Chapter 112 I've Saved Up My Sister's Dowry
"Aci?"
Grandma called Chu Ci's name twice, but Chu Ci just stared blankly at the door.
She followed Chu Ci's gaze and looked over, but there was nothing outside.
"Aci?"
Grandma gently nudged Chu Ci, and seeing that Chu Ci had come to her senses, she asked:
What are you looking at?
Chu Ci shook his head and looked away.
"nothing."
She was just about to find an excuse to go out when the black-clad messenger peeked in at the door for a while. Seeing that she could come in, he tentatively took a step into the shop.
"Hey, you don't have one of those light-up mirrors in your shop!"
He was referring to the exorcising Bagua mirror.
Chu Ci shook his head.
Hei Yincha let out a "heh," walked in with his hands behind his back, and curiously circled the room.
"Your shop is not quite the same as when I last came here."
With Grandma and He Lihua present, Chu Ci remained silent.
Grandma took the little black bean from Chu Ci's arms and stroked its fluffy little head.
"Aci, you can continue with your work."
She picked up the black beans and prepared to leave, saying, "It's so late, go home and get some sleep after you're done."
Chu Ci nodded, but the Black Yin Cha suddenly spoke up.
"No! We can't leave!"
He stood in front of his grandmother, but she quickly walked past him.
Grandma shuddered the moment she passed through the ghostly figures.
Why is it so cold?
She wrapped her coat tighter around herself and continued walking outside, still holding Hei Dou in her arms.
The black-clad body quickly solidified, turned to look at Chu Ci, and said urgently:
"I want your cat! Stop her right now!"
Grandma and He Lihua were about to push open the door and go out, and Chu Ci quickly followed.
"Grandma!"
She took the black bean from her grandmother's arms, saying, "Let it stay with me!"
Chu Ci smiled brightly as she rubbed the little cat's head, which was covered in black beans.
"I'll be busy until quite late today, so let Black Bean play in the shop for a while!"
Grandma looked at Little Black Bean, who was already yawning, and hesitated:
"It just sleeps next to you, why don't I stay and keep you company?"
"No need, no need!"
Chu Ci quickly waved his hand, raising Hei Dou, whose eyes were already open, with one hand.
"Black beans can do it themselves!"
Chu Ci persisted, and Grandma said nothing more.
He nodded and followed He Lihua as they walked and talked.
After watching the two of them leave, Chu Ci turned to look at the Black Yin Messenger.
"You didn't bring the black beans here, did you?"
The Black Yin Messenger stared intently at the Black Bean in Chu Ci's arms, his sinister face filled with affection.
He tried to reach out and touch it, but Chu Ci dodged to the side.
Black Yin Messenger: "..."
"Oh, Sister Chu! What's wrong with letting me pet the kitten!"
His narrow, shifty eyes widened.
"This is a Soul-Devouring Cat! Only one like it appears every few decades, let me pet it!"
"Soul-Eating Cat?"
Chu Ci looked down at the chicken wing rice roll sleeping soundly in her arms and frowned slightly.
Looking at the black-clad underworld official, he asked, "You're the one who brought the black beans out, aren't you?"
Hei Yincha tried to pet the kitten several times, but Chu Ci dodged each time.
He sighed emotionally, "Yes! I'm the one who brought it out!"
"Sister Chu, you're so lucky!"
He subconsciously rubbed his hands together, his pale face filled with envy.
"These Soul-Eating Cats are rare to begin with, and they are generally not well-liked by their mothers."
"They usually don't survive long enough to find their own food before starving to death. I never expected you to find one!"
It's probably because Chu Ci has been dealing with all sorts of evil spirits lately that his body is filled with a lot of yin energy.
This provided the kitten with just enough nutrients, which is why the little guy survived.
Chu Ci suddenly realized: "So Black Bean has become so fat recently, it's not because my grandma fed it goat milk and fish and shrimp?"
"Oh dear, that kind of food for living people is useless to Soul-Eating Cats."
The black-eyed man stared at the black beans with envy, rubbing his hands together incessantly.
He chuckled, revealing his pale, bluish gums, and stretched out his hand.
"Little Sister Chu, come here! Let me hug you, just for a little while!"
Chu Ci looked him up and down. "Are you a ghost too? Aren't you afraid of being eaten by it?"
