Chapter 406

Chapter 406

◎Coming to Ask for Help◎

Even after walking far away, Xiao Ye was still regretting missing out on that lobster. A wild lobster that big was a rare find, and he’d wanted to treat Naonao to a feast.

Ji Nanxing: "We caught a big eel—that’s enough for today. If you really want lobster, we can come back in a couple of days. With some luck, we might find another one."

Xiao Ye: "But why couldn’t we take that one? The person might be haunted, but the lobster shouldn’t be, right?"

Ji Nanxing: "Because making a deal with him would affect his fortune. Even if it’s temporary, his luck would temporarily spike, making it harder for spirits to approach him."

For most people, the impact might not be significant, but Xiao Ye’s strong yang energy and powerful fortune meant even slight contact could have a noticeable effect on ghosts.

Xiao Ye gave a resigned "Oh" and gave up on the lobster for good.

The eel was handed over to the chef for cleaning—removing the guts and bones required some skill. Once everything was prepped, Xiao Ye set up the grill. Eel tastes best charcoal-grilled.

Meanwhile, after half a day of haggling, Song Wen finally sold the wild lobster to a restaurant for 46,000 yuan. Restaurants were always a pain to deal with—they haggled like crazy, often starting with half the price. Song Wen loathed the back-and-forth, but they were the only ones who could afford such premium seafood.

After packing and selling the rest of his catch, Song Wen headed home. He took a shower to wash off the sea smell, then ordered takeout for dinner.

As a fisherman, he had plenty of seafood at home, but he was tired of eating it. Cooking was too much effort—takeout was just easier.

After eating, he mindlessly scrolled through his phone, but he couldn’t shake the thought of the message Old Song had relayed: *"You owe something—it’s time to repay."* Who did he owe? And what?

Song Wen racked his brain but couldn’t think of anything. Maybe they’d mistaken him for someone else. Maybe they were just talking nonsense. Either way, he was sure he didn’t owe anyone anything.

After falling asleep, a hazy dark figure materialized by his bed. Watching the sleeping man, it finally snapped and slapped him across the face.

When Song Wen woke up the next morning, his cheek was puffy and throbbing. Checking the mirror, he saw slight swelling, but his gums weren’t inflamed—it wasn’t a fever blister. Maybe an allergic reaction? Since it wasn’t serious, he ignored it.

The inexplicable swelling was just the start. The day went downhill fast—his fishing spot was dead, his rod snapped, and his boat broke down. Though it was a secondhand purchase, the boat had been in good condition for nearly two years without any issues. Now, it suddenly wouldn’t start.

After exhausting all options, he had to pay for a tow. A whole day wasted, no catch, and a hefty expense—eating up most of his profits from the past month.

With the boat in repairs, Song Wen had to dive for sea urchins to sell. In his line of work, no work meant no pay. If the boat was unusable, he had to make do with shallow waters.

But even that went wrong. Somehow, his leg wedged between rocks, and no matter how he yanked, it wouldn’t budge. At first, with oxygen still in his tank, he stayed calm. But as the air ran low and he remained trapped, he started to freak out.

He knew panicking would only waste more oxygen, but with no one around to help and his leg firmly stuck, terror took over. When the tank finally emptied, his fear peaked. The suffocating dread of drowning made him thrash wildly, churning the water and scaring away nearby fish.

Just as he thought he’d die there, the rocks gave a little under his desperate struggles. Pure adrenaline drove him to claw at them, even as his leg tore and bled. Finally, just before his lungs gave out, he broke free and shot to the surface.

Wheezing on the sand, Song Wen lay there, lungs burning, vision blurry. As the near-death haze faded, the close call hit him like a truck, leaving him pale and shaken.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ye was checking off items on a list, preparing gifts well ahead of the New Year. Ji Nanxing watched him mark each one and asked, "You’ve always prepped gifts for my family like this?"

Xiao Ye nodded. "Yeah, gotta do it early. Otherwise, the good stuff gets snatched up."

Seeing him still meticulously verifying the list, Ji Nanxing said, "This year, let’s have New Year’s Eve dinner with Grandpa before heading back. We just need to be home for the countdown."

Xiao Ye paused and turned to him. "No, your family needs you for their reunion dinner too. I’ll take you back first, then come over after my family’s dinner. I’ll stay with you for the countdown."

Ji Nanxing ruffled his slightly curly hair. "Won’t all that running around tire you out?"

Xiao Ye tilted his head into the touch, grinning brightly. "I’m a ball of energy—no sweat!"

In the end, it was Grandfather who decided to have the New Year’s Eve dinner at noon, so Xiao Ye could accompany Ji Nanxing home afterward, thus avoiding the back-and-forth.

