The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

Outside the ward at Beijing No. 2 Hospital.

A woman in her forties paced back and forth anxiously, constantly looking up as if she were waiting for someone.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

It's Sangdong.

As soon as Sang Dong appeared, the woman ran over to him, urging, "Hurry up!"

"The old man insisted on seeing you one last time before he was willing to breathe his last."

The woman pulled Sang Dong along, hurrying towards the ward.

As soon as she entered, the woman pushed aside the crowd gathered around the hospital bed. "Dad, your apprentice is here!"

The ward was crowded with seven or eight people, all of whom were the elderly man's children and relatives. When they saw them come in, they all made way for them.

The elderly man lying on the hospital bed was emaciated, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and there was a rattling sound in his throat. He seemed to be on his last breath.

But his cloudy eyes remained open, staring intently at the doorway, until he saw Sang Dong, at which point his eyes moved slightly.

"Dad, Sang Dong is here! Your apprentice is here!" The woman leaned close to the bedside and called out, her voice choked with emotion.

The old man moved his fingers, his voice barely audible: "...Come here."

Sang Dong took two steps forward and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

The ward was quiet, with only the beeping of the medical equipment and the suppressed breathing of those around them.

He looked at the dying old man on the bed, his voice low and slightly hoarse: "Old man, I'm here."

The old man trembled as he raised his hand, his withered fingers shakily touching his face.

Sang Dong didn't dodge, letting the hand covered in age spots touch his cheek.

"Take off your glasses... let me see you again." The old man's voice was broken and he struggled to finish the sentence.

Sang Dong paused for two seconds, then raised his hand and took off his sunglasses.

The exposed eyes had one pupil that was a normal deep black, clear yet cold; the other was gray and hazy, like the eye of a fish that had been dead for a long time, a sight that was shocking.

The old man's fingertips landed on the damaged eye, gently stroking it, and he let out a long sigh, like a stone sinking to the bottom of the water.

"Everything's ready..." he muttered repeatedly. "I've made everything for you... Go ahead and do it."

His gaze fell on Sang Dong's face, his eyes clouded with worry, and he said over and over again, "It hasn't been easy...you've had it so tough, kid."

This phrase, "not easy," refers to Sang Dong.

Having lost her mother at a young age and having a father like that, she often didn't know where her next meal would come from.

At such a young age, he was burdened with debt and resentment, making his life harder than anyone else's.

Sang Dong's Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his undamaged eye, responding softly, "Mm. Old man, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

The old man hummed in agreement, as if he had finally put down the last thing on his mind.

He stared at Sang Dong one last time, his hand slowly fell to his sides, his eyes closed gently, the last gurgling sound in his throat dissipated, and the curve on the instrument screen stretched into a straight line.

"dad--!"

"grandfather!"

The ward erupted in tears as the children threw themselves on the bedside and wept uncontrollably.

Sang Dong sat there, neither crying nor moving, but simply closed his eyes tightly. His long eyelashes trembled, concealing the surging sorrow in his eyes.

A few minutes later, he put his sunglasses back on and stood up.

The hospital procedures proceeded smoothly. A nurse came in to confirm the death, and the family went to complete the formalities. Amidst the chaos, Sang Dong stood in the corner like an out-of-place shadow.

The woman who had pulled him in earlier, the old man's eldest daughter, came over with red eyes, holding a long, rectangular object wrapped in a large red cloth, and handed it to Sang Dong.

"Sang Dong, this is what my dad told me to do a few days ago. He said he would give it to you personally after he passed away." The woman's voice was still choked with sobs.

The red cloth wrapped tightly around him gave him a sense of weight and solidity.

Sang Dong looked down at the red cloth, his fingertips twitched, and he took it.

"Thank you," he said only two words, his voice very soft.

"I'll let you know the time of the funeral," the woman wiped away her tears and looked at him. "You're the person my father valued most in his life, so you must come to see him off on his final journey."

Sang Dong tightened his grip on the long object, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "I won't go. Please, sister, see the old man off on his final journey for me."

After he finished speaking, he didn't linger and turned to leave.

The slender figure disappeared at the end of the corridor without looking back.

The woman watched his retreating figure, sighed, and didn't try to persuade him any further.

She knew the child's personality; he seemed cold, but he was more sentimental than anyone else, he just didn't want to show it.

When Sang Dong walked out of the hospital carrying the red cloth bundle, the afternoon sun was hanging obliquely on the horizon, casting a long shadow over him.

-

It was evening, half an hour before 11 p.m.

Sang Dong stood at the door of the bungalow that had burned down years ago.

The house had long since burned down to ruins, with moss creeping up the blackened walls. The doors and windows were gone, leaving only empty frames.

When the wind blows at night, it blows through the hall, making a whistling sound, like someone crying.

This is where Sang Youqiang set fire, where three innocent lives were lost, and where his sins began.

