A Wandering Youth

Глава 29

“Mengmeng, her name is Tingting, she was my good friend when she was alive. Now she is a ghost messenger in the underworld. And she is also your savior!” Ling’er said in one breath.

"What? My savior?" I'm her savior, right? Mengmeng thought this, but he didn't say it out loud. His senior sister usually liked to prank people, but she never joked about serious matters.

"Yes. Do you remember the last time you were attacked in the woods by the ghost possessed by Shiba, the one that was Wang Qingshan? We only arrived in time because someone wrote a letter in blood asking for help?"

“I remember…” Cai Meng blushed a little. After all, it was a bit embarrassing to say this in front of a beautiful woman. Could it be that Senior Sister was deliberately messing with me?

"Tingting is the one who wrote the blood letter!" These words shocked everyone present. Although everyone knew Tingting was a ghost messenger, they didn't know that the person who wrote the blood letter was Tingting herself (although Leizhu'er and Kuangao weren't present when the Wang Qingshan incident occurred, Hu Yi, being a typical gossipy husband, naturally knew about it as well).

"Tingting, why don't you tell her yourself?" Ling'er saw that Tingting's emotions had stabilized, and it was more appropriate for her to speak. Tingting placed the freshly brewed instant coffee on the coffee table, her slender fingers tracing the flower stains that had just appeared on her white dress. After a while, she finally looked up, forcibly smiling at Cai Meng, and said, "It's not as serious as Ling'er makes it out to be. If you hadn't saved me first, how could I have saved you?"

These words confused everyone even more, and everyone except Ling'er looked at Tingting with questioning eyes.

Tingting took a deep breath and then recounted her entire experience. She explained how she tricked the villains and was targeted by Mengmeng, how she was taken to the underworld to become a ghost messenger, and how she encountered Mengmeng, who had died unexpectedly, and wrote a letter in blood pleading for help (she didn't mention that she had deliberately calculated that Mengmeng was facing a great calamity).

When Mengmeng heard that the person who wrote the blood letter to save her was actually Tingting, she couldn't help but bow to her gratefully and say, "Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Tingting blushed and said shyly, "You're too kind. If you hadn't spared my life back then, I'd probably be dead by now!"

Ever since Tingting was killed by that wicked cat-faced old woman, Ling'er had never seen Tingting with such a gentle and sweet smile. She couldn't help but think that perhaps their meeting was the right thing to do.

When Leizhu heard the words "soul scattered," she couldn't help but sigh softly. She thought of Yuxiao, whose soul had truly been scattered, and the pitiful Qingluo, her clansman. As the Holy Maiden of the Nuwa Clan, she couldn't even protect the lives of her people. She had once vowed to seek justice for Qingluo, but now she hadn't made a single move. Although Qingluo repeatedly said she accepted it and hadn't complained, Leizhu still felt very uneasy.

"Mengmeng, what brings you here? Didn't you say you had things to do and would come in a few days?" Ling'er asked.

"Oh. The Hunter King is keeping a close eye on this case of the hunter's murder, so he sent me here to assist Uncle Swift Lightning in the investigation!" Mengmeng explained.

"Did my senior brother give me any tasks?"

"No, I also asked the Hunter King if he wanted you to come with me to assist my uncle, but he said you had other things to do. I guess he was worried that you might be in danger. The Hunter King dotes on you so much, he would never ask you to go on a dangerous mission. Poor me, I travel over mountains and rivers every day, and no one cares about me!" Mengmeng said sourly.

"Who said I didn't love you?" Ling'er deliberately turned her gaze to Tingting, who was sitting to the side and was unusually well-behaved.

"Why are you looking at me?" The girl actually blushed.

"What's wrong with you? Feeling guilty? Hehe." Ling'er would never miss an opportunity to tease Tingting.

"Oh, right, Senior Sister! Uncle Ji Dian asked me to give you his regards!" Mengmeng quickly changed the subject upon seeing this.

