In the evening, the fiery clouds seemed to have burned half the sky.

At the Qingshi City bus station, a man in his twenties or thirties wearing a black leather jacket sat under a street lamp, smoking. His teeth were yellowed, as if he hadn't brushed them in ages. He watched the people coming and going from the bus station, constantly searching for something within the crowd.

Suddenly, a young man in simple T-shirt and faded jeans, looking like he was seventeen and in high school, walked out of the station.

This person silently crushed the cigarette butt, and walked straight towards him.

With a loud bang, the two collided. The middle-aged man glared angrily and shouted, "Can't you see where you're going? Get your eyes checked next time!"

Then, he turned and hurried into a dark alley. His face lit up with joy as he took out what was hidden there, but his expression changed to shock when he saw that it was just a stack of yellow paper, meant for burning for the dead.

"Damn it, what a pain in the ass." The middle-aged man threw away the yellow paper, then his face changed, and he looked at himself: "Where's my wallet?"

And it's not just the middle-aged person's wallet, even several previous wallets are gone too.

On the street outside the gas station, Lin Fan was smoking and holding three purses. He looked at the money inside, and it probably added up to three or four thousand: "Making money this way is really fast."

Saying that, he came to a begging old man by the roadside and casually threw the money into the beggar's rice bowl before striding away.

The begging old man had never seen anyone give so much money. He kept bowing to Lin Fan's back: "Great benefactor, great benefactor."

Lin Fan handed the few remaining dollars in his wallet to the patrolling police officer and then looked around at the street before him, muttering to himself, "A year has passed, I'm finally back."

A year ago, it was the first day of high school for his sophomore year. Lin Fan was on his way to school when a disheveled old Taoist suddenly stopped him and insisted on taking him as his disciple.

Without a doubt, Lin Fan kicked the old Daoist twice, sending him packing.

To everyone's surprise, the slovenly old Taoist priest actually pulled out a bank card worth one million. He said that if they went with him to learn Taoism for a year, he would give them the money.

With stars in his eyes, Lin Fan decided to drop out of school and follow the old Taoist priest.

Lin Fan shook his head, memories of the past year flooding his mind.

This past year, although I claimed to be studying the Dao, I ended up following the old master around, traveling far and wide, encountering all sorts of strange occurrences.

Until two days ago, in a thatched hut deep in the mountains, the old Taoist reluctantly held Lin Fan's hand and said that he was going to ascend to immortality.

Lin Fan knew the old Taoist was about to die.

Before his death, the old Daoist said: "Disciple, you've followed me for a year. Back at the mountain gate, everyone looked down on me. I wasn't qualified enough. This life, I couldn't prove myself to those old men. But I'm glad that before I die, I met you. When your Taoist skills are great, be sure to go to Mount Zhongnan and beat all their disciples to the ground!"

"Don't worry, old man. I'll do my best to beat up all those who look down on you, both on the mountain and in the valley."

For a year now, Lin Fan has heard the old Daoist mention this many times. The old Daoist's Dao name is Xuanzi, and he was once a well-known disciple of the Quanzhen Sect on Mount Zhongnan. Unfortunately, he was dull-witted and the target of ridicule from his fellow disciples. Later, he was framed by someone and expelled from the sect.

Lin Fan had never met his father since he was a child. It was said that his father left shortly after his mother became pregnant with him, and then disappeared without a trace. Shortly after Lin Fan was born, his mother passed away.

Although it was only for a year, the old Daoist treated him truly well. He naturally had no reason to refuse the old Daoist's request.

He shook his head, hailed a taxi, and after getting in, said, "Feng Hua District."

He had never seen his parents since he was a child. He grew up alone, and the only relative he had was his mother's cousin.

After being away for a year, of course I would go home first to visit.

His thoughts raced, and soon he arrived at Feng Hua District.

He bought some fruit at the entrance of his apartment building, then went to his aunt's doorstep.

knock knock knock.

The door opened soon.

A woman in her thirties or forties opened the door. Her name was Zhang Qingshu, and she was Lin Fan's aunt.

