My Family Is Very Odd

"Oh, oh." Chen Yuanyuan nervously took Li Xiaogui's phone. It had no password. Her hands shaking, she opened the contacts and quickly found the number labeled 'Dad'.

Li Xiaogui pattered over to Shen Chen and grabbed his jade-like arm with both hands, pulling hard.

Her little black Mary Jane shoes scraped against the ground.

But Shen Chen didn't move. His eyes were panicked. He pursed his lips and said to Li Xiaogui, "Stop pulling, it won't come off. You guys need to go."

Li Xiaogui didn't speak, stubbornly pulling. Her chubby face scrunched up with effort. Still unable to pull it off, the frustrated Li Xiaogui kept one hand on Shen Chen's arm and used the other to draw a square in the air.

"Divine Number, Seal."

Just like sealing the Bone-Scratching Ghost, the square lightly landed on the black shadow and disappeared.

Li Xiaogui stomped her foot in frustration.

To make matters worse, the black shadow spread up from Shen Chen's hand, slowly encroaching, about to engulf Li Xiaogui's hand as well.

Shen Chen pursed his lips and raised his other hand, attempting to conjure a large blade to cut off the part where the filth was biting him. However, it dissipated before it could fully form.

Every bit of spiritual power he used to resist only resulted in more being sucked away.

Chen Yuanyuan was anxious and heartbroken, tears streaming down her face. She thought fearfully, "By the time the adults get here, Li Xiaogui and Shen Chen will be eaten."

On the other side, the phone connected quickly. "Hello?"

Chen Yuanyuan cried, "Hello, Uncle. Li Xiaogui is... in the park and a big monster is trying to eat us! We don't know what to do..."

The voice on the phone said, "Don't cry, little girl. Can you move the phone away a little? Or put it on the ground?"

"Huh?" Chen Yuanyuan did as she was told, confused. "Like this?"

Sniffling, Chen Yuanyuan said, "Uncle, I put the phone on the ground."

As soon as she spoke, a distorted black shadow emerged from the phone and stood beside her.

Chen Yuanyuan looked up at the young ghost, frozen stiff.

The young ghost gave Chen Yuanyuan a smile that was a bit scary for a child, then drifted towards the monster.

Shen Chen was gradually losing control of the spreading filth. It was moving faster and faster. He gritted his teeth. "Go. I can't use any more spiritual power. We'll all be swallowed, including Chen Yuanyuan."

Children are stubborn. Even though she knew it was useless, Li Xiaogui continued to cling to Shen Chen's hand. "My dad will be here soon. Just wait a little longer, Shen Chen, it's okay!"

The filth finally bit into Li Xiaogui's hand. Having lived in a haunted house, Li Xiaogui's skin crawled the moment the filth touched her. For the first time, she felt that this thing, which shared the same black energy as her family, was terrifying. Her hazel eyes widened.

"We can't wait any longer." Shen Chen said with a stern face, pressing his right hand on Li Xiaogui's arm and tearing her away. Only a small part of Li Xiaogui had been bitten. With some effort, she could still escape.

The extinguished golden spiritual power crackled back to life.

At the same time, a hand pressed down on the mutated filth. Shen Chen stared blankly as the enormous thing that wouldn't budge before instantly crumbled into dust. He looked up at the slender black shadow beside him.

The dense black energy and the ability to obliterate the filth with a wave of its hand exerted even more pressure and danger than the filth itself. It weighed heavily on his heart.

The ghost looked down at them. Its two empty black eyes, like the hands of a ghost, clutched at his heart.

Shen Chen grabbed Li Xiaogui's hand and instinctively pulled her behind him.

But his spiritual power was almost completely drained.

Shen Chen looked at the ghost defensively.

For some reason, the young ghost didn't speak. They stood in a silent standoff.

A grandmotherly voice broke the stalemate from behind Shen Chen. "Dad."

Li Xiaogui stepped out from behind Shen Chen. Shen Chen asked, "Your dad is a ghost?"

Li Xiaogui scratched her head. She turned and stood in front of Shen Chen, the young ghost behind her. As Shen Chen held her hand, she also held his.

"I just found out recently."

Chen Yuanyuan sniffled beside them. The rollercoaster of a night had taken its toll on her heart and emotions. She sat down on the ground, watching them quietly.

It seemed like everything was really okay now, right? Chen Yuanyuan sniffled again.

Li Xiaogui said, "Can you please not seal my dad?"

Shen Chen replied, "He has very heavy black energy."

Li Xiaogui argued, "But my dad saved you!"

Shen Chen said, "Thank you, Uncle."

Li Xiaogui continued, "So..."

Shen Chen stated, "The dead should rest in peace."

The ship of friendship capsized in an instant. The escape team disintegrated.

The young ghost muttered disdainfully behind them, "They can't seal me."

Chen Yuanyuan watched silently.

Li Xiaogui glared at the young ghost, arguing angrily, "But my dad saved you!"

The glared-at young ghost: "..."

Chen Yuanyuan looked up at the young ghost with her mouth open. The young ghost glared back fiercely, and Chen Yuanyuan quickly lowered her head.

Shen Chen choked, because it was the first time he had been saved by a ghost. He didn't know how to balance his principles with the debt of gratitude.

"Ghosts are dangerous, especially..."

Li Xiaogui stared at him with wide, fierce eyes, silently saying: But my dad saved you!

Shen Chen: "..."

He reached out and pressed Li Xiaogui's face. "I know." He sighed in compromise, as if making a difficult decision.

Li Xiaogui's forehead was soft.

For the sake of saving him...

If it weren't for this ghost, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Three lives were at stake here, perhaps more. The mutated filth, having consumed so much spiritual power, would only become stronger. Things would have spiraled out of control.

Moreover...

Shen Chen said, "And I can't seal Uncle now... But I will become stronger soon. If Uncle does anything bad, I will personally seal him away."

Shen Chen looked at the young ghost seriously. "I'll be watching you, Uncle."

With such a cute kid, Uncle would definitely...

"Eh?" Li Xiaogui's raised hackles lowered.

The young ghost stared at Shen Chen and slowly curved his lips into a malicious smile.

Shen Chen quickly changed his tune with a straight face. "But I still think I should tell my dad..."

Li Xiaogui: "..."

Li Xiaogui said nervously, "No! What if your dad seals my dad away?"

The young ghost wanted to say that he couldn't be sealed, but he was afraid of being glared at. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

Shen Chen glanced at the young ghost and thought, "Why did this ghost have to save me?"

Stuck in the dilemma of making a choice, Shen Chen felt extremely troubled.

It seemed too difficult to keep an eye on this ghost.

Shen Chen finally looked at Li Xiaogui. With a bit of bias, he changed his mind again. "Then I won't tell Dad for now."

He decided to keep this secret.

He was determined to work harder. He had to keep an eye on this ghost, no matter the cost. He would use everything to take responsibility for this decision.

Shen Chen looked at the young ghost seriously.

The young ghost looked at the exorcist's child with a hint of surprise.

But actually...

Hmm... should he tell him that he had already planned to meet his father?

The young ghost pondered.

Author's Note:

Young ghost: Possible, but unnecessary.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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