I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night

The chaos was considerable.

Two tables had been set up in the courtyard.

There were quite a number of guests who showed no restraint, scouring the place.

"Uncle, everyone outside is saying Zhou Ji made his fortune these past two years. How come there are only enough resources for two tables?"

"We are all here to help handle Zhou Ji's affairs. How can we do it if we're not well-fed?"

"Why don't you bring out some money, then? I'll have someone fetch a few pounds of drinks."

"Zhou Ji is no longer with us, but we are all of the same clan. Rest assured, Uncle, we will handle his affairs gloriously."

"Since the money he saved for his wife is now useless, take it out, and I plan to get him a fine coffin."

A few men, quite dissatisfied, pointed at the crying old man in the courtyard and proceeded to 'advise' him.

Meanwhile, the old man, his hair white and skin withered, was crying weakly without any strength left.

Next to him, a little girl, evidently under ten years old, was terrified by the scene and sobbed loudly.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Your father is gone, from now on, I will be your father."

At that moment, a relatively well-dressed man stepped forward, patting the little girl's head while his eyes were fixed on the old man.

"Uncle, now that Zhou Ji is gone, you need someone to care for you in your old age. I have a brother whom I plan to adopt to you. He will be the one to care for you."

"From now on, Little Li will be my own daughter. When she grows up, I might even take her to the inner city to serve in the Liu Family. Maybe one of the young masters there will take a liking to her and she becomes a concubine. Then, old man, your future will be brilliant too."

He said this gently and calmly.

The neighbors, who initially thought the Zhou Family members were too much, hearing the mention of the prestigious Liu Family in the inner city, instantly fell silent. The words they were about to say, they swallowed back.

Other Zhou Family members then started to echo the sentiment.

"Yes, Uncle, in the future, Aping will take care of you."

"When he takes over Zhou Ji's position and works at the Outer South Government Office, your old days will shine brightly again."

"Aping is a good boy, and with Brother An's support, he will certainly be more prosperous than Zhou Ji was."

"Brother An is with the Liu Family. By adopting his brother, it's like you're connected to the prestigious Liu Family. You are indeed lucky beyond your ancestors' wildest dreams."

The noisy voices left the old man increasingly distressed, his eyes filled with despair.

The little girl cried even more bitterly upon hearing the man called Zhou An, whose expression turned somewhat sour.

His hand stroking the girl's head grew tighter and started to hurt her.

It was noon and the sun was scorching.

Under the sunlight, the shadows of the Zhou Family members loomed over the old man and the young girl.

Though it was broad daylight, for the grandfather and granddaughter, it felt intensely cold and fearsome, as if they were in an abyss with nowhere to climb.

Just then, a voice came from outside.

"This is too much!"

Lin Lei walked in, his expression slightly stern. "Zhou Ji died last night defending the city, he died for all of us!"

He spoke resolutely, "We live in High Willow City, and we are able to stand here today because those who defended the city last night fought off evil and pushed back the darkness with their lives!"

"They died defending the city, and you people, who were protected by them, want to empty his house?"

"Not only do you want to drain his resources, but you're also eyeing the position Zhou Ji held in the government office?"

Lin Lei's voice, full of anger, arose.

Everyone's expression grew serious.

Zhou An signaled with his eyes, and the Zhou Family members around him gathered up, all looking fierce.

It seemed that they were on the verge of starting a fight at any moment.

"Don't meddle in things that aren't your business."

A robust man squeezed forward and said sharply, "It's none of your concern!"

"How is it not my concern? Zhou Ji died defending the city, and I am a citizen here, how can it not be my concern?"

Lin Lei, though he had studied for a few years and was somewhat spirited, gritted his teeth and said, "You empty his house today, what will Uncle Zhou and Little Li do tomorrow?"

"The pillar of his house has died defending the city this very night; this old man and this little girl, do you really want to see them starve to death in the city?"

"You keep saying you're of the same clan, are you even human?"

As Lin Lei's voice spread,

Zhou An's expression turned darker.

While someone nearby leaned in, whispering softly, "Brother Zhou An, his eldest maternal uncle is the neighborhood head on the sixth street to the west, you shouldn't provoke him recklessly."

Hearing this, Zhou An's expression eased slightly as he stepped forward.

"This misunderstanding must have arisen," he said.

He bowed, his expression gentle, "We are here to arrange the funeral for Zhou Ji. Since the person has passed away, he deserves a proper funeral and a meal for the clansmen is only appropriate."

"The elderly and the children are alone and helpless, I am willing to let my own younger brother be adopted to care for them until the end of their days, out of goodwill."

"Since the adoption has been agreed upon, taking over Zhou Ji's duties is only natural," he continued.

"These actions, morally and logically, are all warranted."

"However, you being a stranger and causing trouble in our house is totally unreasonable," he added.

Zhou An said this earnestly, sincerely added, "Although you have misunderstood us, and though tensions are high, considering you also had my uncle's best interests in mind, let's end this matter here, I..."

His expression suddenly froze, fixating on the gate behind Lin Lei.

His face gradually turned pale, his eyes filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

When everyone looked over, they saw a young man slowly walking into the courtyard.

Although he had a handsome appearance, his clothes were modest, clearly just a poor youth.

"Flames, what are you doing here, go back home..."

Suddenly, a loud slap!

Extremely crisp, and very loud!

The man named Zhou An had fiercely slapped himself across the face.

The scene fell into silence, everyone was astounded, looking at each other.

"You..."

Zhou An, with a red palm print emerging on his face, stepped forward, his face full of servile smiles, "Do you still remember me?"

"..."

The atmosphere in the area grew even more solemn, no one spoke, all were dumbfounded.

Even Lin Lei felt that the other person might suddenly have had a mental breakdown or perhaps yesterday an evil spirit had confused his mind.

"You..."

Lin Yan glanced at him, then fell silent.

He faintly remembered that on a previous visit to Mr. Lu, there were many people gathered outside, all from the powers of the inner city.

And this man was the butler of the Liu Family... a servant by his side.

"We have met before in front of Mr. Lu's residence, you..."

Zhou An looked at Lin Yan and then at Lin Lei, suddenly gritted his teeth, and slapped his face again.

"Yesterday mayhap I encountered an evil spirit, my mind was muddled today, and I was disrespectful to you both, truly..."

"The disrespect was not only towards us brothers," Lin Yan said, his expression indifferent.

"Ah, right, yes..."

Zhou An spoke without filter, hastily took out his purse, and shouted to his kinsmen nearby, "What are you looking at? Don't you kneel down and kowtow to the elder, count how much you have consumed today, give the money..."

He hurriedly bowed his head deeply, his heart filled with terror.

Today, he followed the old steward to visit Mr. Lu, and it was clear that even the powers from the inner city, including the City Guard Mansion, were turned away.

Yet this youth had been granted an audience by Mr. Lu.

In Mr. Lu's eyes, the importance of this youth seemed to surpass that of any inner city power.

Of course, this could also be a misunderstanding, the weight of this youth in Mr. Lu's heart might not necessarily be so significant.

But it was not something so insignificant that he, a mere servant, could discuss.

Moreover, he knew that by now, all inner city families were investigating this youth very carefully, taking great interest in his background.

If this youth was to rise rapidly, he was nothing but a mere ant, easily crushed by someone's casual flick.

He sincerely kowtowed to Uncle Zhou.

Then turning his head, he looked at Lin Yan, filled with apprehension.

"Get lost!"

Lin Yan spoke flatly.