While speaking, tears of blood actually trickled from the corners of the ship owner's eyes. Gu Shi Yi watched as the ship owner's face contorted and deformed bit by bit, his eyes bloodshot, and black qi unexpectedly spewing out of his mouth and nose.
"Is this resentment too strong, turning him into a fierce ghost?"
Gu Shi Yi's brows furrowed, and suddenly with a whoosh, he drew his Peach Wood Sword and struck.
"Smack..."
"Ah..."
A clear sword mark appeared on the ship owner's face. With a look of fright, he touched his face, locking eyes with Gu Shi Yi in a mix of shock, anger, resentment, and hate. Gu Shi Yi coldly said,
"If you have grievances, go appeal to the Underworld. Don't come here to bring calamity upon the living. Leave now, and you might have a chance to be reborn in the next life. If you continue to be oblivious to what's good for you, I'll shatter your soul on the spot, condemning you to never find peace again!"
The ship owner's facial muscles twitched, and his resentful eyes still glared at Gu Shi Yi. But Gu Shi Yi, disregarding everything else, put all his strength into his Peach Wood Sword, striking the ship owner's cheeks until they swelled up, eliciting pained screams. Pointing the sword, Gu Shi Yi demanded once more,
"I'll ask you again, will you leave or not?"
The ship owner, hands covering his face, no longer dared to stare at Gu Shi Yi. Quivering on the spot for a long while, suddenly his eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he collapsed on the deck. A stream of black qi then rushed back into the female corpse's body. Satisfied, Gu Shi Yi hummed lowly, took out a Yellow Talisman, and stuck it on the female corpse's forehead. He then proceeded to cover the ship owner's mouth and nose with the shoes that had been removed,
"Mmm..."
Boat Owner Yu immediately opened his eyes and struggled to break free, clutching his throat with a face full of agony and despair,
"Gu... Master Gu... what is this thing..."
Gu Shi Yi laughed with a hehe and said,
"You even disdain your own shoes? All is well now. The matter has been resolved. We'll find a place to dock shortly and bury this body!"
Boat Owner Yu continuously nodded, his face now swelling like a pig's head, alarmingly red and frightening to behold,
"Master Gu, my face... what's happened to my face?"
Gu Shi Yi said with a smile,
"Nothing's wrong, that Female Ghost simply couldn't bear to leave without acting out, so she slapped you a few times. Nonetheless, you should use medicine; otherwise, the ghostly qi may cause lingering problems!"
"Ah... then... what should I do?"
Boat Owner Yu was both scared and alarmed. Gu Shi Yi, with a sly grin, pulled out a small bottle,
"Owner Yu, you needn't fear. This is a secret Healing Medicine passed down by my master, effective against cuts, sword wounds, bruises, and for driving away shadows and evil spirits. Don't underestimate this small bottle; it's made with real ingredients. Out in the market, it would cost you Ten Taels of Silver per bottle. Would you like to apply some?"
Seeing Boat Owner Yu's hesitant and skeptical expression, Gu Shi Yi added,
"Just try it out. If it doesn't work, it's free!"
Without waiting for Boat Owner Yu's refusal, Gu Shi Yi flipped the lid off the small porcelain bottle, sprinkled some medicine on the man's face, and his cheeks actually felt a wave of coolness. The burning pain diminished greatly. Surprised and grateful, he said,
"Thank you, Master Gu! Thank you so much, Master Gu!"
Gu Shi Yi waved his hand with a beaming smile,
"No need to thank me. Just remember the Silver!"
Boat Owner Yu nodded repeatedly,
"Rest assured, Master Gu. That's certain!"
Boat Owner Yu harbored the thought that while one should not overly trust a somewhat capable person like this, he also could not afford to offend him, especially since he indeed resolved the problem. The Silver was rightfully his to give away!
Thus, afterward, Gu Shi Yi received a thank-you gift of fifty taels of Silver from Boat Owner Yu, along with ten taels for the medicine; adding up to sixty taels of Silver that made their way into his pocket, eliciting sighs of envy from Li Yaner and Big Boss,
"Just like that, sixty taels of Silver in hand?"
Gu Shi Yi boasted with a proud smile,
"Naturally, didn't you see who I am?"
Big Boss shook his head back and forth with a tsk-tsk,
"That Boat Owner Yu is just unlucky. If not for your meddling, Qiaoqiao wouldn't have died, and if she hadn't died, she wouldn't have haunted Boat Owner Yu. In the end, Boat Owner Yu took a beating from you and even paid you sixty taels of Silver. He truly got sold out and was left counting the money for his betrayer!"
Gu Shi Yi raised his index finger, shaking it back and forth, assuming an air of profound mystery,
"Wrong, wrong, wrong! You miss the mark. I didn't just barge in nonchalantly. If we have come to this outcome today, it's due to the cause of yesterday—heaven's will, all due to fate!"
"Pah!"
Big Boss's tone was filled with disdain, while Li Yaner voiced her concerns,