Sang Dong stepped inside.

He found a relatively flat spot, placed the red cloth wrapped in his arms on the ground, and slowly untied it.

Inside the red cloth was a peach wood sword.

The sword is dark brown all over, with the fine scorch marks unique to lightning-struck wood. The sword is covered with runes, and near the hilt, there are four powerful small characters: "Summon all gods".

Sang Dong gripped the sword, his fingertips gently tracing the patterns on it.

He took a deep breath, took off his jacket and the T-shirt underneath, leaving his upper body bare.

The young man had a thin back with prominent spine and old scars of varying depths on his skin.

He unscrewed the cinnabar bottle, poured some into his palm, dipped it in a brush, and bent down to draw crimson runes on his chest and arms.

The cinnabar was slightly cool, and when it landed on my skin, it caused a slight stinging sensation.

After drawing the last talisman, Sang Dong placed the empty mineral water bottle in front of him. It was half-filled with well water he had drawn from the well in the old alley, mixed with a little blood from his fingertip—it was Yin-Yang magic water.

The wind suddenly picked up.

A cold wind swirled up the dust on the ground, the temperature plummeted, and even the breath we exhaled turned into white mist.

In the darkness, it was as if countless eyes were staring at him, venomous and cold, clinging to his limbs and bones, like being immersed in ice water.

Sang Dong, however, remained calm.

He stood there, holding the peach wood sword, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the entire room:

"Sang Youqiang, come out. Today is the anniversary of your death. My son and I will settle the score of these past twenty years."

The moment the words fell, a black wind suddenly rose from the ground!

Thick black fog billowed from the corners of the walls, from the ground, and from every charred crack, coalescing into a very clear human figure.

The human figure was wearing wrinkled old clothes, with a bluish-purple face, distorted features, and black blood flowing from its eyes. It was Sang Youqiang, who had died in a car accident years ago.

His feet dangled, his body radiating a chilling aura, and a venomous voice rang out: "You little brat... you dare come looking for me?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Sang Dong raised his chin, took off his sunglasses, and there was no fear in his eyes behind the sunglasses, only an unyielding hatred. "You've tormented me for so long, this debt should be settled today."

"What?" Sang Youqiang laughed shrilly, his voice so grating it made your teeth ache. "You? If you hadn't told the police about my arson back then, would I have been running away in a panic, and gotten hit by a car? It's all your fault, you unfilial son! I'm your father! It's only right that I hit you and scold you, but if you dare to disobey me, I'll make you pay with your life!"

"You deserve it." Sang Dong gritted his teeth, uttering each word clearly, "A beast like you deserves to die ten thousand times over."

He would never forget that day. He rushed back from school and saw the house engulfed in flames. He rushed inside and saw the people inside being consumed by the flames. He tried desperately to save them all, but it was too late.

Three living people were burned to death in this house.

He only rented out the house to pay for his tuition; he never expected it would lead to the deaths of Ning Chan's family.

The instigator, Sang Youqiang, has vanished without a trace.

He knew Sang Youqiang, that bastard, too well and knew where he would run off to, so he told the police directly.

Not long after, the police reported that Sang Youqiang had crossed the road in a panic and was hit by a truck, dying instantly.

Sang Dong thought it was all over.

But he never expected that the resentment of the dead is more terrifying than that of the living.

After Sang Youqiang died, he turned into a vengeful ghost, blaming all the wrongdoings on Sang Dong and haunting him day and night.

Three years ago, something happened and Sang Youqiang suddenly became powerful, able to touch him. That time, Sang Youqiang directly gouged out his right eye.

If it weren't for the peach wood amulet given to him by his master, he would have been killed long ago.

"I didn't bring my Buddhist amulet today," Sang Dong gripped the peach wood sword in his hand. "Perfect, let's not hide from each other, let's fight to the death."

Sang Youqiang suddenly revealed a sinister grin, and the black mist churned even more violently. "Without that damned sign protecting you, I'll devour your soul today, ensuring you never reincarnate!"

Before he finished speaking, a cloud of black energy, like a venomous snake, suddenly pounced towards Sang Dong!

Sang Dong was prepared; he moved his feet and dodged to the side.

He recalled the method that person had taught him, and with his toes touching the ground, he moved in a specific direction, which was the Seven Star Step.

Stepping on the Big Dipper and treading the Dipper, transforming into a divine sword.

He moved with steady steps, following the direction of the Big Dipper, while silently chanting incantations, each word clear.

As the incantation was recited, the lightning-struck peach wood sword in his hand gradually emitted a faint golden light, and the runes on the sword seemed to come alive, swirling with a crimson halo.

Sang Youqiang's black energy collided with the outer edge of the golden light and was bounced back, letting out a shrill scream.

