Chapter 113: Chi Shen's Eagerness.
Chi Shen then extracted another small ghost from the old man's hand. Instead of crushing it immediately, he offered it to the onlookers.
No one accepted, their eyes wide with fear. Zhong Yi's aunt was the first to recover, exclaiming, "Oh no, elder brother!"
The other two echoed the sentiment, "I'll fetch him; he seldom uses his phone."
"I'll call him instead!"
In a frenzy, they began notifying Zhong Jingsong, asking Zhong Yi's aunt to tend to the elderly man, and promptly dashed out of the room.
Both Zhong Yi and Chi Shen, unaware of the earlier events, looked perplexed by the rapid developments. Perhaps sensing his family's inappropriate behavior towards Chi Shen, Zhong Yi apologized, "Something must have happened to grandfather earlier, so my uncles... were a bit hostile. I'm sorry, I should've informed them beforehand."
Chi Shen seemed unperturbed by the situation, his focus solely on the little ghost in his hand. "Is this how the Zhong family typically treats its elderly?" he inquired with a tone of intrigue.
"We didn't do this. Someone else had..." The worry was evident on Zhong Yi's aunt's face. Pausing momentarily, she continued, "Someone had come to help earlier. We thought grandpa would get better, not realizing such methods were used."
Chi Shen played with the little ghost in his hand, its cries amusing him enough to draw a smile on his face.
Upon seeing Chi Shen's playful grin, Zhong Yi's aunt couldn't shake off the feeling that he derived joy from encountering ghosts. She recalled the ease with which he captured the spirit, treating it almost like a toy.
Zhong Yi's aunt cast a glance at Zhong Yi, contemplating voicing her concerns but ultimately deciding against it. She shifted further away from Chi Shen.
She was soon grateful for her decision as Chi Shen's shadow began to manifest into a dapper man wearing a suit. With cold eyes yet handsome features, the man adjusted his glasses and asked, "If you can see me, why couldn't you detect these two ghosts?"
The situation stunned even Zhong Yi. Upon entering earlier, he had missed both the ghosts on his grandpa and the entity residing in Chi Shen's shadow.
Some elders of the Zhong family had detected the presence of the entity, Ji Xing Chen, but missed the spirits on their patriarch, leaving them perplexed.
"There was no trace of any ghostly aura on grandpa," Zhong Yi's aunt voiced hesitantly.
Chi Shen nodded in agreement, "Indeed, he appeared completely normal, just like any other comatose patient."
Pausing briefly, Zhong Yi's aunt tried formulating a counter but let it go, saying, "We were waiting outside the room. When that person entered, we noticed nothing amiss."
"Could it be possible," Chi Shen pondered aloud, "that you simply can't perceive this type of ghost?"
Once again, he offered the small ghost to them.
Hesitating for a moment, Zhong Yi's aunt reached out to touch the ghost, expressing her astonishment, "I can't feel any malevolent energy."
Zhong Yi chimed in, "Neither can I."
Ji Xing Chen, without mincing his words, bluntly stated, "Someone has thoroughly studied and deceived you."
His directness stung, making Zhong Yi's aunt visibly uncomfortable. Regardless, she replied, "We truly appreciate your help this time. But how were you able to detect these ghosts?"
Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Chi Shen cheerily stuffed the remaining ghost into his bag, effectively silencing it. He jovially responded, "Humans and ghosts perceive things differently. Someone deceived your senses, rendering you blind to them—"
Ji Xing Chen interrupted calmly, "I alerted Chi Shen. From my perspective, these two ghosts were visible."
Chi Shen gave Ji Xing Chen a playful sideways glance. Unfazed, Ji Xing Chen continued, "I've said what I needed to."
Then, he vanished once more into the deep shadows of the pond.
Quickly realizing the trick behind it all, Zhong Yi's aunt muttered, "This was designed to deceive us."
After speaking, she turned her gaze back to the depth of the pond. Noticing that Ji Xingchen had disappeared, she anxiously asked, "Can your ghostly friend discern what's wrong with our elderly master?"
"Well..." looking towards the sickbed, Chi Shen suggested, "I advise you to have a thorough examination of the master's heart. At his age, conditions like coronary heart disease are not uncommon."
