Chapter 29: Yes, yes, that’s him!

Su Chen, who had barely settled into his seat, quickly stood up, intending to step forward and assist. However, before he could take even two steps, others had already rushed in, twisted the young man’s arms, and pinned him down.

"What are you shouting about? Before Uncle Ye passed away, he transferred the shop to A-Yu. The money and arrangements were all settled in his will—there’s nothing for you, so stop your ghostly howling!"

"Exactly! Just because you’re from the countryside doesn't mean you have no common sense; you probably don't even know what a will is, do you?"

"Dreaming of seizing the inheritance? No way!"

"Get out, get out, get out! Our Chunming Street doesn't welcome you!"

As the young man struggled, Lin Jingyu stood up and clapped his hands. "Uncle Qiao, I’ll have to trouble you to take him to the police station. Make sure he understands the situation clearly so he won't come back to cause trouble for no reason."

"You got it, A-Yu. You guys keep watch; we’ll take him to the station right now."

Upon hearing the mention of the police station, the young man struggled even more violently. "I’m not going! Why should I go? Let me go, all of you..."

But the neighbors of Chunming Street were numerous and forceful—how could they possibly listen to him? Soon, the shouting faded into the distance, and they were out of sight.

Su Chen sat back down, feeling at ease. He secretly marveled at how truly kind the neighbors of Chunming Street were. He then paused, thinking that if he were to rent a place on Chunming Street after the New Year, it might not be a bad idea—though he wondered how the local elementary school was. He decided he would ask A-Yu and the others when they were free; they knew the area well and could help him find a place to rent.

With that decided, Su Chen took out yellow paper and cinnabar to begin drawing peace talismans. Of the ten he had drawn yesterday, Lin Jingyu had bought six, leaving only four. It was always good to stock up; although drawing talismans consumed spiritual energy, it also helped hone his Taoist cultivation.

He finished five talismans in one go, and his body paused for a moment. He felt the small doll in his cloth bag stir, so he took it out and pressed it against his stomach before closing his eyes.

At the entrance of Chunming Street, Kong Aichun stepped off her bus, her eyes red. As she passed Old Zhang’s noodle stall, Old Zhang paused. "A-Chun, what’s the matter? It’s early in the morning—were you bullied?"

Kong Aichun shook her head. "It’s my sister. There’s a tumor on her intestine."

Old Zhang then remembered that the young man had read A-Chun’s sister’s fortune yesterday and told them to go to the hospital for a check-up. So the results were out? "Is it benign or malignant? I heard that if it's benign, it’s fine once they cut it out."

"I don't know. They said they won't know until they operate and remove it. I, I... Old Zhang, I can't talk to you anymore, I need to go home and pack some clothes for my sister."

Old Zhang nodded subconsciously. As he watched Kong Aichun walk away, he suddenly remembered. "Hey, A-Chun! That young man also knows Traditional Chinese Medicine. Go ask him later; it’ll be alright."

Kong Aichun turned back. "What?"

Old Zhang told her about what happened that morning and concluded, "I don't know who taught that young man, but he’s very capable. If you ask him about your sister’s tumor, it will definitely be fine. Don't worry."

"Oh, oh, okay. I—I'll go ask him right now."

Before Su Chen could integrate the merit energy into his Dantian, he noticed a shadow fall over him. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Aunt Chun.

Kong Aichun urgently handed over 20 yuan. "Master, please help me calculate it. Is my sister’s tumor benign or malignant? Is the surgery dangerous? Also, you know medicine—can she just take pills instead of having surgery?"

Su Chen returned the money. "Aunt Chun, didn't you come to have your fortune told yesterday? As long as you go to the hospital in time, it will be fine."

"But, but the doctor made me sign that surgical consent form, and there are so many dangers listed. If something goes wrong, it could..." As she spoke, Kong Aichun spotted the peace talismans on the table and her eyes lit up. "Master, what kind of talisman is this?"

"A peace talisman."

"Can my sister wear it? Will it keep her safe?"

