Twelve Streets
The soft rustling of leaves in the wind, accompanied by the gentle chirping of birds, drifted into Lin Chaoying's ears. She twitched her fingers slightly and opened her eyes with difficulty.
The wooden ceiling and familiar decor define her room.
They're incredibly lucky to have survived. I can't help but marvel at that.
"Lin Chaoying!" Qian Fei rushed out, asking anxiously, "Where do you feel unwell?"
She shook her head, feeling much lighter than before, the weakness and fatigue she had felt recently completely gone. Curious, she asked, "What kind of medicine did you give me this time?"
Qian Fei pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "Kong Yue practically turned Twelve Street upside down, using all the precious medicinal herbs! She also gave you a few sleeping pills so you could sleep for a few more days."
"Ah?" Remembering Linlin's matter, she smiled and said, "It can be considered karma."
"By the way, why are you working so hard?" Qian Fei handed her a hot water bottle and asked in confusion, "I told you your body hasn't fully mastered your superpowers yet. If Dawn attacks, you should run first!"
Lin Chaoying's muddled mind instantly cleared. "By the way, what about Jiang Chuangu and Zhou Pei?"
Qian Fei's apt commentary: "One got beaten up like a pirate, the other had his head wrapped up like a sushi restaurant manager..."
"Pfft—" Lin Chaoying almost spat out her water. "Forget it, it's good enough that I'm alive." Recalling the spectacle of that night, she changed the subject and asked, "Was Li Ming controlled? He didn't seem this scary at the police station. How did he turn into the Hulk at night?"
Speaking of him, Qian Fei was extremely distressed, frowning as he said, "You guessed right, the boss said we'll discuss the details when you wake up."
"Oh, right!" She remembered there was someone at the door. "While you were unconscious these past few days, has the sushi restaurant manager been waiting outside? Shall we call him in?"
Lin Chaoying nodded in agreement.
Qian Fei opened the door and called out, "Sushi shop manager! Lin Chaoying is awake, you two chat first!" He then turned back into the room and said, "You two hurry up and talk, I'll go call the boss and Kong Yue, see you at the restaurant."
Lin Chaoying makes an "OK" gesture.
Jiangchuan Valley had a head full of gauze, his forehead was covered, and only his facial features were visible.
Lin Chaoying couldn't suppress a laugh and said, "I'm impressed by Qian Fei..."
He really looks like a sushi restaurant manager!
Jiang Chuan Gu touched the gauze sheepishly and asked, bewildered, "Is it ugly?"
"No..." She laughed so hard she couldn't finish a sentence, then covered her mouth and muttered, "That's stupid..."
Seeing this, he reached out to tear off the gauze. Lin Chaoying stopped him, "Don't move!" She pointed to the stool by the bed, "Come here."
Jiang Chuan Gu obediently sat down, his eyes sparkling, and said, "I see your wound has almost healed. Is there anything that's bothering you?"
"I'm fine," Lin Chaoying said, waving her arms to show him, and asked, "Is your head okay?"
Compared to that afternoon, Jiang Chuan Gu seemed more relaxed and at ease today. He responded by poking his wound with his finger, complaining, "It's almost scabbed over, but the doctor said I need to apply medicine for another two days."
"The little doctor?" Lin Chaoying thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Kong Yue?"
Jiangchuan Valley: "It seems his surname is Kong."
Lin Chaoying remembered that the two of them had been fighting for a long time and asked, "Was it only your front that was injured? I think he also hit you on the back of the head?"
"This, this, this..." Jiang Chuan Gu turned around and pointed to the back of his head and the area near his ear, grinning foolishly as he said, "There are three places in total, and they are almost healed."
"That's good." Lin Chaoying felt relieved, and after hesitating, she said, "I didn't want you to get involved in this, but Li Ming is obviously being controlled and going crazy. He even came here specifically to try to kill you. I'll just be honest with you. It's safer for you to be with them."
Jiangchuan Valley asked in confusion, "Them?"
