Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The security captain at the scenic area's exit was infuriated by Wei Xi's parting words, and his entire mood soured.

Unfortunately, Wei Xi had been taken away early by the seemingly wealthy couple. The captain dared not chase after them but couldn't swallow his anger either. Thus, he vented his frustration even more fiercely on his subordinates and other tourists, scolding those dressed in ordinary clothes who, due to infrequent travels, were unfamiliar with the ticket scanning process, causing delays in exiting.

The young security guard, after being reprimanded himself for attempting to mediate, also didn't dare to step forward, and could only listen to his superior's booming reprimands ringing in his ears.

Soon, another exit became congested with tourists. He went to investigate and found that two young men had lost their tickets.

Both were dressed in dirty and tattered clothes, as if they had rolled around on the ground and then fiercely torn at each other. Although not as peculiar as the young man in the Taoist robe from earlier, their disheveled state was similar, and both had wounds on their faces.

They seemed agitated, blaming each other while searching their pockets. The one in white said, "Damn it, it's all your fault. You must have lost it during that fight on Eagle's Beak Peak."

The one in green retorted, "My ticket is gone too, alright? And if you hadn't been so damn mouthy back then, we wouldn't have even fought."

Confused, the young security guard was about to approach them when his superior quickly came over. Upon seeing their sorry state, his expression instantly turned impatient. "Why are you two blocking the way? Where are your tickets? Show them."

The pair replied, "We lost our tickets."

"Damn it," the head security cursed. "Why is everyone saying they lost their tickets today? Stop the nonsense and come pay your fines!"

Of course, the two men refused. They initially tried to negotiate, suggesting they could use their IDs to check the ticket records in the system. Unfortunately, the head security was only looking for someone to vent his frustration on. Seeing that the duo seemed easy to bully, he refused their offer and lashed out with profanity, insisting they pay up before he would let them go.

To his surprise, these two, despite their shabby attire, had fiery tempers. Upon realizing the security guard was deliberately making things difficult and even insulting their parents, they immediately resorted to violence, coordinating their actions flawlessly.

After all, they were grown men, and even if the head security was being unreasonable, he still struggled to defend himself. Wielding a riot baton, he could barely hold his own against the two, and by the time backup arrived, both sides were injured and unable to stand.

The situation didn't end there. After being taken to the hospital, the head security was asked to arrange for a family member to accompany him. With no other choice, he called his wife, who had returned to her parents' home. She did come, but she brought along a horde of relatives, all of whom had come to support their son, whose face was swollen from his husband's beating, and to push for a divorce.

The head of security was utterly stunned, unable to comprehend why his wife, who had endured his abuse for decades, had suddenly become so resolute.

He was anguished, anxious, and pained, hoping that his son, who had just graduated from college, would reason with his mother and prevent her from making a hasty decision. Instead, the son delivered another punch, his gaze filled with such intense hatred that it sent chills down the father's spine.

"Do you know something? I was the one who urged her to divorce you! My mom has suffered because of you for all these years, but now I can finally support her financially. Just wait, you scumbag, karma will catch up with you. There are many more days of reckoning ahead!"

The cacophony of shouting, weeping, and the sounds of physical combat in the hospital room was horrifying to hear. The other security guards, who had accompanied their leader to the hospital, stood at the entrance, exchanging bewildered glances. One of them, who had been listening to his colleague gossip about their leader's immoral deeds over the years, suddenly froze in thought.

He recalled the young man in tattered Taoist robes he had seen at the entrance to the tourist site just a few hours earlier. As the man turned to leave without any emotion on his face, he had uttered those chilling words, "You'll lose your family and be plagued with misfortune."

The security guard's heart skipped a beat and he shivered.

Not possible, right? Was that person really an iron-tongued master with supernatural abilities? Then the Taicang Sect he mentioned must be a rather powerful and renowned sect!

At the same time, a Cayenne with a missing taillight was speeding down the road.

