Chapter 21: Do you see this? It's for holding remains.

A-Biao’s eyes widened in sudden terror. Just as he was about to shriek, Lin Jingyu clamped a hand over his mouth, shaking his head slowly to signal him to stay calm and steady.

The two turned back cautiously, only to see that in this short span of time, Old Ye’s entire body had become covered in a thick layer of coarse, grey hair, each strand as long as a finger.

It was terrifying—absolutely terrifying! *Mom, help me!*

Su Chen caught the look on their faces and shook his head helplessly. *Serves you right!* I warned you to leave earlier, but you two just had to stir up trouble. Fortunately, although Old Ye’s hair had grown longer, he didn't succumb to a violent impulse to harm anyone. His gaze remained fixed firmly on Su Chen.

After a long silence, he finally let out a raspy, “Young man, speak!”

The baleful energy emitted by a jiangshi is intangible, but this shout made even Su Chen shudder instinctively—a natural reaction from the original owner’s body. Fortunately, Su Chen possessed a powerful consciousness and quickly steadied himself.

Seeing this, Lin Jingyu hurriedly signaled to Su Chen with his eyes, shaking his head slightly to warn him not to say anything that might provoke Uncle Ye.

But it was too late. Since the calculation had been made, a Celestial Master from the Celestial Master Mansion never lied.

Su Chen looked at Old Ye with regret. “Uncle Ye, your son faced a calamity at the age of nineteen—a fatal one. That time, he wasn't so lucky.”

“What?” Old Ye wheezed, his breath coming in ragged gasps, the long hair around his nose and mouth fluttering with every inhalation.

Then, the three of them heard a sharp *crack*. The wooden dining table suddenly shattered, the source of the destruction being the long-haired hand Old Ye had rested upon it.

“It’s over, we’re finished!”

The next moment, the table collapsed entirely. Lin Jingyu and A-Biao scrambled away. They exchanged a bitter look, but upon seeing Su Chen’s calm expression, they managed to steady themselves. *Right, right! My buddy is a master; he’s incredibly capable.* They both looked at Su Chen, silently begging for help.

Su Chen: “...” *I can barely protect myself, you know?*

However, as a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Celestial Master Mansion, he possessed secret techniques that, while perhaps insufficient to defeat a hairy jiangshi, could at least stall for time. But that was a concern for later. For now, the hairy jiangshi didn't seem to have lost his mind completely, so there was still a chance.

Thinking this, Su Chen cleared his throat.

“Uncle Ye, you still want to see A-Wang, don't you?”

Old Ye cried out in despair, “My A-Wang is dead! How could I ever see him again?”

No sooner had the words left his lips than a gale-force wind whipped through the cramped shop, sending condiment jars and chopsticks clattering to the floor. Lin Jingyu and A-Biao squeezed their eyes shut and buried their heads in their arms.

Amidst the howling wind, Su Chen remained sitting perfectly upright.

“However,” he said calmly, “don't you want to know where A-Wang died? Don't you want to recover his remains?”

In the Cui City region, the most important tradition was ensuring the deceased were buried in peace, which was why funerals were always grand affairs—and that was even more true given how much Uncle Ye loved his son.

Sure enough, as soon as those words were spoken, Old Ye’s frantic breathing came to a sudden halt. His bulging eyes slowly returned to normal.

The wind died down. Lin Jingyu heard him speaking urgently: “Yes, yes, my poor A-Wang. Young man, tell me quickly, where did A-Wang die? I must recover his body, I must buy him a burial plot, I...”

Old Ye stood up. “I have money. I can sell the shop. I want to choose a good gravesite for A-Wang and hold a grand memorial service. Where is he? Where is A-Wang?”

Su Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief. He was indeed different from the hairy jiangshi of his original world.

He stood up as well. “Uncle Ye, if we find A-Wang, we can hold your funerals together.”

Old Ye froze. “You—you—what are you saying, young man?”

Su Chen’s gaze fell on the back of his hand. Old Ye looked down and saw his own furry, clawed hand. He looked up and saw A-Yu and A-Biao huddled in the corner in terror.

He gave a wry smile. “So, you’ve all seen it then.”

Lin Jingyu and A-Biao nodded with forced, awkward smiles.

“Uncle Ye, you likely passed away from an illness a while ago, but your intense unwillingness to depart caused your soul to remain forcibly within your body, turning you into a jiangshi.”

“A jiangshi? A zombie?” Lin Jingyu’s eyes went wide.

