40 hours ago.
Ye Feng sat on a chair. He was wrapped in talisman paper from head to toe, looking like a newly unearthed mummy.
Ye Shou stood in front of him, and with a few people he was slowly sticking talismans on him.
Ye Feng swallowed his saliva: "How many more rounds do we need?"
From the moment he confessed, Ye Shou dragged him away and stuffed him into this basement as if he was kidnapped. He waved his hand and a van of people came over, picked up the talisman paper and stuck it on him.
The purpose is to find out whether he is a human or a ghost, and whether he has any other physical conditions.
In fact, he and Lu Yingjiu had done the same thing before. Lu Yingjiu tried for a while but didn't find any problems with him.
Ye Shou was obviously more cautious.
It has been almost seven or eight hours since yesterday. Ye Shou has tried the talisman paper again and again, but he is still unwilling to give up.
In the meantime, Lu Yingjiu also sent a text message to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng really didn't have the energy to explain the situation, so he simply asked for leave.
"To be on the safe side, we need to do it a few more times." Ye Shou replied, and slapped him on the forehead.
Ye Feng's sight was blocked, and he had a pile of talisman papers in his hand. He didn't dare to move them randomly. He could only blow air continuously to blow up the papers. He briefly saw Ye Shou's busy figure.
Ye Shou was busy with his work, and suddenly asked: "He didn't tell you a word?"
This "he" refers to Ye Deyong.
Ye Feng blew the talisman paper and said, "Really not. I didn't find out until I went to collect his belongings later."
Ye Shou nodded and said, "That guy is really old and confused. He can do such a thing."
Ye Feng's face darkened and he remained silent. Then he screamed "Ah!" again - Ye Shou slapped a piece of talisman paper on his back without any hesitation.
After another whole night of tossing and turning, Ye Feng was finally allowed to take down all the talisman papers.
I didn't find anything abnormal about him.
But how to deal with it later is another matter. The rules of the Ye family have always been very strict, and they might just kick him out.
The others were so busy that they sat down on the ground. After saying hello to Ye Shou, they all left.
So only the father and son were left in the basement.
Ye Shou's back was soaked. He sat on the sofa shoulder to shoulder with Ye Feng. He poured a glass of water and pushed one to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng picked up the water glass.
He was also exhausted. While drinking water, he secretly looked at Ye Shou's expression.
Ye Shou still had no expression on his face, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
After a while, he said: "Ye Feng..."
Ye Feng sat up straight instinctively: "Yeah."
He still gets nervous whenever he hears Ye Shou talking.
Ye Shou: "The incident at the sanatorium happened almost half a year ago. What prompted you to tell the truth again?"
Ye Feng hesitated.
He really wanted to say that it was the story Lu Yingjiu told him that inspired him, but he didn't dare to speak out for fear of bringing bad luck to Ye Shou.
He said vaguely, "I can't tell you... at least not yet."
Ye Shou raised his eyes and said calmly: "Is it related to what you want to ask of me?"
"Yes." Ye Feng sat up straighter.
Ye Shou seemed to be thinking: "Tell me again what you want me to do."
Ye Feng spoke quickly: "That's right, I hope you can bring three or four more people from the Ye family with me to the Yueshan Sanatorium to summon the Li Snake when the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons begins. This is a very dangerous thing, and you may... die."
Ye Shou reacted immediately: "Is this a formation?"
"Yes." Ye Feng nodded.
Ye Shou: "Such a large formation, which requires special summoning of the Li Snake, should be related to the aristocratic family, and it took many years to set up. I have never heard of it. Either the confidentiality level is too high, or the people in charge of the formation are all dead. Who told you this?"
Without waiting for Ye Feng to answer, he narrowed his eyes again: "It can't be a big organization. If it is the Qingdeng Society, they would contact me directly. It's your friend, right? The only one who is so close to you is the one called Lu Yingjiu."
"Think about it carefully. When Yueshan Sanatorium was burned down, Ye Deyong's secret was not exposed immediately. It must be that Lu Yingjiu helped you cover it up... But you couldn't have kept it a secret by yourself."
Ye Feng's scalp tingled. Ye Shou had basically guessed everything right.
He said: "Yes, it is related to Lu Yingjiu."
"Oh." Ye Shou looked a little strange, and glanced at him. "The last time I saw him was a few years ago, when he was still the chief."
Ye Feng thought to himself, I remember it exactly.
Every time Ye Shou finished drinking with Lu Ying, he would always criticize Ye Feng. His main idea was, "You are the child of another person. He is younger than you and is with you every day. How come you are not even one ten-thousandth as good as him?"
