Dongfang Xiao sized up Zhong Shengwan from head to toe. Although the person in front of him looked haggard, fortunately, he wasn't missing an arm or a leg as Dongfang Xiao had feared.
Dongfang Xiao first let out a sigh of relief, and then his mouth became sharp again.
"Why haven't you come back to school yet? Don't tell me you're scared of ghosts and don't dare to come back for the missions. If you're not going to study anymore, just say so in advance. I'll take that new quilt in your room."
Zhong Shengwan glared at him irritably, but finally there was a bit more color on his face. His tone was as nonchalant as ever.
"I was just delayed by something at home. You're so eager to come here... Why? The group really can't do without me, right?"
Shen Cuiyu gave a gentle smile. It had been a while since she last heard the two bickering, and she actually missed it a bit.
Dongfang Xiao was about to retort when his eyes suddenly fixed on the slightly open collar of Zhong Shengwan's clothes—where a white bandage was faintly visible.
His face suddenly darkened, all traces of joking gone. His tone grew solemn.
"Who did this to you?"
"What?" Zhong Shengwan didn't react for a moment.
"Who hurt you?" Dongfang Xiao stared at the bandage, his tone menacing. "Tell me. I'll help you get revenge."
Zhong Shengwan was slightly taken aback, as if he had heard something extremely funny. The corner of his mouth reluctantly curled into an ambiguous arc.
"My father."
The room fell silent instantly. Shen Cuiyu and Pei Yu exchanged a look, and their expressions both became a bit complicated.
"...Your father?" Dongfang Xiao's anger seemed to be doused with cold water. His imposing manner instantly diminished, and he stammered, "Why... Why did he hit you so hard? Why did he beat you?"
Zhong Shengwan lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow on his pale face. He was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was calm without a single ripple, but it was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool.
"Because I hid a ghost at home."
"What... What?" Dongfang Xiao's voice cracked in shock. He almost jumped up. "Are you crazy?! You're a Taoist priest. What do you need to hide that thing for? Moreover..."
Moreover, as a family in the mysterious arts world, the Zhong family was much more sensitive to such things than ordinary families. For the future head of the family to hide a ghost in the mansion was simply an unforgivable crime of disobedience!
No wonder Father Zhong was so furious and hit him so hard...
"Aren't you most afraid of ghosts?" Shen Cuiyu also grew serious. She stepped forward, her eyebrows tightly knitted.
Her sharp eyes swept across this unusually cold room. "What on earth is going on?"
Zhong Shengwan was silent for a moment. Finally, he let out a long sigh, his voice tinged with exhaustion and struggle.
"It was a long time ago..." Zhong Shengwan began slowly, his unfocused eyes landing on a corner of the room, as if he were looking at a distant time.
"The first time I saw him was when I was seven years old."
On that day, Zhong Shengwan accompanied his father to offer condolences to a family.
The deceased was a boy about the same age as Zhong Shengwan, named Yuan Yuan.
According to the boy's parents, he had been sickly since birth, and they had visited many famous doctors but couldn't find a cure.
Yuan Yuan had spent almost all his time in bed. He had been taking medicine since he could eat, but still didn't make it through that winter when he was seven.
The mourning hall was solemn, and the dirge played softly. At that time, Zhong Shengwan didn't understand the heaviness of the adults. He just felt a heavy weight in his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
He excused himself to go to the toilet and left the mourning hall. In the gloomy atmosphere, he saw the boy—wearing a shroud, standing blankly in the corner, looking at his own coffin in the distance, as if he didn't understand what was happening.
Zhong Shengwan was just a seven - year - old child at that time. Children have pure minds, and it's normal for them to see ghosts occasionally.
"Xiao Yuan didn't know he was already dead. He was still lingering in the mansion. He was even quite curious as to why he could suddenly get out of bed and walk..." Zhong Shengwan's voice was very soft. The cold air in the room seemed to thicken with his memories. "Then, he saw me and asked if I wanted to play with him. Although I knew there was a distinction between humans and ghosts at that time, the boundary was still vague. I thought he was just like me, lonely, so... I went over to talk to him."
Young Zhong Shengwan played with the little ghost in the back garden for an entire afternoon. It was really enjoyable, and the happy time lasted until the condolence was over.
Zhong Shengwan was about to go home. Before leaving, he couldn't help but turn back. He saw the boy still standing at the door, timidly tugging at the corner of his clothes and asking him:
"Can we play together again next time?"
Zhong Shengwan's heart softened. Looking into those clear eyes, he nodded. Hiding it from everyone, he took the boy's soul back to the Zhong Mansion!
Shen Cuiyu and Dongfang Xiao frowned as they listened. Zhong Shengwan was still young at that time, so he naturally didn't know how terrifying this decision was. But those in the mysterious arts world knew how much karma this had planted for him in the future!
For living beings, the home is a basic protective barrier. Ordinary evil and filthy things can hardly easily break into a house with an owner.
Unless they get the owner's explicit "permission" or "invitation".
Zhong Shengwan's soft - hearted nod and his active leading when he was a child were no different from opening the door of the Zhong family to a homeless wandering soul, silently saying, "I allow you to enter my home."
This was not just hiding a ghost privately. It was more like inviting a wolf into the house...
Zhong Shengwan had thus actively tied his home and his own karma completely to an external ghost...
Dongfang Xiao looked at him in frustration, his fingers tapping on the pear - wood table noisily. Looking at Zhong Shengwan's pale face, he wanted to scold but held back.
"You... You're really..."
"Stupid, right?" Zhong Shengwan curled the corner of his mouth, his eyes dark and unclear.
Shen Cuiyu hesitated for a moment and then spoke, "The Zhong Mansion has so many restrictions. But with your permission, it shouldn't be able to stay for long. With Uncle Zhong's spiritual power, how could he not notice that you brought back a ghost?"
Zhong Shengwan lowered his eyes. "I used the horn of a live rhinoceros."
Only then did Shen Cuiyu understand.
The horn of a live rhinoceros cannot be burned. When burned and the smell is on clothes, people can communicate with ghosts.
It turned out that Zhong Shengwan had used the horn of a live rhinoceros to sneak the little ghost into the heavily restricted Zhong Mansion...
In this way, Yuan Yuan could come and go freely in the Zhong Mansion.
Firstly, it had received Zhong Shengwan's "permission" and was actively "invited" in by the eldest son of the Zhong family.
Secondly, protected by the rare incense of the live rhinoceros horn, the rules and home restrictions of the Zhong Mansion were like nothing to it.
Dongfang Xiao didn't know what to say. He clapped his hands woodenly. "Brilliant! 'The door is wide open. You're welcome anytime.' Master Zhong is really good at courting disaster..."