After finishing their meal, everyone expressed that they had eaten a bit too much and felt bloated. Even Ye Tiancheng had overindulged. Therefore, they decided not to go back immediately.
Feeling so full, lying in bed to sleep might cause indigestion and weight gain, which would be of no benefit to their health. Thus, they decided to take a stroll in the park.
Ye Tiancheng had been feeling rather dejected earlier, but after the meal, his mood had improved considerably. Overall, he now appeared healthy, not sickly or weak.
Previously, he had been preoccupied with Liu Lanying's matter, feeling extremely guilty. He thought that bringing up the Fuxi Qin was merely a way to comfort himself, as a person could not be brought back to life.
Consequently, Ye Tiancheng had felt like a walking corpse, as if he had been hollowed out. After this barbecue meal, perhaps due to the relaxed atmosphere during the meal, Ye Tiancheng now seemed quite normal, without that sense of emptiness.
“It feels really good to come out for a walk after dinner and feel the breeze. It seems only by feeling the wind can I feel alive. Otherwise, confining myself to the cage I’ve set for myself all day is indeed asking too much. Life like that is no different from being a zombie.”
Perhaps having experienced too much, Fatty couldn't articulate his thoughts clearly and could only sigh. He truly felt the impermanence of fate. When he was once glorious, who would have thought he would suffer such hardship just days ago?
He felt constantly coerced, a terrible feeling that left him breathless. Fortunately, things were getting better and better. There weren't as many people and events causing him pain. Life was now easy, like that of an ordinary person.
As the group casually strolled and chatted, the proprietress suddenly shouted, "Oh my god, a ghost!"
Everyone's attention was drawn by the shout. They looked forward and saw a woman in a red dress floating ahead. "Floating" was their initial impression. Upon closer inspection, it seemed she was on her tiptoes.
Everyone was startled, especially by the proprietress's rather eerie scream. As they looked, they saw a woman with long hair cascading down her shoulders, wearing a red dress. Everyone's scalp tingled, as it looked truly terrifying, not like a joke. She resembled a female ghost from a horror movie.
“It’s alright, don’t worry. It’s definitely not a female ghost. I think someone is just trying to scare us. This is too ridiculous. Let’s stay away.”
Fatty found the situation unbelievable. He pulled the proprietress into his arms, protecting her well, ensuring no one could harm her.
At this moment, Fatty felt like a hero, holding the proprietress in his embrace – a legendary act of a hero saving a damsel. He wouldn't let anyone get close to her.
Fatty then took out his shovel, ready to strike with it at whatever dared to approach, regardless of what it was. He wanted to let the ghostly entity know that some mistakes couldn't be made, and making them would bring misfortune upon itself.
Just as everyone held their breath, waiting for the woman in the red dress to make her next move, Little Fox unexpectedly stepped forward.
Then, a talisman flew out and was directly affixed to the person, who then fell down with a bang.
“What ghost! It’s really a ghost!”
Little Fox ran over to take a look and removed the talisman from the person, who quickly recovered.
“It’s nothing, everyone don't worry. The yin energy is a bit heavy at night, and it clashed with something unclean, which caused this sudden commotion. The unclean entity has been driven away now.”
This Little Fox actually had some skills. They had initially thought that having talismans was just for show, but who would have thought he actually had some ability and managed to save the person who was affected by the unclean entity.
In this situation, anyone might have thought a child couldn't do much. Who would have imagined he would be so useful? After resolving the issue, the three adults quickly went to take a look.
It wasn't a beautiful woman at all. They were too far away earlier, and the park lights were too dim. Several streetlights were flickering or broken, so from a distance, they thought it was a girlfriend in a red outfit.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a man wearing a long red robe. He might have had some peculiar preference, which led him to grow his hair so long, making him appear almost like a woman from afar.
“Hey, brother, wake up.”
The man with long hair woke up, still dazed, not knowing what had happened. It was as if the memory of what had just occurred had been erased. He found it strange that he had suddenly appeared here, with several people staring at him as if he were a monster.
“Please don’t treat me like an animal in a zoo. I think I was spacing out. I was clearly in the restroom, no, a public restroom. I urgently needed to urinate, so I ran to the park's public restroom to relieve myself. I never expected to end up here.”
Fatty finally understood. He glanced at Ye Tiancheng, and it was Ye Tiancheng who spoke up, warning the long-haired man and treating him like an artist.