After finishing his work on his phone, Lin Hanyang glanced at his wife. Seeing her still fiddling with the rag, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Enough, isn't it dirty? Look at all that mud and dust. You're not in good health; there could be countless bacteria on it. Get rid of it quickly."

His wife was still angry, so she naturally ignored him and shot him a glare. "What do you know? If you hadn't messed things up just now, I would've invited that master home. Who knows if he could have resolved our current situation?"

"Between you and my mom, what can I say?" Lin Hanyang felt helpless. "Women like you always believe in supernatural beings. How can there possibly be real masters in this world? Even if there were, look at how down on his luck he is and how young he is. Could he really possess genuine skills? Aren't all those famous Taoist priests and Buddhist monks in their seventies or eighties?"

"But he was very accurate! He knew we were in trouble just by looking at us, and he even noticed my poor health!"

Lin Hanyang remained steadfast. "He guessed it. You should know where we were. Fengyang Mountain is most famous for its Mountain God Temple. Isn't everyone who goes there plagued with troubles? Your condition is obvious to anyone with eyes. Connecting those two things only shows that he's clever. In his line of work, who doesn't have the ability to observe closely when trying to deceive people?"

"But where did he swindle money from us? I was the one who gave him that two hundred yuan before he even did the fortune-telling!"

"That's because he still has some conscience. You're beautiful and kind, and you helped him avoid being beaten by that fierce security guard. He's grateful to you and couldn't bear to deceive you anymore."

Mrs. Lin was left speechless and couldn't argue with her husband. Frustrated, she turned her head to look out the window.

There were only a few cars on the road in the small city. The scenery outside the window flashed by rapidly, and a large truck loaded with timber roared past them on the right lane.

Mrs. Lin saw the height of the piled-up wood and immediately sighed. "It's definitely overloaded. These people don't take their safety seriously."

The driver skillfully avoided the truck and let it pass in front. Lin Hanyang knew his wife always meddled in others' affairs and had a sympathetic heart. He smiled helplessly. He still remembered the rag in her hand and reached for it. "They're just trying to make a living. We can't control if others live or die. Alright, you're not in good health, so don't get angry with me. Just throw this away quickly."

Mrs. Lin refused and held onto the small piece of cloth tightly. For some reason, she felt uneasy at that moment. Only by holding onto the cloth did she feel a bit calmer.

The couple began to struggle over it. Seeing his wife's stubbornness, Lin Hanyang became annoyed and was about to scold her for her foolishness. But just then, a series of earth-shattering collisions suddenly echoed outside the car.

Almost simultaneously, the driver's panicked cry came from the driver's seat. He instinctively looked up and, in the blink of an eye, saw the scene outside the front window. His eyes widened in horror.

The timber truck ahead, perhaps due to excessive overloading, had snapped its cargo ties! Under high-speed travel, the thick logs rolling out of the truck bed resembled a terrifying flood, crashing down fiercely towards the rear!

Their car was precisely behind the truck's side, leaving them nowhere to escape. In an instant, Lin Hanyang clearly saw the dense rings on the cross-sections of the logs rushing straight at him!

In that fleeting moment, every pore on his body stood on end. His mind went blank, but his body instinctively lunged to one side, protecting his wife's slender figure with all his might.

Yet, how could the force that even steel and iron couldn't withstand be stopped by an ordinary human body?

The car skidded out of control, and Lin Hanyang hugged his wife tightly, closing his eyes in terror and despair. Before darkness fell, he felt weightless as he was lifted off the ground. He only heard the deafening crash of his car being pierced by logs and the trembling screams of his wife and driver.

When he opened his eyes again, he almost believed he had just woken up from a nightmare.

But his wife's sobs and the deformed vehicle beneath him reminded him that they had indeed survived a brush with death.

The car had flipped entirely, and in a daze, he instinctively unbuckled his seatbelt to check on his wife, discovering that she had only bruised her elbow on the backrest, while he himself felt a dull ache on his back from the impact.

