Chapter 27: The Old Scoundrel’s Deception

I looked at Old Thief Yuan, feeling somewhat bewildered, intending to ask him why Old Ghost Ye’s attitude had shifted so abruptly. Old Thief Yuan signaled with his eyes for me to stay silent and leave everything to him.

Later, he explained that the "Four Great Beams" of the Northeast bandits and the "Mountain-Watching Dogs" shared an irreconcilable blood feud. Many of the Mountain-Watching Dogs had once served the government, but they weren't employed to hunt ghosts or demons; they were specifically tasked with hunting down bandits in the mountains. These bandits were ruthless, and the Mountain-Watching Dogs, being men of the underworld themselves, were equally unscrupulous. In their worldview, there was no such thing as sparing one’s family. They had been locked in a life-or-death struggle since the end of the Qing Dynasty, continuing right up until the founding of the new nation, leaving countless dead in their wake. The blood debt between the two groups was simply beyond resolution. Learning that we were targeting the Mountain-Watching Dogs had naturally pleased Old Ghost Ye.

Soon after, Ye Huan had the food prepared and the liquor set out. The meal consisted of pickled and roasted game; besides a few leeks as thick as fingers, there wasn't a single green vegetable in sight. The liquor was homemade, unrefined white spirit served directly from a jar on the table.

Old Ghost Ye picked up a small bowl and asked, "Brother, will this suffice?"

Old Thief Yuan glanced at it. "This might do for medicinal soup, but for drinking, it’s not satisfying."

Even when met with such blunt criticism, which would have offended anyone else, Old Ghost Ye simply laughed heartily. "A man who knows his liquor, I see. Then we shall use the big bowls."

"I once drank with a group of pedants, and their style of drinking nearly drove me to my grave. They’d sit there with cups as small as a dog's basket, just pecking at it. What were they pecking at? I’d sooner drink poison than endure that kind of drinking." As he spoke, Old Ghost Ye took a half-catty bowl and slowly filled it for Old Thief Yuan.

Seeing that bowl, my eyes grew warm; my grandfather used to drink from that exact style of bowl. Simultaneously, I felt a wave of anxiety for Old Thief Yuan. The old man never drank—would one bowl of this stuff send him to the afterlife? Just as I was about to speak, Old Thief Yuan lifted the bowl. "Brother, forgive my earlier intrusion. I’ll drink this first as a gesture of respect."

Old Thief Yuan downed the liquor in one breath, showing the empty bottom of the bowl. Old Ghost Ye was even more delighted. "Good! I love drinking with a man like you. I’ll match you. Let’s keep it going." They finished two more rounds together before settling into a slower pace.

Old Ghost Ye asked calmly, "Brother, you want to deal with the Mountain-Watching Dogs—is it because you have a grudge against them?"

I became instantly vigilant. Old Ghost Ye still didn't trust us; this was a deliberate probe.

Old Thief Yuan gestured toward me. "This story begins with my grandson here."

"This boy has had a hard life. Even before he was born, his parents were doomed to die, and the grandfather who raised him for over a decade has also vanished."

Old Ghost Ye’s expression darkened, and Ye Huan, sitting opposite me, shifted his posture—he was in a position to grab the hilt of his blade in an instant. I nearly bit my tongue. Had Old Thief Yuan lost his mind from the drink? Was he even talking sense? Anyone hearing this would think he was just spinning a yarn.

But Old Thief Yuan continued as if he had no idea he was talking nonsense. "I’ll mention a name to you: Yuan Kaishan. You should know him? That was my brother, my own blood brother! Yuan Zheng here is his own grandson."

"Our Yuan family..."

Old Thief Yuan proceeded to recount the story of my parents' sacrifice and my grandfather’s lone stand against the spirits, telling it exactly as it happened, without a single embellishment. He was a master storyteller. When he described my grandfather holding back the ghosts and gods, he made it sound as if he had witnessed it himself. Old Ghost Ye was so stirred that he slammed the table, shouting, "Good! That is how a real man lives!"

"When pushed to the edge, I don't care if you're the Jade Emperor or the Ten Kings of Hell—I'll still drive a white blade in and pull it out red. Even if I can't tear a piece of meat off you, I'll make sure to splatter you with my blood."

When Old Thief Yuan reached the part about my quest for revenge against the Thirteen Ghost Gates and how I had tracked the clues of the Mountain-Watching Dogs to find Old Ghost Ye, the old man laughed. "I was wondering why you came in ready to draw steel. So, you thought I was one of those dog whelps. I don't blame you, brother."

"I knew those Mountain-Watching Dogs were no good, but I didn't realize they were this rotten. Rest assured, brother, I’ll help you settle this. If I don't strip those dog bones clean for you to drink with, then my name isn't Ye."

Only then did I understand Old Thief Yuan’s plan. He was trying to drag Old Ghost Ye and his grandson into this mess! In our family, I was the only one who could really fight. If he could pull two experts like Old Ghost Ye and Ye Huan into the affairs of Peace Street, what an incredible boost that would be! Old Thief Yuan wasn't drunk at all; he was using his cunning to ensnare them.

Old Ghost Ye patted the old thief’s shoulder. "Brother, to be honest, there really was a Mountain-Watching Dog here once. But to save my grandson, I had to seize this Green Fiend Mouth. I buried that dog in the dirt myself."

Old Thief Yuan looked at Ye Huan. "Your grandson needs to channel the baleful energy to protect his body, doesn't he?"

Old Ghost Ye gave an immediate thumbs-up. "Sharp eyes, brother."

"Ye Huan has a constitution different from others. He has an Empty Fiend Body. While others flee from baleful energy, he must absorb it to sustain his vitality. To save him, my old woman gave her own life."

"These years, I’ve been dragging him from place to place, just to gather enough baleful energy to keep him alive. Ten years ago, I brought him to Green Fiend Mouth."

"I hadn't intended to provoke that Mountain-Watching Dog."

"But the bastard wouldn't give an inch. Even as he watched Ye Huan gasping his last breath, he refused to vacate the Green Fiend Mouth so the boy could prolong his life."

"In a fit of rage, I buried him."

Old Ghost Ye took a drink. "That Taoist you mentioned, the one who turned himself into a zombie? I saw him. He’s buried beneath the Green-Dragon Wood. He sucked up more than half the baleful energy here."

"I fought that zombie, and after I killed it, I was badly wounded. For these past ten years, I’ve been nursing my injuries while taking odd jobs in the mountains, all to keep Ye Huan alive."

"Brother, I’ll be honest with you. If you had arrived a few days later, I would have had to move. The energy here is nearly depleted. If I don't find a new place to sustain Ye Huan, our branch of the Ye family will be extinguished."

Old Thief Yuan asked, "Have you found a place?"

"Found a place, my foot!" Old Ghost Ye downed the rest of his bowl. "If I had found a place, would I be so anxious I’ve got sores all over my mouth?"

Old Thief Yuan slapped his own chest. "Brother, come with me. I’ll take care of Ye Huan’s situation!"

"You..." Old Ghost Ye froze, and so did I.

Could Old Thief Yuan be spinning another lie? This wasn't child's play. If he tricked Old Ghost Ye and the man turned hostile, the two of us were no match for them!

Old Ghost Ye stared blankly at Old Thief Yuan. "Brother, you really have a way?"

"I do!" Old Thief Yuan declared, thumping his chest. "If I can't handle this, you can pluck out my eyes tomorrow and crush them like soap bubbles!"

It’s over. Old Thief Yuan is going to lose his eyes!