Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In the world of mysticism, there were established methods for dealing with malevolent entities. Objects tainted with ill omens were treated as if they were deities or demons to be appeased. Once a person took possession of such an object, it was as if they had entered into a contract with it. If they later regretted their decision and tried to discard it, they might encounter terrifying scenarios akin to those in horror films. For example, breaking it would only see it restored the next day, and discarding it would result in it reappearing in their home unannounced. To completely rid oneself of such an object required significant effort.

As knowledgeable as Lu Wenqing was, he knew the appropriate ways to deal with such situations, but he had never seen anyone as straightforward and forceful as Wei Xi. More importantly, upon closer inspection, the pottery basin was indeed destroyed, shattered into countless pieces with no hope of recovery.

The Lin family was overjoyed, while Lu Wenqing wore an expression that spoke volumes about his feelings on the matter. He must have approached this Fengyang trip in the wrong way.

Fortunately, the issue was resolved, and they could finally leave. During the National Day Golden Week, Fengyang Mountain was packed with tourists, and the town at its foot was filled with tour buses. All the decent hotels were booked, so staying longer held little appeal. It was better to head back early.

Before leaving, Lu Wenqing called out to Wei Xi, "Why don't you come with us?"

Wei Xi asked, "Where to?"

"Beijing, of course," Lu Wenqing replied, assuming that Wei Xi was hesitant. Looking at his shabby attire, he couldn't help but advise further, "If you don't go back, what else can you do but suffer outside? Fengyang Town is a small place. Apart from anything else, even ensuring your basic needs like food and clothing could be a challenge."

As he spoke, he glanced at his companions. Li Rui naturally agreed with his cousin, while Mr. Shuo Zong kept his hands in his pockets, turning away as if indifferent.

Wei Xi, however, was astonished. A small place? With its grandeur, he had assumed it was the capital city.

Putting that aside, Wei Xi had already deeply experienced the hardships of descending the mountain. At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Being well-fed is truly not an easy task."

Lu Wenqing had just completed his first order in life, yet the journey to this milestone seemed to have sealed his fate for a loss. This outcome made him envision a future where his bank balance would dip into a dire deficit. Thus, Wei Xi's words struck a chord within him. He felt an unexpected camaraderie with this fellow student he often encountered during school days but never interacted with personally. Together, they looked up at the sky and sighed, "Yes, there's no place like home, where one can eat and drink without worry."

As the words faded, a sudden hush descended around him. A tangible gaze landed on his cheek. He turned to look at Wei Xi, who was staring at him, and asked, "Hm?"

With a sweeping gesture, Wei Xi declared firmly, "Let's go."

In a state of confusion, Lu Wenqing managed to persuade the wayward child from the Wei family to return home.

When Lin Hanyang's family learned that Wei Xi was leaving, they all felt dejected. After all, he was a genuine expert whose abilities they had witnessed firsthand. Lin Hanyang had even hoped to ask Wei Xi to stay for another couple of days to assess their feng shui. However, Wei Xi casually glanced around the Lin residence and said, "There's nothing wrong with the arrangement here. No need to make any major changes."

As for feng shui, Wei Dedao used to give lessons to the weasels in his spare time. Whether it was good or bad, unless there were drastic alterations made to the front or back of the house, a comfortable and practical setup inside the house was generally sufficient. Minor errors wouldn't really affect anything. Besides, the Lin family's old house was nestled beside a mountain and a river, indicating favorable fortune. Therefore, the key factor lay in who resided within.

Madam Lin was kind-hearted, and her face reflected an abundance of blessings. People like her usually gave off a pleasant vibe at first glance, which was why Fengyangxian had chosen her for the switch. As for Lin Hanyang, although he was pragmatic, power-hungry, and somewhat selfish, he valued his family and cared about them deeply. It was unlikely he would ever do something truly wicked that harmed his karma. As for the matriarch of the Lin family, she was indeed nitpicky and stubborn, but perhaps due to the recent scare, her overpowering aura around her son and daughter-in-law had significantly weakened. From now on, she probably wouldn't dare to make hasty decisions anymore.

