Chapter 116: True Colors

Secretary Chen waved his hands hurriedly, declining the offer. "Xiaofeng’s mother, what are you saying! Your husband and I have been friends for years. Besides, we are all neighbors in this village; how could we let such formalities come between us?"

Chen Sanwa also chimed in quickly, "Exactly, exactly. Xiaofeng’s mother, there is no need for you to be so polite with us Chen family folk. If we didn't help handle the arrangements for Xiaofeng’s father, it wouldn't be right."

Xiaofeng’s mother was moved to tears, covering her face with her sleeve and sobbing softly.

"Alright, Xiaofeng’s mother, the past is in the past. We who are still alive must continue to live, right? Pull yourself together and see Xiaofeng’s father off on his final journey so he doesn't have to worry about you."

"That’s right, Xiaofeng’s mother. Don't cry as you send him off; it will only make him uneasy on his journey."

Dazhuang also stepped forward to support his aunt, comforting her. "Aunt, Secretary Chen is right. You must take care of yourself; you cannot be the one to collapse first."

Secretary Chen beckoned everyone to sit down and began, "Regarding tomorrow’s funeral procession, let me go over the details with everyone once more..." He arranged duties for everyone present, going over every minor detail with meticulous care.

Seeing the time was right, Secretary Chen gave Chen Sanwa a subtle wink. Chen Sanwa understood immediately, pulling a bottle of Erguotou liquor from behind him and pouring a cup for everyone at the table.

Secretary Chen raised his glass and bowed three times toward the mourning hall. "Brother Dai, may you have a safe journey!"

With that, he poured the liquor onto the ground. Chen Sanwa quickly refilled his cup.

"Good. This second glass is for sending off Brother Dai. Everyone, bottoms up!"

Hearing this, the group felt the heavy weight of the departed pressing upon their hearts like a thousand-pound stone. They downed the liquor in one gulp, tasting a mixture of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy notes.

What they failed to notice was that Secretary Chen and Chen Sanwa only pretended to raise their cups and tilt their heads; their lips never actually touched the rims.

Zhang Hao downed his in one go and immediately felt a scorching heat hit his nose—the liquor was far more potent than anything he had ever tasted! "Damn! Why is this stuff so strong?" he muttered, quickly grabbing a bite of food to suppress the burn.

Dazhuang was also feeling woozy, mumbling, "This liquor isn't just strong, it's... numbing..."

Turning his head, he saw that Xiaofeng and his mother, unable to hold their liquor, had collapsed onto the table, clutching their heads.

Dazhuang tried to stand up, but as soon as he did, the room spun; his legs gave way, and he fell to the floor.

Seeing Dazhuang tumbling about like a clumsy bear, Zhang Hao laughed heartily. "Dazhuang, look at you, you coward! One glass and you're already down!"

"You... you’re just... talking non... nonsense... When have I... ever lost... to you?" His mouth felt as if it were filled with paste, and he couldn't form a coherent sentence.

"You still won't admit it? Isn't this proof right here? When have you ever not been the loser?" Zhang Hao roared with laughter, but as he reached for more food, he found his chopsticks spinning wildly, unable to hit the plate.

Secretary Chen frowned slightly and whispered, "Sanwa, how much did you add to this liquor? Why hasn't this kid been knocked out yet?"

Chen Sanwa looked anxious, shaking the bottle. "Boss, I used pure *yangjinhua* and toad venom from the back mountain. I used eighty percent concentration—it’s enough to knock out the big yellow ox at Old Deng’s place next door."

"Then why is this kid still sitting there upright, trying to pick up food?"

Chen Sanwa pondered for a moment, aggrieved. "Maybe it's his constitution. This kid looks slippery and slick; maybe his stomach is just as slippery."

Secretary Chen glared at Chen Sanwa, signaling him to go over and finish the job. Chen Sanwa nodded, poured another cup of liquor, and forcefully pried open Zhang Hao’s mouth to pour it in.

"Cough, cough! Uncle Chen, what... what are you doing? I, Zhang Hao, am no slouch when it comes to drinking. If you’ve got guts, let’s... let’s go another round..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Hao collapsed onto the table, his entire body limp and unable to move. He suddenly sensed something was wrong; apart from Secretary Chen and Chen Sanwa, everyone else in the room had fallen to the ground.

"This... this liquor..." Zhang Hao struggled to keep his eyes open, forcing the words through gritted teeth.

"Exactly. This liquor was drugged," Secretary Chen said with a sinister smile.

Chen Sanwa kicked Dazhuang, then turned to say, "I didn't expect that even though you don't look like much, your tolerance is pretty good. Even with all that poison, it didn't knock you out right away."

Though Zhang Hao had no strength left, his mind remained clear. Feeling that something terrible was about to happen, a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.

"What... what are you doing?"

Chen Sanwa struggled as he hauled a half-bucket of tung oil from the backyard, splashing it everywhere as he spoke. "Young man, don't blame us for being heartless. We really have no other choice. It’s your own fault for offending the Opera Lady."

Zhang Hao’s eyes widened, and he said coldly, "You... you are in league with that female ghost."

Chen Sanwa didn't answer, continuing to splash the oil into every corner. "Young man, life and death are fated. You can't blame anyone else; you can only blame yourselves for coming to the wrong place."

Secretary Chen stood before the mourning hall, shaking his head with a sigh. Zhang Hao was cursing them inwardly, but his lips wouldn't cooperate. *My life is my own to command; it’s not up to you, you god-forsaken bastard, to decide for me.*

Secretary Chen looked up at the night sky, feeling deeply conflicted. *Life and death are fated, but my own life is not under my control either.*

"What a pity, what a pity. I had hoped your two companions might help our village break the curse. Now it seems they have either met their end or fled far away, leaving you poor wretches to make up the numbers!"

"Bullshit!" Zhang Hao squeezed the word out fiercely. I might believe anything else, but I would never believe that our Master Cui would betray the revolution, even if you killed me!

Secretary Chen patted Zhang Hao’s shoulder, sighing. "Alright, young man, save your breath. Keep your wits about you when you head out on your journey shortly."

Zhang Hao was cursing him to hell in his mind. It was a pity his body wouldn't obey him, or he would have cracked the man's skull open and used it as a ball.

Chen Sanwa finally finished splashing the remaining oil and tossed the iron bucket into a corner of the courtyard. He nodded to his boss.

Secretary Chen pulled a box of matches from his pocket. With a "hiss," a flame ignited.

"Young man, I'm sorry. We were forced into this. The Opera Lady demands you as a sacrifice. Our Shangwan Village owes you a debt that we could never repay, even if we were to work for you as beasts of burden for a lifetime."

Secretary Chen’s face was filled with feigned sincerity. Zhang Hao cursed the man for being utterly shameless. After all that, this old bastard not only wanted them to be scapegoats but also spouted such high-sounding nonsense. "Working as beasts of burden"? You never even intended to "repay" anything at all.