Chapter 20 Sun Guangyao Disappears
"Is this the little bird that Yuanyuan raised? What's it carrying in its beak?" Sheng Yunhua quickly rolled down the car window.
Huan Ni flapped her wings and flew into the car, placing the large yellow croaker in Sheng Yunhua's hand. She then leaned out of the car window and spat several times.
Sheng Yunhua was amused: "Yuanyuan is such a wonderful person, even her little bird is so cute." She opened the yellow talisman paper and glanced at it, her smile deepening. "What a good child."
She took out a pen and wrote a line of words on the back of the yellow talisman paper, and also left a string of numbers.
Just as Huan Ni was about to breathe a sigh of relief after choking for so long, something was stuffed into her mouth again!
Her fiery temper!
Did they think anyone could boss her around like Shi Yuan did?
Just as she was about to spit out the yellow talisman, she met the gaze of the man in the long robe.
Well, she's going back to Shi Yuan's side anyway, so taking a note back is just a convenient thing to do, or rather, a casual remark!
After Huan Ni flew away, Sheng Yunhua scolded Feng Cheng, "Look how scared you were of that little bird!"
Feng Cheng chuckled, took Sheng Yunhua's hand and rubbed it: "Your little friend is quite interesting."
Sheng Yunhua nodded: "Fengcheng, if we could have a child, would it be like Yuanyuan's?" She touched her belly, her voice muffled, clearly showing her low spirits.
A flicker of pain crossed Feng Cheng's eyes, but his expression softened further: "I only wish to stay by your side year after year."
Sheng Yunhua's eyes reddened: "Wherever you go, I will be there."
At the Zhendong Post Office, Wu Xingzhou dialed a number. After the phone rang three times, someone answered.
"Second Uncle, I am Xingzhou."
"Yes, I saw Yuanyuan, she's fine." He paused, then continued, "Second Uncle, Yuanyuan has regained her senses."
"That's impossible!" came a resolute voice from the other end of the phone.
“It’s true. I’ve spoken with Yuanyuan, and I’m pretty sure she’s of sound mind.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Wu Xingzhou called out "Second Uncle" several times before there was a response: "Bring her back."
"I'm afraid it won't be easy."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before someone asked, "Did Shi Ling see the letter?"
"I saw it." Wu Xingzhou's expression was somewhat conflicted, but he still told the truth, "My second aunt doesn't like me at all, and neither does Yuanyuan." His tone was tinged with sadness, "Yuanyuan kicked me out of the house."
"By the way, Second Uncle, Aunt Xie has bribed a distant relative to spy on Aunt Xie and her daughter."
"I have the remittance slip here."
"Okay, I will bring Yuanyuan home as soon as possible."
"Yes, mission accomplished!"
After hanging up the phone, Wu Xingzhou looked somewhat somber. He really wanted to respect Wu Yuan's choice, but he had to bring her back.
Shi Yuan was naturally unaware of the conversation between the Wu family uncle and nephew. After reading Sheng Yunhua's message, she genuinely smiled.
"You're still laughing!" Huan Ni complained. "I'm an ancient divine beast, not a carrier pigeon. Don't make me do this kind of thing again."
Shi Yuan easily appeased Huan Ni with a single sentence: "You are my partner, we will weather the storm together."
The phantom bird grinned, looked around, and sneakily approached Shi Yuan with a gossipy look on its face: "Let me tell you, Sheng Yunhua and that Ghost King are really inseparable."
She looked up at the sky and recalled for a while: "In my memory, all the ghost kings in the Ghost Realm were cold-hearted and heartless. How come there is a romantic one among them?"
"Do you know that Ghost King?"
“I don’t know him!” Huan Ni shook her head, then immediately added, “Don’t be fooled by how much stronger he is now. In my prime, someone like him wouldn’t even be qualified to be my underling.”
She muttered, "He must have had incredible luck to survive that catastrophe; now he's quite the convincing bluffer."
She glanced at Shi Yuan again, then shut her mouth tightly. The more Shi Yuan knew about those things, the less good it would do.
Shi Yuan didn't ask any more questions. She had experienced the apocalypse herself, and the development of this world has its own laws. Knowing more wouldn't help.
Not long after, Ah Da returned, carrying a sack.
