Chapter 24: Surely you aren't here to sponge off us again, are you?

Lin Jingyu and Abiao explained the situation to each other, and finally, Lin Jingyu said, "Brother, I asked you to come mainly to serve as a witness. Uncle Ye needs to file a death certificate, but once the heavenly thunder is summoned later, Uncle Ye's body will be reduced to ashes, so..."

Lin Jingchun understood. He looked at Old Ye carefully and asked with concern, "Uncle Ye, how are you handling your shop and your money? Have you made any plans?"

Old Ye nodded. "I've already told Ayun and Abiao. Later, they will help me buy a burial plot and perform the funeral rites. By the way, they will also help move my wife's remains. As for the remaining money, it will all be donated to the orphanage at the front."

"Ayun, Abiao, make sure to burn plenty of paper money for Awang later. When your Uncle Ye was alive, I was incompetent and couldn't provide Awang with a good life. I'm just counting on him having endless money to spend in the afterlife."

"Don't worry, Uncle Ye. Abiao and I will definitely take turns burning it. We'll burn a whole room full of paper money for him."

Old Ye curled his lips into a smile. "That's good, that's good."

His gaze fell on Su Chen, and he slowly stepped forward, pulling out a bulging red envelope. "Young man, it’s thanks to you that I found Awang. Please, take this."

Su Chen smiled and accepted it. "Uncle Ye, later when I summon the thunder, I will simultaneously guide your soul into this paper figurine to prevent you from being scattered by the lightning. When Brother Abiao or Brother Yu go to buy the burial plot and relocate the grave, please take this paper figurine with you. That way, Uncle Ye can see for himself that everything is taken care of. Is that alright?"

Old Ye nodded repeatedly. "Young man, you do as you see fit. I trust you."

Once the arrangements were made, Su Chen asked Old Ye to stand in the center of the shop and had Abiao open the tightly shut door just a crack.

Watching the sky outside, Abiao asked instinctively, "Brother, can you really summon thunder? I don't see any clouds in the sky."

Hearing this, Lin Jingchun also went over to take a look. It was past four o'clock in the winter, and it was gradually getting dark, but it was clear whether there were clouds in the sky—there really weren't any.

So, such a method existed? Summoning thunder out of thin air?

He turned around, suspicious, only to see Su Chen rapidly forming hand seals, muttering incantations, followed by a sharp shout: "Thunder, come!"

He and Abiao were right at the door. Before they could react, a flash of light appeared, and they felt a chill on their heads. When the light faded, where was Old Ye in the center of the shop? There was only a pile of ash on the ground.

Although he hadn't felt much when listening to Su Chen earlier, seeing the lightning summoned with his own eyes and watching a living person turn to ash in the blink of an eye, Lin Jingchun was inexplicably shocked.

Low sobs came from the side. Lin Jingchun looked at Abiao, whose eyes were already red.

"Uncle Ye~"

The paper figurine on the table suddenly stood upright. As if finding it all very novel, it moved its limbs. Su Chen stretched out his palm, and the paper figurine jumped onto it. When Su Chen reached Abiao, the paper figurine raised its hand and gently touched Abiao's upright hair.

Lin Jingyu was stunned. "Buddy, is that my Uncle Ye?" He pointed at the paper figurine.

Su Chen nodded. "Uncle Ye's soul is much more stable than that of the child, Yingying. However, both of you are vigorous young men with heavy 'yang' energy; you shouldn't carry the paper figurine on your person constantly. It's not good for you or for Uncle Ye."

Upon hearing this, Abiao hurriedly wiped the corners of his eyes and stretched out his hands, carefully taking the paper figurine. "I understand. I'll put it in a box when I get home, is that okay?"

"That works. Remember to take it with you when you handle the arrangements. Uncle Ye will nod if he is satisfied, though he cannot speak."

As he spoke, Su Chen felt a pang of guilt. If it were the old him, let alone cutting a paper figurine, a casual point at the soil could conjure a doll out of thin air. With a gesture in the air, the doll could jump, move, and speak. Now... alas, in the words of the original owner, it was truly a return to square one overnight.

With the matter resolved and the sky dark, Su Chen packed up and prepared to head home. After saying goodbye to Lin Jingyu and the others, he shouldered his small cloth bag and started walking out. As he passed Lin Jingchun, he suddenly paused and turned around, suspicious.

Lin Jingchun felt a chill under his gaze. "W-what's wrong?"