"Hey, what's the big deal!"
The black-clad messenger nonchalantly poked the kitten's head.
"It's only this small. It can handle those ordinary ghosts outside, but how could it possibly deal with me?"
He clicked his tongue confidently and reached out to touch the kitten's head again.
This time, Chu Ci didn't refuse and handed it over for him to touch.
Black Bean was fast asleep, completely unaware of the outside world.
To Chu Ci's surprise, the black-clad messenger's hand actually landed firmly on the black bean's head, without passing through it.
Chu Ci: "You can touch it?"
"Of course, if it can't touch a ghost, what will it eat?"
The black-faced cat vigorously rubbed and kneaded Black Bean's head.
Black Bean licked its lips impatiently, but with good cat manners, it didn't bite, only meowed twice in protest.
But the Black Shadow ignored him, chuckling as it pinched its little toes.
"Oh, what a wonderful cat!"
The Black-faced messenger watched with envy, unsure whether what he said was true or false:
"Sister Chu, I'm not trying to scare you!"
"This Soul-Eating Cat lives entirely on Yin energy, and the older it gets, the more Yin energy it needs."
"If you can't raise it..."
Before Chu Ci could speak, Hei Dou protested with a "meow" and bit Hei Yincha's hand.
"hiss……"
Hei Yincha gasped, nearly throwing the black bean away.
Chu Ci quickly scooped the black beans into her bosom and craned her neck to look at the wound on the black-clad messenger's hand.
Are you alright?
The black-clad demon clutched the hand that had been bitten, hissing incessantly.
Looking at the little black bean licking its paws incessantly in Chu Ci's arms, Chu Ci felt both love and hate.
"This kitten is so small! But it bites so fiercely!"
Chu Ci patted the kitten's head in her arms and laughed, "Who told you to say such unpleasant things?"
After being bitten, Hei Yincha lost all interest in petting the cat.
He waved to Chu Ci, "Let's go, we can talk business as we walk."
"Okay, wait a moment, I'll close the shop."
Chu Ci went back and turned off the lights in the shop, then locked the door from the inside.
Only then did his soul leave his body and walk out of the store.
This was the first time Little Black Bean had seen her in this form, and it curiously meowed around her feet.
Look at the curious child circling around his parents.
Chu Ci picked it up and tapped its little black nose.
You can't bite me!
Black Bean licked her fingertip and meowed, indicating that it didn't know how.
The black-clad messenger led Chu Ci in one direction, and before getting to the main topic, he pointed to her shop.
"When are you going to send those two ghosts in your shop to be reincarnated?"
Chu Ci didn't hide the matter between Li Lecan and Xiao Min from Hei Yinchai.
After all, Hei Yinchai was practically her mentor, so if she made a mistake, he might be able to offer some guidance.
Chu Ci stroked Black Bean's tail, "Let's wait until their matter is resolved."
"Tsk, when will that be?"
The black-clad man frowned and stroked his chin.
"They've been wandering ghosts for so many years, if they don't reincarnate soon, their time is probably coming soon."
He looked at Chu Ci, his expression becoming much more serious. "You need to hurry."
Thinking of Li Lecan's younger brother, Chu Ci nodded.
"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible."
“Oh right,” Hei Yincha slapped his forehead, “do you remember that blue-eyed woman down there?”
A woman with blue eyes...
Chu Ci: "You mean Lan Momo?"
“Yes, that’s the name.” Hei Yincha pointed to the ground.
"She's going to be reincarnated. Go see her when you have time. I think she's been waiting for you."
Chu Ci readily agreed.
The Black Shadow Chariot talked about this and that, finally managing to steer the conversation to the main topic.
"I asked you to bring Black Bean with me this time because of the chemical plant explosion in the suburbs."
"Many people have died, and the underworld officials who came to help are so busy they don't even have time to rest."
"As a result, the people who caused the chemical plant explosion were mentally ill. Even after they died, they couldn't rest in peace and became vengeful ghosts."
He looked at the black beans with a smile, "It's a shame to break them up. This is a good opportunity for our black beans to have a taste of meat."
But Black Bean, whom he was so fond of, didn't want to pay attention to him. She was sleeping soundly in Chu Ci's arms, completely ignoring him.
