"You... what did you say?!"
The old man, upon hearing Mo Chuan's words, was clearly stunned. Then, he immediately reacted and shouted, "You... you're slandering me! You murderer! You killed my daughter, and now you plan to kill me too? Come on! I've lived to over sixty, and I've lived enough! Make your move! We'll meet in hell!"
With that, he charged towards Mo Chuan like an old donkey, but he was quickly restrained by the "concerned citizens" around them.
"Grandpa! It's not worth it, not worth it! Don't get worked up with this bastard!"
"Exactly! A dog who lost his parents! Don't engage with this little bastard..."
Bang!
The man who spoke flew out like a kite with a broken string. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wow."
Mo Chuan, with his hand hidden behind Abe Haruko, gently squeezed her waist as a gesture of thanks.
"You dare to hit someone again! I... I'll sue you!" The old man, as if having caught Mo Chuan red-handed, stood up excitedly and pointed at Mo Chuan, shouting.
Mo Chuan looked at the time on his phone expressionlessly, then smiled wryly and said, "I didn't even touch him. Many of you here are high-level ability users. Who among you saw any spiritual energy surge from me?"
The scene fell into silence.
Seeing no one respond, Mo Chuan took out his phone and opened a piece of news, saying to the old man, "Take a look, the police's latest announcement, regarding the phone recording from the scene. It contains the cause of your daughter's death. Do you dare to let me turn the phone volume to the maximum?! Let everyone hear the true reason for your daughter's death! Do you dare?!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Everyone turned their gaze back to the old man.
The old man suddenly felt a chill run through his body. He swallowed and tried his best to appear calm, but his slightly trembling shoulders and arms betrayed his current panic.
A moment later, the old man, like someone making a desperate gamble, shouted, "Play it! If a murderer isn't afraid, why should I be!"
"Heh heh..." Mo Chuan's fingers moved slightly, and he opened the phone recording from that time:
"Now, withdraw one-third of the police cars surrounding the area, and we'll release three people. You have ten minutes. If I don't see the surrounding police force reduced within ten minutes, these three people will die.
Stop crying! Tell me yourself, what's your name, gender, profession. Don't try any tricks. Your mouth isn't faster than my knife."
Yu... Yu Huifang... Female... Bank... Teller...
...
Did you hear that, officer? If you don't order your police cars to retreat 10 kilometers now, I'll really kill them, you know~
Wuwuwu—
Bang!
F*** crying! So damn noisy!
"Alright... there are only two people left now. You'd better hurry. My patience isn't very good. I remember all my doctors saying that."
"..."
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
From the recording, everyone could roughly discern that the gloomy male voice belonged to the kidnapper, and the young female voice among the three hostages was likely Yu Huifang. Honestly, everyone had some estimate of her death, but they never expected she would die so... casually, as if it were a joke.
The old man, as if struck by a heavy hammer, swayed unsteadily, then his vision went black, and he collapsed backward onto the ground.
...
Through discrediting the online trolls, publishing evidence, and guiding public opinion, the masses gradually understood the truth of the matter.
Thus, everyone's attention shifted to the last remaining issue – the eight schools that had publicly announced their refusal to accept Mo Chuan.
In the hospital room.
Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing sat together, while Mo Chuan and Abe Haruko sat together. The four sat opposite each other in pairs. Under Mo Chuan's bewildered gaze, Mo Fei spoke:
"Brother."
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you going to introduce this sister?"
Mo Fei crossed her arms, sizing up the woman before her, who exuded a seductive aura and a predatory glint. Beside her, Tang Jingjing also regarded Abe Haruko with curious eyes.
A few days prior, Mo Fei had thought this woman was just her elder brother's friend. But from their increasingly unusual glances and conversations, Mo Fei sensed a crisis.
This woman might very well steal her elder brother away!
Mo Fei narrowed her eyes, clearly considering using the Cheng Ying sword to resolve this issue.
Mo Chuan glanced at Abe Haruko. Seeing her nod, he said, "Do you want to hear about her past or her present?"
The two women were taken aback. What did that mean?
But Mo Fei quickly reacted and said with a frown, "Tell us about both."
"Do you remember the accident that happened during the special recruitment exam?"
The two women nodded. Mo Chuan and Zhang Hanshan had recounted the events of the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade and the three women who were unconscious at the time. However, only Mo Chuan and Zhang Hanshan knew that Mo Chuan was now a Ghost King.
Mo Fei then narrowed her eyes. Could this woman be a young girl whom her elder brother had saved, and who had fallen in love with him because of it? Tsk... a fox spirit...
"She is Shuten-doji."
"I don't care if she is Shuten-doji or not, I— Hey!?"
The two women were stunned and then looked at Abe Haruko with wide eyes.
The latter smiled and waved, as if to say hello.
"Wait, you said that was the past. What about now?" Tang Jingjing asked with a frown.
"My name is Abe Haruko. Greetings to you two 'little' sisters. Thanks to Mo Chuan's care, I have been reborn." As Abe Haruko finished speaking, she extended her hands and hugged Mo Chuan's right arm.
Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing simultaneously clenched their fists, veins bulging on their hands and foreheads.
With three women creating a drama, Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing, who had been rivals moments ago, immediately felt the threat posed by Abe Haruko. Therefore, they decisively and tacitly formed an alliance to deal with this ancient woman who had lived for who knows how many years.
Mo Chuan looked bewildered. He pushed Abe Haruko's arm away, but she refused to let go.
Their small movements did not escape Mo Fei's eyes. She retorted:
"Sister Abe, you jest. You are the former Ghost King of Oeyama, with such rich experience. The help provided by my elder brother is hardly worth mentioning~"
Seeing the three women engage in a new round of verbal sparring, Mo Chuan's mouth twitched. He wanted to find something to change the subject.
"Ding! System secondary upgrade complete. Please host check new function: Relations."
"Oh?" Mo Chuan's eyebrows rose. Ever since he had absorbed so many souls in one go last time, the system had gone completely silent after he became a Ghost King. If not for the fact that his abilities still worked as usual, he would have suspected the system had abandoned him.
"Relations..." Mo Chuan's eyes lit up. He grabbed Abe Haruko's hand and said to Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing, "You all continue chatting next time! Haruko, do me a favor!" With that, he pulled Abe Haruko and ran out of the hospital room.