What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Knowing he was about to give his last words, I obediently put down my phone, took his cold, rough hand in mine, and said:

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Old Huo didn't waste any more words.

With his last breath, he stammered out a secret he had kept hidden for ten years.

He told me that the person who had just brutally attacked him and severely injured him in this blacksmith shop was none other than himself.

It was last night that Fang He from the Folklore Bureau led a team to investigate that mysterious evil cultivator.

The true identity of this heretical cultivator is none other than Qiu Feng, his eldest disciple who betrayed his master's sect ten years ago.

"That beast..."

Mentioning this name, a flash of extreme heartache and regret crossed Old Man Huo's eyes.

"Yesterday...yesterday the comrade from the Folklore Bureau showed me a picture of that beast-headed short stick. It's not some evil cultivator's magic weapon at all."

That's an heirloom passed down through my Huo family.

"Ten years ago, that beast Qiu Feng betrayed his sect in pursuit of evil magic."

Not only did they injure me, but they also stole the beast-headed short stick.

Old Man Huo was panting heavily, so I quickly increased the output of my jade-colored killing energy to help him calm down.

He took a breath and continued:

"That short stick with the animal head actually involves a very secret matter."

It is not a weapon used for fighting; its greatest function is as a key to unlock a hidden treasure vault.

"There are two keys to the treasure vault. In addition to the short stick with the animal head, the other key is a bronze plaque engraved with the same animal head pattern."

However, the things passed down from my Huo family ancestors are not complete.

"When it came to my generation, all that was left was this short stick and a tattered map that roughly showed the location of the treasure vault."

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in my previously calm eyes, and my brows furrowed involuntarily.

Bronze plaques with animal head designs?

Why does this thing sound exactly like the "military tally" that I forced out of the middle-aged shop owner in the antique shop in the west of the city this morning?

If the bronze animal head plaque is indeed the "military tally" that the boss is looking for, then many things that seemed unrelated before suddenly become connected by an invisible thread, and everything becomes clear!

I quickly reviewed and reasoned in my mind.

A few days ago, a man named Ma Jianguo obtained the bronze animal head plaque, which was one of the keys to the treasure vault, through some channel.

However, Ma Jianguo became greedy and wanted to embezzle the military tally.

As a result, Qiu Feng, who was also searching for the key to the treasure vault, discovered this.

Qiu Feng, wielding the beast-headed short stick, ambushed and killed Ma Jianguo at a reservoir on the outskirts of the city.

Subsequently, Ma Jianguo's body was retrieved and sent to Jiangcheng Funeral Home.

At this moment, all the causes and effects formed a perfect closed loop!

Old Man Huo had no idea what kind of mental storm was raging in my mind at that moment, and he continued to speak weakly.

"Actually... three days ago, that beast Qiu Feng came to my door again."

Old Man Huo's voice grew softer and softer, filled with deep regret.

He asked me for the map of that treasure trove.

I used all my strength and even the shop's magic array to barely repel him.

"Last night... people from the Folklore Bureau came to question us."

Because I was concerned about the secret of this ancestral treasure, I momentarily had selfish thoughts.

They were only told that Qiu Feng was a traitor, but the purpose of the short stick was not explained, nor was anything about the treasure vault or the map told to them…

At this point, Old Man Huo's turbid tears slid down his cheeks, mixing with the blood on his face.

"Who knew... that beast came to our door again today."

It was only after this exchange that I realized he had been holding back when he came to my door three days ago.

The strength he displayed today far surpasses mine…

"He threatened me with his life to hand over the map, but how could something belonging to the Huo family fall into the hands of such a beast who practices evil magic?"

I fought back desperately, but I was still seriously injured by him in the end…

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Man Huo's previously listless body suddenly found a surge of strength from somewhere.

He suddenly grabbed my collar tightly with his other hand, and his eyes, which had almost lost their luster, burst forth with intense pleading and anxiety.

"Brother Chen... I deserve to die..."

He coughed up mouthfuls of blood and foam, pleading in a shrill voice:

"Go...go quickly and check on Xiaotong's condition!"

He...he might still be saved!

During our fight, he was only knocked back by Qiu Feng's palm strike while protecting me, and he crashed into the room behind me... Go check on him!"

Upon hearing this, I immediately realized that the "little boy" that Old Man Huo was talking about must be his apprentice who had been following him around all this time.

That's the same burly man who opened the door for us the first two times we came to the blacksmith's shop.

Looking at Old Man Huo's hopeful eyes, I was about to nod in agreement and get up to go to the inner room to take a look.

Just then, a soft footstep came from the dark corridor deep inside the blacksmith's shop.

I looked up and saw Li Qing slowly walking out of the dimly lit area.

Li Qing clearly heard Old Man Huo's desperate plea just now.

I had just looked up when our eyes met in mid-air.

Li Qing looked at me without saying anything.

She just pursed her lips tightly and shook her head slightly at me.

The meaning is very clear: there's no need to go.

The person is gone.

Although Old Man Huo's vision was beginning to blur and he was practically on the verge of death, he was, after all, a seasoned veteran who had spent most of his life navigating the world of martial arts.

Li Qing's light and slow footsteps, and the subtle changes in my expression when I looked up at him, did not escape his cloudy eyes.

Some things don't need to be said; the oppressive silence in the air already provides the answer.

Old Man Huo clearly sensed something.

His body, which had been tense due to a final burst of energy, suddenly relaxed at this moment.

Suddenly, he let out a long sigh of resignation.

As he let out that breath, accompanied by a hoarse, whistling sound, the strength he had been putting on vanished instantly.

He released his grip on my collar and, in turn, used his rough, blood-stained hand to weakly, yet with a hint of hope, grasp my hand.

This time, his voice was even weaker than before.

Like a candle flickering in the wind, it could be extinguished at any moment.

"Young Master Chen..."

Old Man Huo spoke haltingly, each word accompanied by gushing blood and foam.

"You and I... are not very familiar with each other, we've only met two or three times in total."

But my old man's judgment of people... is always very accurate.

I know you're a very capable person...