For the first time in his life, Yin Kairui felt that ten minutes could pass so quickly.
It felt as though barely any time had gone by at all, and yet before he knew it, the ten minutes were already up. He looked down at Shan Shan, who was yawning sleepily beside him, and asked, “How do you feel now? Is it still the same?”
“It still feels very cold,” Shan Shan replied, rubbing her eyes and mumbling softly. “I wonder how long it will be before that Uncle Director Luo mentioned arrives.”
If he came too late, Director Luo would really be in serious danger.
“Also… one of the two protective charms I gave Uncle Luo is almost used up already,” Shan Shan added.
Yin Kairui’s mind was torn with indecision, and it was a long while before he finally spoke again. “If I let you go with me, can you promise to keep yourself safe and out of harm’s way?”
“Of course I can!” Shan Shan immediately clenched her small fists and declared confidently. “I can even protect Brother too! I’m really, really strong and capable!”
Yin Kairui lifted her up into his arms and gave her a serious warning. “If anything unexpected happens, or if I tell you to run away, you must leave immediately, do you understand?”
He was the one who had truly made the decision to go and help. If things went wrong, his only priority would be to make sure Shan Shan got away safely. As for himself… he could simply stay and wait with Director Luo for the spiritual master to arrive.
With that thought in mind, Yin Kairui held out his hand toward her. “Draw one of those charms for me too.”
At the end of the day, he was still very much concerned about his own safety and well-being.
Shan Shan had been about to say that she would be able to protect him all by herself, but after thinking for a moment, she drew the charm for him anyway.
But… the dark, ominous energy surrounding her brother didn’t come from outside it was growing from deep within his body. Which meant the charm wouldn’t work for very long at all!
It was completely different from Director Luo’s situation!
Otherwise, she would have given him a charm a long time ago!
Once the charm was drawn, Yin Kairui took the initiative to hold Shan Shan in his arms something he had never done before.
He had no experience holding small children, and the way he was holding her now was simply what he had observed from Sister Wen and Xiao Liu. Even so, his whole body was stiff and awkward. Shan Shan wriggled around until she found a comfortable position, then wrapped her arms naturally around his neck, her eyes shining bright with happiness.
Her brother was holding her!
Hehe… today really was the best day ever!
It turned out that being a good person… or rather, a good mountain spirit, really did bring its own rewards!
She had done good deeds today, and wasn’t it true that her brother liked her even more now?
This simple truth, which she had only just begun to understand, left a deep impression on the young spirit. From that day onward, she would take it upon herself to help others even more actively but that is a story for another time.
When they arrived at Director Luo’s door, Yin Kairui raised his hand and knocked. “Director Luo? Director Luo, are you inside? Can you open the door for us?”
Shan Shan looked up at him with an expression that clearly said you’re being so silly, and spoke in her soft, childish voice, “Brother… Uncle Luo has already fainted and fallen unconscious.”
“How do you know that?” Yin Kairui asked doubtfully.
Shan Shan lifted her small chin proudly. “Because if any ordinary person stays in a place filled with this much dark, evil energy for such a long time, they’re bound to pass out eventually!”
Even without hearing her explanation, Yin Kairui was already convinced that she was right.
Otherwise, knowing how desperate Director Luo was for help, how could he possibly refuse to open the door once he knew they were there?
Shan Shan twisted and turned in his arms, clearly eager to get down. “Brother, I can just kick this door open!”
As she spoke, she wiggled her small feet back and forth, looking completely ready and willing to do exactly that.
Yin Kairui gently held her legs still to stop her, and said, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Come with me, we’ll go down and get the key card.”
They took the elevator downstairs, went to the front desk, and explained that Director Luo had had too much to drink, asking if they could borrow his room card. A member of the hotel staff came along with them, and soon they were able to unlock the door and step inside.
Just as Yin Kairui had expected, Director Luo had not been in the mood to sleep properly, and so he had collapsed in a very awkward, uncomfortable position.
The hotel staff member was shocked at the sight. “Is he really just drunk?”
“Actually, he didn’t drink all that much,” Yin Kairui replied smoothly, making up an explanation on the spot. “I think he’s just been feeling unwell lately. Director Luo told me earlier that he hadn’t been feeling his best, and I even suggested he take some time to rest. I tried calling him just now and couldn’t get through, so I started to worry that something might be wrong that’s why I came to check on him.”
And what he said wasn’t entirely untrue; he really had called Director Luo during those ten minutes they had waited, and there had been no answer.
The staff member looked concerned. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“Not for the moment, thank you,” Yin Kairui said, organizing everything clearly and calmly. “I think he’s simply feeling under the weather. He has his medication with him, and I’ll stay here and look after him. If anything changes or we need help, I’ll call you immediately.”
The staff member looked carefully at Director Luo. Although he was unconscious and his brows were furrowed as if he were in discomfort, his complexion was normal and his breathing and heartbeat were steady there really didn’t seem to be anything seriously wrong.
