Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 138: Hold Me a Little Longer
"That, that is..." A Zhi bit his lip, his expression uncertain and filled with disbelief.
Tang Mingli shielded me, saying, "Both of you, Jun Yao hasn’t finished speaking yet, why are you so eager to act?"
"A Zhi." The Feng Family Patriarch said, "Come back."
A Zhi could only retreat to stand behind him. The Feng Family Patriarch scrutinized Tang Mingli up and down, narrowing his eyes slightly, and said, "This young man looks quite familiar."
Tang Mingli stood straight, a slight, calm smile on his face, and said, "It doesn’t matter who I am. Feng Family Patriarch, everything must follow reason, and it's already the twenty-first century. We're all civilized people; we can't just resort to violence because of a disagreement. We should reason things out first."
The Feng Family Patriarch replied, "Fine, let's talk about reason then. Young lady, you say that my two sons and Zhiguang were not killed by you, so why did you know they were about to die that night? And who killed them?"
I took a deep breath, suppressing the intense pain in my chest, and said loudly, "Feng Family Patriarch, do you recognize someone with a mole here?"
As I spoke, I pointed just under my nose.
The Feng Family Patriarch's face changed dramatically, his previously upright posture suddenly swaying, almost losing balance.
A Zhi immediately stepped forward to support him. "Family Head!"
The Feng Family Patriarch looked at me, his expression becoming terrifying, and through gritted teeth, he asked, "Did you really see him?"
I nodded and said, "At that time, I went to attend the banquet, and as soon as I entered the door, I saw him standing behind the two Feng brothers, alongside Xu Zhiguang. But no one else could see him but me."
The Feng Family Patriarch fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Is he a ghost?"
"He's not a ghost," I shook my head. "But he's not a human either."
The Feng Family Patriarch frowned, and A Zhi asked, "What exactly do you mean?"
"That man is neither human nor ghost," I said, shaking my head again. "I don’t even know exactly what he is, but his power is immense and terrifying."
Looking up, I glanced at the Feng Family Patriarch and added, "Old man of the Feng Family, you’d better take your men and leave quickly. I don’t want you to provoke that demon and drag me into the mess."
A Zhi roared angrily, "How dare you speak to the Family Head in this manner? If you saw him back then, why didn’t you warn the young masters? Clearly, you’re in cahoots with that man!"
Tang Mingli sneered, "Xu Zhi, you truly disgrace your name. Twenty years ago, your stupidity led to irreversible mistakes, and here you are, twenty years later, still no better."
A Zhi's face turned pale, and he reached for the short dagger at his waist, but the Feng Family Patriarch stopped him. "Wait."
He squinted at Tang Mingli. "I remember where I’ve seen you before. Young man, you are…"
Tang Mingli interrupted him, "Old man Feng, you’re talking too much."
The Feng Family Patriarch’s face twitched, his expression changing multiple times, before he turned away. "We’re leaving."
A Zhi protested, "Family Head!"
The Feng Family Patriarch waved his hand. "I know who that person is. Forget it. Let’s leave; this matter indeed has nothing to do with Madam Yuan."
He leaned on his cane, walking away quickly, and boarded the stretched Lincoln that was already waiting downstairs.
A Zhi followed closely beside him, frowning. "Family Head, I don’t understand."
"You don't understand why I won’t pursue this further?" The Feng Family Patriarch asked.
"Yes, Family Head," A Zhi responded. "Even if the young masters weren't killed by that woman, they died because of her. She should at least be used to accompany them in death."
The Feng Family Patriarch sighed. "Do you think I don’t want to? But that young man is not simple. There is no need for us to create a mortal enemy over a single woman."
A Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Family Head, who exactly is that young man?"
"He is…" Before the Patriarch could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a weight on his head, followed by a sudden flash of light. It was only then that they realized the car roof had disappeared.
A Zhi's face turned pale; he tried to react, but felt a sharp pain on his head, and then everything went black.
The Feng Family Patriarch stared in horror at A Zhi, whose skull had been shattered by a single blow. Blood streamed from his facial orifices, his expression terrifying, his face covered in blood as he died instantly.
