I am your natural enemy.

Chapter 508: Supplementary Food, Uncertainty (5k)

Wen Yan didn't see who was talking, and there was no response to the prompt. He thought it might be some ghost in the underworld who had some special information channels.

The vast majority of ghosts in the underworld are unconscious, but there are a very small number of them that are conscious, and some have lived here for a long time.

There are ghosts that like to harm people, but there are also ghosts that don’t like to interact with people. They just walk around when they see people and don’t bother each other.

Wen Yan pulled electrical wires and installed street lights. Although he would not deliberately add yang energy to the street lights, he would add it every time he passed by.

Sometimes when I remember it, I take a bunch of incense and stick it at the crossroads.

These things are either done because they please the eye or because it is convenient for one to do so. There is no purpose behind them and no thought is given to them.

He didn't care, but almost all ghosts in the underworld might pass by the intersection and would benefit from it to some extent.

An unconscious ghost will also feel comfortable when illuminated by the warm-toned street lights that carry gentle yang energy, which is more or less beneficial.

Unexpectedly, a few months later, a conscious ghost took the initiative to send Wen Yan a crucial message.

Wen Yan didn't see who was talking, so he didn't force it. He just cupped his hands.

"Thank you for reminding."

After saying thank you, Wen Yan turned and left. A moment later, he brought down three more plates.

The plate was brought by Wen Yan from Fuyu Mountain. It was a plate specially used for offerings, and there were talismans carved underneath.

There were some offerings on each plate, all in numbers of three, neatly stacked.

He placed the offerings at the crossroads, lit three incense sticks with yang energy, and inserted them on the three offerings.

This incense was also brought from Fuyu Mountain. It is a special type of incense. It actually has no smell, which is basically unscented by humans, and it can burn for a long time.

During the Ghost Festival every year, people from Fuyu Mountain come down from the mountain, break their fast and give alms. They will set up offerings and light incense at the intersection so that the lonely souls passing by can have a full meal during the festival.

A stick of incense can burn for a whole night, and it must be offered in the main hall for a year to achieve the best effect. The price is the same as offering paper money, which is not cheap.

After Wen Yanshun came, it was rarely used.

After all, this thing is probably equivalent to a buffet or a big pot meal. It is really meaningless for small households to use it.

Originally, we were planning to set up a table here when we were preparing for the Chinese New Year.

He passes through the underworld every day, and the countless ghosts here will always give way to him. It’s New Year’s Day, so they should at least show their appreciation by treating him to a meal.

Today is the Little New Year, so it’s a good time to prepare for the New Year. Let’s all join in the fun.

After placing the offerings, Wen Yan blessed the offerings and incense with yang energy, bowed, and turned to leave.

Wisps of smoke swirled at the crossroads. All the ghosts passing by could taste the flavor of Wen Yan's family's New Year's goods, as well as a hint of the sun's yang energy. The effect was stronger than that of street lamps.

It is unlikely to make them stronger, but they can at least make their souls more stable so that they will not disappear into thin air in a gust of cold wind.

Amid the howling of the chilly wind, faint sounds of admiration could be heard from the group of dead souls.

"Rapeseed oil, heat it up first, then cool it down before use. The taste of this marinade is authentic Guanzhong craftsmanship. Isn't it said that Dalukou is in Nanwu?"

Wen Yan returned home and saw the housekeeper wrapped in an apron, busy with a bunch of things, doing them with ease.

The cat still squatted at the kitchen door shamelessly, wanting to eat the food that had just come out of the pot.

Wen Yan took two bites and went to call the director general.

I originally wanted to talk to Feng Yao first, but I remembered that last time I went to Feng Yao directly for something, and it was just a routine transfer of information, but Feng Yao ended up betraying me. This time, I decided to go directly to the director general.

"Director, I just got some information. I don't know if it's true or not, and I'm not sure if I can tell you."

"First, tell me what it is about."

"Based on my knowledge of the Chinese New Year, it should be New Year's Eve." Wen Yan said very seriously.

"Zodiac?"

