Chapter 177: Keep Your Promises

“Take me to see Li Qing.”

As Sun Mang spoke these words, even his own palms were sweating.

After all, this was his first time proactively facing an evil entity and attempting to capture it.

Father Li and Mother Li immediately led the way.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the door of Li Qing's room.

Sun Mang kept looking around, but he didn't see anything terrifying outside.

However, the moment the door opened and a chilling, eerie aura rushed toward them, Sun Mang's nerves tightened.

But by now, he truly wasn't that afraid of this sensation anymore.

Li Qing was curled up on the bed; even in broad daylight, the curtains in the room were drawn tight, leaving not a single sliver of light.

Sun Mang was all too familiar with such a scene.

He immediately instructed Father Li to pull the curtains open.

The moment Father Li moved and sunlight streamed in, Li Qing's entire body seemed to undergo painful spasms.

Sun Mang immediately looked at Li Qing, and sure enough, he saw a faint, indistinct trace of black Qi on him.

At this moment, his spirit surged. He deliberately murmured, "There really is something unclean on Li Qing."

Father Li and Mother Li were struck with terror; they knew that, of course.

But they simply had no way to drive that thing out!

"Sun Mang, you must help Li Qing!"

Father Li looked at Sun Mang with pleading eyes.

All of Sun Mang's unease was replaced by the excitement of his first attempt.

"Don't worry."

Mimicking Su Yan's mannerisms, he pulled a Soul-Collecting Talisman from his cloth bag.

However, he couldn't be as fast, accurate, and ruthless as Su Yan. Instead, he held the talisman in his palm and silently recited the incantation to activate it in a voice only he could hear.

Father Li and Mother Li only saw his mouth moving, knowing he must be casting a spell, and their hearts rose to their throats.

A moment later, Sun Mang, who had been keeping his eyes lowered, suddenly looked at Li Qing and let out a loud shout, "Collect!"

This shout nearly made Li Qing's parents' hearts jump out of their chests. They stared with wide eyes at the talisman in Sun Mang's palm.

One second.

Two seconds.

Five seconds.

The talisman remained motionless.

Father Li:...

Mother Li:...

Sun Mang was so embarrassed he almost cursed.

The incantation he used was clearly correct; it must be because he hadn't used it in so long that he had become clumsy.

Facing the questioning gazes of the two elders, he could only thicken his skin and try again.

This time, he wasn't so calm.

If he failed again, he would definitely be branded a fraud, wouldn't he?

Sun Mang even put all his effort into his very hair follicles. A few seconds later, under the expectant gaze of Li Qing's parents, the talisman suddenly went *whoosh* and floated into mid-air.

It worked!

Sun Mang's excited shout reached his throat, but he forced it back down.

"Collect!"

Accompanied by his command, the talisman began to emit a dazzling light. Immediately after, a wisp of black Qi was sucked out from Li Qing's body, and Li Qing instantly became calm.

Father Li and Mother Li both wore expressions of shock.

Even if they didn't understand these things, they could clearly see that something had indeed been captured by Sun Mang.

After a few breaths, the talisman, now covered in black Qi, drifted back down into Sun Mang's palm.

Father Li was filled with wonder.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, it would have been truly hard to believe.

Facing the two people's stunned expressions, Sun Mang felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

The evil entity had been captured in the talisman; the rest could only be left to Su Yan to handle.

"It's alright."

From the time they entered the room to the resolution, only a few short minutes had passed.

At this moment, Li Qing actually slowly sat up from the bed. His gaze was no longer vacant; he looked at his parents and Sun Mang, who was in their home, with confusion.

"Dad, Mom, what happened to me? Why is Sun Mang here?"

Father Li and Mother Li wept with joy.

"Son, you finally recognize us! This is wonderful! You've been possessed by something dirty these past few days, and it's all thanks to Sun Mang saving you!"

"Huh?" Li Qing even suspected whether there was something wrong with his ears, or if his parents were joking. "You're saying Sun Mang saved me?"

Although they weren't in the same class, he did know this Sun Mang.

A coward who was afraid of people, a wimp who lacked ambition—he was a textbook example used by the school to educate other students.

But now his parents were suddenly telling him that this very boy, someone so contemptible, had saved his life?

"Yes, look at you, you just woke up and your head isn't clear yet?" Mother Li sat directly beside him, constantly stroking his head.

Seeing his parents' solemn expressions, it didn't seem like a joke. For a moment, Li Qing didn't know what to say.

"Uncle Li, Auntie, Li Qing still needs time to recover; nothing else is important. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Sun Mang naturally understood Li Qing's current state of mind.

However, the more it was like this, the more he felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment, because he had finally found the value of his life.

"Alright, I'll see you out." Father Li's attitude toward him became even more kind and friendly.

Just as Sun Mang was preparing to leave, his peripheral vision caught sight of a small mirror sitting on the desk.

He didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he actually saw black Qi swirling around the mirror.

But it was only for a fleeting instant before it vanished.

To be safe, he immediately picked up the mirror to examine it.

Father Li was somewhat puzzled by his actions. "Is there something wrong with this mirror?"

Sun Mang looked at it for a long time without seeing anything unusual. Just as he was about to put it down, Father Li immediately said, "It's just a mirror; why don't you take it?"

He was truly frightened by his son's terrifying appearance and didn't want to leave even the slightest problem behind.

So, without waiting for Sun Mang to refuse, he stuffed the mirror into Sun Mang's cloth bag.

Sun Mang was amused by his nervous manner. The more it was like this, the more he had to act composed.

"Alright."

After responding, he walked out with steady, measured steps.

From beginning to end, he maintained an air of profound mystery.

"Mom, did Sun Mang really save me?" Li Qing watched his departing figure, still finding it hard to believe.

But it seemed that the feeling this Sun Mang gave him was indeed different from before.

"It's true. Your dad often teaches you that appearances can be deceiving. You must make sure to get along well with him at school from now on," Mother Li instructed solemnly.

Sun Mang was personally escorted to the door by Father Li, with the money he had previously agreed upon with Father Li tucked in his cloth bag.

Once he was completely out of Father Li's sight, he could no longer control his excitement and jumped up on the spot.

So this was the feeling of being respected—not because of Su Yan or anyone else, but because he had done it himself.

A surge of pride and confidence welled up within him.

"You're that happy?"

A voice suddenly sounding from a corner startled him first, before he immediately snapped back to his senses.

"Su Yan, why are you here?"

Before Su Yan could answer, he realized.

"Did you come here specifically to wait for me?"

Even his voice trembled with excitement.

Su Yan remained noncommittal. After all, it was his first time facing an evil entity alone; she had promised Grandma Sun that she would take good care of him, as she couldn't afford to lose such a grandson to the old lady.

(End of Chapter)