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Shen Binghan now relied heavily on Ye Chenfeng, as he was truly unfamiliar with the environment here. Deep down, he hoped that Ye Chenfeng could act as a free guide and take him to his destination.
Shen Binghan's destination was the Purple City Fourth Hospital.
His master had observed the heavens and predicted that something significant would happen at the Four Hospitals. With a letter of introduction, he was to seek out an old friend who was now the director of the Four Hospitals, Zhou Zhisheng.
Ye Chenfeng asked Shen Binghan why he had such a cold-sounding name. Shen Binghan explained that it was during a bitter winter when his master returned from outside and heard the cries of a newborn baby. He picked up the child and named him Binghan, taking his master's surname.
Ye Chenfeng still had many questions lingering in his mind that he didn't ask Shen Binghan. For instance, why did his master travel so far to become a monk in the deep mountains? Why did he refer to twenty dollars as a fortune? And since he was a practicing monk, why did he swagger through this vibrant environment, indulging in extravagant food and drink?
So far, Shen Binghan hadn't eaten any lavish meals; even the snacks they had earlier were tainted with meat.
Now they urgently needed to solve their accommodation problem for the night.
Without a Four-Star Hotel or any comfortable lodging, Shen Binghan and Ye Chenfeng decided to find a spot on the lawn in front of an appliance supermarket, which seemed like the best location to them. The only condition was to avoid being seen by patrolling officers.
In front of the supermarket, a giant LCD television was broadcasting breaking news. A beautiful female anchor spoke in clear Mandarin while footage played in the background, capturing Ye Chenfeng and Shen Binghan's attention as they lay on the soft grass, their legs restlessly swaying.
The News Anchor said, "A fatal fall occurred at the Holiday Four-Star Hotel; suspect so-and-so is already in custody." The camera shifted to a woman who was very pretty but crying uncontrollably, desperately claiming her innocence. She insisted that she had been pushed with such force that she lost control and jumped out of the window.
Clearly, her words lacked credibility; legal matters required factual evidence, and she was alone at the scene while the person who fell had entered the Holiday Four-Star Hotel with her just half an hour prior.
The camera shifted again; the woman sobbed heart-wrenchingly, remorsefully saying, "I'm sorry, daughter. I was wrong, husband."
It seemed like a love triangle? Ye Chenfeng felt frustrated and muttered under his breath as he watched Shen Binghan staring blankly at the television screen.
"Hey, silly boy, why are you dazed? Let me ask you—do you have any special abilities? Can you catch that man-eating water ghost from my Grandma's House?"
Shen Binghan was thinking about something else—that moment when he opened the door and pointed at that man. At that time, the fierce ghost had feared him and hidden away. That was why he hadn’t managed to catch it in time, especially since that damned person had spoken rudely and tried to chase him off.
“I’m talking to you, can you hear me?”
“What did you say?” Shen Binghan really didn’t catch Ye Chenfeng’s words and frowned, hurriedly asking.
“I have a man-eating water ghost at Grandma's House, it’s really scary. Can you catch it?”
“Amitabha, everything has its cause and effect. There must be a reason for the water ghost to eat people. Take me to see it.”
Ye Chenfeng felt frustrated; he assessed that this Little Monk was truly an idiot, making a big deal out of nothing. Ancient River Town was so far away, and now he wanted him to take him there? He snorted coldly and continued watching TV.
However, Shen Binghan got up, opened his bag, and took out the half-eaten Steamed Bun he had casually brought along. He took a bite, savoring it while his eyes were glued to the TV screen.
After swallowing the Steamed Bun, Shen Binghan declared, “I’m going to help her.”
This statement left Ye Chenfeng speechless. He asked Shen Binghan, “You’re going to help the woman on TV?”
“No, I’m going to help her daughter.” Shen Binghan got up from the lawn, stomped off the dirt and grass clippings stuck to him, and ran toward a fountain not far in the greenbelt.
What does this kid want to do?
Ye Chenfeng was stunned for a moment before hesitantly chasing after him.
Shen Binghan really wanted to take a shower; he wanted to wash up at the Four-Star Hotel but didn’t have money for a room and had almost gotten splattered with blood. It was now nine o'clock in the evening, and the number of passersby was gradually decreasing. No one noticed when someone jumped into the fountain to bathe.
Ye Chenfeng didn’t see Shen Binghan and was puzzled when suddenly water splashed onto the back of his head. Startled, he instinctively raised his hands to protect his head and turned around—wasn’t that silly Little Monk?
He was now standing naked in the water, his face beaming with joy as if he could fit an egg in his mouth.
This is a public place! Ye Chenfeng was horrified; if they were seen by the Night Patrol Officer, they would both be in trouble.
"Shen Binghan, get up!"
He was in a panic, grabbing Shen Binghan's slippery arm but failing to pull him up. Instead, Shen Binghan gently tugged him and pulled him into the fountain, soaking him completely.
The two boys, both of similar age, splashed around in the fountain, soon attracting the attention of passersby. Some pointed and commented on their lack of upbringing and manners, criticizing them for being tall and strong yet playing in the fountain without clothes.
Suddenly, the Night Patrol Officer arrived, showing them his badge and demanding to see their identification. This was when things took a turn for the worse.
Ye Chenfeng had no ID, while Shen Binghan had a letter of introduction and an adoption certificate.
