Chapter 18 The Soul-Guiding Bell

"aunt……"

Meng Jinzhi instinctively wanted to ask the person she trusted most for help.

Li Fushui grabbed her hand, patted it reassuringly, and looked at Chu Ci.

“Master, Sheng Sheng is no longer here, and I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me. To be honest, although Jin Zhi and Sheng Sheng were sisters, they didn’t get along well.”

She stroked Meng Jinzhi's head, seemingly thinking of her deceased biological daughter, her voice choked with emotion.

"Sheng Sheng is Cheng's only grandchild. Everyone in the family dotes on her and raises her to be completely unruly."

“I know that if I continue to raise her like this, she will be ruined, so every time she throws a tantrum, I step in to stop her. Over time, the relationship between my daughter and me has deteriorated.”

“It just so happened that Jinzhi’s mother passed away at that time, so I, as her aunt, took her home.” She paused, then sighed, “Jinzhi lost her mother and was my sister’s only child, so I couldn’t help but favor Jinzhi a little.”

"But I never expected that my momentary leniency towards Jinzhi would cause the relationship between the two sisters to deteriorate further..."

She wiped away her tears, her eyes blurry with tears, and gave Chu Ci a bitter smile, "Alas, Sheng Sheng is already gone, it's no use saying these things now."

“Master,” she pleaded tearfully, “Jinzhi is my only hope. I beg you, please save her.”

She gently nudged Meng Jinzhi, who looked at Chu Ci with a pitiful expression. "Master, please, please save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to be taken away by Cheng Yana..."

Chu Ci: "..."

She didn't want to look at Meng Jinzhi's feigned expression any longer.

She was about to refuse their request when the system popped up:

[The First Stage of a Spiritual Medium's Incense Shop]

[Mission: Find out the cause of Cheng Yana's death]

[Reward: Soul-Guiding Bell]

[Note: After obtaining the Soul-Guiding Bell, the Spirit Medium Incense Shop will be upgraded to the second stage.]

Chu Ci: "!!!"

You upgraded so quickly?

The words of refusal circled on her lips as she met Li Fusheng's pleading eyes.

"I'm not sure if I can do it, let me think about it."

She didn't agree, but in Li Fushui's heart, her niece was saved.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master! Jinzhi, quickly thank the Master!"

She pressed down on Meng Jinzhi's head, "Jinzhi, quickly thank the master!"

Meng Jinzhi was forced to bend over by her aunt, "Thank you, Master, for saving me!"

The two of them walked out while expressing their gratitude profusely.

Chu Ci saw the two people into the elevator, then slowly lowered her eyes.

This time, Li Fushui brought Meng Jinzhi to beg her for help, but the system instead issued a mission to investigate Cheng Yana's cause of death...

Cheng Yana's death is very likely related to Li Fushui.

As the elevator's metallic doors closed, she looked up and saw two people reflected in the closed doors.

Two people?

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked around.

There was no one around her on either side.

With a strange, creepy feeling, she retreated into the house.

Upon entering the doorway, a sudden inspiration struck her. She turned around abruptly and saw a girl in a pink tutu standing behind her.

Seemingly due to some restriction, she stood outside the door and could not follow her into the house; she could only stand at the door and stare at her longingly.

Chu Ci: "..."

She glanced at the talismanic mirror hanging by the door, then at the girl standing outside, and finally recognized her.

Under the bright sunlight, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

"Life?"

"Are you Cheng Yana?"

The little girl stared at her without answering. After a few seconds, she turned and ran away.

"Hey!"

Chu Ci wanted to chase after him, but hesitated.

As she hesitated, the little girl peeked out from the elevator entrance and stared at her silently.

"You want me to come with you?"

Chu Ci asked her.

The little girl stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.

Grandma came out of her bedroom after her afternoon nap. Seeing her leaving, she couldn't help but ask, "Ah Ci, are you going out? Aren't you going to close the shop?"

"Grandma, I have something to do. Could you watch the shop for me?"

With that, she grabbed her coat and ran into the elevator.

"Hey! Aci!"

Seeing her flustered appearance, Grandma hesitated to speak.

Finally, he shook his head helplessly and laughed, scolding, "Still so reckless."

She poured herself a glass of water, and soon someone came to the shop.

Seeing two tall, fair-skinned young men standing in her shop, Grandma quickly came out and asked, "What would you two like to know?"

Ji Jingtong and Shen Xiuhe looked away and each took out their police ID cards.

"Grandma, we are police officers. Is Chu Ci here? We would like to speak with her to get some information."

"Oh, it's you, officer." Grandma waved her hand. "She just went out and isn't home."

Not home?

Cultivation and disbelief.

"She owns a shop, what's she doing out there instead of staying in the shop?"

As he spoke, he decided to go inside and take a look around.

"Shen Xiuhe!" Ji Jingtong grabbed him, his eyes warning, "What are you doing! We didn't apply for a search warrant!"

Grandma, however, was quite frank. "Go and see for yourself. My house is only so big. Where would I find a place to hide someone? Besides, my Aci hasn't done anything wrong, so why would she need to hide?"

Her frankness didn't seem feigned, so Ji Jingtong pulled Shen Xiuhe back, "I'm sorry, Grandma, that's not what my colleague meant."

He left his contact number, saying, "Please let us know when she gets back."

"Okay, I'll tell Aci when she gets back."

Seeing people peeking in from outside, Grandma told them to leave.

"Sir, please make way, we have a customer."