"Weren't we going to get cinnabar?" Shi Yuan pointed to the sack. "So much?"
“No, most of them are yellow talisman paper.” A-Da wiped his sweat. “Old Zhu said the ones you bought last time weren’t very good quality and were mostly used for funerals.” He pointed to the sack. “He said these yellow talisman paper are of good quality and suitable for you.”
"Oh, and he also said that he would keep an eye out for good cinnabar and would let you know if he had any in stock."
Ah Da scratched his head and continued, "I told him about the big yellow croaker you gave him, and he was incredibly grateful." His words carried a hint of boasting.
"Thank you so much." Shi Yuan noticed that A Da's shoes were torn, so she gave him a few industrial coupons. "Go buy some clothes and a new pair of shoes."
"There are many wild animals on this mountain, so be careful."
"Don't worry, I can survive anywhere."
"Sister, you're so good to him, please treat me too. I want to be reincarnated!" The soft male voice rang in Shi Yuan's ears again.
"Boss, I'm going up the mountain now."
Shi Yuan nodded, exchanged a glance with Huan Ni, and went home.
The male ghost, with a mournful expression, followed Ah Da up the mountain.
Beicheng Wu Family
Xie Minyin glanced at the sheep whip that her mother had gone to great lengths to obtain in the vegetable basket, and her expression was not very pleasant.
Ever since Shi Ling left Beicheng with the mentally challenged man, Wu Guanhai has lost his former enthusiasm for her, even though back then they were always passionately in love.
But men seem to be so shameless; they like to do things secretly. Once she has gone to great lengths to become a legitimate member of the family, Wu Guanhai no longer pays attention to her.
The only thing that comforted her was that although Wu Guanhai was cold to her, he didn't exert any effort on the outside.
Xie Minyin pushed open the door and saw Wu Guanhai sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. She felt a little guilty for no reason: "Why are you off work so early today?"
Wu Guanhai put down his newspaper, his face stern, and said, "You sent someone to monitor Shi Ling and her daughter?" It was a question, but his tone was very certain.
Xie Minyin's heart skipped a beat. She knew Wu Guanhai wouldn't say such a thing without reason, so she smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I was just thinking that Wu Yuan is, after all, your daughter..."
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
"Xie Minyin, stop plotting." Wu Guanhai's expression was icy. "If I find out you're going to provoke Shi Ling and her daughter again," he stared intently at Xie Minyin, "I wouldn't mind getting divorced again." His tone was indifferent, yet earnest.
"I really meant well," Xie Minyin quickly explained. "I saw you looking at Wu Yuan's photo that day, and I thought I should find Shi Ling and her daughter first."
"That way, in case you ever want to see your daughter someday..."
She was interrupted again before she could finish speaking: "That's my daughter."
"Xie Minyin, remember, don't mess with them!" After saying that, he walked out of the house.
"Where are you going? I've already bought the groceries."
"work overtime!"
After Wu Guanhai left, Xie Minyin slowly squatted down, biting her lower lip and covering her face, a few sobs escaping from behind her hands.
She was so glamorous back then, driving Shi Ling and her daughter out of Beicheng and becoming the regimental commander's wife.
She was so confident back then; she told herself she would never live her life like Shi Ling.
But now, she's not even as good as Shi Ling!
She touched her stomach. What did Shi Ling have? Wasn't it just a child?
Since she's married to Wu Guanhai, there's no way she can get a divorce!
There's news again about Qinglin Bay!
Yang Fuguo is going to marry Wu Xinghe.
Logically speaking, when someone in the village gets married, those who are even remotely related by marriage will come to help.
However, the person Yang Fuguo was going to marry was Wu Xinghe.
Who is Wu Xinghe? She is the enemy of the women of Qinglin Bay!
She's been rumored to have affairs with almost every man in Qinglin Bay!
She wanted to get married, but apart from her own family, no one was willing to come and help.
Quite a few people went to the Yang family's place, but they all looked at the Yang mother and daughter with meaningful smiles. Those who had quarreled with the Yang mother and daughter would deliberately pass by them and then cover their mouths and noses in disgust, which made the Yang mother and daughter very embarrassed.
Since Wu Xinghe wasn't buying their act at all and they couldn't get a single penny out of her, the Yang mother and daughter kept their faces long.
