Wang Si carried the money paper in his hand and was stunned to see the empty lobby as soon as he entered. Then he noticed that there were five unfamiliar faces in the lobby.

The burly young man introduced the newcomers by saying, "Uh, Uncle Wang, these guests are friends of Master Yu."

The young man then turned to the five people and said, "Uncle Wang was also a friend of Master Yu. They used to drink together often before his passing."

After listening, Wang Si nodded and pointed directly at the two empty stools, staring and asking, "Xiao Wu, where's the coffin?"

Xiao Wu casually pointed at Zhang Tianshi and said, "They buried him yesterday. I wasn't home when they took him away in the afternoon. I only found out after I got home, so I didn't notify you."

Wang Si's brows almost twisted into a knot. These five people seemed to be friends of Master Yu who came to handle his funeral affairs. But how could they bury him without even saying a word of greeting?

Wang Si was the first to speak and said, "My name is Wang Si. I have known Master Yu for twenty years or so. May I know who you are, sir?"

Zhang Tianshi chuckled and said, "Wang Si? Died in vain? That's quite a creative name. We had a friendship for over 10 or 20 years, but why didn't Yu Yuan ever mention him? Moreover, Yu Yuan died here, so it seems like this matter isn't that simple. However, Zhang Tianshi has no idea why Yu Yuan settled in this place before his death, nor knows anything about his death. Perhaps Wang Si is a breakthrough point for clues."

Thinking for a moment, Zhang Tianshi said, "My name is Zhang Tianze and I am a friend of Yu Yuan as well. Since we are both friends of Yu Yuan, why don't we find a place to sit down and chat? I still have many questions about Yu Yuan's death that I need your help to unravel."

As soon as Wang Si heard the three words "Zhang Tianze", the tension in his mind suddenly relaxed and he subconsciously let out a sigh of relief, with his attitude also changing from before.

"There's a small tea house just around the corner in front of us, why don't I invite you all to go there and take a seat?"

A moment later, the six of them were sitting in a small teahouse. Wang Si said, "Zhang Tianshi, I've heard Master mention you before. You are a legend in your line of work."

Master Zhang modestly waved his hand and said, "I dare not presume. I would like to ask you a few questions, if it is not too much trouble for you to answer."

"You can ask anything, I will definitely tell you what I know," Wang Si patted his chest and assured.

As soon as Zhang Tianshi turned the conversation, his expression turned serious. "Do you know who Yu Yu before he died? Or perhaps, did any peculiarly-dressed people arrive in town during those days?"

Wang Si paused for a moment and lowered his eyelashes to conceal his thoughts, "Master Yu has had contact with me before, and there are no suspicious people in our town."

"Do you know why Yu Yuan is here?"

"Wang Si shook his head, 'I don't know.'"

Master Zhang only asked these two sentences before closing his mouth and not asking any more questions.

Even though Mu Yu, who isn't very good at reading people, could tell from Wang Si's evasive expression and knotted brows that he was probably lying. There must be something troubling Wang Si, especially since he had brought so much paper money with him when he came. Mu Yu noticed that Wang Si's tattered clothing did not suggest wealth, and yet he had bought so much paper money off the streets. For a deceased friend, he didn't need to buy so much - a symbolic gesture would have sufficed. Could it be that Wang Si is hiding something?

After a brief moment of silence between the six people, Wang Si wanted to speak, but hesitated. Eventually, he broke the silence and said, "Master Zhang, can I ask for your help with something?"

Master Zhang knocked the cigarette butt against the ashtray and said, "Speak up. Since you are a friend of Yu Yuan, I will definitely help if I can."

Wang Si suddenly became agitated, as if all the anxiety that had been suppressed for a long time had erupted. He tightly held the hand of Zhang Tianshi, who was holding a cigarette stick.

"Zhang... Zhang Tianshi... I beg you to save my son! Please save my son! I am already in my forties and only have this one child... I don't want the bloodline of my Wang family to end here..."

"Master Zhang looked at his hand being tightly held and also looked at Wang Si's expression. He secretly thought to himself, "Good. Since this person approached him with a request, he is not afraid that he might conceal the truth."

Master Zhang withdrew his hand and took a puff of dry smoke. He waited until Wang Si had his fill before getting up lightly and saying, "Let's go. Take me to see your son first."

Wang Si quickly responded and rushed back home with the five people.

"That house was nothing but a dilapidated tiled room. Surprisingly, one of the beams was missing, and it was unclear when it had fallen off. The walls were made of woven bamboo strips and covered with red sand, lime, and water. The reception hall only had four benches and an old table. This Wang Si's home truly can be described as "having nothing but four walls," no wonder he was dressed in rags."

As soon as Master Zhang arrived at the door, he saw a woman with a pointed face, a nose like a shovel and a mouth like a spade walking out of the bedroom with a three or four-year-old child in her arms. However, the woman spat at the sight of the visitor and went back to the room holding the child.

Wang Si's face looked a bit unpleasant, but he still suppressed his anger and invited Zhang Tian to sit down, saying, "Please don't mind, my wife is uneducated and has poor morals."

Master Zhang glanced at him and muttered: "You're lucky to have a wife with a nose like an elephant's trunk and a mouth like a shovel." (Note: This translation is made in a manner consistent with American English.)

Wang Si was close by and naturally heard these words. His face turned even darker, as he thought about how everything had started because of her. His anger rose but he couldn't explode, as he had to continue to help cover up for his foolish wife.

Wang Si took a deep breath and turned around, heading towards the bedroom to hug the child.

"Muyu and a few others only heard a few sharp scoldings coming from inside."

"What kind of unreliable people did you bring again? Get out of here now before I kick you all out!"

"What are you fussing about, you rotten woman! They're here to save lives! Give me the child!"

"Child! This child was born from me! Whether it lives or dies, what concern is it of yours! It's just a mere goldfish! I'll kill it if I want to!"

"With a loud "pa!" sound, the argument between the two people ended as a resounding slap was delivered."

"That mud wall couldn't possibly conceal any sound at all."

Yesterday, Mu Yu caught a slight cold and couldn't help but cough a few times. He noticed the four people turning their heads to look at him and quickly covered his mouth and nose. However, the coughing became even more severe.

In less than a minute, Wang Si came out with a black face, holding the child and still looking unhappy and indignant in his eyes.

Upon seeing what was in Wang Si's arms, Zhang Tianshi discovered a thin and weak little boy curled up in his embrace. The boy's eyes were tightly shut, as though he were asleep, but given the commotion just now, the child should have been frightened awake. Yet, why was there no response?

Wang Si held the child in front of Zhang Tianshi and said, "Tianshi, just a few days ago, my child suddenly fell asleep and hasn't woken up for several days. I took him to see a doctor, but the doctor said he was completely healthy..."

Zhang Tianshi interrupted him with a wave of his hand and touched the child's pulse, "Are you saying that he encountered evil and only slept after Yu Yuan died? Or did you find Yu Yuan after your child fell asleep and realized that he had already passed away?"

Wang Si was hemming and hawing and wouldn't tell the truth. He kept dragging his feet while holding his child.

At some point, Cheng Shi started circling around outside the house. When he entered, he pulled Cheng Sheng over and pointed at the starving and dizzy dog tied up outside, with a stone bowl in front of its head. Cheng Sheng lifted his glasses and seemed to be appraising something. After he finished looking, he silently locked eyes with Cheng Shi and returned to the lobby without a sound.

Cheng Sheng walked up behind Zhang Tianshi and whispered something, causing Zhang Tianshi to say "oh" in confusion and look up to see Wang Si nervously staring at him.