Before those people appeared, Xiao Shu still held a faint fantasy of saving the white-skinned man. However, the moment his accomplices showed up, Xiao Shu immediately understood that what little he could do for the current situation was negligible. Since two fists cannot compete with four palms, victories against superior numbers only happen in front of ordinary people; he was already injured, and with Zhang Yuqiu being just a woman, managing to hide and avoid detection was the best luck they could hope for.

Thinking this, Xiao Shu suddenly whispered a question to Zhang Yuqiu, "Hey, hey, do you know the story between the restless spirits and the Undead?"

Zhang Yuqiu was intently watching the movements of those people and hadn't quite caught what Xiao Shu said, so she casually asked, "What did you say?"

Just as Xiao Shu was about to repeat the question, he suddenly felt someone standing behind him, looking down at Zhang Yuqiu and saying, "He's asking if you know the story between the restless spirits and the Undead, my beautiful lady!"

Both of them were startled by the sudden voice. Xiao Shu started to turn his head to see the person behind him but was quietly stopped by Zhang Yuqiu grasping his collar. Only when the person moved over to the gasoline drum did the two dare to look up and clearly see his face. It was the same white-skinned man who had been running the fake auction earlier. He crouched down in front of them with a wicked grin, making eye contact, and said, "That's an ancient question, one that few of us newcomers can answer. But I know who you are, and we won't hurt you, provided you come along quietly. My name is Yuan Qi." With that, Yuan Qi extended his right hand toward Xiao Shu, in a gesture of friendly invitation for a handshake.

However, it must be admitted that this initial meeting was not comforting. Xiao Shu frowned, unwilling to shake his hand, and instead spread open his two hands, which were so swollen they had gone from the size of chicken claws to pig trotters, making it clear to Yuan Qi that shaking hands would be very painful for him.

"Oh, I see! I heard the psychiatric hospital was destroyed; you must have been injured there, right?" Yuan Qi lowered his voice, trying his utmost to make his tone sweet and ingratiating, completely lacking the sharp edge he had shown during the auction.

"Mm," Xiao Shu replied, his vigilance urging him to minimize communication with this seemingly friendly person. Yet, despite thinking that, he still managed to blurt out, "How do you know about the psychiatric hospital?"

"Heh heh..." Yuan Qi smiled without answering, drawing a small knife with a bronze handle from his waist. Xiao Shu thought: Disaster, I'm at the mercy of the butcher!

Unexpectedly, Yuan Qi did not harm him. Instead, he used the small knife to quickly pierce his own left palm, then took Xiao Shu's hands and dripped his blood onto the wounds on both of their hands. After about two minutes, Xiao Shu felt the pain in his hands disappear. When he looked again, both hands had completely returned to their former appearance. He stared at Yuan Qi in astonishment, blinking, wanting to ask why, but finding the words difficult to utter; his earlier wariness made him feel a little awkward. After a pause, he stammered out, "Thank you!"

But Yuan Qi didn't accept the gratitude. He retracted his fawning demeanor and said coolly, "Don't thank me, thank those people who just died! Without their sacrifice, I would just be a walking corpse; no one could have saved you."

Hearing this, Xiao Shu's guard dropped by another third. He sighed to himself, thinking that these Undead creatures still possessed a conscience.