4: Running away~

The little ghost was swallowed by black flames the moment it touched Chen Heng, leaving not even a speck behind.

"What's going on?" Chen Heng broke out in a cold sweat.

Was that thing just now a ghost?

Just as Chen Heng was still a bit dazed, a green ghost Qi drilled into his body.

In an instant, Chen Heng felt as if he had been thrown into an ice cave, his whole body turning cold.

A thin layer of frost appeared on Chen Heng's body.

"Giggle, giggle..." Chen Heng shivered from the cold, his teeth constantly chattering.

But this bone-chilling cold quickly disappeared, turning into a warm current flowing within Chen Heng's body.

Chen Heng's pupils slowly turned green, appearing extremely eerie.

But after a while, they returned to their original black color.

Having recovered a bit, Chen Heng cautiously walked into Chen Fugui's room.

Chen Fugui lay on the bed, breathing steadily, his face pale.

Chen Heng reached out and checked Chen Fugui's pulse, finding it strong and steady, which made him sigh in relief.

"Son?" Chen Fugui opened his eyes, looking somewhat confused at Chen Heng, who was checking his pulse.

"Father." Seeing Chen Fugui wake up unharmed, Chen Heng was completely relieved.

"Why are you running to my room in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Chen Fugui was a bit puzzled, lowering his head to see that Chen Heng was even barefoot.

"What happened?"

Chen Fugui's ability to amass such a large family fortune was no joke; he naturally sensed that something was amiss.

Chen Heng recounted what had just happened to Chen Fugui.

Of course, Chen Heng didn't mention the changes in his body.

After all, such things were unexplainable, and bringing them up would only complicate matters.

Chen Fugui's face grew increasingly grim, eventually losing all color.

"It's over, our family has been targeted by ghosts!" Chen Fugui's hands trembled.

How could a Mortal contend with evil spirits?

"No, we must go find Cool Daoist immediately!"

Chen Fugui sprang up from the bed with a carp-like flip.

His agility was inversely proportional to his physique.

Chen Heng nodded; he was also a bit panicked now.

The father and son quickly walked into the courtyard where Cool Daoist resided and gently knocked on his door.

"What is it?" Cool Daoist's voice came from behind the door.

But... why did his voice sound a bit weak?

"Daoist, please save our family!" Chen Fugui knelt directly before Cool Daoist's door.

"First my son was possessed by a ghost, then the Maidservant in the house, and now it's my turn!"

"Our family is being targeted!"

"I know a high-ranking Daoist like you doesn't care for gold and silver, but as a mere Mortal, I have nothing else to offer you."

"If you are willing to show mercy and save our family, I am willing to offer three thousand taels of silver!"

Chen Heng's mouth twitched; did Chen Fugui not need to prepare to get into character?

Just moments ago, he was discussing how to get Cool Daoist to work for the lowest price.

This old fellow could bend and stretch.

After a few seconds of silence in the room, the door slowly opened.

"Come in."

Chen Heng was about to step forward when Chen Fugui stopped him.

He shook his head, signaling Chen Heng to wait outside.

The two men's conversation was not loud, and he couldn't hear it clearly.

Chen Heng didn't mind, finding a sheltered spot and squatting down.

Time slowly passed, and in a blink, it was midnight.

"Today's Optimization is ready."

A voice like thunder boomed in his ear, and Chen Heng, who had been dozing off, immediately became alert.

At the same time, a pale-faced Chen Fugui walked out of Cool Daoist's room.

"Let's go, the matter is not easy to resolve."

Chen Fugui grabbed Chen Heng's arm, and the two quickly left Cool Daoist's courtyard.

In the main room, Chen Fugui sat on a sandalwood chair, his face ashen.

"Son, do you know how much money that old Daoist wants from us?"

"Ten thousand taels?" Chen Heng raised an eyebrow; for his rich father to feel such pain, that must be the price.

"No, that old fellow opened his mouth and demanded half of our family's assets." Chen Fugui gnashed his teeth, clearly furious.

"Then what should we do?" Chen Heng also started to sweat a little.

Giving up half of the family's assets would not only be the end of Chen Fugui, but Chen Heng would also be heartbroken to death.

His life as a wealthy young master hadn't even begun, and their family fortune was about to be emptied.

"If we can't provoke them, can't we at least avoid them?" Chen Fugui seemed to have made up his mind.

"We'll pack our things now and flee to Qiyang City."

"Your father still has a four-courtyard house there, and the money we've saved will be enough for us two to live comfortably for the rest of our lives!"

Although he said so, the look of pain on Chen Fugui's face was too obvious.

Fulai County was their family's Foundation; once they moved, it would be difficult to rise again.

"Good, let's go quickly." Chen Heng strongly agreed with Chen Fugui's idea.

At midnight, the previously silent Chen Family Courtyard suddenly stirred.

Servants busily packed everything that could be taken from the courtyard onto carriages.

"Keep your voices down," Chen Fugui said, holding a torch and watching the servants pack the family assets.

"You won't be working for nothing; when we reach Qiyang City, each of you will get three taels of silver!"

Upon hearing this, the servants worked even more vigorously.

Three taels of silver was not a small sum for them; an ordinary family's annual expenses were only about three taels of silver.

Motivated by the silver, the servants' movements were remarkably swift.

In less than half an hour, the entire Chen Family Courtyard was emptied.

Over twenty carriages slowly drove towards the city gate under the cover of night.

"Master, where are we going?" Xu Qingyan gently leaned against Chen Fugui and asked softly.

"Don't ask, something happened at home, and we're fleeing." Chen Fugui gently patted Xu Qingyan's back, comforting her softly.

"Alright, this Maidservant will listen to everything Master says."

The Chen Family Courtyard was located in the very center of Fulai County, still some distance from the city gate.

Chen Fugui comforted the startled Xu Qingyan and walked into Chen Heng's carriage.

"Father, what did you do about that old Daoist?" Chen Heng asked quickly when he saw Chen Fugui enter.

"That old Daoist didn't say anything when he saw we were leaving; I gave him that house."

"He made a deal with me to protect our Chen family from ghost attacks until we leave the city."

"That's good." Chen Heng let out a long breath.

"By the way, son." Chen Fugui poked his head out of the carriage, furtively looking around.

After realizing that only he and his son were in the carriage besides the coachman, he pulled out a book from his inner pocket.

"Take this; this is a Secret Manual I bought from the Hu Family Martial Arts School for you. There are also Martial Artists in Qiyang City, so I'll have them teach you martial arts then."

"If your father ever loses his life, you can still survive in these troubled times with a skill."

Chen Fugui patted Chen Heng's shoulder hard, speaking earnestly.

"Father, what nonsense are you talking about? How could you lose your life when you're perfectly fine?" Chen Heng took the Secret Manual from Chen Fugui's hand, feigning displeasure.

"Your father is just saying, to find a path for you in advance." Chen Fugui stroked Chen Heng's head.

"When your father is around, you don't have to think about anything; just live comfortably."