Misunderstanding his surprise, the old man continued, “Hard to believe, right? Looks like he’s only in his thirties. Actually, he’s seventy-nine this year, turning eighty next year. He disappeared for over forty years and came back looking exactly the same. Isn’t that scary? He’s become a monster!”
“…That is indeed terrifying.”
Luo Yingbai asked, “Sir, do you mean Liao Zhong disappeared over forty years ago and recently returned, looking unchanged… so his family must have all aged?”
An old man sighed.
Who would have thought he would suddenly disappear? Not only did the company collapse without management, but he also owed a mountain of debt. His wife struggled to raise the two children. In the end, one got addicted to drugs, and the other went to prison for murder.
As he spoke, Luo Yingbai understood why Liao Zhong hadn’t finished answering his last question at the Liao household. Just as Yin Ming said, Liao Zhong had indeed been a successful winner in life in this world before. Unfortunately, after leaving, only a few months had passed in the real world, but here, forty years had gone by. When he returned, his beautiful wife was now old and frail, his once-smart and lovely sons were now drug-addicted and imprisoned, and his vast family fortune was destroyed. No wonder he was in such a hurry to escape.
The old man said: “He was crazy, shouting about wanting to leave every day. His wife certainly wouldn’t let him, so they started fighting.”
But Luo Yingbai asked: “But if he wants to leave, how could he leave, and where could he go?”
The old man’s face suddenly turned ferocious when he heard the word “leave”, and he suddenly shouted: “Can’t leave! People who come here can never think about leaving!”
They had been talking softly and were very close. His sudden loud shout made Luo Yingbai’s head buzz, and he was startled. Xia Xianning, who had been silently listening, suddenly reacted quickly and shouted: “Watch out!”
He immediately embraced Luo Yingbai, turned sharply, facing the old man with his back, and waved his hand back, chanting: “The essence of the Tao, mysterious and profound, retreat!”
At that moment, the old man’s body suddenly expanded to twice its size and exploded like an oversized firecracker.
