"Damn it! What are you idiots standing around for, beat him up for me!"
Don't think your height of six feet is for nothing. Growing up in a single-parent family, you were bullied by many kids and hooligans around you. Fighting was a common occurrence.
Fighting is all about seizing the initiative, striking first, and hitting hard and fast. You absolutely can't give the other person a chance to fight back!
As the young punk started to curse, you pushed Zhaor away and stepped forward quickly, kicking the blond punk who had just gotten up from the ground.
Although you were stronger than before, taking on six people was definitely tough. Moreover, these guys usually carried knives in their pockets, and getting stabbed would be a big problem. After all, you didn't want to end up in the hospital at this time.
The blond punk was kicked over by you again, and then you pounced on him like a hungry wolf, sitting on top of him and fiercely pummeling his face. After a dozen punches, each blow landing solidly, the blond punk wailed and begged for mercy.
While beating up the blond punk, you completely ignored the punches and kicks from the five behind you. The harder they hit, the heavier your punches became!
"Big brother, big brother! Stop hitting me, I was wrong, I was wrong!"
As the blond punk cried out, the other five stopped their assault. When they realized their boss had been beaten to a pulp, they looked at each other in disbelief. They had been out on the streets for some time and had never seen such a reckless way of fighting.
"Wrong?"
The pain in your back made you grimace, your eyes wide and fierce as if you were about to devour someone.
"Wrong, I really was wrong!"
The blond punk's mouth was badly swollen, making his speech unclear. He looked at you with a pleading face, tears welling up in his eyes. His expression was as miserable as a young bride who had been abused by several men, as pitiful as could be. It seemed he was truly frightened by your beating.
However, you had no intention of letting him off so easily.
You punched the blond punk hard in the stomach again, causing his face to contort in pain.
The blond punk felt like he wanted to die, miserably saying, "Big brother... stop hitting me, I really was wrong. From now on, whenever I see you and sister-in-law, I'll stay far away."
"Hmph!"
You finally let go, stood up, and entered the grocery store with Zhaor.
The six punks didn't dare to linger any longer. Two of them helped the blond punk up, and just as they were about to leave, the old lady from the grocery store suddenly spoke up, "Hold on."
The six swallowed hard and looked at each other.
The old lady looked up at you, and just one glance from her sinister eyes made you feel a chill down your spine.
"Kid, the one by your side is no ordinary person."
"Granny, I'm here to rent a house."
"Are you the son of that girl Xiao Hong?"
"Yes," you nodded.
"The house isn't far from here, but you can't stay for free." The old lady spoke in a monotone, sounding like a looped recording, which was quite eerie to hear.
You quickly said, "I'll pay."
"Money? I don't need that." The old lady deliberately glanced at Zhaor and said indifferently, "You've already dealt with those six fools outside. Their boss has been entangled by a female ghost. Go take care of it for me."
"Ah?"
You looked at the old lady in surprise, unable to believe she had given you such a task.
The old lady placed a set of keys on the table and said without changing her expression, "Take the keys. After you've done the job, go straight to the edge of Xiang Lake. Just ask anyone about Old Lady Yang's house, and you'll find it."
You took the keys and said to her, "Granny, aren't you afraid I'll just take the keys and move in?"
"The son of Xiao Hong shouldn't be so unreliable, right?"
You shrugged and had no choice but to agree.
Strangely enough, ever since you met Zhaor, you've been less afraid of ghosts and more curious about them.
Turning around, you beckoned to the blond punk, "Blondie, come here."
"Big, big brother, I have a name. My nickname is Ergou, and my full name is Huang Laifu."
"You unlucky kid, who gave you such a lousy name? It's not even as good as Blondie." The old lady muttered from behind the counter.
"Hey, I think so too. Let's just call you Blondie." You walked over and put an arm around Blondie's shoulder, asking, "Tell me, what's going on with your boss?"
Blondie thought today's task would be botched again, but in the end, the old lady made a brilliant move by finding him a helper.
You had shown Blondie your skills. They were no match for you one-on-one, and even two against one would be easy for you. Moreover, you were chosen by the old lady, so he figured you must have some skills. He then told you the whole story.
Blondie's boss, Ma Hong, started out lending money at high interest rates and was a well-known figure in this area.
To be honest, Ma Hong wasn't a complete villain. Even as a loan shark, he had his principles and never forced anyone too hard. If someone couldn't pay back the money, he wouldn't resort to violence or threats but would handle it in a more roundabout and gentle way.
However, Ma Hong had one flaw: he was lecherous.
Ma Hong had four women. One was his legally married wife, who had given birth to a daughter for him, who had just started elementary school this year. The other three had different statuses, which Blondie wasn't too clear about.
A month ago, Ma Hong went on a business trip for over a week. When he returned, he seemed listless. Half a month ago, screams suddenly came from his house in the middle of the night. After that, Ma Hong's wife rushed out of the house with their daughter, while Ma Hong was trapped inside, unable to leave no matter what.
"Why can't he get out? Can't he climb over the wall or out the window?"
Blondie shook his head, "The boss lives in our Yuhang old house. We've had some masters come over before, and they all said that the female ghost deliberately won't let the boss leave, wanting to torment him to death."
Hearing this, you frowned.
From what you knew, ghosts were ranked, and the ones people usually encountered were those under a hundred years old. These ghosts mostly used psychological tactics to claim lives, scaring people to death with their inner fears.
Everything in the world follows cause and effect. Ghosts can't kill indiscriminately without consequences, or they would face divine retribution. This is an immutable law of the universe that no one can change.
However, based on the information from Blondie alone, you couldn't make a judgment and had to follow him to see for yourself.
"Oh, by the way, this female ghost is strange." Blondie suddenly said as you were approaching Ma Hong's residence.
"Strange how?"