Chapter 34

Chapter 34

In the lounge, most of the furnishings had been smashed to pieces. Xia Shouren frantically dodged amidst the chaos.

Fortunately, Wei Xi couldn't overpower his opponent, but his unpredictable fighting style and biting tactics had caused considerable trouble for Shuo Zong.

Despite being pulled down from the back of Shuo Zong's neck by his collar, Wei Xi remained fearless, staring fiercely at him, ready to fight to the death.

However, instead of taking advantage to continue the struggle, Shuo Zong glared at him with an exasperated expression, as if he was looking at an idiot. There seemed to be countless unsaid words in his eyes.

Assuming that Shuo Zong was about to unleash some harsh words, Wei Xi maintained his aggressive stance.

But Shuo Zong merely irritably brushed his disheveled hair, then tossed him aside, "You damn... After all these years, your brain still hasn't grown."

Upon hearing Shuo Zong's unjustified insult, Wei Xi flew into a rage.

Just then, Unity Righteous, who had sensed something amiss, rushed in, astonished and confused, attempting to mediate the situation and prevent any accidental harm to his disciple.

Unity Righteous, without bothering to distinguish right from wrong, asked, "What's going on? Were you bullied, Master?" Seeing that it looked like Wei Xi had lost the fight, even if the bully was the nation's beloved rich and handsome guy, he wouldn't forgive them for mistreating his master!

Upon seeing him, Shuo Zong's expression darkened even more, as if he couldn't wait to leave, hastily throwing on his coat and calling out Xia Shouren's name in a bad mood, preparing to depart.

However, before he could open the door, Wei Xi intercepted him, "Return my disciple's pastries!"

Shuo Zong looked down at him for a moment, then called out, "Xia Shouren! Go pack up all the remaining food backstage and give it to him!"

Then he asked sternly, "Are you satisfied now?"

Wei Xi was not someone who would push his luck. Feeling that this compensation was sufficient, he retracted his hand that had been blocking Shuo Zong's path.

Shuo Zong, however, didn't seem pleased to have resolved the issue. Instead, he appeared on the verge of boiling with rage. Before leaving, he gave Wei Xi's forehead a hard pat.

Wei Xi couldn't dodge in time. By the time he reacted, the other party had already stormed out, clad in a coat and with a grim expression. He left without looking back, while Xia Shouren, trailing behind, repeatedly turned his head, his expression complicated.

Wei Xi, nursing his sore head, thought, How could this person be so unreasonable!

*****

Not many were aware of what had transpired here. The banquet was at its peak, who would waste their time in a corner rest room? It wasn't until later in the event that someone noticed the rest area had been temporarily closed off.

No one gave it much thought, as there were plenty of other spots to rest in the vast area.

Wei Tianyi hadn't rested all night, having made his rounds, drinking with everyone, and only reluctantly bid farewell to Tan Fu as the event was winding down.

Tan Fu was an old friend he had known for quite some time, someone who held a different significance from the other business acquaintances he had made locally. He always placed more value on their friendship.

Thus, before parting, he couldn't help but express concern, looking at his friend's face: "You look like you haven't had a good rest in ages. At our age, we can't just focus on work; health is truly the currency of revolution."

"You're talking about this," Tan Fu rubbed his under-eye bags, laughing wryly. "Sigh, they weren't this severe before. I don't know what's going on, but they've been getting bigger lately. Maybe I really have been overusing my eyes? They're really strained, sometimes even hurting for no reason."

Oddly enough, he didn't feel any discomfort that entire night. Not sure if it was a psychological effect, Tan Fu took out the membership card Wei Xi had given him from his pocket and flipped it over, smiling. "It's been years, and Little Xi's personality has changed quite a bit. He's much more outgoing now, and he's even running a business."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tianyi immediately complained to his friend, his mood souring. "You have no idea. That wicked son of mine is driving me crazy. Doing this ridiculous scam business, he's even using our home as his office. Just wait, one day I'll tear apart everything he's messed up. As for you, ignore him completely. This worthless card he gave you, just throw it away in a trash bin when you leave."