Since there was nothing to change, seeing how uneasy Lin Hanyang appeared after not receiving any advice, Wei Xi added, "If you're really keen on making adjustments, do good deeds. Now that your family's misfortune has been lifted, your wife's health will improve, and if your accumulated blessings are sufficient, you can expect to have offspring by next year at the latest."

He had thought it was just a trivial sweetener, but to his surprise, the Lin family was so overjoyed upon hearing this that they were momentarily stunned. Upon regaining their composure, the couple started weeping profusely and insisted on giving Wei Xi another red envelope.

Wei Xi suddenly remembered his newly acquired eldest disciple, Tuanyi, who had been carried to the sofa by Lu Wenqing and his brother earlier. However, he was still unconscious. Wei Xi checked him from head to toe, making sure there were no traces left by Fengyangxian before he relaxed.

Lu Wenqing watched him handling this ragged, bearded, and disheveled man, who seemed like a homeless person, with great interest. It was quite an eyesore. "Friend, what are you doing?"

Wei Xi replied, "I'm taking him back with me."

"!!!” Lu Wenqing was startled, and the rumors that had been swirling around before Wei Xi left home flashed through his mind. "He... He's your... ?!"

Damn, he had heard that Wei Xi was secretly in love with a man, but holy shit, this guy's beard was so thick that one couldn't even see his face clearly. Did Wei Xi have such a heavy taste?

From a distance, someone, who was putting on a performance of being aloof, glanced at them indifferently. Wei Xi, unaware of the reason behind the gaze, picked up Tuanyi and started walking out, introducing as he went, "This is my eldest disciple, Tuanyi."

Shuo Zong's eyes never left, and his brows knitted together upon hearing this, seemingly unable to comprehend why he would take on a disciple.

Wei Xi analyzed the situation with his limited intelligence and felt that it was an underestimation of him, causing a slight itch in his teeth.

Lu Wenqing, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward due to this answer. He followed behind, forcing a laugh. "Ah! Oh, a disciple, ha ha, turns out he's your disciple. I see."

At the same time, he was greatly impressed by Wei Xi's strength, as he could easily carry a man much bulkier than himself in a princess carry and stroll along effortlessly.

However, when he reached the car and saw its limited seating, he was taken aback once more. "But how are these five of us supposed to fit?"

The backseat had been occupied solely by Mr. Shuo Zong earlier. Lu Wenqing didn't dare to squeeze the filthy Unity into the same space with this man, no matter how much courage he had. After considering his options, he was about to suggest that the stranger sit in the front passenger seat.

Shuo Zong's gaze had already shifted away from Wei Xi holding the bearded man. He announced calmly and matter-of-factly, "There's still room in the trunk for one more."

Thus, Wei Xi found himself seated next to the man he had just fought with not long ago.

After getting in the car, Shuo Zong put on a jacket and fell silent. Wei Xi, engrossed in examining the two red envelopes given to him by the Lin family, likewise ignored the others. Neither of them acknowledged the other.

Each red envelope contained a thin piece of paper, unlike any currency Wei Xi had seen on his journey. The paper was adorned with crooked symbols, and there were even signs of manual handwriting. The more he looked at it, the more perplexed he became.

Was this two hundred yuan? It seemed he had indeed overestimated the value.

Lu Wenqing, nearly dozing off from the silence, began to seek conversation. After chatting briefly with his cousin Li Rui, his attention turned to Wei Xi. Li Rui, a naturally sociable person, promptly pulled out his phone to make friends. "Little Wei, why don't we add each other on WeChat?"

Wei Xi carefully stowed away the "two hundred yuan" and glanced at the small square object that he had often seen in Li Rui's hand since they descended the mountain. After a moment of silence, he replied, "I don't have it."

"What don't you have? No WeChat? That can't be." Li Rui was surprised for a moment before realizing, "Oh, did you lose your phone?"

Wei Xi pursed his lips. "Mm."

Shuo Zong shot him a cryptic glance from the side.

Li Rui exclaimed, "Damn, it must've been stolen, right? No wonder they haven't found you after so long." He continued, "What about your wallet? Your IDs? Is your ID card and bank card still with you?"

At the mention of ID card, Wei Xi immediately shook his head again.

"Goodness…" Li Rui murmured, examining Wei Xi's attire. Apparently, his imagination had run wild, as his face was filled with sympathy. "Thieves these days are so audacious. They didn't even leave you anything. You must have gone through so much hardship without money, phone, or identification for such a long time!"

