Chapter 2: Colorful Little Snakes

  "Haha! We knew it!" Two young people walked over, pointing at the fat man and laughing. "Come on, Xi Tong, treat us to a meal!" The fat man pouted. "Night asked, we've been friends for over ten years, even if you scold me, you should say a few words. It's always just one word, it affects our feelings." "Less nonsense!" Night asked, picking his nose and looking at the two men and one woman in front of him. "If we're friends, then so be it. Otherwise, whoever is more comfortable will stay wherever they want to go. Don't interfere with my money-making." A relatively handsome man said, "How much is left?" "Five thousand!" "Five thousand?" The only girl asked curiously, "Isn't the tuition fee just over two thousand?" "Are you raising me?" Night asked, picking his nose again and then digging into his ear. "I..." The girl's face turned red as she looked at Night's 'cool' movements and lowered her head without speaking. The handsome young man stepped forward and picked up Night's 'stall'. "Let's go, brothers. Today we'll use five thousand yuan to package you for a day." "No need!" Night said, stepping on the fabric. "No work, no pay." "You're such a guy," the handsome young man said. "We've known each other for over ten years, and you still don't understand our temper? Don't worry, this time we got an order worth at least five thousand yuan or more. It's not our money." Night looked at the group with a poker face, but his heart was warm.

  The fatty is called Xi, the landlord's descendant, and his family makes a living by running a casino. The handsome one is called Zhenzhen, a standard bad boy. The girl is called Ouyang Xuer, but she is a good student with excellent grades. The four of them have been together since childhood, and their relationship is evident. In the past, every time they didn't have money to pay tuition fees, the three of them would think of ways to help gather the money. Even without telling Xi, they would pay it in advance. Seeing Xi's silence, Zhenzhen continued: "Really, do you remember Liu Hai? He was that arrogant guy from the last time we went out drinking." "Uh-huh, what about him?" Xi naturally remembered that kid, who was the son of a leader at the municipal public security bureau. The first time they met for drinks, Xi had thoroughly embarrassed him. "That guy's gone crazy," Zhenzhen said; "For several days, he hasn't eaten or slept, and he's been crying and laughing alone in his room. His dad is so anxious that he's even put up a reward." "Serves him right!" Xi spat out a wad of phlegm; "He's done evil deeds, and now he's getting what's coming to him!"

  "You can't say that!" Huang Sanwen interrupted; "Money is not a crime!" "Right, right!" Lai Xi also advised; "If you're really unhappy, just give him some money and it's settled. Money is innocent!" Ye Wen looked at Lai Xi with disdain and then glanced at Huang Sanwen, saying; "I didn't know you guys wanted to take advantage of the situation. The police department can take care of your gambling dens and street stalls, right?" "I don't like hearing that," Lai Xi said with a straight face; "If Zhen Zhen gets caught in the future, won't he have a way out? You can't just forget about him!" Zhen Zhen chuckled; "Let's just say we're helping you out. We'll make some extra money on the side." "Alright! Just because of what you said, I'm going to go even if I don't want to," Ye Wen stood up and stretched, saying to the girl; "Xue Er, help me buy an old man a roasted chicken and a bottle of wine. We'll head back and prepare first!" "Little Sanwen!" Huang Sanwen's eyes welled up with tears; "What are you going to do to this old man again? My family can't take any more trouble. Please have mercy on us!"

  It's no wonder Huang Sanwen was afraid. In his memory, Ye Wen had invited him to eat good things three times. The first time, he slaughtered the only black dog in his family; the second time, he demolished the gate; and the third time was even more miserable, with both of them hospitalized for over a decade, scaring Huang Sanwen's children badly. "You old guy, you're not satisfied with good food? What else can I do to please you?" Ye Wen asked with an awkward expression. "Really?" "Really!" "I still don't trust you." "Since you said that, it seems like I shouldn't ask for anything bad." Ye Wen smiled slyly and said, "I'll take a look at the ancient jade in your house..." "Don't even think about it!" Huang Sanwen suddenly stood up and shouted loudly; "That's my family heirloom!" "Cheap! Stingy!" Ye Wen looked at Huang Sanwen with disdain. As he walked away, he didn't forget to shout back, "Xue Er, reduce his portion by half!"

  Although it's said that Ye Xun is poor, the place he lives in isn't bad at all. There's a big courtyard with six or seven houses standing upright, and in the main hall, there are three statues of the Three Pure Ones. On either side are guest halls, which were originally where Ye Xun's grandfather would divine fortunes and read oracle bones. One room is filled with miscellaneous items, one is where Ye Xun lives, and the other rooms are basically private quarters for these few friends. Although they rarely stay here, it's empty anyway, so they just let them make use of it. Underneath Ye Xun's room, there's also a basement of over ten square meters. Inside, there's a very large jar that Ye Xun's grandfather had repeatedly warned him never to open under any circumstances. Every Qingming Festival and Ghost Festival, he would light forty-nine sticks of incense and tell Ye Xun that no matter what, the top cannot be stained with blood. As for why, he didn't say. This basement is known only to Ye Xun and his grandfather; even these few brothers aren't clear about it, which is also the main reason Ye Xun lives in this room.

