Das Leben der Landbevölkerung in der Stadt während der Song-Dynastie

Kapitel 30

"No need! Master, Pearl doesn't need to keep any secrets from you, except for that matter!" Pearl said, bowing her head. If she hadn't been forced to, she would have told him long ago.

Ling'er was taken aback, then realized she was referring to the incident in the Realm of Light. Because it involved the hunter, she had always been curious about it, but seeing that Leizhu'er was in a difficult position, she let it go. Not wanting to put her in a difficult position, she said, "It's alright, I know you must have your reasons."

Tears welled up as she smiled gratefully at Ling'er, then said to Qingluo, "Let's begin!"

Qinglu nodded without saying anything, but continued to hold the box tightly in her arms.

Tears welled up as she opened the urn on the coffee table, closed her eyes, and silently chanted a spell. After a moment, she bit her right middle finger, dripped the blood onto Qingluo's ashes, but there was no reaction.

Tears and Qingluo exclaimed in unison, "How could this happen?" Ling'er, seeing this, knew the situation was dire and felt a pang of disappointment. "What happened? Was there an accident?"

"Qingluo's inner core isn't here!" Tears welled up as she looked at Ling'er.

"Not here? If not here, where would it be?" Ling'er looked at Qingluo, who was equally shocked.

"I...I...?" Qingluo was also bewildered, not knowing what had happened. She had nothing left except for the handful of ashes in her arms.

"Could it have melted during the cremation?" Ling'er asked.

"Impossible! The Nuwa clan isn't part of the Five Elements, and their inner core can't be refined by ordinary fire." She continued, "What happened? We were so sure we'd find the culprit, but it's all gone wrong now!" Tearsdrop had never experienced such a defeat since she was old enough to understand. Her magic and martial arts were the strongest among all the Holy Maidens of history. Since being defeated by the Holy Lord hundreds of years ago and willingly acknowledging her as her master, she had never encountered an opponent. Even the arrogant Wolf King, in a one-on-one fight, could only manage a draw. But this time, she lost so miserably, not even knowing who her opponent was, let alone being able to fight! How could this not infuriate her?

Ling'er remained silent. She needed to reorganize her thoughts; this case, seemingly simple, was actually incredibly complex. Recalling how, after taking the case from Zhang Guoqiang, every step seemed like a dead end, yet behind each seemingly impossible path always lay hidden clues. She must have overlooked something. What could it be? Just as Ling'er's gaze fell upon the ashes on the coffee table, the doorbell rang. It must be Hu Yi and the others returning. How did they discover so quickly that there was only ten yuan left on the credit card she had given to Shiba? Good, she could discuss it with them. As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. Besides, these three weren't even cobblers!

"Ling'er, it's been a long time." It was Chang Xiao standing outside the door, the same Chang Xiao who had been missing for almost half a month.

"You..." Ling'er was about to scold this bad guy when she felt a figure rush over with lightning speed and cover her mouth.

"Um... Pearl, what are you doing?" Ling'er pulled her hand down and asked in confusion.

"Master, have you forgotten? You promised me!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she glanced at the wolf king beside Chang Xiao.

"Ah...you don't really want me to do that, do you?" Ling'er asked, her eyes twitching slightly.

"You won't go back on your word, will you?" Teardrop retorted.

"Uh... this..."

"Ling'er, what's wrong? Are you still angry with me?" Chang Xiao stepped forward, wanting to take Ling'er's hand, but Lei Zhu'er suddenly jumped up, blocking his way, and said triumphantly, "Don't blame me for this. I had already decided not to stop you two from dating, but if you want to blame someone, blame your good friend, that dog-headed one!"

Upon hearing the words "dog head," the wolf king reacted as if a switch had been flipped, abandoning all his usual composure and manners. He jumped in front of Chang Xiao and angrily demanded, "What do you have to do with me, you damned snake demon?"

"Who told you to say I was being presumptuous?" Tears welled up in her eyes and spat out. "I wouldn't be presumptuous with you anyway!" But she didn't say that aloud.

