Chapter 35 Powerless (1/2)

“I certainly didn’t believe it at first, because this was not the first time my dad spoke gibberish. But what happened next alarmed me. Day after day, my father’s condition worsened and he quickly got sick. At that time, I began to suspect that the deal he talked about was probably true. So when I visited him at the hospital yesterday, I asked about it. He told me that a year ago, he traded his longevity so our whole family could become wealthy. He became a millionaire overnight, but in exchange, he would die a year later.”

I looked at him, stunned. “Did he tell you who he made this deal with?”

Liang Kaifeng shook his head. “No. He only said that it was a monster, a scary monster. He said that at first he thought that it was just a coworker playing a prank on him, and he said yes without thinking. The whole life for the richness of a year, this sounds absurd, everyone would think this is just a prank. But he didn’t expect that it would become real. Then my dad started to panic. He’s very weak now. He told me that next week would mark the end of this year-long contract. That is to say…when the time arrives, my dad will be dead.”

Liang Kaifeng bit his lips. He said with a trembling voice, “So I came to beg you. I beg of you, you must help me find the exorcist named Wen, or my dad will die! My mom has left me, and if I lose my dad as well… even if he is an asshole, I don’t want him to die like this!”

Looking at Liang Kaifeng, I was unsure of what I should tell him.

“Liang Kaifeng, now that I’m aware of what happened to your family, I empathize with your pain,” I forced myself to tell him. “But the problem is that the exorcist Wen Jiubo you’re looking for is on a trip and isn’t in the city, so…”

“Then you call him back!” Liang Kaifeng became agitated.

“No, I can’t,” I shook my head and tried to explain it to Liang Kaifeng. “He is on a trip to do something very important. It’s impossible for me to just ask him to come back. I’m very sorry, Liang Kaifeng, you’re gonna have to ask someone else to help your dad.”

Surprisingly, the minute I finished my last sentence, Liang Kaifeng stood up. His chair fell on the ground, making a loud noise. Before I could react, he rushed over and grabbed my collar.

“Liang Kaifeng!”

“What are you doing?”

“This is not a joke!” Liang Kaifeng had shouted himself hoarse. “My dad is dying! What could be more important than saving a human life? I don’t care, you must help me find the exorcist named Wen! Otherwise, I won’t spare you!”

“Liang Kaifeng! Is this your attitude when begging for help?” Shi Yitong immediately rushed over. He pulled Liang Kaifeng away from me. “We’ve patiently listened to your story, is this how you treat your friends?”

Shi Yitong was so angry I was afraid that he would start fighting with Liang Kaifeng, so I quickly stood between those two.

“Okay, relax, both of you. Don’t be like this. I know that what Liang Kaifeng did wasn’t intentional, he’s just very anxious. After all, no one would feel fine if such a tragedy happened to their family.”

“Is that so?” Shi Yitong said sarcastically. “Didn’t his father deserve all of this? Who asked him to be blinded by greed, otherwise how could he end up like this!”

“You!”

Watching Liang Kaifeng waving his fists again, I quickly pulled them further apart.

“Alright, alright, Liang Kaifeng, please calm down, okay?” I lowered my voice and said. “I’m not saying that I won’t help you, it’s just, I can’t. But I’ll try to contact him. If there is anything I can do to help, I’ll definitely give it a try, it that all right?”