Outside, a sleet storm began, mostly heavy rain. The already cold weather became even colder due to this icy rain. The heating in this old mansion was mediocre, and Ye Tiancheng was likely woken up by the cold.
When Ye Tiancheng woke up, he started coughing violently. After coughing for a long time, his chest finally felt less constricted.
"Where is this?"
"We're in Liu Lanying's old mansion. Brother Ye, if you're hungry, I'll get you something to eat. Liu Dajun is locked up inside. I had to lock him up because he kept threatening to call the police on us. You absolutely must keep this a secret and not tell Liu Lanying. I'm afraid Liu Lanying will be angry."
"Don't worry, Fatty. I won't tell her. Besides, Liu Lanying isn't someone unreasonable. She definitely won't get angry at you for something like this. That girl has a very good temper!"
Ye Tiancheng could almost guarantee this. Liu Lanying and her brother had disagreements on many matters and had already fallen out. Even if they hadn't, she would never believe Liu Dajun's one-sided story. Liu Lanying wasn't a foolish girl who knew nothing; in fact, she was much smarter than most girls. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"That's good! I was worried all along, afraid Liu Lanying would be angry with me. I don't necessarily have a problem with her brother. That guy's words were too unpleasant, I can't even bring myself to say them. It felt disgusting."
This was a genuine feeling. Liu Dajun's words just now had indeed angered him, and Fatty didn't regret it. If Liu Dajun dared to say such things again, Fatty estimated he would still resort to violence.
"Fatty, I'll watch for a while. You make something to eat. Xue'er will need to eat when she wakes up too."
After instructing Fatty, Ye Tiancheng didn't say anything more because he was very tired and needed to lie down and rest. He was still a bit groggy and needed to rest properly to regain some energy.
Ye Tiancheng, still groggy and almost asleep, smelled the aroma of beef noodles and finally woke up. This was the kind of beef noodles only Fatty could cook, and Ye Tiancheng really liked the smell.
"Fatty, it smells so good."
Ye Tiancheng instantly became more alert, then got up and started eating the noodles. Lin Xue also smelled the delicious aroma and naturally woke up. Fatty had cooked three bowls of noodles, in super large bowls, almost as big as washbasins. It didn't matter if Lin Xue couldn't finish them, as Fatty could handle the leftovers.
"Little Phoenix is hungry too. Give Little Phoenix something to eat."
Fatty took out a few more noodles and placed them aside separately. The little yellow chicken diligently opened its eyes, then took a few bites of noodles.
"Goo goo goo..."
Lin Xue also started eating. When she looked at Fatty, she smiled brilliantly, then turned to Little Phoenix and said, "Eat well, your Brother Fatty cooks very deliciously."
As the few of them were eating beef noodles, Liu Dajun inside was extremely tempted, his saliva almost flowing out.
"Mr. Fatty, could you give me some? I'm also very hungry. I've almost eaten all the biscuits. I have a big appetite naturally. Don't look at me being so thin; my digestive system is good."
Liu Dajun seemed desperate. Perhaps he was a bit anxious, which led him to babble incoherently. The more anxious he became, the more he tended to chatter.
"I'll save some for you later. You'd better behave. Everyone is awake now. If you dare to say anything else, I'll tape your mouth shut."
Fatty discovered a pattern: to deal with people like this, one had to be a bit assertive. Such people bully the weak and fear the strong, so one must never be careless. The softer you are, the more they might think you are easy to bully.
"Thank you, Brother Fatty."
After Fatty finished eating, he took the remaining half bowl into the room. Liu Dajun sniffed it and made a slightly lewd gesture. "It smells so good! I heard you used to be a chef. It's really delicious."
Liu Dajun wasn't just trying to appease Fatty; it seemed to be the truth. After speaking, he quickly ate most of the noodles and then drank all the soup. Fatty was accustomed to such scenes.
After all, when he worked as a chef in a restaurant, guests would always compliment his cooking. Over time, he got used to it. Having one's cooking recognized was the happiest thing for a chef, much better than being scolded for bad cooking.
"It's delicious. I can make it for you again next time, but only if you behave yourself and don't play any tricks. We're only staying here temporarily. As soon as we've stayed long enough, we'll leave immediately. This place of yours isn't some blessed land, so don't get the wrong idea that we'll stay here forever!"
"Brother Fatty, you flatter me too much. I wouldn't dare. As long as you don't dislike your little brother, your little brother won't cause you any trouble."
This young man was quite eloquent. Liu Dajun's eyes darted around, but Fatty wasn't a naive fool. He saw it all but didn't say much. Lin Xue and Ye Tiancheng both seemed to lack fighting strength at the moment. Fatty decided to keep a low profile with Liu Dajun. Getting angry at this point wouldn't be good for anyone.
"Alright, stop talking. Settle down. I've already promised that no matter what, we won't harm you."
After saying this, Fatty took out the bowls, closed the door, and turned to give Ye Tiancheng an OK gesture. Ye Tiancheng had been feeling quite frustrated about not getting what he wanted, but seeing Fatty's gesture seemed to inject him with some vitality, and his pale face broke into a smile.