Smiling, Tan Fu tried to soothe the increasingly agitated Wei Tianyi. However, he didn't really believe it himself. To comfort his friend, he promised to dispose of the card later.

Finding a kindred spirit, Wei Tianyi felt vindicated, believing there were still sensible people in the world.

But just as he was about to leave, he noticed his eldest son holding an unknown shopping bag. Upon opening it, he found it filled with pastries.

Is this like receiving a favor after attending a wedding banquet? Who the hell would attend a chamber of commerce event and take home leftovers? Wei Tianyi was on the verge of insanity, but with his eldest son giving him a look that said, "If you dare throw it away, I'll beat you up and starve you for a month," he had no choice but to comply.

In the car, Wei Chengshu remained silent, gazing intently at his elder brother, his eyes conveying a myriad of emotions.

A red packet split in half...

Focusing on counting the pastries, Wei Xi looked up and met his gaze. "Why are you looking at me?"

Wei Chengshu averted his eyes, his expression even more somber than before.

**********

After bidding farewell to his old friend, Tan Fu left the ballroom reeking of alcohol. As he descended the stairs, an assistant who had overheard his conversation with Wei Tianyi offered, "Mr. Tan, do you want me to dispose of it for you?"

Startled, Tan Fu glanced at the trash bin, then at the unassuming card in his hand. Something stirred within him, and without thinking, he stuffed the item back into his pocket. "No need, let's go."

On his way down, he stumbled, nearly falling under the wheels of the car waiting for him. Fortunately, his assistant caught him in time. The driver rushed out to apologize, but Tan Fu waved him off, covering his eyes. Lately, his vision had been blurry, causing him to misjudge a traffic light while driving. If not for other cars honking frantically when he started moving, he might have driven straight into oncoming traffic. Just now, he mistook the steps for level ground, causing him to trip.

Tan Fu sighed. Due to this issue, he hadn't driven in a long time and believed that his excessive strain on his eyes was the reason for these errors.

The driver and assistant bid him farewell downstairs in the apartment building. Rubbing his eyes, Tan Fu stepped into the elevator. It was probably late, and apart from a few property staff on duty, there were no other residents visible in the lobby.

He pressed the button for his floor as the elevator ascended. His eyes began to ache again, and despite blinking repeatedly, he found no relief. He then decided to take out the eye drops he had just purchased at a pharmacy on his way back.

As he reached for the eye drops, something seemed to have slipped out of his sleeve, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

Tan Fu instinctively bent down to retrieve it, but just then, with a sudden thud, the elevator came to an abrupt halt, plunging everything into darkness.

Frozen in a crouched position for a few seconds, he wondered if the elevator had malfunctioned.

Tan Fu's first thought was this explanation, so he promptly reached for the emergency call button. Yet, all he heard from the intercom was silence.

It's bloody surreal, he grumbled to himself. What's with the property management these days? Not only is there no one manning the surveillance room overnight, but such an expensive residential complex can't even maintain its elevators properly. Where does all that money from the exorbitant property fees go?

As Tan Fu complained, he pulled out his phone, intending to call his family and inform the property management directly. In this day and age, mobile phones usually had reception inside elevators.

However, before he could make the call, the fluorescent light above him buzzed with an electrical hum. The elevator's lights flickered back on, and the sensation of being stuck in mid-rise resumed, now steadily climbing floor by floor. It finally stopped smoothly and the doors glided open noiselessly.

Damn it, it's working again, Tan Fu thought. This malfunction is intermittent. I must file a proper complaint with the property management tomorrow. A breakdown during the day when people are at work would be a real hassle!

His eyes were stinging fiercely, and his mood was grim. Holding the eye drops, he grumbled as he walked out absent-mindedly, only to suddenly feel like he had stepped on something. A fleeting thought flickered through his hazy mind: Had he dropped something just now?

This thought appeared abruptly, like a bolt of lightning illuminating his muddled thoughts. He immediately turned his head to look at the elevator's display. Another inconsistency caught his attention.

The digital numbers indicating the floor danced on the screen—level 38, with crimson letters flashing incessantly. But Tan Fu found it odd; he was sure he had pressed button for floor 25. How could he have not noticed and tried to leave? That was too strange, especially since this wasn't his home.

