Chapter 6

Xu Xing sat silently in the back seat of the car, only his profile visible. Jiang Zhuochen waited for a while but didn't sense any intention from the other party to communicate, and thought he had misunderstood.

He took a step back. "Then I'll go first..."

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking, but Xu Xing still didn't look at him. "Get in the car."

"Huh?" Jiang Zhuochen was puzzled. Didn't she dislike him? He was prepared to be scolded when he came over. Why did she get in the car? Was she taking him somewhere else to be scolded?

Before the other person could make a move, Xu Xing turned his head, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Or do you prefer getting into Li Hui's car?"

As a person who had just transmigrated to ancient times, Jiang Zhuochen couldn't understand the inner meaning of those words. He only saw a hint of displeasure on the face that looked just like his master's.

His master was mostly indulgent in front of him, only showing a hint of helplessness when things got really bad. He had never seen anger or unhappiness on that face. Oh right, right, there was also a hint of impatience on it now.

Jiang Zhuochen snapped out of his daze and quickly walked to the other side to get into the car, standing somewhat awkwardly close to the door. Come to think of it, neither of these two meetings was intentional, so he shouldn't be thrown out, right? He secretly glanced at Xu Xing, then guiltily picked up his milk tea and took a sip.

I'm so tired, I miss my master.

The driver took the two to the VIP passage of Changxiang Pavilion. Jiang Zhuochen felt uncomfortable because of the oppressive silence all the way, but he relaxed after entering the private room.

Xu Xing's private room was in a traditional Chinese style, with a winding stream and lush foliage outside the living room. It was somewhat similar to his house in the mountains. He remembered that there was a small courtyard to the west of his house, and the windows there were always left open to enjoy the view.

"It would be nice if there was a teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll) on the eaves."

"What did you say?"

Jiang Zhuochen turned around and shook his head at Xu Xing, who had asked him the question. "Did you need something from me?"

Seeing the other person sit properly, their eyes looking at him obediently, Xu Xing paused for a moment, then casually poured him a cup of tea.

Jiang Zhuochen didn't show it on his face, but in fact he didn't like drinking tea. No matter how mellow and rich the tea was, it couldn't overcome the bitter taste that followed.

Xu Xing didn't answer Jiang Zhuochen's question, but took the menu and handed it to the waiter. The door clicked shut, and the room fell silent again.

Does this person not like to talk?

While Jiang Zhuochen was thinking, he casually picked up the teacup. He only realized what was happening when the tea got stuck in his throat, so he had no choice but to purse his lips and drink it down.

Putting down his water glass, Jiang Zhuochen wasn't willing to just glare at Xu Xing. Seeing that the other was busy, he got up and went outside to look at the scenery. Anyway, if he really had something to say, he would definitely speak up; if he didn't, he would just do his own thing.

A pond full of colorful ornamental fish, plump and healthy, stood under the shade of bamboo, peering at them with interest in his eyes.

Is it edible? It's so fat, it must taste delicious.

Jiang Zhuochen didn't return until all the dishes were served, Xu Xing closed his laptop and sat back down at the table.

Did you invite him to dinner?

Jiang Zhuochen picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and suddenly understood why this restaurant was so popular. It looked good and tasted delicious; compared to what he had eaten a couple of days ago, it was a feast.

"You know him?"

"Who?" Jiang Zhuochen paused in his chopsticks, looking at the person opposite him with a puzzled expression.

"Li Hui".

Jiang Zhuochen shook his head. Had he made it too obvious and aroused suspicion? "I don't know him. I just need to talk to him about something."

Xu Xing noticed that the other person had taken several pieces of the braised tofu from his plate, so he instinctively turned away to eat other dishes. He didn't stop eating after hearing the reply, so no one noticed anything amiss.

"What business could you possibly have with someone you don't know?"

Jiang Zhuochen hesitated for a moment, "I can't tell you for now."

The chopsticks made a crisp sound as they were put back into the bowl, and Jiang Zhuochen sensed that the person opposite him seemed to be in a bad mood again.

"He's the only option?"

Jiang Zhuochen thought for a moment. Li Hui's situation definitely needed to be resolved, and to some extent, the only option was to turn to him. So he nodded.

After a while, seeing that the person opposite him hadn't started eating yet, Jiang Zhuochen tentatively asked, "Aren't you going to eat? The food here is delicious."

Only after saying that did he realize that the person must be a regular customer and used to the food, whether it was good or not. He touched his nose and said softly, "Okay, I'll eat then."

Xu Xing glanced at Jiang Zhuochen, who was engrossed in eating. Although his first impression of Jiang was that he was an undercover agent of unknown origin, he felt inexplicably annoyed when the other party changed his target so easily.

Especially since he was so persistent in pursuing others. For the first time in his twenty-six years, Xu Xing doubted whether he was as charming as a widower in his forties or fifties.

"Are you really okay with contacting me?"

Xu Xing gathered his thoughts and hummed in agreement, belatedly realizing he was somewhat regretful; the meal he had invited was rather unbelievable.

