Chapter 136

Three of us were having hot pot, but later everyone felt it wasn't satisfying enough, so we ordered several dozen bottles of beer.

We kept eating this late-night snack until 2 a. m. During that time, a strange feeling kept weighing on my heart. Fan Wuchang, with his tightly furrowed brow, seemed to want to say something but held back, as if he had something to tell us, yet he never revealed a word even after the snack was finished. He only occasionally furrowed his brow and then gulped down a mouthful of beer.

Or perhaps it was because the situation in Aomen had taken a new turn, and he didn't want us to worry, so he chose to bury himself in drinking, not uttering a word.

After two o'clock, Pangzi and I, swaying left and right, managed to get into a taxi. After returning to the guesthouse, I endured the dizziness and pain in my head, lit a stick of incense for Little Fat, then, guided by feeling, felt my way back to my own bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, we received a call from Yao Yirong. On the phone, Yao Yirong said she and Silijing had already returned to Guangdong, telling Pangzi and me not to worry about them.

Yao Yirong returning to Guangdong was to be expected. Whether forced or persuaded, after all that had happened, the Yao family would not allow her to stay in this place of right and wrong. So after hearing that call, I wasn't particularly agitated; instead, Pangzi was listless and dispirited for several hours.

In the afternoon, Little Fat kept waving his little fists at me, dissatisfied, shouting 'gang, gang…' to vent his displeasure.

Even though I couldn't understand what he was saying, I could still sense from his tone that he was protesting that I had been only looking after myself these past days, neglecting him.

That makes sense; ever since we came to Aomen, I've kept Murong Jiaojiao and Little Fat cooped up in the guesthouse—whether attending banquets or the days after, I never took them out to play.

So, taking advantage of this free afternoon, Pangzi, Yuan Qiu, and I decided to take Murong Jiaojiao and Little Fat out for a stroll.

To let Little Fat have fun, I specially placed several layers of taboo seals on him, allowing him to play recklessly in broad daylight; of course, the taboo seals had a time limit. But these few hours were enough for Little Fat to have a good play.

However… I soon bitterly regretted my impulsiveness.

On the park lawn, Little Fat, taking advantage of our inattention, slipped onto a bumper car that a child was riding, grabbed the child's hand, veered left and right, and forced the car off the track; after a turn, it slammed straight into a lime wall, frightening the child into wailing loudly for half an hour. Only when Pangzi bought a lollipop and shoved it into the child's hand did the child whom Little Fat had made cry wipe away his tears, hang two strings of crystal-clear snot, and fall asleep in his parents' arms.

Immediately afterward, Little Fat's playful urge surged, as if he had reached an uncontrollable point.

When we reached the Nine-Curve Bridge in the park, there was a couple leaning on each other in the pavilion on the bridge—the boy looked fresh and handsome, a fine specimen; the girl, while not beautiful, was pretty and lovely. Seeing this couple's loving glances, it was obvious they were chatting about their little romance in the park.

Seeing this, Pangzi, Yuan Qiu, and I tactfully quickened our steps, intending to go around them. But the next moment, Pangzi and I discovered something very serious.

Little Fat was missing……

As Pangzi and I turned around and searched everywhere for Little Fat, what met our eyes was a scene that left us stunned and simultaneously laughing and crying.

Sometime earlier, Little Fat had slipped behind that couple, his chubby little fingers stroking their hair, his round, big eyes brimming with eager curiosity… Little Fat seemed to want to figure out what the two of them were doing.

Suddenly, the lovey-dovey couple closed their eyes and slowly leaned their cheeks toward each other. No need to ask—what happened next was definitely not suitable for children.

I waved at Little Fat, trying to call him back. Who would have thought…

When the couple's lips were slowly approaching, only a centimeter apart, Little Fat suddenly reached out, grabbed the girl's hair, and pulled it back hard, dragging her back several centimeters.

Then Little Fat seemed to get hooked on it. Whenever the couple's lips drew near, preparing to kiss, he would either tug at the girl from behind or pull the guy from behind—anything to keep their lips from meeting, forbidding them to kiss.

Finally, the couple screamed loudly that there was a ghost, and fled in panic in all directions.

Meanwhile, Little Fat stood behind the chair, rubbing the back of his head, curiously watching them flee in panic. After a moment, he clapped his hands, jumped up excitedly, and shouted 'gang gang' with excitement.

Although I didn't know what he had done… one could be sure it was a lot of fun.

Pangzi, watching from the side, laughed loudly without regard for his image; Murong Jiaojiao covered her mouth and chuckled lightly; Yuan Qiu, unable to see Little Fat, fell into bewilderment.

As for me… I covered my face with both hands, feeling utterly helpless. As the host, I felt I had failed, failed badly.

