Longing
Is Xiao Huan here?
Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes widened, and he instinctively turned to look at Wen Ya. However, Wen Ya's expression was not good either. She looked at Zheng Miao with a scrutinizing gaze. Her hand was in her bag, and Si Mucheng knew that she must have touched the talisman.
Seeing their tense expressions, Zheng Miao couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips: "Don't be nervous, I don't mean anything by it. But I'm sure now, Xiao Huan is indeed here."
She spoke in a declarative tone. Si Mucheng grasped Wen Ya's arm and gave her a reassuring look. Wen Ya lowered her eyelids and remained silent.
Si Mucheng thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "Why do you think that?"
Zheng Miao shrugged: "Xiao Huan didn't have any other friends. Over the years, she only confided in me. You guys suddenly appeared, initially keeping quiet, but after I exposed you, you said you were commissioned by her. I'm wondering, when did Xiao Huan find a commission behind my back, and what organization are you, and under what name did you accept her commission? Your reasons don't hold up to scrutiny. Besides, those words were too secretive. I didn't answer Xiao Huan's phone call before she died, and I don't know why she called, but you only said it was a trivial matter. Although it might be to comfort me, I don't think so. The certainty you expressed proves it's true. But apart from her, probably no one in the world knows why she called, and she's already gone. And you two, although dressed plainly, have a... strange aura, especially her." Zheng Miao pointed at Wen Ya and smiled, "You probably didn't even realize it yourself, but this Bagua mirror you're wearing. Although it's exquisite, most girls wouldn't choose this kind of bag accessory."
Wen Ya looked down following her fingertip and saw that it was the small Bagua mirror hanging on her cloth bag. It was a gift from Zhao Wentian when she was studying at Yuhuang Temple. She had casually hung it on her bag at the time and had been too lazy to take it down for so long. She hadn't expected Zheng Miao to be so observant.
“The most important thing is,” Zheng Miao winked at Si Mucheng, “from the moment you sat down, including that glance just now, you looked to the side at least five times, but there was clearly nothing next to you.”
Si Mucheng was stunned. He hadn't expected Zheng Miao to be so thoughtful. It was a completely subconscious action; most people wouldn't think of it that way.
You Huan had said Zheng Miao was smart, but she never expected him to be this smart!
Si Mucheng was speechless. He didn't even know how to make up a lie. In the end, he could only sigh: "Shouldn't you be a materialist? You believe this? It's one thing if you don't treat us like charlatans, but you can still ask such shocking questions."
Seeing his tacit admission, Zheng Miao was somewhat lost in thought. She murmured, "I am indeed a materialist, and I wouldn't have believed it before. But... if science can't explain some things, then we can only leave it to metaphysics. After Xiao Huan died, I'm willing to believe that there are ghosts in the world."
Si Mucheng didn't know what to say for a moment.
She glanced at Si Mucheng's side: "Is she... still here?"
“Yes, I am.” Si Mucheng pointed in You Huan’s direction. “I’m watching you from right here.”
Zheng Miao looked around him, and although she couldn't see anything, she still smiled: "Did you say those things to me?" She was referring to the words Si Mucheng had said to her at the dinner table.
Si Mucheng continued to diligently act as a communicator between humans and ghosts: "Yes."
Zheng Miao nodded: "I understand. You're just too worried and too hard on yourself, that's why you're like this." Her voice was a little choked up, but she still smiled. "Even after becoming a ghost, you still don't care about me, and you even asked a master to enlighten me. But... if I let go, does that mean you're really going to leave? I don't want you to leave, but if that's the case, you can't be reincarnated?"
Si Mucheng: "..." My god, she actually guessed almost everything about the ghost's obsession, this woman is terrifying!
Zheng Miao sniffed: "Never mind, although I'm very reluctant, it's good that you're leaving. You weren't very happy in this life, but you will definitely have a very, very good life in the next life."
The female ghost You Huan cried silently, unable to shed a tear, but Si Mu Cheng, watching from the side, could still feel the sorrow of being separated by life and death.
“She said,” Si Mucheng relayed, “meeting you is already a wonderful life. But your future life will definitely be exceptionally good as well.”
"Hmm." Zheng Miao nodded, then turned to Si Mucheng and asked, "Her 23rd birthday is in a few days, and we promised to celebrate it for her. Is it okay...?"
Logically, once a ghost's obsession is eliminated, it should be sent into reincarnation. Since You Huan's obsession has dissipated, it should be dispelled. Si Mucheng was also undecided, so he could only look at Wen Ya, and Zheng Miao also looked over.
Facing two pairs of wet eyes, Wen Ya had the illusion of being watched expectantly by two large dogs. She hesitated for a moment, then cleared her throat: "Okay."
Both dogs' eyes lit up.
Although Zheng Miao was reluctant to leave, she was afraid of breaking a taboo. After agreeing to meet with Si Mucheng and Wen Ya three days later, she said goodbye and left, turning back every few steps.
