Chapter 34
"...Vegetative? You said you were just sleepy and didn't want to wake up?! Who was that woman who'd been lying in the hospital for three years...was she a ghost?!"
"Yes, I'm just a wild ghost that even my parents find unlucky! I'm just cursing for you out of boredom and fun. Are you touched? Do you really think anyone cares about someone like you..."
"Then why did you secretly change my application to art school? Why did you take the knife from that thug for me?! Tiantian...are you even going to lie to me about your own death?!"
…
As soon as the three of them stepped onto the bluestone pavement of this secluded courtyard, they were hit by the heart-wrenching roars of a man and a woman.
Bu Suanzi was obviously used to this. Without even raising his eyelids, he led Tang An and Shen Qi steadily to the source of the sound, the blue door curtain illuminated by the fluorescent light of the TV.
He raised his hand and lifted the curtain, and the scene inside was revealed.
A young man was sitting crookedly on an old wicker rocking chair, chewing a bright red dragon fruit intently.
The room was not big, with an LCD TV hanging in the middle, on the screen was playing a bloody story of life and death.
The man was so engrossed in watching that he forgot to chew the fruit in his mouth. His cheeks were slightly puffed up and his eyes were staring at the screen with bright eyes.
Bu Suanzi coughed lightly and stepped forward: "Master, I have brought the person here."
The man finally woke up from his dream, his Adam's apple rolled, he swallowed the fruit pulp, and slowly turned his head: "Here it comes."
His voice was low and hoarse, but surprisingly pleasant to the ear. He swept his eyes over the three people with an almost childlike clarity and brightness, which contrasted with his handsome features. In a trance, he even had a sense of detachment, as if he were a mountain spirit or an immortal.
The premise is to ignore the rouge-like rose-red dragon fruit juice on the corners of his lips and the two tiny black seeds stuck to the corners of his mouth.
Tang An suppressed the anxiety surging in his heart, took a step forward, and leaned forward slightly. "Greetings, Taoist He. Young Taoist Bu must have informed us of the purpose of our trip. Time is running out, so I, Tang An, would like to ask, can my partner, Chi Ying... still be saved?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Qi, who had been following quietly behind him, carrying large and small bags of health products and fruit baskets, immediately placed the things gently at He Miao's feet as agreed beforehand, and then quickly retreated behind Tang An and stood with his hands hanging down.
He Miao rubbed his nose and just as he opened his mouth to say something, a tissue was slapped on his face.
Bu Suanzi deftly wiped the juice and seeds from his lips, his tone somewhat helpless: "Master, remember to talk about business, don't be weird."
Being warned by his apprentice first, He Miao gave up and could only reluctantly say: "No need for the things. Yunli has told me everything about you. This matter involves another place and it will be very troublesome to solve. Besides..."
He suddenly stopped talking, his eyes like a searchlight falling behind Tang An and on Shen Qi, who was trying hard to reduce his presence, his brows gradually twisted into a knot.
“This guy…”
He Miao's voice was drawn out, causing Tang An's heart to hang in the air, and his fingertips pinched into his palm unconsciously.
After a few seconds of suffocating silence, He Miao's brows suddenly relaxed, and his fingers subconsciously stroked his chin, as if he was trying hard to recall something.
"Looks... well, quite pretty."
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent, and even the crying and shouting on TV seemed far away.
The vein on Bu Suanzi's forehead seemed to twitch.
He Miao, however, was completely oblivious and continued on his own, his eyes drifting into the void: "These eyebrows and eyes remind me of the Wangcai dog I raised when I was a child."
"Wangcai is a very beautiful local dog, with a snow-white body and black eyes..."
He seemed lost in fond memories.
"He, Xiao, Shui!" Bu Suanzi couldn't stand it any longer. He stepped forward and covered He Miao's chattering mouth with his hands, almost gritting his teeth. He lowered his voice and warned him in his ear, "Business! Business is important!!!"
He Miao groaned as he was covered in his hand. He rubbed his head naturally, and quickly withdrew his hand before his apprentice could get angry. Then, facing Tang An and Shen Qi, he instantly switched to a serious and stern look, "It's getting late. You've been traveling so long. Rest first and have a simple meal later. By the way, are there any dietary restrictions for you two?"
Tang An was startled by the sudden turn and was stunned for a second or two before he regained his voice: "Master, our business..."
"No rush." He Miao waved his hand, his tone as relaxed as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner.
Tang An was extremely anxious: "But Chi Ying..."
"It's been delayed for so long anyway, there's no point in being anxious." He Miao interrupted him, giving such a convincing reason that left the other speechless.
He stuffed the half-eaten dragon fruit into Bu Suanzi's hand and stood up with the help of the crutch beside him. His movements were a little slow but still steady.
"I haven't cooked for a long time. Today I'll let you taste my cooking. If you have any dietary restrictions, please tell me, otherwise I will let you know."
Tang An watched the man stand up with the aid of crutches. He took a deep breath, forcing down his surging emotions. His fingertips slowly loosened, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks on his palms. He forced a decent smile, "Thank you for your help. He and I have no dietary restrictions. If you need any help..."
"No, no, no." He Miao waved his free hand and walked straight out of the house. "Let Yunli take you for a good look."
The sound of his cane tapping the ground gradually faded away, leaving only the long-drawn-out ending of his words echoing in the small, quiet room.
"My little broken temple is so big..."
The air is very quiet.
Tang An's eyes slowly swept across the room.
big?
He calmly withdrew his gaze.
When I first came in from outside, I felt that this place was a bit cramped.
The bluestone road ends a few steps away, where several tiled houses are closely packed together. It looks more like a slightly larger residential building in the mountains than a Taoist temple.
The quiet room in front of me, which serves as the main house, is only about a hundred square meters. The walls are covered with old newspapers, and a few simple bamboo and wooden furniture are displayed in it. There is even some chopped firewood piled in the corner, and the smell of smoke far overwhelms the smell of incense.
This was far from the Taoist temple he remembered.
Tang's father and mother believed in these things, and when Tang An was a child, he traveled with them to many famous mountains, temples and shrines with great worship.
In those places, the palaces are majestic and the bells and chimes are melodious. Even the smallest side halls are more spacious and solemn than here. But here, it is so quiet that only the subtle creaking of the rattan chairs and the exaggerated dialogues on TV have not yet faded.
And looking around, there were only Bu Suanzi and the man in this view.
Tang An lowered his eyes, his fingers curled up unconsciously, and he seemed to still feel the slight pain in his palms from the crescent marks caused by nervousness.
An indescribable fatigue and deeper worry weighed heavily on my heart.
Will this really work?
The door curtain fell, blocking out the light from outside.
Tang An looked at Shen Qi who was standing next to him, and the other party turned around as well.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the window lattice, outlining the familiar profile of his face. However, at this moment, the emotion flowing in his eyes was a completely unfamiliar emotion that belonged to another being.
"Though I've lost my power."
Shen Qi tilted his head slightly, as if feeling something.
"But I can feel that the spiritual energy here is very abundant. It is a good place for cultivation."
“…”
Tang An's throat rolled, and his chest felt blocked and uncomfortable.
He looked at this face, thousands of words stuck in his throat, and finally turned into an arc that could hardly be called a smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah." Tang An heard his own dry voice, "You'll be able to go back soon."
He paused, his eyes fixed on the soul that did not belong to Chi Ying. Every word he spoke seemed to be spoken to the other person, but also seemed to be convincing himself.
"I promise you."
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