Hei Yincha was not angry. He led Chu Ci to the location of the chemical plant, which was a remote area near the countryside.
This place is usually sparsely populated, with only factory workers coming and going, and there are hardly any shops.
But at that moment, the factory was engulfed in towering flames, which dyed most of the sky red.
The sirens of police cars and fire trucks echoed in the air, mixed with the sounds of several ambulances approaching and then receding into the distance.
Standing among the passing rescue workers, Chu Ci looked up at the burning factory.
Inside, besides the firefighters busy with rescue efforts, there were also underworld officials busy collecting souls.
Hey! Move aside!
Chu Ci subconsciously took two steps to the side, but when she turned her head, she realized that the person wasn't talking about her.
A male doctor wearing a mask carried a stretcher off the ambulance and walked towards a safe area not far away.
Chu Ci looked in the direction he was walking and saw many rescued workers lying in the safe zone.
Those with minor injuries can still breathe, while those with more serious injuries are already being watched over by underworld officials.
Chu Ci frowned and looked over, only to see an unfamiliar underworld official standing guard in front of the dying wounded man, sighing:
"If you're in so much pain, don't force yourself to endure it!"
"Today is your death day. There's no use in trying to hold on."
The wounded soldier must have seen the underworld officials; his eyes darted around.
His already unfocused eyes completely lost their sparkle.
The underworld official squatting beside her sighed, waiting for the dead soul to leave her body.
As soon as her soul separated from her body, before it could even process what it had done, the underworld official had already placed the soul-reaping rope around her neck:
"Stop looking, you're already dead, the affairs of the mortal world have nothing to do with you anymore."
"I'll take you to be reincarnated. You just bravely broke open a door in the fire and saved many people."
"These are all good deeds. You won't need to work in your next life; you can live a life of wealth and luxury!"
He forcefully pulled the newborn ghost away. As they passed Chu Ci, Chu Ci heard the newborn soul ask:
"If I'm gone, what will happen to my daughter? She's only two years old..."
The underworld official who led her away said calmly, "Everyone says that matters of the mortal world have nothing to do with you anymore."
"If you want to know about your daughter, wait until the seventh day after her death. She can come home once more on that day."
After saying that, the two quickly disappeared into the gate of hell.
"Stop looking, it's time to get to work."
The black-clad messenger patted Chu Ci on the shoulder, gesturing for her to follow him inside.
Chu Ci pointed to the raging fire at the chemical plant. "Shall we go inside?"
“Of course!” The black-clad messenger chuckled, glancing at her sideways.
"You're a ghost now, you can't be burned to death."
As he spoke, he stepped inside first, but after taking two steps, he didn't see Chu Ci follow.
"what?"
Chu Ci looked down at Hei Dou, who was sleeping sprawled out in her arms:
"We are ghosts, but it isn't!"
Hei Yincha slapped his forehead. "That's right!"
Two underworld messengers approached, and the black-clad messenger quickly retreated to make way for the two messengers who were there to collect souls and take them back to the underworld.
Watching the two underworld messengers return to report, the Black Underworld Messenger sighed.
"Black Bean and I will wait here. You go in first and take two souls."
Chu Ci: "..."
Noticing Chu Ci's gaze, Hei Yinchai spoke with righteous indignation.
"Since you're going to the underworld to see that blue eyeball anyway, you might as well send two ghosts down there!"
Although he knew that the Black Yin Cha was going to slack off, Chu Ci really wanted to see Lan Momo again.
She handed the black bean in her arms to the black messenger, saying, "Then you keep an eye on it and don't let it run around."
"No problem, no problem!"
He happily took Black Bean's body, which was sleeping sprawled out, and a smile appeared on his dark, sinister face.
He stroked the black bean's tail, chuckling softly.
Chu Ci: "..."
She glanced at Black Bean, whose sleeping posture hadn't changed much, then took the Soul-Hooking Rope and went into the burning chemical plant.
It wasn't until she got inside that she learned how the chemical plant had exploded.
Taking advantage of the security guards' relaxed vigilance at night, several people drove straight in and then set the car on fire.
A suicide attack was carried out, and the entire chemical plant was destroyed.
Chu Ci crawled into the building where the fire was most severe, but he didn't expect that the first ghost he hooked would be a firefighter.
