At half past seven in the evening, the sun had already set. The two arrived at the shop, and Yu Daochen saw a figure sitting at the shop entrance from afar.
Qin Muyu, who was beside him, suddenly turned into a wisp of white smoke and dissipated into the air.
Yu Dao walked straight towards the entrance and saw only Zhu Futing squatting on the stone steps, smoking a cigarette. Seven or eight cigarette butts were scattered on the ground, indicating he had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Yu Daochen arrive, Zhu Futing smiled, "Master Yu, you're back."
Zhou Fu and Xu Yaya inside the shop also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yu Daochen return. Zhu Futing had been sitting at the shop entrance silently for four hours.
"Boss Zhu, no, are you really Zhu Futing now?" Yu Daochen scrutinized Zhu Futing, finding no unusual aura on his face.
Zhu Futing sighed, his face devoid of any smile, "I presume Master Yu has also visited my home."
Yu Daochen nodded, "Boss Zhu, please come in and sit."
Yu Daochen led Zhu Futing into the shop and they sat down at the tea table.
Honestly, Yu Daochen had a good impression of Zhu Futing. He hadn't entered the shop while Yu Daochen was away. If he had, no matter who he was now, he would likely be lying on the ground.
Xu Yaya brewed two cups of tea and brought them over. Yu Daochen placed one cup in front of Zhu Futing, "Boss Zhu, shouldn't you explain yourself?"
Zhu Futing hesitated for a moment before taking out a black jar from his pocket and placing it on the table.
"I did deceive Master Yu. I don't have a son, and Ma Meiling is not my wife," Zhu Futing confessed.
"Perhaps you could tell me how you came back from the dead."
Yu Daochen was quite curious. Zhu Futing's face showed no ghostly aura, so it was unlikely someone else had possessed his body. Moreover, he couldn't detect any aura on him.
"Since Master Yu wishes to know, I shall recount the entire story," Zhu Futing said, beginning his tale.
Ten years ago, Ma Meiling arrived in the village and found the then Zhu Futing.
She told Zhu Futing that if he helped her complete one task, she would grant him a wish.
The task was to lure other villagers to a designated spot to dig for gold, then poison them all, and finally build a pond to dispose of all the bodies.
At that time, Zhu Futing had just been diagnosed with cancer and had only four months to live.
For a dying man, money and power held no value. Zhu Futing immediately refused Ma Meiling.
However, Ma Meiling produced two sacks of gold nuggets and offered Zhu Futing an irresistible reason: as long as he wished for it, even eternal life was possible, and she could teach him magic.
Human self-control is insignificant in the face of the will to survive.
Zhu Futing eventually succumbed, agreeing to Ma Meiling's request and asking for eternal life.
Ma Meiling readily agreed. Then, as instructed by Ma Meiling, Zhu Futing poisoned over two hundred people who were taken to dig for gold in a cave. He used explosives to seal the cave, falsely claiming it was a landslide, and everyone perished inside.
Afterward, he built a pond at the foot of the mountain and moved all the bodies into it.
Upon completion, Ma Meiling fulfilled her promise of granting Zhu Futing eternal life and taught him magic, but at a price.
(Zhu Futing leading Yu Daochen to the fish pond was at Shen Tianming's instruction.)
When Zhu Futing spoke of the price, he stopped. However, Yu Daochen had a general idea.
"If I'm not mistaken, the price was the sacrifice of your parents, wasn't it?" Yu Daochen asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
Zhu Futing nodded and remained silent.
Yu Daochen looked at the black ceramic jar, "The souls of your parents should be inside, correct?"
After a moment, Zhu Futing spoke, "This is also why I came to find Master Yu. I wish to ask you to help me transmigrate my parents' souls."
Before Zhu Futing could finish, Yu Daochen sternly refused, "I'm sorry, I won't take this job."
Yu Daochen then looked at Xu Yaya beside him, "Xiao Ya, go to the cabinet and get that hundred and twenty thousand yuan."
Xu Yaya obediently retrieved the hundred and twenty thousand yuan from the cabinet and placed it on the table. Yu Daochen pushed the money towards Zhu Futing, "Take this money back. For the matter of transmigrating souls, you should seek someone else."
Before Zhu Futing could respond, Yu Daochen gave him no chance, "I won't see you out!"
Zhu Futing said nothing further, knowing that further pleas would be futile.
"This money rightfully belongs to Master Yu, and it is not a considerable amount for me," Zhu Futing said, then turned and left.
"Stop!" Yu Daochen looked at the teapot on the table, his expression stern, "Zhou Fu, return the money to Boss Zhu."
Zhou Fu and Xu Yaya both flinched at Yu Daochen's sudden anger.
Zhou Fu picked up the money from the table, walked over to Zhu Futing, and handed it to him.
Zhu Futing glanced back at Yu Daochen, said nothing, took the money, and left the shop.
About ten minutes after Zhu Futing left, Yu Daochen let out a heavy sigh, "Alas, eternal life is not so easily attained. Even we in this line of work cannot achieve it."