It seemed that tonight, the outcome of life and death was unpredictable! At the very least, it would certainly not be a peaceful night!

However, the shattering of Master Guan’s statue also made Young Master Liu understand why those things had violently pushed him just now, forcing him to smash the statue in Tian Guoqiang’s arms. It showed that they feared the Guan Gong effigy yet dared not touch it directly, so they cleverly used this method to destroy it!

Having figured this out, Young Master Liu felt a sense of control: You’re afraid of Master Guan, aren't you? I’ll just draw some blood, buy another one, and then I’d like to see if you dare to cause trouble in front of Master Guan!

“Let’s go, Tian Guoqiang! We’re going back to buy another one. I think we’ve really run into a ghost; without inviting Master Guan home, I’m afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight! Tonight, you can sleep at my place, or I’ll sleep at yours—with Master Guan!” He deliberately made himself sound relaxed, letting Tian Guoqiang know he wasn't terribly scared.

The shop assistant was bewildered. These three boys had just bought a Guan Gong statue ten minutes ago; how could they be back already? Ignoring the girl’s astonishment, they simply paid and left with the item.

Both of them were preoccupied with how they could successfully bring Master Guan home this time.

The store was bustling with people, and Tian Guoqiang held the object with extreme care, terrified of being jostled by someone accidentally.

Those who truly fear ghosts often encounter them—just as they exited the shop, they ran straight into an old man wearing dark sunglasses, tapping the ground haphazardly left and right with a white cane; he was clearly blind.

Young Master Liu quickly pulled Tian Guoqiang back, worried he would be struck by the blind man’s cane. Yet, as if possessed, the blind man inexplicably curved his path directly toward Tian Guoqiang.

Just as the two were contemplating how to avoid him, the blind man suddenly slipped, lunging straight into Tian Guoqiang, and the cane swung up along with him.

With people on both sides, Tian Guoqiang had nowhere to dodge and could only instinctively lean aside. The bamboo cane struck the head of the Guan Gong statue squarely, shattering the clay figure into several pieces.

Tian Guoqiang instantly became furious: “You blind man, do you walk without eyes? With so many people in the world, why the hell did you have to collide with me?”

A crowd gathered. Seeing the blind man fallen on the ground, some rushed to help him up, while others, hearing Tian Guoqiang’s tirade, began to rebuke him: “Young man, why are you speaking like that? He can’t see; you shouldn't insult him this way!”

After being helped up, the blind man, realizing he had caused trouble, quickly bowed repeatedly toward Tian Guoqiang. This, however, made the onlookers even more incensed, and they began to criticize Tian Guoqiang in a chorus of chatter.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Young Master Liu and Little Mazi exchanged a glance and quickly pulled Tian Guoqiang out of the crowd to catch their breath.

Although the accident was caused by the blind man’s carelessness, Young Master Liu was more convinced that this was a sign of being targeted by a ghost. Otherwise, how could the statue have been broken twice in one day? The ghost that was following them must have been terrified of the Master Guan statue being brought home, which would hinder its chance for revenge.

Tian Guoqiang said with deep distress, “What are we going to do, Young Shao? Why is it so hard to get a Master Guan home!”

Young Master Liu found the situation rather absurd, yet his inherent stubbornness flared up: Fine! The more you prevent me from inviting him, the more determined I am to bring him back!

Well, the show was about to begin. Just as Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times in ancient times, here was Young Master Liu attempting to invite Lord Guan for the third time! At this point, Young Master Liu cajoled and coerced Little Mazi out of all his pocket money, then dragged the dumbfounded Tian Guoqiang toward the department store counter for the third time.

“You… you’re back again!” The counter girl, holding a large enamel mug, almost choked on the scalding hot water. She even wondered if these lovestruck youths had taken a fancy to her and were making excuses to get close. But when she heard Young Master Liu’s next words, she promptly spat out the mouthful of water she had just taken.

“Give me another Guan Yunchang!”

“You want another one?” The girl felt as if she had either encountered a ghost today or was still dreaming. Though, she supposed it was more likely that Young Master Liu and his group were the ones haunted.

“Yes. This time, please wrap it up securely.” Young Master Liu pushed several crumpled bills onto the counter.

“But…” Seeing Young Master Liu’s rather handsome face, the girl blushed slightly.

“What is it? It’s not like I’m not paying!” Young Master Liu pressed.

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just… we’re sold out.” The girl spread her hands helplessly.

“Sold out? How could they be sold out?” Young Master Liu and Tian Guoqiang were equally stunned.

“This wasn’t a popular item to begin with; it was just back stock. The only two left were bought up entirely by the three of you,” the girl explained.

“I see!” Young Master Liu was instantly crestfallen, but immediately grabbed the girl’s hand, acting as if he were about to confess his love, startling her so much she nearly screamed: “Then do you know where else I can buy one?”

“Probably only at our department store. If you need one, check back next week; perhaps we’ll get a new shipment.”

“Next week is too late.” Young Master Liu’s trembling hand released hers, his eyes dim, radiating an inexpressible sorrow.

“Too late for what?” Seeing his expression, the girl felt a pang of sympathy. “Young man, if I may ask, is this item very important to you?”

“Of course, we need it to…” Little Mazi started to interject but was cut off by a heavy cough from Young Master Liu. He then shot the blabbermouth a severe glare, causing Little Mazi to retreat sullenly, no longer daring to show off in front of a beautiful woman.

“It’s nothing,” Young Master Liu shook his head.

This counter girl was quite perceptive and knew Young Master Liu likely had an unspoken burden, so she didn't press further, offering only a gentle smile.

“Right, do you have any other statues of Bodhisattvas in your department store? Heavenly soldiers and generals will do—the point is, the more efficacious, the better!”

“Let me check the warehouse!” The girl was obliging and turned to head into the back storage area, but she quickly returned, shrugging helplessly and dashing the hopes of the three men to the floor: “I’m sorry, those are all sold out too.”

It was unclear how they bade farewell to the kind-hearted girl; the three of them lacked the energy for any romantic musings. In short, Young Master Liu felt as if he were dragging a belly full of disappointment, along with his own shell of a body, accepting a ride from Old Hu and heading home dispiritedly.

It was already dusk when they returned to the village. Treading over long-neglected roadside weeds, gazing at the sunset on the horizon, Young Master Liu, who usually lacked any literary depth, suddenly recalled the line, “The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, only it is nearing dusk.” The events in the Lingguan Temple, and the child carrying a lantern—the lingering, haunting phantom—began to surface in his mind!

Suddenly, a sound of "pat-pat" reached his ears, and Young Master Liu spun around sharply, startled. A moment later, he felt a cool, slippery sensation on his cheek. Wiping it, he found a glob of sticky, whitish-green matter; bringing it near his nose, it emitted a choking stench. Having lived in the village since childhood, he knew instantly what it was—damn it, bird droppings!

Looking up, an unusually large crow was perched on the edge of a wall. It was larger than normal to an astonishing degree, at least two or three times the size of an ordinary crow, its feathers glossy black, as if coated in wax. At that moment, it blinked its scarlet eyes at the astonished Young Master Liu and let out a miserable cry, one that sounded like a father’s dying lament, its voice akin to the screech of a saw cutting across a steel pipe, piercing straight into one’s ear, making it impossible to dodge or escape.