Chapter 3

Feng Jianguo and his wife had long since seen the news of the haunted house fire on the trending searches. They had been frantic with worry, and only relaxed when they received their son's call telling them he was safe. They immediately hailed a taxi to the hospital.

After hanging up, Feng Yang did not rush off to the hospital with the ambulance. Instead, he took the initiative to find the person in charge of the fire department and said, "I'm familiar with the layout of the buildings inside. I can lead everyone in to rescue people."

The fire official in charge of the rescue operation recognized Feng Yang as the little hero who had saved many people from inside the blaze earlier. He reached out and patted Feng Yang on the shoulder. "You've already saved many people. You did an excellent job. But right now, what you need to do is keep yourself safe. The firefighters will rescue the people still inside."

Even so, the fire official's brows remained tightly furrowed. The situation inside the haunted house was terrible. There were too many obstructions and structures designed to confuse people's vision, severely slowing down the rescue effort. As the fire grew larger and larger, not only were the trapped visitors in grave danger, but the firefighters' safety was also at serious risk. There was no way the official would allow Feng Yang, a survivor, to enter the blaze again. Besides, he did not believe a kid who had just graduated high school could be of any help to the firefighters.

But the reporters who had been following the fire official immediately caught the scent of a hot story. Holding up their microphones, they rushed over, hoping to interview Feng Yang.

Feng Yang could not be bothered with them. Ignoring the fire official's objections, he took advantage of everyone's distraction and charged into the blaze again. Then he led the firefighters in searching everywhere for survivors. They spent more than half an hour at it before the flames became too fierce to enter, forcing them to withdraw.

During that time, Feng Yang found a full sixteen survivors. Including the group that had run out of the haunted house with him earlier, there were more than thirty additional survivors compared to his previous life.

The Vengeful Ghost Talisman that had saved those lives had also absorbed more than thirty streaks of golden merit light, enough to accumulate into something the size of a millet grain. Together with the fist-sized mass of golden merit light he had earned from Su Nan, Feng Yang had truly made a killing. Satisfied, he clenched his palm and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

The moment he entered the hospital, he ran into the three members of the Feng Family, as well as Su Nan's parents, anxiously asking at the information desk which wards Feng Yang and Su Nan were in.

Having not seen his family for more than twenty years, Feng Yang paused. After taking a moment to compose himself, he strode forward and shouted, "Dad, Mom, Big Brother."

"Xiao Yang!" The three members of the Feng Family rushed over with worried faces, feeling Feng Yang over from head to toe to make sure he was truly unharmed.

"You brat, where did you run off to? Your father and I asked the hospital about every survivor on the list, but we couldn't find which ward you were in. You scared us half to death!"

Feng Yang smiled and stood obediently in place, letting his parents pat him all over. He did not even react when Father Feng reached out to touch his head.

Seeing his younger brother so quiet, wearing a gentle, nostalgic smile, Feng Fei could not help worrying. "Xiao Yang, were you frightened? How about we let a doctor take a look first?"

Feng Yang was slightly startled. He knew that although his big brother was tall and burly, his mind was meticulous and his heart delicate. Feng Fei must have noticed that something about him was different from usual. After all, his body might have been eighteen years old, but the soul inside came from twenty years later. Eighteen-year-old Feng Yang and thirty-eight-year-old Feng Yang were certainly not the same.

Feng Jianguo and his wife had been so worried about whether Feng Yang had been injured in the fire that they had not noticed their younger son's unusual behavior. But after their eldest son pointed it out, they suddenly realized that Feng Yang was being far too quiet. They immediately grew anxious. "Xiao Yang, are you all right? Don't be scared, don't be scared. Your dad, your mom, and your big brother are all here. You're safe now."

As Mother Feng spoke, she raised her arms and stood on tiptoe, trying her best to stroke Feng Yang's head. She kept repeating, "A little pat, and the fright will scat." Feng Yang did not know whether to laugh or cry, but he still crouched down slightly and lowered his head so that Mother Feng, who was only five foot five, could reach him.

"I'm really fine. I didn't get hurt at all. I even helped the firefighters rescue a lot of people! I'm just a little tired." Feng Yang tried to recall how his eighteen-year-old self would have acted as he reassured his parents. He also gave Feng Fei's observation skills a mental thumbs-up. "Big Brother really is a police academy graduate. You actually noticed."

Instead, the Feng Family was even more shocked by Feng Yang's obedient, well-behaved manner. Eighteen-year-old Feng Yang had been proud and arrogant, believing every day that he was practically an adult already. Thus, he always acted composed and proper in front of his parents. He would never speak in such a childish, boastful tone. He also hated it when Feng Jianguo and his wife tried to touch his head, and when Feng Fei, after studying criminal psychology, instinctively tried to observe his family's behavior.

Still, none of the Feng Family suspected that Feng Yang had been reborn or possessed. They only assumed the child had truly been frightened by the fire. Feng Fei, a man of decisive action, had already gone to register him. Since his younger brother had no external injuries, they would first register at the psychiatry department and have a doctor check whether Feng Yang had been scared out of his wits. Then they would find an old traditional Chinese physician to take his pulse and prescribe a couple doses of calming medicine.

By the time Feng Fei returned with the registration slip, the three members of the Feng Family had already been surrounded by reporters who had rushed over upon hearing the news, as well as many students' parents and the relatives of survivors. The latter had come to thank Feng Yang for saving their children's lives, while the former held cameras outside the crowd, hoping to capture a sensational story.

Some reporters also recognized Feng Yang's parents as the owners of the most luxurious hotel chain in the city. They felt that interviewing Feng Yang's wealthy parents would be more interesting than interviewing Feng Yang himself. As a result, media reporters crowded around Feng Jianguo and his wife as well, all trying to get an interview.

In his previous life, Feng Yang had spent more than twenty years living apart from society alongside vengeful ghosts. He was deeply unaccustomed to being surrounded by crowds, much less exposed before reporters' cameras. He was even more uncomfortable with strangers touching his body.

Fortunately, the Feng Family was in a hurry to take Feng Yang to see a doctor, and they quickly led him out of the crowd. The psychiatry department was on the fifth floor. As they passed the orthopedics department on the third floor, Mother Feng suddenly said, "Su Nan is in this department. After we get you checked out, we'll come back and visit Xiao Nan."