"Xiao Fan," Zhang Qingshu's face lit up when she saw the person at the door. "Come in quickly, let me take a look. You've grown so much in a year! Where have you been all this time?"

"Aunt," Lin Fan smiled as he walked into the house, but he avoided Zhang Qingshu's questions.

In the living room, there was a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a white shirt. He was watching the news with glasses on, giving him a scholarly appearance.

This is Zhang Qingshu's husband, Huang Zhongshi.

Huang Zhong saw that it was Lin Fan coming in. His brows furrowed immediately, and he then said, "Come in."

"Yes, Uncle," Lin Fan nodded slightly.

His relationship with Huang Zhongshi has never been good.

Huang Zhongshi worked in a large company locally, as a small leader, quite self-satisfied, and didn't like his aunt's relatives.

Chang Qing-shu spoke from the side, "I've also asked QIQING to come out. It's been a long time since we've seen each other."

Huang Zhong said with a sarcastic smile, "Qianqian is studying at work and doesn't want to see these idle people around."

Zhang Qingshu's face showed a hint of awkwardness: "What are you saying? Xiaofan is not an outsider, so how could he be considered just some random person?"

"You're still hanging around with those riff-raff?" Huang Zhong stared hard at Lin Fan. "Running wild for a year, not even studying, what do you want to do? Become some kind of gang leader? What future does someone like that have?"

Huang Zhongshi considered himself to be an 'upper-class' person, having a relative like Lin Fan was truly embarrassing for him.

What he didn't expect was that, facing Huang Zhongshi's glare, Lin Fan's eyes remained calm, as if he wasn't concerned at all.

You know, he has dozens of employees under him. During work hours, just one glare from him is enough to make everyone below him terrified.

This made Huang Zhong even more dissatisfied.

Lin Fan really didn't care about Huang Zhenshi's words. He only came this time to see his aunt.

Following that unkempt old Taoist priest, he had seen all sorts of scenes, from wealthy businessmen worth billions treating each other with respect. How could Lin Fan be afraid in front of a "big" leader like Huang Zhongshi?

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Huang Zhongshi saw that Lin Fan didn't reply, and felt a little embarrassed.

Lin Fan said calmly, "My uncle is an elder. My master taught me that I should listen when elders speak."

Huang Zhongshi let out a cold laugh: "Do you really think you're the big boss of society? Going out to find a master? There are countless scammers outside..."

Lin Fan finally had a somewhat difficult expression: "Although that old man deceived me for a year, the dead are great, right, Uncle?"

The scene was a little awkward. Zhang Qingshu stood beside him, also not knowing what to do.

At this moment, the door to a bedroom inside suddenly opened.

A girl with heavy makeup and a bit of a punk look walked out.

This is Lin Fan's cousin, Huang Qing.

"Qingqing, are you out playing again?" Huang Zhenshi's face flushed with embarrassment.

Just after disciplining Lin Fan, his own son dressed like this.

"What's it to you?" Huang Qing scoffed and walked away.

"Qiqing," Zhang Qingshu hurriedly said to Lin Fan, "Xiaofan, you've been hanging out with a group of troublemakers with your cousin lately. I'm worried something might happen."

Let me take a look.

Lin Fan was idle anyway, and this was the only request from his sole remaining relative. He had no reason to refuse.

Then, he hurried after him.

In the room, Huang Zhongshi slammed his fist on the table, glaring at Zhang Qingshu: "You useless relative, you've never amounted to anything in your life. What good are you?"

Chang Qingshu smiled slightly, but did not dare to say anything.

At the entrance of Feng Hua District, Huang Qing just hailed a taxi and got in. Before she could close the door, Lin Fan slipped in after her.

Huang Qing saw him and said, "What brings you here?"

Though Huang Qing wears heavy makeup, you can still see that she is a pretty girl. She's grown quite graceful now.

Lin Fan said, "Auntie Lin asked me to accompany you so that something won't happen to you."

"What could possibly happen if I sing a song with my friends?" Huang Qing frowned and pointed outside: "Get down here."