Shuo Zong propped his forehead against the car window, looking like he couldn't bear to listen anymore.

Wei Xi, only half understanding their conversation, decided not to respond and merely nodded gloomily.

Lu Wenqing, witnessing how Wei Xi's sharp demeanor had wilted since their encounter due to this topic, felt a pang of sympathy. "It's alright, it's all over now. Getting new IDs and such is manageable. When we're back in Beijing, I'll find someone to help you sort it out."

Even with his impaired cognitive abilities, Wei Xi knew that they were trying to help him. He obediently replied, "Thank you."

Shuo Zong glanced at him once more.

None of them noticed the exchange. Lu Wenqing was still chuckling. "What's there to be polite about? In my opinion, the hardship you've endured turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Buddy, be honest with me. Did you come across some sort of miraculous encounter? Did you fall off a cliff and find a secret manual? Or did you meet a master who took you as an apprentice? You've become so powerful that you were able to help Mr. Shuo Zong wipe out all those Lin family brats."

Wei Xi immediately recalled his fleeing food reserve as he glanced at the side, his forehead twitching.

"Right," Lu Wenqing said, gaining confidence as he spoke. He suddenly remembered the silent person in the car. "Mr. Shuo Zong, I've been wondering for a while. How did you happen to be in Fengyang Town at the same time?"

Upon hearing this, Shuo Zong slowly turned his head, not looking at Lu Wenqing but directly meeting Wei Xi's gaze.

His eyes remained fixed, expressionless. "I predicted that a monstrous beast would appear in this area."

"A monstrous beast?!" The brothers in front were startled. "What kind of monstrous beast? What does it do? Is it terrifying? Strong?"

Shuo Zong spoke deliberately. "Wherever it passes, both humans and ghosts vanish, leaving no life behind."

"Holy sh*t, that scary?!" The brothers knew Shuo Zong never exaggerated; their bladders trembled in fear, and they didn't dare look back. "M-Mr., did you catch it?"

Wei Xi was also a bit nervous. If it could wipe out both humans and ghosts, leaving no life, then it must be a ruthless powerhouse. He wasn't sure if he could defeat it if they encountered each other!

Thus, he quietly pricked up his ears, hoping to gather more information. However, Shuo Zong merely gave him another glance before turning away, returning to silence.

Wei Xi waited anxiously for a long time. Upon seeing his reaction, he assumed he was being toyed with and immediately flew into a rage.

Shuo Zong took out his phone and saw a series of WeChat messages from an acquaintance:

"Wallet: Have you arrived yet?"

"Wallet: What's going on?"

"Wallet: Did you find him? Did you miscalculate something?"

"Wallet: [Transfer of 100,000 yuan from the sender]"

"Wallet: Where is he?! Is he still alive?!"

Shuo Zong first accepted the transfer of one hundred thousand yuan before replying calmly, "Found him."

The other party responded almost instantly:

"Wallet: !!!!!!!!!"

"Purse: Close to death"

"Purse: Doomed"

"Purse: How's the situation now? Can you handle it? How severe is it? How many casualties? Quickly contact the local military and relevant authorities, bring armed forces, don't go at it alone!"

"Purse: Also, don't provoke him!! He's always been unfeeling and irrational, extremely brutal! He kills without hesitation!"

Shuo Zong tore his gaze away from his phone screen, and with a slight movement, saw Wei Xi, already enraged, biting... his own arm.

The man nibbled on his bicep, then his wrist, and then his palm. Eventually, he seemed to prefer the taste of his palm, making an effort to chew on his thumb with his cheekbones, unknowingly sucking in some yang energy from time to time. At these moments, his eyes would stealthily glance sideways to see if he was noticed.

"Purse: Where's the person? Where did they go?"

"Purse: [Received transfer of 100,000 yuan]"

Shuo Zong tapped to receive the payment, fell silent for a moment, and sent a string of ellipses back to the sender before slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"Purse: ????"

"Purse: What do the ellipses mean?"

"Purse: Speak up! Where are you?!"

"Purse: You took the money and ran, what about your morals?"

"Purse: Are you some kind of beast?!"