"Come on! Uncle Jidian would ask you to give him his regards? You might as well say that Junichiro Koizumi is a friend of all the Chinese people!" Uncle Jidian is incredibly cool—to put it nicely, he's cool; to put it bluntly, he's aloof! But don't think of him as a stern, white-haired old man. Every year, Elder Jidian is secretly chosen by the women of the Hunter Group as the top of the ten outstanding young people. At just over thirty, he's naturally the youngest of the eight elders. His handsome appearance goes without saying; how could he be so popular with so many women if he weren't? His background has always been a mystery, because he never speaks more than ten words at a time. Can you expect a man who's so sparing with words to explain his past clearly? However, it's said that mysterious men are more likely to be liked. Ling'er only knows that besides his top-notch analytical skills and martial arts, he's also proficient in divination; his predictions have never been wrong. His skill level is comparable to Elder Tianxing's.

“Well… Uncle Jidian’s temper isn’t so strange anymore…” Cai Meng scratched his head, feeling guilty even as he spoke.

"I swear, even if he were burned to ashes, he would still be a block of ice!" Hu Yi said seriously. Although he hadn't known him for long, he had lived for over a thousand years and had seen countless people. He knew that some people's personalities would never change throughout their lives.

"Burned to ashes? Burned to ashes?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat to the side, not having uttered a word for a long time.

"Sister Zhu'er, what's wrong with you? Who are you plotting against again?" Upon hearing this, Shiba thought, "They're going to burn someone to ashes? This is outrageous!" She couldn't help but move to the side.

Even the arrogant one was on tenterhooks; who knew when this female demon would unleash her fury next?

Tears welled up as if she had discovered a shocking secret, and jumped up: "Finally, a clue!"

Everyone stared at her, wondering why she had suddenly become so agitated.

"There's a lead in Qingluo's case! Hu Yi, you're so adorable!"

"What?!" Everyone stood up, thinking that Qingluo's case was hopeless.

"Master, let's go to the police station! Hu Yi, the three of you go to the crematorium and retrieve Yu Xiao and Qing Luo's ashes. It's best not to alert them!"

"Why are we going to the police station?" Ling'er asked.

"Why are we going to collect the ashes?" Hu Yi and the others asked in unison.

"Don't ask any more questions. The three of you should hurry up and go. If you're late, it might ruin everything!" Tearsdrop instructed.

"I'm not going! I heard it's unlucky to touch that thing!" Hu Yiyi said, pouting.

"I'm not going, there's no benefit to it!" At least treat me to a meal, right? Eighteen thought.

"Okay! To be honest, I don't want to go because I'm scared... there are so many dead people in there..."

With three sharp "slap, slap, slap" sounds, the poor men were lying on the ground, with a human-bodied, snake-tailed teardrop in front of them.

"You called me cute and then slapped me?" Hu Yi muttered unhappily as he got up from the ground.

"If you don't want me to kill you, then hurry up and go!"

"Wow! Even cooler than Master Jidian!" Cai Meng said, oblivious to the danger. Meanwhile, Tingting seemed to have accepted the fact that Leizhu'er had a dual personality, her eyes frequently glancing at Cai Meng.

"Let's go! We're going to the police station!" Ling'er grabbed Leizhu'er without saying a word and left. Although she wouldn't have a snake tail to deal with, if Leizhu'er got angry, the poor house would be in trouble! In the end, wouldn't she be the one paying compensation to the landlord?

"Pearl, can you tell me why we're going to the police station?" The two sat in the taxi.

"I don't know," Tearsdrop said, biting her lower lip.

"What?? You don't know???" If you don't know, why did you come? Ling'er was a little dissatisfied.

"My intuition tells me that coming here might yield some results. Master, please trust my intuition, okay?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Ling'er with unwavering determination.

"Since we're already here, let's go take a look."

