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

Once at the hospital, Yun Ziang took Sang Dong to the emergency room.

By the time Sangdong's condition stabilized, it was already midnight.

Xiao Jin lay on Yun Ziang's lap, already asleep, still clutching Sang Dong's peach wood sword in her hands.

Yun Zi'ang is a night owl, and this is the time he spends enjoying himself outside; he's not sleepy at all.

The emergency room door opened, and a doctor in a white coat came out, took off his mask, and rubbed his temples.

"The patient's condition has stabilized for now," the doctor said, looking at Yun Ziang with a hint of surprise. "There are no fatal external injuries, just severe oxygen deficiency, some organ damage, and extreme physical weakness. He'll be hospitalized for observation for two days, given some fluids, and then we'll gradually treat him."

Yun Ziang nodded, picked up the sleeping Xiao Jin, and followed the nurse to the ward.

The private room was at the end of the corridor, and it was exceptionally quiet at night. The nurse adjusted the IV tubing, gave a few instructions, and then left.

Yun Ziang wanted to contact a caregiver temporarily, but they said that all the available caregivers were booked up late at night and the earliest they could come would be tomorrow morning.

He reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I'll make do for the night."

Yun Ziang gently placed Xiao Jin on the accompanying bed next to him. After thinking for a moment, he was afraid that she would fall, so he simply picked her up again and let her snuggle in his arms to sleep.

He messaged his family driver, asking him to come pick up Xiaojin and take her home, while he leaned against the headboard, scrolling through his phone under the dim light of the bedside lamp.

The ward was quiet, with only the regular beeping of the medical equipment.

Sang Dong lay on the bed, his face still pale, his breathing as light as a feather.

As Yun Ziang was brushing his fingers, he suddenly heard light footsteps coming from the corridor.

It was slow and light, like dragging its feet, and was especially clear in the quiet night.

The footsteps stopped at the door of the ward.

The next second, the door was gently pushed open.

A woman in a navy blue caregiver uniform walked in. Her temples were graying, her back was slightly hunched, and her face was pale.

Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "Young man, do you need a caregiver? Someone to look after the patient at night, bring water, or bathe them."

Yun Zi'ang was worried about not having anyone to lend a hand, so he subconsciously replied, "Sure, we're just short of someone—"

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

The woman took two steps forward, and the light from the lamp fell on her.

Yun Ziang looked up at the person who had arrived, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The woman was standing on tiptoe, her shoes barely touching the ground, making it seem as if she was floating.

His face was deathly pale, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were purplish-black—he looked nothing like a living person!

ghost!

Yun Ziang felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He tightened his grip on Xiao Jin, his muscles tensed, and he even stopped breathing for a moment.

"unnecessary."

Suddenly, a faint yet clear voice came from the bed.

It's Sangdong.

He woke up at some point, his eyes slightly open, his intact left eye looking towards the door. His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable coldness: "We'll talk about it during the day. You go back first."

The woman paused, then stammered, "Well... you must look for me during the day, I'll be wandering around downstairs."

After she finished speaking, she slowly floated out, and the door closed gently without making a sound.

Yun Ziang only breathed a long sigh of relief when the footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor; his T-shirt was soaked with sweat from his back.

He looked down at Sang Dong on the bed, his face filled with shock: "When did you wake up? That...that was really a ghost?"

"Just woke up." Sang Dong's voice was weak. He coughed twice and glanced at the doorway. "It's just a wandering spirit that died not long ago. It hasn't realized it's dead yet. It's just repeating what it did before it was alive. It doesn't mean any harm."

Yun Ziang clicked his tongue, still shaken: "Even without malice, it's still scary. Who could stand it when it drifted in in the middle of the night?"

He paused abruptly after speaking, "Wait, why am I seeing a ghost?!"

Sang Dong glanced at him and said, "That house has too much yin energy, you must have been affected by it too."

"It will be alright once it gets light."

Yun Zi'ang looked at Sang Dong, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Is that so?"

"Seriously, you should thank us properly."

"If my little aunt hadn't predicted where you went and rushed over overnight, you would be dead by now, and you wouldn't have the chance to talk to me here."

Sang Dong fell silent.

He still remembered the scene before he lost consciousness: Sang Youqiang was choking him, and he thought he was going to die this time. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a hospital.

He turned his head to look at the little girl sleeping soundly in Yun Ziang's arms. She was a tiny bundle, clutching his peach wood sword, her brows slightly furrowed, and she was not sleeping peacefully.

