Chapter 4

Chapter 4

This beggar turned out to be a lunatic!

The security captain was furious, crumpling the paper into a ball and tossing it aside. Pointing at Wei Xi, he cursed, "Damn it, you dare play tricks on me?"

Wei Xi watched the wadded paper roll to his feet and sway slightly. Did he make another mistake?

At that moment, a young security guard who had been standing guard hurried over. He looked suspiciously at Wei Xi's face for a moment before pulling on his superior's arm. "Captain Wu, Captain Wu, forget it. I saw him last Friday. He did buy a ticket. Let him through."

The security captain roughly shrugged off his subordinate. "Bullshit! You saw him on Friday, but it's Wednesday now. If he's been up there for six days, what the hell has he been doing? Trying to kill himself?"

The young guard fell silent at this question. Although the young man was eye-catching, he didn't recall him being dressed like this the other day.

"Enough, shut up," the captain sneered when his subordinate didn't reply. Lately, things hadn't been going well at home, but he still had to work as usual. The crowded tourist site was already annoying him, and he was looking for an outlet for his frustration. He didn't dare provoke well-dressed visitors, but what was there to fear from a beggar?

The young guard hesitated, "Let him give his ID number for a check..."

"Get lost!" The captain pushed him away and pointed at Wei Xi. "Out! If you don't have a ticket, pay a three hundred yuan fine first!"

Wei Xi gazed at his fingers, then shifted his gaze to the other's face, slowly shaking his head. "I don't have any money."

His gaze was profound, and the security captain felt a faint sense of intimidation upon meeting it. Realizing this, he grew even more agitated. He tapped his riot stick against the ground and glared menacingly, "Then you won't be leaving."

Fixing his gaze on the furious middle-aged man, Wei Xi raised an eyebrow. The man had a dark complexion with no hint of blood, dark circles beneath his eyes, sparse eyebrows that revealed the whites of his eyes, and a fierce glint in his gaze – a classic appearance of excessive liver fire. But that was not all; he also had a sunken forehead, ears that extended beyond his cheeks, and a clean-shaven chin, indicating a narrow-minded and unpredictable nature. A vertical line between his brows showed his stubbornness and gloominess, while the dullness in the corner of his eyes, the so-called 'Palace of Husband and Wife,' suggested potential conflicts within the family. Such a person would be unreasonable when angry, which was conveniently in line with Wei Xi's own lack of proficiency in reasoning.

Well, then a good beating would do the trick.

Wei Xi felt somewhat pleased; this wasn't a trouble he had provoked on his own initiative. Even if Wei Dedao found out, there would be nothing to say.

Yet just as he was about to step out of the line, someone sighed beside him. "Wait."

Wei Xi turned his head and saw that it was a delicate middle-aged woman standing behind him. The woman was very beautiful, but her face was pale, and she looked worried and weak. Her husband held her carefully from behind.

Upon seeing the fierce security guard captain with his stick and the frail Wei Xi, the woman spoke with some reluctance, "It's not like losing your ticket is a rare occurrence. They let so many others go just now. Why single him out for evading the ticket? Besides, where could one possibly evade the ticket in this mountain?"

Her question immediately made the security guard captain feel a bit guilty. He had been working here for years and knew all too well that it was impossible to sneak into Fengyang Mountain without paying – the mountain was steep and rugged, leading to a bustling metropolis ahead, but the undeveloped forests stretching behind the scenic area were treacherous. The only entrance to the site was through the main gate; even professional exploration teams sent by the development department had found it challenging to return unscathed from those eerie woods, let alone ordinary hikers, let alone this weak-looking beggar boy before him. His accusation was merely an excuse to teach the boy a lesson.

Feeling exposed, he grew angry. However, despite her frail appearance, the woman was dressed elegantly, and her husband exuded an air of dignity that deterred anyone from offending them. With a flushed face, he stubbornly retorted, "How would I know if there's a way to evade the ticket? You should ask him! Anyway, it's the scenic area's rule – no ticket means a fine. I won't let him go unless he pays three hundred yuan. I'm not afraid if you complain to the tourism bureau."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xi obediently rolled up his sleeves and walked toward her. "I don't have any money."

The woman who had spoken hurried to block him when she saw his slender, pale wrists that were as thin as firewood. She was also angered by the security captain's stubborn words and started panting heavily.

Her husband immediately held her shoulder with concern. The woman patted his hand gently, indicating that she was fine, then turned to Wei Xi and said, "You don't need to leave."

Confused, Wei Xi looked at her. Wasn't he supposed to fight and then be able to leave?

However, the woman said to the security captain, "Can I pay the fine for him?"

The security captain's expression changed as he sized up the glittering ring on her finger and the diamond watch on her wrist. Reluctantly, he answered, "Why can't you pay if you're willing to?"

The woman pulled out her wallet with a cold face, took out three bills, slapped them on the armrest, and nudged Wei Xi. "Go."

Only now did Wei Xi realize that she was helping him. As their backs touched, he didn't instinctively feel wary but instead gazed at her seemingly angry face in confusion.

This woman had an elegant and noble aura. She wore pearl earrings and seemed kind-hearted, but upon closer inspection, she had a troubled look on her face.

When their eyes met, Wei Xi's desire to fight somehow subsided. After a moment of silence, he turned to the middle-aged man, who now looked embarrassed after taking the money, and said, "You'll suffer greatly, losing your wife and family."

