The police officer who had just walked away heard this and realized that these villagers were actually starting up their feudal superstitions again right in front of him. He quickly stopped the old man and said, “Hey, hey, sir, don’t get worked up. I still have a few questions to ask you. Sit down first.”
As he spoke, he gave Xu Muchan and Wei Xilou a meaningful look, signaling for them to leave quickly, lest the old man start making a fuss again later.
This was not the first incident of wild animals eating people around Guiyi Mountain. It had nothing to do with a murder case; otherwise, it would not have been the local police officers who were dispatched. But if these villagers started engaging in feudal superstitious activities and even tried to illegally restrict someone’s freedom, then the nature of the matter would be completely different.
The old man obviously did not want to let Xu Muchan leave, but the person stopping him was a police officer. No matter how bold he was, he did not dare to go against the police. He could only helplessly watch Xu Muchan turn around and hurry away.
Before long, the two of them came out carrying their luggage bags. After greeting the police officers, they headed down the mountain.
With the police present, no matter how unwilling the villagers of Leigong Village were, they could only watch helplessly as the two of them descended the mountain.
Xu Muchan pulled Wei Xilou along at a very fast pace. Only after they had gone far enough that they could no longer see Leigong Village when they turned around did he slow down. He turned to look at a certain Mountain God and self-righteously accused him, “Look at you. You’ve been the Mountain God for so long, yet you have absolutely no authority. You actually got scared by the villagers and ran away in disgrace!”
Wei Xilou looked at the vivid expression on his face and raised an eyebrow. “If A-Chan wants to get his dignity back, we can still turn around and go back.”
Xu Muchan’s expression immediately changed. He grabbed his hand tightly and said, “Forget it, forget it. How can a dignified Mountain God be so petty? We adults shouldn’t hold a grudge against petty people!”
Wei Xilou was pulled along by him as they walked down the mountain. His gaze lingered for a long time on Xu Muchan’s face, which was tinged a faint pink by the morning sunlight.
The two of them waited at the foot of the mountain for a while before the car arrived.
Originally, they had planned to leave in the afternoon, and their flight back to Jiangcheng had also been booked for six in the evening. But now that they had come down the mountain early in the morning and still had plenty of time, Xu Muchan suggested going into the city to look around first.
He thought they could buy some Yundong specialties to take back and distribute among Wei Yao and the others.
The luggage bag that had originally contained nothing but a change of clothes was stuffed completely full of local specialties on the way back.
The next day at school, Xu Muchan carried the stuffed bag into the classroom. He saw Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang talking at He Jiaqi’s desk. After the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, He Jiaqi had finished dealing with matters at home and had also returned to school.
Xu Muchan first glanced at the bag in his hand and thought fortunately he had bought plenty. He did not have to worry about there not being enough to share.
As soon as Wei Yao looked up and saw him, his gaze shifted to the bag full of local specialties in his hand. He came bounding over like an excited dog. “Xu Muchan, you even brought us specialties?”
Xu Muchan nimbly stepped backward and stuffed the bag of specialties into his arms. “I just bought a few things. You guys divide them yourselves.”
Wen Dajiang came over and rummaged through the bag together with Wei Yao, chattering nonstop. Xu Muchan resisted the urge to put on his earphones and greeted He Jiaqi.
He Jiaqi looked a little thinner, but her mental state seemed pretty good. She glanced at Xu Muchan. “I heard your eyesight has recovered quite a lot. Did you even take the monthly exam this time?”
Xu Muchan gave an “Mm,” then found his notes from the drawer and handed them to her. “These are the notes I’ve made during this period. I don’t know if they’ll be useful to you.”
He Jiaqi took them and flipped through two pages. When she saw how detailed the notes were, she immediately thanked him in surprise. “I was just thinking about who I could borrow notes from.”
Xu Muchan said, “Just give them back to me after you’re finished.”
The pleasant holiday had only just ended, so everyone’s minds were still drifting during morning self-study. Some secretly played with their phones and chatted, while others quietly munched on snacks.
However, this cheerful atmosphere lasted only until morning self-study ended. It was quickly shattered by the stack of exam papers the math teacher carried into the classroom.
The math teacher was bald on top. His weathered face was stern as he said, “We’ll go over the exam papers this class. Although this monthly exam was a little more difficult, I thought it shouldn’t have been anything too difficult for you. But the results were very disappointing. Most of your scores disappointed me greatly.”
