Chapter 88 My mother's precious son becomes an illegitimate child...

"Zizai!"

Ah Chun pounced on her.

She hastily pulled apart all the creepy boys and girls and took out her son, who was hidden at the very back.

“Zizai…”

She stroked her son's pale face, tears mingling with her eye makeup as they fell.

Tears fell on her son's paper-white face, making the contrast between black and white even more striking.

"son!"

Ah Chun's husband snapped out of his shock, quickly took the child from his wife's arms, and pulled his wife back.

He held the child in his arms tightly, panting heavily as he looked at the boys and girls who, even after falling, were still staring at them.

Within seconds, my back was covered in cold sweat.

The kind-hearted homeowners behind them also came to their senses and spoke in trembling voices.

"Why are there so many paper offerings here?"

Who put it in there?

"Never mind who put it there, this pile of junk has been here for so long, it should have rotted long ago!"

"Today is the Ghost Festival, this is so eerie..."

The two security guards, pale-faced, exchanged a glance and hurried back to call their superiors.

Ah Chun turned to look at Chu Ci, her eyes bloodshot, "Master..."

Chu Ci glanced at the child being held by Ah Chun's husband.

"The child was frightened, but is otherwise fine. He might have a fever tonight. Let's take him to the hospital first."

The couple glanced at the eerie group of young boys and girls, hurriedly nodded, and ran out with their child in their arms.

Chu Ci followed the eerie aura emanating from the group of boys and girls to the corner of the wall, where a hunched old man stood in the shadows, glaring fiercely at her.

She rolled her eyes at the old man, then stomped on the paper effigy of the child closest to her.

Amidst the old man's increasingly sinister gaze and the other homeowners' stares as if he were a warrior, Chu Ci crushed each of the paper effigies of boys and girls.

He bent down and picked up a pile of flat paper products, then piled them on the open ground outside.

Chu Ci patted his pocket, turned to look at the group of bewildered homeowners behind him, and asked:

Does anyone have a lighter?

A male homeowner wearing glasses patted his pocket, pulled out a lighter, and handed it over.

He asked, "Miss, are you going to burn all of these?"

Chu Ci nodded.

An elderly woman nearby frowned, "It's really too eerie for something like this to happen on the Ghost Festival."

"Won't burning these things cause trouble for the people in our building?"

Upon hearing this, the others quickly came to their senses.

"That's right, today is the Ghost Festival, it's really eerie for these young boys and girls to appear! Why don't we find a master to tell our fortunes?"

"Yes, yes, let's chip in and find a fortune teller to do a reading!"

“I have a child at home, and it’s terrifying to see that child covered by these paper effigies. I’ll contribute money too!”

But before they could decide which master to consult, Chu Ci had already set the pile of paper offerings on fire.

The fire rose in the sweltering heat, and the distinctive smell of burning paper gradually wafted out, filling everyone's nostrils.

Seeing that she took action before everyone could reach a conclusion, the old woman who had first suggested finding a master became anxious.

"What are you doing! Burning all this stuff like this, what if we get into trouble?!"

"Yeah, which floor are you on? Don't you have any kids at home?"

"How come I've never seen you before?" The male homeowner who lit Chu Ci's lighter pushed up his glasses.

The eyes behind the glasses immediately filled with panic. "You're not actually a resident of this building, are you?"

The old woman slapped her thigh, "What a tragedy! So burning these things has nothing to do with you?!"

Some people have conspiracy theories: "Maybe she's the one who caused this! Before she came, none of these strange things ever happened in our building."

"Yes! Our building used to be so peaceful!"

"Nothing was wrong before, so why did this happen today of all days?"

Chu Ci glanced at the person who spoke, "Because today is the Ghost Festival."

As soon as she spoke, all the homeowners shut up and looked over.

Chu Ci felt his pants pocket, then his shirt pocket, and finally pulled out a crumpled business card.

This is a business card that Zhuang Jingxuan's assistant printed for her when he helped decorate the shop.

Chu Ci handed the business card to the old lady who was slapping her thigh.

"No need to find a master, I am the master."

The old lady paused, then quickly took the card.