"What does that have to do with laughter?" No matter how shrewd and capable the Wolf King was, he couldn't understand a woman's mind, let alone this enemy from several lifetimes.

"My master has promised me he'll ignore you for three days! Humph! I'll make you feel guilty to death!"

Chang Xiao's gaze passed over the Wolf King and Tears in the middle and looked at Ling'er, saying, "It can't be true, can it?"

Ling'er hesitated. Although she was angry that Changxiao didn't come to her on his own initiative, she wasn't angry at all when she saw his familiar smile. Just as she was about to shake her head, she saw Leizhu take out a nail clipper from her pocket and put it under her neck, saying, "Master! Being arrogant is fine, so can I!"

Chang Xiao and the Wolf King didn't understand what "arrogance is fine, so am I" meant, but Ling'er knew what it meant. Damn arrogance! He actually passed on the suicide trick to Lei Zhu'er!

Ling'er looked at Chang Xiao helplessly, as if to say: You know Leizhu'er's temper. If you don't agree to her request, World War III will definitely break out...

Chang Xiao felt as if countless crows were flying overhead, and all was darkness...

A faint smile crept across Teardrop's lips as she thought: Arrogance really works! I'll go easy on him next time I hit him; consider it tuition.

Qinglu looked at the four people standing in a straight line, puzzled. The Holy Maiden and the man who was as cold as ice were almost touching, staring at each other in a stalemate. The Holy Lord seemed helpless. That smiling man looked so familiar...

"Ah! Dark..." Qinglu was greatly shocked. The urn in her arms slipped from her grasp. Before she could utter the word, she realized her carelessness. Jade flute, jade flute... Just as the urn was about to hit the ground, someone caught it. It was him!

"Do you know me?" Chang Xiao smiled and handed the mahogany box to the trembling woman in front of him, trying to keep his tone light. She must be that poor Nuwa woman.

"Yes...yes! Qingluo greets you..." Before she could finish speaking, Changxiao quickly stopped her, saying, "No need! I'm just an ordinary person now, but I'm very curious that you know me."

"Qingluo met you once by chance..." She was puzzled. Why was he hiding his identity? Why had the Holy Lord lost even his memories? Weren't they lovers?

"Oh! In that case, we are indeed destined to meet." Chang Xiao was startled when he saw the urn on the coffee table and asked, "Why isn't there an inner core?"

Just as Ling'er was about to answer, Leizhu covered her mouth again. The Wolf King knew that this girl was serious. It seemed that he had to think of a way, otherwise he would really feel guilty to death.

The Wolf King pulled Chang Xiao along, saying, "Xiao! Why is the air here so awful? It smells like snakes! Let's go!" Tears welled in her eyes, veins bulging, but she remained silent. She couldn't fall for it! Chang Xiao hesitated, but the Wolf King said, "Let's go! I'm going to faint from the stench if we stay any longer!" Tears trembled, still silent. Endure! She had to endure! The Wolf King pulled Chang Xiao two meters away, saying, "It's best to stay away from snake demons in the future! They almost killed me!" Tears let out a long howl, shouting, "You dog-headed bastard, die!" The Wolf King scoffed, "You? You're not even close!" He then vanished into thin air! Tears followed closely behind, saying, "Let's fight one-on-one!"

...

"Hehe, they're finally gone." Chang Xiao walked up to Ling'er, took her hand, and sat her down at the coffee table.

"How do you know the inner core is gone? Didn't Zhu'er say that magic was a secret passed down only by the Nuwa clan?" Ling'er tried to pull her hand away, but Chang Xiao gripped it even tighter.

"Hehe." Chang Xiao just chuckled and didn't say anything.

Qinglu shook her head inwardly, thinking: What in this world can be hidden from this seemingly ordinary man? But seeing the two of them so intimate, she felt a pang of sadness and said, "Holy Lord, I want to go back to Blue Tears."

Ling'er nodded and said, "Alright, I'll let you know what the result is." After saying that, she took out the Blue Tear, and Qingluo's body flashed with silver light and disappeared into the Blue Tear like a serpent.

