Volume 1, Chapter 18: A Father Knows His Son Best

Luo Bin’s heart tightened slightly.

Ever since he had been summoned back to life, he had felt a sense of intimacy and familiarity with Gu Ya, as if she were his own mother. However, toward Luo Feng, he could not shake a lingering sense of wariness. He still had to be cautious; he must not let his secret slip.

Luo Feng was the father of the original boy, and no one knew a son better than his father. Deceiving him would be incredibly difficult.

Stopping in his tracks, Luo Feng stood face-to-face with Luo Bin. The next moment, he reached out and patted Luo Bin on the head.

"You handled that very well."

Luo Bin was taken aback. He had not expected such a gentle tone from Luo Feng. Had his exposure of Zhang Jun truly earned him that much trust?

"However, you must not do it like that next time," Luo Feng continued.

Gu Ya looked on, puzzled. "What’s wrong with Xiaoshan exposing Zhang Jun? Dear, didn't you say earlier..."

Luo Feng cut her off, his expression darkening. Looking deeply at Luo Bin, he said, "The village is not what you perceive it to be. You must have felt it—what happened after you offended Zhang Jun? He came to exact revenge on our entire family. If the village chief hadn't happened to be at our home, I would have struggled to react to such a crisis."

"Do not offend people lightly. Once a conflict starts, you must nip the threat in the bud; otherwise, the consequences will be endless. I can handle myself, but your mother is the most important thing. Do you understand?"

Gu Ya frowned. "Why are you teaching Xiaoshan these things? Isn't this..."

Luo Bin’s eyelids twitched violently, and his heart skipped a beat. Luo Feng was speaking in riddles, yet there was a deeper meaning.

Suddenly, a memory flashed before Luo Bin’s eyes. It was from the night he had been summoned into this body, just after he had been coerced by Xu Kaiguo into opening the window and the crisis had been resolved. As Luo Feng left, he had turned his head to look at him and said, "The evil entity took your pinky nail. By all logic, you should have become an evil spirit yourself, yet you survived."

"They will likely keep a close eye on you. You must be cautious, extremely cautious! Once night falls, there are no normal people outside the doors or windows—only murderous spirits! Never be deceived!"

"Enough, last night’s events are over. Don't keep dwelling on them. If someone else hears, just make sure we keep the oil lamp lit, and there won't be any problems," Gu Ya had said, pinching Luo Feng’s waist.

The memory faded, and he was back under Luo Feng’s profound gaze. This stare was just like the one from that night. No... it was slightly different. That night, there had been hesitation and doubt, but now, that hesitation had vanished.

Luo Bin finally understood. Luo Feng knew he was not Luo Shan.

At first, Luo Feng might not have been certain and was still weighing his options. That was why he had repeated the village’s rules while looking at him—he simply didn't want him to die. But now, he was thoroughly exposed in Luo Feng’s eyes. As for the reason, it came back to that same old saying: no one knows a son better than his father. No matter how careful Luo Bin had been, he could never truly deceive a father with such keen perception.

Yet, even so, Luo Feng did not expose him. Instead, he reminded him once more of the "principles" one must follow to survive in this village. He had even emphasized: "The most important thing is your mother." It was Gu Ya who had made Luo Feng "accept" him.

"Mom, Dad is right. I have lived under your protection for so long, and I’ve done many things that were displeasing, things that even brought shame upon you. That was my fault. The matter with Zhang Jun was also my mistake. If I had even a third of Dad’s decisiveness, I shouldn't have driven Zhang Jun away at that moment. I could have let him take his people and then reported it to the village chief. That way, he wouldn't have been able to retaliate against our home. Or, I could have..."

Luo Bin left the sentence unfinished. Luo Feng nodded, a glimmer of satisfaction in his deep eyes. Was that a sign of approval?

Gu Ya was speechless for a moment. She had always felt that parents were like eagles or great trees, and their children were the fledglings or the small saplings beneath. The duty of a parent was to protect the child. Yet, at this moment, it seemed Luo Shan had grown up. Previously, when Luo Shan had lost his temper in front of everyone, it had shown how much he cared for them as his parents. Now, his reaction was that of an adult—someone with responsibility and resolve.

Beyond her silence, Gu Ya felt a slight ache in her heart, mixed with an indescribable emotion.

"Brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons go to battle as a team. Mom, don't worry. The principles Dad taught me are correct. I am a man now, and I can protect our family, and especially you," Luo Bin said softly, observing Gu Ya’s reaction.

Gu Ya smiled, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes deepening, though she tilted her head back, holding back tears.

"Let’s go back and cook. Once we’ve eaten, we need to watch the parade tonight," Luo Feng said, walking ahead.

A parade at night? Not during the day? When it gets dark, evil spirits are everywhere; how could the villagers parade Zhang Jun through the streets?

Right—the village chief had mentioned a parade tonight. Doubts aside, Luo Bin did not ask. Though he and Luo Feng had reached a tacit understanding and he had expressed his resolve, he couldn't be too blatant—especially with Gu Ya. If she knew, she lacked Luo Feng’s rationality and would surely cause other problems.

Returning from the side path to the main road, it was much quieter. Smoke was already curling from the chimneys of several courtyards. Clearly, the villagers were in a hurry to cook and eat, so they could watch the parade.

As Luo Bin followed Gu Ya and Luo Feng, his mind whirled with analysis. His identity issue was, at least, stable within the household. But there was another key point: Zhang Li, Zhu Shanshan, and Gu Yiren. He could ignore the first two, but he absolutely could not ignore Gu Yiren. Intuition told him that she was the key.

Furthermore, now that he didn't need to worry about his status at home, what did he need to consider? The priority was obtaining lamp oil so he could remain human. Otherwise, if Luo Feng found out he was actually an evil spirit who craved blood at night, would he still dare to keep him in the house? That was another imminent danger.

As he pondered, Luo Feng and Gu Ya stopped.

"Xiaoling, why are you here?" Gu Ya asked in surprise.

Luo Bin looked up and saw a graceful young girl standing in front of their door. It was Zhang Yunling. Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, making her look as pure and pretty as a girl from next door.

"Aunt Gu, I rested at home for a while and feel much better. My house is in a location that’s too deep in the woods. Since there’s a parade through the village tonight, I didn't dare stay there, so I wanted to stay with you all," Zhang Yunling said, taking small steps toward Gu Ya, taking her hand, and smiling sweetly at Luo Feng.

Finally, she flicked her eyes toward Luo Shan, nodded, and said, "Xiaoshan," by way of greeting.