"A medium's incense shop?"

She looked up at Chu Ci, her already clouded eyes filled with doubt.

"You're so young, are you a medium?"

Chu Ci nodded and glanced at the time.

"It's getting late, so I'll head back now. If you have any questions later, you can call me or come to the store to find me."

The old lady's eyes showed a hint of fear, and she nodded hesitantly.

Chu Ci strolled to the bus stop and was idly looking at the small advertisements on the wall when she suddenly felt something bump into her leg.

Looking up, I saw a group of stray cats of various colors running in one direction.

They are not afraid of people and move freely through the crowd.

Children were overjoyed to see the kittens.

"Mommy, there's a kitten!"

She quickly took out the sausages her mother had bought for her and squatted down to try to stop the kitten.

An orange kitten braked suddenly and stopped next to the little girl.

He was munching on a sausage, letting the little girl touch it.

"Mommy, this kitten is so cute, let's keep it, okay?"

The little orange cat quickly munched on the sausage, then ran off.

"Hey, kitten!" the little girl called out to it quickly.

But the kitten darted into the group of cats and disappeared from sight.

In just over ten seconds, Chu Ci was bumped on the head three times by these stray kittens.

She had originally planned to follow them out of curiosity to see what the kittens were up to, but the public bus arrived at the stop, so she had to give up.

When I got home, I had just sat down and taken a sip of water when my grandmother suddenly came out from behind me.

He frowned as he looked at Chu Ci: "Aci, Xiao Xuan just called you."

Chu Ci took a moment to realize that she was probably referring to Zhuang Jingxuan.

But Zhuang Jingxuan should be at home right now, so why is she calling her?

Her heart skipped a beat; she suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Grandma, why did she call me?"

Grandma shook her head, her brows still furrowed.

"She spoke too hastily, saying something about her mother having an accident and that she had to rush over there."

“Oh right,” Grandma patted her head and remembered, “she told me to go to the place you went to this morning to find her.”

Chu Ci: "..."

This Zhuang Jingxuan, she talks a good game, but she does everything she should and shouldn't do!

But looking at this well-decorated luxury shop, Chu Ci sighed and stood up.

"Never mind. Grandma, I'll go out again."

Grandma checked the time. "Okay, hurry back!"

Judging that Zhuang Jingxuan would be in a hurry, Chu Ci chose to take a taxi.

Who knew that taxis weren't allowed in this upscale neighborhood? Chu Ci ended up walking the last leg of the journey herself.

When she arrived at the door, an unfamiliar maid was already waiting for her.

As soon as she entered, the maid's tense expression relaxed.

"Master, you've finally arrived!"

The maid grabbed her arm and hurriedly walked towards the villa.

"Our young lady just arrived; please go and take a look at her."

Chu Ci followed her at a jog, and from a great distance they could hear Zhuang Ma's tearful shouts.

"You eat my food, drink my water, live in my house, and wear my clothes!"

"Even the money you use to buy cars and pick up girls comes from me! I only have one request for you: don't end up like Zhuang Jingxuan's father, having an illegitimate child!"

"Why can't you even do such a simple request!"

Zhuang Jingxuan stood by the door, not daring to approach her mother as Chu Ci had instructed, and just stood there sighing.

"Young Miss, the Master has arrived."

The maid who came with Chu Ci whispered a reminder, and Zhuang Jingxuan turned her head, her face full of annoyance.

"master."

She walked over to Chu Ci and said, "I reckon my mom is going to fight with that pretty boy."

Chu Ci glanced at the villa's living room.

In the living room, Mrs. Zhuang was standing with her large pregnant belly, while a man in his thirties sat on the sofa.

Two people, one hysterical, the other indifferent.

The man even ignored Zhuang's mother's anger and tried to pull her down to sit with a smile.

Chu Ci: "This man had an illegitimate child?"

Zhuang Jingxuan's face twisted for a moment, she pouted, and looked a little disgusted.

"It's still unclear which one is the illegitimate child."

Chu Ci: "???"