“Don’t come to the park late at night, especially places like public restrooms with heavy yin energy. And I don’t know about your preferences, but wearing all red is inherently dangerous. No wonder you ran into trouble. Be careful not to do such strange things in the future, or who knows what might happen next time.”
The guy seemed to understand, realizing he must have encountered something unclean due to his carelessness. He looked back with a fearful expression.
“Thank you all. If you hadn’t saved me, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“You’re welcome. It was this young boy who saved you. He knows a bit about talismans, so he used one to wake you up.”
The guy, who seemed a bit eccentric, suddenly pulled out a stack of cash from his pocket.
“Thank you, young man. If it weren’t for you, I might have lost my life here. Actually, I’m an artist, a painter. If you don’t mind, please accept this money. I’m having an art exhibition in a few days and would like to invite you.”
The stack of cash looked like several thousand yuan, giving the impression of being quite wealthy. This suggested the guy’s status was likely extraordinary, as ordinary people wouldn’t carry a genuine leather bag with cash inside at all times. These were all signs of wealth, indicating he was indeed a painter.
“I can’t accept this money. Seeing you in trouble, it’s my duty to help.”
Little Fox was quite polite and felt he shouldn't accept the money, so he pushed it back. However, the man made no move to take it back.
“Any one of my paintings can sell for millions. I’m not short of money, so you don’t need to feel any burden. If you can accept my gratitude money, it would be a form of respect for me.”
Little Fox never expected that a talisman could be worth thousands of yuan. He hesitated to accept the money and looked at Fatty, then at Ye Tiancheng, as if seeking their opinion.
Regardless, he was willing to listen to the two adults. The painter was quite sensible and not mentally unsound, just rather unconventional. Perhaps artists’ thoughts were more abstract and difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
“Then don’t be so hesitant. As I said, my paintings sell for millions. This few thousand yuan isn’t even enough for a meal for me. Just take it, consider it making a friend. I’ll leave you my business card, remember to call me. I’ll also give you tickets to my exhibition. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now. Thank you for saving my life today.”
After speaking, the man shoved the tickets and cash into Little Fox’s hands and hurried away, leaving the group exchanging bewildered glances. Even if they believed he was a painter, he gave them a very strange impression.
His behavior was too erratic, seeming very abnormal. Who would carry cash and exhibition tickets with them all the time, as if ready to hand them out? Wasn't this a sign of mental illness?
“Alright, since he’s gone, let’s leave too. I feel like this person has made the park very eerie. If we stay here any longer, it feels a bit inauspicious. Let’s hurry and go.”
Even Ye Tiancheng felt uneasy. He even wondered if the cash he had received was fake or would turn into ghost money later. While the man had the demeanor of a painter, it seemed unbelievable that someone would hand over cash to another person in the middle of the night. It sounded too absurd.
“Fatty brother, this is all for you.”
Naturally, everyone likes money. And they had only met once. Little Fox had no reason to hand over all the money to Fatty, but he did. It was evident that the child was very genuine. He now regarded Ye Tiancheng and Fatty as his support system, relying on them for any decisions or matters.
“Why give it to me? You keep it. You should have some money yourself, so if you see something you like to eat or play with, you can buy it. You keep it. I usually pay by card or online.”
“But I don’t know how to spend money well.”
This Little Fox truly seemed otherworldly. Ye Tiancheng didn't interfere in their affairs; it was only a few thousand yuan anyway. He gave Fatty a look, and after Fatty persuaded Little Fox a bit more, Little Fox still hesitated to accept the money and finally gave it to Fatty.
They soon left the park. That night, while sleeping in the hotel, Ye Tiancheng couldn't sleep and went to chat with Fatty.
“What about this child? We can’t keep him with us. He’s still a child after all. Why don’t we call the police and send him to a welfare home? It’s better than living in that big forest. That wilderness isn’t suitable for a child’s growth. It’s best for him to study and succeed.”
Ye Tiancheng, initially wary, was now considering Little Fox's future. He believed that if Little Fox were a normal person, he should have a normal life. In any case, he shouldn't end up confused and back in the mountains, becoming an unwanted wild child.
“Brother Ye, to be honest, I’m a bit reluctant to part with this child. If you say that, it makes me feel even worse. I’m not ready to separate from Little Fox. I want him to stay with us. We can adopt him if necessary. It’s best if we don’t separate.”