"Well, I just came up from the main road, and a ghost told me that it would come this year, but I didn't see who told me, so I'm not sure if it's true or not."

"That's about right. Last year, a Taoist priest from Mount Longhu who was proficient in Zi Wei Dou Shu issued a warning.

He said that according to his speculation, combined with the fortune of China, it can be roughly predicted that the Nian beast will appear within three years.

I didn't come last year, but this year the spiritual energy is reviving again, so it's about time I came."

Hearing this, Wen Yan suddenly remembered something.

"So, most places started to allow fireworks last year. Is that why?"

"It's not just this reason. There are all kinds of reasons. We gave some suggestions and it was passed. But the specific implementation depends on the policies of various places. It is not mandatory and will be adapted to local conditions."

"So, some places were reserved specifically for artificial interference, so that the Nian beast would descend at a specific location?"

"We do have this in mind, and we need to make all kinds of preparations as far as possible in advance."

Wen Yan understood. Last year he just wanted to have fun and saw people complaining online that they went to the next county just to set off firecrackers and fireworks, and then came back after they had their fill.

At that time, I never thought there would be these reasons behind it.

"Will you use me to work overtime?"

“Not for now. We had already prepared many plans in this regard last year.

After another year of research and continuous improvement, various plans are available.

If there is an emergency and I need your help, I will call you.

Otherwise, you can just spend the New Year at home. "

"it is good."

Wen Yan understood what was going on and felt relieved. The Lieyang Tribe was quite reliable when it came to doing this kind of thing.

He continued to stay at home and enjoy his holidays.

As the days passed, his neighborhood became more lively than usual.

As a small town, many people usually go to work in the county seat of Nanwu County, where there is a larger population, more opportunities and higher salaries.

Even if you open a bun shop and you haven't seen the meat until you've eaten half of the bun, as long as the location is right, the shop can still be opened.

When Wen Yan first came to Nanwu County, he once bought steamed buns next to Yuzhou People's Hospital. The buns were as big as fists, and the fillings were not even as big as walnut kernels. This incident shocked Wen Yan, who saw such a situation for the first time. This unlucky store did not go bankrupt.

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and there are obviously more people and cars in the small town.

However, the villa area to the north of Wen Yan's community was still calm, even quieter than usual, with only a few families living there.

Wen Yan had previously thought that those neighbors who had gone out to work and should have come back for the New Year still had their doors locked and no one had returned at all.

However, Wu Tingsheng, the owner of the developer of the community and who lives in the building at the easternmost end of the community, came back with his whole family during the Chinese New Year.

Xiao Wu has recovered well in the past few months. It is said that his IQ has increased by two years and his painting skills are also improving. Boss Wu does not ask for a very good recovery, but only hopes that before he dies, Xiao Wu can recover to the point where he can take care of himself and be like a normal person.

Time passed, and on the 28th day of the lunar year, Wen Yan pushed a stroller and took her silly son, who weighed several kilograms, for a stroll in the community.

When he reached the easternmost end, he saw Xiao Wu standing by the window, holding a painting and waving at him.

Wen Yan turned around and wanted to send her stupid son back first.

Letting the silly son into Xiao Wu's house is like a house mouse falling into a rice jar. After he enters, if he sees something, his clothes will be soaked with saliva.

As soon as Wen Yan turned around, the silly son who was happy just now started crying loudly.

Wen Yan wouldn't buy it and wouldn't spoil the little brat. His silly son was still young and stupid in other aspects, but he was very smart when it came to eating.

It howls twice, and then stops crying when it is given food. When it is not given food, it knows it is useless, so it stops crying too. It continues to be happy when it should be happy, and eats when it should be eaten, without any delay.

"Uncle Wen, Uncle Wen..."

Xiao Wu waved his hands and called out to Wen Yan, signaling her to come home.

On this side, Wu Tingsheng had already walked out of the living room, still speaking with the standard Nanwu County accent.

"Mr. Wen, are you free? If you are free, come in and sit down. My son wants to give your son something."

"what?"

"My son has been waiting for a long time, just waiting for the red envelopes to be distributed during the Chinese New Year."

"It's not the New Year yet."

