Chapter 49 Based on the water ghost's previous actions through the stitches, He Zhao actually had a guess: it was probably noodles...

Based on the water ghost's previous actions, He Zhao had a guess that it was probably something like noodles or rice noodles. If it had answered with something like Chongqing noodles or Yunnan rice noodles, she wouldn't have been very impressed.

When the suture thread ghost replied, "It's instant noodles."

A big question mark appeared above He Zhao's head. She and Qiao Yanyu exchanged a glance, confirming that she wasn't the only one who had heard those two words, and she became even more puzzled. If she wasn't mistaken, logically speaking, the customer who ate her "dead man's food" should have remembered the most wonderful thing they had ever eaten in their life.

The best food this seamstress-covered water ghost enjoys is actually instant noodles?!

It's not that she looks down on instant noodles. If it were someone from another country—the one that loves instant noodles and kimchi all the time—liking kimchi would be perfectly reasonable and there's no need for self-reproach. But this "stitched-up water ghost" doesn't seem like an international friend at all. In a country like China, where delicious food abounds, how could she possibly like something like instant noodles?

Perhaps it was because He Zhao's gaze was too direct, and the disbelief was almost written all over his face, that the sutured water ghost even spoke up to explain.

This is understandable. Although the sutured water ghost doesn't seem very talkative, it's his favorite food being questioned, so anyone would come out and argue a bit.

"It's not your average instant noodles."

That was the opening line, and then the stitched-up water ghost began to focus on introducing his favorite instant noodles: "It's the extra spicy version. But I don't think just the noodles are enough. I need to prepare a hot pot base and a bottle of milk first. Then I use the milk to cook the hot pot base. After it boils, I put in my favorite instant noodles, the spicy hot pot flavor."

When talking about his favorite food, even the stitched-up water ghost couldn't help but gesticulate wildly, gesturing very seriously, and even demonstrating how to make instant noodles.

"You need to add the seasoning packets too. The hot pot base and the spicy stir-fry seasoning packets together make it incredibly delicious. It comes with a seaweed packet, but I found it rather ordinary. Cooking instant noodles isn't just about boiling them; you need to add other things!"

"You need to prepare some clean leafy greens, such as bok choy or cabbage, but they must be fresh. These leafy greens are very cheap; one or two yuan is enough to buy a lot that can be stored for several times. Also, you need an egg; you must add an egg. Instant noodles without an egg are incomplete! If you have the means, you can also add a sausage."

When it spoke those words, its intonation and excitement were so dramatic that He Zhao felt something was wrong with its ghostly persona. The stitched-up water ghost—was that really what it was?

However, the "stitched water ghost" made a lot of sense, and even Qiao Yanyu, who was initially wary and dissatisfied with him, nodded repeatedly. He Zhao also agreed on one point—eating instant noodles with an egg is the only way to show respect. If there's no fried egg, buy a braised egg and pair it with a sausage; that's how you make it taste good.

After recommending the suture-filled instant noodles, the guy let out a long sigh: "Anyway, you guys should try it. It's incredibly delicious! Especially in winter, when you're shivering from the cold, a bowl of spicy and hot instant noodles like this will definitely warm you up!"

He Zhao nodded: "I'll give it a try when we get back."

Qiao Yanyu stared at the sutured water ghost for a while, then suddenly said, "Can you lift your hair up so I can see what you look like?"

These words instantly brought the stitched-up water ghost, who had almost completely lost character, back to reality. A chilling aura emanated from him, and droplets of water began to fall. It was clear that the stitched-up water ghost didn't want to reveal his true form.

But He Zhao knew that Qiao Yanyu was asking this question so that the stitches would be better for the suturing ghost. She nudged Qiao Yanyu with her elbow, signaling her to step back slightly so she could do it herself.

"Show me what you look like. I'll prepare extra spicy rice for you tomorrow, and I'll also draw a carbonated drink for you and burn it over. Instant noodles are good, but they're only truly good when paired with a sugary drink."

The sutured water ghost shuddered, clearly very tempted by what He Zhao said.

This is what a true connoisseur does; who eats instant noodles without some quick water? But the stitched-up water ghost still tried to struggle, stubbornly insisting: "As the boss, you should have prepared extra spicy rice."

The situation has changed! The sutured water ghost! He Zhao's expression turned smug: "Hmph, who says so? Even if I don't plan to, what can you do to me? I said no, and I mean no; I said yes, and I mean yes. What you ate before was probably the regular version of spicy hot pot instant noodles, at most with green vegetables and an egg. Only the extra spicy version has hot pot broth. If you don't agree to our terms, you'll never have your own specially made instant noodles for the rest of your life!"

