Right in front of him, on the steps in front of the main temple, Lin Shuyou saw a man dressed in red, lifting his own grandfather with one hand.

Grandfather had already opened his face, proving he had undergone divination, yet even so, he was still no match for the man before him.

Who is this man really, and just how terrifying is he?

Grandfather's neck was being squeezed, and he could only barely turn his head a little, looking this way, as blood foam continually oozed from the corner of his mouth:

"Ah You...run quickly..."

The man held onto grandfather's neck with one hand, while with the other hand he reached out, grabbed grandfather's head, and just pulled it off.

"Bang!"

Grandfather's head separated from his neck, and blood gushed out from the headless neck.

"Grandfather!"

The man carelessly discarded grandfather's head and then walked toward the door.

The surrounding flames tried to close in on him, but they were pushed back by the gust of air blowing from his body.

Lin Shuyou rushed towards the man, but just as he reached him, he was swept away by a strong aura.

He lay on the ground, spitting blood and pounding the ground with his fists in frustration. He couldn't summon the powers through divination, couldn't call the deities to descend, and now he was utterly incapable of threatening the man in front of him.

The man continued to walk away.

Lin Shuyou shouted viciously, "I'm not dead yet, why don't you kill me, why don't you kill me!"

The man replied, "Because you don't belong in this temple."

"I am, I am, I clearly am!" Lin Shuyou shouted again with a grim face, "Why, why do you have to do this, why!"

The man stopped in his tracks, turned back, first looking at him, then at the rising flames in the main temple, and said:

"Those who offend the Dragon King's dignity shall have their families destroyed!"

...

It was raining on Fengdu Ghost Street.

Little Yin Meng stood at the coffin shop entrance, looking at the curtain of rain ahead.

There weren't many people on the street, but there was a mother holding an umbrella, leading her daughter by the hand as they walked past, chatting and laughing.

As the little girl walked past, she turned her head to wave at Yin Meng, who was standing at the shop entrance.

Yin Meng cocked her head, looked at her, and made no response.

Turning back, she returned to the shop.

The smallest counter at the end was wrapped in clothes, with two hands and two feet at its four corners.

Lifting the top layer of clothes, glass was revealed, and looking down, one could see beneath the glass, her father's head.

This head was half-decayed, half with skin still hanging.

Seeing her, a grin appeared on her father's face, looking very grim.

Yin Meng headed to the kitchen, where two large pots sat.

She stood on the adjacent stool, looking into the pot, she saw a man bloated from cooking.

Then, she looked into the other pot, there she found her mother.

Both of them had been stewed until mushy.

Just like when they floated in the pond long ago.

Yin Meng turned away, walking into the inner room, sitting down leaning against the side of the coffin.

Here, it was the greatest warmth of her childhood, also the longest exhaustion of her teenage years.

Lying inside was the grandfather who raised her single-handedly.

She clearly remembered the relief she felt the day grandfather passed away.

No longer needing to wipe his body daily, no longer needing to massage him daily to prevent bedsores, no longer needing to smile and talk with him, no longer needing to keep watch over this coffin shop that barely had any business.

That moment of relaxation was real.

But recalling it made her feel immense guilt.

Facing the one who loved her the most, her genuine reaction over one, two, three...ten years, gradually turned him into a burden.

She was glad she managed to pretend till the end, she was guilty that she indeed was pretending.

Now Yin Meng was actually numb, gradually losing sensation to everything around.

In truth, she wasn't that fragile after all.

Her mother conspired with her lover to kill her father and sank him to the pond's bottom.

Her grandfather only learned about it from a ghost passing by one evening much later.

But before that, her parents' relationship was already broken; whether they were there or not made little difference.

In fact, whether they lived or died...rather they died sooner for a cleaner outcome.

She was once a girl yearning for parental love, envying others, but eventually, she got used to it.

Kids being away from parents for too long feel nothing; parents being away from their children for too long find it hard to rekindle feelings.

Humans can adapt to everything.

But, alas, in dream after dream, all of it not only repeats but intensifies before your eyes.

Yin Meng wasn't broken yet, but she was close.

No matter how strong one is, they can't withstand such relentless polishing.

At this moment, the sound of suona came from outside.

She saw the neighbors and also her mother's new mother-in-law's family among them, including her two half-brothers.

Yin Meng turned her head back, looking at the coffin behind her:

Oh, grandfather's dead too.

The people who came in spoke words of sorrow, they shed tears, but every now and then, they smiled.

Since she was very young, Yin Meng understood, few in this world truly cared about you, empathized with your joys and sorrows, your well-being or misfortunes, they knew this themselves too.

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