Chapter 201: Ghost Market Part 5 Iii (1/2)
The old man had a bitter expression on his face as he knelt on the ground with his hands covering his head.
”What's going on?” Dahai yelled.
”According to him, he's lost, too,” Li Xia shared.
Dahai and I didn't understand what Li Xia meant.
I pulled Li Xia aside and asked him, ”What happened?”
”From what he's told me about the jade, he's merely a split self.”
”Split self? So he's not a living person?”
”I'm not sure about that but I do know that he's only alive because of this jade.”
The old man raised his head and looked straight at Li Xia. ”Am I dead?”
”Only you would know that,” Li Xia responded.
”Me? I don't know anything. My memory's gone.”
”Your memory's gone for about half a year now. You've lost it the moment my grandfather put your photo inside the watch. You're just a copy of yourself, which is why you turned senile.”
”Rubbish. I have the jade and I am about to collect your watch. They're all mine,” the old man barked angrily.
”Well, take off your necklace and prove it. If you don't disappear, you're real.”
”Wait, what? Li Bai put my photo in the watch?” he asked, astonished.
”From what I understand, the jade and watch were split among the two of them last year. Your grandfather brought the watch back and, out of anger, attempted to kill him by putting his photograph inside it. Everyone in the photograph is now dead and he's only alive because he's a copy?” I rationalized.
”So he's a dead person?” Dahai clarified.
”Remove his necklace and we'll find out,” Li Xia proposed.
”There's no way I'm a dead person,” the old man insisted.
”Take it down, then,” Li Xia challenged as the old man stood hesitantly before us, his expression becoming sluggish.
”I don't know how much of the things you've told me is real. I don't know if you guys ganged up to kill Peng Jiamu, but it seems that all the blame has been thrown onto Peng Jiamu alone. It was the doing of all seven of you, which is why Grandfather hated you so much. You were the leader. You're the only one alive now so only you know the truth.”
”I'll prove that I'm alive,” the old man decided before grabbing his necklace.
”You can't,” Li Xia provoked.
With a determined pull, the old man transformed into an ash torrent.
All that was left of him was a pile of dust and a fish-shaped jade pendant.
”He's dead?” I asked.
”He committed suicide,” Li Xia declared.
”Wait, what's going on?” Dahai asked, evidently appalled.
”Go back and ask if you want to know,” Li Xia replied, picking up the jade.
”Ask who?”
”His son. The man in his house,” Li Xia answered before putting the jade into his bag and walking back into the nursing home.
”What are you going to do?” Dahai called out.
Li Xia turned around. ”There's one less old man in this building and it happens to be the man whom we've specifically asked to see. What do you think I'm doing?”
Dahai pulled me along with top speed.
We arrived at Han Dong's apartment and knocked on the door again.
”You three again?” the middle-aged man answered.
”Your father's completely dead,” Li Xia informed him, taking the jade out.
”What are you talking about? I don't understand,” the man said, attempting to close the door.
Li Xia blocked it with his foot and effectively stopped him. ”Your father is completely dead. I know the secret and now you'll have to tell us what you've done.”
After a brief moment of shock, the man opened the door fully and invited us in.