Yang Fuguo was beaming with pride. Indeed, having a child in middle age was a great joy, and Wu Xinghe was good at pleasing him and had money in her pocket, so he was very happy to take her in.
"Oh, I finally made it in time for the wedding ceremony after all that rushing." Sun Guangyao walked into the main room with a hearty laugh, glancing around as if no one else was there. "It's not too bad, at least my sister He and the child weren't wronged."
"Who is this person?" Li Mingfen asked her old friend. "Have you seen him before? Is he a member of Wu Xinghe's family?"
The older woman shook her head: "Never seen him before, but judging from his clothes, he must be from the city."
"I didn't expect Wu Xinghe to have such a powerful backer. It seems her life in the Yang family is secure now."
Li Mingfen shook her head: "I don't think she's a powerful backer, she's more like..." She didn't say what she was more like. No matter how much she disliked Wu Xinghe, this was her wedding day. To speak carelessly on such a day would only make enemies.
But her old friend clearly understood, and they exchanged knowing glances.
"This must be my brother-in-law," Sun Guangyao patted Yang Fuguo on the shoulder. "From now on, I'll have to trouble you to take care of my sister He and the children."
"Oh right, I almost forgot, I gave you a big red envelope to wish you a happy marriage." As he spoke, he pulled a thick red paper packet from his pants pocket, along with a woman's undergarment.
The noisy wedding venue instantly quieted down. Sun Guangyao remained calm and handed the red envelope along with the baby clothes to Wu Xinghe with a smile: "He-mei, live a good life from now on and don't worry about your brother."
Li Mingfen and her old friend exchanged glances, shocked and eager to know. Neither of them spoke, but the change in their eyes said it all.
Everyone looked up at Yang Fuguo's head at the same time. Coincidentally, at that moment, a green bird flew to Yang Fuguo's head and landed a few green feathers on his forehead.
"Pfft!" Someone in the crowd couldn't help but burst out laughing.
That sneer seemed to have flipped a switch, and a series of "pfft" sounds echoed in the main room.
Yang Fuguo's face turned a dark green, and without thinking, he threw a punch at Sun Guangyao.
Sun Guangyao had dressed up carefully; his clothes and shoes were clearly expensive. After that punch, Yang Fuguo was actually a little nervous.
To everyone's surprise, Sun Guangyao didn't hold it against her at all. He just smiled and told Yang Fuguo to treat He Mei and the child well. After saying that, he looked at Wu Xinghe with affection and said, "Take the child and live well with him. In the end, I'm the one who has wronged you." He emphasized the word "you" and then left dejectedly.
This left Wu Xinghe completely dumbfounded. Sun Guangyao had never been this gentle when he coaxed her into bed; he usually just threw money at her!
For a moment, she even began to doubt her choice.
After all, anyone with eyes can see that Sun Guangyao's conditions in all aspects are several levels better than Yang Fuguo's.
Wu Xinghe bit her lower lip, her gaze filled with struggle as she looked at Sun Guangyao's retreating figure.
Everyone could see that if Sun Guangyao said tenderly, "He-mei, come with me," Wu Xinghe would leave Yang Fuguo behind and run away with Sun Guangyao without looking back.
But Sun Kuan Yew seemed unable to bear the thought of his beloved marrying someone else, and his pace quickened.
Seeing Wu Xinghe's reluctant expression, Yang Fuguo was so angry that he was panting heavily. He held back for a long time, but couldn't help but slap Wu Xinghe.
Could Wu Xinghe tolerate this? She immediately grabbed Yang Fuguo and beat him until his face was covered in welts.
The wedding turned into a farce.
But the two didn't fall out because they were both afraid the other would change their minds, so they had already registered their marriage before the wedding.
Sun Guangyao arrived at the foot of the mountain, covered his left cheek with a forced smile, and said to Shi Yuan, who was waiting there, "According to the agreement, we are even."
Shi Yuan turned her head: "The premise is that you only sent the message."
"Of course!" Sun Guangyao hurriedly explained, "I'm only after the money, why would I do anything unnecessary!"
After saying that, he immediately softened his stance: "When would be a good time for you to talk to your cousin and ask him to stop making things difficult for me?"
