Jiangdu City, a certain well-known private hospital.
Inside the SVIP ward, the lighting was soft.
“Dad, careful, it’s hot.”
Sun Qingcang scooped up a spoonful of warm porridge and carefully brought it to his father’s lips.
Sun Dechang swallowed a few mouthfuls and gently waved his hand. “That’s enough, I’m full.”
His gaze slowly swept across his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter gathered by the hospital bed, and a ripple of emotion stirred in his aged eyes.
“I thought today was my last day. Who would have thought… that the one who ended up sending me back was Lord Yan himself.”
He gave a weak smile. “Qingcang, make sure you thank that young man properly. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even have had time to say my final words.”
“Dad, what are you talking about? What final words? Lord Yan said clearly that as long as we recruit a thousand believers, He will grant you five more years of life in one go.”
Sun Qingcang’s tone was resolute. “Don’t worry, Dad. No matter what it takes, I will get those thousand believers for you!”
Beside him, Sun Xingwen immediately chimed in, “Grandpa, tomorrow I’ll go find my classmates! If anyone isn’t sincere, I’ll beat them until they are!”
Sun Dechang smiled, quite open-mindedly. “It’s not that easy. That’s the underworld, not the heavenly realm. Some things can’t be forced. But being able to live a few more days and see all of you… I’m already very content.”
He then looked at Sun Yourong. “It’s just a shame that Grandpa probably won’t get to see my precious granddaughter get married.”
Tears immediately fell from Sun Yourong’s eyes. She clenched her fists and said, “Grandpa, don’t lose heart. There are always more solutions than problems!”
Beside her, Mrs. Song also wiped away tears. “Yourong is right. There are always more solutions than problems! And worst case, there are four of us here. At the very least… at the very least, that’ll let Dad live another half month!”
As Sun Qingcang listened, his heart grew heavier and heavier. He knew all too well how difficult this path of seeking “believers” truly was.
Even with Lu Chen’s promise to help as much as possible, the number one thousand was no easy feat.
In the vast sea of humanity, where could they find a thousand people who sincerely believed in the underworld?
Just then, a crisp cellphone ringtone broke the silence of the ward.
Sun Yourong picked up her phone, her gaze sharpening. “Lu Chen?”
Sun Qingcang’s pupils contracted sharply, and he spun around. “Answer it! Put it on speaker!”
Sun Yourong nodded, answered the call, and turned on the speakerphone. “Mr. Lu?”
“Sorry to bother you so late, Miss Sun.”
“You’re too kind. What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Oh, right, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
Hearing that he wanted their help,
The small flame of hope that had just ignited in their eyes dimmed involuntarily.
They had originally hoped that Lu Chen might bring some good news, like how he had managed to find a few believers or something.
Sun Yourong paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, go ahead. What do you need us to do?”
“I’d like you to help me find a few buses to drive to our Nanshan Residential Community tomorrow. After I got back, I explained things to the neighbors and did some persuasion work. Now, over a hundred households in our community are very eager to go to the temple and worship Lord Yan. So, please find a few buses to be responsible for picking them up and dropping them off tomorrow.”
Crash!
The bowl in Sun Qingcang’s hands suddenly slipped and shattered on the floor.
“What was that noise? Did something break?” Lu Chen’s puzzled voice came through the phone.
The next second, Sun Qingcang practically snatched the phone away. His voice trembled with excitement. “Xiao Chen! It’s me, Uncle Sun! Did you just say… over a hundred people?!”
“Good evening, Uncle Sun. Yes, to be precise, one hundred and nine.”
As soon as he said this,
The entire ward fell into a deathly silence!
The only sound left was the frantic pounding of hearts, like dense drumbeats.
Sun Qingcang himself began to tremble violently, as if electrocuted.
This dignified fifth-rank spiritualist, one of the top five strongest people in Jiangdu City, was shaking so badly at this moment that he could barely hold onto the phone.
His voice quavered. “Xiao Chen, Uncle Sun thanks you! Our Sun family will forever remember your great kindness!!”
Lu Chen chuckled. “You’re too kind, Uncle Sun. This is my duty, after all. It’s settled, then. Tomorrow morning at eight, at the entrance of our community. See you there.”
“See you there!!”
The call ended.
The Sun family members looked at each other in astonishment.