Zhuang Jingxuan snorted coldly, "That pretty boy was already married and had children before he got together with my mother, but he lied to my mother and said he was unmarried and childless."

"No, look."

Zhuang Jingxuan pointed to her mother inside, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"My mom went to see him today and found him being very affectionate with a young woman, and the two of them had a child with them."

"At first, my mom thought the woman was his new girlfriend, but then she heard the child call him 'Dad' and that the child looked a lot like him."

After a barrage of questioning, the man finally told the truth.

“That woman is his wife, that child is his son, and they have more than one child together; they also have a younger son back in their hometown.”

Zhuang Jingxuan shrugged, her tone neither gloating nor regretful.

“My mother cherished the son in her belly so much, and now her son is an illegitimate child.”

Chu Ci: "..."

This relationship is really complicated.

She pulled Zhuang Jingxuan away, saying, "Now that you know the whole story, don't stay here. Let them argue amongst themselves."

Zhuang Jingxuan didn't want to move.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Chu Ci. "Master, didn't you say that my mother's accident was related to this man?"

"What if I break them up today?"

Chu Ci disagreed, "Don't cause any trouble today. I think your mother is really angry today. Maybe you won't even have to break them up!"

Zhuang Jingxuan pursed her lips, somewhat reluctant to leave.

Chu Ci pulled her back, "Let's go, stop looking."

She tried to pull Zhuang Jingxuan away, but a loud argument suddenly broke out inside the house.

"Have you made enough of a scene?! I already told you, that was something that happened before!"

"What's done is done, how can you expect me to change it? Put the child back in?!"

"I'm exhausted today too. I've spent ages trying to comfort you! And you're still going to keep throwing a tantrum! When are you going to stop?!"

The young mistress's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness, causing everyone present to frown.

Zhuang Jingxuan was pulled away by Chu Ci, turning her head to look back as she went.

Hearing her mother's broken sobs, she cried, "I'm pregnant, can't you be nicer to me?"

The young lover sneered: "Was my attitude towards you bad just now? You insisted on making a scene, forcing me to get angry, and now you say my attitude was bad!"

He stood up from the sofa and impatiently walked upstairs.

"Let's break up. Stop accusing me of eating and drinking your food all the time. I've had enough!"

Aunt Zhuang panicked, "I'm pregnant with your child, and you're telling me you want to break up?"

"So what if you're pregnant? Your daughter's all grown up, and you still ended up with me!" the mistress mocked.

Seeing that he seemed to have made up his mind, Aunt Zhuang panicked.

"No, I won't break up! I can't let my child be born without a father!"

She caught up with her lover who was going upstairs and grabbed his hand.

The young lover brushed her away impatiently.

"Whether you're born without a father or grow up without a father, isn't it all the same—you'll end up without a father anyway? What's the difference?"

"Stop bothering me!"

He waved the person away and tried to continue upstairs, forgetting that he was on the stairs.

Zhuang Ma's heavy body couldn't stand steadily, and with his swing, she fell backward.

Zhuang Jingxuan stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in horror.

"mom!"

"Miss!"

The moment Zhuang Ma fell down the stairs, the old housekeeper's eyes widened in horror, and she rushed over to her.

"mom!"

Zhuang Jingxuan shook off Chu Ci's hand and hurriedly ran over.

But she was too far away from Aunt Zhuang.

By the time she arrived, the old housekeeper had already tumbled down the stairs with Zhuang Ma.

"ah……"

Aunt Zhuang's face was as white as paper. She clutched her stomach and screamed in agony, while a patch of blood slowly spread beneath her.

"mom!"

Zhuang Jingxuan quickly went to check on her mother's condition.

Zhuang's mother was in so much pain that her face contorted, and she gripped her daughter's hand tightly.

"Call...an ambulance..."

“Okay! I’ll go make the call right away!” Zhuang Jingxuan nodded quickly.

"It's too late." Chu Ci pulled Zhuang Jingxuan away as she was about to make a phone call.

"Where's your driver? Quickly drive him to the hospital!"

Zhuang Jingxuan, who was completely disoriented, was suddenly calmed down when Chu Ci grabbed her tightly.