"Let's make things difficult for a while longer," Shi Yuan said with a forced smile. "We have to wait until I've vented my anger."
Sun Guangyao took a deep breath, daring not to speak his anger: "Yes, yes, then when you've calmed down, please inform Comrade Wu."
Shi Yuan nodded indifferently. As long as Xie Minyin was still Wu Xingzhou's second aunt, he wouldn't go too far. Whether she greeted him or not, the result would be the same.
As soon as Sun Guangyao saw Shi Yuan, he felt a sharp pain in the place where he had been stabbed. Seeing that Shi Yuan had no other instructions, he said a few polite words and turned to go back to town.
Looking towards the Yang family's direction, with the intruding mistress and the cheating scumbag, Shi Yuan thought she could live a peaceful life? No way!
The Yang family has recently become the laughing stock of Qinglin Bay.
Shi Ling is very open-minded. After separating from the Yang family, she never mentioned them again. But recently, her appetite has improved a lot.
Li Mingfen especially liked to share stories about the Yang family with her. Today it was Yang Fuguo and his wife fighting, tomorrow it was Feng Jinqiu going to their door to scold Wu Xinghe for being shameless, and the day after tomorrow it was Yang Meiyu pointing at Wu Xinghe's belly and calling her a bastard. It was more exciting than a model opera!
Shi Yuan hasn't been going out much lately; she's been busy drawing talismans.
If her supernatural abilities increased a bit after absorbing the large yellow croaker given to her by the Zhu family father and daughter, making her more than capable of protecting herself, then why was she drawn again?
This isn't like sending away the female ghost Zhu Xiangyun only to attract another resentful male ghost.
Huan Ni's strength is less than one-tenth of what it used to be. In case she gets alone one day, it's always good to be prepared.
Just then, Zhu Zhishan brought her so many high-quality yellow talisman paper and cinnabar. Since she had nothing else to do, she simply went into seclusion to draw talismans.
This touched Huan Ni deeply. Reluctant to use the treasures in her storage world to express her gratitude, she simply patted her chest and went to Yang Fuguo's wedding to present the gift.
"You didn't see how green Yang Fuguo's face was!"
Shi Yuan didn't work in the fields or interact with the villagers, but she always managed to get firsthand information about the gossip in Qinglin Bay.
"Recently, Yang's eldest daughter-in-law and Yang Meiyu have fought several times."
Shi Yuan concentrated intently on drawing talismans, and as soon as the brush touched the paper, the talisman was completed. Sure enough, good yellow talisman paper and cinnabar would enhance the talisman. The talismans he drew recently were of much higher quality than those before, and none of them were ruined.
"Do you know why?" Huan Ni asked herself, "Because that night, Yang Meiyu deliberately used so much force that she almost pulled Yang Dasao into the cesspool too!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, why are we fighting each other so fiercely!"
Shi Yuan stopped writing and couldn't help but say, "Don't use this poem like that." He felt the poem had been tainted.
"Just listen, you don't need to offer any opinions."
“Okay.” Shi Yuan picked up her pen again.
By the time Shi Yuan finally finished using up the cinnabar, the clock had already made several revolutions.
Looking at the neatly stacked stacks of talismans, Huan Ni's beady eyes widened in shock: "These are all mine?" "So many!"
Shi Yuan pinched the bridge of her nose: "It's all yours!" She tapped Huan Ni's bird head, "Didn't you say it was so much fun spitting out talismans like a machine gun at the mountain god temple last time?"
"Keep it safe. If you feel like throwing up, just do it. I'll get you more if you run out."
"Shi Yuan, you're so good to me, I like you the most!"
Shi Yuan teased her, "Give her a treasure to prove how much you like it."
"Hehehe!" Huan Ni pretended not to hear and opened her mouth to put all the talismans into her storage world.
Shi Yuan sighed, "Now I truly understand what it means to 'regret not having studied enough when you need to use it'."
"I really wanted to prepare some amulets that could be activated automatically for Shi Ling, but unfortunately, I didn't learn them."
Huan Ni grinned and comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay, I'll protect her with you."
These words were overheard by the woman who came to call them for dinner. Her voice softened slightly: "Yuanyuan, Huanni, dinner's ready."