He had long seen through it; this little grandson couldn’t be kept, and sooner or later he would belong to someone else. Better to let him go early.

When Old Song came over, it had been several days since that sea fishing trip. Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye had just returned from a walk by the seaside when they saw Old Song, the guide, and Song Wen from afar.

Song Wen was still wrapped in bandages, with one leg limping. Xiao Ye couldn’t help but say to Ji Nanxing, “Looks like he hasn’t paid off his debts; he’s even injured.”

Ji Nanxing: “Not only injured, but also carrying a curse.”

Xiao Ye frowned: “Trouble?”

Ji Nanxing: “Should be fine, we’ll see.”

The two walked over, and Old Song and Song Wen immediately approached: “Mr. Xiao.”

Xiao Ye looked at Song Wen: “Something happened?”

Song Wen hurriedly said: “That day, you two mentioned I owed something and needed to pay it back, but I’ve never owed anyone anything. Since then, I’ve had a series of mishaps, which are truly bizarre. I wonder if you two noticed anything and can give me some guidance?”

Old Song added: “During this period, Xiao Wen has indeed had a string of accidents. The most serious ones were when he went to collect sea urchins and almost got stuck in the rocks, and another time when he was walking on the road and someone pushed him, nearly crushing him under a car wheel. But that road is almost deserted, and there was no one around Xiao Wen at the time.”

Fishermen rely on the sky and the sea for their livelihoods, risking their lives to earn money, and they are naturally superstitious about mysterious events. After narrowly escaping death twice, Song Wen didn’t stubbornly deny it anymore and sought out Uncle Song to find those two young men and ask what was going on.

Fortunately, they hadn’t left yet.

Ji Nanxing looked at Song Wen: “You really can’t remember anything?”

Song Wen looked utterly confused: “I really don’t recall owing anyone anything.”

Ji Nanxing: "You lost your father at seven, and two years later your mother remarried, raising you until you were sixteen. Your stepfather's family wasn't well-off, and with his own children, plus the child your mother and stepfather later had, supporting one more mouth wasn't easy. You didn't do well in school, so at sixteen, after graduating middle school, you went to work on boats, working as an apprentice deckhand for three years. Later, you rented your own boat to work independently but got into a fight over a dispute and was sentenced to three years in prison. After getting out, you scraped by doing odd jobs—honestly, you've been struggling in poverty all along."

Song Wen looked at Uncle Song, who shook his head in surprise: "I never mentioned your past. I didn't say anything."

Only people from his hometown knew bits of this story, but the details about his odd jobs and poverty were known only to him. People back home had no idea about what happened later.

Life outside was tough, especially for someone with just a middle school diploma and no particular strengths. At first, he tried finding work at construction sites, but jobs weren't easy to come by—most projects were outsourced to established crews, and they weren’t hiring just anyone who showed up.

Fortunately, a fellow villager helped him land a job. For three years, he barely made ends meet, never managing to save much. Later, he got his driver’s license and started hauling goods, another grueling job. But once he struck out on his own, he had to rent a place, and his earnings barely covered his expenses.

Eventually, he worked days hauling goods and nights delivering food. It was exhausting, but at least he could finally save a little. With a bit of savings, he naturally thought about settling down. By then, he was already in his late twenties—still young to some, but not exactly young anymore. He was introduced to a woman, and they dated for nearly three years, but her family looked down on him and refused to accept the match.

By his early thirties, the relationship fell apart. He had no house, no savings, and life felt stifling. Remembering the old, crumbling home he still had back in his hometown, he decided to return and take up fishing again. Unexpectedly, his fortunes changed after coming back—these past two years, he made good money fishing and even bought a new house.

Houses here weren't expensive—a 40-50 square meter place cost just over 300,000 yuan—but at least he finally had a home. Looking back on those years, he truly couldn’t recall owing anyone anything. Even that fight had been because others tried to strong-arm him out of his catch.

Ji Nanxing: "Your luck turned two years ago, and that’s also when you started owing someone. They’ve waited two years to get angry—that’s pretty patient. But now they’re furious, and you’re carrying evil energy. If this isn’t resolved, they’ll come to take your life."

The mention of life and death made both men even more cautious. These past few days had been nothing but bad luck, and twice now, Song Wen had nearly died. He was genuinely scared. Even if part of him still doubted, neither he nor Uncle Song dared to offend these men—what if they really had the power to help? After all, his life was on the line.

Song Wen bowed deeply. "Since you’ve identified the problem, please help me. At least let me know what’s going on—I don’t want to die without understanding why."

Ji Nanxing: "100,000 yuan. If I settle this, you pay. If not, you owe nothing."

After all, if it wasn’t resolved, this man wouldn’t be around to pay anyway.