  "Hiss!" As soon as several people entered the courtyard, a golden snake pounced over. The snake was about one foot long, with a white belly and black markings on its back, constantly hissing. "Whoa!" Ye Wen went up to give the snake a slap; "I told you before, I'm a guy!" The little snake's eyes widened in a human-like expression of grievance as it crawled away, staring at the ground in solitude. "Ye Wen, it's been over ten years since we met, right?" Lai Xi said with a face full of sympathy; "Don't you think this is a bit...that way?" Ye Wen glared at the snake named Tun Tian; "Tun your butt, following me for over ten years now, all he knows how to do is steal my food and fight for a bed, nothing else." Then, with a tone of disappointment, pointed at Tun Tian again; "Look at him, his appearance is quite good, but this guy is actually afraid of mice!" "He's still young, don't scold him." Xue Er rushed back to pick up Tun Tian and said; "I'm also afraid of mice." When Tun Tian saw Xue Er pick him up, he suddenly wrapped his body around her neck, with his little head stuck on her face, occasionally adding a hiss. "Deserves a beating!" Zhen Zhen looked at Tun Tian's lecherous expression and said; "He eats both men and women, heaven won't tolerate this!"

  Several people returned to the room, and Ye Wen took out a small peach wood dagger and two glass test tubes filled with blood, then walked out and said, "Let's go eat something first, and then we'll go." "Ssss!!" Tun Tian seemed to know that something good was happening and hurriedly called out to Xue Er. "Is Tun Tian going too?" Xue Er asked, stroking Tun Tian's little head; "Then you have to listen carefully!" "Ssss!" Tun Tian nodded vigorously in a human-like manner. "This guy is a bit off," Lai Xi said to several people, looking at Tun Tian; "It seems that every time something like this happens, he wants to follow along." "That's not all!" Zhen Zhen added; "I remember last year when the school toilet was haunted, no one brought him along, but he ran over by himself." "Don't mention it!" Ye Wen said with a look of disgust; "Originally, I raised him just to make do with what we had to eat, but that time he crawled out of the latrine and made me feel nauseous whenever I saw him." "Ssss..." Tun Tian seemed to feel embarrassed as well, turning his head to one side and pretending not to know anything. "What kind of master raises what kind of pet?" Several people looked at Ye Wen with disdain, seeing Tun Tian act foolishly.

  The Qingfeng Hospital is considered one of the best in the city, but it's unknown whether this is due to its name or the nickname "Ghost" that Daoists use to refer to spirits. This hospital has the highest mortality rate and most paranormal events. At 7 pm, a group of people arrived at room 933 on the 9th floor. The room was fully equipped with computers, TVs, and a bathroom, making it seem like a high-end personal apartment. On the two-meter-wide bed lay a young man who was so thin that his ribs were visible. His eyes had no sparkle, his face was dark, and his eye bags were folded in layers as he stared out the window with a foolish grin on his face, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. Next to him, a chubby middle-aged man was comforting a middle-aged woman, occasionally glancing at the young man with unhidden concern in his eyes.

  "Uncle Liu!" Zhenzhen called out softly as he walked forward. "Zhenzhen, why have you come again today?" Uncle Liu forced a smile and looked at the people behind Zhenzhen, saying, "It's hard for you all to still have this kind of heart." "Liu Hai is my good friend, it's only right," Zhenzhen said as he took a step forward, pointing at Ye Wen. "He's my good friend, and his grandfather is the successor of Mao Mountain, so I wanted him to take a look." The middle-aged man's eyes first showed a hint of displeasure, but then softened slightly, saying, "Alright, it can't be helped nowadays..." With the middle-aged man's consent, Ye Wen slowly walked forward, blinking his eyes lightly. A thin layer of white membrane seemed to cover his eyes as he looked at Liu Hai again. His body was surrounded by a grayish-white aura, with threads of gray silk floating around him. One thread extended out the window. Following the thread with his gaze, Ye Wen saw a semi-transparent girl hovering outside the window. The girl's body was stained with blood, her hands supporting her chin, and a smile on her face as she looked at Liu Hai. However, at this moment, the girl's face seemed to be rotting away, with pieces of skin hanging loose, revealing white bones underneath. Her head wasn't attached to her neck; instead, it was being held in her hands, which were placed on her abdomen. The gray threads surrounding Liu Hai's body were actually the girl's hair.