Chapter 66 He Is Already Dead

Grandma was stunned for a moment, then shook her head in disbelief. "You... what did you just say? Stop messing around and send Yunzhou back quickly..."

Gu Tingchu offered a playful smile. "Of course I'm not joking. Everything I said is true. I lied to you; all that nonsense about Qiao Yunzhou trading for shares was a lie. He... he is never coming back!"

Grandma's pupils suddenly dilated. "What did you say?! What do you mean, what on earth do you mean?!"

Her body began to tremble violently. Her physical condition was already deteriorating day by day; she simply could not withstand such a shock.

I wanted to block Grandma's ears, but it was all in vain.

Gu Tingchu shrugged indifferently. "Literally, of course. Your good grandson is dead! To think you were so naive as to believe I would actually let Qiao Yunzhou come back?"

Grandma's expression stiffened. Her lips parted and closed, but not a single word came out.

After a moment, she asked in a soft whisper, "You... what did you say?"

Her voice was so faint, as if she were afraid something fragile might shatter.

Finding something vastly amusing, Gu Tingchu suddenly burst into a cackle. The shrill laughter echoed through the room, sounding exceptionally harsh and grating.

"Old hag, I said your grandson, Qiao Yunzhou, is dead! Can't you understand human speech? Oh right, I don't mind telling you—his death was simply gruesome!"

He clicked his tongue twice and continued, "Not only did I cut off his fingers, but I also did many other things to him. He didn't even leave a complete corpse, you know!"

As he spoke, he pointed toward a tall amber sculpture standing nearby.

"This human-shaped amber—take a guess, who do you think is inside?"

My pupils constricted. With a reflexive motion, I lunged forward, trying to stop him.

I reached out, wanting to cover his mouth and prevent him from uttering the truth.

"No, don't say it! I'm begging you, please don't say it!"

If Grandma found out, she wouldn't be able to bear it!

I knew that in my current state, stopping him was utterly impossible, but I still rushed forward anyway. I wanted to kill him; I wanted to stop him!

My eyes burned with a crimson fury as I glared at Gu Tingchu before me, an intense hatred engulfing my entire being.

Perhaps because my hatred was overwhelmingly potent, a sudden, ghostly wind began to howl around us.

The sky, which had been bright and sunny a moment before, suddenly grew pitch dark.

The abruptly rising gale blew the incense and candles off the niche, sending them crashing straight to the ground.

The censer smashed directly beside Gu Tingchu's feet.

He froze, the words he was about to speak interrupted.

Grandma also noticed the abnormal atmosphere around them and fixed her burning gaze on Gu Tingchu. "What is that?!"

***

Gu Tingchu was snapped back to his senses by Grandma's voice.

Since he was not the sort to fear ghosts or spirits, he naturally wouldn't be scared by a gust of wind.

The corners of Gu Tingchu's lips curled into a malicious smile.

"I told you before that he went to a high monk, but to think you actually believed it. Old hag, Qiao Yunzhou is right inside this! You've been looking all over for him these past few days, but hasn't he been right by your side all along?"

With that, Gu Tingchu finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into a fit of laughter.

Grandma was startled, instinctively turning her head to glance at the tall amber standing in the gloom.

After just a single look, she yanked her gaze back as if she had been scalded.

"You're lying to me, aren't you?!"

Gu Tingchu closed his eyes with an intoxicated expression. "Why would I lie to you? You know, this is art! Qiao Yunzhou sacrificing himself for art can be considered dying for a worthy cause."

"There has never been such a large piece of human amber in this world. Do you know how gorgeous this amber was when it was just poured? It is simply a work of art!"

Grandma covered her ears, doing nothing except shaking her head repeatedly.

"You're lying to me, aren't you? You must be lying. I've already given you the shares, so please stop making jokes like this. It isn't funny at all. Send Yunzhou back right now."

"Hahahaha! You actually still thought I was joking? Do you want me to show you the torture Qiao Yunzhou went through before he died? I even took videos. Do you want to take a look?"

Saying this, Gu Tingchu unlocked his phone, intending to show the video to Grandma.

Tears welled up in the corners of Grandma's eyes, her gaze sharp and fierce as she stared at the man before her.

Though she desperately wished not to believe it, the current situation no longer allowed her any room for doubt.

"You... you murderer! You'll come to a bad end!"

With that, Grandma lunged directly at Gu Tingchu, attempting to tear at him with her bare hands.

However, Gu Tingchu easily sidestepped her and gave Grandma a ruthless shove.

Right behind her was a flight of stairs three meters high.

Grandma could no longer check her momentum and plunged straight down toward the lower landing.

"Grandma!"

I screamed, throwing myself forward with all my might to grab her hand, but it was ultimately all for naught.

Grandma's body passed right through my hands, and I watched helplessly as she plummeted to the ground.

"Thud!"

A heavy, sickening impact echoed through the space as Grandma lay motionless on the floor, unable to move a muscle.

***

I threw myself beside Grandma, the urge to weep reaching a blinding peak.

"Grandma! Grandma, are you alright?! Someone, help! Someone, please save my grandma!"

Her phone had been knocked flying away from her, and it was only then that Grandma remembered she needed to call the police.

Grandma crawled toward the phone inch by inch, desperate to reach it and dial for help, but a foot suddenly came down and stomped hard on the device.

"You still want to call the police? What are you dreaming about? Do you really think I'd give you a chance to do that?"

Gu Tingchu leisurely strolled over to Grandma's side and squatted down.

The phone beneath his shoe was already crushed into shards.

Grandma didn't speak; her gaze remained locked onto Gu Tingchu with a fierce intensity.

"Bah! You murderer! You will die a horrible death!"

With a look of disgust, Gu Tingchu stood up. "You old hag, if I don't teach you a lesson, you'll still think you're someone who can throw your weight around!"

As he spoke, he raised his foot and brutally stamped down on Grandma's hand.

"No!!!"

I screamed without restraint, rushing forward to beat and claw at Gu Tingchu in a frenzy, but without exception, my hands passed right through his body.

Grandma had already lost her mobility from the fall, and now with one of her hands crushed under Gu Tingchu's foot, she was struggling even to draw a breath.

Yet, she still forced herself to glare unyieldingly at Gu Tingchu.

"You beast... Yunzhou was such a good child. He never harmed you, did he? Why did you have to do this?!"

"Why?"

Gu Tingchu tilted his head, pondering for a moment. "If you want to blame someone, blame him for standing in my way. But you can always ask him yourself once you go down to hell."

With those words, he applied more weight to his foot.

"Oh, right. Care to guess where I put his ashes?"

Grandma remained silent, her face drained of all color, evidently having guessed the grim truth.

A wicked, malicious smile spread across Gu Tingchu's face. "How do you like that set of consecrated tableware?"