CHAPTER 760: CHAPTER 757: ON THE ROAD

Taozi first drove back to Shen Siyuan’s house, not just to drop Shen Jianjun off, but also to bid farewell to Huang Huijuan, before hitting the road again.

"I told Grandma that I’ll come to play with her next time." On the way back, Dou Dou suddenly said.

Hearing this, Shen Siyuan looked back at her in surprise, having to admit, this little one sure knows how to act right.

Upon hearing this, Duoduo panicked and quickly raised her hand, "I did say goodbye to Grandma."

Xiao Yue glanced at the two, muttered something about childishness, and then turned her head to look out the window.

Shen Siyuan didn’t mind but instead asked Tang Tang, "Did you say goodbye to Grandma?"

"Han~"

Tang Tang flailed her arms with a silly smile.

"All you know is how to smile." Shen Siyuan reached out and pinched her little face.

At this moment, Taozi said, "Tang Tang has a magical grandma, just a pucker on each side."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Shiyun perked up immediately.

"Whoever Tang Tang kisses will have good luck, Grandma’s luck will definitely be superb in the future."

"Really?"

Sitting in the back, Dou Dou heard this and suddenly looked curious.

"Of course, it’s true. I used to have really bad luck."

Shen Shiyun started recounting all the unlucky things she encountered since childhood, which amazed everyone.

"The fact that you grew up safely means you’re not that unlucky." Finally, Shen Siyuan couldn’t help but tease.

Shen Shiyun rolled her eyes at him through the rearview mirror, and then continued, "Ever since I met Tang Tang last time and she kissed me, my luck has been superb, picking up money right after going out that day, and luck just kept coming."

Apart from Shen Siyuan, everyone else, who was originally doubtful, immediately believed it, as this was a common occurrence with Tang Tang.

Dou Dou immediately sprang to the front seat, sitting next to Tang Tang, pouting her lips high.

"Tang Tang, come here, let’s kiss."

Tang Tang pushed her away with a face full of disdain.

"Come on, come on, I love you." Dou Dou refused to give up, and the two little ones began to pull at each other again.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Shiyun occasionally looked at the rearview mirror and occasionally turned her head to glance back. The reason for this was that, from the rearview mirror, it seemed like Tang Tang was having a battle of wits with the air, but when she looked back, it wasn’t quite the case, which she found very intriguing.

"Cousin, can I ask you a question?" she cautiously asked.

Shen Siyuan glanced at her and said, "Go ahead."

"When people die, do they all become ghosts?" she asked.

"Yes." Shen Siyuan gave her an affirmative answer.

"Then where do they ultimately go, Underworld?" Shen Shiyun quickly asked again.

"That’s your second question." Shen Siyuan said.

Feeling dissatisfied, Shen Shiyun pouted and then turned her gaze to Taozi, who was driving.

Seeing this, Taozi glanced through the rearview mirror, noticed Shen Siyuan’s cold look, and laughed, "Just tell her, otherwise she might not be able to sleep tonight."

"If I tell her, she might sleep even less." Shen Siyuan said.

"What do you mean?" Shen Shiyun was somewhat perplexed.

"Because after people die, if they have unfinished wishes or are unwilling to let go, they will linger in the Mortal World. Only by letting go of these obsessions can they return to nature." Shen Siyuan explained.

"That’s it?"

At first, Shen Shiyun didn’t understand why Shen Siyuan said she would sleep even less if she knew this, but then she realized and her eyes widened in surprise, looking out the car window with uncertainty.

"Don’t worry, there aren’t that many ghosts, you don’t need to be afraid."

It was obvious that Taozi had gone through this stage too, suspiciously feeling surrounded by ghosts.

"People die every day in this world; if everyone was unwilling to leave, wouldn’t the world be overcrowded with ghosts?"

"It wouldn’t, because if a person did bad deeds in their lifetime, they’d be entangled by karma, and after death, the karma would fuel desires, turning them into evil ghosts, who would entirely lose their will and wander the world driven only by desire..."

"And a person’s body has three fires, which cause great harm to ghosts. Retaining rationality after death is fine, as they would avoid places with strong human presence, but irrational evil ghosts wouldn’t know how to avoid it. The external three fires trigger their inherent karma, leading to them being incinerated, scattered to the wind..."

Taozi patiently explained to Shen Shiyun, and if it wasn’t for this rule, it might really be as she thought, with the world being full of ghosts.

"So that’s how it is." Shen Shiyun let out a long sigh of relief.

But then, as if remembering something, her face turned quite unsightly.

"What’s wrong? Did it scare you?" Taozi noticed her expression was off and quickly asked.

Shen Shiyun shook her head, hesitated a moment, and then said timidly, "I don’t know if my grandma has returned to nature. If she hasn’t, and she finds out I came to see my uncle here, would she be very angry?"

"She might have already turned into an evil ghost, completely losing her will." Shen Siyuan said coldly.

"No way, my grandma may have been a bit petty, but she was definitely a good person, not like you’re suggesting."

Shen Shiyun raised her voice, clearly very upset by what Shen Siyuan said.

"Hmph." Shen Siyuan snorted lightly, falling silent.

Shen Shiyun, also angry, sat with her arms crossed stubbornly in the passenger seat.

Taozi glanced at the two, feeling somewhat helpless, unsure of how to lighten the mood.

At this moment, she thought of Ruan Hongzhuang. If it were her, there would certainly be a way.

Taozi had always admired Ruan Hongzhuang’s abilities, even to the point of adulation. Following her was one of the key reasons.

"Why aren’t they talking anymore?"

At this moment, Dou Dou’s voice sounded in the car; she was whispering into Xiao Yue’s ear, albeit not very quietly, so everyone in the car heard.

Xiao Yue glanced at the group, feeling a bit awkward, and then scolded Dou Dou softly, "Keep quiet, sit still, can’t you be more like Tang Tang?"

The rural road, with the car swaying, felt like a cradle, and Tang Tang, a bit dizzy, was lying on Shen Siyuan’s lap, half-asleep. She kept struggling to stay awake, her eyes opening and closing repeatedly.

Dou Dou, hearing this, replied somewhat displeased, "I don’t need a nap."

Finishing her words, she let out a long sigh, full of melancholy.

Thinking back to events during mealtime today, Shen Siyuan took out his phone and sent a message to Ruan Hongzhuang.

"How did the talks with the Special Affairs Bureau go?"

Although Shen Siyuan had entirely delegated the negotiation rights to Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi, in reality, Taozi was merely playing a minor role, with Ruan Hongzhuang managing everything.

Ruan Hongzhuang’s response was swift.

"It’s settled. When you come back, I’ll show you the agreement. There’s quite a bit of prep work needed at the start, and with the New Year approaching, the full work will only commence after the holiday..." Ruan Hongzhuang briefly explained to Shen Siyuan.

With not much time left before the New Year, Shen Siyuan could only wait patiently, believing that with government support, the charity work would rapidly and extensively unfold, offering a substantial amount of Merit.

As long as there’s ample Merit, he could swiftly repair the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and with its power, quickly gain control over Qiong Province’s Netherworld.

By then, not only would he experience a surge in strength, but Dou Dou and the others would also become ghost gods. Though ’ghost’ is part of the term, they would still be gods, with authority far exceeding that of a mere Fan Soul.