Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

"It's done!"

Third Master's eyes lit up. "The resentment has been activated, the sacrifice has quelled the evil spirit's anger, and the enemy's bones have absorbed its hatred... It's done!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu let out a long sigh of relief.

He looked at Lin Tian.

Lin Tian's ghostly figure had faded to almost nothing.

Only a blurry outline remained, still swaying slightly against the wall.

"Lin Tian," Sha Zhu spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "do you have anything else to say?"

Lin Tian said weakly, "Silly Zhu, do you really think you can suppress me? You think you're worthy?"

"Ghost, get out of here!!"

Third Master raised his peach wood sword, aimed it at Lin Tian, ​​and shouted, "Seal!"

The ghostly figure suddenly disappeared.

Like a wisp of smoke, it was blown away by the wind, leaving no trace.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The two charred corpses floated silently in the pot, like two pieces of burnt wood.

Third Master carefully examined the edge of the oil pot, then nodded: "It's done. The evil spirit's resentment has been completely absorbed and it won't cause trouble anymore."

Sha Zhu stood there, stunned, staring at the spot where Lin Tian had disappeared, incredulous. Was that all?

Happiness came too quickly; it felt unreal.

"Silly Pillar?"

Third Master called out to him, "What are you daydreaming about? The matter is resolved, it's time to talk about the payment."

Sha Zhu snapped out of his daze, looked at Third Master with a complicated expression, and asked, "Third Master... has Lin Tianzhen really been suppressed?"

Third Master paused for a moment, then laughed: "Nonsense! If the evil spirits hadn't been suppressed, how could you still be alive?"

He paused, then said meaningfully, "Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing."

Sha Zhu fell silent.

Yeah, does it matter?

Lin Tian was suppressed.

Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, Liu Haizhong, Jia Dongxu... most of them are dead.

Now, only he and Third Master remain here.

There was also Old Man Liu, who was unconscious inside the house.

Sha Zhu looked into the room, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Third Master noticed his gaze and his heart tightened, but he still smiled and said, "Silly Zhu, we agreed on four thousand yuan, what do you think..."

"Don't worry, Third Master."

Sha Zhu turned his head, a simple and honest smile on his face—a smile that was the same as usual, showing no sign of anything unusual.

"I will definitely give you the money, but it will take a few days. I need to raise the funds and let my old man explode with gold coins."

"I'm afraid it's no use," Third Master shook his head. "Take a good look at the scene. Yan Bugui and Yi Zhonghai are in the oil fryer, and there are two corpses, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang, inside the house."

Do you think I have time to wait for you to raise the money?

"Right now, I just want to take the money and run away, get out of Beijing as soon as possible. Silly Zhu, tell me honestly, how much money do you have?"

"This...this..."

Sha Zhu was speechless for a moment. He reached into his pocket and found only 13 yuan. It was as if he was mocking Third Master, saying, "You're an idiot."

"Third Master, this is all I have."

Third Master was furious. "You promised four thousand yuan, and you only gave me thirteen? You idiot, do you think I, Third Master, am a good person?"

Sha Zhu opened his mouth wide. Third Master was about to strike him with his peach wood sword when he suddenly stopped.

He looked around warily.

"Third Master, what...what happened?" Sha Zhu asked, taking a few steps back.

Third Master's face was ashen. He looked around but couldn't find a trace of Lin Tian.

"He...he wasn't suppressed?" Sha Zhu asked again.

"No," Third Master's voice was hoarse, "half and half."

"What do you mean?" Sha Zhu asked anxiously.

"What I mean is," a cold voice rang in Sha Zhu's ear, so close it was as if the speaker was right behind him.

"You are not worthy."

Sha Zhu froze, then turned around abruptly.

There was no one behind.

Only the trees in the yard swayed gently in the wind, casting dappled shadows.

But the next second, he felt a chill on his neck.

A dark hand was gently resting on the back of his neck.

The hand had no warmth, only a bone-chilling cold, like ice that had been frozen for three days and three nights in the twelfth lunar month.

