Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The ambulance nurses were utterly perplexed as they pulled the two unlucky robbers out of the car.

They had initially expected to treat severely injured patients, but the collision wasn't severe, and the two men didn't have any external wounds.

What was strange was that these two unharmed individuals were foaming at the mouth and, while unconscious, their chests were inexplicably jerking as if they were violently dry-heaving.

It seemed as though they had endured inhuman torture... The police officer's expression was odd. "What's wrong with these two?"

The nurses exchanged glances, equally baffled. "Perhaps food poisoning based on their symptoms?"

Everyone present caught the pungent stench emanating from the robbers' mouths and couldn't help but frown. It appeared that these two had digestive issues, as their bad breath was unbearable.

Wei Xi also wrinkled his nose in disgust. The ghosts dispersed, moving away from the area. The few old lady ghosts, feeling embarrassed, sat by the side of the road, awkwardly wrapping their bound feet back up. They explained, "It hasn't been untied for over a hundred years; it wasn't this smelly before."

The kidnapped child, who had been drugged, was also affected by the stench in the car. His peaceful sleeping face turned slightly blue after being rescued. Fortunately, his mother, overjoyed to have him back, didn't notice anything unusual and held him tightly, weeping loudly.

Wei Xi had finished his apple and, with nothing else to do, stood idly by, listening to her cries without any emotional response.

The crowd around them, however, had turned their attention to him. Many who had followed the commotion recalled what had just transpired and began murmuring among themselves.

"One of the young men just now calculated the car that kidnapped the child by simply counting on his fingers."

"He even pinpointed the exact location. At first, I thought he was just making things up, but it turned out to be true! Amazing!"

"Who is this guy? So young, could he really be a fortune teller?"

"The kidnappers' car crashed into a power pole while driving smoothly. Could it also be because of some kind of curse he cast?"

"And these days, fortune tellers are so good-looking? Him and that tall guy beside him, geez, I really want their phone numbers."

The mother, who was holding her child and weeping, heard the whispers and snapped back to reality. With teary eyes, she ran towards Wei Xi, who instinctively raised his hand to protect his disciple, eyeing her warily. To his surprise, she stopped, tears streaming down her face, and bowed while crying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you both!"

Wei Xi: "?"

Hearing the stranger's gratitude and the faint praise from the surrounding people, he felt momentarily at a loss, thinking that this situation seemed more troublesome than encountering an evil spirit.

His second disciple whispered from behind, "She's thanking you."

Wei Xi furrowed his brow, inexplicably irritated. "Tell her to leave."

But his disciple didn't move; instead, he calmly asked, "Why don't you say it yourself?"

Wei Xi's lips twitched, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Under the stranger woman's tears, he retreated and bumped right into his disciple.

He heard a soft sigh above him, followed by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Fortunately, the police officer who had sent the ambulance away came to his rescue. First, he calmed the mother, who was now convulsing from crying, then cast a complicated glance at Wei Xi.

The officer scrutinized Wei Xi and his companions, unable to fathom how this man knew the kidnapper's route when his colleagues investigating the surveillance footage had yet to report back. The criminal had already been caught. Recalling the scene he'd witnessed after responding to the complaint and entering the abandoned building's courtyard – the scattered offerings, incense, and makeshift altar – the officer felt a chill down his spine.

Could it really be...?

Wei Xi, still irritable, shot the officer an unapologetic glare when he sensed the scrutiny.

Feeling somewhat disheartened by the stare, the young officer, sensing that Wei Xi wasn't someone easy to talk to, hesitated before turning to the group comforting the victim's family. "Sir, are you... some kind of master from beyond the world?"

The tall figure among them beamed upon hearing this. "Oh, not at all!"

The young police officer was just about to remark on how modest these reclusive experts were.

But then he saw the man swiftly pull out a business card from his pocket and hand it over. "Dear leader, please do visit often. If you have any business needs, feel free to contact us. Our company guarantees that we'll handle them as efficiently and effectively as we did today!"

The young police officer: "..."

*****

Later, people would learn that the mother and son who had been targeted were quite wealthy merchants. The two bandits had intended to kidnap the child for ransom, meticulously planning for this and stealing several cars to conceal their tracks. After a month of surveillance, they finally found an opportunity when the mother and son were alone. Everything had been going according to plan until those bound feet disrupted their scheme.

