C24 Begging

"Changsheng, I'm worried someone might overhear us. Can I come in to talk?" Ms. Xiaofeng asked tentatively. Glancing around, I noticed a few houses still had their lights on.

After a cautious look to ensure we were alone, I opened the gate and led her into my room.

Sitting on the bed, I addressed her, "We're alone now. You can speak."

But Ms. Xiaofeng remained silent, her hand covering her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at my adoptive father’s memorial tablet.

"Chang... Changsheng, how did Uncle Zhao... how did he pass away?" Ms. Xiaofeng inquired, her voice filled with astonishment.

"Yes, my father died yesterday," I replied coolly.

"How did Uncle Zhao... how did he die?"

"Hmph, how else? He was savagely beaten by you all and didn't survive his injuries," I said through clenched teeth.

Hearing this, Ms. Xiaofeng's eyes welled up with tears, and she knelt down to kowtow several times to my adoptive father.

Seeing her head turn red from the kowtowing stirred a pang of sympathy in me. I stopped her, "Enough with the act. If you have something to say, say it. I need to get some rest soon."

Ms. Xiaofeng got to her feet, steadying herself on the table, and said, "Although Sunn Wangcai revived, he's like a zombie from those old movies, with a ghastly pale face and a rigid body, attacking any living person he sees."

"Sunn Xingwang isn't just like a zombie; he is one now. Then what happened?"

"Afterward, Sunn Youde confined Sunn Xingwang in the woodshed and hasn't let him out since. But in the last few days, three children have gone missing from the village, all around seven or eight years old. Moreover, the villagers have been growing increasingly lethargic."

"Lethargic? Can you elaborate on what's happening with the villagers?" I pressed.

"They're all listless, as if they've lost their souls, but it's not affecting everyone. From what I've observed, it's mostly the elderly and those who are naturally frail," Ms. Xiaofeng explained.

Upon hearing the news, I furrowed my brow. It seemed highly likely that the Sunn family was attempting to resurrect Sunn Xingwang, given that three children had gone missing from the village. That wasn't particularly surprising.

What did baffle me, though, was the sudden, widespread despondency among the villagers. It probably had something to do with the Evil Taoist working with Sunn Youde. But even if every villager perished, it wouldn't concern me. These were not matters I should be preoccupied with at the moment.

"Did you come to see me just to discuss this?" I asked with a frosty tone.

"No, I... I need to ask you for a favor. Please, save my brother Xiaohu," Ms. Xiaofeng implored.

"What happened to Xiaohu?"

When I inquired, Ms. Xiaofeng, filled with sorrow and anger, revealed, "My father sold Xiaohu to Sunn Youde. He's now imprisoned in the Sunn family's old house."

"Your father must have gambled away everything again, right? If Sunn Youde is a beast, then your father is even less than that! Despite all the terrible things Sunn Youde has done, he at least cares for his own child. Your father, on the other hand, is the one who truly deserves to die!" I said, my voice laced with loathing. Reflecting on all the tragedy, it was indeed Xiaofeng's father who had set these events in motion.

Ms. Xiaofeng sighed, tears trickling down her cheeks. I felt a pang of pity and urged her to sit down and talk it through.

But Ms. Xiaofeng remained standing, her eyes flickering towards the spirit tablet of her adoptive father before she made another plea. "Changsheng, you're the only one who can help me now. I know that Uncle Zhao and you are both skilled," she said earnestly.

I was well aware that Ms. Xiaofeng's real hope had been to seek help from her adoptive father. Sunn Youde had always feared him for his unique abilities, and he was the only one who could have stood up to the Evil Taoist.

The thought of my adoptive father's death reignited a surge of bitterness within me. I turned to Ms. Xiaofeng and said, "Please leave. It's not that I'm unwilling to help; I simply lack the means. I'm just an orphan, struggling even to fend for myself."

"Changsheng, please, I'm imploring you—just save Xiaohu, and I'll do whatever you want," Ms. Xiaofeng whispered, her hands trembling as she began to undo the buttons of her blouse...