Su Chen gave a dry laugh. "Aunt Chun, your sister really won't have any issues."

Seeing her persistence, he sighed helplessly. "Really, Aunt Chun, instead of a peace talisman, I can draw a health talisman for her. It can help her recover after the surgery."

"Then I’ll take both, to be safer."

Su Chen: "..."

Fine, money makes people willful.

He picked up his brush and quickly drew a health talisman. Kong Aichun paid, tucked it away like a treasure, and with her eyes no longer red, she returned to the knitting shop satisfied. A moment later, she led a young woman out and hurried toward the street entrance.

Su Chen tucked the forty yuan away and, after a moment's thought, opened the red envelope the man had given him earlier. It contained 52. It seemed people in Cuicheng liked using '2' as the final digit for red envelopes. He raised an eyebrow, put it away, and then returned to his meditation.

All morning, there was the sound of gongs and drums from the Ye Noodle Shop, and more commotion from the grandmother’s house in the alleyway behind. The entire Chunming Street was bustling with noise; those with less focus would surely have found it irritating. However, passersby felt a moment of unexpected tranquility when they reached the fortune-telling stall. They would look closely at the talismans and then at Su Chen, only to be scared off by the price of 20 yuan per reading.

At noon, Su Chen opened his eyes, feeling famished. *Hmm, my range for sensing energy has increased.*

*The man across the way, Old Liao, smells a bit pungent. Has he not bathed in days?*

*Everyone else seems quite clean. No evil spirits clinging to them. That's good.*

*Mmm, those scallion pancakes in front smell delicious.*

After a moment of hesitation, Su Chen got up to buy a pancake and then went to Old Xu’s noodle shop, where A-Biao often ate. The food at the shop was indeed more expensive than at the stalls, but it came with two extra pieces of meat, costing one yuan per bowl. However, the taste was truly excellent, which explained why A-Biao ate there often.

After eating, Su Chen decided to head over to the incense and candle shop. Old Zhong’s face lit up with a smile as soon as he saw him.

"The Master is here?"

Su Chen chuckled. "Uncle Zhong, please don't tease me. Just call me Little Su."

"I heard that you were the one who retrieved A-Wang’s remains from Old Ye’s place. Sigh, back then Old Ye was always hoping for A-Wang’s return. I knew something was wrong; I figured A-Wang had probably met with an accident."

"You don't know, back then everyone was thinking of going to Nanyang to make a fortune, but the sea is so dangerous! Large waves would capsize small boats easily. Even if you made it to Nanyang, working and surviving was a whole other problem. That boy A-Wang was always timid and afraid of trouble. Still, I never imagined that he hadn't even boarded the ship before..."

Old Zhong sighed for a while before asking, "So, Little Su, what are you buying? More yellow paper and cinnabar?"

"Yes, I’ve used quite a bit these past few days and need to restock. By the way, Uncle Zhong, do you have any lightning-struck wood or anything like that?"

Old Zhong turned to get the paper and cinnabar, smiling at him. "How would my shop have that? But I do know someone who makes 'dragon horns,' though that stuff is mostly useless—just for show."

Su Chen gave a dry laugh.

Old Zhong brought out the cinnabar and paused. "However, I recall hearing someone mention that an old tree on Dragon Mountain was struck by lightning. I don't know exactly where, though. Dragon Mountain is high and vast; it’s not easy to find."

*What a coincidence? Dragon Mountain as well?*

Su Chen asked, "Uncle Zhong, do you remember who said it?"

"Oh, that was at least two or three months ago. October or September, I think. I even joked about it, saying it was rare to hear thunder in those months... Let me think... They must have been in the shop buying supplies. Let me think..."

Suddenly, Old Zhong waved his hands excitedly. "I remember! Little Cai!"

"Little Cai?"

*Who is that? Do they also live on Chunming Street?*

"Hey, it’s that Little Cai you saved! The one who performs rituals."

At that, it dawned on Su Chen. "Master Cai? Cai Zhengqing?"

"Yes, yes, that's him!"