The victim's family learned the location of Taicang Sect from Unity Yi and insisted on expressing their gratitude to their savior. Wei Xi was terrified by the weeping woman who kept thanking him, so he refused to meet them despite several invitations. Eventually, the family decided to visit Taicang Sect together to pay their respects.

For days, the incense burner stood at the entrance of Taicang Sect, untouched by visitors. Each time Wei Tianyi saw it, he became infuriated. In his desperation, he repeatedly ran away from home, only to find that his sleep quality suffered in external accommodations, forcing him to return in defeat. What made him even more annoyed was his wife Shu Wanrong. Despite urging him to move out before, she proposed to return after only a few days in the city. When asked for her reason, Shu Wanrong claimed that her skin condition was better at home than in the city!

Opening the courtyard gate to go to work that day, he was surprised not to see his youngest son painting the stone tablet on a stepladder, nor the neighbors gathered around the incense burner and tablet. His mood instantly lifted.

Starting the day without any unpleasant encounters was a rare stroke of good luck!

However, just as he was about to step out, he heard a commotion nearby. Focusing his gaze, he saw a group being led by the neighborhood security guard, and at the forefront was an acquaintance, an old CEO from the same industry with whom he had minimal interaction.

He hadn't heard of this person having any connections with the nearby households. Wei Tianyi was taken aback by the security guard's meaningful gaze, only to see the group stop right in front of his house. Recognizing him, they were rather polite: "Is that CEO Wei?"

Didn't he come looking for me? Why does he look so surprised? Wei Tianyi racked his brains for a long time and finally recalled that the two companies seemed to have a potential collaboration recently. Confused, he prepared to engage in some business-like small talk when he heard the rest of the man's sentence: "Why are you here? Are you also here to pay respects at Taicang Sect?"

Wei Tianyi: "..."

He finally saw what was in their hands – a bag full of incense and candles!

And the question just now: Why are you here...

Why are you here...

This is my home, damn it!

Do any of you even remember that?!!

*****

The arrival of this family finally stirred up some activity in Taicang Sect's stagnant religious offerings.

News quickly spread throughout the neighborhood about Wei Xi's miraculous calculation that saved the kidnapped child, turning him into a hero. While Zhaoliang constantly promoted Tai Cang Sect's political textbooks as a solution to ghostly illusions, his words lacked concrete evidence. This time, however, Wei Xi's feat was tangible and even made it onto the local news!

The occasional elderly neighbors who visited would now marvel at Wei Xi's supposed transformation and privately speculate that the deity he worshiped might actually possess some extraordinary powers.

As a result, more people began offering incense, especially the devoted believer Zhaoliang, who would frequently come to burn a few sticks. With his lead, the reputation of the Deified Celestial Master grew, even earning the sincere belief of the sect's senior disciple, Unity Yi, in the exceptional abilities of their celestial master.

The second disciple of Tai Cang Sect, well-versed in these matters and utterly convinced that there was no such divine title as Deified Celestial Master, could only respond with a silent "...".

Nonetheless, the believers were innocently devout. One day, as he passed by the incense burner, he overheard the frequent visitor, Elder Wang, clasping her hands together and muttering a prayer, hoping the Deified Celestial Master would help her locate the lost key to her mailbox.

Shuo Zong couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance, his current emotions were too complicated to put into words. Not to mention why this devotee was praying for such trivial matters, did you even know what a Deity of Enlightenment was before making wishes? To worship an nonexistent deity like that, it would truly be a miracle if any divine manifestation occurred!

Yet, Wei Xi, with his superficial knowledge, was clearly unaware of these facts. He also seemed ignorant of the reason why his master's soul hadn't appeared after his death. Shuo Zong knew the truth but couldn't bear to shatter his illusion.

Cultivators transcend the Six Realms, evade the cycle of reincarnation, but the price for immortality is the dispersion of their souls and spirits into nothingness upon eventual extinction.

Standing there, Shuo Zong listened attentively as Elder Wang complained about the inconvenience of losing her mailbox key. After much hesitation, he eventually left.

Well, it seemed that Wei Xi was clearly delighted to have someone praying for him. These insignificant matters could be overlooked.

On the other side, after Old Lady Wang finished praying at the temple, she encountered her granddaughter on her way back home. She told her about losing her mailbox key and seeking help from the Celestial Venerated Wei, an enlightened being of the Wei family.