"Feng, long time no see." A strange voice came from above, hoarse as if a spoon were scraping against a ceramic pot.
The Feng Family Patriarch looked up at the man lying on top of the car, his expression grave. "Fifty years have passed, and you've come back."
"I said, one day, I would return to take your life," the man replied. "Not just yours, but your entire family. I will leave none alive."
With that, he struck downward, shattering the Feng Family Patriarch’s skull.
The driver, already terrified, lost control of the car. It veered off the road, crashing into a clothing store on the side. An explosion followed, with flames surging into the sky and thick black smoke billowing out.
At this moment, I pulled out a Healing Elixir Pill and tossed it into my mouth.
This wasn't the same healing pill from before; it was a Healing Elixir Pill, a new formula given by Senior Huang Luzi, which was much more effective than the regular Healing Pills.
The bones I had broken began to make crackling sounds as they slowly healed.
I also fed Tang Mingli a Healing Elixir Pill. Earlier, he had used his arm guard to block an attack, but even then, the full-force strike from a Transformation Strength master left him with some internal injuries.
Ye Xianluo and the others were eyeing the bottle in my hand intently, so I gave each of them one pill. Since they were here to protect me, I couldn't let them leave empty-handed.
The members of the Special Department looked both grateful and delighted. After sending them off, I poured Tang Mingli a glass of water and said, "You shouldn't be so reckless next time."
"What, should I just stand there and watch you die?" He took my hand and said, "To take that hit for you, I would do it without hesitation."
My cheeks turned bright red, and I quickly pulled my hand away, changing the subject. "It seems like you know that guy A Zhi?"
Tang Mingli scoffed, "Xu Zhi—he used to be called Xu Zhijie. Twenty years ago, he mistakenly thought his wife was having an affair with his brother. In a fit of rage, he beat them both to death, only to later find out it was all a misunderstanding. To escape the police, he fled to the Feng Family, where the Feng Family Patriarch sheltered him. That’s how he’s survived until now."
I mocked, "How utterly foolish."
Tang Mingli continued, "What does the person who has a grudge against the Feng Family look like?"
I found some paper and quickly sketched a likeness of him. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a rough resemblance.
Tang Mingli took the sketch and said, "I'll investigate this person."
I nodded and reached for the glass of water. "Let me pour you another cup."
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me into his embrace. I was startled and tried to wriggle free. "What are you doing?"
He held me tightly. "Don’t move. Let me hold you."
My face flushed bright red, like a monkey's bottom. "What, what’s there to hug? Let go of me."
He whispered softly in my ear, "I just narrowly escaped death. Can’t you take pity on me a little?" There was a hint of pleading in his voice, which made my heart soften, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
I stopped struggling, and a faint smile appeared on his lips as he held me even tighter.
"Had enough hugging?" I asked, feeling exasperated.
"Just a little longer."
I lost my temper. "Let go of me!"
Suddenly, we both felt a dangerous presence approaching, but there was no way for us to dodge it.
"Ah!" I felt a strong hand grab me and lift me up.
It was the man who had killed the Feng Family brothers!
Tang Mingli suddenly leaped up, throwing a punch at the man’s face. The man sneered, "With your meager abilities, you think you can fight me?"
He launched a palm strike, colliding with Tang Mingli’s fist with a thunderous crash. Tang Mingli flew backward, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible.
"Ming Li!" I shouted in shock, feeling as if a knife had pierced my heart, the pain almost unbearable.
The man slung me over his shoulder and turned to leave. He had barely reached the door when he suddenly stopped, slowly lowering his head. He looked down to see a streak of golden light piercing through his chest, leaving a bloody hole.
Tang Mingli had raised his arm, and the golden bracer he was wearing emitted a white beam of light. The man turned his head, his gaze as cold as a knife. "That’s... a Magical Artifact?"
Tang Mingli didn’t answer, continuing to shoot white beams from the bracer. The man moved quickly, dodging the beams, and in a few strides, he reached Tang Mingli, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him into the air.
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