The corners of this man's eyes, which signified his marital fortune, were dimming as if about to fade away, dragging along the fate line on his forehead that indicated offspring. With just a slight shift, his sinister and irritable gaze transformed into a face foretelling a lonely old age with no one to take care of him.

Upon hearing this, the security captain instantly frowned. The woman promptly pulled Wei Xi away, scolding him only after they left the scenic area, "You still dare to provoke trouble? With your small frame, you wouldn't stand a chance against a single blow from them."

After her scolding, she took out two hundred yuan from her wallet, glanced at Wei Xi's tattered clothes up and down, seemingly unsure how to help, before finally sighing and stuffing the money into his bamboo basket.

She said, "To come out and play without a single coin on you, kids these days really have no sense."

Wei Xi didn't get angry from the reprimand. He found it odd, wondering why women outside always seemed to give him things for free.

First, there was the delicious rice cake, and now money.

His thoughts paused abruptly as he lifted his head in shock. A wild beast, roughly twice the length of two people, was charging towards them. It was entirely black, with wide, glaring eyes, growling softly while revealing a fierce expression.

Wei Xi raised his hand to strike, but the beast suddenly stopped. A young man emerged from within, stepping forward to greet them, "CEO Lin, Mrs. Lin, are you returning home?"

This beast was actually being controlled by someone!

The woman, likely Mrs. Lin, nodded gently at the newcomer before bidding farewell to Wei Xi, "The car is here. We're leaving, you should head back early too."

As she finished speaking, Wei Xi lifted his hand to stop her. He glanced at the carriage and then at her forehead. "Don't get in."

Mrs. Lin paused, "Why?"

Her husband, who had ignored Wei Xi from the beginning, also frowned at the scene. "What do you intend to do?"

Wei Xi ignored him and instead asked Mrs. Lin, "Has your household been plagued with numerous mundane troubles lately, causing your health to deteriorate and your spirits to wane?"

Mrs. Lin's expression changed instantly. She glanced at the tattered Taoist robe on Wei Xi's body and immediately grew anxious. She asked cautiously, "Y-You, how did you know?"

This couple's heads were as dark as polished obsidian, much like the original owner of Wei Xi's body - an ominous sign of impending disaster. The same unfortunate aura surrounded the young man who had just dismounted from a creature called a "Chariot."

As Wei Xi was about to explain, Mrs. Lin's husband had already frowned and opened the car door, swiftly helping his wife inside without a word. "Let's go, let's go, let's go."

Mrs. Lin: "...Lin Hanyang, I haven't finished speaking yet, what are you doing?"

Mr. Lin was speechless. He had never believed in these supernatural phenomena, but he couldn't dissuade his family members who did. Besides, with the recent streak of misfortune at home - his wife unable to conceive and often ill, not to mention the company's downturn - he couldn't entirely dismiss their concerns. In his view, these were just natural health issues and fluctuations in the market, but his mother, having consulted some unknown sources, insisted that there was something wrong with their ancestral home. As a result, they had been summoned back to this small city during the Golden Week holiday, engaging in prayer, donating for blessings, and inviting numerous "masters" to perform rituals on an auspicious day. Today, they were even scheduled to visit the supposedly efficacious Mountain God Temple on Phoenix Mountain for good luck.

These days, Lin Hanyang had been accompanying his frail wife through countless trips and had witnessed numerous so-called "masters" with mystical pretenses at the ancestral home. The mere mention of such matters now gave him a headache.

Wei Xi sensed his caution and nonchalantly tilted his head. After Mrs. Lin closed the door, she eagerly rolled down her window to speak with him.

Mr. Lin seemed disinclined to trust Wei Xi's advice. Before he considered knocking him out and taking Mrs. Lin, Wei Xi hesitated for a moment. He had already given the talismans he brought with him to the woman selling rice cakes on the mountain. After some thought, he tore off a piece of his sleeve, drew a couple of symbols on the fabric, and handed it to Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin, who was anxious about not being able to open the door, took it in confusion: "???"

Wei Xi pointed at the money that Mrs. Lin had just stuffed into the basket. "Consider this the payment for that."

Not only was Mrs. Lin confused, but Mr. Lin, who had sat beside his wife, was also bewildered. He leaned over to glance at the two lonely hundred-dollar bills in the basket, wondering if something was amiss.

Regardless, it was good to be rid of them. He didn't want to hear anything more about superstition.

Women—sigh, they were naive, believing in such things.

As they prepared to depart, the car jolted violently, startling Mr. Lin. He immediately supported his wife and asked the driver, "What happened?"

The driver checked the rearview mirror but found nothing unusual. Scratching his head, he said, "It's okay, maybe a rock on the road broke loose."

The dark sedan slowly drove onto the highway. As pedestrians on the scenic route dodged out of the way, they occasionally turned back with puzzled expressions, urging their companions to look as well. "Did you see that Cayenne? Its taillights are gone."

As Wei Xi watched Mrs. Lin depart, he began to examine the "eye" he had just plucked from the beast. Indeed, the creature was formidable; despite such severe injuries, it could still walk as if nothing had happened.

He brought the eye to his mouth and took a bite, chewing it carefully. Immediately, he furrowed his brow, a look of disdain appearing in his eyes.

It was flavorless and too chewy, nowhere near as delicious as steamed cake.

Well, he supposed he could make do with it.