Yes, Shi Ling realized that Huan Ni was different from others.
After Shi Yuan and Shi Ling confessed their supernatural abilities, Huan Ni was formally introduced to Shi Ling. In the Shi family, Huan Ni was allowed to eat at the table, though she had her own set of chopsticks and bowls.
It wasn't that Shi Ling and Shi Yuan disliked her, but Huan Ni was particular and wouldn't eat unless she had precious bowls and plates from the storage world.
Shi Yuan was convinced!
The family had just sat down and picked up their chopsticks when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Shi Ling put down her chopsticks, and Shi Yuan had already stood up: "I'll go check on things. You and Huan Ni can eat first."
The courtyard gate opened, revealing Wu Xingzhou. Shi Yuan frowned: "Didn't I tell you not to come?"
“Yuanyuan, Sun Guangyao has gone missing. Someone saw you meet her at the foot of the mountain and has already reported it to the police. The police from the local station will be here soon.”
"Don't worry, you're a member of the Wu family, I'll definitely protect you."
Shi Yuan gave Wu Xingzhou a deep look, took a step back, and closed the courtyard gate.
Wu Xingzhou was stunned: "Yuanyuan, please open the door. Let's discuss our explanation to the police."
"Get out!" Shi Yuan said, then went inside, picked up her chopsticks, and quickly started eating.
Shi Ling looked at Shi Yuan with a worried expression: "Yuan Yuan?"
"Don't worry, it's alright. Wu Xingzhou said the police are coming soon. I don't want to cooperate with the investigation on an empty stomach, so you should eat too."
"Don't worry, Sun Guangyao's disappearance has nothing to do with me. The police questioning is just a routine procedure, and I will just tell the truth."
"If Wu Xingzhou comes to you, don't believe anything he says. If there's anything, I'll have Huan Ni deliver a message to you."
She paused, then continued, "I have a friend who knows a little martial arts. I'll have him protect you nearby. Don't be afraid, wait for me to come back." She then glanced at Huan Ni.
Huan Ni understood and flew into the mountains.
Shi Yuan rarely spoke so much in one breath, and immediately after finishing, she started eating again.
Hearing Shi Yuan say that every arrangement was for him, he couldn't help but hug Shi Yuan tightly: "My child!"
Shi Yuan froze, her hand loosened, and the chopsticks fell onto the table.
"Shi Yuan, be my child, okay?" This was the first time Shi Ling called out "Shi Yuan" instead of "Yuan Yuan".
Looking at the table full of her favorite dishes and her clean new clothes, Shi Yuan hugged Shi Ling back and whispered, "Okay." After a while, she called out softly again, "Mom!"
Shi Ling responded excitedly, but before she could speak, the courtyard gate was knocked on again.
This time it was the police. If Shi Yuan remembered correctly, the person was called Xiao Si, the policeman the captain had assigned to make the emergency call at the mountain temple that night.
"Are you Comrade Shi Yuan?" Xiao Si showed his identification and said politely, "There is a missing person case that requires your assistance in the investigation. Please come with me to the police station."
Shi Yuan glanced at A-Da, who was hiding in the bushes at the foot of the mountain, then looked back at Shi Ling. Seeing A-Da nod, she replied, "Of course."
While she was talking to Xiao Si, Wu Xingzhou was watching from the side.
Shi Yuan didn't even glance at him, gave Shi Ling a few instructions, and then went to town with Xiao Si.
Huan Ni was worried, so she patted A Da's head, flew into the air, and followed.
"Second Aunt, I can help Yuanyuan."
Shi Ling stared at him for a while, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile and said, "Shi Yuan."
"What?" Wu Xingzhou didn't understand.
“Her name on the household registration is Shi Yuan.” She leaned against the courtyard gate. “Don’t come again!” Then she closed the gate.
When Wu Xingzhou realized what she meant, he panicked and banged on the door: "Second Aunt, what do you mean?"
"You changed Wu Yuan's surname?"
"You actually changed Wu Yuan's surname!"
"How can this be? Wu Yuan is a member of the Wu family!"
Seeing that something was wrong, A-Da quickly ran over and pushed Wu Xingzhou aside to block the courtyard gate.