"Yes, it takes too long for an ambulance to make a round trip..."

"Driver!" she yelled at the terrified servants beside her, "What are you standing there for? Go and call the driver!"

The terrified servants finally came to their senses and scrambled to fetch the driver.

Chu Ci picked up the groaning Zhuang Ma and placed her on the sofa.

Zhuang Jingxuan then realized that the old housekeeper who had rushed to save her mother was now pinned down by her mother.

At this moment, the old housekeeper's eyes widened, her head was folded back, and blood was slowly flowing from her nose and mouth.

Seeing the old housekeeper's slightly ferocious appearance, Zhuang Jingxuan couldn't help but take two steps back, her legs going weak.

Chu Ci stepped forward to check on the old lady who was in charge of housekeeping.

"Her neck is broken, and she's already dead."

With a "thud," the terrified young lover plopped down on the stairs.

He stared blankly at the old woman whose head was pressed against his back and whose eyes were fixed on him at the edge of the stairs, and he was so frightened that he gasped for breath.

After finally recovering, the first thing I said was:

"This has nothing to do with me! I didn't even touch her, I didn't kill her!"

Chu Ci gave him a cold look and ignored him.

He turned to Zhuang Jingxuan and said, "Don't just stand there, call the police."

Zhuang Jingxuan stared blankly at the old housekeeper on the ground, completely lost and motionless for a long time.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the old woman's head flipped backward, looking as if she had died with her eyes wide open.

...If the master hadn't insisted on pulling her away, or if she had been closer to her mother, she would have rushed up to save her mother too.

The one who ended up like this might not be the housekeeper, but her...

Seeing that Zhuang Jingxuan seemed completely disoriented, Chu Ci finally called the police using the home phone.

I checked the time; five or six minutes had passed, and the family driver still hadn't arrived.

Chu Ci frowned and gently nudged Zhuang Jingxuan.

Where's your car?

Zhuang Jingxuan then came to her senses, but did not hear Ci's words clearly.

"What did you say?"

"Where's your car? The kind with the key."

Chu Ci pointed to Zhuang Ma, who was lying on the sofa groaning in pain.

"We can't delay any longer. If we delay any longer, not only will your mother lose the baby, but your mother will also be in trouble."

Zhuang Jingxuan: "I don't usually live here, so I don't know where they put the car keys."

She originally intended to ask the maid, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the young man sitting dumbly on the stairs.

He took three steps in five and slapped the pretty boy across the face.

"My mom bought you so many cars, where are the car keys?!"

The pretty boy's mind went blank after being slapped.

But seeing Zhuang Jingxuan's murderous look, he quickly took out the keys from his pocket and handed them over.

Not forgetting to point to the spot outside the door, "These are the keys to that red sports car..."

Without a second thought, Chu Ci scooped up the groaning Zhuang Ma and ran toward the car.

Zhuang Jingxuan followed closely behind.

On the way to the hospital, Zhuang's mother seemed to finally see how good her biological daughter was.

Holding Zhuang Jingxuan's hand tightly, her eyes red and choked with sobs.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxuan..."

Zhuang Jingxuan rolled her eyes and didn't accept her apology.

Instead of apologizing to me, you should talk to the housekeeper.

The image of the housekeeper's death flashed through her mind, and she pursed her lips, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in her throat.

The housekeeper was a nanny who watched her mother grow up.

After her maternal grandmother passed away, her maternal grandfather worried that the family would take advantage of her mother's young age when he wasn't looking, so he promoted her from a maid to a housekeeper.

Over the years, the housekeeper has always been dutiful to her mother.

Her mother has always said she wants the housekeeper to retire and go home to enjoy her retirement.

But first she got into a car accident and became a vegetable, then her parents went their separate ways, and then her mother got pregnant again.

The housekeeper, who was preparing to retire, was worried about her mother and feared that there would be no one around to help her when her mother needed someone, so she never retired.

As it turned out, when her mother needed help, the housekeeper was indeed the first to step up.

But they don't even have the opportunity to retire.

Zhuang Jingxuan covered her forehead, refusing to look at her mother's face.