As they conversed, noises echoed down the hospital corridor.
Being a hospital building and especially a special ward, it's typically quiet here, making the sounds quite clear.
"I must thank Brother Bai for this. However, regarding our family's ancient records, I'll need to discuss with our elders first. The few of us here can't make the decision," a rather steady voice remarked.
"I'm in no rush. However, I'm uncertain about how much longer the old master can hold on. It'd be best if you could expedite arrangements," another voice commented.
Hearing this, Zhong Yi's aunt grew angry. She said to Chi Shen, "Excuse me, I need to handle some matters."
Recognizing one voice as Bai Ximing's, Zhong Yi quickly turned to Chi Shen, explaining hastily, "I'm aware of the tension between you two. I intended to bring you here at a different time to avoid him; I didn't expect him to be here today."
Seeing Zhong Yi's tense demeanor, Chi Shen chuckled, "While I'm not fond of my biological father, there's no need for you to avoid him on my behalf. I don't wish to not see him, in fact, I'm quite curious about his current expression."
With that, Chi Shen approached the ward door and opened it.
Outside in the corridor, Zhong Yi's aunt was engaged in a discussion. Bai Ximing looked displeased and was asserting himself, "These are secret techniques of the Bai family. You can't sense any dark energy because I've dealt with those ghosts using our techniques. They're harmless to humans. I've already employed our secret methods, yet you doubt me? Find someone else then!"
Having said that, he seemed ready to walk away.
"Father," Chi Shen's voice resonated in the corridor, with a hint of amusement, "What a coincidence to find you here."
Bai Ximing, clearly taken aback upon hearing Chi Shen's voice, composed himself, turned to look at Chi Shen and replied with a smile, "Chi Shen, what brings you here?"
Zhong Jingsong promptly interjected, "Brother Bai, what's going on here?"
Having heard Zhong Yi's aunt's earlier confrontation, Zhong Jingsong grasped the situation. Perhaps due to the fact that he had sought Bai family's help as a last resort in the capital, or possibly trusting such a prominent family, he still seemed in disbelief and felt the need to ask Bai Ximing again upon knowing the truth.
Ignoring him, Bai Ximing addressed Chi Shen, "Did you enjoy the gift I sent you some days ago? I have many more, would you like to take a look?"
"Of course," Chi Shen readily agreed.
Hearing those words, Bai Ximing took a deep breath and smiled, "Then I won't impose any longer today. I'll be on my way."
With that, he turned to leave.
"However, Dad, you've left something behind."
Chi Shen reached into his pocket, holding up a small ghost.
Bai Ximing's face momentarily faltered at the sight of the ghost, but he quickly regained composure, chuckling, "Chi Shen, that isn't mine. You're mistaken."
"Oh, is that so?" Chi Shen released his grip.
The little ghost gently floated down from Chi Shen's hand and immediately dashed towards Bai Ximing, latching onto his leg and sobbing pitifully.
Everyone present exchanged glances, shifting their gaze between the ghost and Bai Ximing.
Although Zhong Yi wasn't sure about the specifics, he felt compelled to intervene.
— Specifically, to uphold his duties as a Special Security Bureau officer.
So, Zhong Yi produced special handcuffs, stepping up to Bai Ximing, "You're under suspicion of harboring ghosts. Please come with me."
Bai Ximing was visibly reluctant, but after Zhong Yi recounted the consequences of non-cooperation and with the support of his own relatives, Bai Ximing was eventually escorted away.
As they left, Bai Ximing cast a meaningful glance at Chi Shen.
Chi Shen merely smiled, watching him depart.
Once they had disappeared down the hospital corridor, Chi Shen returned to Elder Zhong's room. After standing by the old man's bed for a moment, he mused, "How long do you reckon he'll stay in custody?"
Ji Xingchen's voice emerged from the shadows, "Not too long."
"It will indeed take some time," Chi Shen continued, "I might not be familiar with all the regulations, but based on Yuan Yiping's words, this seems like a complicated matter."
Speaking, Chi Shen reached out, extracting a brown thread from the top of Elder Zhong's head.