"So it was him..." Ye Shou stroked his chin, "I'll go meet him."
Ye Feng was startled and said quickly: "He has been busy recently, and I am sorry to bother him. This matter concerns his life. Just tell me what you want to say."
Ye Shou: “…”
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Ye Feng.
Ye Feng's whole body stiffened and he sat on the sofa, not daring to even breathe.
After a long while, Ye Shou said, "You come and confess. It may also be related to Lu Yingjiu's matter."
"Yes." Ye Feng swallowed his saliva, "If I hide something, I am not qualified to ask for your help."
Ye Shou nodded and drank a few sips of water slowly, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Ye Feng lowered his head.
Ye Shou said: "Then why do you want to help him?"
"Huh?" Ye Feng didn't react.
"Why are you helping him?"
Ye Feng had never thought about this question before, and answered hesitantly: "Because... he is my friend."
"Friend?" Ye Shou put down the cup and frowned, as if slightly angry. "If it's really as dangerous as you said, what will you do if I don't agree to it?"
"I will go look for other people in the family." Ye Feng answered stiffly, "If I can't find anyone, I will look for them again. Even if there is no one, I will go by myself."
"Why?" Ye Shou asked again, "Just for a friend? Do you think it's worth your life and the lives of other members of the Ye family?"
Ye Feng: “…”
Ye Shou added: "What if he is lying to you? What if his method is not correct at all? Have you considered this possibility? We are already prepared to resist the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. There is no need to take more risks."
Ye Feng clenched his fingers.
He raised his head, and for the first time in his life, he looked at Ye Shou with anger: "Isn't it worth it? Lu Yingjiu would never lie to me."
"You're the one who taught me to be brave since I was a child, weren't you the one who taught me the duties of an exorcist? That's why I know that I have to protect everyone around me, and that's why I know what selflessness is. What's more, he is my best friend, and no one can replace him."
"You can reject my request and kick me out of the house, but I really can't accept asking such questions and saying such words. Even if he is not my friend, even if I don't know him, I will save him."
He was trembling all over. "I have always regarded you as a role model. I feel that I will never be able to catch up with you in my lifetime. You... you really disappoint me."
He quickly put the glass of water on the table, stood up and walked out the door.
"Ye Feng." Ye Shou called him from behind, "Ye Feng!"
Ye Feng stopped and did not look back.
Ye Shou said: "I will still go find a way to welcome the wine."
Ye Feng clenched his fists.
Ye Shou took a deep breath: "... I also want to listen to the story he told."
Ye Feng was stunned and turned back suddenly.
The man stood up and walked over to him. "How can I help you if I don't know the whole story? Besides, I'm also very curious about that formation."
Ye Feng: "... Didn't you say it's not worth the risk?"
"At that time, if I didn't stimulate you, you would be like a mute person, not saying a word." Ye Shou said, "But I didn't expect that you would dare to get angry with me. It's hard to control children when they grow up."
Ye Feng was stunned, and said in a sullen tone: "I'm almost 28."
Ye Shou clicked his tongue: "Still a child."
"About that formation..." Ye Feng asked.
"I will help," Ye Shou said, "You have come this far, how can I, as a father, lose face?"
Ye Feng's eyes lit up with almost unbelievable joy.
Ye Shou said, "Go upstairs and have a rest. Your room has just been cleaned."
He suddenly smiled again—Ye Feng hadn't seen him smile like this for a long time. He smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Good job, now he looks like my son. Well done."
He patted Ye Feng on the shoulder: "You are already a very good exorcist. I am very proud of you for being able to say what you just said."
After Ye Feng went upstairs, Ye Shou also returned to his room.
He sat at his desk, thinking back to what had just happened, still with that barely perceptible smile on his face.
He drank his tea and opened the drawer in the corner.
In the drawer were photocopies of information that the Qingdeng Society had disclosed to the noble families.
He pulled out a folder.
It contains all Ye Feng's commission reports.
There was his first commission, every one of his investigation reports, and a large-scale ghost exorcism commission he had worked on with others... Spanning more than a decade, the earliest few records had turned yellow, and it was obvious that they had been read many times.
Ye Feng never knew that Ye Shou was not as cold as he seemed.
His father has always been silently paying attention to him and caring about every one of his entrustments.
Ye Shou smiled and shook his head: "This kid is really..."
When he put the folder away, his face became expressionless and serious again.
Early the next morning, he and Ye Feng went to Lu Ying Restaurant.
