Chapter 126 - 125: Incorrigible

Chapter 126: Chapter 125: Incorrigible

After Gu Qingyin spoke, Mr. Zhuo fell silent. He didn’t want to believe it, but after struggling and clawing his way up in the world for so many years, he knew that what Gu Qingyin said was right.

But still, he was unwilling to believe it. How could his old partner, the one who had built everything with him from scratch, suddenly go so wrong?

Less than half an hour later, the Zhuo family’s doorbell rang.

Mr. Zhuo started to get the door, but Mrs. Zhuo was holding him too tightly. Helpless, he had no choice but to ask Zhuo Yan to go.

Zhuo Yan didn’t really dare to go, either. It was just like in the movies—the person who breaks away from the main group to go on a solo mission is always the first to die.

Gu Qingyin let out a chuckle. "Yun Jing, get the door."

Huo Yunjing didn’t move. A wisp of Yin Qi drifted over, and the door clicked open.

It was a tiny sound, but it landed like a thunderclap in the ears of the three members of the Zhuo family. ’A ghost soul opening a door is way too convenient! Doesn’t that mean we’re in danger all the time?!’

"A house provides protection. Normally, a ghost soul can’t enter a home without the owner’s permission," Gu Qingyin explained. "The only way Tong Xihai could get in is if he got your consent at a moment when you weren’t paying attention."

This made the three members of the Zhuo family even more terrified. It was impossible to guard against something like that!

Gu Qingyin sighed. "When I leave, I’ll hang an Eight Diagrams Mirror on your door. In all likelihood, a person won’t run into a ghost twice in their lifetime."

Zhuo Yan raised her hand and said softly, "But I’ve run into them three times! Including today, this makes four..."

Gu Qingyin replied, "...I meant different ghosts."

Zhuo Yan sheepishly lowered her hand.

Old Liu came in, looking puzzled at Mr. and Mrs. Zhuo hugging each other. "What’s all this?" ’Did they call me over in the middle of the night to watch their public display of affection?’ Or... He looked at Zhuo Yan. "Did you have a fight?"

Obviously, Old Liu couldn’t see the two large ghosts in the room.

Mr. Zhuo’s expression was complicated. "Old Liu, be straight with me. Did you... embezzle Tong Xihai’s compensation payment?"

The smile on Old Liu’s face froze instantly. A hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he tried his best to control himself, forcing a twitch of his lips. "Brother Zhuo, what are you talking about? You know what kind of person I am. In all these years, have I ever skimmed money off the top? I’ve turned down cash people have handed me on a silver platter!"

Mr. Zhuo nodded in agreement, then asked, "So, have Tong Xihai’s parents received the money?"

"They should have," Old Liu said, sounding uncertain. "It’s been too busy these past few days, I forgot to follow up. I’ll ask about it when I get to work tomorrow."

For a moment, Mr. Zhuo couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or lying. Not wanting to just rip off the band-aid and force a confrontation, he fell silent and looked toward Gu Qingyin.

Gu Qingyin took a step forward, a faint smile on her lips. "Mr. Liu, are you a heavy smoker?"

’I can smell the pungent stench of smoke from two meters away. That strong a smell couldn’t be from his own smoking; he must have spent a long time in a place full of secondhand smoke. It’s soaked right into him.’

A flicker crossed Old Liu’s eyes. "It’s not too bad. I just smoke a bit more heavily when I’m stressed." He glanced at Mr. Zhuo and asked with a confused look, "And this is?"

"I forgot to introduce myself," Gu Qingyin interjected with a smile. "My surname is Gu, and I am a Heavenly Master."

"A Heavenly Master?"

Old Liu was instantly alarmed and suspicious. He wasn’t an idiot. First, the questions about the recently deceased Tong Xihai, and now a Heavenly Master shows up. Something was definitely wrong! ’Could there really be ghosts in this world?’

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but Old Liu felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if a cold draft were blowing on it. He reached up to touch his neck, and the back of his hand was met with the distinct feeling of that same cold draft.