A wave of groans immediately came from below.
Wei Yao secretly kicked Xu Muchan’s chair with his foot. “How come you’re not nervous at all?”
As he spoke, he kept shaking his leg, wondering whether he could even pass this time. This was a serious matter concerning his pocket money!
Xu Muchan moved his chair a little to the left and ignored his nonsense.
Wei Yao was about to keep babbling when a voice from the front called out, “Xu Muchan.”
He let out a “Fuck,” then turned around and stared at Xu Muchan in disbelief as he got up and went to the front to receive his exam paper.
Old Zhang’s face, which had been stern just moments ago, immediately blossomed into a smile when he saw Xu Muchan. “You did quite well this time. Your fundamentals are very solid. However, you may not have encountered some of these question types very often before, so you’re not familiar with them. After class, you can discuss them with the math class representative. He has participated in quite a few competitions and is more familiar with these types of questions. But he isn’t as careful as you when solving problems. You two can learn from each other and make up for each other’s weaknesses.”
After saying that, he handed the test paper to Xu Muchan and called the math class representative up next.
From far away, Wei Yao craned his neck to look at the paper in Xu Muchan’s hands. “Let me see. How many points?”
Xu Muchan turned the test paper toward him. Wei Yao’s eyes widened. “Holy crap, 138.”
Xu Muchan frowned, showing not the slightest bit of happiness. “I knew it. I got the last big question wrong.”
Wei Yao no longer wanted to talk to him. He felt that such a thin sheet of math paper had drawn a deep chasm between himself and Xu Muchan.
With a desolate expression, he rubbed his hands together and prayed that he would at least pass.
After two consecutive math classes that morning, Wei Yao felt completely drained. He stared blankly at his test paper, which had barely crossed the passing line, when someone slapped his desk.
He turned his head and discovered it was a newly crowned top student. He didn’t feel like talking.
He dazedly turned his head back again and continued holding a memorial ceremony for his math test paper.
Xu Muchan poked him with his pen again.
Wei Yao turned around indignantly. “What!”
Now, whenever he saw Xu Muchan’s beautiful face, all he could think of was that it seemed to have “138” written all over it, constantly mocking him for being a hopeless student. He really didn’t want to look at him for the time being!
Xu Muchan asked, “Why isn’t Xu Wangchuan here?”
Only just now had he noticed that the seat to his left was empty.
Wei Yao temporarily set aside his jealousy of the top student, thought for a moment, and said, “He probably took leave. Something seems to have happened to the Xu family. You didn’t know?”
Xu Muchan really didn’t know. He asked in surprise, “What happened?”
Wei Yao was confused as well. Something this serious had happened to the Xu family, yet Xu Muchan hadn’t known anything about it?
He scratched his head and said, “I only heard about it from my dad. Apparently, a batch of components from Xu Corporation was found to be substandard and failed quality inspections. But the components had already been put into use, and they caused an accident. Only after investigating the accident did they discover that the cause was defective components. The news has already spread throughout the industry. Xu Corporation supplies several major companies, and now it’s not only the company involved in the accident demanding compensation; the other companies they work with are also demanding to terminate their contracts and receive compensation. Xu Corporation is practically overwhelmed with problems. I heard your dad was even hospitalized because of it. It’s normal for Xu Wangchuan to take leave and not come to school at a time like this.”
Xu Muchan frowned. He had never expected the Xu family to encounter such a major crisis during a single Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
When he went home after school that evening, he deliberately glanced at the Xu family’s villa. Not a single light was on. The entire villa was shrouded in a lifeless atmosphere, as though a massive cover had been placed over it.
He withdrew his gaze and was just about to go inside when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that there seemed to be someone standing on the second-floor balcony of the Xu family’s villa.
That person seemed to have been watching him the entire time. Their gaze felt as though it carried thorns, making Xu Muchan uncomfortable all over.
But when he turned around to look, there was nothing on the second floor of the Xu family’s villa.
Xu Muchan was unsure whether it had been an illusion. After all, the Xu family had always been involved in strange and supernatural matters. There had even been a Wedding Deity before, though it had disappeared after his older brother arrived.
But now that he and his older brother had both left the Xu family, could it be that the Wedding Deity had appeared again?