A feeling of unease surged through her chest, making her feel terrible.

Aunt Zhuang stopped talking, and for a moment only the roar of the engine could be heard in the car.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Chu Ci helped Zhuang Ma out of the car.

Doctors and nurses quickly pushed the hospital bed over and took Zhuang's mother into the operating room.

Zhuang Jingxuan sat at the door of the operating room, waiting to be wheeled out after the surgery.

"Master, thank you for today."

She covered her face with her hands, and muffled sounds came from her palms.

"You saved me again..."

Chu Ci was covered in Zhuang Ma's blood, which he wiped off with a wet tissue.

"Don't mention it. Luckily, you're not that stubborn."

The bloodstains on the clothes had faded a bit, but they were still quite noticeable.

Chu Ci threw the dirty tissue into the trash can. "If you had been stubborn and refused to leave with me, I wouldn't have been able to save you."

Zhuang Jingxuan twitched her lips, but didn't laugh.

Thinking of the housekeeper who had acted as a human cushion for her mother, she remained depressed.

"master."

She looked at Chu Ci, "Grandma Housekeeper, she..."

She wanted to ask something, but ultimately shook her head.

"Forget it, the person is already dead, there's no point in saying anything now."

"Let's go, Master."

She sighed and stood up.

"I'll see you out."

Covered in blood, Chu Ci found it inconvenient to go back like this.

Including the car they brought, Zhuang Jingxuan didn't intend to return it to the gigolo, so she had Chu Ci drive it back directly.

When Chu Ci drove back to the shop in that flashy red car, she ran into Ah Chun's husband who came to deliver the divination fee.

He was startled to see Chu Ci covered in blood.

"Master, what's wrong with you...?"

Chu Ci looked down and saw that the blood on his clothes had dried.

Her shirt and pants were covered in blood, as if she had just returned from a murder scene.

"It's nothing, I just ran into a little trouble."

Ah Chun's husband smiled fearfully and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Grandma was counting money in the shop when she saw her return covered in blood and was startled.

"What have you been doing? There's so much blood!"

Chu Ci waved his hand, "Zhuang Jingxuan's mother had an accident while she was pregnant, and this is all her blood."

She briefly explained Zhuang Jingxuan's situation, and her grandmother sighed, telling her to hurry home and change her clothes.

"You've been really busy this Ghost Festival. Hurry up and go back to change your clothes."

"On a day like today, it's unlucky to be covered in blood."

Chu Ci responded and heard the meows of kittens on her way back.

It was tiny, weak, and panicked; she guessed it was a kitten that had gotten separated from its mother.

But after searching the surrounding area, I couldn't find anything.

She had no choice but to go back, and when she tried to take the elevator up, she found that the elevator doors were about to close.

"Hey, wait! Wait a minute!"

She quickly jogged a few steps and squeezed inside, only to unexpectedly bump into Wu Jiangxue in the elevator.

There were only the two of them in the elevator, and both of them were covered in blood.

Looking at the large patches of dried blood on her body, Wu Jiangxue frowned:

"Are you injured?"

"No, it's someone else's blood."

Chu Ci looked at the bloodstains on Wu Jiangxue's body, "You..."

“I also have other people’s blood on me.”

Wu Jiangxue lowered her eyes and looked at the blood in front of her, her lowered eyelashes trembling.

"It's Lin Ming's blood."

When this familiar name appeared after many days, Chu Ci was taken aback.

He quickly frowned, "Lin Ming?"

In her memory, Lin Ming's accident should have happened two or three years later.

"Then he..."

"It's alright," Wu Jiangxue said with a forced smile, pressing the button for the 15th floor for Chu Ci. "He's in the hospital now, and the doctor said he's out of danger."

Seeing that she had been busy since last night, Chu Ci guessed it was a big case and didn't ask any questions.

Remembering the kitten she couldn't find, she realized that Wu Jiangxue, who was always inseparable from her fat cat sister, wasn't holding the cat today.

"Officer, where's your sister?"

Chu Ci pointed outside, "There's a kitten near the entrance of our building. I only heard it meowing, but I couldn't find it."