From the front came the driver's shaken inquiries, "Mr. Lin? Mr. Lin? Mrs. Lin? Are you two alright?"

He responded blankly, and the driver exhaled in relief, "Amitabha! Thank goodness you're both okay! That's what matters!"

Then, in disbelief, he exclaimed, "Oh my God, how is this possible? How are we still alive?!"

Lin Hanyang understood the driver's astonishment, for the car's windshield had been pierced by two tree trunks. Despite the terrifying collision, the laminated glass had shattered completely, but those two tree trunks had come to a halt, as if their strength had suddenly vanished.

Confused, Lin Hanyang gazed at a tree trunk that seemed to be mere inches from his face. Its fibers were ripped open, as if it had been stopped by an indestructible barrier.

In his arms, his wife suddenly cried out, "Ah! It's so hot!"

He shuddered all over, releasing her, only to see her hurriedly let go of something, throwing it into the air.

It was an old piece of cloth with some patches still attached to its edges. Weak flames spontaneously ignited from its irregular borders, swiftly reducing it to a puff of dust.

The dust landed on his face, light as nothing, yet it sent a chill down Lin Hanyang's spine.

The young driver, still in disbelief that he had narrowly escaped disaster, watched as his boss scrambled out of the car, protecting his wife with both hands and feet. The boss's eyes were wide and alert, as if he'd just consumed an energy boost, and he shouted, "Quickly find a vehicle! We're going back to Fengyang Mountain! Back to that master! Hurry up!"

The driver's mind was still foggy, and he was momentarily bewildered. What master? Didn't they just call that person a fraud?

Men's hearts were truly like needles at the bottom of the sea, unpredictable.

By this time, Wei Xi had already walked down to the foot of the mountain, following the flow of people.

Along the way, he saw countless mounts similar to the one Lady Lin had been riding.

These mounts varied in shape and size, with the smallest having only two round feet, barely able to accommodate their owners, while the largest resembled small hills, capable of holding dozens of people inside their bellies. Compared to these, Lady Lin's mount seemed rather unimpressive. Presumably, the couple's abilities were limited, not enough to domesticate more formidable prey.

However, this prey wasn't enjoyable to eat, requiring much effort with little taste. Thus, after Wei Xi discovered that these fierce beasts didn't seem to have the intention of attacking him, he lost interest in them.

Dressed in unusual attire and carrying his large bamboo basket, he attracted countless gazes along the way. To avoid the crowds, he chose a secluded path alongside a river.

Throughout his journey, he cautiously observed his surroundings, becoming increasingly astonished. The buildings here were taller than anything he had seen before, the roads were smooth and clean, while the vegetation on both sides was orderly, resembling a wealthy city that could rival a nation. It might even be the capital of some country.

But despite it being a capital, he couldn't recall which nation in his memory possessed such immense wealth.

The river beside him flowed quietly. Wei Xi bent down to scoop a handful of water, which was rather turbid. He didn't feel like drinking it.

Standing up, he gazed into the distance, surrounded by unfamiliar scenes. He was all alone with nowhere to go.

Where should he start rebuilding the Taicang Sect?

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a muffled sound. Turning his head, he saw a disheveled man leap out from under the grand bridge spanning the river, blocking his path with a menacing expression.

The sturdy, ragged man spread his arms and growled threateningly, "Brat, what's in that basket on your back?"

Wei Xi blinked at him calmly.

Ten minutes later.

In Fengyang Town, the leader of the beggar gang, battered and bruised, huddled in the corner of his bridge alcove. Having failed to rob someone, he had instead been soundly beaten. He could only gaze fearfully at the slender back of the person who had taken over his mat.

The gang leader touched his facial injuries and whimpered, not daring to breathe loudly. With a pitiful air, he pulled out a bag of biscuits, opened it, and was about to take a bite when he suddenly lifted his head.

The handsome young man, sitting cross-legged on the mat, had turned around by now. His eyes were fixated on his own hands, with an almost naive expression.

He asked, "Are these tasty?"