"For children, it's already Chinese New Year now."

Wen Yan smiled and said nothing more, then pushed the stroller into Wu Tingsheng's house.

The silly son turned around and stopped crying immediately. He looked around with wide eyes, his hands waving, as if he wanted to sit up and look. When he entered, he saw Xiao Wu coming down with a painting.

After not seeing him for many days, Xiao Wu looked much more energetic, with some flesh on his face and a rosy complexion, but his eyes were still as clear as ever.

"Uncle Wen, this is a red envelope for my brother."

Xiao Wu handed over a painting with both hands. The painting looked somewhat abstract and exaggerated like a cartoon. His basic skills were indeed much better than in the previous two months.

Wu Tingsheng also listened to the advice and did not ask anyone to teach him anything too advanced. He just taught him the most basic skills, and the rest was up to Wu himself.

The painting shows a drooling little man sitting on one side, and on the other side is a monster that looks somewhat like a cow but has horns.

Seeing this picture, the silly son put his hands on the fence of the stroller, and it seemed that he was using all his strength to try to sit up.

The first time Wen Yan saw it, he could tell that this was a painting with a soul, but the soul power in this painting was much weaker than any he had seen before.

"Uncle Wen, is this okay? I've been thinking about it for a long time. Children can drink milk, right?

I specifically asked before, I can give my brother a red envelope during the Chinese New Year, right?"

Xiao Wu had anticipation on his face.

Wen Yan had told Xiao Wu before that her silly son was still young and couldn’t eat anything randomly.

Xiao Wu kept it in mind and has been thinking about it for several months.

Finally he succeeded in making one pair, which he thought could be given to children.

Adding to the reason of giving red envelopes during the Chinese New Year, it was difficult for Wen Yan to refuse.

Wen Yan stretched out his hand, patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder, and gave him some yang energy.

"Sure. I thank you on behalf of your brother."

Wu Tingsheng, who was standing by, handed Xiao Wu a standard Nanwu County red envelope.

"The red envelope has to be put in."

Xiao Wu suddenly realized, and quickly folded the painting, carefully stuffed it into the red envelope, and then handed it to Wen Yan with both hands.

Wen Yan pointed at the baby carriage and signaled Xiao Wu to give it directly to his silly son.

The red envelope was put on the silly son. He immediately stretched out his hands, grabbed the red envelope, and laughed foolishly.

The little head looked towards Wen Yan, and seeing Wen Yan looking at him with a smile, the silly son resisted the urge to eat and just held the red envelope tightly.

"Did you come up with that thing in the painting?"

Wen Yan asked casually. He could tell at a glance that the drooling little man was his silly son, but he really had no idea what the monster was.

"I dreamt about it a few nights ago."

"Oh? You just drew it a few days ago?"

"Yeah, I finally managed to draw it once. I feel like if that monster could have some milk, it might be just right."

"Is it just like in the painting?"

"Actually, what I drew doesn't look like it." Xiao Wu was a little embarrassed: "What I dreamed of was much more beautiful than the painting."

"It's okay. Your drawing is very good. It's not just about resemblance."

"You dreamed about that...cow. What happened?"

"I just saw it from a distance and tried to get closer, but it looked at me and ran away."

Wen Yan understood and didn't ask any more questions. After praising Xiao Wu, he let Xiao Wu play with his silly son.

Among the silly son’s favorite people, Xiao Wu is definitely in the top three.

Wen Yan chatted with Wu Tingsheng on the side, talking about their recent situation, and asked Xiao Wu when the painting was completed.

Wu Tingsheng said it was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day of Little New Year.

The local Little New Year's Day is the 24th, but Wen Yan is used to the 23rd.

Wen Yan took note of this incident, and he didn't think Xiao Wu would imagine it out of thin air.

According to Xiao Wu's previous examples of paintings with soul, each one was not painted based on imagination, but contained his emotions, the most sincere and pure things, and realistic things, which ultimately created a painting with soul.

In other words, the monster in the painting must be real.

After leaving Xiao Wu's house and returning home, Wen Yan was about to take the red envelope from her silly son and take a photo first, but her silly son held it tightly and refused to let go.