Wu Xingzhou was in a terrible mood when suddenly a burly man appeared and shoved him without saying a word. Unable to control his temper any longer, he threw a punch.
Ah Da has defeated countless opponents in his life, his only defeat was against Shi Yuan. Would he be afraid of Wu Xingzhou? He blocked Wu Xingzhou's punch and immediately counterattacked.
He was a witness to everything that happened at the mountain god temple that night, and his trust in Shi Yuan had reached the point of blind delusion. Therefore, he didn't care who Wu Xingzhou was; he had promised Shi Yuan that he would protect Shi Ling!
Wu Xingzhou was not weak, no, he was extremely skilled, but compared to A Da, who had fought his way up in the underground boxing market, his moves lacked the ferocity of someone risking his life. Moreover, his injuries had not fully healed, and he was ultimately knocked back several steps by A Da's punch.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"You don't need to know, just don't bother the owner of this house!" After saying that, A-Da stood straight in front of the courtyard gate with his arms crossed, not allowing Wu Xingzhou to come any closer.
With such a commotion at the door, Shi Ling naturally heard it. Remembering that Shi Yuan had said a friend who knew martial arts would come to protect her, she opened the door and said to A Da, "You must be Shi Yuan's friend. Come in and sit down."
Ah Da quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I have to guard the door, you don't need to worry about me."
Ah Da insisted on not coming in, so Shi Ling asked him, "Have you eaten yet?"
Just as Ah Da was about to nod, his stomach growled. He patted his stomach sheepishly and chuckled a few times.
Shi Ling smiled too. She went to the kitchen and made a bowl of noodles for A-Da, and also fried two eggs for him.
Ah Da almost burst into tears as he held the fragrant bowl. Since he could remember, no one had ever cooked for him.
If he was protecting Shi Ling just now because of Shi Yuan, from this moment on, Shi Ling has become his family, and no one can bully her!
No one can understand the significance of this bowl for Ah Da, who has struggled to survive alone since childhood.
At that moment, it seemed that his heart had truly found its home.
Shi Yuan was unaware of what was happening here, but she still trusted Ah Da.
She had long seen through Ah Da; he only wanted to live.
Ah Da had witnessed Shi Yuan's abilities firsthand, and he would not betray him until he found a more powerful backer.
She didn't ask Xiao Si about Sun Guangyao's situation. Sun Guangyao's disappearance had nothing to do with her. She believed that she would be fine without Wu Xingzhou's intervention.
But she seems to have oversimplified things.
At first, the police did indeed conduct a normal inquiry and take a statement. In fact, the officer who was questioning her even smiled and shook her hand, thanking her for her cooperation and saying that she could go home. He added that if needed later, he might ask her to come to the police station again.
But all of this changed after the police officer was called out to answer a phone call.
Shi Yuan could clearly see the struggle and reluctance of the police officer, but he still spoke up: "Comrade Shi Yuan, some people say that you once threatened Sun Guangyao to ruin your stepfather's wedding."
"We have reason to suspect that you are directly related to Sun Guangyao's disappearance, and we are now taking you into custody in accordance with the law!" After saying that, the police officer was about to come over and handcuff Shi Yuan.
“My former stepfather,” Shi Yuan explained calmly.
"What?"
“My mother has already divorced Yang Fuguo. He is her former stepfather. You are wrong.”
The police officer was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed: "So you think you're in the right just because you ruined your former stepfather's wedding?"
"No," Shi Yuan said, then, seeing that the police officer's expression had softened, added, "I'm happy!"
"You!" The police officer took out handcuffs and was about to cuff Shi Yuan.
"Stop!" Sheng Yunhua strode into the interrogation room and grabbed the handcuffs held by the policeman. "Who gave you the guts to handcuff her!"
Huan Ni flew in and landed on Shi Yuan's shoulder, her beady eyes coldly staring at the police officer.
"Who are you? This is an interrogation room. Who gave you permission to come in!"
“I gave my permission,” the police captain said solemnly at the door. “If I remember correctly, my order was: Please have Comrade Shi Yuan come over to assist with the investigation!”
"And who gave you permission to detain Comrade Shi Yuan without authorization?"
"I, Captain, have received orders from my superiors."
"I am your superior, and I did not issue such an order!"