Lin Fan remained unmoved.

Over the past year, he has been well-cultivated in his heart by that old Taoist.

At the very least, something of this magnitude shouldn't anger him.

"Drive, Huangcheng KTV," Huang Qing saw Lin Fan stubbornly refusing to get out of the car, but she also didn't bother with him.

Lin Fan frowned slightly. The Huangcheng KTV was a place with high consumption in their local area. Going in, it would cost at least over two thousand yuan to start.

Even if Huang Zhongshi worked well, he wouldn't deserve to be treated this way by Huang Qing.

Young people who can go to the Huangcheng KTV, none of them are not rich or expensive in the local area.

Lin Fan didn't speak. The car slowly stopped in front of the Huangcheng KTV.

Huang Qing was about to get out of the car after parking, but Lin Fan said, "Pay the bill."

"What? You want me to pay?" Huang Qing's eyes widened. She had never paid for anything when she went out with guys before, this was the first time.

Whoever hires the car pays for it.

"Do you have any manners?"

"I'm just here with you, besides, I don't have any money either."

Lin Fan was telling the truth. Don't look at how generous he was when he gave money to the beggar just now, he's actually down to his last dime now. The last bit of money he has is just enough to buy a ticket back to Qingcheng.

As for the million yuan that Lao Dao mentioned, hasn't it been paid yet?

Huang Qing gritted her teeth, after paying the money herself, she walked in and didn't want to pay attention to Lin Fan.

Unexpectedly, Lin Fan followed closely behind, as if he couldn't be shaken off.

Then, Huang Qing walked lightly into room 309.

In the private room, there were six men and five women. The smoke was thick in the air. Lin Fan frowned. There were all kinds of men in here, and it was very noisy.

Before he learned the Tao, he also liked such places. But after following the old Daoist deep in the mountains for a year, his desires diminished, and he could no longer quite adapt to this kind of environment.

A punk with earrings and a bad attitude stood up, beckoned to Huang Qing, who sat beside him.

This person looked at Lin Fan by the door with animosity in their eyes, after all, he came with Huang Qing.

"Qingqing, who is this person?"

"He is my distant cousin."

"Isn't that your cousin you mentioned?"

These people burst into laughter all at once. Apparently, Huang Qing had mentioned them to them before, but it wasn't anything good.

Lin Fan walked over and said, "My aunt asked me to accompany my cousin here for a while, one hour, then we'll leave."

After finishing his words, Lin Fan walked to a corner and sat down, not speaking to anyone.

This group of people sang songs and drank alcohol, but they seemed to be having a blast.

Huang Qing's boyfriend is named Wang Zhengwei. His family has over 100 million yuan in assets, and he is a classmate of Huang Qing's. However, compared to being a student, he is more like a hooligan.

At this time, Wang Zhengwei and Huang Qing began to whisper to each other.

Huang Qing told Lin Fan how he had stubbornly followed her step by step.

Wang Zhengwei smiled and said, "This guy has probably never been to such a high-end place. He just came here out of curiosity to see the world. Guys, it's about time we let people who don't know us leave, right?"

After finishing his words, Wang Zhengwei hung up the phone.

With Lin Fan, this stranger, around, they couldn't enjoy themselves as much.

When Wang Zhengwei stood up, the other five men followed suit and surrounded Lin Fan.

Huang Qing hurried over and whispered in Wang Zhengwei's ear, "After all, this is my relative, don't hit him."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Wang Zhengwei nodded and said to Lin Fan, "Friend, you've come out into the world, seen it all, isn't it time to go?"

Wang Zhengwei had seen many people like Lin Fan before, just poor relatives trying to latch onto Huang Qing and get to know wealthy kids like him.

At this thought, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Wasn't this person aware of their own standing? They all came from well-off families and wouldn't look twice at someone like Lin Fan. Was he even qualified to be his friend?

"An hour's up?" Lin Fan didn't know what Wang Zhengwei was thinking. He picked up his watch and glanced at it, saying, "It's not time yet, but I guess you don't want me here."

