After the fox spirit left, I didn't rush to wake Sun Chuang. The main reason was that he had been possessed, and a large portion of his yang energy had been drained. Coupled with the relatively heavy Yin energy of the hospital, if he were woken up directly, he might fall seriously ill. I certainly didn't want to have him as a burden at this time.
Fortunately, my backpack was still there, and nothing inside was lost. I took out a Yang Gathering Talisman and, chanting an incantation, stuck it onto Sun Chuang's forehead. A faint golden light enveloped him.
"I don't know which deity this guy offended. First possession, then another possession. He should be fine by tomorrow morning."
Zhang Dabiao clearly hadn't heard me. He was staring blankly, and the cigarette butt in his hand was about to burn his finger without him noticing.
"Brother Zhang, what are you thinking about? Your cigarette is about to burn your hand."
"Oh…"
Reminded by me, Zhang Dabiao finally came to his senses. He threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped on it fiercely, then opened another can of beer and downed it in three gulps.
Seeing his somewhat solemn expression, I couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhang, why do I feel like you're a bit distracted? Is something bothering you?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head. "It's nothing. I just feel that the fox spirit's appearance today is a bit strange. I fear it's not here with good intentions!"
Speaking of the fox spirit, I frowned. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would still be wondering. Why is this guy like a sticky candy? Wherever we go, it follows. If I count carefully, this is the third time I've encountered it."
"Whatever its purpose, if I catch it, I'll skin it…"
As soon as he mentioned foxes, Zhang Dabiao's face turned ferocious, his eyes turning bloodshot, as if he had an irreconcilable hatred for foxes.
Seeing this, I didn't press further. After all, everyone has their secrets. Even with our life-and-death friendship, it wasn't appropriate to pry. I could only sit on the bed and drink with him, taking sips here and there.
After finishing the remaining alcohol, Zhang Dabiao lay on the bed and started snoring. I don't know if it was the fox spirit that triggered his sad memories or some other reason, but he kept mumbling about skinning something.
With Sun Chuang also snoring like a thunderclap in dry weather, I tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep. I could only lie there with my eyes open, counting sheep.
…
I was awakened by a scream. Rubbing my eyes, I saw Zhang Dabiao pinning Sun Chuang to the ground with one hand, his right leg pressing on Sun Chuang's back, while the other hand grabbed Sun Chuang's arm and twisted it upwards.
"I noticed something was wrong with you yesterday, and now you dare to steal! Who sent you?"
"Ouch… It hurts! Let go, let go, my arm is going to break…"
Seeing this, I quickly got out of bed and pulled Zhang Dabiao away, looking at him in confusion. "What's going on? Why are you two fighting?"
I knew Zhang Dabiao had issues with Sun Chuang, but it wasn't to the point of resorting to violence. Moreover, we had all eaten, drunk, and chatted together yesterday. Even if he was angry that Sun Chuang had run off alone, it wouldn't escalate to a fight the moment they woke up.
Pushing Sun Chuang to the ground, Zhang Dabiao said sternly, "Kid, tell me what you did. If you dare to lie, I'll dislocate both your arms."
Facing Zhang Dabiao's threat, Sun Chuang scrambled behind me. Although his face was still pale with illness, after this ordeal, his complexion actually seemed to have a bit of color.
"Brother Sun, what's going on? Why did you start fighting the moment I woke up?"
I felt Sun Chuang's grip on my leg stiffen, and then he started crying loudly. "Qingyun, you must do justice for me! I woke up needing to urinate this morning, and before I could even get out of the door, he grabbed me and pinned me to the ground. If you hadn't woken up in time, he would have dislocated my arm…"
"That's bullshit! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't tell the truth," Zhang Dabiao said furiously upon hearing this and lunged forward.
I couldn't let him hit Sun Chuang. In Sun Chuang's current state, he'd be beaten by Zhang Dabiao in a few punches and might even lose his life, which wouldn't be worth it. A scare would suffice.
Blocking Zhang Dabiao, I also managed to pull my leg away. "Brother Zhang, let's talk this through! Sun Chuang, regardless of anything else, is a distant relative of my master. You should at least give me face…"
Before I could finish speaking, I saw Zhang Dabiao's expression change. Then I felt my body lighten as he directly threw me off the bed.
"You're courting death."
"You forced my hand. Don't blame me."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw a white ball thrown fiercely onto the ground.
*Bang—*
With a sound like a shattering glass bottle, a pungent, eye-stinging smoke shot out from the white ball, instantly engulfing the entire room.
*Ring ring—*
*Splash—*
The fire alarm then blared, and a stream of cold water sprayed from the ceiling. By the time the doctors and police arrived, both of us were soaked to the bone. Sudan Novel Network.
Sitting on the chairs in the security room, Zhang Dabiao and I stared at each other. We were deemed intentional arsonists and were insisted upon being sent to the police station.
"Officers, we really didn't set any fire. Someone threw something into the room, which triggered the smoke alarm, hence the fire report. Do we look like people who would intentionally cause trouble and damage?"
"You're not bad guys? Then who is?" The policeman interrogating us was about thirty years old. Without looking up from his newspaper, he insisted that we had intentionally set the fire.
"Officers, isn't there surveillance in the ward? If you just turn on the monitors, you'll know everything."
The policeman put down his newspaper and sneered, "Surveillance? Have you been watching too many movies? You damaged the surveillance before causing trouble, didn't you? Just pay for the hospital's losses, or you can prepare to go to jail!"
I realized that no amount of talking would help. If we didn't pay, we wouldn't be leaving. I could only ask them to bring my backpack. Then, with a swift and practiced movement of swiping my card, we were kicked out of the hospital without even being allowed to change our clothes.
"That scoundrel Sun Chuang! If I ever meet him again, I'll skin him alive," Zhang Dabiao cursed indignantly.
My expression was also grim, as I had never been so humiliated. At the same time, a question formed in my mind: what exactly did Sun Chuang do to make Zhang Dabiao so furious?
"Brother Zhang, what exactly happened this morning?"