Since Yin Kairui had mentioned that Director Luo had been feeling unwell for some time, the main concern had been that he might have collapsed in the bathroom or on the hard floor and injured himself. Now, with the staff’s help, they gently moved Director Luo onto the bed and arranged him comfortably under the covers. Yin Kairui took out a bottle of pills, gave him one, and the staff member finally felt reassured enough to leave.
Once the door was closed and they were alone, Shan Shan looked at Yin Kairui with a curious expression and asked, “Does Uncle Luo have an illness? Does he have to take medicine all the time?”
She remembered how her friend, the Mermaid Sister, had always tried to hide away and complain sadly whenever she had been injured and forced to take medicine, saying how bitter and unpleasant it tasted.
So did that mean Uncle Luo had to eat yucky-tasting medicine every single day?
“This isn’t medicine,” Yin Kairui explained casually. “It’s just ordinary calcium tablets. Director Luo is getting older, so he takes them to keep his bones strong and healthy.”
Shan Shan stared at him blankly. “?”
She didn’t really understand what he meant, but at least she now knew it wasn’t real medicine.
She tilted her head and asked, “But… couldn’t that ghost uncle tell the difference between medicine and other things?”
“No, he couldn’t,” Yin Kairui replied, putting the small bottle back into the pocket of Director Luo’s clothes. Then he turned to Shan Shan and asked, “So… what do we do now?”
“Leave it all to me!” Shan Shan said confidently. She climbed up onto the bed, then thought for a moment and held out one small hand toward him. “Brother, hold my hand and don’t let go, okay? As long as you’re holding onto me, that ghost uncle won’t be able to come anywhere near you!”
Yin Kairui fell silent for a moment.
Well… he really didn’t understand anything about these supernatural matters, and Shan Shan clearly knew more than he did. It was probably best if he just did as she said.
He reached out and took hold of her small hand, and only then did Shan Shan relax completely.
She placed her other hand gently on Director Luo’s forehead. Yin Kairui wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn that he saw a soft, warm light glowing from the palm of her hand.
Gentle spiritual energy flowed from her hand, spreading slowly across Director Luo’s forehead and moving through every part of his body. Shan Shan spoke in her sweet, clear voice, calling out, “Uncle Luo… wake up now… it’s time to open your eyes and come back…”
Inside his mind, Director Luo felt as though he were trapped in the most terrible nightmare.
He was fully aware that he was dreaming, and he knew very well that there was something… or rather, someone, trying to harm him. He had even tried pinching himself hard to wake up, but nothing worked; he was completely trapped and unable to escape.
The worst part was that he didn’t dare to move around freely either. Who knew what kind of danger he might stumble into, or what wrong step he might take that would cost him his life?
And all the while, that ghostly voice kept whispering in his ear, dazing his mind and making it hard for him to think clearly. But whenever he felt himself slipping away, a sudden burning heat would spread across his palm, bringing him back to his senses only for the voice to begin its work all over again.
Right now, there was nothing he could do except sit helplessly on the cold ground, making sure he didn’t move even an inch, so that even if his mind grew foggy and confused, he wouldn’t accidentally walk into danger.
It felt as though hours and hours had passed. The warmth in his palm was still there, but it was growing weaker and weaker by the minute, and he had no idea how much longer he would be able to hold on until help finally arrived.
It was exactly at that moment that he felt a wave of comforting warmth wash over him, and then he heard a familiar voice calling to him, “Uncle Luo… wake up now… it’s time to open your eyes and come back…”
At the very same instant, the voice that had been whispering constantly in his ear let out a sharp, agonized scream. Director Luo jumped in shock and to his utter amazement, he really did open his eyes!
The moment his eyes opened wide, a dark shadow suddenly materialized out of thin air and lunged straight toward Yin Kairui with terrifying speed.
Shan Shan flew into a rage. “So you did want to hurt my brother all along!”
Her anger gave her a sudden burst of incredible speed. She clenched her small fist and struck out hard, hitting the shadow right in its center. The creature let out another piercing scream and immediately tried to dissolve into thin air and escape but before it could vanish completely, it was grabbed firmly by a tiny, thin little hand that clamped down tightly on its dark, smoky form.
“How dare you hurt Uncle Luo! How dare you try to hurt my brother too! You bad, bad ghost uncle!” Shan Shan shouted, her voice still sounding sweet and childish, yet every word was filled with determination and fury. “Take this! And this! And this!”
With every word, she struck another blow, each one carrying such force that the air around them seemed to crack and hum with power.
Director Luo, who had only just woken up and was still trying to make sense of everything, stared wide-eyed in shock. “?”
Am I… am I still dreaming?
Standing beside them, Yin Kairui who had just let go of the small hand he had been holding stood frozen in place. “……”
Wait… just a minute… did this mean that the two times this little creature had nearly squeezed the life out of him earlier, she had actually been holding back and going easy on him?