Jinhua Luxury Plaza.
Ye Xuan first entered a men's clothing store, replaced the black ancient shirt he wore, and then selected a few suits. Under the warm gaze of a beautiful saleswoman, Ye Xuan swiped his card and left, completely ignoring the little note she stealthily slipped him.
Shopping, lots of shopping. From women's clothing to various commodities, Ye Xuan splurged on a shopping spree. By the time he left Jinhua Shopping Plaza, he had spent a full three hundred thousand Xia Country coins.
Ye Xuan couldn't help but sigh; he had merely purchased some clothes and yet had spent three hundred thousand. Thinking back to four years ago, he wouldn't even dare dream of such spending.
Clutching a load of goods in hand, Ye Xuan headed straight back home. As for purchasing a house to give his mother and sister a better living environment, he decided to put that idea on hold—not for any other reason, but because after inquiring about housing prices, he had to give up on the thought for now.
In Jiangnan, a first-tier city, a downtown apartment would cost at least a few million Yuan to start with, which clearly was beyond what Ye Xuan could afford.
Moreover, since Ye Xuan planned on improving the living conditions for his family, an ordinary house was naturally not what he was considering. The least he would aim for was villa-level, and the estimated cost would start at ten million.
…
Jiangnan Hospital.
Just as Zhuo Junting arrived in front of the special care ward, she saw that the area outside was already filled with members of the Zhuo family.
"Junting, although our Zhuo family is wealthy, you've gone too far this time. To think you were duped by a street fortune-teller into spending two million on a useless Jade Talisman. If word gets out, won't that make us a laughing stock?" Zhuo Wenbin commented coldly, scolding Zhuo Junting.
"Tingting, it's not that your second aunt is trying to lecture you, but with the old man critically ill and various clans watching us, it would be best if you refrained from such actions in the future," a middle-aged lady said with a veiled jab.
Hmph!
Zhuo Wenshan let out a cold snort, "Second brother, second sister-in-law, have you said enough? The old man is not yet dead. The Zhuo family's affairs are not your place to discipline Tingting."
"Older brother, Tingting is your daughter, but that doesn't mean you can protect her without principle. Besides, before the old man became unconscious, he didn't say he would pass the headship of the family to you," Zhuo Wenbin sneered with continuous laughter, appearing brazenly confident.
"Big brother, second brother, now that the old man is critically ill, why are you arguing over these trivial matters here?" Zhuo Meiyun sternly chided her two brothers.
"Tingting, what's bought is bought. Just be a bit more careful next time," Zhuo Meiyun comforted Zhuo Junting.
At that moment, Zhuo Junting's eyebrows furrowed, clearly aware that her bodyguard had informed the family, which led to this dispute. However, these weren't the important issues. Ever since grandfather had fallen into a coma, her second uncle had changed his demeanor, evidently intending to contest the position of family head with her father.
This sort of situation was not new today.
Creak!
The door to the special care ward opened, and several doctors and nurses walked out, instantly drawing everyone's attention to them.
"Dr. Bai, how is my father doing now?" Zhuo Wenshan quickly approached, followed closely by several members of the Zhuo family.
If Ye Xuan were present at this time, he would recognize the leading doctor as the Dean of Jiangnan Hospital, Dr. Bai.
Dr. Bai let out a sigh and with a look of remorse said, "We've done all we could. Please accept our condolences, and you may go in to see old Zhuo for the last time."
The sudden bad news turned Zhuo Junting's complexion pale, and she staggered into the special care ward.
The three siblings of the Zhuo family were initially stunned, but they quickly entered the ward as well.
Inside the special care ward.
The Zhuo family patriarch's face was withered, his frame emaciated. The medical equipment before him beeped steadily, his heart beating once every five seconds, clearly indicating that it wouldn't be long before the family patriarch would truly pass away.
"Dad."
As members of the Zhuo family flooded in, a few cries of sorrow were heard, while Zhuo Junting bit her lips tightly, staring blankly at the grandfather who had always doted on her since she was little, with a great deal of mist forming in her eyes.
"Grandfather... Grandfather... Are you really going to leave Junting behind?"
Zhuo Junting choked out, shaking the old patriarch's arms continuously, but no matter how she called out to him, there was not the slightest response from the patriarch.
The expressions of Zhuo Junting's father and Zhuo Meiyun were sorrowful, and Zhuo Wenbin's face crossed with a complex look, which he managed to conceal well.
Just as the Zhuo family members were immersed in their grief, Zhuo Junting's actions suddenly caused the expressions of several of them to change.
"Tingting, what are you doing?" her father Zhuo Wenshan asked in surprise.
"Junting, now is not the time for your nonsense," her second uncle Zhuo Wenbin coldly scolded.
"Tingting, hurry and take that thing off your grandfather's forehead," Zhuo Meiyun's expression turned unpleasant as well.
Desperate circumstances led to desperate measures, and Zhuo Junting could no longer care whether Ye Xuan was a swindler or not, she directly took out the Jade Talisman sold by Ye Xuan, and then swiftly placed it on the old patriarch's forehead.
Although Zhuo Junting knew this couldn't save her grandfather's life, she was not going to let go of even the slimmest hope, perhaps this was also a way for her to seek some comfort in her heart.
Just as her father Zhuo Wenshan was about to stop his daughter's foolishness, what happened next shocked the Zhuo family to their core, leaving them all stupefied in place.
Ah!
Like a night owl's mournful cry, resembling the wails of a ghostly entity.
An ear-piercing scream emanated from within the old patriarch's body, the Jade Talisman burst into a bloody glow, covering his body in its light.
Hum!
The Jade Talisman moved without wind, rising slowly into the air, a pitch-black ghostly shadow emerged from the old patriarch's body, frantically fleeing toward the window.
Crack!
The Jade Talisman's bloody light intensified, enveloping the void, and with a loud explosion from the void, a bolt of bloody lightning struck out, incinerating the fleeing ghostly shadow to ash, while the Jade Talisman that hovered in the air turned into a pile of white powder at that moment.
Simultaneously, in a dark room in Jiangnan City, a figure in a black robe suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, their aura instantly becoming feeble.
"No... it's not possible... who... who destroyed my ghost infant... who is he?" The person in the black robe spoke shakily. Although the blow he received was severe due to the bond with his creation, the death of the ghost infant shocked him even more.
In a special care ward of Jiangnan Hospital,
The strange phenomenon had already vanished, but the Zhuo family members seemed still trapped in a dream, taking a good while before they could recover their senses, until a weak groan came from the old patriarch, which snapped the Zhuo family out of their shock.
"Grandfather... Grandfather... Are you awake?" Zhuo Junting could not care anymore about the strange scene that had just played out and hurried to the old patriarch's bedside.
"Dad, are you alright?" The children of the Zhuo family also rushed forward, excitement evident on every face.
"I was close to death, but alas, a great person came to my rescue, and only then did I cling to life,"
the old patriarch said weakly. Although he had been unconscious, he had heard everything that happened around him; he simply could not speak or move.