Lin Tian had appeared behind him without him even noticing.

"Silly Zhu," Lin Tian said softly, his breath on the back of Silly Zhu's ear, cold as ice, "Tell me, how should I thank you?"

Sha Zhu tried to move, but found that his body was frozen and he couldn't even lift his fingers.

He wanted to speak, but fear prevented him from opening his mouth.

Lin Tian walked around to face him, a smile seemingly playing on his blurry face: "Want me to tear you apart? Or have you devoured by wild dogs?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu felt a wave of fear wash over him.

His voice trembled as he said, "Lin Tian, ​​let's talk this out... It was all a misunderstanding... See, you're alright now..."

"Misunderstand?"

Lin Tian tilted his head, as if he had heard something funny, "Silly Zhu, where did your smugness go?"

"Weren't you so imposing just now? Why aren't you smiling now? Are you just naturally averse to smiling?"

Sha Zhu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Lin Tian, ​​no... Master Lin... I was wrong... As long as you let me go, I'll do whatever you say, okay?"

"Sure," Lin Tian replied readily.

Sha Zhu glanced sideways, unable to believe it.

You agreed so readily?

"But then again,"

Lin Tian added casually, "You may be spared the death penalty, but you can't escape death. I can give you a chance to live now."

That's more like it.

Sha Zhu felt a sense of relief.

If Lin Tian hadn't offered to release him directly, he would have suspected that it was a fake evil spirit.

It's good if there are conditions; having conditions means there's room for negotiation.

At the same time, his fear lessened slightly, and he cautiously asked, "Grandpa Lin, what opportunity? As long as it's something I, Sha Zhu, can do, I'll do it without hesitation!"

Lin Tian said calmly, "Go and kill that old man inside. I'm giving you your chance, so don't let me down."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu only paused for a second before regaining his senses.

He looked into the room, where Old Liu was still lying, unconscious, completely unaware of his impending fate.

Sha Zhu sighed inwardly.

Old Liu, it's not that I want to kill you, it's an evil spirit.

Blame him if you must.

All I want is to live.

"Grandpa Lin, I'm willing." Sha Zhu nodded emphatically, his voice without a trace of hesitation.

"Then let's go." Lin Tian let go.

Sha Zhu felt a sudden relaxation, and the feeling of being frozen disappeared.

He stretched his stiff limbs, nodded, and turned to walk into the house.

With his back to Lin Tian, ​​he walked while desperately trying to wink at Third Master beside him.

Those eyes clearly said: Third Master, save me! Quickly suppress the evil spirits!

However, Third Master remained unmoved, standing still and even avoiding Sha Zhu's gaze.

Sha Zhu cursed inwardly: "That old bastard! He's greedy for money! Knowing he couldn't immediately produce four thousand yuan in cash, he simply refused to help!"

He steeled himself, picked up the kitchen knife from the ground. The knife was still stained with Yi Zhonghai's dried blood, which gleamed a dark red in the sunlight.

One step, two steps, three steps.

He went inside.

Old Liu lay on the ground, breathing evenly.

This old doctor saved Yi Zhonghai's life, as well as the lives of many others in the hospital.

But now, he is going to die.

He didn't die of illness, nor did he die of old age.

He was killed by himself.

Sha Zhu squatted down and looked at Old Liu's wrinkled face.

He remembered: That year, he and your sister went to Baoding to find their father who had run away with a widow, but they didn't see the person who was supposed to get married and were turned away by the widow.

In the dead of winter in Baoding, the two siblings caught a cold after sleeping under a bridge for one night. By the time they returned to Beijing from Baoding, they were delirious with fever.

The younger sister found Old Liu, took his pulse, prescribed medicine, and didn't charge him a penny. She remembered what Old Liu often said: "A doctor's heart is like a parent's; saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

But now...

Sha Zhu raised the kitchen knife.

The blade reflected a cold light in the dim room.

He closed his eyes and chopped down hard.

"Old Liu, don't blame me, I just want to live..."

……