He was still bewildered when he saw Chu Ci. He looked down at his semi-transparent spirit body, then turned to look at himself lying in the fire.
Subconsciously scratching his head, "So people really do become ghosts after they die..."
He muttered a couple of things, then looked up at Chu Ci and smiled, a hint of secret surprise in his eyes.
"I know you. You're a particularly famous master in our building!"
"My mom and sister had told me to go to you to get a talisman, but I never expected our first meeting to be in a place like this."
Chu Ci was surprised to find that this person was actually her neighbor in the same building.
But living in that building, they should be wealthy, so why would they let their child become a firefighter?
It is indeed a child; this person looks to be only twenty years old, or even younger.
Chu Ci thought this, and that's what he asked.
The firefighter in front of her, whose face was half burned, scratched the back of his head and smiled, giving an answer that surprised Chu Ci.
"Because I want to be a hero!"
Even after he died, his eyes still shone brightly in the smoke-filled fire scene.
"When I was a child, my sister and I were trapped in a fire and were rescued by firefighters."
“I wanted to be a hero like that, so I joined the fire department.”
As he spoke, he looked down at his burned hands and gave a bitter smile.
"I have indeed become a hero now, but I never expected the price to be so high."
When Chu Ci took him out, they passed by the open space where the wounded were being housed.
The young firefighter peeked out and pointed to two siblings, about seven or eight years old, lying side by side.
"Look, those are the people I rescued."
The brother and sister lay together hand in hand, their tiny faces covered in soot from the fire.
Because of her young age, the doctor who arrived quickly examined her.
Fortunately, he only inhaled excessive smoke and was not in any life-threatening danger.
Among these wounded soldiers whose skin was torn and bleeding, they were already among the lightest.
The young firefighter breathed a sigh of relief and followed Chu Ci into the Ghost Gate.
"It's so good that they're both alright."
He followed behind Chu Ci, chattering incessantly.
"When I saw them, the older brother was protecting his younger sister."
“I remember when my sister and I were trapped in a fire when we were little, she protected me like this.”
"The moment I saw them, I thought of my sister."
"I just don't know how those two kids ended up at the chemical plant..."
As he spoke, his mood gradually became depressed.
When he reached Hall 4, where the queue was, he suddenly stopped going in.
He kept his head down, his charred hair hanging down, revealing his forehead and nose tip, which were covered in pink skin from the burns.
Chu Ci: "..."
Her heart softened. "Is there anything I can tell your family?"
The firefighter ghost suddenly raised his head, revealing a big smile on his burned face.
"I didn't know how to start the conversation, thank you so much, Master!"
He leaned closer to Chu Ci and whispered:
“Tell my sister that there’s a bank card under my mattress in my dorm room, and that’s my salary in there.”
"That was my dowry money saved for her; the password was her birthday."
"Please tell her for me that my parents don't support her going abroad, but I do."
"If she can go abroad to study, don't forget to tell me when she comes back after graduation."
Chu Ci wrote down everything he said and sent him into the queue.
After stamping the notebook, she went to find Lan Momo.
Along the yellow riverbank, many ghosts were still lining up to be reincarnated, and Chu Ci quickly found Lan Momo among them.
After a few days apart, Lan Momo's body became even more transparent.
Just as the Black Yin Messenger said, if she doesn't reincarnate soon, her soul will soon be scattered.
Upon seeing Chu Ci, Lan Momo's numb expression immediately came to life.
"master!"
She screamed, then quickly covered her mouth and ran over happily.
He lowered his voice and said, "Master, you've finally arrived!"
She held Chu Ci's hand and asked expectantly:
"So, did my mom receive that money?"
“Received it. I took her to your rented place and found your deposit certificate there.”
"That day, I and a police officer accompanied her to the bank to change her assets."
"But your mother didn't expect you to help her save money, and she cried very sadly."
Lan Momo's smile carried a hint of bitterness. "No matter what, as long as she received it, that's fine."
“By the way, Master,” Lan Momo looked up at Chu Ci with a smile in her eyes, “I have another favor to ask of you.”
Chu Ci: "You speak."
"Master, when you went to my rented apartment, did you see any of my design drafts?"
"I saw it."
Lan Momo: "Master, go back and tell my mother to sell all those design drafts."
"Design is time-sensitive; if you miss the opportunity, you won't be able to sell it at a high price."
