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Ye Chenfeng did not continue to kiss but instead wrapped his arms around Ding Li, pressing a talisman firmly against the back of her neck. To his surprise, the talisman seller at the station had some skill; as soon as the talisman was affixed to Ding Li, it immediately took effect.
A wave of black mist and an ear-piercing, hoarse voice echoed from the air, "You little brat didn’t expect you had some tricks up your sleeve. I’m not done yet; I’ll come back to meet you another day..."
With a whoosh, the black mist and voice vanished as if they had never existed.
When Ye Chenfeng looked at Ding Li again, her face was pale, and she lay limp on the ground, motionless like a corpse. His heart dropped in fear, and the cold sweat that had yet to dry on his forehead began to pour out again.
"Ding Li, sweetheart, don’t scare me."
Mmm—ah!
Mmm—ah!
Her once warm and fragrant lips felt icy cold, a chill creeping up his spine. He couldn’t help but shiver. He recalled what The Ghost-Quaking Scripture said: anyone possessed by evil spirits could lose some elements beneficial to their health.
If Ding Li were harmed because of this incident, threatening her life, Ye Chenfeng would find it hard to absolve himself even if he died ten or eight times.
After performing artificial respiration on Ding Li twice with no response, he was nearly in tears. Remembering what Shen Binghan had said about using talisman water to revive someone, he hurriedly prepared some. After giving her a bowl of talisman water, Ding Li finally slowly opened her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she looked very weak.
Her face was pale as if transparent, and she seemed drained of all strength. Ye Chenfeng picked her up and carried her to bed.
"Ye Chenfeng... just now... I saw..." A tear rolled down from Ding Li's eye as she struggled to speak.
"Don’t say anything; I already know," Ye Chenfeng said, holding her head close to his chest. He embraced her tightly, feeling immense sorrow. He regretted bringing her on this adventure; if he hadn’t brought her along, he could have managed alone with his skills.
He didn’t know how long it had been when Ye Chenfeng suddenly woke up to find himself lying in bed. Ding Li was gone, and his heart tightened. He quickly got up and shouted her name.
In the kitchen, Ding Li hurriedly rushed over, her attire resembling that of a housewife, complete with an apron, sleeves, and a spatula in hand.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't help but chuckle, "Pfft..."
Ding Li pouted, "What are you laughing at? Did you call me here just to laugh at me?" She turned around and tossed out a command, "Get up quickly; it's time for dinner."
On the dining table lay Ding Li's reward dish: stir-fried sour pickles and mung bean porridge.
"Why do I deserve a reward?" After a mouthful of porridge and a bite of the sour pickles, warmth spread through his heart.
"Because you saved me," Ding Li said, raising an eyebrow as she continued, "Last night I had a terrible dream. I was walking on a long, dark road, feeling cold and lonely. There was no end to the road, and I didn't see anyone. I called your name in my heart, but I couldn't hear your voice or see you. I was so scared..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and her voice began to choke.
Ding Li had endured many unspoken hardships in life. First came her parents' divorce, followed by being abandoned by her biological father. After that, both parents left her one after another. Now she felt very lonely and helpless; in her terrifying nightmare, the only person she could trust was Ye Chenfeng.
Some say that when faced with the most frightening and difficult events in life, the first person that comes to mind is someone you feel safe with and who holds a special place in your heart. Ding Li thought of Ye Chenfeng but struggled to bear the shadow cast by her parents' failed marriage. This led her to believe that men were unreliable and to remain on guard against the opposite sex. In her view, men only considered matters with their lower halves; once they got what they wanted from a woman, they would not cherish it.
Ye Chenfeng reached out and held Ding Li's hand. She did not pull away; feeling his warmth stirred mixed emotions within her. He gently comforted her, "It's okay now; aren't you fine?"
Ding Li cried uncontrollably, her slender shoulders shaking.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Ye Chenfeng embraced her and offered soothing words until she finally stopped crying.
After breakfast, Ye Chenfeng took Ding Li to the old house.
What lay before them was utterly unbelievable—a pile of rubble where the old house once stood. Both Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li were shocked; in just one night, the old house had collapsed. Moreover, they hadn't heard any loud noises from the collapse last night. When did this happen?
Ye Chenfeng recalled coming out from the room dedicated to the Evil God; the old house had still been intact then. Could it be that after the Evil God was driven away, the old house lost its support from its spiritual power and crumbled?
Regardless of how it happened, as long as Ding Li was safe, that was all that mattered.
Ye Chenfeng knew that his abilities were limited; it was impossible to eliminate the Evil God all at once. As stated in The Ghost-Quaking Scripture, the Evil God was omnipresent, a terrifying existence that thrived on the dark side of humanity.
The Evil God emerged from the shadows of human nature to commit evil deeds.
He could not allow Ding Li to be harmed any further, especially with his grandmother's current unknown situation, which might pose a danger to others. Ye Chenfeng decided to set off immediately back to Purple City. He and Ding Li returned from the old house to Grandma's House, locked the door, and saw that more people had come to cut down the Purple Bamboo Forest.
He kindly advised them, "This place is not suitable for staying long; don't harm yourselves over a small profit."
The group had not expected Ye Chenfeng to still be there. Upon seeing him emerge, they felt guilty. However, upon hearing his words, which carried a hint of threat, they became displeased and cursed, saying, "Your grandmother is engaging in feudal superstition and scamming money. We're just here to take a few pieces of Purple Bamboo; we haven't stolen anything valuable from her."