Xu Muchan looked back once more. The Xu family’s villa was quiet and still, without the slightest sign of anything unusual.
Forget it. He didn’t live there anymore anyway. Whatever happened had nothing to do with him.
Xu Muchan stopped dwelling on it, turned around, and entered the living room.
But although he didn’t want to concern himself with the Xu family’s affairs, the Xu family still came looking for him.
The next morning, when Xu Muchan was leaving for school, he ran into Xu Wangchuan.
Xu Wangchuan seemed to have been waiting there deliberately. When he saw Xu Muchan come out of the house, he smiled warmly and invited him to return to the Xu residence for a visit.
“There have been some problems with the family business. Dad became so angry that he was hospitalized, and he was only discharged yesterday. He’s resting at home now. Dad and Mom really miss you, Muchan. Come back and see them.”
Xu Muchan frowned as he looked at him. He couldn’t help feeling that there was something strange about Xu Wangchuan’s appearance. His body was thin and his complexion pale, clearly worn down by what had happened to the Xu family. Yet when he spoke about the family’s troubles, his face was filled with a smile, completely contrary to his appearance. Only his eyes remained cold and emotionless, like a puppet controlled by someone in a horror movie.
Moreover, the red lines resembling blood vessels that Xu Muchan had previously seen connecting Xu Wangchuan to the Wedding Deity were now gone.
Whether it was Xu Wangchuan or the Xu family, everything about them was strange.
Xu Muchan shook his head. “Xu Corporation is in trouble. I wouldn’t be able to help even if I went back. Besides, there’s nothing for me to say to them. We might end up arguing again after just a few words, which would only affect their recovery.”
After saying that, he got into the car and drove away.
Xu Wangchuan stood in front of the Xu family’s villa, watching the tail end of the Bentley gradually disappear into the distance. His expression twisted.
When Xu Muchan arrived at school and had just sat down, Wei Yao mysteriously leaned over again. “Something really seems to have happened to the Xu family. You didn’t go back yesterday, did you?”
Xu Muchan shook his head. “I ran into Xu Wangchuan this morning. He asked me to go back and visit, but I thought something was off about him, so I refused.”
“Good thing you refused. That bastard definitely isn’t up to anything good.”
Only then did Wei Yao explain more about the Xu family’s situation. “My grandfather said the Xu family has spent a fortune these past two days searching everywhere for experts. Something must have happened to them. He was worried you wouldn’t know, so he specifically told me to warn you. Don’t get involved in whatever the Xu family is doing. It’s best not to go back either. Who knows what kind of tricks they’re up to?”
This cleared up some of Xu Muchan’s doubts. It seemed likely that the Wedding Deity had returned.
Although he was somewhat puzzled about how quickly the Wedding Deity’s backlash had occurred, it had nothing to do with him anymore, so Xu Muchan pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
That evening, when Xu Muchan came home from school and passed by the Xu family’s villa, he saw that the darkened villa was indeed brightly lit. Cars filled the courtyard at the entrance, and quite a few people were standing around talking in the yard and even along the public road.
Judging by their clothing and appearance, they were probably all experts invited by the Xu family.
Exactly how much genuine ability these experts possessed, however, remained open to question.
Xu Muchan was just about to roll up the car window when he suddenly heard someone call his name. He leaned out to take a look and was surprised to see Yan He. Beside Yan He stood a man he didn’t recognize.
Xu Muchan got out of the car, somewhat surprised. “Daoist Yan, what are you doing here?”
Yan He said, “Something happened to the Xu family, so my senior brother and I came over to take a look.”
As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, “You and the Xu family…”
Xu Muchan answered frankly, “Xu Qingming is my father. I used to live with the Xu family, but later we had some disagreements and conflicts, so I moved out.”
Yan He recognized the car that had just driven away as a Bentley. He inhaled sharply. “Then you live…?”
Xu Muchan pointed toward another villa diagonally across the street. “I live with my older brother now. That’s where I live.”
Yan He laughed loudly inside his heart and cursed the evil rich people.
“Is this the little friend you mentioned before?” The man who had remained silent beside him sized up Xu Muchan with curiosity.
“Oh, yes, yes.” Only then did Yan He remember that he had not introduced them. He said to Xu Muchan, “This is my senior brother, Pei Rong. We’re disciples of the Mount Lao Sect. If you ever need anything, you can contact us. Our range of services is quite extensive.”