How could he make such a mistake? Had he drunk too much at the banquet earlier?

That didn't seem right...

It was as if he had finally regained clarity to perceive his surroundings. Wait a minute, could the elevator doors remain open this long? Why hadn't they closed yet? And wasn't it a bit too dark outside? There wasn't even a hint of light.

As Tan Fu observed all this, he felt a chill run down his spine.

N-No, no, no way...

His fingers trembled slightly, and a sense of inexplicable fear crept over him. The scene before him defied logic, yet everything seemed to converge together eerily.

No longer able to dismiss it as an illusion, he hastily reached for his phone to make a call. However, before the screen illuminated, a vague figure emerged in the distant darkness beyond the swaying elevator doors.

The figure was a tall and slender man, slowly approaching the elevator.

Tan Fu finally caught sight of someone, and his tense nerves immediately relaxed. He called out to the stranger, "Hey, do you live on this floor? Why aren't the lights outside working?"

The man looked up at him, quite handsome, and seemed to give a small smile. "Oh, maybe there's a power outage. It's dangerous for you to be in the elevator. You should get out quickly."

Feeling that this neighbor was rather friendly, Tan Fu instinctively moved to exit. But then he remembered what he was standing on and looked down, only to chuckle as he realized that the membership card which had fallen out of his pocket was the one given to him by Wei Family's eldest son.

Just as he was about to pick it up, the neighbor outside the elevator suddenly changed his tone. "Get out!"

Tan Fu was taken aback. Why had this person's voice suddenly become so shrill? When he looked up, he was utterly terrified. The man, who had been standing in the darkness at a distance, was now sprinting towards him with a fierce roar, his once relatively delicate features twisted into a grotesque expression.

Good heavens, how could he suddenly fall into such madness!

Tan Fu was startled by his sudden, terrifying transformation, his body trembling as he slumped to the ground, weak in the knees. In the process, his hand inadvertently grasped the card that had been under his foot.

Almost simultaneously, the elevator jolted violently, and the floor display on the wall began to flicker madly. The doors emitted an outdated alarm sound, signaling stagnation, before slowly starting to close.

The young man outside the elevator, upon witnessing this, let out a despairing howl. With a resolve that seemed to have burned away all his reservations, he leaped forward, lunging towards the elevator!

Tan Fu cowered in the corner of the elevator, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

This lunatic seemed to want to hit me!!! And how can you jump that high?! Are you a sports major, buddy??

Fortunately, the elevator doors closed swiftly, blocking the lunatic just in time. In the last second before they sealed shut, Tan Fu only remembered locking eyes with a pair of bloodshot and filled with hatred.

After that, nothing else out of the ordinary happened. Only the floor numbers kept flickering crazily, counting down slowly—37, 36, 35... Until it reached the first floor, Tan Fu rushed out of the elevator, still shaken, into the brightly lit lobby. Damn, this was supposed to be a luxury apartment complex! Did the residents have to be so complicated??

Frightened and furious, he thought about how unlucky he had been to almost get beaten up. Racing to the front desk, he lodged a complaint, "What's going on here? You didn't even notify us that the elevator was faulty! Do you know I was just sent to the 38th floor and almost got attacked by a lunatic?!"

The receptionist looked utterly perplexed. "Wait, you said you just went to the 38th floor?"

Tan Fu was still simmering with anger. "Yes! I had no idea there were such hazardous residents here, and you didn't even post any warnings to inform us homeowners. What if someone gets hurt one day?!"

To his surprise, the girls at the front desk exchanged glances and responded in confusion, "What are you talking about? There's no 38th floor here at all!"

Tan Fu's body jolted upon hearing this, staring in disbelief at the group.

A sudden pain in his palm drew his attention. He looked down to find that the crudely made membership card he'd been clutching tightly had developed a crack along its edge. Right before his eyes, it slowly split into two halves.

****

The second disciple of Taicang Sect, Wei Xi, finally returned after his few days of absence, but the atmosphere within the sect seemed off.