All just to ask if the other person knew Li Hui.

Seeing that the other party nodded, Jiang Zhuochen didn't press the matter further. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Xu Xing grabbed his suit jacket and stood up. "I'll take you home."

Jiang Zhuochen declined, saying, "No need. My hotel is nearby, and the place I'm going to is also nearby."

Xu Xing paused, "Stay at a hotel?"

“Ah…” Jiang Zhuochen remembered his own explanation, “I ran away from home.”

Xu Xing listened to the absurdity, yet also felt a sliver of reasoning; teenagers were indeed a rebellious age. He softened his tone, a rare occurrence: "But you can't just run around like that."

"I didn't wander off. There's a Ruyi Hair Salon nearby; you can find me there if you need anything."

Xu Xing watched the other person wave goodbye and leave, then glanced at his watch and looked up to find the person had returned.

The other person scratched the back of their head. "I don't think I ever told you my name... My name is Jiang Zhuochen."

The other person's movements were like a gentle breeze circling around, tightening Xu Xing's heart and causing his fingers to twitch involuntarily. Those slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes stared at him intently, their gaze so pure it seemed to draw him in.

"Um."

…

Jiang Zhuochen arrived at the barbershop. In the past two days, everyone had become familiar with him because of Zhao Li, and they were willing to provide a place for a homeless child to rest.

He took out his phone, opened a video app, and started watching TV series. Mainly, he could quickly learn everything about this world from TV dramas, so he would watch them whenever he had a spare moment.

It was past mid-afternoon, and his phone was dead. He had just plugged it in when Li Hui rushed out the door.

Overjoyed, he hurried forward. "Master, I have resolved everything."

Jiang Zhuochen sighed and told him his name. This world didn't seem to believe in such things; being called "master" all the time made him uncomfortable.

Since the problem needed to be solved, it couldn't be done in a crowded place. Besides, Jiang Zhuochen needed to understand some things, so the two went to Li Hui's villa.

Li Hui sat on the sofa, constantly wiping away sweat from fear. He tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn't help covering his face with his hands.

“My son disappeared six months ago, and we searched for him for five whole months without any news. My wife went crazy because of this and committed suicide a month ago. Since then, strange things have been happening to me. The master can accurately tell me my current situation as soon as he sees me. He must have figured it out.”

"I had a Taoist priest who gave me a lot of remedies before, but lately they've become less and less effective. I'm really at my wit's end... Can you please help me?!"

Do you have photos of your family? I'd like to see them.

“This,” Li Hui clasped his hands together, looking somewhat awkward, “I threw them all away.”

Jiang Zhuochen leaned back in his armchair and glanced at him from head to toe. His wife had just died, and there was still no news of his son, yet he was in such a hurry to throw away all the photos—no one would believe it wasn't a ghost.

“Mr. Li, if you are not cooperative, there is nothing I can do to help you.”

"No!" Li Hui quickly waved his hand. "My son went missing around that time, and I was afraid that my wife would be heartbroken if she saw these photos, so I disposed of them all. I didn't expect her to pass away not long ago, and I was afraid that I would be sad if I saw them, so I threw them all away."

Jiang Zhuochen looked behind him and calmly said, "Then describe her appearance to me."

Li Hui seemed to think seriously for a moment before slowly saying, "She was a tall, thin woman with shoulder-length hair, a slightly flat nose, and thin lips..."

As he was talking, Li Hui felt a chill run down his spine, just like always, and he turned around nervously. What he saw made him jump.

"A ghost!"

Jiang Zhuochen swiftly knocked the man unconscious and tossed him behind him, watching as the headless ghost gradually revealed its true form. According to the description, it was indeed Li Hui's recently deceased wife.

Seeing that the other person remained relatively calm, Jiang Zhuochen asked, "Did he do something to you?"

"Not dead yet..."

Jiang Zhuochen sighed. The female ghost had lost her sanity, so it seemed difficult to get to her. Before figuring out the cause of the incident, Jiang Zhuochen decided to stand in front of Li Hui.

The female ghost's pupils flickered, and the next second her calm and composed expression began to crumble.

"die!"

Li Hui, holding the tag, was temporarily safe from the female ghost, while Jiang Zhuochen restrained her, keeping her away from the living room. A talisman array was formed to trap the female ghost, and Jiang Zhuochen took a step back and added two more.

He needed to keep the ghost trapped for a while so he could go to Li Hui's room to check for clues.

The master bedroom on the second floor has long been permeated by ghostly energy. The longer a person stays inside, the more likely something bad will happen. Even covering it with talismans is useless.

As Li Hui said, there wasn't a single clue about the female ghost and his child inside. Sensing the loosening of the formation below, Jiang Zhuochen calculated that it was about time to leave.

As he passed the coffee table, his keen sense of smell detected an unusual odor in the air. His gaze swept over the table and lingered on the porcelain bowl on it.

This size and shape should be for eating, so how did it end up in the room? Jiang Zhuochen lowered his head and sniffed it, then frowned.

This bowl tastes bloody.