"I took it out for you. I don't want it, and I can't eat it. It's all yours."

Wen Yan tried to persuade his son, but his silly son refused to let go and spent more than half an hour with Wen Yan. In the end, he was so sleepy that he fell asleep, and Wen Yan finally got the item.

After opening it, take a picture and send it to the black box to let it do key feature matching, and then hand it over to the professionals to extract the key elements and make a match.

Whether Xiao Wu’s paintings are similar in overall style or not is another matter, but some core elements should be present.

Wen Yan felt that there must be a reason why Xiao Wu dreamed of a real thing on the day of the Little New Year.

Especially when Wen Yan had just received the news and verified it with the Lieyang Tribe that the Nian Beast was about to descend.

After uploading the picture, Wen Yan waited for news. Turning back, she saw her silly son open his eyes sleepily, his little mouth smacking.

"Okay, okay, it's been a few months, and there are not many souls on it. Just take a bite and think of it as eating less supplementary food."

He put the painting on his silly son, and the silly son immediately perked up. He reached into the painting with both hands, and a clear and pure trace of soul power was grabbed out and stuffed into his mouth.

The silly son smiled widely, and his whole body seemed to be emitting a simple and happy sense of satisfaction.

She just grabbed it with both hands once, and after her silly son ate it, she closed her eyes contentedly and began to sleep soundly.

Wen Yan shook his head. He was really a glutton and a playful person. He was full after just one bite.

He put away the painting and put it back into the red envelope. This thing was given by Xiao Wu to his silly son, so let his silly son keep it.

After putting it away, a prompt suddenly popped up in front of Wen Yan.

"Fixed ability 'I am your father', gain additional progress of 10%, current progress is 29%."

“Get new special effect: Red Envelope.

When you take out a red envelope containing soul power, the real-time intimacy between you and your son will soar to 100%. "

"Because you already have the title Gold's Natural Enemy, the fixed ability I am your father's new special effect, which can be linked with it to evolve some other effects."

Wen Yan was no longer surprised when he saw the previous prompts.

He had already seen that his first fixed ability was purely literal.

Even the progress of the advancement is purely based on the literal meaning, and it is impossible to advance it quickly.

The amount of food I fed my stupid son increased, but then stopped increasing. Now, it has been a few months, and it is the first time I feed him complementary food, and the amount of food I fed him has increased significantly again.

It also derived an undisguised new special effect. This silly son is too realistic.

There is actually a real-time intimacy level, and it is still floating.

As for the new effects that will occur later, according to his previous experience, they should be things that have never existed before. He can evolve any new changes and figure them out and experiment with them slowly.

After sending her silly son to the next door, the old lady saw that her silly son was sleeping so soundly and knew that he was full and drank enough. She said something to Wen Yan, but Wen Yan didn't even have a bottle, so he must have been fed something else.

The old lady told Wen Yan not to give the child complementary food so early, especially not to feed him too much, but just to use it as a supplement. If the child gets a taste of other flavors, it will be easy for him to not eat well.

Wen Yan accepted the scolding obediently and didn't dare to say anything.

After returning home, the black box sent me some messages in the evening.

The team at the Lieyang Tribe has done research and found that some of the features and elements of the monster in the painting are indeed highly suspicious of the Nian beast.

This is not so certain and is even a bit complicated because the legends and stories related to it have only been clearly recorded for about a hundred years.

Unlike some things, which have been around for thousands or even hundreds of years, through all the dynasties, with all kinds of records and legends, no matter how much they change, the foundation remains the same.

Things whose fundamentals remain unchanged are relatively certain, easy to target, and easy to find solutions to.

The most troublesome thing about the Nian beast is this uncertainty.

It may have existed in the past, but it may not have been called this. The name has changed, and the pattern of its appearance has changed, so it is no longer what it used to be.

Add to that the special timing of the Chinese New Year, and things will become a little troublesome.

Because of the uncertainty of temperament, habits, strength and ability, etc., the Lieyang Tribe cannot afford to be careless.

(End of this chapter)