"Would it be convenient for my sister to help me look for it?"

Wu Jiangxue pursed her lips, her expression growing increasingly dejected.

"My sister... is in the hospital."

"At the hospital?" Chu Ci frowned with worry. "Is your sister sick?"

"No, she's injured."

Wu Jiangxue shook her head, leaned against the corner of the elevator, and lowered her eyes helplessly.

"Today's operation was a bit dangerous; we encountered desperate criminals."

“Those people kill without blinking an eye, let alone cats. My sister wasn’t hidden well and they shot her.”

She spoke calmly, but Chu Ci could imagine how dangerous it must have been.

I thought my little sister was just a cute pet gathering intelligence for Wu Jiangxue, but I never expected her to encounter such a dangerous situation.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. In many crisis situations, it's inconvenient for people to be on-site, but cats are different.

Often, even if a cat were to fight its way in and out of a scene, no one would notice.

"That little sister..."

"I was lucky; a famous international veterinarian gave a lecture in Hong Kong."

Wu Jiangxue's voice carried a hint of relief.

"Sir Shen used his connections to get that veterinarian to perform surgery on my sister, and she's out of danger now."

"That's good."

In the time it takes to say two sentences, the elevator has arrived.

Judging from the dark circles under Wu Jiangxue's eyes, he must not have slept a wink since yesterday.

Chu Ci urged her, "Go back and take a shower and go to bed."

Wu Jiangxue nodded, stepped out of the elevator, stopped, and turned to look at her.

"My suspension has been lifted, and I will return to work at the police station tomorrow."

"I will thoroughly investigate what you told me before about Liu He helping Huang Sir bury the body."

Chu Ci was surprised that she still remembered this matter. "Then I'll trouble you."

Wu Jiangxue shook her head. "Of course."

After Liu He was castrated by Wang Qiang with a pair of scissors, he never came to see Wang Jiali again.

I heard he's been recuperating lately, but once he's fully recovered, he'll definitely start causing trouble for Wang Jiali again.

Wang Jiali is past the age of sexual consent. They wanted to use Wang Jiali's case to send Liu He to jail, but Inspector Huang blocked the investigation and evidence collection.

So if you want to get Liu He in, you have to take care of Huang Sir first.

As Chu Ci was lost in thought, the elevator arrived at the 15th floor.

She went home, took a shower, changed her clothes, and when she returned to the shop, her grandmother was watching TV.

Seeing Chu Ci return, Grandma quickly pointed to the television:

"Ah Ci, look at this person, isn't he Inspector Wu?"

The television is reporting on a heroin smuggling case that happened last night.

Criminals are taking advantage of the special days around the Ghost Festival to hide heroin in the packaging of various incense sticks and paper money, and then smuggle it abroad.

However, Hong Kong police quickly discovered the criminals' whereabouts and, after everything was prepared, made the arrest last night.

The operation was a great success; no police officers died, but several were injured and have been taken to the hospital for treatment.

After a brief introduction, the reporter interviewed the commander of the operation, Wu Jiangxue.

On television, Wu Jiangxue showed no expression and answered the reporter's questions concisely.

Grandma couldn't help but mention how happy Wujiangxue was.

"The TV said that Officer Wu's command of the operation this time was particularly outstanding. Does that mean she can go back to work at the police station?"

Chu Ci nodded. "I ran into Inspector Wu when I got back. She said I can go back to work tomorrow."

"That's great!"

Grandma couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for Wujiang Xue.

"It's really unsettling that I was forced to rest for more than half a month without any explanation."

"Yes, thankfully the result was good." Chu Ci nodded.

As the grandfather and grandson were talking, it quickly got dark outside.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Grandma picked up what she had prepared and went outside.

"It's time to start burning paper money. Let's go out and find a good spot."

She said she had a good location, but her shop was right next to the street and the intersection.

Taking advantage of the fewer people, Grandma carefully selected a spot, ultimately choosing one that was relatively close to her home.

Grandma prepared many dishes and offerings, which she arranged in a long row at the crossroads.

While they were preparing, the streets had already become lively.