As he spoke, he solemnly handed over a business card.
Xu Muchan took it and looked at it. Their range of services really was extensive: from exorcising ghosts and reading feng shui to selling talismans and fortune-telling. Everything imaginable—and unimaginable—was listed.
Xu Muchan, however, did not dare seek their help. After all, there was already a ready-made evil spirit in his own home.
He politely acknowledged it and put away the business card.
Just as he was preparing to say goodbye and leave, another voice interrupted them.
“Daoist Yan, Daoist Pei, long time no see. I never expected to see the two of you here as well.”
Xu Muchan followed the voice and suddenly froze.
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a beard along his lower jaw. He looked shrewd and capable.
He was clearly there for Yan He and his senior brother and had not noticed Xu Muchan standing beside them.
Yan He seemed not to like him very much. After perfunctorily exchanging a few words, he dismissed the man.
Xu Muchan desperately controlled himself so that he would not let his gaze drift toward the middle-aged man.
Yan He muttered quietly, “Why is he here too?”
Pei Rong also seemed puzzled. “This man has never done anything without profit. Looks like something serious has happened to the Xu family this time.”
Xu Muchan barely managed to calm his turbulent emotions. With an expression of curiosity, he asked, “Who was that? Is he a Daoist too?”
Yan He curled his lip disdainfully. “He’s an unaffiliated occult practitioner named Cui Tong, not a proper Daoist. No one knows where he learned some of those unorthodox techniques. He does have some ability, but he never does anything good. He often operates right on the edge of the law. Although we don’t particularly like him, we haven’t been able to catch him doing anything.”
Xu Muchan asked, “He looks much older than the two of you, but he seemed very respectful toward you just now.”
“Just an act.”
Yan He said, “A smiling tiger like him, the kind who’ll eat you alive without leaving a bone behind, loves to build a reputation as a good old guy. I encountered him when I had just come down from the mountain. I was still young then and got cheated by him once.”
“If I’d known he was coming, I wouldn’t have come. The Xu family really has no standards this time—heaven knows who they’re inviting.”
Pei Rong comforted him. “So many people have come this time. We just need to do our own job. There’s no need to concern ourselves with anything else.”
Xu Muchan listened absentmindedly, exchanged a few more words with Yan He, and then returned home.
After entering the house and sitting down in the living room, he still looked dazed. He stared blankly for quite a while before taking out his phone and searching for the name “Cui Tong.” However, the search results contained no information about Cui Tong at all.
He put down his phone, his expression still absent and unsettled.
When Wei Xilou entered the house, this was the scene he saw. Frowning slightly, he approached and bent down to examine him.
“What happened?”
Xu Muchan shook his head and said nothing for a moment.
But Wei Xilou slipped a bank card into his hand.
“This is your allowance. The password is your birthday.”
Xu Muchan tightened his grip on the bank card and looked up at him blankly.
Wei Xilou touched his face and guessed, “Are you upset because of what happened to the Xu family?”
Xu Muchan shook his head. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly said, “I passed by the Xu residence just now… I saw the person who bought me all those years ago. That’s when I learned his name is Cui Tong, and that he’s an occult practitioner.”
“He looks exactly the same as he did more than ten years ago… He hasn’t changed at all. I don’t know whether he recognized me.”
Even less did he know why Cui Tong had come to the Xu residence this time.
The moment Xu Muchan recognized Cui Tong, it felt as though a heavy mountain had pressed down on his heart. It was as if the memories he had deliberately forgotten had been forcibly dragged back into the light, and those dark, moldy memories instantly overwhelmed him.
Back then, after Cui Tong bought him for fifty thousand yuan, he took him on a train and left Jiangcheng.
The old green train had been incredibly slow. Xu Muchan remembered that they had probably spent two days on it. During those two days, Cui Tong had not spoken a single word to him. He only asked Xu Muchan whether he wanted to eat when it was mealtime.
Xu Muchan did not know why he had been so afraid of him. He had not dared to cry or make a fuss. Whenever Cui Tong asked whether he wanted something to eat, he could only obediently nod.
After getting off the train, Cui Tong took him into the mountains on a tractor.