"Qingluo is really pitiful," Chang Xiao sighed.

"You know about Qingluo? Did Hu Yi or Mengmeng tell you?" Ling'er asked, puzzled. She didn't think she had told him.

"Neither, it's Hades."

"Pluto???"

(8) The truth will come out.

“Yes. After they went back, your friend Tingting told me about your trip to the underworld!” Chang Xiao said, lighting a cigarette and squinting his eyes.

"So it was Tingting! That girl really has a sharp tongue! Qingluo is so pitiful, she was killed for no reason and without any help!" Ling'er sighed.

"You've been investigating Qingluo's matter for so long, have you found any clues?"

“There are quite a few clues, but they’ve all gone cold! Qingluo said she hasn’t offended anyone, so revenge is impossible. However, the murderer must have had a purpose in doing this. What could it be? To be honest, I really can’t figure it out.” Ling’er frowned. Although there had been difficult cases before, none of them were as troublesome as this one.

"Actually, Wolf and I investigated this matter in secret after hearing about it. However, we didn't have much time and didn't get much out of it." He lightly flicked the ash from his cigarette.

"Wolf King? Doesn't he always mind his own business?" Ling'er often suspected that that icy guy was Elder Jidian's biological brother!

"Although wolves are proud, they also have their weaknesses."

"You mean Teardrop? They really are a pair of bickering lovers! What about you? Do you have a weakness too?"

"Me?" Chang Xiao's face turned red. "Of course I am! By the way, Xue'er heard that you went to the underworld while she was away, and she's regretting it terribly!"

"Xue'er? Who is Xue'er?" Ling'er asked, puzzled.

Chang Xiao's hand trembled, and cigarette ash fell onto his beige trousers, but he didn't notice. He just cursed himself for being careless and said, "She is the Queen of the Underworld. Xue'er is her given name."

"Queen of the Underworld? So the name of the Queen of the Underworld is so beautiful! But I remember Tingting once said that the Queen of the Underworld and I have a connection, is that true?" Ling'er believed in the existence of past and present lives. If the Queen of the Underworld knew her, it must have been in a past life, or even a life before that.

"It's true. But do you really want to know about your relationship with Xue'er?" Chang Xiao looked at her intently. In the past, wasn't it always she who kept asking about "back then" before she regained her memories? Every time she regained her memories, she ended her life with a broken heart. Although this ending was predetermined, he still hoped that day would come later.

Ling'er noticed his unease and said, "No, it's just that I'm a little curious."

"That's really strange! Why isn't Qingluo's inner core here?" Chang Xiao changed the subject, reaching out to fiddle with the urn on the coffee table.

Although Ling'er didn't press for details, she was still incredibly curious—the Queen of the Underworld was actually her friend! Hearing Chang Xiao's question, she blurted out without thinking, "It's gone. If it's gone, it must have been taken!"

Before the words were even finished, the two of them froze, and simultaneously exclaimed, "So it was for the inner core!"

Chang Xiao slapped the coffee table and said, "We've finally found this breakthrough!"

Ling'er slapped her head with joy: "How could I not have thought of that? I should have realized it when Zhu'er discovered that the inner core was missing!"

"As the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. If this happened to anyone else, not to mention you, even Leizhu'er would have thought of it. But Qingluo is also a member of the Nuwa clan." Chang Xiao picked up a long hair that had fallen onto her clothes.

“You’re right. But who would need Qingluo’s inner core? Since he can control Yuxiao’s mind, he must be no ordinary person,” Ling’er said.

"The inner core of the Nuwa clan is a concentration of spiritual energy. This person must have done this to absorb spiritual energy."

“Absorb spiritual energy? Could it be that he can convert other people’s spiritual energy into his own?” Chang Xiao’s words reminded her of something else.

“Of course. But as you said, he's definitely not a simple person.” Seeing Ling’er deep in thought, he couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking about now?”

