Chapter 168

Chapter 168

The next day at noon, Chen Ji received a call from Uncle Wang, asking if he had time for dinner that evening.

It wasn't far, just near the hotel where he was staying, and someone would come to pick him up.

Chen Ji naturally agreed, guessing it was about the decision regarding their little daughter.

At the appointed time, Chen Ji went downstairs and saw a car parked at the hotel entrance. As soon as he appeared, a driver came over and opened the door. After Chen Ji got in, the car twisted and turned into a small alley. Chen Ji had thought driving in would be difficult, but then he saw that right at the entrance of the alley was a parking garage entrance.

The garage wasn't large, with only ten parking spaces, each appearing quite spacious. The driver led Chen Ji to the elevator. The building had only three floors. Chen Ji was led to the third floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, before Chen Ji could clearly see the layout outside, he saw Wang Yunchao kneel down with a thud.

Chen Ji immediately stepped aside to avoid it and looked at Uncle Wang and his wife standing to the side. "Uncle Wang, Auntie Wang, what's the meaning of this?"

"Don't call me 'Uncle,' call me 'Brother'!" Uncle Wang declared heartily.

Auntie Wang pursed her lips, smiling.

The elevator opened into a huge living room, with a dining area beside it. The living room was piled high with stacks of red camphorwood chests, some stacked taller than a man, adorned with large red silk flowers. The tops of these chests were open, revealing not overly extravagant contents: exquisitely packaged pastries, vacuum-packed poultry, fish, and meat, grains, alcohol, and the like.

Uncle Wang waved his hand grandly. "It's only right! This brat's life was saved by you. Having him kowtow a couple of times is nothing! Brat, address him properly!"

Wang Yunchao, his face lowered, clearly feeling awkward, said loudly, "Uncle Chen, please accept your nephew's bow!"

Chen Ji: "...Uncle Wang, this isn't really appropriate, is it?"

"Call me 'Brother'! It's only right!" Uncle Wang said. "To be honest, Xiao Chen, if you weren't so young and probably wouldn't want such a grown son, I'd have set up an incense table for him to formally acknowledge you as his godfather!"

He pointed at the camphorwood chests behind him. "These are all gifts my wife and I prepared to thank you! Nothing too valuable, just a token of our appreciation!"

Chen Ji: "..."

That's really not necessary.

But he wasn't averse to it.

Over the past few months, Chen Ji had lent a hand in many situations, mostly receiving monetary thanks. This was the first time someone had formally set up a banquet and performed a kowtow to express gratitude.

The feeling was strange, hard to describe, but he was genuinely happy.

Chen Ji nodded to Auntie Wang in acknowledgment, then grasped Uncle Wang's arm. "Uncle, please don't do this. It was a small matter. If I see something, I'll naturally lend a hand. But acknowledging me as an uncle is a bit too much. How about from now on, Yunchao calls me 'Brother' when he sees me? Would that work?"

Uncle Wang wanted to decline a few more times, but seeing Chen Ji's expression, he knew he was someone who, once decided, wouldn't be easily swayed. He immediately nodded. "Alright!"

Auntie Wang also came over with a smile, taking Chen Ji's arm. She said, "Xiao Chen, yesterday's incident was truly dangerous. Without you, who knows how it would have ended. Please don't feel embarrassed. No matter what you think, it was a life-saving grace for our family!"

"Auntie, you're too kind!" Chen Ji said, pulling Wang Yunchao up from the ground while deliberately changing the subject. "And where is your daughter?"

Auntie Wang replied, "She has piano lessons today. She was sent to the neighbor's for class."

The group finally sat down to eat. After the meal, Uncle Wang said, "We had a family meeting. The family feels it's better to seal Feifei's eyes. Feifei herself doesn't want to leave us to cultivate at a Taoist temple; she also feels it's better to stay at home."

Chen Ji nodded. "Then let's do it that way. We'll pick an auspicious day and take care of it."

Uncle Wang nodded repeatedly, agreeing to follow Chen Ji's arrangements. He also asked in detail if anything needed to be prepared, taking notes with pen and paper. Only then did they conclude.

As for the gifts, Uncle Wang said he would directly deliver them to the doorstep of Little Green Mountain.

Chen Ji didn't decline and agreed.

After returning, Chen Ji lay on the bed, his left arm around Chang Xu, his right arm around the System Cat, with Second Master Huang lying on his stomach. He let out a comfortable yawn and started discussing which day would be best.

Second Master Huang waved a paw, and an almanac appeared out of thin air in front of Chen Ji. It licked its finger and flipped a couple of pages. Coincidentally, the next few days were all somewhat inauspicious, but five days later was an auspicious day. Chen Ji glanced at it. "Then let's do it on that day."

Second Master Huang's tail swished lightly on Chen Ji's stomach, bringing a slight tickle. "Have you figured out how to do it?"

Chen Ji tilted his head slightly, looking out the window at the dazzling neon lights. "The Yin-Yang Eyes... For someone like her, whose eyes opened later in life, it's probably due to the excessive Yin energy from that little kitten. The first step should be to clear the excessive Yin energy from her body, right?"

Both Chang Xu and Second Master Huang nodded. It seemed this step was correct.

Chen Ji continued, "Didn't we sun-dry several bottles of Supreme Yang Water around the Dragon Boat Festival? Use Supreme Yang Water to dissolve a Gather Yang Talisman and have her ingest it. Then, invite a City God tablet from the City God Temple to enshrine at home. That should fix it... After all, she's young. Maybe in a couple of years, they'll close naturally."

