in surprise.
Yu Daohen, who had just turned to wipe the dust off the ancestral worship table, instinctively reached for his back when Qiang Zi shouted.
"You're going to give me a heart attack with your sudden exclamations!" Yu Daohen turned to look at Qiang Zi, whose expression was strange.
Qiang Zi's face was full of smiles, surprise, and excitement. "Master Yu, I never expected you to be a millionaire!"