…
Lu Ying looked at Ye Shou in front of him and asked hesitantly: "Is Ye Feng with you?"
Ye Feng poked his head out from behind Ye Shou: "I'm here."
He was so exhausted from working on the talisman paper that he had dark circles under his eyes.
Lu Yingjiu opened the door and let everyone in.
Ye Shou's eyes, as sharp as a knife, immediately fell on Jing Xian in the room.
Jing Xian gave a false and friendly smile - under Lu Yingjiu's guidance, his expression was extremely deceptive and harmless.
He came to the world of the living in a mortal body. Ye Shou did not find anything wrong and just thought he was Lu Yingjiu's friend.
They sat on the sofa.
Ye Feng coughed and said, "My dad came here to understand the whole story."
Lu Yingjiu was a little surprised.
Ye Feng told him his experience of the day in full.
Ye Shou also said: "This matter is not only related to you, but also to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Of course, our Ye family will take care of it."
Then Lu Yingjiu expressed his gratitude and told Ye Shou the whole story.
After listening to this, Ye Shou went to the balcony and lit a cigarette.
After he finished drawing, he said, "I understand. I'll start arranging people right away. Let me confirm again, when is the time for stepping on the formation?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it will be the afternoon of the day after tomorrow." Lu Yingjiu replied, "First go to Shangyang City, then go to Kangli Bridge, Yunshan Port and Yueshan Sanatorium."
Ye Shou nodded: "Okay. In addition, I can think of a few candidates from the Chen family who happen to be near the scouting location. We will contact them when we get there."
Lu Yingjiu hesitated for a moment and said, "Then Ye Feng..."
He was worried that he would really be kicked out after Ye Feng confessed.
Ye Feng was also listening with bated breath.
Ye Shou did not comment: "Let's talk about it after this is over."
The Ye family father and son left.
Lu Yingjiu let out a long sigh and sat on the sofa.
The sun was shining brightly outside, shining gently through the curtains, and he smiled.
Jing Xian sat next to him and kissed him: "Now the Chen family is really the only one left."
"Yes." Lu Yingjiu nodded and murmured, "Finally..."
In the remaining days, they prepared the items needed for the scouting, and Lu Yingjiu stuffed several large bags with talisman paper.
Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, a group of people showed up at the Luying Bar in a noisy manner.
In order to welcome them, the bar put up a "temporary service" sign, and Yao Gou and A Mei happily went on paid leave.
Ye Shou and Ye Feng came first with a few members of the Ye family.
While drinking the wine mixed by Ye Feng, Ye Shou coldly criticized him for his poor craftsmanship and the others for being idle - Ye Shou's style was originally wild, and his confidants were of the same style, with bulging muscles, fierce faces, gold chains and big flowery arms.
He doesn't seem like a decent helper, but more like... a loan shark coming to the bar to collect debts.
After a while, there was another sound of car noise outside.
Lu Yingjiu looked outside and saw an entire convoy of luxurious cars driving into the parking lot in a mighty manner.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
You can't even guess who it is with your feet.
The door of the leading Rolls-Royce opened, and Young Master Chu, dressed in a suit and tie, got out. He wore sunglasses and touched his watch. Immediately, several people followed him, also dressed in designer clothes and looking very showy. They followed him upstairs.
In fact, there were only three or four people following Chu Banyang. If there were more, it would affect the stability of the formation.
As for why a convoy came...
It’s purely Young Master Chu’s habit.
As soon as they went upstairs, they saw the Ye family, who looked like gangsters, sitting at the bar drinking.
Ye Shou stretched his muscles and bones, making a "click" sound, and reached out his hand: "Hello, Chief Chu, I have heard a lot about you."
"Hello, I've heard a lot about you." Chu Banyang replied politely and waved his hand. The Chu family also found a place to sit down.
Now, the tattooed guys were drinking, while the brand-name elites were sitting dignified. This bar looked like it was occupied by a loan shark gang and gigolos, but the two were polite and happy.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Even though he was well-informed, he was still shocked by the scene.
When he finally spoke, his tone was his usual calm. "We should set out in another hour," he looked around. "Let me first briefly tell you what the enemy is like and what you need to watch out for."
Some of the people present did not know the truth, but they trusted Chu Banyang and Ye Shou unconditionally.
Therefore, Lu Yingjiu tried his best to explain to them the servants' weaknesses, the patterns of their appearance, and the basic operating principles of the formation without revealing more information.
After a brief talk, the time was almost up.
Ye Shou drank the last bit of wine, stood up and said, "Let's go then."