How infuriating! She actually used this to threaten me!

The sutured water ghost couldn't understand how, after becoming a ghost, it could be threatened by a living person, who threatened to withhold food from it!

If he couldn't get the extra spicy rice, or the specially made instant noodles, perhaps the stitched-up Ghost could still struggle. But once he'd seen the light, how could he tolerate the simplified version? The stitched-up Ghost was furious, but ultimately bowed his head.

"Okay, you win."

Qiao Yanyu had already raised her work camera, ready to photograph the appearance of the sutured water ghost, while He Zhao held his breath, reminding himself: no matter what the person looks like now, he must not show that he was frightened, otherwise it would be very impolite!

But when the sutured water ghost lifted his hair to reveal his face, not only He Zhao, but even Qiao Yanyu paused.

Qiao Yanyu is a professional and usually doesn't show the same expression as He Zhao unless she really can't help it.

The sutured water ghost's face... it was indeed a woman's face, but it was more than just a woman's face. There were several sutures on its face, but the thread used was much finer than that on its body. The body used ordinary black cotton thread, while the face used surgical sutures.

Due to soaking or some other reason, the surgical sutures had changed color, turning the same black as the cotton thread on her body, but the lines were finer, and the scars looked much neater. Beneath those sutures, it was clear that her facial features came from different people…

It was a very pretty face, but because the features were pieced together, something just didn't look right; it was completely out of sync. He Zhao felt as if he were a naive young boy who had secretly removed the prettiest parts of several dolls and forcibly reassembled them.

No one in this world, when they see this face, will think it's correct, or that it's the same person's face; they will definitely think there's something wrong with it.

A bad thought flashed through He Zhao's mind. This beautiful face, pieced together from several different people's faces, meant that there was definitely more than one person who had been hurt. Then… He Zhao thought of the stitches on her body. If the face wasn't from the same person, what about the body? Did it really come from the same person?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, He Zhao felt a churning in her stomach. She was already feeling unwell due to her illness, and this thought almost made her vomit. She covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit.

She could no longer control herself in front of the sutured water ghost; she was just an ordinary person and found it difficult to face this situation.

Compared to He Zhao, Qiao Yanyu, though shocked, quickly regained her composure and even stood up to block He Zhao. He Zhao reached out and instinctively grabbed Qiao Yanyu's clothes, while his other hand firmly covered his mouth, and his back involuntarily hunched over.

She was afraid she would throw up if she didn't do it.

The beautiful face of the seam-stitched water ghost was expressionless; it had let its hair down to cover its face. Needless to say, it disliked its own face.

Although Qiao Yanyu took the photos, she knew that finding the victim through this face would be extremely difficult. In fact, the face and the body didn't match at all; even if she found the owners of every feature on the face, it would still be very difficult to find the owner of the body.

Human effort can change anything; Qiao Yanyu couldn't just stand by and watch the truth be covered up.

She calmed down and began her routine questioning: "Your resentment is very strong, and it's related to the cause of your death. Perhaps you remember the person who turned you into this?"

When Qiao Yanyu mentioned the murderer, the sutured water ghost immediately became extremely resentful. The water that had been restrained began to spread again, and soon it was about to reach He Zhao's feet. Qiao Yanyu glanced down and this time did not force the sutured water ghost to retract, but still used her ability to separate the water from He Zhao.

She stood in the puddle herself, but wouldn't let it spread any closer to He Zhao.

The seamstitched water ghost's hatred was almost overwhelming; it clearly stated, "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him! He's not even human! He has to die, he has to be torn to pieces!"

The sutured water ghost grabbed its own hair and pulled it downwards with tremendous force, so forcefully that even He Zhao felt a chill run down her spine. He Zhao didn't know how to respond at this moment, because in her mind—this person truly deserved to die.

But Qiao Yanyu is a very upright and righteous person, and she has zero tolerance for ghosts that attack ordinary people. He Zhao doesn't know how Qiao Yanyu will react.

Qiao Yanyu's answers sometimes really caught He Zhao off guard.

She shielded He Zhao behind her, remaining calm in the face of the sutured water ghost's frenzy, and replied, "Yes, he will die."

One sentence silenced both the sutured water ghost and He Zhao.

"But you can't do it. If you do, you won't be able to reincarnate; we'll eliminate you." Qiao Yanyu wasn't threatening; she was simply stating the consequences if the sutured water ghost did it himself. She then gave a brief legal education: "What he did is heinous. After I arrest him, I'll apply for direct sentencing; there will be no possibility other than the death penalty. Furthermore, to prevent him from becoming an evil spirit, the countermeasures bureau will personally shatter his soul, leaving him no chance of reincarnation."