When the car stopped in front of the police station, Ling'er heard a curse coming from beside her: "Bastard! Is this your harvest??" When she followed the gaze of the teardrop and looked over, she saw the Wolf King.

"You bastard! Who told you to come here?" Teardrop shouted, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him.

"What a joke! Do you think I need to report to you, a snake demon, where I'm going?" the wolf king retorted sarcastically.

*￥·@!%*^$……(N uncivilized language sentences omitted)

"Stop!! Wolf King, are you alone? Where is he?" Ling'er felt that if she didn't stop them soon, the two of them would be locked up. There was a crackdown going on right now, and arguing in front of the police station was just asking for trouble.

"He'll be here soon, you wait here," the Wolf King said.

"You think we'll just wait like that? Master! Let's go!" Tears welled up and pulled Ling'er back.

"I didn't tell you to wait! Tch! Don't flatter yourself!" The wolf king laughed smugly, looking like a child who had gotten a good deal.

"You!" Tears welled up and her face turned green with anger. If they weren't in public, she would have greeted the Wolf King the way she greeted Hu Yi and the others.

"Ling'er, what are you doing here?" Zhang Guoqiang came out from inside.

"God of Wealth? Didn't you say you were away on a business trip?" Ling'er was also surprised.

"Just got back. How's that case going? Are you still investigating?"

"Of course, how could I give up halfway? But all the leads have gone cold, sigh! Would you be interested in joining us in the investigation?"

"No, I've been very busy lately, and I have to go on a business trip again tomorrow," Zhang Guoqiang said with a sigh.

"Something's been wrong lately, things are so unsettled!" Tears welled up in her eyes, her expression filled with melancholy.

The Wolf King frowned and said to Ling'er, "I have important business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!"

"Aren't you waiting for him?" Ling'er asked.

"Seeing that woman completely ruined my mood!" he said, then turned and left without looking back.

The remaining teardrop, about to burst, was panting heavily!

"Zhu'er, let's go home! Maybe Hu Yi and the others have already returned! Your intuition was wrong this time..." Ling'er forced herself not to laugh.

"Ling'er, I've figured it out. Your friends are no ordinary people! Each one is more outrageous than the last," Zhang Guoqiang said with a smile.

Ling'er quickly gave Zhang Guoqiang a look, signaling him to stop laughing. When this tearful girl gets angry, she doesn't care about who you are, even if you're a god of wealth or a god of longevity. Even Ling'er herself didn't dare to provoke her at this time.

"I'll be going now! It looks like it's about to rain!" Before the words were even finished, he had vanished without a trace! Zhang Guoqiang was smart enough to understand the principle of avoiding trouble if you can't handle it! But his excuse was just too lame, wasn't it? Rain? With such a bright sun…

"That bastard! How dare he say I'm deluding myself! You damned dog! You stinking dog!" Tears blazed as she shouted, drawing stares from passersby. Ling'er, fearing she might take her anger out on others, carefully took Tears's hand and said, "Tears, let's go back."

"I'll go home! But you have to promise me one thing!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she gritted her teeth. At this point, she had to agree to anything, even ten things! Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Okay, okay! As long as you don't lose your temper in the street and don't tear the house down when you get home, I promise you!" Ling'er nodded hurriedly.

"Don't pay any attention to that devil for three days!"

"Don't even mention three days! Ten days is fine too! But you're wrong! It's a dog's head, not a demon's head!" It seems that Tearsdrop is really confused with anger! She can't even tell the difference between Chang Xiao and the Wolf King.

"I didn't say anything wrong! I told you not to pay any attention to that devil Chang Xiao!" Tearsdrop said fiercely.

"Why? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with Chang Xiao, does it?" Ling'er was completely confused by her.

"How can they not be related? They're best friends!" A smug smile appeared on Leizhu'er's beautiful face, but Ling'er was sweating bullets! "Really? What does my ignoring Changxiao have to do with the Wolf King?" Does this mean their entire family will be implicated?

