When the Fox was alive, its entire body had been blazing red, but now it had turned pitch black. Its tongue hung out of its mouth, and its dilated pupils were fixed on several of Sun Liancheng's relatives sitting on the ground. Even ordinary people without the Heavenly Eye could sense the thick black Aura of the Fox. A few timid ones were so scared that they nearly soiled themselves, and a pungent stench filled the air. But at this point, no one paid much attention to it.
The crowd behind had stopped in their tracks, all eyes wide open, staring at the dead fox, their bodies frozen in place.
At that moment, Sun Fatty suddenly sprang into action. He retrieved a cloth bag from his prepared supplies and carefully placed the dead Arcanobeast inside. Only then did the Sun family members begin to understand what had just happened. The timid ones hurried off to change their pants, while the braver ones approached to glance at the lying Sun Liancheng.
Sun Liancheng had already returned to his original appearance. Although now emaciated, with yellowish waxy skin and bones visible beneath his skin, he still looked human. With a year or so of recuperation, he could fully recover.
Upon seeing Sun Liancheng's human form restored, the relatives began whispering among themselves:"I told you, these two masters are skilled! Look at the other so-called masters who only know how to ask for money—they summon old deities from the heavens. Those deities are just boiler operators in the sky; no matter how well they operate the boiler, they can't touch a fox spirit. And now look at these two masters—first summoning Jay Chou, then Song Zuying… unbelievable! Imagine how much they earned just by singing a single verse."
Sun Liancheng's uncle squeezed through the crowd and approached Sun Fatty and me. The old man, now completely free of the earlier shouting and scolding, wore a broad smile and said:"Two masters, you've worked hard. You are Sun Liancheng's benefactors—truly the benefactors of the Old Sun family. There's nothing more to say. The banquet is already prepared; we just await your presence at the table."
As I was about to politely say a few words and collect the payment, Sun Fatty gave me a discreet signal. Then, suddenly flipping his eyelids, he pulled out a talisman paper from behind him and scattered it around the sleeping Sun Liancheng while chanting:"Hey! Bold Nyeh. I must say, this Arcanobeast is already deceased, yet you dare to disturb us! Do you truly not wish to live?"
Upon hearing that there might be companions of the dead Arcanobeast, the crowd that had surrounded the room dispersed immediately with a "whoosh." Most people retreated beyond the doorway, leaving only a few braver souls at their previous positions, craning their necks to watch us.
Sun Liancheng's uncle also stepped back to his earlier position. Meanwhile, Sun Fatty circled Sun Liancheng repeatedly, scattering the talisman papers to every corner around him. The old man's worry grew with each glance. Finally, summoning his courage, he shouted:"Two masters, what is happening now? Is Liancheng still in danger, or is he saved?"
No sooner had Sun Liancheng's uncle finished speaking than Sun Fatty abruptly stopped. He let out a heavy sigh and then turned sharply to glare at the Sun family members behind him. With a scowl, he said:"I must say, who told you to come here just now? There was already a malevolent spirit on Sun Liancheng's body. It was supposed to be under control. Who would have thought that you would interfere? Now it's ruined—the Yang forces are scattered, and a malevolent spirit we had nearly subdued has escaped because of you!"
At this point, Sun Fatty paused for a moment, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to me before lighting his own. He took a long, scowling drag, then continued speaking to the Sun family members:"You all don't care, huh? At worst, malevolent spirits haunt the house; out of those who showed their faces today, nine out of ten are doomed. Eventually, you'll get used to not seeing people anymore in a few years. But what did we do to anyone? This is the livelihood we've chosen. Now, because the reputation has been tarnished at your house, if anyone outside mentions us, they'll say our skills are poor, that one malevolent spirit slipped through and caused a family's ruin. Who's going to hire us again? I'm telling you, even if the rest of our lives are ruined by the Old Sun family…"
Hearing Sun Fatty's words, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing, realizing he was likely about to start extorting them. However, the Sun family members did not share my amusement. After Sun Fatty's few sentences, and seeing the bizarre dead Nyeh with their own eyes, the entire Sun family could only tremble in fear.
Sun Fatty flicked the ash from his cigarette, stomped it out with force, and looked at the Sun family:"Alright, let's say it's our bad luck. We admit the tarnished reputation. Now, send someone who can make decisions, and we'll settle today's accounts."
