Chapter 130: The Honest Man
Chen Dong winced at the price. While the Buddha statue was useful, it wasn't worth nearly that much. A price like that would scare anyone away.
Sure enough, Wang Mengyu cried out in an exaggerated voice, "Old woman, are you trying to rob people?"
The old woman spoke again. "For my first sale of the day, let's make it three million!"
She had dropped the price by two million in an instant. This woman was no simple character.
Wang Mengyu's expression turned grim. "Three hundred!" As expected of a seasoned businessperson, Wang Mengyu was merciless when it came to haggling. From three million to three hundred—a ten-thousand-fold cut.
The old woman's face twisted. "Little girl, are you here to bargain or to commit murder? Who haggles like that? I'll take off another two hundred thousand. Two million eight hundred thousand!"
Wang Mengyu said coldly, "You named an outrageous price, so I made a rock-bottom offer. What's so strange about that? I'll even add fifty. Three hundred and fifty."
The two continued their battle of wits. Eventually, perhaps because she was getting on in years, the old woman settled on a price of eight hundred thousand, but Wang Mengyu still refused. The vendor could only shake her head and wave her hands. "You're too aggressive, little girl. I'm not selling it, I'm not selling it."
Wang Mengyu turned to look at Chen Dong. If he just gave her the word, she would have bought it, even for eight hundred thousand.
But Chen Dong just shrugged. "Forget it. Let's keep looking."
The Buddha statue might have been the right tool for the job, but its power was mediocre—probably on par with an Exorcism Talisman Chen Dong could draw by hand. When it came to dealing with Evil Spirits and ghosts, the Nanchuan Yang Family were the true experts; things like corpse animation, exorcism, and spirit cleansing were just their side gigs. Besides, Chen Dong's own Thunder Arts were a powerful weapon for destroying Evil Spirits. He had plenty of options; there was no need to spend a fortune on a single statue.
The three of them combed through the entire Antique Street. Chen Dong had no luck finding the Pill Furnace he wanted, but Wang Mengyu managed to acquire a good luck charm. It was a pendant made from an old coin that cost only eighty yuan. It had no power to exorcise spirits, but was meant to simply improve one's fortune.
Finally, Wang Mengyu invited Chen Dong for hot pot, mentioning that Li Huiran would be joining them later.
Chen Dong agreed. It was a good opportunity to see what kind of Evil Spirit had attached itself to Wang Mengyu.
And so, the three of them made their way to the Huiran Hot Pot Restaurant.
Being the boss had its privileges. It was the afternoon rush hour, and a line was already forming outside the Huiran Hot Pot Restaurant, but Wang Mengyu didn't have to wait. She could just head straight in and wait for a private room to open up.
They didn't have to wait long before they were seated in a private room.
Chen Dong carefully observed his surroundings but sensed nothing out of the ordinary. 'Looks like the spirit isn't in the restaurant,' he thought.
Chen Dong hesitated for a moment before asking Wang Mengyu, "Have you been to any particularly gloomy or eerie places recently?"
"What, you still think I'm being haunted?" Wang Mengyu said, annoyed.
"I'm just asking," Chen Dong said nonchalantly. "After we eat, could I come over to your place and take a look?"
Wang Mengyu gave Chen Dong a strange, teasing look. "I heard from Huiran that when I was unconscious, you were the one who carried me all the way to the Li Family Manor. What's the matter? Didn't get to hold me long enough last time? Want to do it again?"
Chen Dong was speechless. 'This woman is unbelievable,' he thought. 'How can she say something so direct without feeling awkward? And with Xiaoli Wang right here, too.'
Wang Mengyu continued with a grin, "Huiran will be here soon. Want me to let you hold me now? It would be pretty thrilling, don't you think? How about it?"
Chen Dong turned away with a cold snort, refusing to engage with her. He knew that if he so much as touched her, Li Huiran would find out instantly. He'd long since figured out those two were thick as thieves.
Xiaoli Wang also let out a cold snort. "Hmph! What's so great about you? If Dad is going to hug anyone, he's going to hug me!"
Wang Mengyu burst out laughing and reached out to pinch Xiaoli Wang's cheek, but Chen Dong, his face suddenly pale, hastily stopped her.
Wang Mengyu looked displeased. "So petty! You won't even let me pinch your daughter's cheek."
Chen Dong felt wronged but couldn't explain. 'This foolish woman,' he thought, 'I'm trying to save your life, and you're giving me grief for it. Do you have any idea who you're trying to pinch? She's a being who can challenge the heavens, withstand the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, and bathe in a Thunderfall. If you piss her off, you won't even know what killed you.'
Feeling emboldened with Chen Dong backing her up, Xiaoli Wang started making a series of faces at Wang Mengyu, trying to provoke her.
Just as Wang Mengyu was grinding her teeth, wanting to bite Xiaoli Wang in retaliation, the door to the private room opened and Li Huiran walked in.
The four of them each took one side of the square table, with Wang Mengyu sitting opposite Chen Dong.
The dishes began to arrive. Li Huiran and Wang Mengyu chatted back and forth while Xiaoli Wang played on her phone. Chen Dong, however, remained quiet, seemingly lost in his own world.
Suddenly, a snippet of their conversation caught his attention.
"Huiran, you might not know this, but Old Zhang from the kitchen—his wife passed away a few days ago. I already sent the condolence money on your behalf. I heard…"
At this point, Wang Mengyu glanced around before leaning in and whispering, "They say it was a suicide. When I went to pay my respects, I saw ligature marks on her neck."
Li Huiran was stunned. "You mean quiet, honest Old Zhang?"
Wang Mengyu nodded conspiratorially.
As Li Huiran was sighing in disbelief, something clicked for Chen Dong. He wanted to go check on the back kitchen.
But he suddenly froze. Under the table, a foot was rubbing against his leg. It obviously wasn't Li Huiran, and it certainly wasn't Xiaoli Wang. That left only one possibility.
Chen Dong shot to his feet. He didn't care whether she was serious or just teasing; he was determined to ignore her.
Under Wang Mengyu's surprised gaze, Chen Dong headed for the kitchen.
There, he saw the man Li Huiran had called "quiet, honest Old Zhang." The man was in his thirties and did indeed have the look of someone honest and easily taken advantage of. But clinging to his back, strangling him, was an Evil Spirit. Chen Dong suddenly felt that this man wasn't nearly as honest as he appeared.