Chapter 67: The Storm Approaches

After sending off Dong Ye and his wife, Qi Yan didn't leave right away, but proceeded to the upper ward.

To his surprise, when he arrived this time, Li Lan was already awake.

Although his head was wrapped in a thick bandage and his left leg was set in a cast and suspended at the foot of the bed, he was indeed conscious.

Li Ruoke was feeding him soup.

The siblings both looked noticeably better than before, and Qi Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "When did he wake up?"

Li Lan's pale face broke into a gentle smile. "This morning... I slept a very, very long time."

Li Ruoke silently set down the bowl, then pulled Qi Yan out of the room, her manner secretive.

Qi Yan asked with concern, "Since he's awake now, he should be fine, right?"

"Mm, mm, now it's just a long period of recuperation," Li Ruoke whispered, clutching his arm. "But I feel... something's not quite right with Lan since he woke up."

"How so?"

Li Ruoke frowned, hesitating. "It's just... something feels off. We had an argument before the accident, and he suffered such serious injuries, yet after waking up, he seems oddly happy."

"Is that a problem? Wouldn't you be happy to survive such a disaster? I know I would. Are you hoping he'd be depressed?" Qi Yan didn't quite grasp her meaning.

Li Ruoke pushed him lightly. "No, that's not it! I just feel... oh, I don't know how to explain it. After such a catastrophe, shouldn't he feel at least a little shaken? But he's just grinning foolishly, as if... as if he'd had some kind of pleasant dream. The neurosurgeon says there's nothing wrong, and he doesn't want to talk about it."

Qi Yan paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... that does sound a bit strange. But your brother's only just regained consciousness. Since he's out of immediate danger, you can rest easy. Seeing you both safe puts my mind at ease... Oh, right, let me update you on the past couple days at the shop. The pets are all fine. Sherry barks too much, Dice chews the furniture, and Maodou... I wasn't paying attention and it broke your teacup.

There were sixteen orders in total: six Buddha amulets, three dreamcatchers, five talisman tubes, and two boxes of popularity balm... all shipped out. There are some after-sales issues that will need you to handle personally when you're back..."

Li Ruoke nodded, patting his shoulder. "Thanks for your hard work. The end of the month is coming up—I'll make sure you get a bigger share of the bonus!"

Qi Yan added, "Oh, and my dad is coming here on business from home. He wants me to join him at a religious cultural art exhibition next weekend, so I'm letting you know in advance."

"What? The Asian Religious Cultural Exhibition? Oh my god! I'd completely forgotten—I'd been looking forward to it, but now with Lan's accident I can't go..."

Sure enough, Li Ruoke was very enthusiastic about such exhibitions; it was clear she'd known about the event for some time. But now, with Li Lan needing care, she couldn't attend.

---

Qi Yan patted his chest. "No worries, I'll take lots of photos for you."

Li Ruoke pouted in distress. "Are you even allowed to take pictures at these exhibitions? Aren't there lots of exhibits where that's not permitted?"

Qi Yan grinned. "Most people can't, but my dad was invited as a professional photographer. His job is to take photos at the event, so I can get them from him."

"That's fantastic!" Li Ruoke was thrilled for a moment, but quickly deflated, sighing. "Lan was looking forward to the exhibition even more than I was. He loves religious culture, and this one focuses on Asian religions. It's so unfair... People like us who really want to go can't because of unexpected events, and people like you, who aren't interested at all, get to attend..."

Qi Yan shrugged. "Isn't it just? What a joke, huh?"

Since he had work the next day, Qi Yan didn't stay long at the hospital. With Dong Ye discharged and Li Lan awake, things were improving for everyone, so he discussed some shop matters with Li Ruoke and left. He didn't return to his own home, but instead stayed at the shop, accompanied by three adorable yet troublesome creatures. It was better than being alone in an empty house, and saved him the trouble of commuting, especially since Li Ruoke and her brother weren't at home.

As for... the incident with the little ghost girl and the intensifying backlash of the dark amulet, Qi Yan still said nothing. He planned to wait until Li Lan was fully recovered and discharged before bringing it up.

Li Lan himself hadn't told his sister about what he'd experienced while unconscious. On one hand, he didn't want to worry her; whenever Li Lan had contact with any spirit, it always gave her a headache, and for the living, such things are hardly good news. Moreover, Li Lan was no expert in paranormal studies.

On the other hand, the girl named Shen Lixin had specifically stressed that he shouldn't tell others about direct contact with her spirit. She hadn't explained her reasons, but she seemed earnest at the time, so Li Lan respected her wishes.

For two days, the two half-ghost spirits didn't eat or sleep, but simply talked endlessly.

Only this morning did Li Lan feel a faint pull drawing his spirit back toward his body; gradually, the two merged, and he woke up groggily.

If it hadn't all felt so real, Li Lan might have thought he'd simply had a very long dream.

The healing spirit girl Shen Lixin, and his two days with her in the half-soul space, had greatly changed Li Lan's attitude toward the supernatural.

As someone who grew up terrified by spirits, he had always rejected his own condition deep inside. For the first time, he began to think that perhaps such supernatural abilities weren't entirely a curse...

---

Xinzhou City, inside a private room at Shangyuan Karaoke.

Xuanxuan sat on the leather sofa, listening to Yan Bo belt out a song called "Heaven" with a voice like a broken gong.

The song was titled "Heaven," but what he sang sounded more like "Hell."

"I love you~~~ my home~~ my home~~ my heaven~~~"

Xuanxuan's face was contorted in agony, pressing her brow. "Just kill me now..."

Aside from the two of them, there was another man in the room, in his thirties, burly and hearty.

Yan Bo finally finished his off-key performance, slumped his head, and raised a hand, pointing. "Where are the screams? The applause?"

No one responded...

The tall man munched popcorn, asking, "Oh, give it a rest... Yan Bo, can't we talk business somewhere more proper? What's with this karaoke joint?"

Yan Bo set down the microphone, unconcerned. "Ah, don't be so uptight. What's wrong with singing and discussing business at the same time?"

Xuanxuan checked her phone, puzzled. "Are you sure we shouldn't contact Coco? She knows Xinzhou much better than we do."

"No need, no need. Let's not make a big fuss—three of us are enough," Yan Bo said, wagging his finger.

"At this religious exhibition, that item will be openly displayed, and they're sure to act. That's why I called you both back.

But for now, I can't say for certain. We'll just observe quietly, stay sharp—there may be only three of us, but none of us are pushovers!"

Xuanxuan and the man both frowned. "Why does that sound like an insult..."

---

"Who still remembers who first said~~~ love me forever? A word from before became our future wound..."

"Ding-dong~"

Finally, having hurried back from the hospital, Qi Yan hummed a tune as he stepped out of the elevator, keys in hand, ready to unlock the studio door.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed in the corridor behind him. Before he could turn, a hand clamped over his mouth, silencing his tune and turning it into a muffled, terrified "mm-mmm~".