"... Wait a little longer." Chu Banyang said, checking his watch, "Wait another ten minutes."
Ye Shou raised his eyebrows: "Chief Chu is waiting for someone?"
"I guess so." Chu Banyang did not comment. "I don't know if he will come, but let's wait another ten minutes."
Ten minutes is enough.
Everyone was not in a hurry and started discussing what Lu Yingjiu said. If there was anything they were uncertain about, they would go and ask him again.
Ten minutes later, the visitor Chu Banyang mentioned still hadn't arrived.
Chu Banyang checked his watch again: "Let's go, he may not come."
"Who is it?" Lu Ying asked drunkenly.
Chu Banyang just shook his head.
The loan shark gang and the gigolo group left the bar and went to the parking lot downstairs.
In the distance, there was a sound of horns honking one after another.
Ye Feng muttered, "Why is the traffic so congested today? We're going to be stuck all the way to the airport."
Lu Yingjiu glanced at the navigation and said, "The direction to the airport is not very congested, and we definitely have enough time."
Everyone got on the bus.
Four or five cars set off in a mighty procession.
The road to the airport was not blocked, but it was also moving slowly. They had only driven four or five hundred meters, stopping and starting, when suddenly Chu Banyang's phone rang.
He answered the phone and raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Huh? You're almost there? We're not in the bar anymore."
"Not far, just a few hundred meters."
"There's still room on the bus... I'll tell the others. Didn't you come by car?"
"Oh, you're stuck in traffic. How did you get here?"
"ah?"
Chu Banyang was stunned and turned back subconsciously.
Not only him, but Lu Yingjiu in another car also noticed that something seemed to appear in the rearview mirror.
He narrowed his eyes.
That looks like a... cyclist?
The rider, with his big belly, was riding a small shared bike, sweating profusely and pedaling with all his strength. He looked familiar, and waved as he rode.
A little closer, the road became clear.
This... This is actually Chen Zheng? !
Why is he here, and why is he riding a bicycle here? !
Chen Zheng was panting and pedaling hard to catch up with them. Behind him, several members of the Chen family appeared on shared bicycles, carrying large and small bags, riding in a mighty procession. The scene was very spectacular.
Lu Yingjiu rolled down the car window.
Chen Zheng saw him, his eyes lit up, and he gasped and shouted: "Wait for me!"
The front of his car tilted and he nearly fell down, but he twisted it back around and finally stopped awkwardly next to the car window.
Lu Yingjiu: "...Hello?"
"I'm here," Chen Zheng was panting so hard that he couldn't speak. "I'm here."
Lu Yingjiu said: "I thought you had rejected me."
"I changed my mind." Chen Zheng took a few more breaths and winked back.
The person on the bicycle behind immediately rummaged through his travel bag and found a huge thermos cup and a brand new bell cup.
There was fragrant hot tea in the thermos, which was poured into the cup. Chen Zheng took it and handed a cup to Lu Yingjiu.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Carrying this kind of thing on the road, he is worthy of being Chen Zheng.
There is scented tea in the cup.
It's his favorite kind.
Chen Zheng forced out a fat smile: "Yes, I was very cowardly, so cowardly that I didn't dare to doubt Chen Qi, so cowardly that my father didn't dare to tell me the truth. I thought I was smart and used past evidence to accuse you and drove you out of the club. You will probably look down on me for the rest of your life."
But he remembered that Chen Minlan said she hoped he would become a brave man.
He also thought about how he and Chen Minlan had been tracking down human skins/masks over the years. They had only one goal from the beginning to the end: to fulfill their duties and create a better world.
He shouldn't have forgotten this.
Chu Banyang asked for leave from the meeting at this juncture, and Chen Zheng knew that he must have contacted Lu Yingjiu.
Obviously, Lu Yingjiu and Chu Banyang were both promoted by him.
Among these people now, who doesn't look more like an exorcist than him
He asked Chu Banyang about the meeting place and rushed there at the last minute.
Chen Zheng took a sip of tea, sighed with satisfaction, and continued, "I have been thinking about what you said over and over again, and finally decided to come here. One cannot be a coward all his life. I still want to be a passionate young man again." He smiled awkwardly and said, "After all, I want to drink tea with you in the future."
Lu Yingjiu raised an eyebrow: "You are a bit far from the word 'young man'."
"I'm always eighteen years old at heart." Chen Zheng raised his glass. "Young people can't drink alcohol, so let's drink tea instead. Cheers!"
“…” Lu Yingjiu smiled and raised his glass, “Cheers.”