To prevent such incidents from recurring and to give lovers everywhere a good romantic environment, I tightly tethered Little Fat to my side. Even if he clenched his fists in protest, dissatisfied, I closed my eyes and ignored him…

"Brother Qiang, Hai Sheng, how about we go in and play a couple rounds for fun!" At that moment, the car stopped beside a hotel in Aomen. Yuan Qiu pointed at the hotel and asked us whether we wanted to go inside and gamble a bit.

Besides the various large and small casinos in Aomen, hotels are equipped with gambling-related entertainment facilities and staff. It's no exaggeration to say that almost every hotel in Aomen is essentially a casino.

I have no interest in gambling, so I simply shook my head. Pangzi, however, glared at Yuan Qiu in annoyance and said, "Gambling, do you even know what kind of feng shui layout this hotel has? If you want to go in and never come out, go ahead and gamble—you'll gamble yourself to death."

"Hung…" Yuan Qiu exclaimed, bewildered, asking, 'Could it be that there are other tricks in there?'

"Not only are there tricks, but the tricks inside are even bigger!" Pangzi nodded firmly, then, through the car window, pointed at the layout around the hotel and slowly explained it to us.

"Do you see those two doors? One looks like a lion, the other like a tiger. This kind of doorway is called the Lion-Tiger Gate; the lion is a beast that brings wealth, the tiger is the king of beasts, and with such a doorway as deep as the sea, wealth is absolutely a one-way trip—gone and never returning."

"Besides, take a look at the shapes of the buildings around—what do they remind you of!" Pangzi shifted his tone, pointed at the hotel, and asked Yuan Qiu.

Yuan Qiu looked left and right, then said vaguely, 'It looks a bit like a birdcage…'

"Exactly, that's right—it's a birdcage," Pangzi said solemnly. "Don't underestimate this birdcage; on it there are sickles, large and small jade pearls, and various auspicious formations. The sickles curve outward in all directions, so every gambler entering is like a trapped beast in a cage, at the mercy of others. Besides that, the building's top has countless large and small balls. Although I can't see the hotel's upper floor, I can absolutely affirm that its summit is round and white, like a jade disc."

"Why?" Yuan Qiu scratched his head, very curious.

Pangzi extended a finger, gave a mysterious smile, and said, "This is called 'large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate'—the handiwork of a master of the Formations school."

…………….

After Pangzi's explanation, Yuan Qiu still didn't end up going to the casino. Although he had the idea of gambling a couple rounds, he wasn't a fool, and he certainly wouldn't ruin his family by splashing money like water.

Then we went to Aomen again to buy some local specialties and a big pile of snacks. Around eight o'clock, we all ran to a certain restaurant and had a hearty meal. After eating our fill, we leisurely made our way back to the guesthouse.

"Pangzi, hurry up! You're moving as slow as a snail." I, walking ahead on the stairs, looked down at Pangzi with dissatisfaction.

Pangzi, carrying big and small packages, gave me a disdainful look, panting, and complained dissatisfiedly, "You talk while standing, not feeling any back pain, while I'm struggling with all these bags."

"Who told you to rush into the seafood shop like a madman, wanting to carry off the whole store? Your own things you naturally take yourself—do you expect me to be your free laborer?"

I rolled my eyes, ignored Pangzi, and continued following Yuan Qiu up the stairs.

However, tonight the guesthouse seemed a bit strange, overly quiet. Usually there were a few attendants stationed on each floor who would smile and give directions when they saw guests. Tonight those floor attendants were all gone, and the whole guesthouse was unnaturally silent.

"Maybe they're changing shifts, or perhaps they're holding a staff meeting," I thought, and Yuan Qiu and I walked to the suite we had rented.

Suddenly, Little Fat, who had been quietly sitting on my shoulder, unusually began to pound hard on the back of my head.

"Gang, gang… Hai Sheng, gang, gang" Little Fat shouted while he grabbed my hair and pounded my head.

"Don't make a fuss; you've played enough today. If you keep this up, I'll never take you out again next time." I thought he was acting up because he hadn't had enough fun.

"Something's wrong, Hai Sheng, someone's entered the house," Murong Jiaojiao, holding an umbrella nearby, suddenly warned.

"Someone—could it be a thief? Anyone who hears out of the blue that someone has entered the house wouldn't think of it in a good way."

At that moment, Yuan Qiu had already inserted the key into the lock and, with a click, pushed the door open.

"Yuan Qiu, don't go in yet," I said, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back.

At that exact moment, a piercing cold light flashed from inside the doorway; a gleaming small knife shot out, slicing a half-circle arc where Yuan Qiu's neck had just been.

What a close call—if I hadn't pulled him back just then, Yuan Qiu's head…

In the instant I felt relieved, a burly man in black clothing swiftly darted out from inside, brandishing a gleaming small knife and thrusting straight at my face.

My body's natural reaction made me quickly kick out, sending that black-clad man flying into the room.

And at this moment, Pangzi, who was separated from us by a flight of stairs, also heard this abnormal sound, hurriedly threw down everything he had, and in one breath ran up here.