When Ji Jingtong and Shen Xiuhe saw someone coming, they nodded goodbye to Grandma and turned to leave.

As soon as they left, the two customers hiding behind them didn't go inside. Instead, they took out their cameras and started snapping pictures of the two people's backs.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?!"

Grandma blocked the camera from the two people and warned them with her hands on her hips.

"If you take photos of someone without their permission, be careful they might sue you!"

One of the reporters looked slightly annoyed when his camera was blocked, while the other smiled and took out his business card.

"Grandma, we're from Entertainment Weekly. We heard that the body of Cheng's granddaughter was found by a very powerful master. Could it be you?"

Upon hearing that it was her favorite entertainment weekly, Grandma was not overwhelmed and remained wary.

What do you want?

The reporter, who had just looked slightly annoyed, now wore a smile. "Master, you probably don't know, but the kidnapping and death case of Cheng's granddaughter is all over the news. We'd like to interview you. Do you have time?"

He added with a smile, "The price is negotiable!"

It would have been better if he hadn't said that. After he did, Grandma grabbed the broom by the door and started swatting at him.

"Do you reporters have any conscience? That's a life! And you call it 'hot'? What's so hot about it? If something like this happened in your own homes, let's see if you'd be upset!"

The two reporters were chased away by her, and they ran away with their heads in their hands.

The one with the better temper quickly apologized, "No, Grandma! That's not what we meant, you misunderstood!"

The one with the bad temper cursed under his breath a few times, then threatened loudly, "You old hag, you dare hit me? Believe me, one article of mine can shut down your lousy shop!"

"Such a young age, yet you have quite the big mouth!"

Grandma is still vigorous despite her age; she wields a broom with great force at the end of the month.

"Since you're going to make me close down, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage if I didn't beat you up a few more times?"

As she spoke, she tightened her grip, pulling the reporter who had made the threats into the elevator out and hitting him a few more times.

"You old hag, do you believe I'll call the police and have you arrested?!"

The old woman kept hitting people, yelling, "Go ahead and sue me! I'll go to jail, and the police station will still feed me! You'll see if they're happy about that!"

Unable to dodge or call the police, the two reporters took several blows and managed to escape through the fire escape.

Grandma couldn't catch up with them. Holding a broom and hands on her hips, she muttered, "Go ahead and sue me! Go ahead and sue me then!"

"What a despicable person! They'll make money off anything; they'll be punished by heaven!"

-

Chu Ci had no idea what had happened in the store. She followed Cheng Yana all the way out of the building where she lived.

Then I had to change buses twice before I finally arrived at my destination.

St. Mary's Hospital?

She was standing downstairs at the hospital, looking up at the sign without moving, when suddenly her hand was grabbed.

She looked down abruptly and saw that Cheng Yana, who had been keeping her distance from her, had somehow appeared beside her and taken her hand.

Chu Ci: "..."

The little girl's hands were cold and her skin was pale, but unlike a corpse, they were not stiff; instead, they were soft and supple, as is typical of children.

Chu Ci's heart softened instantly, and she smiled as she squeezed the girl's small hand.

If this child hadn't had this accident, she would probably still be a pampered little princess, her only worry being where to go play every day...

Thinking of Cheng Yana's tragic death, Chu Ci felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and the smile on his lips slowly disappeared.

“Sheng Sheng,” she bent down and asked softly, “where would you like to take Auntie?”

Cheng Yana is different from the two ghosts she saw with the psychic incense before.

The two ghosts died in the house, their faces pale and their wounds gruesome, still retaining the horrific state of their deaths.

But Cheng Yana's clothes were neat and tidy, and her hair was carefully combed into a princess hairstyle. Apart from her pale skin, she looked no different from an ordinary child.

Cheng Yana didn't say anything, but pulled her towards the hospital.

They took the elevator and quickly arrived at the top floor of the hospital.

This is a VIP ward, and there are quite a few doctors and nurses coming and going to check on patients.

Cheng Yana seemed very familiar with the place, turning left and right, leading her away from the doctors and nurses in a few steps, and arriving at the deepest ward.

The VIP ward is tastefully decorated, with a great view from the window, and is fully equipped with a TV, air conditioning, and other amenities. Apart from the medical equipment by the bed, it feels like a luxury hotel suite.

The person lying on the bed, unconscious and wearing an oxygen mask, turned out to be an acquaintance.

"Grandma Cheng?"

Chu Ci raised an eyebrow, about to go over to take a look, when a noise suddenly came from the balcony of the ward.

"..."

By this time, the sun was setting and the sky was gradually darkening, with most of the balcony shrouded in shadow.

She frowned in confusion, stepped forward, and gently pulled back the curtains on the balcony.

A woman in a skirt was standing in the corner, shrinking into the shadows, staring intently at you.

Meeting those eyes that clearly didn't belong to a living person, Chu Ci felt a chill run down her spine.

After a while, she finally calmed down and carefully examined the woman.

Or rather, this ghost.

The ghost's clothes were tattered, revealing bluish-gray arms and legs. The tear stains on its neck were shocking, and its white skirt was stained with large patches of blood.

With all four limbs bent at a twisted angle, it resembled a multi-legged reptile standing upright when huddled in the shadows of the corner.

Even after seeing countless corpses with different appearances, Chu Ci still couldn't help but frown when he saw the woman's death.

This person must have suffered inhuman torture before they died...

"you……"

She frowned as she looked at the ghost's face, then suddenly froze.

"Li Fushui?"

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Author's note: Still 20 little red envelopes, thank you for your support, my darlings! [kissing emojis]