"There's no need to save me." Sang Dong withdrew his gaze, his voice indifferent, tinged with self-mockery. "If I die, I die. There's nothing to regret."

"What are you saying? You're so young, why are you talking about life and death like that?" Yun Zi'ang frowned, his tone slightly scolding. "I know it's terrible that you have a father like that. But Sang Youqiang is a beast. You can't ruin yourself because of a beast."

He paused, as if remembering something, and his tone became a little somber: "I used to think that my uncle Lu Peng was a scoundrel."

"He tricked us into marriage, swindled our money, switched my aunt's son with his mistress's, and abandoned my nephew in a remote mountain valley for five years. At that time, I thought, how could there be such a bad father in the world?"

"Seeing Sang Youqiang today, I realized there's always someone better," Yun Ziang scoffed. "He wanted to burn his own son alive, and even after he died, he haunted his son for years. This guy isn't even human."

"But it's his business if he's bad. Why should you spend your whole life on him? Not everyone who has children deserves to be called parents."

"Just treat him like an enemy. Now that the enemy is completely gone, you should feel relieved and happy!"

These words are blunt, but they are absolutely true.

Sang Dong listened quietly, his eyelashes drooping, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he spoke in a low voice, his voice tinged with weariness: "I don't have much time left."

"The things I've done in the past few years have shortened my lifespan considerably."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, his smile somewhat bitter. "Besides, I've also been involved in karma, so after I die, I'll probably be reborn as an animal."

"No, that's not true!"

A childish voice suddenly rang out, interrupting him.

Xiao Jin rubbed her eyes and sat up from Yun Ziang's arms, still sleepy, her little hair all messy from sleeping.

She had just woken up, her voice still slightly nasal, but she looked at Sang Dong with a serious expression: "Brother, you're talking nonsense."

She sat up straight and counted on her little fingers:

"When the fire broke out, you rushed in and carried Sister Ning Chan and her brother out, right?"

"Over the years, you've been secretly giving them money to pay for your brother's medical treatment and help them open their shop. These are all acts of kindness."

Xiao Jin shook her little head and said very seriously, "Heaven has eyes. Bad people can't escape, and good people won't be wronged. You have the light of merit on you, so you won't go to the animal realm."

Sang Dong was stunned.

He was silent for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "It's not about doing good deeds."

"It's my fault that Ning Chan and the others are in trouble."

"Sang Youqiang was going to burn me alive; they died in my place."

Xiao Jin waved her hands anxiously, "No, no!"

"It was Sang Youqiang who caused the harm, not you!"

Sang Dong turned to look at Xiao Jin, his thin features revealing a hint of stubbornness and bitterness. "If it's really as you say, then what about Sang Youqiang?"

"He was a bad person his whole life, harming so many people, yet he never faced any punishment after his death."

"Sang Youqiang is a bad guy," Xiao Jin said matter-of-factly. "So God sent Xiao Jin to eat him up. He won't be able to bully anyone anymore."

She spoke casually, but Sang Dong was deeply shaken.

He recalled the scene he saw while he was unconscious, and looking at Xiao Jin's chubby little face, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

As if remembering something, Xiao Jin handed over the peach wood sword she was holding to Sang Dong, her little face showing a hint of praise: "Brother, this peach wood sword is really beautiful. The runes on it are carved exceptionally well, no worse than the ones my master made for me."

Sang Dong's gaze fell on the peach wood sword, his fingertips lightly touching the four characters "Summoning All Gods" on the blade. His eyes instantly dimmed, and his voice held an unconcealable sorrow:

The person who made this sword is gone today.

The old man who taught him to recognize wood, to carve, and gave him the skills to make a living passed away this afternoon.

This lightning-struck peach wood sword was carved by the old man himself over half a year.

Xiao Jin blinked, looking at his sad expression, and felt a little lost. She frowned and whispered to comfort him, "No wonder... If he were here, he definitely wouldn't let you go and deal with that bad guy alone."

"He doesn't know how to exorcise ghosts or demons." Sang Dong shook his head, his tone very soft. "He's just a carpenter who only knows how to make magical artifacts."

Xiao Jin paused for a moment, frowned, tilted her head, and asked, "Then who taught you all those ritual steps, talisman drawing, and ghost-slaying incantations?"

Upon hearing this, a blurry figure flashed through Sang Dong's mind.

How should I describe that person... boss? supplier? teacher?

He suppressed his doubts, looked up at Xiao Jin and Yun Ziang, and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask since he woke up:

"What...do you want to know from me?"