The thread writhed as if alive during the extraction. At the same time, Elder Zhong's body convulsed. Once fully removed, the thread lost its vitality, appearing no different from ordinary sewing thread, and Elder Zhong's convulsions ceased, his body returning to its pallid state.
"An intriguing little thing," Chi Shen remarked, stowing away the brown thread, "I'll leave the rest to them."
The Zhong family members hadn't been gone long, especially with their patriarch still there. Within minutes, Zhong Yi's aunt returned. Shortly after, two elders who had gone to find Zhong Jingsong also came back. Upon entering, all three found the patient's room empty.
“Did Zhong Yi's friend just leave like that?” An elder from the Zhong family inquired.
Zhong Yi's aunt replied, “It seems so. He didn't even say goodbye.”
“What about Dad?”
After a moment's thought, Zhong Yi's aunt remembered, “He mentioned earlier about giving Dad a thorough heart examination.”
Growing increasingly anxious about being deceived by Bai Ximing and the deteriorating condition of the elder, someone voiced, “But hasn’t that examination been done before? Dad's health was completely fine!”
“Let's have him checked again, just in case… you never know.”
The group exchanged glances and after consulting the eldest brother who just returned, decided to admit Elder Zhong for further tests.
By then, Chi Shen was at the entrance of the hospital's subway station, checking his phone for directions home.
Knowing Zhong Yi couldn’t escort him again, Chi Shen decided to take a stroll through the hospital garden. Maybe he could gather some inspiration for his own balcony. By the time he emerged, he saw vehicles from the Special Security Bureau parked outside. They seemed quite preoccupied, so he didn’t disturb them.
“Don’t you want their gratitude?” Ji Xingchen's voice emerged from the shadows, sounding as if it whispered directly into Chi Shen’s ear.
Chi Shen subconsciously touched his ear, feeling a tickling sensation. He responded, “It would be such a hassle with all the elders there. Just the formalities alone would take forever. I was just here to thank Zhong Yi for driving us to Hongcheng Eleventh Middle School and to lend a hand along the way.”
Ji Xingchen remained silent.
Breaking the silence, Chi Shen cheerfully asked, “Craving something? Let’s grab a bite later.”
Chapter 113: Chi Shen's Eagerness.
Chi Shen then extracted another small ghost from the old man's hand. Instead of crushing it immediately, he offered it to the onlookers.
No one accepted, their eyes wide with fear. Zhong Yi's aunt was the first to recover, exclaiming, "Oh no, elder brother!"
The other two echoed the sentiment, "I'll fetch him; he seldom uses his phone."
"I'll call him instead!"
In a frenzy, they began notifying Zhong Jingsong, asking Zhong Yi's aunt to tend to the elderly man, and promptly dashed out of the room.
Both Zhong Yi and Chi Shen, unaware of the earlier events, looked perplexed by the rapid developments. Perhaps sensing his family's inappropriate behavior towards Chi Shen, Zhong Yi apologized, "Something must have happened to grandfather earlier, so my uncles... were a bit hostile. I'm sorry, I should've informed them beforehand."
Chi Shen seemed unperturbed by the situation, his focus solely on the little ghost in his hand. "Is this how the Zhong family typically treats its elderly?" he inquired with a tone of intrigue.
"We didn't do this. Someone else had..." The worry was evident on Zhong Yi's aunt's face. Pausing momentarily, she continued, "Someone had come to help earlier. We thought grandpa would get better, not realizing such methods were used."
Chi Shen played with the little ghost in his hand, its cries amusing him enough to draw a smile on his face.
Upon seeing Chi Shen's playful grin, Zhong Yi's aunt couldn't shake off the feeling that he derived joy from encountering ghosts. She recalled the ease with which he captured the spirit, treating it almost like a toy.
Zhong Yi's aunt cast a glance at Zhong Yi, contemplating voicing her concerns but ultimately deciding against it. She shifted further away from Chi Shen.
She was soon grateful for her decision as Chi Shen's shadow began to manifest into a dapper man wearing a suit. With cold eyes yet handsome features, the man adjusted his glasses and asked, "If you can see me, why couldn't you detect these two ghosts?"
The situation stunned even Zhong Yi. Upon entering earlier, he had missed both the ghosts on his grandpa and the entity residing in Chi Shen's shadow.