"If Doghead knew you were ignoring Changxiao because he made me angry, he'd feel really guilty. I want him to feel guilty! Hmph! How dare he offend me!" The most poisonous heart in the world is a woman's; Ling'er finally understood the meaning of this saying today! When the two returned home, they found a note on the coffee table left by Cai Meng, saying he had received a call from Elder Jidian and had rushed over to help him, with Tingting going along as well. Hu Yi and the others hadn't returned yet. Because Ling'er had promised Leizhu'er she wouldn't talk to Changxiao for three days, she had already reverted to her gentler side. She went to Ling'er's bedroom, took out Lan Lei, and gently called out, "Qingluo, come out!"

"What are your orders, Holy Maiden?" Qingluo's body was no longer as transparent as before, which meant that the blue tears had indeed greatly helped her recovery.

"I have another lead now, but I don't know if it will work. Be prepared when Hu Yi and the others come back," Tearsdrop said.

"I am now at peace, Holy Maiden, you don't need to worry." Although Qingluo did not appear in front of everyone, she could hear the conversation in the living room earlier and knew that Hu Yi would bring her and Yu Xiao's ashes later.

"That's good! You know, if we find your inner core, things will be much easier!" Tears patted Qingluo's shoulder.

"Pearl, you still haven't told me why we need to collect the ashes? And what's the connection between the inner core and the ashes?" Ling'er asked after a long silence.

"Master, you don't know, the inner core of our Nuwa clan is different from that of other demons or elves. It is not only a gathering of spiritual power from the whole body, but also immortal even if the physical body dies. The most important point is that if Yu Xiao was controlled by someone before his death, then the person who controlled him will definitely appear after Qing Luo dies! And the inner core will remember that person's aura! I will use the techniques recorded in the book to make that person's appearance appear before everyone, but I have never tried it before, so whether I can succeed is uncertain!"

"If that's the case, that's wonderful!" Ling'er exclaimed happily. After going through so many detours, she was finally about to find out the truth. How could she not be excited? "Humans don't have inner cores. Although Yu Xiao is different from ordinary people, he is still a human! What's the use of taking his ashes?" Ling'er couldn't understand.

“Master, because those are Yu Xiao’s ashes! Don’t you think Qing Luo should be in charge of keeping them?” she said, tightly grasping Qing Luo’s hand.

Ling'er was surprised that Tearsdrop could have such a delicate side, and couldn't help but praise, "That's right, I never thought of that."

Just then, Hu Yi returned arrogantly. Although Qingluo claimed that she had become calm and composed, she still trembled when she saw the two exquisite mahogany boxes in Hu Yi's hands. These must be the boxes containing her and Yu Xiao's ashes, right? She walked up to Hu Yi, took the box containing Yu Xiao's ashes, and hugged it tightly to her chest, as if she wanted to embed it into her own body.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt a pang of sadness. Although Qingluo didn't cry, they all felt that it would have been better if she had been able to cry.

Tears welled up as she took another box containing Qingluo's ashes and placed it on the coffee table beside her, asking, "Was anyone noticing when you took it?"

Hu Yidao: "No!"

Tears nodded and said, "That's good! But the three of you need to leave for a moment!"

"Why?" Hu Yi asked, puzzled.

"Can't I even look?" Eighteen said with some dissatisfaction.

"Are you hiding this from us?" Even the arrogant one was a little unhappy.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but the technique I'm about to use is a secret art passed down only by the Nuwa clan. I hope you can understand." It was rare for Leizhu'er to be so polite to these three people.

"Oh! Okay." Although the three nodded in agreement, they were still a little unhappy. So Ling'er pulled Shiba aside and secretly slipped him her credit card, indicating that they could go and have some fun as they pleased.

The three money-grubbing guys scurried out laughing.

"Pearl, is there anything else I can help you with? If not, I'll head out now," Ling'er asked, afraid that Pearl might be too shy to ask.