Chapter 19 Coming to the Door

In the central area of Wuyang Town, inside a self-built villa.

'Clatter clatter bang bang…'

Tables and chairs were overturned on the floor, and items like flowerpots and porcelain bowls were shattered, their pieces strewn all over the place, leaving the entire house in total disarray.

"Xiaocui, the house looks like it's been through a war, a complete mess. What on earth happened here?"

A man in his fifties, mostly bald but still emanating a certain air of authority, had just returned to the villa.

Seeing the scene before him, his face instantly darkened.

"It's all your wonderful son's doing. When I came back, the house was already like this!"

"I just confronted him, and what did he say? He said the house was full of leeches, look at this—his leech hunting turned our home into such a mess!"

Xiaocui, around forty, was adorned with jewelry, looking the part of wealth and comfort.

At this moment, she sat on the living room sofa.

With a worried face, she pouted in the direction of her son's room as she spoke.

The middle-aged man named Qian Feng was Qian Bing's father.

This Xiaocui was Qian Bing's mother.

"Didn't Xiaobing go to school? He just came out of the county hospital, and now there's a problem again?"

Frowning, Qian Feng asked.

For a public servant like him, life was surely full of endless tasks.

He drank a bit too much at last night's dinner party, and groggily, he couldn't even remember who took him to the hotel.

He only remembered waking up this morning completely naked.

In the trash can beside the bed, aside from numerous crumpled tissues, there were only a few used balloons.

For the bright future of Wuyang Town, for the people to march toward a better life, Qian Feng exhausted himself with dedication, prepared to work to death if necessary.

As for coming home only to not step inside—that had become the norm for him.

He came home at this time today mainly because he had left some documents at home.

"Qian Feng, do you even care about me and your son?"

Rolling her eyes at Qian Feng, Xiaocui continued, "Xiaobing looked a bit off when he came back last night, but I didn't think much of it."

"But today, you've seen the state he's in!"

"His room is even more chaotic than the living room!"

"When I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't say, only mentioning leeches pestering him endlessly."

"Qian Feng, do you think our son could have come into contact with something unclean, could he be possessed?"

As Xiaocui spoke of this, she sighed heavily and her complexion worsened.

"Xiaocui, what nonsense about being possessed! It's our party's world now, there is no place for ghosts, nor should there be any ghosts. Stop spreading feudal superstition!"

Giving Xiaocui a hard stare, Qian Feng added: "The college entrance exams are right around the corner, Xiaobing isn't attending school and is just holing up at home—this won't do."

"If he's feeling unwell, take him straight to the hospital to have a look."

"Maybe he ate some poisonous mushrooms or something that's causing hallucinations."

After a moment's thought with a frown, Qian Feng spoke.

Unfortunately, his words clearly failed to satisfy Xiaocui.

"What's the use of going to the hospital? Qian Feng, I remember that you used to be a leader in the county opera troupe, didn't you?"

"How is your relationship with Hou Donggui from the troupe? If you've got his contact info, why don't we ask him to check on Xiaobing!"

Pulling Qian Feng to sit beside her on the sofa, Xiaocui probed tentatively.

"Looking for Hou Donggui? I do indeed have his contact information!"

"Back when I was with the opera troupe, I took good care of him; he should still remember that favor."

"He really does have divine skills, especially in healing!"

"Okay, then I'll give him a call to ask, see if he's in the county?"

Hearing Xiaocui say this, Qian Feng hesitated for a while before finally nodding and agreeing.

He was aware that his own son, Qian Bing's situation was indeed very abnormal.

However, from his position, there were certain things that, even if he believed in his heart, he could never openly acknowledge.

Hou Donggui was renowned throughout Southeast Asia, and several national leaders had met with him personally.

Seeking his help could certainly not be considered propagating feudal superstition.

At this moment, Qian Feng's hesitation was solely due to not knowing if Hou Donggui would grant him this favor.

He took out his address book and found Hou Donggui's pager number.

Qian Feng casually picked up the landline phone near the sofa and dialed the number.

...

After giving Qian Bing a little lesson, Chen Hai felt much more peaceful.

Aside from occasional hassles from Lin Lan, he spent most of his time on the cultivation of Taoist Skills.

During the previous monthly holiday, Wang Xiuhua had slipped him a banknote, so these past few days, Chen Hai had been much less strapped for cash.

The food in the school cafeteria was hard to swallow.

At noon, after eating and drinking his fill at a small restaurant outside, he squatted by the roadside, casually lit a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

The half-pack of cigarettes in his pocket was pilfered from Li Ming.

"Young brother, are you Chen Hai?"

Dressed in a Tang suit and looking quite prosperous, Hou Donggui somehow appeared beside Chen Hai.

Seeing Chen Hai squatting on the ground smoking, he too squatted down beside him.

"Who are you?"

Eyeing him up and down, Chen Hai felt suspicious.

"I am Hou Donggui, a fellow cultivator. We should settle our disputes and not let them fester. I have come here to help you resolve your conflict and turn hostility into friendship," Hou Donggui said with a chuckle.

Though not well-educated, he had spent a few years performing in operas, making his statement sound quite cultured!

"Hou Donggui? Are you here because of Qian Bing's incident?"

Slightly taken aback, Chen Hai immediately realized.

Hou Donggui's reputation was well-known, but with limited exposure, Chen Hai showed no particular reaction upon hearing the name, merely responding with a grunt.

However, as soon as Hou Donggui opened his mouth and mentioned being a fellow cultivator, this piqued Chen Hai's great interest.

Wealth, companions, dharma, and place hold great benefits for a cultivator.

Yet Chen Hai had nothing.

The extent of his cultivation had been achieved through blind experimentation and sheer coincidence.

Rarely encountering a peer, if possible, he truly wished to earnestly seek guidance from Hou Donggui before him.

"Qian Bing's father, Qian Feng, was kind to me in the past!"

"Since he has approached me because of Qian Bing's matter, I can only shamelessly hope, young brother, that you can grant me some leniency," Hou Donggui said with a nod and a smile.

This man, aside from his prowess in the Five Ghosts Transportation Technique, was also very skilled at tracking people down.

In several large cities in the south, he held titles within the local police departments; when faced with challenging cases, those departments often sought his aid.

Having met with Qian Feng upon arriving in Wuyang Town, it didn't take Hou Donggui long to set his sights on Chen Hai.

This was precisely why he appeared here at the right moment.