The Copper Coin Sword sliced clean through Francesc's shirt. He clutched at the tattered fabric in panic, but it was useless - with the blade at his throat, I forced him to strip completely.
"I called you big brother! Can't you let me off just this once?" Francesc pleaded, tears in his eyes.
I shook my head, the sword's tip never wavering from his throat. "Strip or die. I won't ask again."
Francesc feared death. He didn't dare hesitate further - one slash from this sword would sever his windpipe. In a place like this, murders went unreported, and bystanders never interfered.
"Alright, alright! I'll do it!" Francesc shed his clothes until only his underwear remained, hands still covering himself shamefully.
"I said all of it. What part of 'all' don't you understand?" I pressed, angling the sword suggestively lower. One refusal, and I'd make him a eunuch on the spot.
"Don't push too far, boy! You want me to disappear from society?" Francesc's temper finally surfaced.
"Is that so?" With a cold snort, I raised the sword for a decisive strike - this cut would end his bloodline and any future harassment of women.
"Wait! I'll do it!" Reason prevailed over pride. Better humiliation than castration. The moment he became my pawn, his dignity was forfeit anyway.
How ironic - the schemer outschemed. He'd set traps for others, only to fall into mine.
"Remember this cruelty, boy. Our paths will cross again." Francesc spat the threat through clenched teeth before removing his final garment. Now truly naked, he'd honored his promise.
The women present shrieked and turned away, while men erupted in raucous laughter.
"Gods, it's smaller than a toothpick! No wonder Ghost Police can't have kids - are they all this tiny?"
"Hah! Without squinting, I'd miss it entirely! My eyes aren't what they used to be..."
"This thing cheats women? Married multiple wives? Those poor widows-in-waiting!"
Lewd jabs and taunts flew thick as arrows. Francesc trembled violently, face green with rage, veins bulging at his temples. But with no face left to save, he could only flee bare into the night.
I hadn't expected this outcome either, but it served him right. The bastard was utterly humiliated - his manhood barely the size of a newborn's, prompting unkind laughter from all who saw.
"Hey, don't forget your run around Beiwang Town! No slacking!" I shouted at Ghost Francesc's bare retreating back.
Hah! Francesc would probably wear a mask for the rest of his life after this. His infamy would spread far and wide - perfect retribution!
"Aren't you worried about retaliation after humiliating him like that?" Philip asked.
I sheathed the Copper Coin Sword with flair. "If he comes, he comes. If he wants revenge, let him try. Some villains deserve this treatment."
Philip drained his teacup in one gulp. Without another word, he grabbed his mahogany sword and headed upstairs.
"Hey! Where are you going? We need to head to Mount Zhongnan!" I called after him urgently.
Philip glanced back but kept climbing. "You don't ascend Mount Zhongnan by day. We wait for nightfall."
"Night? Are you joking? People won't even leave Beiwang Town after dark, and you want to climb that mountain? Do you know how dangerous it is? If we're going, it has to be daytime - fewer demons and monsters. Plus I've got this holy water from Francesc to ward off the miasma."
Philip chuckled, pointing at the bottle in my hand. "Holy water? That's just his piss."
I immediately uncorked the bottle. Sure enough - pale yellow liquid with the unmistakable reek of urine.
"That damned swindler! Trying to trade piss for my Holy Bronze Sword! Good thing I saw through his tricks." I hastily recorked the foul-smelling bottle, fuming.
The Living Dead truly lived up to his name - deceitful through and through. No wonder he scammed people daily. Seeing him run naked through town didn't stir an ounce of pity - just satisfaction.
"Trust me, night's better for the ascent. I wouldn't lie to you," Philip insisted.
I opened my mouth to question why when the inn door burst open. Five figures entered - four men and a woman who immediately exclaimed: "Third Senior Brother! Roger! What are you doing here? What a coincidence!"
Philip and I turned simultaneously. The speaker was none other than Luna.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted in surprise. Then again, with so many Erebus-profiteers gathering, her presence made sense. Just hadn't expected to meet at the same inn.
Luna's four companions included a man around our age - handsome but pale and thin, dressed head-to-toe in black.
The group consisted of:
A big-bearded man, probably in his thirties, rugged with rope-like muscles - his arms as thick as my thighs.
A long-haired man in a floral shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, mid-thirties, with somewhat feminine features.
Another had an obscenely lecherous face - short and thin with rodent-like features. When he smiled, two prominent incisors protruded, making him look so much like a rat that I immediately wanted to punch him.
"Well, if it isn't Fourth Senior Sister. You're here with... Hampsey, I see?" Philip's gaze settled on the pale-faced youth standing close to Luna.
Who was this Hampsey? The unusual nature of his relationship with Luna was obvious - from the way she looked at him, and how they stood nearly embracing.
I quickly consulted Stein, ever the reliable Vervicety Bai Xiaosheng. He informed me this was Hampsey Huo, only son of the Huo Family.
The Huo Family were Erebus-profiteers specializing as "coffin openers" - quite renowned in Vervicety circles.
Coffin openers performed the taboo task of reopening buried caskets, as families were forbidden from doing so themselves (considered unfilial and unlucky). Their most profitable work, however, involved opening yin coffins - those containing murder victims.