Chapter 029
"Are you all here?" Cheng Hui greeted them.
The beautiful woman in men's clothing turned her face away with disdain. The man from the Demon Suppression Division glanced at him indifferently without saying a word. Only the old monk said, "Amitabha, thank you for your courtesy."
Cheng Hui: Okay, I see. This is the difference between a negative initial favorability, zero initial favorability, and a positive initial favorability.
He wasn't angry. Back then, when he was working to earn tuition, he'd met all sorts of people. These three were already pretty good. There were also those who would trip you up just because they disliked you.
"The big monk and the man are both very strong." Aqiu said, "If you are in danger, you can ask them for help."
Cheng Hui was delighted when he heard this. That’s even better. Now he even has thighs.
He walked up to the old monk with a smile and said, "My name is Cheng Hui, and I'm a demon hunter. What's your name, Master?"
The old monk chanted a Buddhist name and said, "My name is Xuan Tan, an ordinary monk from Yulong Temple."
An ordinary monk? Oh, I don't believe you. If you were an ordinary monk, would you come here?
Cheng Hui looked at the other two again: "Since we're all gathered here, why not introduce ourselves to each other? Maybe we can help each other later?"
The beautiful woman in men's clothing sneered, "Help each other? Are you okay? Demon hunters don't need to help each other. Only losers would only think about asking others for help."
"You can't say that, young lady." Cheng Hui clicked his tongue and shook his head. "What's the most important job for us demon hunters? It's to solve strange incidents. If something is within our capabilities, then it doesn't matter who solves it. But if we encounter something particularly dangerous that we can't solve, it's better to seek help from our companions than to let the strange incidents continue to claim lives! After all... most demons become stronger the more people they eat."
The beautiful woman in men's clothing looked a little grim upon hearing this. However, the man from the Demon Suppression Division looked at Cheng Hui in surprise, as if somewhat taken aback by his argument. He nodded and said, "Yes, our goal is to resolve strange incidents, not to compete for supremacy. I am the Night Watchman Seven of the Demon Suppression Division."
In this world, demons often appear, so the imperial court had to set up a special department to monitor the world and prevent any demons from becoming too powerful. This department was called the Demon Suppression Department.
It is said that the Yaojing Division is responsible for dealing with demons and strange things, so the strength of a county magistrate should be quite reliable.
The woman in men's clothing looked even uglier after Cheng Hui's retort, but since the other three had already introduced themselves to each other, wouldn't she be excluded if she didn't join? She could only swallow her anger and say, "My name is Xin Erniang, from the Xin family of Hedong."
"Is it the Xin family in Hedong who gave birth to a celestial being?" the old monk asked in surprise.
Ye Qi also showed a surprised expression.
"That's right." Xin Erniang was obviously very proud that her family had produced such a powerful celestial being, and her expression improved visibly.
"I've heard a lot about you. Miss Xin is so young but she's already ranked second and even has gone out to gain experience. I think she must be incredibly talented." The old monk spoke politely.
Cheng Hui also deduced from his words that the name of Xin Family Second Mother might have to be snatched away, and the person who got it must be incredibly powerful.
Xin Erniang had probably never been praised like this before, and a blush appeared on her audacious face. She kept saying, "I dare not, I dare not. The master of Yulong Temple and the masters of the Demon Suppression Bureau are here. I am just a newcomer."
Cheng Hui watched the business bragging for a while. These three people were all very influential, and he, a complete newbie, was immediately stood out.
Fortunately, his previous actions won the favor of the master and Ye Qi. Although Xin Erniang was quite unhappy with him, she didn't say anything else.
The four of them agreed to explore the manor together, but split into two directions so that they could look after each other and save time.
Cheng Hui and Master Xuan Tan were in a group. Two of them were responsible for investigating the small courtyard on the east side, while the other two went straight to the west courtyard.
Master Xuan Tan was a very patient monk, so Cheng Hui took the opportunity to ask him many questions. At first, the master's answers were very clear, but later his expression became indescribable.
He had this written all over his face: How did you survive to this day when you know nothing? And become a demon hunter?
Cheng Hui was fearless. He knew nothing to begin with, and if he encountered a demon right away, he might be dead. Now that he had entered the manor, he could encounter strange things at any time. Of course, he had to seize the time to learn as much as possible about the demon's behavior and make some preparations.
Master Xuan Tan was indeed a monk. Even though some of the questions Cheng Hui asked were completely unfamiliar, apart from a slight change in his expression, he did not refuse to answer them.
Cheng Hui thought to himself that this master was indeed an accomplished person, so he had to hurry up and ask more questions.
Aqiu: ...
As a thing that resides in Cheng Hui's brain... a kind of existence that no one knows what it is, Lin Qingqiu can see everything in the outside world through Cheng Hui's eyes, and hear everything Cheng Hui hears through his ears. Sometimes, he can even perceive things that Cheng Hui unconsciously ignores.
