250: peace of mind

However, when the group rushed into the Chen Family Courtyard, drenched in sweat, they found the situation completely different from what they had imagined.

Moreover... the entire Chen Family Courtyard was filled with a suffocating sensation.

This feeling was terrifying; Gou Longxun's instincts urged him to leave immediately!

"Son! You're finally back!"

Chen Fugui tightly embraced Chen Heng, his snot and tears smearing all over Chen Heng's body.

But Chen Heng didn't mind; instead, he returned the hug to his father, who was as plump as a ball.

After crying for a while, Chen Fugui released Chen Heng, stepped back two paces, and looked at the nearly two-meter-tall strong man before him.

"You must have suffered a lot outside, son. Father sees you've gotten thinner."

This was complete nonsense; Chen Heng had not only not lost weight on this trip but had gained several hundred catties... The density of his body was increasing, and his weight expanded accordingly.

"Yes, yes, I've gotten thinner." Chen Heng didn't even pay attention to what his father was saying, but rather observed his Qi and blood fluctuations.

His family members seemed fine, with nothing wrong apart from weak Qi and blood.

"Come here." Chen Heng beckoned to Bai Jun.

"What's up, Big Brother?" Bai Jun leaned in and whispered.

"I'm not good at healing or saving people. Could you help me check if anything is wrong with our family members?"

Chen Heng was still uneasy; such matters of healing and disaster relief were best left to professionals.

He was only suited for fighting and arson; he was utterly clueless about saving people.

"Alright, I'll take a look." Bai Jun nodded, wiped his eyelids with two fingers, and his pupils turned from black to gold.

But Bai Jun looked for a long time, his eyes even getting a little sore, yet he couldn't find anything wrong.

"It's good that there's nothing wrong." Chen Heng let out a long breath, his hanging heart finally settling.

"Come, come, Gang Leader Gou Long, don't just stand at the door. Everyone, please come in."

Only now did Chen Heng have the mind to acknowledge Gou Longxun and the others, who were still standing motionless at the entrance.

"Gang Leader, please go to the main hall to rest. I have something to discuss with my father."

After sending them into the main hall, Chen Heng took Snake Green and the siblings Zhu Ri and Zhu Chang to his small courtyard.

"Father, these three fellows, one is a Dragon, and the other two are two white tigers."

Chen Heng said, pointing at the somewhat nervous Snake Green.

"All three are at the Demon King Realm. You can just use them as if they were three Innate masters."

Regardless of whether Chen Fugui could accept it, Chen Heng had already told him the situation.

"Also, a dog should have come to deliver a message to you a few days ago, right?"

Chen Heng looked around but didn't find Cao Jihan.

"Are you talking about that very vulgar-looking, short-legged fat dog?"

Chen Fugui was stunned, and immediately recalled the Short-legged Dog that had left an incredibly deep impression on him.

"Son, you don't know, that dog is incredibly powerful."

As soon as Cao Jihan was mentioned, Chen Fugui immediately forgot about Snake Green and the others.

"The donkey at home died a few days ago because of the heavy fog, and that Short-legged Dog is even stronger than the donkey at home."

"Not only does it eat little, but it can also work all night long, as if it never gets tired."

"...?" A question mark slowly rose above Chen Heng's head.

No, Cao Jihan is an Unmelting Bone, at least. How did you end up using him as a donkey?

"Okay, it's good that he's here." Chen Heng nodded, realizing an important word in Chen Fugui's previous sentence.

'Heavy fog'.

"Also, Father, what's with the heavy fog you mentioned?"

Chen Heng glanced at his clean and tidy room, then turned to ask.

"Also, why didn't you tell me when things went missing from home?"

"Wasn't I afraid you'd worry...?" Chen Fugui now realized that Chen Heng knew things had gone missing.

But he didn't even know what was missing, so how could he tell Chen Heng?

"Don't you understand that I'll worry if you don't tell me?" Chen Heng frowned. It seemed something had indeed happened, but it hadn't harmed his family.

"About half a month before you came back..."

Chen Fugui told Chen Heng about Xie Run's previous visit and also described the heavy fog that night.

"Fortunately, we had Mr. Bai's divine Talisman; otherwise, your father wouldn't be as well as he is now."

As if to prove his excellent health, Chen Fugui vigorously patted his chest.

"..." Chen Heng frowned deeply. That Xie Run must have been sent by the Grand State Preceptor of the Jade Fan Kingdom.

"Whether you're well or not isn't up to you to say, it's up to me."

But for now, Chen Heng didn't plan to seek trouble with the Jade Fan Kingdom.

He was home now, so he didn't need to keep his nerves taut. Even if something happened, wasn't he still there?

"Alright, I generally understand what happened. Let's go see how the Gang Leader and the others are doing first."

"Also, who are that white-bearded old man and that woman next to him?"

"Did he remarry?"

...When Chen Heng arrived at the main hall, Bai Jun was staring at Gou Longxun and the others with his pair of large golden eyes.

"What are you doing?" Chen Heng plopped down next to Bai Jun, following his gaze towards Gou Longxun.

"Big Brother Chen, Gang Leader Gou Long and the others are a bit off; their Qi and blood are severely depleted."

"And their Lifespan seems to have been taken away by someone using a very clumsy method."

Bai Jun frowned, dispelling the spell attached to his eyes, and said.

"Then my father and the others..." Chen Heng suddenly remembered the 'divine Talisman' Chen Fugui mentioned.

"The Talismans you gave my father weren't just decorations, were they?"

"Of course they were. Those are Exorcism Talismans, specifically designed to counter all kinds of evil." Bai Jun nodded, peeling off an Exorcism Talisman stuck to a chair.

"But it's a good thing the person who took the Lifespan wasn't too strong, and it seems they didn't intend to kill either, otherwise the Exorcism Talisman wouldn't have been very effective."

"Chen Heng, where have you been all this time?"

Xu Lieying finally couldn't hold back, staring directly at Chen Heng as he asked.

"Also, where did that big black bird go just now? You didn't bring it back, did you?"

"Didn't you introduce Luo Shuo to them?" Chen Heng glanced at the somewhat nervous Luo Shuo standing behind him, and asked Bai Jun.

"No, I haven't had time to introduce him yet; I was too busy checking on everyone's health." Bai Jun scratched his head; he had indeed forgotten about it.

"Actually, I didn't leave without a word; it was all just an accident..."

Chen Heng recounted the earth-shattering deeds he had accomplished over the past month in a light, understated tone.

For example, destroying the Wutong Sect, crushing the evil Dragon, causing a ruckus in the Jade Fan Kingdom—these minor matters... Gou Longxun's eyes were dull, and his first reaction upon hearing these words was that Chen Heng was bragging.

But when Bai Jun also nodded, they realized that the man before them was no longer living in the same world as them.