"You've got some skills!" Sang Youqiang glared at him venomously. "But with that little skill, you think you can deal with me?"

As he spoke, black mist surged around him, and a layer of white frost formed on the entire wall.

He stirred up the resentment from underground, which rose up through the cracks in the bricks, carrying the stench of decay and blood.

Sang Dong remained unfazed, twirling his peach wood sword so the tip pointed downwards, aiming at the bowl of sacred water in front of him.

The imperial edict draws talismans with water, imprisoning the path of ghosts.

He used the sword's edge as a brush, drawing a binding talisman on the water's surface in mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, the talisman was completed, and with a flick of his fingertip, he sent the sword energy into the water.

The clear water in the bowl rippled slightly, faintly revealing a golden glow.

The next second, Sang Dong, holding a sword incantation, suddenly flicked the bowl in all directions.

The clear water turned into mist, falling onto the surrounding ground and walls. Every drop that fell lit up with a faint golden rune, which quickly connected to form a barrier.

"You want to trap me?" Sang Youqiang was furious. His black energy frantically crashed against the barrier, causing the golden light patterns to tremble as if they were about to shatter at any moment.

Sang Dong ignored him, raised his left hand, and formed the Five Thunder Seal.

Writing taboos in mid-air, cursing and killing vengeful ghosts.

This was the most crucial blow.

He held a sword in his right hand, his wrist flicking as he swiftly wrote the Purple Star taboo in the air.

At the same time, Sang Dong began to chant the incantation to kill demons, his voice powerful and each word like metal or stone:

"Laozi taught me to slay demons and gave me divine methods. I summoned the Jade Maiden to subdue all misfortune... First, I slay the evil demons, then I cut down the night-shining ones."

"What god would not submit, what ghost would dare to oppose me? So be it!"

When he recited the last line, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands," Sang Dong gripped his sword with both hands, shouted loudly, and with all his might, slashed down fiercely at Sang Youqiang!

The golden Ziwei sword, imbued with sword light, slashed down like a thunderbolt into the black mist.

"ah--"

Sang Youqiang let out a painful scream and dodged away:

"You little brat...you're asking for it!"

Sang Youqiang was completely enraged. His eyes turned bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. His body was filled with surging Yin energy, which surged into a towering black wave that swept over Sang Dong.

Sang Dong raised his sword to block, and the golden light and black energy collided. He groaned and took two steps back, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Sang Youqiang's face twisted in a ferocious grimace, his body suddenly swelling several times its original size, his eyes, like lanterns, fixed intently on Sang Dong: "You're the one who killed me!!"

He swung his large hand toward Sang Dong.

Sang Dong's eyes hardened.

He knew that, given his current condition, he couldn't subdue Sang Youqiang with these spells.

Bloodlust breaks Yin.

Without hesitation, Sang Dong bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of scalding blood onto the blade of the peach wood sword.

Blood from the tip of the tongue is the most potent essence of Yang energy in a person's body. When combined with peach wood struck by lightning, its power can be multiplied several times.

However, this move is extremely taxing on oneself.

The blood fell onto the sword and was instantly absorbed by the wood grain.

The golden light of the peach wood sword surged, faintly revealing a crimson glow, its power more than twice as strong as before.

"I will definitely kill you!"

Sang Dong swung his sword again, this time with a bloodthirsty aura and astonishing power.

Sang Youqiang screamed in pain, his body was scattered for a moment, but quickly reformed.

He glared fiercely at Sang Dong: "Go to hell!"

Ignoring the burning pain from the golden light shining on him, he gripped Sang Dong's neck tightly.

The golden light scorched Sang Youqiang's pale skin, causing it to crack inch by inch, his flesh churning.

But at this moment, the hatred for Sang Dong had already overshadowed this excruciating pain!

He looked at Sang Dong with no trace of fatherly affection, only genuine and venomous hatred.

He wished he could tear Sang Dong apart, rip out his bones, shred his flesh, and drink his blood!

Sang Youqiang grabbed Sang Dong by the neck and lifted him up.

A feeling of suffocation surged up instantly.

Sang Dong dropped the peach wood sword in his hand to the ground. He grabbed the black, swirling hand with both hands, but couldn't budge it at all.

The black energy seeped into his body through his skin, the biting cold feeling like countless needles piercing his bones, and the cinnabar talisman on his body gradually dimmed.

Sang Dong's consciousness began to blur.

A series of memories began to flash before my eyes, one after another appearing in my mind.

He thought of his mother, of the feeling of being raped and beaten by Sang You when he was a child, of being on the verge of death, of the burned and disfigured bodies of Ning Chan's parents and sister in the fire...

Heaven has no eyes! How could there be someone like Sang Youqiang!

He was not reconciled.

Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink into darkness, a childish voice suddenly rang out, clear and loud, with a hint of urgency:

"Stop! You're not allowed to bully him!"