Chapter 4, Brothers

He pointed to Li Qiang and introduced him: "This is my older brother who races with me, Li Qiang. He takes good care of me, is very loyal, and is a great buddy"

Having said that, he threw the lunchbox onto the table and approached the bed, reaching out to pull Xiao Fei up. However, Xiao Fei swatted his hand away and weakly said, "Just because you're sick doesn't mean I have to be. Sit down, I just wanted to talk to you. By the way, this is Brother Qiang."

Cheng Dong was momentarily stunned, staring foolishly at the two pieces of paper money for the deceased. Who wouldn't recognize this? The key is that no one would carry such things around without reason; it is considered very ominous. Looking at these two relatively new pieces of paper money for the deceased, Cheng Dong felt as if he were seeing a ghost, with a pale face, gaping mouth, revealing two long fangs, grinning maliciously at him. He couldn't help but shiver in fear. He knew Xiao Fei very well; Xiao Fei would never joke with him like this.

Before the words had even left his mouth, the door was suddenly pushed open with great force. Cheng Dong burst in, one hand holding a lunchbox and the other a newspaper, rushing in with great energy. He shouted, "Bold move! I bought you your favorite eight-treasure porridge and two eggs. How about that? Enough for a brother, right? Quickly tell me what happened. Did a woman dump you? Let me help you out; I'm an expert in this area, you know. Haha, when did you start to get wise?"

Li Qiang is indeed a very cautious person. After hesitating for a moment, he extended his hand to shake hands with Zhang Dongsheng and said in a deep voice: "Nice to meet you, just call me Qiangzi, that's what my brothers call me, and it sounds pleasant."

Not long after, a knock sounded on the door of the single dormitory rented by Xiao Fei. Xiao Fei knew it was Cheng Dong coming. He forced himself to stand up, feeling as if he had no strength at all, truly resembling someone who was ill. Sighing, he shuffled to the door and opened it, only to be taken aback; it was Li Qiang who had come, not Cheng Dong. Hadn't he called to inform him not to come over?

Xiao Fei noticed that Cheng Dong did not believe him, so he refrained from arguing further. With a sullen expression, he pulled out two ghost money notes from the drawer of the bedside table and tossed them in front of Cheng Dong. His lips twitched slightly as he spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice: "Dongzi, this is the fare I collected last night. I thought I had found a bargain, but it turned out to be a big trouble."

Li Qiang, who has been driving for many years, is still aware of certain matters. He has heard that Xiao Fei is not the first person to have encountered a ghost. Thinking of that person's fate, Li Qiang's expression changed, and he looked at Xiao Fei with concern. Those who have seen ghosts rarely meet a good end. A truck driver from Lin City, while driving to Jiangxi, encountered a ghost on the way. After a hard struggle, he finally made it home, but within three days, he fell seriously ill. When he reached the hospital, the doctors were at a loss, and in the end, he passed away, leaving behind a widow and orphans. Those who have seen ghosts rarely meet a good end. A truck driver from Lin City, while driving to Jiangxi, encountered a ghost on the way. After a hard struggle, he finally made it home, but within three days, he fell seriously ill. When he reached the hospital, the doctors were at a loss, and in the end, he passed away, leaving behind a widow and orphans.

Before finishing his words, he saw Li Qiang standing at the foot of the bed. Cheng Dong did not know Li Qiang and was momentarily taken aback, retracting what he was about to say. He awkwardly smiled at Li Qiang, then turned to look at Xiao Fei, but couldn't help but exclaim: "How bold of you! What happened? Are you sick? You little rascal, if you weren't feeling well last night, you should have called me. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital. Don't just tough it out."

Li Qiang forced a smile, clearly not accustomed to Cheng Dong's temperament. Meanwhile, Xiao Fei snorted and pushed Zhang Dongsheng, saying, "Look at you, with such behavior, it's no wonder that Brother Qiang would laugh at you. Alright, everyone sit down. I have something on my mind that I need to say; if I don't, I might just end up getting sick. Initially, I didn't want to share this with Brother Qiang, fearing it might leave a psychological scar. But since we're all here, I might as well let him listen, so he can be more cautious in the future and avoid ending up like me."

Cheng Dong is quite familiar with people. He reached out his hand to Li Qiang and said with a straightforward smile, "Brother Qiang, just call me Dongzi. It's our first meeting, and I've already made a fool of myself. I'm used to joking around with Da Dan, hehe."

Seeing Li Qiang turn to leave, Xiao Fei hurriedly called out, "Qiangzi, you don't need to go. I really am not sick. In a moment, when you hear me talk about what happened to me last night, you'll understand. I originally didn't intend to tell you about it."

What Cheng Dong mentioned was an incident from his second year in the army. At that time, the unit was assigned to carry out a mission, and Xiao Fei happened to be on the same post as Cheng Dong. They engaged in a conversation with two Henan soldiers who were also on duty, and the four of them made a bet to see who would dare to sleep a night in the graveyard next to the sentry post. They each took turns, and the loser would forfeit their allowance for the month, which was only forty-five yuan at that time, truly wagering their entire fortune. As a result, Xiao Fei and one of the Henan soldiers went to the graveyard, while Cheng Dong and the other Henan soldier remained on duty. By midnight, the Henan soldier was so frightened by the ghostly lights in the graveyard that he returned. However, Xiao Fei slept soundly through the night. From that point on, Cheng Dong began to call Xiao Fei 'Bold,' and this nickname spread throughout the entire company, and everyone started calling him that.