Unanimous Righteousness whispered to his master, "Master, is Junior Apprentice Brother not in a good mood?"

Otherwise, why would he assign so much homework upon his return? One hundred and fifty Clearing Mind Charms, with the expectation that they be completed before the weekend – it was a workload that threatened to break Unanimous Righteousness's hands.

Wei Xi glanced at his second disciple and also felt that something was amiss. When he had offered the pastries he had specially brought back from the banquet hall, his disciple hadn't touched them, instead staring at the treats as if they were his nemesis.

It seemed his disciple didn't like cakes...

Thinking to himself that he should eat them then, Wei Xi took back the pastry bag and began to indulge. However, as soon as he started eating, his second disciple, sitting alone at the table, kept turning his head, his expression indiscernible.

How pitiful. Wei Xi pulled out a walnut cake and handed it to Unanimous Righteousness, regretting not bringing some alcohol back for him; his first disciple had consumed quite a bit during that day.

Unanimous Righteousness, almost drawing blood from the intensity of his charm-drawing, couldn't resist speculating further, "Master, do you think Junior Apprentice Brother went out on leave because he encountered some trouble?"

Wei Xi's heart froze at the suggestion. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a row of teeth marks on his second disciple's right hand, the one he used to hold his pen! It was as if someone had bitten him!

Shuo Zong was in the middle of writing when he heard a gust of wind brush past his ear. Before he could turn his head, Wei Xi had seized his right hand. The cinnabar tip of the brush trembled with the other's movement, dripping onto the talisman paper and ruining the nearly finished charm.

Wei Xi was oblivious to the destruction, holding his disciple's hand and glaring at the row of teeth marks on it. "Lu Que, what is this?!"

Shuo Zong: "..."

Ask yourself.

This might be the most speechless situation in the world for Shuo Zong. He tried to pull his hand back and replied coolly, "Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?! Who hurt you?!" Wei Xi grabbed his wrist, tenderly touching the teeth marks with a pained expression. His eyes grew fierce with anger. "Did you lose in a magic duel outside? Tell me who left these marks, and I'll take their life right away!"

Meeting Wei Xi's genuinely menacing gaze, Shuo Zong fell silent for a moment. He felt the warm fingers glide over the fading teeth marks, kneading them carefully.

His frustration inexplicably dissipated, and he instinctively held that hand in his own, sighing helplessly. "No need, I've already... tamed him."

Wei Xi was still deeply displeased. Unity Right, who had approached, heard this and, upon seeing the teeth marks, panicked. "Were you bitten? It looks like human teeth! Did you get a rabies vaccine? That person could have rabies for biting randomly!"

He meant well, genuinely concerned for his junior brother. However, upon hearing this, Lu Que lifted an eyebrow and gave him a cold glance. "Are you done with the Calming Spell? How many of the 150 have you completed?"

United Righteousness: "..."

He witnessed his junior brother repay kindness with enmity, then proceed to act willfully towards their master, "Where are the pastries you brought for me?"

Their master inquired, "Didn't you say you didn't want them? I was planning to share them with your senior brother."

His junior brother was truly capricious, as he huffed coldly, "Who said I don't want them? Give them to me. Don't you dare give any to him."

United Righteousness: "..."

Be honest, are you targeting me?

******

The woes of being a second-born child could only be saved by clients. The moment Tan Fu stepped in, Unity and Righteousness sensed the scent of money.

He appeared rather unwell, with a pale complexion and weary, restless eyes. Led in by Butler Zhou, his face lit up with a smile when he saw Wei Xi, "Little Xi, Uncle really owes you this time."

Wei Xi frowned as he looked him over, "What happened to you?"

Tan Fu slumped onto the sofa, his gaze at Wei Xi inevitably filled with a hint of reverence. Rubbing his face, he then weakly recounted the story. Honestly, when he argued with the property staff last night, he was convinced they were lying to him. After all, he clearly remembered parking on the 38th floor, but they insisted the building only had 37 floors. Tan Fu found it ridiculous, and in the end, the property staff, unable to withstand his persistence, sent several security guards to accompany him in the elevator to verify.