Second Master Huang expressed disapproval. "The later steps are fine, but the first part isn't so good. Using Supreme Yang Water to dissolve a Gather Yang Talisman is a bit overcorrecting. The child is still young; such a flush would at least cause an illness... And for a girl, too much Yang energy can lead to masculine features. It's better to treat it gradually."

Chen Ji suddenly said, "I know how to do it!"

Xiangxiang and the System Cat looked up at him curiously. Second Master Huang also waited for his conclusion. Chen Ji raised a finger. "Summer vacation is almost here anyway. Have Uncle Wang and his family take the child on a trip to the Flaming Mountains!"

City N was located in the southeast, with heavy humidity. Having the family travel to a dry, hot place would allow them to have fun while also getting thoroughly sun-drenched. Once the excessive dampness is expelled, the balance will naturally be restored!

Second Master Huang and Chang Xu's expressions were complex, but the System Cat's eyes were full of little stars. [It can be treated like that?! Chen Ji, you're so smart! This makes perfect sense even from a physical perspective!]

Second Master Huang seemed to want to say something but stopped.

Although the result wasn't wrong, the process was completely off!

Second Master Huang felt like he was seeing a heretical cultivator—such an unorthodox method, and Chen Ji actually thought of it!

It exchanged a look with Chang Xu, and both fell into deep thought.

The matter was thus decided. Chen Ji was in an exceptionally good mood. With the plan settled, it meant he had at least five days to play! He immediately got up, holding the three little ones. He decided to go out! It was rare to visit City N; he had to explore more!

But as soon as he opened the door, he saw a large figure clad in red.

Chen Ji almost choked on his breath in fright.

Within a second, Chen Ji decided to pretend he hadn't seen it. He looked left and right at the doorway, about to mutter, 'Why hasn't the takeout arrived yet?' when suddenly the figure in red spoke. "Mr. Chen?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "Hello, are you looking for me?"

Good thing he hadn't said that line earlier, or it would have been extremely embarrassing.

The figure in red nodded. "Yes, I'm here to ask Mr. Chen for a favor."

Chen Ji had no intention of inviting the other inside. Inviting an unfamiliar red-clad entity home was an extremely dangerous act at any time. With Second Master Huang perched on his shoulder, he asked, "What is it?"

The red-clad figure brushed aside its somewhat long hair, revealing a coldly beautiful face. Chen Ji initially thought it was a woman until he saw its Adam's apple and realized it was a man.

The red-clad figure said, "Does Mr. Chen remember Xiao Lifan? I'm here to beg you to be merciful."

Chen Ji's gaze shifted slightly, remembering who that was—wasn't he one of Yun Shaoyang's two friends? He remembered taking a taxi to check on their situation and already seeing a red-clad entity following them.

He had thought that red-clad entity had a grudge against them, but now it seemed that wasn't the case?

Chen Ji said tactfully, "In what capacity are you here, sir?"

The red-clad figure placed a hand on the doorframe, fingers tightening slightly, blue veins faintly bulging against the pale skin. "I can't stay by his side any longer. He's a good person. I don't want him to die like this."

"I owe him, and I must repay it."

Chen Ji said, "Then you should know... the whole story behind this matter."

The red-clothed ghost's crimson eyes fixed tightly on Chen Ji. Second Master Huang seemed to feel threatened and bared his teeth at him: "Rein in your baleful aura, or don't blame this Second Master for being impolite!"

Hearing this, the red-clothed ghost slowly shifted his gaze to Second Master Huang, then saw Chang Xu nestled in Chen Ji's arm. He took a step back: "My apologies, I didn't mean to."

The red-clothed ghost told a story, a simple one. In truth, he held no grudge against Xiao Lifan. That day, seeing them get into a car accident, he noticed that someone had placed Gathering Yin Talismans on them. So, he simply stayed by his side, figuring he could absorb some yin energy and, incidentally, tease him a bit—they had known each other before.

But they weren't particularly close. The red-clothed ghost had died by suicide, leaping from the top of a school building. When he was being bullied at school, Xiao Lifan had helped him once, even if it was just a single sentence offered without a second glance—but it was help nonetheless.

Later, after Xiao Lifan's Yin-Yang eyes were forcibly opened, he could see him. He never recognized him, going from initial terror to attempted communication, and finally to a brotherly bond. Xiao Lifan even tried to help him find the real culprit who had 'killed' him back then, which led to a rather awkward misunderstanding.

Xiao Lifan thought he was a girl and even attempted to arrange a ghost marriage with him so he could stay by his side forever—only to discover he was a man.

Because of his presence, although Xiao Lifan was chased by ghosts from time to time, he mostly managed to come out unscathed... But also because of his presence, Xiao Lifan couldn't avoid growing weaker day by day.

Showing none of the expected sympathy, Chen Ji said calmly, "So what? That's your business."

"If I leave, he won't survive three days!" the red-clothed ghost said angrily. "Mr. Chen, surely your punishment has gone far enough by now! Even without the Gathering Yin Talisman, he'll be plagued by illness for the rest of his life! And he didn't even do anything to you!"

"So?" Chen Ji said. "This matter is already in the past for me. I said long ago I wouldn't pursue it further. If they have the ability to find someone to undo it, that's their own affair. You're asking me to undo it—wouldn't that be slapping my own face?"

The world doesn't work that way.