"You have yin energy on you."

Lin Jingyu slapped his thigh hard. "Right, right, right! Buddy, my brother ran into a 'ghost wall' at Longshan today, and there were wild boars trying to eat him! It was thanks to your safety charm that he made it back, but that charm is gone—it turned to ash. Buddy, hurry and give us another one. With my brother's job, who knows if he'll run into danger tomorrow?"

Abiao was no longer sad and exclaimed, "Brother Chun, you encountered a ghost wall? That can't be, right? Isn't it said that police officers have such upright energy that they aren't easily affected by these things?"

He looked suspiciously at Su Chen. Su Chen's expression was grave. "That is why whatever trapped you is no ordinary spirit."

Lin Jingchun was shocked, followed by a frown. "Then will it harm others? There are over a hundred people in Qingshan Village. Aren't they all in danger?"

Su Chen took a step back and looked at Lin Jingchun carefully. His expression gradually became one of admiration. After a pause, he said, "I'll make a trip to Longshan when I have time."

"Thank you..." Lin Jingchun hesitated for a moment, then added, "...Master."

After Su Chen left, Lin Jingchun pulled Lin Jingyu aside to ask about Su Chen's situation in detail. Finally, he sighed with emotion, "When I heard Aunt talk about the events in Hong Kong, I knew there were extraordinary people and strange happenings in this world. I didn't expect us to have one in Cuicheng, and you were lucky enough to run into him!"

Lin Jingyu hugged his arms and scoffed, "Good to know. Next time, don't say I'm not doing honest work at my stall anymore~"

Su Chen returned to Liangshan with bags in hand, but he didn't head straight back to Niuwei Village. Instead, he went to his third sister's house first. At that moment, Su Xiaoyan was boiling water at home, intending to give the children a bath. When she heard the commotion and came out to look, she was stunned. "Little brother?"

"Third Sister, I saw some shoes on the street that were quite cheap, so I bought a pair for each of my nephews."

Su Xiaoyan was surprised. "Why buy them for them? They have shoes to wear."

"If you have money, buy things for your own children."

"I do, I do! Yesterday, I already bought a pair for Honghong and the others."

Su Chen was welcomed into the house by Su Xiaoyan. He looked around and asked, "Third Sister, where is Third Brother-in-law?"

"Oh, you said you wanted to hire a chef, right? As soon as I finished my lunch break, I sent him off. We plan to hire Old Zhao. In these parts, Old Zhao's skills are top-notch!" She gave a thumbs up, then turned around to efficiently manage the fire. "Little brother, you haven't eaten yet, right? Perfect, we're cooking noodles for dinner."

Su Chen hurriedly waved his hand. "No, no, Third Sister. I need to get home early. I bought other things, and they're quite heavy. If I eat, it'll be too late, and it's not safe to walk the mountain path at night."

"What's not safe? I'll have your brother-in-law take you."

"Really, there's no need. Brother-in-law has to wake up early tomorrow to slaughter pigs." As he spoke, Su Chen reached into his pocket, took out a stack of money, counted out five hundred, and placed it on the table. "Third Sister, you know more about hosting a banquet than I do. I happened to help someone with a big task today, and this is the reward. If it's not enough, I'll make up the difference later."

Su Xiaoyan was surprised. "So much?"

"Yeah, the person I helped was generous. Also, I sold some charms today."

The red envelope Uncle Ye gave him had a full thousand inside, with hundred-yuan notes, fifty-yuan notes, and ten-yuan notes. Added to the 120 from selling charms and the 20 from fortune-telling, Su Chen was truly much better off now.

Su Xiaoyan saw the other money in Su Chen's hand and knew he still had some, so she didn't refuse. "Alright, if there's any left over, I'll give it back to you."

Finally, she couldn't help but worry. "Little brother, is it dangerous to do these things for people?"

Su Chen shook his head. "Not dangerous. They are all very reasonable."

In this world, whether they were ghosts or zombies, they were all sentimental. It wasn't like that world where ghost energy surged, filled with fierce and ruthless creatures who would tear you apart without a word, let alone leave time for negotiations. Thinking about it this way, this world was actually quite beautiful.

Jiang Wanshui was humming a tune with a flushed face as he headed home. As he neared the door, he suddenly rubbed his eyes and became alert.

"Brother-in-law?!"

It's almost dark; what is he doing at my house? He isn't here to sponge off us again, is he?