Before the police officer could say anything, the captain gave him no chance. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Si came in and immediately pinned the man down.
"I'm sorry, Comrade Shi, you've been wronged." The captain apologized sincerely.
Shi Yuan had a very good impression of the captain. In the situation at the mountain temple, he was willing to risk revealing his location and speaking out to save people, so Shi Yuan was very polite to him.
"It's alright. Since it's a misunderstanding, it's fine as long as we clear it up."
Sheng Yunhua knew something was amiss and offered, "Captain Qi, how about this? Shi Yuan can stay at the Seventh Division office and cooperate with the investigation at any time." This was essentially giving Shi Yuan his endorsement.
"Of course, thank you for your understanding, Comrade Sheng and Comrade Shi," Qi Zhang said with a smile.
Shi Yuan signed the statement and left the police station with Sheng Yunhua.
"Thank you, sister." Shi Yuan's smile became much more genuine.
Sheng Yunhua gave her a playful glare and said, "You're still calling me 'sister'? You should call me 'auntie'!"
Looking at Sheng Yunhua's stunning beauty, Shi Yuan really couldn't bring herself to call her "Auntie."
Seeing the amazement in Shi Yuan's eyes, Sheng Yunhua affectionately tapped Shi Yuan's forehead: "Then you can call me Aunt Yun."
"Thank you, Aunt Yun." Shi Yuan readily agreed.
"I also want to thank your little pet. Without it notifying me, I wouldn't have known you were in trouble." Sheng Yunhua's smile faded at this point. "Was it the Wu family's doing?"
"To force you to go back?"
Shi Yuan shook her head: "It's not certain yet. On the surface, it seems to be related to the Wu family, but would the Wu family be so stupid as to force me to go back and turn against me?"
Upon hearing Shi Yuan's words, Sheng Yunhua's expression turned rather unpleasant: "The Wu family members are not stupid; it's just that some people might think they're being too clever for their own good."
"Xie Minyin?"
Upon hearing this name, Sheng Yunhua frowned instinctively: "She's not done yet!"
"Yuanyuan, don't be afraid, I'm here. Neither the Wu family nor the Xie family will be able to hurt you!" She had always regretted not being able to protect Shi Ling back then, and she was determined to protect Shi Yuan.
Shi Yuan had a very subtle feeling when she stood in front of the mahogany gate again.
Initially, she only wanted to exchange some gold to restore her superpowers, thinking it was a one-off deal. She even praised Gu Linyuan for not following the usual path, daring to openly run a black market in this era.
I never expected that she would have so much interaction with the Seventh Division.
“I’m right next door.” Sheng Yunhua led Shi Yuan into a small courtyard. “I’ll go to Qinglin Bay later to let Sister Ling know. You can stay here without worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
"Thank you, Aunt Yun."
"You're welcome. I'm willing to protect you."
After thinking for a moment, Shi Yuan mentioned to Sheng Yunhua that she had asked A-Da to protect Shi Ling, in order to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
"You've thought of everything." Sheng Yunhua walked out of the courtyard with a look of satisfaction, and said to Hei Yun who suddenly appeared beside her, "Sister Ling has taught Shi Yuan so well."
The dark clouds dispersed in the next instant, revealing Feng Cheng's alluring and slender figure: "The sister Yunhua has chosen is naturally good."
"Let's go to Qinglin Bay."
"good."
After Sheng Yunhua left, Shi Yuan conjured a golden ball from her fingertip and played with it casually, considering whether to go north to get revenge. It wasn't in her nature to take a beating without fighting back.
Wu Xingzhou didn't get any advantage from A Da, and Shi Ling kept the courtyard gates tightly shut, refusing to see him.
Things didn't go as he expected, and he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
Shi Yuan and Sheng Yunhua did not wrong him; Shi Yuan's trip to the police station was indeed related to him.
The fact that the last person Sun Guangyao saw before his disappearance was Shi Yuan was information he obtained from the police station through a contact.
In his view, Shi Ling did raise Shi Yuan very well, but Shi Yuan had a congenital defect and grew up in a rural place like Qinglin Bay, so he must have experienced very little.
If something unexpected happens and Shi Ling is unable to help, then his cousin will be the only person he can rely on.