After a considerable amount of time, Li Qiang finally sighed and said in a low voice: "Boldly, I have heard of such things before, but I never expected you to be so unfortunate. You have encountered something even more improbable than winning the lottery. I am at a loss as to what to do. Do you think it would be wise to find a skilled master to help dispel your misfortune and seek their advice on a solution?"

After a prolonged silence, Cheng Dong, with a somewhat pale complexion, looked up at Xiao Fei and then turned to glance at Li Qiang. His lips twitched a few times, yet he ultimately refrained from speaking. For a moment, the three of them fell into silence, confronted with such a situation, none knew how to respond.

Cheng Dong chuckled and plopped down onto Xiao Fei's bed. He pointed to a chair nearby and said with a smile, "Qiang Ge, sit down and let's talk. Don't be polite now that you're here; just treat it like your own home."

Li Qiang snorted, clearly not taking Xiao Fei's words seriously, and muttered in dissatisfaction: "You should look in the mirror yourself; you are in such a state and still claim you are not ill. Go lie down on the bed first; resting for a while will help you feel a bit better"

Having said that, regardless of whether Xiao Fei was willing or not, he forcibly pushed Xiao Fei down onto the bed, pulled over a blanket to cover him, and then turned around to pour a glass of water for Xiao Fei, complaining as he did so: "How bold of you! I’m not talking about you; we brothers are on the same wavelength, so let’s skip the pleasantries. You’re out here struggling in this city alone, and if you fall ill, we brothers won’t come to help you? You expect to just suffer through it by yourself? Drink some hot water; I’ll be back shortly. The doctor will just need to give you a shot, and you’ll be fine."

With a twist of his finger, he pointed at Cheng Dong and smiled at Li Qiang, saying: "Qiangzi, this is Dongzi, the renowned Cheng Dong, a comrade from my military unit, we share a very close bond. He is quite righteous, though he has become accustomed to being shameless. If he happens to say something unpleasant, don't hold it against him, Qiang Ge."

Xiao Fei is quite bold. If last night's incident had happened to someone else, they would likely have fainted by now. At least Xiao Fei can still hold himself together and not let himself break down, which is already commendable. Many people who are the loudest in their outcries often find themselves collapsing the quickest when faced with such situations.

Li Qiang did not concern himself with much; he looked up and down at Xiao Fei, and suddenly reached out to hold Xiao Fei's arm, his face full of reproach: "I say, you are so bold. I know you are a strong-willed person, but being ill is being ill. Don't force yourself. You should go lie down on the bed first, and I will go downstairs to invite the doctor to take a look at you."

Xiao Fei let out a bitter smile, leaned forward, took the mirror from the bedside table, and held it up to his face. However, he was startled by his own reflection, and in a moment of surprise, he dropped the mirror, which fell to the floor. Xiao Fei weakly lay back down on the bed. Was that person in the mirror really him? His face was sallow, his eyes lacked luster, and there were a few beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked indescribably haggard.

Xiao Fei was momentarily taken aback, still undecided, when he heard Li Qiang hesitate and say: "The Taoist priest that Dongzi mentioned, I have heard people talk about him as well, saying he is quite effective. Why don't we go and take a look?"

This statement left Li Qiang and Cheng Dong momentarily stunned, exchanging glances before turning their eyes away to look at Xiao Fei. They noticed that Xiao Fei's expression grew increasingly grim, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. He cleared his throat a few times before finally swallowing and saying, "I saw a ghost"

Cheng Dong is a typical atheist. After a moment of surprise, he regained his composure and suddenly punched Xiao Fei, laughing and scolding, "Alright, bold one, stop talking nonsense. I don't believe in this stuff. If you say it's a ghost, that's just scaring yourself. When did you, the bold one, ever believe in such things? When we were soldiers, we slept in a graveyard for a night, and I never saw you scared. When did you become so timid?"

Seeing that both of them said so, Xiao Fei was also moved. Although up to now, he had not encountered any bad incidents with ghosts, no one could guarantee that nothing would happen. Even if nothing happened, it was still a matter of seeking peace of mind. However, suddenly he thought of something else, pondered for a moment, and said softly: "How about we first go to Xiao Luo Village to take a look? I have no grievances or enmity with that female ghost, so she might not necessarily harm me. What do you all think? We shouldn't scare ourselves unnecessarily, as it might only confuse our minds."

"What?" Li Qiang and Cheng Dong exclaimed in unison, looking at the haggard-faced Xiao Fei with confusion and uncertainty, unsure of what had happened, whether Xiao Fei was confused or if they had misheard.

Xiao Fei was taken aback. Could it be that he really looked ill? He pushed Li Qiang's hand away and said with a wry smile: "Qiangzi, I am really not sick. Don't go looking for any doctors. Forget it, since you are here, just come in. My comrade will be here soon."

Li Qiang was taken aback and involuntarily stopped in his tracks. What happened to Xiao Fei? Did he encounter some trouble? Turning around, he looked at Xiao Fei with confusion and suspicion, saying: "How bold of you! What happened to you last night? Why do you seem unwilling to tell me? What, do you not consider me a brother? If that's the case, don't blame me for getting angry"

"Yes, yes, let's do it this way. I know there is an old Taoist on Que Ming Mountain, who is said to understand how to subdue demons and capture ghosts. Many people often invite him to exorcise those who have been afflicted by evil spirits. Why don't we go look for him as well?" Upon hearing Li Qiang's words, Cheng Dong immediately perked up, and he instantly recalled the semi-immortal Taoist his father had mentioned. His father said he was very effective, but he himself was unsure whether it was true or not.