Seeing her walk away, Si Mucheng breathed a sigh of relief, but said with lingering fear, "She's too smart; she's not easy to fool at all."
Wen Ya had never seen Si Mu Cheng so embarrassed before. His flirtatious nature had completely backfired in front of Zheng Miao, and all his lies were cut off before they could even be uttered—a truly rare sight. A hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
"I knew Miaomiao was smart!" You Huan said with a smug look on her face.
Si Mucheng didn't know what "she" was so proud of, but seeing that You Huan had let go of her obsession and looked happy and relaxed, ready to enter reincarnation without any worries, he couldn't help but feel happy for "her". He was sure "she" would have a good life in her next life.
“By the way, Xiaoya,” Si Mucheng looked at Wenya, “after the ghost’s obsession dissipates, how will ‘she’ maintain her spirit body for three days?”
Wen Ya paused, then took out a small wooden puppet from her bag: "We can use a spirit-sealing talisman to seal 'her' in a medium, which can temporarily preserve 'her' spirit for a few days." She looked at You Huan, "I just don't know if you'd be willing."
You Huan nodded repeatedly: "I'm willing! It's okay."
Seeing that "she" agreed, Wen Ya pinched the talisman and silently chanted a spell. She then threw the talisman at You Huan. Then, the wooden puppet in her palm flashed with golden light, and You Huan disappeared.
Si Mucheng looked at the puppet curiously and asked, "Isn't this talisman in the talisman manual that Junior Uncle gave me? I don't seem to remember it."
Wen Ya almost laughed when she heard his formal address, and nodded: "Exorcism in the modern world has been simplified, and many talismans are no longer needed. I have the ability to see ghosts, and although I can't use it, I've still learned some."
Si Mucheng understood. In modern terms, this was an evil cultivation. After all, spiritual energy is scarce nowadays, and someone like Wen Ya with Yin-Yang eyes is considered exceptionally gifted and unconventional.
"Well," after resolving the ghost issue, Si Mucheng thought of something else, "are we going to stay here for three days? Or should we go back to my house for a few days? It's not far anyway, and I'm starting to crave Aunt Chen's braised shrimp."
Wen Ya hummed in agreement: "You can go back."
Si Mucheng was stunned for a moment: "Me? Am I alone? What about you?"
"I have something to do." Wen Ya looked around, recognized the road sign, and planned to ask a passerby for directions.
Si Mucheng hadn't heard her mention anything about having other business in Changshi, so he didn't react for a moment and quickly chased after her: "Something else? What is it? Why didn't you tell me? Xiaoya? Are you trying to get rid of me again? How can you be like this... I've been with you for so long, why do you still dislike me..."
He became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, rattling off a long string of words that sounded like a spell. Wen Ya was driven crazy by his nagging and knew that if she didn't explain things to him clearly, this clingy guy wouldn't give up so easily.
She sighed and explained earnestly to Si Mucheng, "Wen Yongjie's home is in Changshi. I want to go and see if Wen Yongjie has gone home."
Si Mucheng took a moment to process the name before realizing, "Is it your distant cousin? Right? Your maternal grandfather's nephew."
Wen Ya couldn't figure out their generational relationship. She wasn't very familiar with Wen Yongjie and only saw him a few times a year: "I guess so. I call him uncle. But he's not that old, only a few years older than me."
Si Mucheng felt relieved. As long as he wasn't kicked out, he would join in on anything immediately.
"Does he live in Changshi? Do you know his address? Should we go find him now? Won't it be a bit late? Or should we find a place to stay first and go tomorrow? He can run away, but he can't hide. Anyway, we still have time. As long as he comes back, we won't have to worry about not finding him..."
Wen Ya felt a vein throbbing on her forehead: "...Shut up."
In the end, they found a place to stay first, planning to visit Wen Yongjie's house the next day.
The next morning, the small city of Changshi began to awaken.
The hotel that Si Mucheng found was located in a commercial complex, next to a plaza, which can be considered a bustling area of the city.
Early in the morning, the square was filled with elderly people doing their morning exercises, others practicing musical instruments, singing, jogging, and cycling—all sorts of people were there. The small town had a vibrant atmosphere of daily life.
However, this lively atmosphere also affected the hotel guests.
Wen Ya was an early riser, and Si Mucheng, after being woken up, simply got up too. After eating the breakfast provided by the hotel, the two went out.
Wen Ya wanted to ask for directions, but Si Mucheng pulled her away and hailed a taxi on the side of the road. As soon as the driver heard the address, he immediately said he could take them there quickly.
Si Mucheng started showing off again, winking at Wen Ya as if to ask for credit. Wen Ya glanced at him expressionlessly, then looked away without a second thought.
Si Mucheng didn't feel neglected and started chatting with the driver.
If you want to quickly get to know a city, then a taxi driver is a great resource. Hearing that they were from out of town, the driver was very welcoming, and by the time they arrived, Si Mucheng had a pretty good understanding of the city.
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