“Once we get the money, my mother will have another sum of money for her retirement.”
Chu Ci noted down what she said and nodded: "I will tell your mother."
After saying that, she looked at Lan Momo's face and added, "Your mother loves you very much."
"I know, I love my mom very much too." Lan Momo grinned and gave a big smile.
“I’ve always felt that I’m very lucky to have her as my mother.”
Chu Ci: "I will tell her."
"Never mind," Lan Momo's smile faded considerably as she lowered her eyes and waved her hand, "If she finds out, she'll cry again..."
She stood in front of Chu Ci with her head down for a while, feeling that she had a lot to say.
But the words that were on the tip of my tongue turned out to be:
"Master, please tell her for me that I have lived a good life as her daughter."
After saying that, she turned around and glanced at the riverbank full of people.
There were still two ferry boats on the river that were not full.
The cold wind blowing from the river made her hair a mess, and Lan Momo tucked the messy hair behind her ears.
Looking at Chu Ci through the gap in her hair, she spoke very softly:
"Thank you, Master. Thank you for helping me with my funeral arrangements."
Her eyes sparkled, "I'm going to be reincarnated."
"In this life, apart from meeting a man with a mental illness, everything else is pretty good."
She grinned broadly and opened her arms to give Chu Ci a hug.
With her head resting on Chu Ci's shoulder, her laughter was tinged with a slight sob.
"I hope I can be reborn as a human in my next life and see a longer part of the world."
They saw her off onto the ferry bound for the Bridge of Helplessness. This time, Lan Momo did not sink.
She waved to Chu Ci on the shore, and she and the boatload of people sailed towards the afterlife.
Back at the burning chemical plant, the Black Shadow Guard was crouching on the ground, covering his hand, watching the Black Bean licking its fur.
Seeing Chu Ci return, he waved with a smile, "You're back so quickly!"
Chu Ci nodded, glanced at his hand, and asked, "Did Hei Dou scratch you again?"
"That's right!" Blackie said, feeling wronged. "Black Bean has such a bad temper!"
"Meow!"
Black Bean brandished its claws at him, but when it ran to Chu Ci's legs, it started whimpering pitifully.
Chu Ci picked up Hei Dou and patted its little head.
He plopped down on the ground. "Senior, this fire isn't going to stop anytime soon. Why don't you go and send two ghosts off too?"
Hei Yincha sighed as he looked at the towering flames not far away.
"What a terrible thing!"
He carried the Soul-Hooking Rope into the factory, saying, "We'll take turns. You watch the black beans now, and I'll take over later."
The fire burned all night, and there were even two small explosions in between.
Chu Ci didn't know how many times he sent ghosts down, and the fire was not extinguished until dawn broke.
She and Hei Yincha were both exhausted and panting, while only Hei Dou slept soundly through the night.
"Let's go." Hei Yincha pointed inside. "Let Hei Dou go find those vengeful ghosts."
"Let Hei Dou go by himself?" Chu Ci's eyes widened.
Black Yin Messenger: "Send Black Bean here, firstly to feed it ghosts to nourish its body, and secondly because those few fierce ghosts are hiding too well."
"Black Bean has a keen nose; let it go looking, and it'll find it every time."
He was right. As soon as the black bean was placed on the ground, it sniffed the ground and quickly ran off in one direction.
“Let’s go,” the Black Shadow Chariot said, taking the first step forward. “Let’s follow it.”
They followed Black Bean, wandering around the burned-out buildings.
Soon, in a corner of a building, they found a vengeful ghost whose entire body was burned to a crisp.
The vengeful ghost was indistinguishable in gender, its body shrouded in black mist, and it hid in a corner, wailing incessantly.
His body trembled violently, and he mumbled incoherently:
"I should go to heaven... I should go to heaven..."
"This isn't heaven... Why isn't this heaven..."
Black Bean didn't care what he said; his eyes lit up, and he excitedly pounced on him.
"Meow!"
Although it was just a kitten, the fierce ghosts were powerless against it.
As the vengeful ghost screamed in agony, its soul was quickly torn into pieces.
"Meow!"
Hei Dou ate two of them, then picked up the largest one and placed it next to Chu Ci.
She squatted down obediently, her bright green eyes sparkling.
"Meow!"
Here, have some!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