Lin Chaoying: "The year I disappeared, after my soul returned to my body, I found that my body had changed. When I concentrated, I could not only hear all the sounds within a kilometer, but my soul could also leave my body. I underwent a full physical examination, but they could not find any problems. I happened to meet Twelfth Street."
“Actually, I don’t know the specifics.” She briefly summarized the information, “I only know that every city has a Twelfth Street, which takes on unusual cases in the local area, looks for people with unusual physical abilities, registers them, and controls these people with special abilities to prevent them from harming ordinary people.”
"Qin Ming. The one wearing a trench coat that day, who was fast and could control the water, was the boss of the 12th Street in Jiazhou. Qian Fei and Kong Yue were her deputies. I've had the most interaction with Qian Fei this year."
Jiang Chuan Gu was completely confused and asked, "You mean, the case of Li Chao was committed by someone with superpowers?"
"Okay." Lin Chaoying threw off the covers and got out of bed. "Let's go to the restaurant and go over the details of the Li Chao case with Qin Ming."
Jiang Chuan Gu bit his lower lip, hesitantly reaching out his hand, "Shall I help you?"
"No need!" Lin Chaoying waved her hand. "My body is now full of the crystallization of miraculous elixirs!"
He withdrew his hand and silently followed behind her, saying, "Lin Chaoying, next time you encounter someone like Li Ming who has strong offensive capabilities, can you please not force yourself to fight? Your superpower doesn't have any offensive capabilities."
Lin Chaoying turned her head, "Me, run? Just watch you get beaten to death?"
Jiang Chuan Gu's expression was sincere, "Then let's run together next time!"
"Lin Chaoying!" Qian Fei called out to two people from the window.
Jiang Chuan Gu's gaze remained fixed on Lin Chao Ying, unwilling to look away.
Lin Chaoying didn't respond to him, but said, "Let's go quickly, they're waiting."
"Sister!—" Zhou Pei and Linlin ran out of the building, their cries echoing throughout the guesthouse.
"Stop!" Lin Chaoying interrupted, "He's not dead!"
When she saw Zhou Pei's bandaged eye, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Oh, a pirate!"
The three of them walked into the restaurant, chatting and laughing. Jiang Chuan Gu watched them intently, his heart churning with turmoil. He gradually lost control of his expression, his emotions inexplicably chaotic.
When Lin Chaoying was a ghost, only he could see her and she could only revolve around him.
Now she's back to being a normal person, surrounded by men and women...
An inexplicable jealousy slowly grew, swelled along every vein in his body, and burst forth in his heart. He lowered his head, frantically suppressing his emotions.
"Jiangchuan Valley!" Lin Chaoying waved at him from the doorway. "What are you doing! Come here quickly!"
"Here you are!" He looked up abruptly, the complex emotions in his eyes instantly vanishing, and walked over with a smile.
Lin Chaoying told Zhou Pei and Linlin to go and rest first, and not to eavesdrop. The rest of the group gathered around the dining table.
Qin Ming casually lay on the table, "I might as well listen, since I get candy anyway."
The girl in the plaid skirt, with a well-behaved, student-like appearance, was Kong Yue. She reminded him with dissatisfaction, "You can't eat candy too often, it will damage your memory."
Qian Fei still had her hair in a high ponytail, chewing gum, looking capable and efficient. She joked, "Do we really need to damage the memory of young people these days?"
"Is he going to participate too?" Qin Ming took out several documents from his bag, placed them on the table, and asked Lin Chaoying.
Lin Chaoying nodded, "I told you before that only he could see the soul leaving the body, and secondly, it seems that the murderer has been chasing him all along."
Qin Ming extended his hand and greeted him in a friendly manner: "Hello, big star. I haven't formally introduced myself yet. I'm Qin Ming, the boss of Jiaozhou Twelfth Street."
Jiangchuan Gu shook hands and politely said, "Hello."
"In that case!" Qin Ming stood in front of the table, pretending to be serious, and turned up his collar. "Then let me give you a brief introduction to Twelfth Street!"