"I'm wondering if it's related to the hunter's murder?" Ling'er sighed softly as she looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky.

"The hunter was murdered?" This was an internal secret among the hunters, so naturally he didn't know.

“A few days ago, Hunter Headquarters said that several hunters were attacked in this city, and six of them were killed. According to Tingting, the ghosts of these six people all said that when they were killed, they felt a numbness in their backs and their spiritual energy drained away violently. Moreover, the hunters who escaped death also lost all their spiritual energy. I think the murderer is very likely the same person who killed Qingluo. What do you think?”

"I think so too. By the way, what level hunters were the victims?"

"I'm not quite sure about that yet..."

"You may not understand, but I do!"

Upon hearing that cold voice, Ling'er felt a chill run down her spine, and her eyes twitched a few times, knowing that she was in deep trouble this time.

"Why are you back so soon?" Ling'er, unusually, stood up to greet the three sullen-faced boys. Sigh! She couldn't hide forever! It was her own fault for doing something slightly inappropriate earlier!

"Hmph! Don't give me that crap! I know getting angry makes you age faster, but I'm going all out today!" Hu Yibai glared at Ling'er, who was smiling like a flower. Her expression resembled that of a hero who sacrificed himself to blow up a bunker.

"How could you play such a trick on us??" Eighteen stared with her not-so-big eyes and questioned.

"Oh! What can I say! How could you deceive my young heart?" Kuang Ao pounded his chest and stamped his feet, while Ling'er was afraid that he would beat her so badly that she would suffer internal injuries.

"Ling'er, how did you offend those three?" Chang Xiao asked curiously upon seeing this.

"It's nothing! I just said I'd pay for them to go out and have some fun, but then, I accidentally gave them the card with only ten yuan in it..." Ling'er secretly vowed to find another opportunity to teach these three guys a lesson for making her lose face in front of Chang Xiao!

"I see. Hehe," Chang laughed.

Although Hu Yishiba was already quite familiar with Chang Xiao, he still couldn't shake off the deep-seated fear he felt, so he couldn't act too aggressively.

"Oh right! Didn't you meet with Uncle-Master Jidian? Tell us more clearly about the murdered hunters." Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief, having narrowly escaped death!

"Among the hunters killed, two were level four hunters and four were level five hunters," Hu Yi replied seriously, completely unlike the thug he had when he first entered the house. That was his strength.

Hunters are divided into seven levels. New hunters are at level seven. Hunters at levels four or five have already reached a certain level in both martial arts and magic. If they hadn't been ambushed, they wouldn't have died so ignominiously.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Who else could it be but the icy Elder Jidian? Behind him stood his two senior brothers, Chunyuan and Yilin. Mengmeng had mentioned that the Hunter King senior brother had sent two level-one hunters to assist Elder Jidian; she hadn't expected it to be these two.

"Uncle-Master Jidian, Senior Brother Chunyuan, Senior Brother Yilin, what brings you here?" Ling'er asked happily.

Elder Jidian nodded slightly as a greeting. Chunyuan smiled helplessly at this, "You know, that's just how my uncle is. Junior sister, it's been so long since we last saw each other! You little rascal, you don't even go to see your senior brother." He then patted Ling'er's head affectionately.

"Senior brother, I went to the Hunter Headquarters before, but you weren't there." In front of them, Ling'er always seemed like a child who never grew up.

"Yeah! Junior sister, I think you're a girl who's grown up and can't stay at home!" Yi Lin glanced at Chang Xiao standing to the side with ill intent.

"Senior Brother Yi Lin! Is it so hard for you not to make a few sarcastic remarks every time you see me?" Ling'er rushed over and whispered fiercely in Yi Lin's ear.

"Let me introduce you. This is my college classmate, Chang Xiao."

“We’ve met at Hunter Headquarters before.” Elder Swift Lightning stepped forward and nodded to Chang Xiao.

Chang Xiao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, twice in total. Please forgive me for any offense I may have caused." The offense he was referring to was the incident where he and the wolf broke into the headquarters and fought against the eight elders.