At that moment, Tan Fu was terrified. If his building only had 37 floors, then what floor did he arrive at? Could it have just materialized out of thin air?

And what about the man who appeared on the 38th floor? Was his panicked rush towards the closing elevator doors just a sudden fit of madness, a desire to attack someone?

Even if he didn't believe in the supernatural, Tan Fu knew this explanation was flawed. People said it was an illusion caused by too much drinking, but he was certain his memory wasn't deceiving him. If it truly was an illusion, how could he explain the membership card that shattered and nearly cut his hand?

By now, he understood that the card Wei Xi gave him had saved him from danger. The elevator malfunction occurred after the card fell from his pocket. Had he not stepped on it, he might have stumbled out of the elevator, unaware of whatever might have happened outside.

The more he thought, the more chilled he felt, connecting the series of strange occurrences he'd encountered recently. He sensed something lurking nearby, watching him intently.

Looking at Wei Xi, Tan Fu felt anxious, seeing him as a lifeline.

Wei Xi met his gaze with a serious expression and spoke slowly, "The membership card is broken. Do you want a replacement? Our replacement fee might be a bit high."

Tan Fu: "..."

Rubbing his face again, Tan Fu replied, "Let's replace it."

United Right was speechless at the focus his master had on him at this moment. Before he could comfort Tan Fu, he saw the latter undoing his belt buckle.

Silenced again by Tan Fu's public indecency, United Right asked, "Mr. Tan... What are you doing?"

Tan Fu seemed slightly embarrassed. After unfastening his belt, he reached into his pants for a while before letting out a pained cry as he pulled out two halves of a card, which he handed to United Right. "...Didn't you say they should be kept close to the body? I was a bit scared when that happened, so I put them in my underwear."

In retrospect, he truly regretted not believing Wei Xi's words and keeping the membership cards close to his body earlier. If he had, he wouldn't have dropped them from his pocket while retrieving eye drops, resulting in the current situation. Now that the cards were broken, they were uncomfortable, not to mention that a few of his hairs had been caught between them when he'd just taken them out.

United Right: "..." This person was indeed quite something. Was this what it meant to keep something close to the body? He stared at the barely visible hairs and refused to take the shattered cards. Tan Fu probably noticed his hesitation and placed the cards on the coffee table himself.

United Right's mind wandered wildly, imagining how Master's father would probably go insane if he were present.

Tan Fu earnestly addressed his own master, "Little Xi, can you find a solution to this issue? Money is not a problem. Tell me, what do you need? Uncle will buy it for you."

Wei Xi gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Anything at all?"

With a belt in hand, Tan Fu tossed his head and replied, "Go ahead, ask for anything!"

*********

As evening fell, Wei Tianyi returned home and spotted his old friend Tan Fu standing at the entrance from afar. He was both surprised and delighted, approaching him to greet, "Old Tan, why are you here at my place? Were you waiting for me at the door?"

Tan Fu gave an awkward smile in response, avoiding eye contact as he didn't answer the question. Instead, he waved toward the distance, "Over here! Over here!"

Wei Tianyi turned around to see a small truck slowly driving up and stopping by their doorstep. A few workers then alighted from the cab, opened the cargo area, and took out ropes and tools, seemingly prepared to unload goods.

It all became clear to Wei Tianyi, who couldn't help but pat his friend's shoulder, "You really, coming here is enough, no need to bring anything!"

He felt puzzled, wondering what on earth Tan Fu had bought that required a truck to transport. A sofa? Appliances? Furniture? A piano? Or perhaps an antique he'd discovered somewhere?

Embarrassed by his speculation, he thought it inappropriate to accept such an extravagant gift after so many years apart. Just as he was about to decline, the truck's cargo area shifted, and the workers lifted out a massive stone monument with a grunt.

Looking at the three characters "Tai Cang Sect" written in dynamic calligraphy on the stone, Wei Tianyi was utterly perplexed, "???"

Wei Xi, on the other hand, was ecstatic – Tai Cang Sect finally had a legitimate stone tablet, and it was even donated by a believer!

Wei Tianyi, however, gazed at his long-time friend with confusion. Was this friend's visit solely for the purpose of causing chaos?