Old Liu instinctively turned his head and nearly came face-to-face with Tong Xihai, whose head was caved in on one side.

Watching from the side, Huo Yunjing curled his lip in disgust and retreated a step closer to his wife.

A moment later, Old Liu’s delayed scream finally erupted. "Tong... Tong Xihai?!" His face was a mask of terror. Suspecting he was dreaming, he raised a hand and pinched his cheek hard, so hard it brought tears to his eyes.

Ignoring the pain in his face, Old Liu instinctively took another step back. But his legs were weak from fear, and with that one step, he fell right to the floor.

"Heavenly Master!!" Old Liu’s voice went up several octaves, sharp and piercing, even cracking a little. "There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost!"

Gu Qingyin nodded calmly. "I know there’s a ghost. But don’t panic. Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor. Ghosts don’t just harm people randomly. Besides, he’s planning to reincarnate."

Watching Tong Xihai close in on him step by step, Old Liu was about to lose his mind. He didn’t know if the ghost was going to reincarnate or not, but he knew that if this continued, *he’d* be the one reincarnating any second now!

Terrified out of his wits, Old Liu just wanted to escape his current predicament. Gu Qingyin didn’t even need to scare him any further; he confessed everything in a rush!

"I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t! I just urgently needed the money! After a while, once I win it back, I’ll definitely return the money to your parents! Really! I’ll give them back double—no, no, no, triple!"

In his panic, he forgot that Mr. Zhuo was right there beside him, and he forgot that just moments ago, he had sworn up and down that he wasn’t that kind of person.

Hearing this, Mr. Zhuo’s face turned extremely ugly. "Win it back?" he demanded in a loud, angry voice. "You went gambling?!"

Old Liu shuddered and slowly turned his head to look at Mr. Zhuo, his face full of anguish.

"I didn’t mean to. I was set up! I lost over a hundred thousand the first time I played. I couldn’t accept it, I wanted to win it back, but I just kept losing more and more..."

Seeing Mr. Zhuo’s expression darken further, Old Liu stopped talking and neurotically scratched his hair. "I had no choice! I can definitely win it back, I know I can. My skills have gotten really good now."

"You!" Mr. Zhuo’s face flushed with anger, and he was so agitated he looked like he wanted to stomp his feet. "You’re incorrigible! That was Tong Xihai’s life-compensation money! How could you do something like this?!"

Shame crossed Old Liu’s face, but he didn’t show a hint of regret.

"If I didn’t pay it back, I would’ve died! They would have really beaten me to death! And if they didn’t kill me, they’d sell me off to Myanmar North..." As Old Liu spoke, he started to cry, a snotty, blubbering mess. "You can never get out of a place like that."

"You only think about yourself! Did you ever stop to think about what would happen to Tong Xihai’s parents? You even had someone break his father’s leg!"

"He threatened me first!" Old Liu snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot. "He was going to call the police on me! I had no choice!"

Gu Qingyin couldn’t listen to any more of this. She rolled her eyes. "So you steal their money, but they’re not allowed to call the police? The audacity! You’re this old and you’re still trying to have your cake and eat it too. Aren’t you disgusted with yourself?"

Old Liu must have gone mad, because he actually turned and glared at Gu Qingyin.

The next second, Huo Yunjing suddenly materialized, rushing at Old Liu with a terrifying ghostly visage.

Old Liu shrieked and scrambled away, crawling all over the floor.

He was so consumed with thoughts of saving his own skin that he didn’t even notice the ghost had already retreated. Just as he happened to crawl to Zhuo Yan’s feet, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes. He reached out, grabbed her by the calf, and yanked her backward.

Astonishment appeared on Zhuo Yan’s face. She looked down at Old Liu, unable to believe that this was the same Uncle Liu who had watched her grow up.

Getting into gambling is like getting hooked on drugs. Morality, humanity, and all personal boundaries slowly fade away.