Ye Chenfeng couldn't tell them that his grandmother had actually died long ago and that the current "grandmother" was not human. Such a statement would not be believed. Helplessly, he and Ding Li decided to turn a blind eye and let them do as they pleased; after all, those things were of no use anyway.
Just as he and Ding Li were about to turn away, a scream echoed from deep within the Purple Bamboo Forest.
A woman in her forties saw Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li and nervously glanced towards the depths of the forest. No one had dared venture there before; she was unafraid of trouble. The Purple Bamboo stood tall and straight, making it some of the best bamboo in the entire forest.
As she secretly reveled in her plan to chop down a large bundle of Purple Bamboo and slip away, she suddenly spotted a pile of human bones on the ground.
Hearing the scream, Ye Chenfeng, Ding Li, and several others rushed towards the Purple Bamboo Forest.
They found the woman with disheveled hair lying on the ground, clutching a Purple Bamboo stalk, her mouth twisted as she struggled to make a sound.
This was a sign of paralysis.
Ye Chenfeng did not understand this, but others did. Someone helped the woman up and hurriedly ran outside.
In the chaotic Purple Bamboo Forest, Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li saw a pile of rib bones among other remains. Could they be human bones? Someone called the police, and soon officers from the county station arrived—unfortunately, one of them was Liu Wen.
Liu Wen was surprised to see Ye Chenfeng and said they would talk later as he busied himself with investigating the scene.
The bones were collected and taken away, and Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li got into Liu Wen's police car.
Liu Wen confirmed that the bones were indeed human, but it was unclear how these individuals had died. To uncover the truth, they would have to wait for the forensic department's analysis.
Due to Liu Wen's presence, Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li did not rush to catch a ride.
Instead, they went to the police station.
At Ye Chenfeng's request, Liu Wen arranged for him to meet Su Bei's parents.
"Su Mother, Su Dad..."
The elderly couple looked at Ye Chenfeng with hopeful eyes, momentarily forgetting to nod in acknowledgment. It wasn't until Ding Li reminded them, "Su Dad, Su Mother, Ye Chenfeng is calling you," that they snapped back to reality.
"Oh. Yes, good child."
"I'm sorry I can't replace Su Bei in honoring you, but I can try to be your son. If you need anything from me, I will unconditionally agree," Ye Chenfeng said sincerely.
Su Dad and Su Mother exchanged glances, tears streaming down their faces; all they wished for was their son to return.
"Don't cry anymore, Su Dad, Su Mother. If you don't mind, I will kneel before you and call you my godfather and godmother," Ye Chenfeng said as he stood up, knelt before them, and after bowing deeply, looked up and said, "Godfather and Godmother, from now on I will be your son. If you want to call me Su Bei, I am happy to do so."
"You are such a thoughtful child; please get up," Su Dad said as he helped Ye Chenfeng to his feet.
Ye Chenfeng truly did not want to make them sad and was reluctant to reveal that it was his grandmother who had caused Su Bei's death, leading to this situation.
Su Dad and Su Mother seemed more accepting. Seeing Ye Chenfeng like this made their tears turn into smiles as they said, "Alright! From now on, you are our son. Su Bei can rest in peace now."
"You know about Su Bei?" Ye Chenfeng asked in surprise. The remains of Su Bei were in that large vat, along with Lin Xintao and Yao Xiaohong; their bones had turned into black water. He couldn't fathom how his grandmother had managed to transform the living three into such a state.
However, the remains of Su Bei and the other three were never found, leaving their families with endless hope.
How could Su Bei's parents know he was dead when there was no body to be seen?
"Sigh! I actually suspected something had happened to him long ago," Su Dad said with a heavy sigh, glancing back at his emotionally shattered wife. He whispered to Ye Chenfeng, "I dreamed of Su Bei appearing, covered in blood, crying out in pain. It scared me awake. I tried to comfort myself that it was just a dream, and dreams are often the opposite of reality..."
As he spoke, Su Dad's eyes were red-rimmed, and Ye Chenfeng quickly handed him a tissue.
Su Dad took it and discreetly wiped away his tears before continuing, "Su Bei has always been very sensible. He learned piano and attended the best kindergarten. All of this was my contribution to nurturing him into a talented person, and he was happy to accept it. From elementary school to high school, he was the class monitor and a good student. Our walls are covered with his certificates. I hope you can become an exceptional talent like him."
Listening to Su Dad's words, Ye Chenfeng felt a pang of guilt.
He was the complete opposite of Su Bei; his grades were terrible. He couldn't even be a class monitor, let alone hold any position in the class.
Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li left the police station and were driven to the bus station by Liu Wen. His heart felt heavy, as if Su Bei's father had placed all his hopes for Su Bei onto him.
The journey from the county town to the city would take about three hours if all went smoothly.
Thinking about soon seeing that Cat Spirit disguised as his grandmother, Ye Chenfeng felt anxious. He glanced at Ding Li, who also seemed distracted. He wondered what she was thinking.
Ding Li wasn't lost in thought; she felt as though ever since leaving Men'er Gou, a pair of cold eyes had been following her to the county town. Several times she had turned around nervously, confirming that nothing seemed amiss, yet she remained puzzled. She wanted to speak up several times but didn't know how to express it.
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