Chapter 256
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 256: The Cycle of Cause and Effect
"What a pity."
"It’s all my fault. I should have gone to see them last night; perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided."
"Who could have imagined? No matter how dire the situation, they shouldn’t have resorted to such a desperate act!"
"Gambling truly destroys lives!"
"Poor Xiaohu, so young, and Uncle Zhu and his wife were such kind-hearted people. What a cruel world we live in…"
The neighbors gathered outside Uncle Zhu’s home murmured among themselves, their voices heavy with sorrow, compassion, and helplessness.
Many had watched Zhu Xiaohu grow up and shared a close bond with Uncle Zhu and his wife. The sight of their entire family lost in such a tragic manner left them all deeply heartbroken.
Just then, a man in plain clothes hurried over.
His face was alight with excitement and urgency as he called out, "Xiaohu, Xiaohu!"
His loud voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
All eyes turned toward him!
The man in plain clothes instinctively halted, feeling a sudden pang of guilt: "What’s going on?"
A neighbor responded, "Xiao Zhong, are you looking for Xiaohu?"
This young man had been close friends with Zhu Xiaohu since childhood, and everyone in the neighborhood knew him well.
"Yes," Xiao Zhong replied, scratching his head and stammering slightly, "I came to share some good news. Last night, the Chang Le gambling house was raided, and many from the Sanjiang Association were killed. Old Four Duan, who came to collect debts, is dead!"
"What?"
The neighbors could hardly believe their ears.
Some had noticed some commotion the previous night, but they hadn’t known the details. News traveled slowly in this area, so they were only now learning about the events.
"It’s true!"
Xiao Zhong nodded emphatically: "The entire Chang Le gambling house was burned to the ground. I saw it with my own eyes, and then I heard from others that Old Four Duan is dead, and the vice president of the Sanjiang Association is also dead."
He couldn’t hide his satisfaction: "This is what they call good deeds being rewarded and evil deeds punished, the cycle of cause and effect, and the justice of heaven is clear!"
The neighbors exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to respond.
Only then did Xiao Zhong realize, "Why are you all gathered here? Have you seen Xiaohu?"
A neighbor sighed heavily and said, "He’s dead. Xiaohu is dead, and Uncle Zhu and his wife are dead too. They took their own lives last night. We just discovered it."
Xiao Zhong was struck dumb.
His lips quivered as he tried to speak, but no words came out.
He clenched his fists and struck himself several times before collapsing to the ground.
Some of the onlookers shook their heads, their hearts heavy with mixed emotions, and slowly dispersed.
Hou Zheng quietly slipped away from the crowd.
He walked through a long alley, turned a corner, and arrived at a shabby little house.
Glancing left and right, Hou Zheng unlocked the door and swiftly stepped inside.
He closed the door quickly, secured the bolt, and a gloating smile spread across his thin face.
“Good, good, good! Serves them right!”
Hou Zheng slapped his thighs excitedly, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
This cultivator at the third level of Qi Training eagerly moved a small table, pulled out a jar of wine and a pack of snacks from his tattered storage bag, and began to eat and drink with great delight.
The wine was a cheap brew made from aged rice, and the snacks were marinated leftovers.
Yet, Hou Zheng drank with joy and devoured the food with relish.
Like Zhu Xiaohu, he owed a large sum of spirit stones to the Chang Le gambling house—some lost through gambling, and the rest due to high interests.
To pay off his debts, Hou Zheng had to sell the old family home left by his parents and rent this dilapidated Small House to live in.
However, his gambling debts did not diminish; instead, they continued to grow over time.
Thus, Hou Zheng harbored more hatred for the Chang Le gambling house and the Sanjiang Association than anyone else!
So, when he heard that the Chang Le gambling house had been razed to the ground and the Sanjiang Association had suffered a great calamity, his heart swelled with joy, though he hurried home to celebrate out of caution.
“Old Four Duan, Old Four Duan!”
The more he drank, the happier he became: “Who would have thought you’d come to this? You deserve it!”
He didn’t use his cultivation to dispel the effects of the alcohol. Under the glow of the Obsidian Lamp, his face flushed, and his gaze grew increasingly unfocused. At times he muttered to himself, and at other times he cursed loudly.
By now, the sky had turned completely dark. Hou Zheng was growing more intoxicated, having nearly finished the entire jar of cheap brew.
Suddenly, he sensed something amiss and instinctively turned to look at the window.
The window was half open, and a figure stood outside, staring at Hou Zheng with an expressionless face.
Zhu Xiaohu!
Recognizing the face, Hou Zheng’s drunkenness instantly faded, and he let out a startled cry.
Zhu Xiaohu’s face was deathly pale, his eyes hollow and streaked with blood tears, like a soul-reaping messenger from hell.
He stared fixedly at Hou Zheng, and the room seemed to plunge into freezing temperatures.
Hou Zheng frantically reached for an Exorcism Talisman from his storage bag, but as he channeled his energy into it, the storage bag—which even his creditors scorned—tore apart with a “hiss,” spilling its contents chaotically.
The storage bags commonly used by cultivators have durability; with prolonged use, they wear out and eventually break.
Hou Zheng’s meager earnings in spirit stones were spent on drinking, gambling, or repaying debts, leaving him unwilling to buy a new storage bag. Now, after long-term misuse, this one had finally reached its end.
“Damn it!”
Hou Zheng cursed, quickly discarding the ruined storage bag and crouching down to search through the mess for talismans.
He rummaged through the pile, but not a single Exorcism Talisman was to be found!
Hou Zheng’s hands trembled uncontrollably, and he finally grasped an old, rusty dagger.
Without an Exorcism Talisman, a cultivator could use their own vital blood to combat evil spirits.
But when Hou Zheng stood up again, he found the window empty, with no sign of Zhu Xiaohu.
Yet Hou Zheng felt no relief.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Looking down, he saw the shadows on the ground twisting and writhing!
“Xiaohu…”
Hou Zheng forced out a smile uglier than a grimace, saying, “Wrongdoings have a source, and debts have their owners. It was the Chang Le gambling house and the Sanjiang Association that harmed you; it has nothing to do with me!”
But how could it have nothing to do with him!
Zhu Xiaohu had only entered the Chang Le gambling house under Hou Zheng’s coaxing and encouragement.
Hou Zheng was not the main culprit behind the Zhu family’s tragedy, but he was an accomplice!
He had dragged Zhu Xiaohu down for his own gain.
Thus, his words rang hollow, filled with guilt and insincerity.
“Ah!”
As soon as Hou Zheng finished speaking, he suddenly leaped up, flailing his limbs wildly, his face completely contorted.
He crashed to the ground, rolling and thrashing desperately, slapping his own face with force.
After struggling like this for the duration of an incense stick’s burn, Hou Zheng lay motionless on the ground, as if his spine had been ripped out.
After a moment, he lifted his head again.
His appearance had completely changed.
Now, he wore a simple and honest face!