Su Chen nodded. “And Uncle Ye is already a mid-level hairy jiangshi—invulnerable to water and fire, with a body of bronze and iron.”

“He’s that powerful?” A-Biao’s eyes lit up.

Old Ye stood stunned, then slowly backed away and sat at the other end of the table, his expression desolate. “I... I thought I had hidden it well. I didn't expect you all to find out.”

After a moment of reflection, Old Ye thought of his son and perked up again. “Young man, where exactly is my A-Wang? And how did he die?”

Su Chen had already stood up and was scanning the shop for a coat. “Uncle Ye, put this on. We need to go find A-Wang. It’s broad daylight, let's not frighten anyone.”

Old Ye nodded blankly and obediently draped the coat over his shoulders. Seeing this, Lin Jingyu and A-Biao finally let out a sigh of relief.

Su Chen turned around. “Brother Biao, I need you to hire a car. We have to go to the coast; it’s quite a distance.”

Although Cui City was a coastal town, the urban area was situated along the banks of the Qing River, about a hundred kilometers from the river mouth.

Upon hearing this, Old Ye’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Did my A-Wang... did he die before he could even board the ship?”

Su Chen nodded.

“Brother Lin, do you have a body bag?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll find someone to get one. Just a moment.”

Once A-Biao and Lin Jingyu had left, Su Chen said, “Uncle Ye, based on your birth date, I could only determine that A-Wang died years ago, but my current cultivation is too shallow to know the specifics of how. We’ll see once we get there. If he was murdered, Uncle Ye, do you want to call the police?”

Old Ye gritted his teeth. “Report it. We must report it. I want to avenge A-Wang!”

He looked at Su Chen and sighed after a long time. “Young man, thank you.”

“It’s nothing. It’s rare to encounter a hairy jiangshi like you; it’s you who has broadened my horizons, Uncle Ye.”

When Lin Jingyu and A-Biao returned, the three of them and the jiangshi quickly left and hopped into a taxi. The driver was A-Biao’s friend, Zhang Wei. According to A-Biao, he was a man of extreme courage who, in his youth, had spent several nights sleeping in a graveyard just to show off, which was how he earned his reputation.

As he drove, he glanced into the rearview mirror. Seeing Old Ye bundled up tightly, he asked curiously, “A-Biao, what’s up with the uncle?”

“Oh, he’s sick. The doctor said he can’t be exposed to light or wind,” Lin Jingyu explained casually, then asked, “Brother Wei, how long will it take to get there? Will we be back in time for dinner? If not, stop if you see somewhere to eat on the way, I’ll go buy something.”

Zhang Wei was sharp and realized they didn't want to continue the conversation. He smiled and nodded. “It’s a bit of a distance. Buy some crackers or something to bring along. I have a thermos of hot water in the car, no need to buy water.”

After a bumpy ride, they arrived at the coast, and Zhang Wei looked perplexed. “The coast is huge—where exactly are you going?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Su Chen said, “Turn left.”

Zhang Wei looked at A-Biao and then at Lin Jingyu. Seeing that neither of them objected, he smiled. “Alrighty then.”

With Su Chen directing the way, they soon arrived at an old pier by the sea.

Zhang Wei got out of the car, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and put it in his mouth. He offered one to A-Biao, Lin Jingyu, and Su Chen. A-Biao and Lin Jingyu took them, but Su Chen waved his hand. “No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

Zhang Wei didn't press the issue. He pulled out a copper lighter to light their cigarettes. After a round of puffing smoke, he glanced at Su Chen, who was surveying the surroundings, and leaned in to whisper to A-Biao, “Brother Biao, who is this guy? He’s not exactly being polite, is he?”

A-Biao glared at him. “Stop talking nonsense. What do you mean ‘not polite’? My brother just doesn’t smoke.”

“Really? At his age? What man doesn’t smoke?” Zhang Wei muttered, then glanced at the heavily bundled Old Ye. “Wait, if the uncle is sick, why bring him to the coast to catch the wind? His condition is going to get worse.”

“He’s looking for his son.”

“His son?” Zhang Wei chuckled. “This old pier is overgrown with weeds. It’s been abandoned for years. There isn't a soul around, let alone fishermen. You guys aren't playing a joke on me, are you? I’m not that stupid.”

A-Biao exhaled a cloud of smoke and pointed to the body bag in Lin Jingyu’s hand. “See this? It’s for carrying remains.”

Zhang Wei: “!!!”