Afterward, he handed Xu Muchan over to his adoptive parents and left without saying a word.
His adoptive parents had no children. At first, seeing how obedient Xu Muchan was, they treated him reasonably well. But it did not take long for their true nature to reveal itself.
His adoptive father gambled and drank heavily. Whenever he lost money and got drunk, he would hit people—his adoptive mother and Xu Muchan alike.
Xu Muchan had been very young then. When he was frightened, he could not help crying, but the more he cried, the harder he was beaten. Gradually, he learned to endure it.
He had a good memory. He remembered that his adoptive parents were not his real parents, and he remembered that his home was in Jiangcheng. So whenever he was beaten particularly badly, he had tried to escape.
But Leigong Village was simply too remote. The mountain roads twisted and turned in a confusing maze.
Relying on his memory, he hid in the woods and stumbled toward the foot of the mountain. But just as he was about to reach the bottom, he saw Cui Tong in the forest.
Xu Muchan had no idea when Cui Tong had started following him. He was like a shadow, silently watching him.
Xu Muchan had been terrified. Afraid that Cui Tong would catch him and take him back, he ran forward with all his strength. But he had been too young then. After only a few steps, panic made him misstep, and he tumbled down the mountainside.
In his final memory of that escape, Cui Tong’s thin, elongated body—strangely resembling a paper effigy—bent down toward him. He was smiling at Xu Muchan.
When Xu Muchan woke up again, he found himself back in Leigong Village.
His furious adoptive father locked him in the woodshed. Even his adoptive mother, who had previously been relatively gentle toward him, stood outside cursing him and calling him an ungrateful wretch who could never be raised properly.
After that, Xu Muchan never had another chance to escape. Cui Tong never appeared again either, but that twisted, eerie shadow had left a permanent imprint of fear in his heart.
When he saw Cui Tong today, he had used every bit of self-control he possessed to keep himself from fleeing in panic.
Xu Muchan’s eyes were unfocused as he looked up at Wei Xilou and murmured, “He’s come to take me back again.”
“Who has come to take you back?”
“Cui Tong.”
Xu Muchan clutched Wei Xilou’s hand tightly, his teeth grinding together so hard they clicked, the veins on the side of his neck standing out.
Wei Xilou pulled him against his chest and gently patted his back. He continued asking, “Why does he want to take you back?”
Xu Muchan buried his face in Wei Xilou’s arms, his fingers clutching the fabric over Wei Xilou’s chest. In broken phrases, he said, “Because… because I ran away. He found out, and now he’s come to take me back again…”
Wei Xilou’s expression grew increasingly dark, but the hand stroking the young man’s back remained gentle.
“Ah Chan, you forgot. You have a brother now. You’re not alone anymore.”
Xu Muchan’s trembling body gradually calmed. He lifted his head and looked at Wei Xilou, as though desperately trying to regain control of his emotions. He repeated in a murmur, “Yes… they’re already dead. I have a brother now…”
After repeating it over and over, Xu Muchan finally seemed to break free from his fear. Color slowly returned to his pale face, though he lowered his eyes, too embarrassed to look at Wei Xilou.
Wei Xilou gently stroked his hair and did not question him further about what had just happened. Instead, he said, “The Wedding Deity’s veil has been removed. Do you want to go take a look?”
Xu Muchan froze. “Who removed it?”
Wei Xilou shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“That Cui Tong might have come for this as well.”
Xu Muchan bit the soft flesh inside his lip as he thought. He had originally wanted nothing to do with the Xu family’s affairs, but Cui Tong’s sudden appearance made it impossible for him not to care…
After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “There are many Daoists and monks at the Xu residence. Some of them might be frauds, but some may actually know what they’re doing. I’m afraid they’ll discover you…”
Wei Xilou laughed softly. “Even if they discover me, they can’t do anything to me. Ah Chan, you don’t need to worry.”
But Xu Muchan was not so optimistic. Yan He was a decent person, and Xu Muchan did not want to get into a conflict with him over something so unnecessary. After thinking it over, he said, “If you don’t do anything, they probably won’t notice anything unusual about you, right?”
Wei Xilou nodded.
Xu Muchan felt relieved. “Then don’t use your powers. We’ll pretend we’re there to visit someone who’s ill and take the opportunity to have a look. If anything seems wrong, we’ll leave immediately.”