Streetlights weren't as common back then as they are now, so many people used flashlights to go out.

Many families come together, carrying braziers and small baskets.

Inside were prepared incense, candles, paper money, and pre-cooked food.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime, the crowd was much quieter at this time, and even the crying of children was gone.

One by one, the elderly solemnly arranged the offerings, lit the candles, and murmured to the void about the events of the past year in their families.

Grandma arranged everything and pulled Chu Ci to kneel down.

"Here you go, you can offer the first incense stick."

Grandma placed a lit bamboo incense stick into Chu Ci's hand, gesturing for her to insert it into the incense burner.

Chu Ci took the incense, silently recited the names of the deceased he had encountered during his months of transmigration, and then placed the incense stick into the incense burner.

Grandma first burned paper money for her parents, then quietly recounted what had happened between her and Chu Ci during this time.

Finally, with a sigh, he said, "You all always say that if I don't have children, I'll have to pick up trash when I'm old."

"As it turns out, my son Ah-Ci is successful, and now he has taken me to live in a big house."

"Anyway, don't worry about me, I'm doing fine now..."

Chu Ci didn't hear what she muttered next.

Turning my head, I saw that the originally dark street was now glowing red from the light of countless braziers.

Small braziers flickered in the darkness, and when the wind blew, the ashes, carrying the glow of the fire, swirled into the air.

Next to them was an old woman with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and the fire in the brazier was burning exceptionally brightly.

The wind carried the embers of the fire, swirling and hovering in the sky for a long time.

The old woman burning paper money knelt by the brazier and wiped away her tears.

"Your grandfather is thinking of our family..."

The old woman kept adding paper to the brazier, first various kinds of paper money, then various kinds of handmade clothes, houses, and television sets.

As the firelight slowly consumed the things, the old woman poked at the contents of the brazier with a stick, muttering to herself.

"When you're alive, you can't bear to eat or wear anything nice."

"Now that the person is gone, let's burn more money for you, don't be reluctant to spend it..."

Chu Ci watched them quietly, then looked away, where people were burning paper money on both sides of the road.

Flames flickered and smoke billowed, the smoke from the human world casting a hazy glow over the entire street.

In a daze, Chu Ci really saw faint figures of souls walking slowly out of the darkness in a line through the smoke.

In an instant, the streets ignited by the flames seemed to truly become a passage connecting the realms of Yin and Yang, carrying thoughts that transcend the boundaries of life and death.

She stared wide-eyed in astonishment as those faint souls walked past her one by one.

Some souls journeyed into the distant darkness, while others lingered before a brazier on this street, quietly watching over their loved ones still in the world.

A soul resembling a middle-aged man stopped in front of the brazier of the family next to Chu Ci, quietly staring at the old woman's face through the firelight and mist.

The old woman's face was flushed red by the firelight.

She was probably in her sixties, and her face was covered with crisscrossing wrinkles.

Only one pair of eyes, glistening with tears, shone exceptionally bright in the firelight.

The middle-aged man sensed Chu Ci's gaze, turned his head, and met Chu Ci's eyes.

"Little girl, can you see me?"

Chu Ci was worried about frightening the family, so she didn't say anything.

But his gaze remained fixed on the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man smiled at her and pointed to the old woman who was secretly wiping away tears.

"My wife, isn't she beautiful? I went through a lot of trouble to marry her when I was young!"

He reached out to wipe the old lady's tears, but his hand passed right through her face.

Looking at his hands, which had become faint and then solidified again, his eyes were filled with melancholy, yet he was used to it.

"Alas, what a pity, I died too young."

"I promised to protect her for life, but in the end, I left her to raise the child alone."

"Twenty years have passed, and my granddaughter has grown up so much..."

He looked at his bewildered granddaughter kneeling behind the old lady, and it was as if he could see his son as a child through that face.

"It's only been a year, and the child has grown quite a bit taller..."

Chu Ci looked at him, puzzled.

The two underworld officials, one black and one white, clearly stated that there are too many newborns in the mortal realm, and they are almost snatching people from the animal realm.

How come there are still so many souls left in the underworld?