Her granddaughter burst into laughter. "Grandma, you're so adorable! Apart from whether it's effective to pray to the Celestial Venerated, those deities are so busy with countless people making wishes every day. They barely have time to bless everyone with wealth, let alone bother with trivial matters like finding a lost key!"

Old Lady Wang chuckled in response. "Grandma was desperate, that's all. Who knows? The Celestial Venerated might really come to my aid after hearing my prayer."

Her granddaughter scoffed. "That's impossible!"

Regardless, Old Lady Wang had sincerely prayed and believed in fate. She didn't take her granddaughter's words to heart and continued walking home, holding her granddaughter's hand with a smile. However, upon pushing open the front door, they were suddenly greeted by a sharp clinking sound.

Looking down, she was instantly startled and stood frozen in place.

Her granddaughter followed her gaze and was equally astonished, blurting out, "Oh my..."

There, lying on the smooth floor by their entrance, was a tiny brass key.

It was precisely the mailbox key they had searched high and low for throughout the entire house earlier!

********

As night fell, Shuo Zong was in his chamber when he heard a knock on the door.

Upon opening it, he found Wei Xi standing there.

In Wei Xi's hand were herbs freshly picked from the courtyard. Spotting his second disciple, he immediately explained his visit, "How is your leg injury?"

The leg injury was nothing but a fabrication, and Shuo Zong hesitated upon hearing this. However, catching a glimpse of the eavesdropping Juntianyi lurking outside, he reluctantly replied, "It still hurts."

"Not even any external wounds," Wei Xi, not suspecting his cherished disciple, was deeply concerned. "Come in. I've gathered some Immortal Connect herbs. Let's see if they can help heal you."

He entered the room and motioned for his second disciple to lie down. After a moment of hesitation, the disciple obeyed.

Wei Xi raised his hand, rolling up the long pants to reveal the slender calf. He gently touched the old scar on his disciple's leg, his gaze filled with tenderness. "Exactly where does it hurt?"

His body temperature was cooler, and his fingers felt exceptionally cold against the leg. Shuo Zong leaned against the headboard, watching him for a moment before turning away and naming a random spot.

With a frown, Wei Xi crushed the herbs in his hand and carefully applied them to the specified area. He even tore off a piece of the bedsheet to wrap the herbs securely, meticulous in his actions.

His curly hair, tousled and full, swayed slightly with each movement, filling the peripheral vision of his turned-away second disciple.

Unable to bear the thought of harming his disciple further, Wei Xi refrained from absorbing more yang energy. After helping him pull up his pants, he earnestly advised, "Rest early. If something like this happens again, don't recklessly step in beyond your means!"

However, the disciple seemed lost in thought, only responding with a low hum after a long silence.

Satisfied, Wei Xi patted him and got up to leave, closing the door behind him. The room fell into a deathly stillness for a while. Shuo Zong remained in a half-sitting position without moving for an extended period. Eventually, he gazed at the ceiling lamp and slowly leaned his head against the headboard.

Not long after, a sudden ringtone interrupted his seemingly non-existent thoughts. He snapped back to reality and lazily picked up the phone. "Speak."

"What are you talking about?!" Xia Shouren's voice on the other end was filled with indignation. "You old beast, you're inhuman! It's not even the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month, yet you expect me to deal with the earthquake in Longyang Province alone. Do you think it's fair to the hard-earned money I've been sending you?"

Shuo Zong replied, "It's a magnitude six earthquake. What can I do? You can handle it by yourself."

Xia Shouren rolled his eyes. "Beast! You're obviously driven by lust! You're enjoying yourself too much to care!"

"…" Shuo Zong fell silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly, "I'm just here to keep an eye on him. Don't spout nonsense."

As soon as he finished speaking, an unexpected force struck the side of his forehead.

Shuo Zong: "???"

Caught off guard, he instantly straightened, his senses on high alert. Yet, as his gaze swept across the room, he found nothing out of the ordinary.

Indeed, given his unique constitution, which ghost or demon would be foolish enough to dare provoke him?

"Hello! Hello! Hello!" Xia Shouren, on the other end of the line, panicked at the loud knocking sounds and cried out, "What's happening?! What's going on?!"

"..." Shuo Zong surveyed the room, devoid of any trace of evil, and silently ended the call, experiencing for the first time in his life the feeling of being utterly baffled, like a monk confronted with a puzzle beyond his grasp.