When Sun Fatty asked who could make decisions, everyone seemed to turn their gaze to Sun Liancheng's uncle. At first, I was puzzled—what business did an outsider have interfering in the Old Sun family's matters? Later, I understood: Sun Liancheng had risen to prominence thanks to his maternal family's influence. This uncle was a significant figure locally. Even Sun Liancheng's business ventures were joint undertakings with him. It wasn't just business; even family matters of the Old Sun family were often decided by this uncle when Sun Liancheng was absent.
But at this moment, the uncle began to falter. Muttering awkwardly, he said:"Why are you looking to the Old Sun family to make decisions? Sun Boss, you're Liancheng's elder brother. Liancheng isn't present, and you're the senior—these masters are asking for you."
Sun Fatty seemed to grow impatient. He pulled out another cigarette, placing it in his mouth without lighting it. His eyes fixed on them as he said:"Just send anyone who can make a decision! Didn't I say clearly just now? Out of the people who showed their faces today, nine out of ten are doomed. Regardless of whether you're surnamed Sun or not, in less than two years, you'll all be together below. Send anyone over now to settle accounts; we'll talk about who's in charge after you're all gone."
After saying this, a frail man could not withstand the shock and collapsed at the doorway, convulsing in a seizure. Seeing the commotion, Sun Fatty sighed and looked at me:"Tsk tsk, it's starting already. Lazi, I'm not kidding—Sun Boss himself hasn't left yet. Why is a relative in such a hurry?"
"You don't understand—that's what a relative looks like," I replied, glancing at Sun Fatty. "Go secure a good position first. You don't want to get caught off guard when the whole crowd comes down."
Sun Liancheng's uncle ignored the man having the seizure. He brought along two people for moral support and approached us, his earlier bravado completely gone. Bowing and nodding, he said:"Two masters, since you can perceive this, you surely have a method to… resolve it, right? There must be a way. If you can save us, we'll double today's payment!"
Sun Fatty glanced at the old man and sighed:"Why does it sound like we're extorting you? But it's true, there is a way to deal with it. It requires using a year of a virtuous person's life as bait to lure the malevolent spirit back. Once it manifests, dealing with it is not difficult. But it must be done within six hours. After six hours, even if a Great Dao Immortal descends, they won't be able to catch it."
Sun Fatty clicked his tongue, shook his head, and looked at Sun Liancheng's uncle:"Six hours—twelve hours. Even if someone is willing to offer a year of life, where am I supposed to find them? Hah… it's not easy. If it can't be done, you might as well accept your fate."
"Don't accept fate!" Sun Liancheng's uncle almost cried. But having lived a few extra years, he knew what the problem was. He said to Sun Fatty:"Master, you are a person of skill. Could you take on the burden for us? Rest assured, this won't be in vain. Liancheng has billions in business; why would I be frugal for him? As long as you can capture that malevolent spirit, I will act on behalf of the Old Sun family, and give each of you ten million as payment…"
Before he could finish, Sun Fatty rolled his eyes and interrupted:"I'm not kidding—we two…"
The uncle slapped his forehead, laughed awkwardly:"Ten million each! I meant ten million each. Old age and a fright earlier—couldn't speak properly. Hahaha… ten million each!"
Hearing the uncle ramble incoherently, Sun Fatty looked up and sighed, reluctantly saying:"A year of life… well, I'm just soft-hearted, can't stand seeing people suffer this much. But this incident today makes it sound like we're trying to extort money."
"Master, you are saving lives," the uncle quickly replied. "If you don't take this token of thanks, none of us will agree!"
After the old man spoke, Sun Fatty nodded reluctantly, then said:"We'll cast the spell now. You all, along with Sun Liancheng, leave the room. Dealing with a malevolent spirit is different from dealing with a fox spirit; any mortal in the Yang realm must stay clear, except for us two. If you want to watch, we won't stop you—but heed my warning: just one glance at a malevolent spirit shortens your life by three years. Consider carefully how many times you look."
"We'll leave, we'll leave…" Sun Liancheng's uncle forced a smile and said:"Then, two masters, this is your problem now."
Without pausing a second longer, he led the Sun family in carrying Sun Liancheng out of the room.
Once they had left, Sun Fatty turned to me with a grin:"Lazi, we'll wait a couple more hours. I'll save you a bed—take a nap. When the time comes, I'll call you."
While speaking, he had already pulled out his phone. I watched as he opened Momo, swiped a few times, and a young woman's profile appeared. Sun Fatty typed two words: "Wanna meet?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how direct he was…