Chapter 107 - 94: Seeing Tie Cheng Again
Jiang Ran casually nudged the candlewick in the room, and the flame instantly flared brighter.
The wick crackled with a SIZZLE SIZZLE, and he then picked up the nearby scissors and trimmed it a little.
Only then did the light soften.
Ghost Thirteen sat in a chair, watching Li Tianxin, who sat before him, with a deathly still gaze.
Li Tianxin’s expression was cold and foul.
He realized that the life-saving favor he had performed had now completely changed its nature.
He had expected some gratitude in return, but now, it seemed to have turned into a harsh interrogation.
’How did things turn out like this?’
He glanced at Jiang Ran, fuming internally but daring not to speak.
In the end, he could only direct his vicious glare entirely toward Ghost Thirteen.
"Who are you people?"
Ghost Thirteen seized the initiative, speaking first. "What do you want?"
Li Tianxin’s gaze was sharp and cold. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Jiang Ran say:
"What is your relationship with Ghost Seven?"
Li Tianxin froze and turned to look at Jiang Ran.
Ghost Thirteen’s grotesque, terrifying face was incapable of showing any emotion besides fear itself. His eyes rolled to look at Jiang Ran.
"You... you know Ghost Seven?"
"I do."
Jiang Ran smiled.
"Not only do I know Ghost Seven, but I also know Dao Zhen."
"Where are they?"
Ghost Thirteen asked coldly.
Jiang Ran thought for a moment.
"So, you didn’t sneak away. You’re loyal to the Mansion Lord?"
"Huh?"
Ghost Thirteen was taken aback. "How do you..."
After just those three words, he realized his mistake, immediately clamping his jaw shut and saying no more.
Jiang Ran, however, nodded.
"Just as I thought."
"To be honest, I’m very curious. What exactly happened at the Heartless Ghost Mansion?"
"Anyone who tries to pry into the affairs of the Heartless Ghost Mansion will not have a good end!!"
Ghost Thirteen’s voice was grim and ghastly.
As for his face, it had been torn off raw by that little old man. The wounds were hideous, varying in depth. Some were deep enough to expose bone, while others still showed muscle tissue.
It was a miracle he was even alive.
Patches of dark red, dried flesh and blood were smeared across his face.
Never mind a child; even a mentally mature adult would be scared to death if they ran into someone like him on the street at night.
Paired with his grim and ghastly voice, this threat was particularly chilling.
Unfortunately for him, the ones sitting before him were Jiang Ran and Li Tianxin.
Li Tianxin had always been bold and unafraid of death, so he was completely dismissive of his words.
Jiang Ran, on the other hand, was coveting the storehouses full of Life-extending Pills in the Heartless Ghost Mansion. He simply smiled upon hearing the threat and then said:
"You know, on this matter, you and I can actually reach an agreement."
"I have no enmity toward the Heartless Ghost Mansion... and as for my curiosity, there’s no need to get to the bottom of everything."
"You want to deal with the little old man from that night. I can help you with that."
"I don’t need it!"
Ghost Thirteen sneered.
"This is a family matter of the Heartless Ghost Mansion. It has nothing to do with outsiders."
"Family matter?"
Jiang Ran glanced at him.
"From the moment that pack of ghouls and demons escaped from the Heartless Ghost Mansion, this stopped being just a family matter."
"..."
Ghost Thirteen fell silent.
Li Tianxin’s gaze shifted. He glanced at Jiang Ran, then back at Ghost Thirteen, and chuckled softly.
"You should know, I was the one who saved you that night."
"So what?"
"It means there’s really no reason for us to be at each other’s throats like this."
"You want to eliminate the traitors, and we have a deep-seated hatred for them too. It’s the perfect opportunity to join forces against a common enemy."
Li Tianxin glanced at him.
"Besides, judging by the current situation, if you go after him for revenge on your own, you’ll just be courting death."
"Not him... them."
Jiang Ran added from the side.
At this, Ghost Thirteen looked at Jiang Ran again.
"What do you know?"
Jiang Ran smiled faintly.
"I may not know too much, but I do know that you’re facing far more than just that little old man."
"There are others with him."
"The people who died at Tiger Leaping Gorge weren’t from the Heartless Ghost Mansion at all. They were just a bunch of nobodies that the little old man gathered."
"And among the group that came from the Heartless Ghost Mansion, that little old man alone has already worn you out. Add the others to the mix..."
"I don’t mean to underestimate you, but you’re simply walking to your own doom."
"They’ve come to Benma County too?"
There was a hint of shock in Ghost Thirteen’s voice.
"Yes."
Jiang Ran nodded. "They’ve all come."
After saying this, he stood up.
"The decision is yours. If you’re really unwilling, then we’ll just let you go to your death."
"Or perhaps, you could just call your Mansion Lord here."
"That would save us the trouble."
"Alright, get some rest for now. Whatever you decide, tell me tomorrow morning."
At this point, he glanced at Li Tianxin and gave him a meaningful look.
The two of them stood up, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind them.
Once they were a short distance away, far enough that Li Tianxin assumed Ghost Thirteen couldn’t hear them, he finally looked at Jiang Ran.
"What do you really know about the Heartless Ghost Mansion?"
"I’ve already told you everything I know."
"Is there really a group of masters like that little old man in Benma County?"
"Whether that part is true or not, it’s hard to say."
"..."
Li Tianxin paused, then curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "A liar, just as I thought..."
"Hm?"
Jiang Ran felt like he had heard something and couldn’t help but glance back at him.