"Master, we can't stay here. It's not far from there, and I can feel the presence of dark energy. We're still in danger even if we stay here. We should leave quickly and return to our respective lives. I'll go cultivate in the deep mountains, and Master, you should also focus on recovering from your injuries."
Ye Tiancheng agreed. Lin Xue was too weak, so she left holding the phoenix, which had transformed into a yellow chicken. Ye Tiancheng and Fatty left without any further incident. Later, Ye Tiancheng's chest started to hurt severely for some unknown reason.
Fatty asked Ye Tiancheng if he needed to go to the hospital, but Ye Tiancheng refused. They then returned home and rested for about a week. Ye Tiancheng felt slightly better, but then he received a letter from the Jiang family.
"Benefactor, there's been a sudden incident at home. We hope you can come for a gathering when you have time."
Ye Tiancheng should have continued to rest, but at the same time, he thought of his close relationship with the Jiang family. That old lady from the sect wasn't someone who treated things lightly. Since she had written to ask him to come, something must have happened.
As Ye Tiancheng was preparing his things, Fatty discovered him. Fatty volunteered to be Ye Tiancheng's driver, and the two of them set off.
The first couple of days went smoothly. Later, after entering the northern region, it was snowing endlessly, and the wind was fierce, stinging their faces.
The weather was bitterly cold, and the two of them couldn't find a hotel, so they had to make do sleeping in the car. Fatty had been woken up by the cold countless times.
"Brother Ye, why have I never realized before how long the night is? I've been waiting for a very, very long time, but why hasn't the sky brightened yet?"
Waking up from the cold was unbearable. Fatty couldn't sleep at all, and goosebumps covered his body uncontrollably.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, it started raining again, and the situation instantly became even more dire.
"Brother Ye, should we be able to reach the Jiang family tomorrow? If not, we absolutely must find a hotel to stay in. I'm just a mortal, inherently weak. If this continues, I feel like I'm going to freeze to death. I can't endure much longer."
Fatty wasn't exaggerating at all. The weather was indeed terrible. Humans are inherently beings of yang energy. Fatty already had strong resistance. If an ordinary person were to be continuously exposed to such cold and dampness, they would have fallen ill long ago.
Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to use an injection to form a protective shield. Logically, Ye Tiancheng shouldn't have done this because he had very little true qi left. He had suffered severe injuries before, and his body had been rapidly depleted. At this time, he should have been conserving his strength. However, he couldn't bear to see Fatty get sick. If Fatty fell ill, it could be very troublesome. Ye Tiancheng could only console himself with this thought. After forming the protective shield with his true qi, Fatty immediately felt warm, which was more effective than many layers of quilts.
"Brother Ye, it's so warm! It's amazing. It's much better to follow Brother Ye. I can't talk much more; I'm too sleepy. I'm going to sleep now."
After speaking, Fatty closed his eyes and fell asleep. Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of sympathy as he watched him. After all, Fatty was his good brother, but not his blood brother. He had endured many hardships following him on this journey.
However, he couldn't go back on his promise to the Jiang family. He had been so happy when they asked for his help. To retreat now when encountering a little difficulty wouldn't be the act of a gentleman. He shouldn't have rashly gone to explore Liu Lanying's ancestral home. Now his true qi was almost depleted, and he still had injuries, which was indeed a tricky situation.
Ye Tiancheng wished he could slap himself twice. His current pathetic state was all due to his own carelessness. He regretted it immensely, but there was nothing he could do. He could only try his best to make everything gradually improve.
Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to maintain the protective shield, which meant he couldn't sleep. Fatty's words were spot on; this night was indeed long. Ye Tiancheng also felt it deeply, feeling as if he were going crazy from staying awake. Every minute and second seemed to be infinitely stretched, passing very slowly.
Fortunately, darkness always ends, and dawn will eventually arrive. When Ye Tiancheng felt the first ray of sunlight, its warmth on his body made him suddenly realize it wasn't the effect of his true qi.
Ye Tiancheng could finally remove the protective shield of true qi. This felt quite good. Ye Tiancheng took down the shield and then fell asleep himself.
He woke up around noon. Fatty had started a fire by the roadside, saying he was going to cook some noodles for Ye Tiancheng. It had become a normal practice for them to carry a pot with them.
"Brother Ye, cooking noodles is easy for me, but one thing is very difficult: the firewood is wet now, and I can't find any firewood that can be lit quickly. I'm exhausted."
The group leader stepped in again and used his true qi to ignite the campfire. The campfire ignited by true qi emitted a faint green light, which was slightly different.
"That's great, Brother Ye! You're getting stronger and stronger. I feel so secure following you, my little brother."
Fatty placed the pot over the campfire while showering Ye Tiancheng with praise. Ye Tiancheng was used to it, but he felt a bit guilty about Fatty's compliments. Ye Tiancheng's current situation was really not worthy of such praise. His strength had been depleted to such an extent, yet he was still putting on a show for Fatty. He felt a bit uneasy about it.
After a hurried meal, they tidied up and completely extinguished the campfire to prevent a forest fire. Then, the two of them set off again.