So, when he saw Cheng Hui almost making Monk Xuan Tan cry with some basic questions, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Hui... Cheng Hui..." He changed the address in time, not wanting Cheng Hui to associate him with that little brat for the time being.
——Even though he was jealous to death.
He himself didn't have the chance to be with Cheng Hui day and night, but he, whose memory was sealed, actually did it, which made him very unwilling.
However, he had gone against the will of Heaven and offended Heaven, which led to him paying such a painful price later on. He had to seal himself and use his memories before the age of 25 to separate a strand of his soul to avoid being targeted.
Although he didn't know why his spiritual consciousness could awaken in this world, this was a good thing. At least in this way, he wouldn't have to wait so long to see Cheng Hui.
"Cheng Hui?"
"What?" Cheng Hui asked.
"You have to pay attention to Xin Erniang." Aqiu reminded.
"I know. She treats me so badly, I will definitely be careful with her." Cheng Hui wondered why Aqiu suddenly said something nonsense.
"No... I mean, I suspect her name Xin Er Niang might be fake."
"Um?"
Cheng Hui suddenly perked up: "You said she's a traitor?"
Ah Qiu paused, his tone somewhat helpless: "No, she should be from the Xin family. When Master Xuan Tan mentioned the Xin family, the pride on her face was not fake. But her second mother's name may not be true."
Cheng Hui wondered, "Since she's from the Xin family, why does she need to disguise her name?"
"You've also heard from Master Xuan Tan that the Xin family is ranked by strength, and anyone who gets second place must be the elite of the clan. Talent and character are both essential. But this Xin Erniang...it's hard to say what her talent is, but her character is not very good. Moreover...she blushed when Master Xuan Tan praised her."
"Isn't it normal to blush when someone compliments you?"
"Blushing is normal, but most girls tend to lower their heads or eyes when blushing to avoid looking at others, rather than lowering their heads and rolling their eyes like she did, which clearly shows guilt."
Finally, Aqiu gave his conclusion: "That's why I said that she's most likely a new member of the Xin family who ranks lower, but to gain your trust, she calls herself Xin Er Niang. In reality, her strength may not be very strong. If you encounter danger later, remember to ask the other two for help."
Cheng Hui: ...Fuck!
How outstanding are you in the same year as me?
I suspect my eyes are fake...
After being slightly provoked by Aqiu, Cheng Hui felt like he was about to fall into autism again. Fortunately, he had arrived at the East Courtyard at this time.
After passing through a dilapidated garden, they entered the East Courtyard. The East Courtyard was very small and was surrounded by servants' quarters. In the center of the courtyard stood a large tree with lush branches and leaves, almost covering the entire East Courtyard.
There was a well under the tree. Cheng Hui walked over and took a look. The well was very deep, and he could feel a chill when he got closer.
Cheng Hui found a stone and threw it down. After a few seconds, he heard a dull splash. It was obvious that the well was quite deep.
Cheng Hui discussed with the master, and the two of them checked the servants' rooms separately. When Cheng Hui was checking a room, he accidentally discovered that the large wardrobe here had a mezzanine. He opened it and found a thick diary inside.
"Interesting, the servants here can actually read?" He picked up the diary with great interest, and after opening it, he found that the person who wrote the diary was the steward in charge of managing the manor at that time.
The old housekeeper is old and has a poor memory. He is afraid that he will forget things during his daily work, so he records all his work and writes a book that is similar to a work diary.
Cheng Hui looked through it and picked out a few key points.
The 24th year of Yuanping, spring, the 9th day of the third month
The master got angry again this morning. I don’t understand. The painting was obviously very well done, but the master said it was ruined.
In the afternoon, a servant accidentally knocked over the master's paint, and the master's face looked terrible.
The 24th year of Yuanping, spring, the tenth day of the third month
The servant is missing. The master said he was sold, but I don't remember.
Oh, forget it. People’s memory becomes worse as they get older. Maybe I forgot.
The 24th year of Yuanping, spring, March 19th
The master is very happy because his wife is pregnant again and hopes that this baby will be a boy. Although the girl is very cute, a boy is still needed to support the family. People like the master would be criticized in my hometown.
On the 12th day of the sixth month, summer, the 24th year of Yuanping
The lady had another miscarriage. It might be because she was too weak to keep the baby. So far, only the youngest girl has survived. The oldest of the remaining ones was only eight months old. That was a fully grown male fetus. What a pity.
If you ask me, the master could have taken in more wives to have children for him, but he is such a lovesick man that he only stays with his wife.
I am old, very old. I can’t understand what the master is thinking. The madam is very good, but is it worth it for her to have no descendants?
Summer, June 13, 1916, the 24th year of Yuanping
The master is in a good mood today, which is strange.
*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