He just wanted Shi Yuan to realize that being a member of the Wu family and having the Wu family name would give her unimaginable preferential treatment.
But he hadn't expected Shi Yuan to be so resistant to his help, even vaguely believing that Sun Guangyao's disappearance was related to him. Honestly!
He was really just going with the flow, wanting to bring Shi Yuan back to the Wu family. Sun Guangyao's disappearance had nothing to do with him!
But in fact, he messed it up!
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath, stopped confronting Ah Da, and prepared to go to the town's police station to pull Shi Yuan out of the matter of Sun Guangyao's disappearance.
At this moment, Wu Xingzhou was unaware that Sun Guangyao's disappearance would uncover a shocking conspiracy, nor did he know that his momentary lapse of judgment would make reconciliation between Shi Yuan and him impossible.
He originally thought that getting Shi Yuan out would be a very simple matter, but little did he know that even after he revealed his identity as a member of the Wu family, the police captain still wouldn't listen to him.
Qi Zhang had interrogated the police officer who took Shi Yuan's statement and learned that he only changed his attitude towards Shi Yuan after receiving a call from the Wu family in Beicheng. Now, another member of the Wu family has come to bail Shi Yuan out.
Seriously, if he weren't so good-tempered, he would have cursed out loud: "Does the police station belong to the Wu family? They can detain people whenever they want and release them whenever they want!"
Because he was unhappy with the Wu family, Qi Zhang didn't tell Wu Xingzhou that Shi Yuan had already been bailed out by the Seventh Division. Instead, he politely and distantly told Wu Xingzhou that Shi Yuan was still going through the procedures and asked him to go back and wait for news.
Wu Xingzhou frowned: "She only met Sun Guangyao, she's not a suspect. You can't keep her detained!"
"Comrade Wu, if you have any objections to the police's procedures, you can file a complaint. Now, please do not obstruct official business!" After saying this, Qi Zhang waved for Xiao Si to take Wu Xingzhou out, and then hinted to Xiao Si to have someone follow Wu Xingzhou.
When Xiao Si returned, he couldn't help but complain to Qi Zhang: "The Wu family is ridiculous. They even bring their internal discord to our doorstep."
"Ignore them. Sun Guangyao's disappearance is not simple. Take more people to search the places he has been before."
"By the way, have someone bring Yang Fuguo and Wu Xinghe in for questioning to see if there are any clues."
"Investigate why Shi Yuan wanted Sun Guangyao to disrupt Yang Fuguo's wedding, and why Sun Guangyao listened to Shi Yuan."
Xiao Si, having received the order, couldn't help but complain, "I've never seen interpersonal relationships as complicated as Sun Kuan Yew's."
"Alright, stop complaining. Solve the case soon, and I'll give you a day off."
Upon hearing that there was a holiday, Xiao Si was overjoyed and immediately rushed off to get busy.
When Huan Ni flew back from the police station, Shi Yuan had already decided to go to Beicheng after she understood Sun Guangyao's situation. She wanted to put sacks on the Wu and Xie families one by one.
Seeing Huan Ni return, she put away the supernatural golden orb: "How was it?"
Huan Ni recounted what she had seen and heard at the police station to Shi Yuan, then shrugged: "So far, it seems there's no useful information."
“Indeed.” Shi Yuan finished speaking and drew a talisman to summon the spirit, “Sun Guangyao, appear!”
There was no movement.
“It seems Sun Guangyao is still alive,” Huan Ni said.
“Not necessarily,” Shi Yuan said. “There is another possibility: his soul may be imprisoned.”
"No way," Huan Ni said in disbelief. "We just caught a flower fairy, what if another monster comes along?"
"Guess why a seventh office would be set up here?" Shi Yuan didn't believe Gu Linyuan was just acting on a whim. "There are probably many secrets hidden in this area."
The phantom bird's face twisted in disbelief: "No way? Could the secrets of this place be kept from me?"
Shi Yuan stabbed her in the heart; "Mountain God Temple." Wasn't such a huge fake temple right under her nose?
Huan Ni broke down: "I wasn't even paying attention, okay? If I really cared, I would know everything!"
"Very well, then, ancient divine beast, please go and investigate the whereabouts of Sun Guangyao."
Huan Ni choked: "Not interested!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