"Not again!" Qian Fei was tired of hearing it and complained, "Where does this intense desire to perform come from?"
Qin Ming retorted, "Lin Chaoying didn't listen to the whole thing last time either, so what's wrong with telling it all this time!"
Qian Feibi gestured with a "please" and said with a fake smile, "Please come."
Qin Ming began his lengthy historical introduction, "Legend has it that Nuwa mended the sky..."
"Cough cough—" Lin Chaoying choked on her own saliva in surprise, "That long time ago!"
"Shh!" Qin Ming said, feigning displeasure, "Don't interrupt me!"
"Legend has it that some of the five-colored crystals left behind by Nuwa when she mended the sky are in the human world. These crystals are stones that absorb the spiritual energy of all things in heaven and earth, including the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Humans accidentally obtained a few fragments and regarded them as the incarnation of Nuwa, and enshrined them in their homes."
"Because they were exposed to crystals day and night, their bodies gradually mutated. Some had their eyesight increased dramatically, and some had their physical strength increased dramatically... In ancient times, people relied on hunting to survive. Mutation of the body was tantamount to greatly improving their ability to survive, so these mutated people became the leaders of the tribes."
"Those who have undergone mutations have discovered that their children can also possess new superpowers, which can actually be passed down through bloodlines."
"In fact, mutations rely solely on bloodline inheritance, which is not stable. There are often cases like Lin Chaoying, whose superpowers erupt uncontrollably in her twenties, or cases where they never erupt in their lifetime, their children do not have superpowers, but their grandchildren suddenly have superpowers."
"However, the effects of the crystals were too attractive, and once the various tribes learned of them, a series of fierce battles broke out."
"As civilization gradually evolved, the mutated people tacitly formed two factions over the long years. The faction that relied on mutation to plunder territory and resources was supported and called the Twelve Immortals. The faction that believed that mutation should not be used to bully others and resisted the Twelve Immortals was called the Nine Deaths Sect."
Lin Chaoying interrupted, asking, "Is Twelfth Street a descendant of villains?"
"Of course not!" Qin Ming said righteously, "We are the descendants of the Nine Deaths Sect!"
"There is a reason for the name change. Back in the Tang Dynasty, the Twelve Immortals Sect worked exclusively for the royal family. After a mission failed, they were expelled from Chang'an and given a death order that they were not allowed to be mentioned in the capital. When the people discussed it in private, they referred to it as the Ghost Gate."
"The Nine Deaths Sect remained dormant for a century until it re-emerged at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Due to the turbulent times, the sect's hundred members were dispersed to various cities to help the people. This facilitated governance and timely communication. Each city was divided into twelve sections, forming twelve streets, which remained hidden from the public eye."
"From then on, the Twelve Immortal Gates became the Ghost Gates, and the Nine Deaths Gates became the Twelve Streets."
"This is just a name change. The version I know is the censored/beautified version, but what I'm about to say is the most important one!"
"The Ghost Gate is known for its fighting prowess. Its leader is Old Snake, who has four adopted sons who lead eight ghost generals. Their specialty is amplifying the evil in human nature to create a situation of mutual slaughter, thereby obtaining what they want, such as money, power, and status."
"To put it bluntly, the role of the Twelve Streets is to restrain and manage those with superpowers, and prevent them from deliberately affecting the survival of ordinary humans."
Qin Ming opened the documents and showed them, “At the scene of the torture and murder, the person who assaulted Li Chao was Scarface, the deputy of the Eight Ghost Generals.”
"I can tell you very seriously that there has never been a riot by people with superpowers in this mountainous area of Jiaozhou in the past hundred years, nor have there been any people from the Ghost Gate. This proves that there is no interest in this area that the Ghost Gate wants to occupy or seize."
"The fact that they suddenly came to kill Li Chao means that the Ghost Gate's purpose is human. Considering the situation in the past few days, the next target is likely Jiangchuan Valley."
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