Both were taken to the police station. After some questioning, they decided to make a phone call for verification.
The call went through, but no one answered.
Ye Chenfeng was too afraid to alert his family, so he gave the police officer his grandmother's home phone number.
Still, no one picked up the phone, leaving Ye Chenfeng unable to leave for the time being.
As the officers led Shen Binghan out of the door, he refused to move.
"What do you want to do?"
"Playing in the fountain was my idea; it has nothing to do with him."
"This isn't just about taking a bath; it's a matter of being without proper identification."
Shen Binghan was puzzled. He had received education from his master in the mountains but had never heard of any issues related to lacking identification.
He stood his ground, and since there was nothing they could do, the officers closed the door and left him wandering outside.
Ye Chenfeng cried.
Damn it, he had sneaked out of Grandma's House only to run into that unfortunate Little Monk. Everything went wrong from there; he ended up taking a bath in the fountain and got caught by the Night Patrol Officer, only to realize he had left his ID back at Grandma's House.
No ID, no money, no verified contact address—this was what they called the three noes.
If only he had money, he could have easily paid the fine for bathing in the fountain. But that Little Monk's fortune—ugh, even his twenty bucks felt like a fortune. What was he going to do? If his dad found out what he had done, who knew how he would be punished.
Another officer named Liu Wen came in to take over the shift at the police station. He glanced at Ye Chenfeng, who sat silently in the reception room with a furrowed brow, and quietly asked what was going on.
A colleague named Zhang Yong informed him that this kid was mischievous and had gone to bathe in the fountain. If he didn't get a lesson, he wouldn't know how many eyes the Horse King had. As Liu Wen spoke, he looked again at Ye Chenfeng, who was now looking up at them.
Just one glance surprised him.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Yong asked casually as Liu Wen stood up and walked toward the reception room door.
"I'm going to check; I think I recognize him." The more Liu Wen looked at Ye Chenfeng, the more he resembled a child who had gone missing from their neighborhood.
In a place like this, it was good if someone recognized you. Ye Chenfeng should have been happy about it, but the problem was that he didn't recognize the other person.
"You’re Su Bei, right? What are you doing here?"
"Su Bei? I'm not Su Bei; my name is Ye Chenfeng." Ye Chenfeng felt frustrated. It was hard enough to see someone come in and ask if he was Su Bei—the very same Su Bei who had come with him to catch a ride to the county town.
The other person must have made a mistake. Ye Chenfeng didn’t want to say much. Seeing this, Liu Wen also looked confused and furrowed his brow as he stepped back outside. After a moment, he returned with a cup of water and kindly said, "Don't worry; drink some water and think it over."
How could Ye Chenfeng not be anxious? He worried whether Shen Binghan might have gotten lost like Su Bei.
Outside, Shen Binghan paced back and forth, stomping his feet as the temperature dropped late at night. He wasn't afraid of the cold since he was used to being in the mountains. His master was an eccentric old man who subjected him to all kinds of abuse and torment. In freezing weather, he made Shen fetch water in the snow to practice the basics of ghost-catching. Over time, Shen developed a physique that could withstand severe cold.
In the duty room, Zhang Yong and Liu Wen were still arguing about who Ye Chenfeng was. One claimed that Ye Chenfeng was actually Su Bei, a kid from his neighborhood.
That kid was particularly playful, adventurous, and loved biking and hiking. The last time he went biking, something went wrong, and he hadn’t returned home for several days.
Zhang Yong shook his head, insisting it was impossible. The child had no identification on him; perhaps it was just a case of mistaken identity based on appearance. Another detail was that the child wasn’t biking but was instead with a little monk dressed in gray robes.
Upon mentioning the little monk, Zhang Yong quickly asked Liu Wen if he had seen anyone at the door when he came in. Liu Wen had indeed noticed someone outside but found it strange and hadn’t thought to ask. Now recalling this, he hurried to the entrance to call the little monk inside.
Shen Binghan sat cross-legged at the door, steam rising from his head. Hearing someone call out, he opened his eyes and saw it was the police officer who had just entered.
“Hey, little monk, come in! I have hot water here,” Liu Wen waved him over. As soon as he said it, he felt it was unnecessary; he had intended to lure him in with the promise of hot water but realized that Shen Binghan seemed to be generating enough heat on his own. He couldn’t understand why, given that the temperature outside wasn’t much different from inside unless one was running; how could he not feel cold while still steaming?
Shen Binghan obediently got up and entered the duty room, not because of the hot water but due to his concern for Ye Chenfeng.
On the streets, there were many fake monks. To gain people's trust, they would shave their heads and burn marks on their bodies to deceive others for donations and good fortune. In Zhang Yong's eyes, this little monk did seem genuine; although he was a novice practitioner, his demeanor was vastly different from those fraudulent monks.
As Shen Binghan stepped inside, Liu Wen quickly handed him a skewer of barbecue he had bought from a roadside stall. Shen Binghan hesitated for a moment, sniffing the air with flaring nostrils before putting his hands together and saying, “Amitabha, may I ask when you released Master Ye?”
Seeing that the little monk wasn’t interested in the barbecue, Liu Wen continued eating it himself while asking between bites, “What’s your relationship with that kid inside? Are you sure his last name is Ye?”
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