"Dad...Dad..."
Upon returning to the shabby room, I immediately placed the "little radish head" in my arms onto the bed. Unexpectedly, the "little radish head", who had been sound asleep, woke up at once.
As soon as it woke up, it started squirming on the bed, like an octopus, and then quickly crawled back over to my arms. Its small hands tightly clutched my clothes, refusing to let go, as if it was afraid I would abandon it at any moment.
At that moment, my heart was undoubtedly tense. Although Xia Xiaoyi had said that once the "little radish head" acknowledged me, it wouldn't harm me again, that was only her guess. Who could guarantee that the little guy wouldn't suddenly go crazy? If it pounced on me and bit me, with my current strength, I probably wouldn't have any strength to resist at all!
However, it turned out that my concerns were completely unnecessary.
The "little radish head" at this moment, aside from having a small head, was no different from an ordinary baby. It was just acting spoiled in my arms, occasionally rubbing its little head against my chest, looking very affectionate. What surprised me even more was that I could feel its body temperature and even its heartbeat!
In my opinion, this was simply an incredible thing. According to the Daoist doctrine, ghosts are supposed to be "ethereal", with no substantial form. Yet, the "little radish head" not only had its own body but also had a body temperature and heartbeat similar to an ordinary person?
Could this be the biggest difference between a "ghost demon" and an ordinary ghost?
"Behave, Dad still has things to do, can you play on the bed by yourself for a while?"
I wasn't sure if the little radish head could understand my words, so I gently patted its back as if comforting a normal child.
The little guy was actually quite easy to coax. After a while, it fell asleep in my arms again. However, once I put it on the bed, it immediately opened its eyes, cried, and refused to lie down.
Alright, it seemed that this little guy intended to cling to my arms completely.
"Fine, if you want to stay in my arms, then you can stay..."
Helpless, I could only let it be. As long as it didn't harm me, it didn't really matter.
After sitting at the head of the bed for a long time, I finally calmed down a bit and began to contemplate the events of the day. So much had happened today, but the most unforgettable was the fortune-teller's parting words: "Beware of the people around you!"
Beware of the people around me, who was he referring to exactly?
Lao Zhangtou? Xia Xiaoyi? Or both?
Upon careful consideration, his warning was not unfounded. Regardless of his reminder, I had always maintained a sufficient level of vigilance towards Lao Zhangtou and Xia Xiaoyi.
Both Lao Zhangtou and Xia Xiaoyi had mysterious backgrounds. As practitioners, they seemed to have inexplicably entered my life. Of the two, Lao Zhangtou was more apparent; his appearance seemed almost deliberate, as if he was intentionally getting close to me!
Although he said he was an old friend of my grandfather, it was just his word. Who could guarantee that this so-called "old friend" was a friend and not an enemy?
If he was a friend of my grandfather, that would be great, and many questions would be answered. But if he was an enemy, what were they after?
If they had come just for what my grandfather had left behind, they seemed to have been able to obtain it long ago. So why wait until now?
Right!
What did my grandfather leave for me!
Suddenly, my heart became almost excited. As the head of the Maoshan School, what exactly did he leave for me?
I remembered very clearly that he said I would encounter something I couldn't solve four years later, and only at that time could I open the red cloth wrapped around something.
It seemed like a plan similar to Zhuge Liang's empty fort strategy.
Now, four years later, it was my second zodiac year!
Thinking of Lao Zhangtou's previous words, it was not difficult to guess that there would be a calamity during my second zodiac year, which was a safeguard that my grandfather left for me before his death!
And if it was to face such a calamity, could my grandfather have left behind a powerful magical item for me?
My heart burned hotter, and almost instinctively, I took out the red cloth that I always carried with me. I was almost about to open it and see what my grandfather had left for me!
However, I managed to resist. Since my grandfather insisted that I wait for four years before opening it, there must be a reason. If I opened it now, would whatever was inside become ineffective?
"Sigh... forget it, I should concentrate on practicing the 'Fourteen Sections of the Daoist Alchemy'!"
The sleepless night resulted in less significant progress this time. It only slightly strengthened my "qi perception", and nothing more.
However, I wasn't discouraged. From Xia Xiaoyi's words, it was clear that the previous "Bone Marrow Cleansing" was probably related to the dragon energy in my body, rather than the credit of the "Fourteen Sections of the Daoist Alchemy"!
For a very ordinary fitness method, having such an effect was actually quite good.
On the path of practice, the road is difficult, like trying to break through thick ice. Progress takes time, but as long as I can improve a little bit every day, I will eventually become a peerless master like the fortune-teller.
Speaking of the fortune-teller, I am also suspicious of him. If he hadn't suddenly appeared to save me, I might have forgotten about him. But from his actions, it seems that he has been paying attention to me. It's even possible that he has been deliberately getting close to me. Therefore, I can't completely trust what he says. If I distance myself from Old Zhang and Xia Xiaoyi because of his words, it would be a loss.
As I pondered this, I suddenly felt a movement in my arms. I realized that the "little radish" had finally woken up after a long night's sleep.
When I looked down, the little one looked pitiful, sucking on his thumb and mumbling, "Dad...Dad...hungry."
Hungry? Could it be that the "demon" also needs to eat like humans?
Seeing the little one's pitiful look, I couldn't help but smile heartily. I got up and quickly grabbed a box of milk for it. The little one eagerly took it and sucked on the straw but immediately spat it out and sprayed me in the face.
Seeing my disheveled appearance, the little one burst into laughter, completely carefree, and rolled around on the bed.
"Little rascal..."
Muttering with a wry smile, I quickly found some bread for it, but it turned out that it was also not very fond of it. Once again, it spat out the bite and clung to me, saying, "Dad...Dad...hungry."
Before I could react, it suddenly grabbed my right hand without hesitation and bit my finger.
"Could it be trying to suck my blood?"
Seeing this, I was startled and quickly pushed it away. However, the little one's fangs left my entire right arm black for a moment. But strangely, the color quickly returned to normal. I couldn't understand it; how could my blood be ink black? Had the poison not been completely expelled from my body?
Could it be that the little one was helping me remove the remaining poison from my body? Did I misjudge it?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but apologize to the "little radish." But just then, there was a hurried knocking at the door.