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After Grandpa left, the other brothers of the Zhang Family gathered in the room of the fifth Zhang brother and discussed how to arrange the funeral for the fifth brother.
Besides the four Zhang brothers, their wives were also there. The entire room was filled with noisy arguments, with no one willing to spend any more money on the funeral.
Just as the argument was reaching its most heated point, they suddenly heard a strange laugh coming from where the fifth Zhang brother was lying.
At first, no one paid any attention to it. They assumed it was a stray cat crying outside.
However, when the second Zhang brother's wife happened to glance toward the direction where the fifth Zhang brother's corpse was lying, she suddenly let out a hysterical scream. She staggered backward several steps before falling heavily onto the floor.
“What’s wrong with you?” the second Zhang brother asked in shock.
The second brother’s wife pointed at the bed where the fifth Zhang brother's body had been placed and said in a trembling voice, “Fifth… Fifth Brother… he’s alive!”
Everyone followed the direction she was pointing and immediately saw a horrifying sight.
Sitting on the very bed where the corpse had been placed was a person.
It was none other than the fifth Zhang brother.
Just moments earlier, everyone had been arguing so intensely that no one had noticed when the fifth Zhang brother had sat up.
At this moment, the fifth Zhang brother was sitting cross-legged on the bed. His face was bluish-black, his lips were purple, and his slightly whitish eyes were staring fixedly at the several older brothers and sisters-in-law sitting in the main room.
The corners of his mouth curled upward, and then he let out a series of eerie laughs that sounded just like the cries of a night cat.
Everyone in the room was terrified.
One after another, they screamed in horror and scrambled toward the doorway, rolling and crawling as they fled.
The women, in particular, were so frightened that they nearly wet themselves.
Only then did they remember Grandpa and Granny Liu, who had appeared at the fifth Zhang brother’s house during the day.
They no longer cared about the unpleasantness that had occurred earlier. The eldest Zhang brother immediately ran to my house.
“Uncle… please, come over and take a look. Our fifth brother… he’s come back to life…”
When the eldest Zhang brother said this, his voice was already choked with tears. His entire body was trembling, and he was practically on the verge of kneeling down and kowtowing to Grandpa.
Grandpa found his words difficult to believe.
“That man had been hanging from the roof beam for half a day. When I took him down, his body was already stiff. How could he possibly come back to life?”
“I don’t know either, Uncle. Granny Liu happens to be at your house, too. Please, hurry over and take a look,” the eldest Zhang brother pleaded.
Grandpa turned toward Granny Liu and said politely, “Big Sister, you really called it. Something has happened again, just as you said.”
Granny Liu's expression immediately darkened.
“Come on. Let’s go over and take a look.”
The eldest Zhang brother repeatedly thanked them before leading the two of them toward the dilapidated house where the fifth Zhang brother lived.
When they reached the entrance to the courtyard, they found that the other Zhang brothers were all there. Their wives were crouched in a corner, sobbing and crying. Clearly, they had been badly frightened by what had just happened.
After arriving at the doorway, the eldest Zhang brother said fearfully, “Uncle, you and Granny Liu should go inside and take a look. Fifth Brother is sitting on the bed…”
As soon as he finished speaking, another series of night-cat-like laughter came from inside the room.
Even Grandpa, who was usually quite brave, couldn't help getting goosebumps when he heard that sound.
“That laugh…” Grandpa looked at the eldest Zhang brother.
“It’s Fifth Brother laughing… I don’t dare go inside anymore. You two go in and take a look. It’s really terrifying…”
As he spoke, the eldest Zhang brother kept backing away, as though he was afraid Grandpa would drag him inside.
“He’s your own younger brother. Could he really hurt you? Look at how cowardly you are,” Grandpa said irritably.
“Uncle, please let me off. I really don’t dare…” The eldest Zhang brother repeatedly waved his hands.
With no other choice, Grandpa could only follow Granny Liu into the room.
As soon as the two of them entered the room, they saw the fifth Zhang brother sitting on the bed. He was sitting cross-legged, completely motionless, with a strange smile at the corners of his mouth. His slightly whitish eyes stared straight at Grandpa and Granny Liu as they entered.
When the eldest Zhang brother had said that the fifth brother had come back to life, Grandpa had still been somewhat skeptical. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, there was no way he could continue disbelieving it.
Grandpa immediately became extremely nervous and said to Granny Liu, “Big Sister, you’re the expert when it comes to this kind of thing. Take a look and tell me what we should do.”
Granny Liu narrowed her eyes and glanced at the fifth Zhang brother’s bluish-black face before saying in a deep voice, “The fifth Zhang brother hasn’t really come back to life. He has been possessed by the Yellow Immortal.”
Just as the two of them were speaking, the fifth Zhang brother suddenly let out another strange laugh, and his body swayed slightly.
Granny Liu immediately walked toward him and said very politely, “This old woman is Liu, a disciple of the Sanshilipu spirit-medium lineage. Second Master Huang, since you have already killed the fifth Zhang brother, there is no need to continue tormenting the family, is there?”
“Second Master Huang” was a respectful title for a Yellow Weasel that had been cultivated until it became a spirit. Among the five great spirit immortals, the Fox, Yellow Weasel, White Weasel, Willow, and Grey spirits, he ranked second, and was commonly known as Second Master Huang.
As soon as Granny Liu said this, the fifth Zhang brother suddenly spoke.
However, the tone of his voice was extremely strange, as though the words were being forcibly squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
“Old Woman Liu, I know you have some ability, but I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business. The Zhang Family has shown great disrespect to our ancestors. Simply killing that fifth Zhang brother isn’t enough. I’m going to make the entire Zhang Family suffer until they have no peace. If you dare meddle in this matter, be careful that you don’t end up regretting it.”
The moment Grandpa heard this, he immediately understood what was happening. He walked over to the fifth Zhang brother and earnestly said, “Second Master Huang, I know you’re doing this for the sake of my grandson, Xiao Jie. Our Wu Family is grateful for this favor you’ve done us. But although the Zhang Family was in the wrong, they don’t deserve to lose their lives over it. Please show us some mercy and spare the Zhang Family.”
The next moment, the fifth Zhang brother looked at Grandpa with his whitish eyes and said viciously, “Old Wu, our ancestor has some connection with you, so I don’t want to lay a hand on you. But that doesn’t mean I, Second Master Huang, am afraid of you. Leave. This matter has nothing to do with you. Don’t meddle in other people’s business!”
Grandpa let out a sigh, looking somewhat helpless. He was just about to say something else when Granny Liu hurriedly pulled him aside.
“Brother Wu, step back for now. Leave this matter to me.”
Granny Liu was genuinely afraid that Grandpa would offend Second Master Huang. It was true that the immortal spirit had attached itself to me, but it did not have much to do with my grandfather. If they really angered that Yellow Weasel spirit, there was a chance it might actually try to kill Grandpa.
Grandpa had no choice but to reluctantly step aside.
Granny Liu once again spoke respectfully, “Second Master Huang, I know the Zhang Family was in the wrong and offended you, Elder. As long as you’re willing to stop tormenting them, just name your condition. As long as it’s something we can do, I’ll do my best to satisfy you.”
The fifth Zhang brother gave an eerie smile and suddenly said, “First, bring me a few chickens. I want to taste them.”
This strange demand immediately left Grandpa stunned.