According to this middle-aged man, he must have been dead for at least twenty years...

"Sigh, people are always a bit too obsessed with something."

A sinister voice suddenly exploded in Chu Ci's ears, startling him.

She frowned and turned her head, only to see the shifty-faced, dark-skinned constable squatting behind her at some point.

Clutching a bundle of chains, she stared with gleaming green eyes at the gold ingots her grandmother had just tossed into the brazier.

Chu Ci: "..."

There were too many people around, so she didn't dare to speak.

He pretended not to see it and turned his head away again.

The black-clad messenger stared at the gold ingots in the brazier and chatted with her.

"When people are too attached to something, their souls become heavy."

"If the soul is too heavy, it will naturally be unable to cross the River of Oblivion."

"If you can't cross the River of Oblivion, you can't drink Meng Po's soup, and naturally you can't be reincarnated."

Chu Ci's gaze fell on the middle-aged man beside him.

She remembered that the ghosts were all terrified of the underworld officials, and they were as docile as mice seeing a cat.

This person...

"Hey, he's been dead for twenty years. Every year, underworld messengers bring them up here."

"Having seen so many of us underworld messengers, he naturally isn't afraid anymore," the black underworld messenger's voice was sinister.

Chu Ci: "..."

She turned around and looked at the Black Shadow Messenger in astonishment.

How does this ghost know what she's thinking?

The black-faced man chuckled, making his already shifty features appear even more lewd.

"Your thoughts are written all over your face, of course I know!"

Chu Ci's lips moved, but before he could say anything, his grandmother stuffed another incense stick into his hand.

"Grandma Guo and Tongtong have no relatives left in this world, so let's burn more for them."

Chu Ci nodded, placed the incense sticks in the incense burner, but looked at the Black Yin Messenger.

Black Yin Messenger: "That little girl named Guo Miaotong has already been reincarnated, but her grandmother killed a lot of people."

"Although there are some extenuating circumstances, punishment is still necessary."

He didn't say what the specific punishment would be, and Chu Ci didn't ask either.

While burning paper money with Granny Guo and Guo Miaotong, Chu Ci noticed Chen Xinxin burning paper money not far away.

Surrounded by families, she stood out as particularly lonely, being so small and thin.

A large bag of paper money and various incense and paper offerings were piled up next to her. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she kept adding things to the brazier.

A woman was squatting in front of her brazier.

Seeing her tears, two lines of bloody tears also flowed from her eyes.

Black Yin Messenger: "That's the little girl's mother, she just died less than a year ago."

He was very familiar with Chen Xinxin's mother.

"I heard that when the ghost messengers took her away, she made a fuss and cried out that she wanted to see her daughter one last time."

"When she got to the underworld, she said she was worried about her daughter and refused to be reincarnated."

"There were many newborns in your mortal world during that period, and we originally wanted to force her to be reincarnated."

"As soon as she got on, the ferry boat on the River of Oblivion almost sank."

"Sigh." The Black Yin Chariot shook his head helplessly. "Judging from her behavior, she won't stop until her daughter gets married and has children."

He was talking about Chen Xinxin's mother when Chen Xinxin's mother suddenly looked over.

Caught talking badly about someone behind their back, the Black Servant shut his mouth in guilt, his eyes darting around.

Chen Xinxin's mother's gaze, however, fell on Chu Ci.

She stood up from the brazier and walked to Chu Ci.

"Master, thank you for helping my daughter."

Chu Ci waved her hand almost imperceptibly, indicating that she shouldn't be so polite.

Just as she lowered her head again, trying to pretend she hadn't seen it, Chen Xinxin's mother suddenly pulled out a ray of golden light from her forehead.

“Master, as a mother, I have nothing to do to repay you for my daughter.”

"I'll give you this bit of merit."

The black-faced man suddenly turned his head, his narrow eyes wide open, and his sinister face instantly became much more lively.

He jumped up excitedly: "Holy crap! It's actually merit!"

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a strand of the important item "Merit"]

Amidst the system notification sound and the excited background noise of the Black Yin Cha, the wisp of golden light slowly drifted into Chu Ci's hand.