"Did you only just realize that?" Wang Zhengwei's eyes seemed to say, "Don't you have any common sense?"

>"Well, I have something to do too, so I won't bother you."

Lin Fan stood up and said to Huang Qing, "Come on, I'll take you home. Otherwise, Aunt would be worried."

"I said, I want you to go alone. Don't you understand? You peasant." Wang Zhengwei stood in front of Huang Qing: "If you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us if our fists are blind."

"Don't!" Huang Qing hurriedly stopped him, it wasn't that he cared much about Lin Fan. If Lin Fan got beaten up by them, he wouldn't be able to get back.

Lin Fan heard that he was going to be beaten up by hand, and immediately smiled. He had learned more than just that in the past year with the old Daoist priest. His hands had also been trained by that old devil.

Could anyone younger, who just drinks and plays around all day, be his opponent?

Lin Fan was too lazy to argue with them. He was just about to take care of these people himself.

Wang Zhengwei looked down on Lin Fan with disdain, but he said: "Since you're Qingqing's distant relative and it's not easy for you to come here, let's play something civilized. How about a drink?"

If you get drunk by us, just scram honestly. Qingqing can play for as long as she wants.

Lin Fan heard this and raised an eyebrow: "What if I knock you all down?"

“Reality?” Wang Zhengwei sneered.

Why is Wang Zhengwei so confident?

Wang Zhengwei was accompanied by a corpulent man named Liu Bin, nicknamed the "Lion in Wine".

This Liu Bin's family runs a small wine shop. He practically grew up in the midst of wine barrels.

When it comes to drinking, I've never met a rival.

"Come on, let's get this going. We're drinking beer too slowly." Lin Fan looked at the table full of beer and shook his head.

Wang Zhengwei nodded and shouted to the waiter at the door, "Bring me some white wine."

Soon, a dozen or so bottles of white wine were laid out on the table.

Lin Fan silently picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Wang Zhengwei and the six others looked at each other in bewilderment, unsure what this fellow was up to.

"Hello, 120? It's Imperial City KTV, room 309. Yeah, someone has alcohol poisoning. Yes, it's urgent."

After finishing the call, Lin Fan hung up the phone.

Wang Zhengwei and his six companions had grim faces. Damn it, that's not how you pretend to be tough!

They have been drinking with people for so many years, and this is the first time someone has been so crazy.

This is how little they think of the six of them.

"Hold on, I'm going to the bathroom."

Lin Fan stood up and was about to go to the restroom.

Wang Zhengwei still thought he was scared: "There's a toilet in the room, don't even think about running, or I'll break your leg."

Lin Fan shrugged, went into the restroom, and locked the door behind him. He took out a yellow paper and his pen.

He gently bit his finger, drawing blood. He dipped his pen lightly into the fresh blood and began to write on the yellow paper.

There's no way, damn it. I didn't bring a black dog or cinnabar with me, so I can only use my own.

Soon, a talisman was drawn.

Lin Fan folded himself up, closed his eyes, and softly recited: "Wu Wu Xiang, no fear, no apprehension, a divine talisman, heavenly soldiers ascend, urgent as a decree!"

Then, he put the talisman in his pocket.

This is a wine-breaking talisman from the Miscellaneous Section of the Medium.

A must-have for any dinner party, it can be the undefeated champion of the table.

The old Daoist said this thing was just a parlor trick, let Lin Fan have a look at it, there's no need to learn it, but Lin Fan was interested, wasn't that useful?

After Lin Fan came out, dozens of bottles of white wine had already been opened.

Seven glasses were placed on the table.

"How do you drink it?" Wang Zhengwei asked.

One for me, one for you, see who goes down first.

Liu Bin ripped off his T-shirt and slammed his fist on the table: "You bastard! Don't you know that in our school, anyone who mentions drinking with me is so scared they tremble, nicknamed the Lion of Wine, are you just going to insult him like that?"

"You have one, I'll have one too."

Lin Fan couldn't help but admire, "What a brave hero!"

(Editor in charge:stephen king novels)