Some elders of the Zhong family had detected the presence of the entity, Ji Xing Chen, but missed the spirits on their patriarch, leaving them perplexed.
"There was no trace of any ghostly aura on grandpa," Zhong Yi's aunt voiced hesitantly.
Chi Shen nodded in agreement, "Indeed, he appeared completely normal, just like any other comatose patient."
Pausing briefly, Zhong Yi's aunt tried formulating a counter but let it go, saying, "We were waiting outside the room. When that person entered, we noticed nothing amiss."
"Could it be possible," Chi Shen pondered aloud, "that you simply can't perceive this type of ghost?"
Once again, he offered the small ghost to them.
Hesitating for a moment, Zhong Yi's aunt reached out to touch the ghost, expressing her astonishment, "I can't feel any malevolent energy."
Zhong Yi chimed in, "Neither can I."
Ji Xing Chen, without mincing his words, bluntly stated, "Someone has thoroughly studied and deceived you."
His directness stung, making Zhong Yi's aunt visibly uncomfortable. Regardless, she replied, "We truly appreciate your help this time. But how were you able to detect these ghosts?"
Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Chi Shen cheerily stuffed the remaining ghost into his bag, effectively silencing it. He jovially responded, "Humans and ghosts perceive things differently. Someone deceived your senses, rendering you blind to them—"
Ji Xing Chen interrupted calmly, "I alerted Chi Shen. From my perspective, these two ghosts were visible."
Chi Shen gave Ji Xing Chen a playful sideways glance. Unfazed, Ji Xing Chen continued, "I've said what I needed to."
Then, he vanished once more into the deep shadows of the pond.
Quickly realizing the trick behind it all, Zhong Yi's aunt muttered, "This was designed to deceive us."
After speaking, she turned her gaze back to the depth of the pond. Noticing that Ji Xingchen had disappeared, she anxiously asked, "Can your ghostly friend discern what's wrong with our elderly master?"
"Well..." looking towards the sickbed, Chi Shen suggested, "I advise you to have a thorough examination of the master's heart. At his age, conditions like coronary heart disease are not uncommon."
As they conversed, noises echoed down the hospital corridor.
Being a hospital building and especially a special ward, it's typically quiet here, making the sounds quite clear.
"I must thank Brother Bai for this. However, regarding our family's ancient records, I'll need to discuss with our elders first. The few of us here can't make the decision," a rather steady voice remarked.
"I'm in no rush. However, I'm uncertain about how much longer the old master can hold on. It'd be best if you could expedite arrangements," another voice commented.
Hearing this, Zhong Yi's aunt grew angry. She said to Chi Shen, "Excuse me, I need to handle some matters."
Recognizing one voice as Bai Ximing's, Zhong Yi quickly turned to Chi Shen, explaining hastily, "I'm aware of the tension between you two. I intended to bring you here at a different time to avoid him; I didn't expect him to be here today."
Seeing Zhong Yi's tense demeanor, Chi Shen chuckled, "While I'm not fond of my biological father, there's no need for you to avoid him on my behalf. I don't wish to not see him, in fact, I'm quite curious about his current expression."
With that, Chi Shen approached the ward door and opened it.
Outside in the corridor, Zhong Yi's aunt was engaged in a discussion. Bai Ximing looked displeased and was asserting himself, "These are secret techniques of the Bai family. You can't sense any dark energy because I've dealt with those ghosts using our techniques. They're harmless to humans. I've already employed our secret methods, yet you doubt me? Find someone else then!"
Having said that, he seemed ready to walk away.
"Father," Chi Shen's voice resonated in the corridor, with a hint of amusement, "What a coincidence to find you here."
Bai Ximing, clearly taken aback upon hearing Chi Shen's voice, composed himself, turned to look at Chi Shen and replied with a smile, "Chi Shen, what brings you here?"
Zhong Jingsong promptly interjected, "Brother Bai, what's going on here?"
Having heard Zhong Yi's aunt's earlier confrontation, Zhong Jingsong grasped the situation. Perhaps due to the fact that he had sought Bai family's help as a last resort in the capital, or possibly trusting such a prominent family, he still seemed in disbelief and felt the need to ask Bai Ximing again upon knowing the truth.
