Wen Yiliao was only a step away from the door, but that step felt incredibly difficult.

As Wen Yiliao lifted his foot, exerting all his strength to step outside, he felt a powerful shove from behind, sending him sprawling onto the ground with a thud.

His feet were still inside, but half his body was outside the doorway.

Old Liu, fanning himself, paused in thought. "Half his body is out; that counts as leaving. Someone, drag him out and dump him far away. Let him walk the rest of the way!"

Several guards grabbed Wen Yiliao and quickly dragged him outside.

Old Liu sighed again, "A generation's hero... why did it have to come to this?"

Butcher Wang asked curiously, "Was what you told Wen Yiliao just now true? Is Jiang Junci really going undercover?"

"It's true!" Old Liu nodded. "At least, that's the conclusion I've drawn after repeated deductions."

"The Coffin Gate, the Ten Yama Envoys, the Civil Officials faction, Wuxiang, Wusheng... they're all playing a grand game."

"Each faction is vying for power in a situation fraught with uncertainty. Everyone could be a pawn."

"Master is right to avoid participating in the conflicts of the martial world. Liangjie Hall is still too weak. If we get involved, we'll be utterly destroyed."

"What I need to do now is push Master into the position of a player."

"If Master doesn't sit at the game board, he'll never escape this chaotic situation."

"As for..."

Old Liu paused, "Whether the Coffin Gate's plan succeeds or fails, whether Jiang Junci lives or dies, that's not my concern. Even if we ruin the Coffin Gate's plan, so what? It's their headache."

"Jiang Junci took that beating for nothing."

"Old fox!" Butcher Wang glared at Old Liu. "I have another question for you. You're also a Reincarnation Stowaway, right? Won't the Reincarnation Department give you trouble?"

"Me?" Old Liu chuckled. "I don't count. My return was reported to the Underworld by the Black and White Impermanence deities. It's a special permission from the Underworld. No one can make trouble for me."

"Even if the Civil Officials faction wants to use me as an excuse, they don't have the guts. There are more than a few people in the Civil Officials faction who have returned with special permission from the Underworld."

"If they want to go back, then let's all go back together. The Civil Officials faction can't afford that price."

Butcher Wang lowered his voice, "What if the Civil Officials faction is willing to sacrifice a limb to get rid of you?"

Old Liu's body trembled slightly before he forced a smile. "If I leave, doesn't Master still have so many capable people around him? At worst, I'll find a way to turn Master into a Qiankun Divine Calculator himself. Then, who can say anything?"

Butcher Wang suddenly looked up, "I misspoke. Li Po won't allow anyone to take you away. Liangjie Hall can't afford to lose anyone. The Wolf King will always stand at the front of the pack, charging into battle. As long as the Wolf King doesn't fall, the pack is safe."

Old Liu laughed heartily, "That's why this old wolf is willing to follow Master!"

"You're a Bei (a mythical wolf-like creature said to be the accomplice of wolves)!" Butcher Wang said with drooping eyelids. "You and Li Po are colluding like wolves and Bei."

"How can you talk to your elders like that, you spendthrift girl?" Old Liu, who had been standing tall, suddenly hunched over and walked back into the house with his hands behind his back. "Night Owl, I've come to see you. Let's have a good drink together!"

Old Liu was stunned when he walked into the dining room. Black Night Owl wasn't sitting at the table; he was sitting in the middle of it, with a pair of chopsticks and two wine cups in front of him.

Xiao Kui was holding a folded pancake in one hand and gesturing at Black Night Owl with the other.

Black Night Owl's face was almost twitching. He barely managed a smile that was more like a grimace when he saw Old Liu and Butcher Wang enter.

Old Liu walked over and patted Xiao Kui, "You spendthrift child, is Black Night Owl a green onion? Are you planning to roll him into the pancake? How big would the pancake have to be to roll up Black Night Owl?"

"This one will do!" Xiao Kui spread the pancake, which was folded to the size of an A4 sheet of paper, on the table. "Ghosts can be big or small. I can pinch him hard enough to roll Black Night Owl up. Daddy told me, pancakes roll up everything..."

Black Night Owl's face turned green.

Butcher Wang quickly picked up Xiao Kui. "Little ancestor, please stop scaring Black Night Owl. Black Night Owl is family. Don't always think about eating him."

"But he smells good! He smells even better than that woman from the Coffin Gate last time!" Xiao Kui sniffed, and a sparkling trail of drool ran down the corner of her mouth.

Butcher Wang quickly ran out with Xiao Kui in his arms. Old Liu pulled the nearly passed-out Black Night Owl off the table. "I told you to wait for me inside! I'd come back to find you as soon as I finished dealing with things here. Why did you come out yourself?"

Black Night Owl took several breaths to calm himself down. "I was worried! The army is pressing down on us. How could I sit still? I saw Wen Yiliao arrive with his men, so I came down to see what was happening. That Wen Yiliao is not easy to deal with!"

Old Liu nodded. "You're the last of Jiang Junci's five forces. I told you that a long time ago. Look..."

Black Night Owl waved his hand, and the refrigerator door in the distance opened automatically, revealing a head with wide, staring eyes. "The person who came looking for me is in there. Please help me return this head to its original owner."

Butcher Wang, who had just seen Xiao Kui off, happened to see the head in the refrigerator and screamed on the spot, "Black Night Owl, are you crazy? You'll put anything in the refrigerator!"