Mrs. Song murmured, calculating. “One believer gives three days, so one hundred and nine would be…”
Sun Yourong gave the answer directly. “Three hundred and twenty-seven days! Nearly a whole year!”
Boom!!!
Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
Their heartbeats exploded!
Sun Xingwen swallowed hard several times and practically bit out each word. “This li… this Mr. Lu, is he even human?! How can a person be this incredibly capable?!”
Facing this sudden year of life dropped from heaven, Sun Dechang was also so excited that his chest heaved violently. He let out a long sigh, full of emotion. “This young man is no ordinary fish in a pond!”
Every member of the Sun family felt their pupils contract, their hearts surging with excitement.
Especially Sun Yourong!
While they were still calculating how to break the deadlock,
Lu Chen had casually taken a giant leap forward.
Not just one or two or three.
But a full one hundred and nine!
Thinking back on everything that had happened to Lu Chen today~
This woman, who had countless suitors at her feet and was recognized as the number one goddess of Jiangdu City,
Couldn’t help but feel an unprecedented, strange emotion flicker in her eyes…
“…Should I chat with my brother again?”
On the other side, Lu Chen hung up the phone. Seeing that it was already late,
He thought about it but decided against it.
After all, his parents and little sister needed to rest.
The soundproofing in this house was terrible. If he started talking, his parents probably wouldn’t be able to sleep either.
“Never mind, I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Yawning, Lu Chen stretched lazily, got up to wash up, and went to bed.
Today had really worn him out.
——-
Crash!
Late at night, a sudden downpour lashed Jiangdu City.
At the Zhao family estate, one of the four great noble houses,
A line of luxury cars glided to a silent stop.
The butler, Zhao Zhihong, was already standing waiting in the rain, umbrella in hand, bowing.
“Young Master, you’ve returned.”
A young man stepped slowly out of the car. He was handsome, but deep in his eyes lurked a hint of darkness.
Dense raindrops fell toward him but were silently deflected by an invisible wall of energy around his body. Faint arcs of lightning could even be seen crackling and dancing on that wall.
Zhao Zhihong quickly brought the umbrella closer.
The young master of the Zhao family gave him a deep look, then casually patted his shoulder and spoke with a hint of amusement:
“Zhihong, on the phone, you said that Old Master Sun, who was supposed to die for sure, was saved by some unknown kid?”
Zhao Zhihong’s posture was utterly fawning. “Yes, Young Master, that’s correct.”
“You also said that ‘Statue of the God of Wealth’ was taken back by that same kid?”
“Y-yes, Young Master!”
The young man’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “Zhihong, it seems you’re getting worse with age. Before I left, did I make myself clear? If the people the Sun family found couldn’t do the job, then I had to be the one to save Old Master Sun.
I told you to wait for me to return so that I could personally deliver the life-extending pill to Yourong. But what did you do? Not only did you screw up, but knowing full well that thing had a prior spiritual connection, you still let the kid take back the God of Wealth statue?
It seems you’re becoming less and less capable of handling things properly~”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhihong’s face turned ashen white.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees in the freezing rainwater.
“This subordinate has failed in his duties! Please forgive me, Young Master!”
The pouring rain instantly soaked Zhao Zhihong through, leaving him a pathetic mess.
The young man crouched down and began slapping Zhao Zhihong’s wet cheek, neither too hard nor too soft, as if playing with a dog.
“Forgive you? How should I forgive you? Come on, tell me~”
“Woof, woof woof woof~”
But Zhao Zhihong suddenly started barking like a mad dog, and it was surprisingly realistic.
Unexpectedly, the young master of the Zhao family burst into loud laughter, as if he had heard something extremely amusing.
“Not bad. Your imitation is getting better!”
With that, he stood up and strode toward the manor without looking back.
His laughter echoed through the dark, rainy night, sounding particularly eerie and unhinged.
“Remember, put this kid on the ‘watch list.’ If necessary…”
He paused, turning half his face. In the shadows, his eyes were as cold as a blade.
“Take him out!”
“But Young Master, what about the Sun family…”
“Hmm?!” A displeased snort.
Zhao Zhihong’s entire body shivered. He immediately prostrated himself lower. “Yes! This subordinate understands! Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
The Zhao family young master burst into another fit of delighted laughter.
“Very good, very good! What a good dog, hahaha!!”