Ignoring him, Bai Ximing addressed Chi Shen, "Did you enjoy the gift I sent you some days ago? I have many more, would you like to take a look?"
"Of course," Chi Shen readily agreed.
Hearing those words, Bai Ximing took a deep breath and smiled, "Then I won't impose any longer today. I'll be on my way."
With that, he turned to leave.
"However, Dad, you've left something behind."
Chi Shen reached into his pocket, holding up a small ghost.
Bai Ximing's face momentarily faltered at the sight of the ghost, but he quickly regained composure, chuckling, "Chi Shen, that isn't mine. You're mistaken."
"Oh, is that so?" Chi Shen released his grip.
The little ghost gently floated down from Chi Shen's hand and immediately dashed towards Bai Ximing, latching onto his leg and sobbing pitifully.
Everyone present exchanged glances, shifting their gaze between the ghost and Bai Ximing.
Although Zhong Yi wasn't sure about the specifics, he felt compelled to intervene.
— Specifically, to uphold his duties as a Special Security Bureau officer.
So, Zhong Yi produced special handcuffs, stepping up to Bai Ximing, "You're under suspicion of harboring ghosts. Please come with me."
Bai Ximing was visibly reluctant, but after Zhong Yi recounted the consequences of non-cooperation and with the support of his own relatives, Bai Ximing was eventually escorted away.
As they left, Bai Ximing cast a meaningful glance at Chi Shen.
Chi Shen merely smiled, watching him depart.
Once they had disappeared down the hospital corridor, Chi Shen returned to Elder Zhong's room. After standing by the old man's bed for a moment, he mused, "How long do you reckon he'll stay in custody?"
Ji Xingchen's voice emerged from the shadows, "Not too long."
"It will indeed take some time," Chi Shen continued, "I might not be familiar with all the regulations, but based on Yuan Yiping's words, this seems like a complicated matter."
Speaking, Chi Shen reached out, extracting a brown thread from the top of Elder Zhong's head.
The thread writhed as if alive during the extraction. At the same time, Elder Zhong's body convulsed. Once fully removed, the thread lost its vitality, appearing no different from ordinary sewing thread, and Elder Zhong's convulsions ceased, his body returning to its pallid state.
"An intriguing little thing," Chi Shen remarked, stowing away the brown thread, "I'll leave the rest to them."
The Zhong family members hadn't been gone long, especially with their patriarch still there. Within minutes, Zhong Yi's aunt returned. Shortly after, two elders who had gone to find Zhong Jingsong also came back. Upon entering, all three found the patient's room empty.
“Did Zhong Yi's friend just leave like that?” An elder from the Zhong family inquired.
Zhong Yi's aunt replied, “It seems so. He didn't even say goodbye.”
“What about Dad?”
After a moment's thought, Zhong Yi's aunt remembered, “He mentioned earlier about giving Dad a thorough heart examination.”
Growing increasingly anxious about being deceived by Bai Ximing and the deteriorating condition of the elder, someone voiced, “But hasn’t that examination been done before? Dad's health was completely fine!”
“Let's have him checked again, just in case… you never know.”
The group exchanged glances and after consulting the eldest brother who just returned, decided to admit Elder Zhong for further tests.
By then, Chi Shen was at the entrance of the hospital's subway station, checking his phone for directions home.
Knowing Zhong Yi couldn’t escort him again, Chi Shen decided to take a stroll through the hospital garden. Maybe he could gather some inspiration for his own balcony. By the time he emerged, he saw vehicles from the Special Security Bureau parked outside. They seemed quite preoccupied, so he didn’t disturb them.
“Don’t you want their gratitude?” Ji Xingchen's voice emerged from the shadows, sounding as if it whispered directly into Chi Shen’s ear.
Chi Shen subconsciously touched his ear, feeling a tickling sensation. He responded, “It would be such a hassle with all the elders there. Just the formalities alone would take forever. I was just here to thank Zhong Yi for driving us to Hongcheng Eleventh Middle School and to lend a hand along the way.”
Ji Xingchen remained silent.
Breaking the silence, Chi Shen cheerfully asked, “Craving something? Let’s grab a bite later.”
