Chapter 141: The Doodled Little Figure

Fatty’s eyes were practically glued to the spot, and he dragged me into the restroom. "Buddy, this girl looks so much like someone we know."

"Who?" Actually, I knew he meant Ziyu, but I didn't say it directly. I knew Ziyu hadn't time-traveled back with us; Fatty and I had entered the Bamboo Garden right before slipping through time, whereas Ziyu, Ziyi, and the others had already drunk the Drink of Forgetting back then.

"Ziyu, the Ziyu from our time-travel journey, your younger sister. Don't you think she looks just like her?" Fatty’s expression was frantic. I could sense that, right from the beginning, he had feelings for Ziyu. That was only human nature, and I couldn't say much about it.

I simply replied, "I don't see it. They're clearly two different people."

Fatty shook his head and claimed my eyes were failing me and that I needed glasses.

Upon stepping out of the restroom, Yufang introduced her to me, saying the girl’s name was Cao Xuan and that she worked at a bank.

In China, bank employees were no less prestigious than civil servants in government departments. Generally speaking, those who managed to secure a job at a bank either possessed exceptional skills or solid connections. Subconsciously, people looked up to them.

At the dining table, there were just the four of us. We drank red wine and ate high-end dishes. I felt somewhat uneasy, unsure of the purpose behind this dinner invitation. Was Yufang just looking to get us together? It didn't quite seem that way, which prompted me to glance at the girl a few more times. My intention in looking at her was different from Fatty’s. Fatty was captivated by a charm that blended Cao Xuan and Ziyu into one, whereas I wanted to see if this girl actually was Ziyu, or perhaps Ziyu reincarnated.

To my slight disappointment, she was not Ziyu’s reincarnation, because there was no phoenix-crest blood mark on her wrist. I clearly remembered that Ziyu had a phoenix-crest blood mark on her hand.

Yufang secretly kicked me under the table and gave me a look. Perhaps, seeing me constantly staring at Cao Xuan, she thought I was coveting another person's beauty.

The girl was very pretty, but I had no such thoughts whatsoever. My heart was completely filled with Wang Ying. Aside from Wang Ying, there was also Wan'er; I was in no mood to think about anything else beyond the two of them.

After the meal, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening. Cao Xuan drove away in her own BMW X3, while Yufang drove Fatty and me home. Along the way, Yufang explained the reason for the gathering: tonight's dinner had been paid for by Cao Xuan. Cao Xuan had a grandmother who had recently started acting strangely and babbling incoherently. They had visited major hospitals without discovering any illness. Eventually, someone with insight suggested they find a knowledgeable person to see if the old woman had lost her soul. That was how they ended up finding me.

Sometimes, such matters compel you to believe. I used to disbelieve them, but now I did. A person possesses three souls and seven mortal spirits; losing one soul or a fraction of a spirit was quite normal. People who had lost a small portion of their soul would manifest behaviors of constant muttering or a slightly demented appearance.

I immediately agreed. Although I didn't possess the profound skills of Wei Qi or Li Dainian, I now had various magical instruments at hand, along with the two child ghosts Wan'er and Qingting by my side. Finding a lost soul for someone would pose no problem at all.

Upon arriving at the Wei Family Vegetable Garden, Fatty got out of the car first. Yufang smiled and asked me, "Brother Wang, do you have a crush on Cao Xuan?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "Where on earth did you get that idea? That's completely baseless!"

"If you don't like her, why were you staring at her the whole time?" Yufang gave me a reproachful look.

"No, I really didn't. Actually, I just felt she looked like someone I knew," I said helplessly.

As I got out of the car, Yufang didn't forget to poke her head out from inside. "I almost forgot to tell you—Cao Xuan is a top student from an illustrious family background. You'd better not entertain any such thoughts."

I was practically ready to cry. I had never harbored any such thoughts to begin with! But upon second thought, if this girl really was Ziyu's reincarnation, that wouldn't be a bad thing either. At the very least, she was living the life of the wealthy, and as an older brother, I could finally rest easy. Then I laughed at myself for being so foolish; she merely looked similar, and how could there be so many cases of reincarnation?

Back home, Wan'er went to sleep with Yingzi, while Fatty and I stayed at Wei Qi's place. Fatty had consumed a bit of alcohol and fell asleep murmuring Ziyu's name.

My mind was a chaotic mess, and I had not an ounce of sleepiness. Now living in the Wei Family Vegetable Garden village, it could be described as suffering the trials of returning home, which only intensified my agony. The phantoms of Wang Ying and Wei Qi constantly drifted around me; I missed them both far too much. Those who have never truly experienced this kind of torment cannot possibly understand its flavor.

"Big Brother, what's wrong with you?" Just as I was sitting in the courtyard grieving under the moon, Qingting appeared before me. The little girl had grown a bit taller and was beginning to look like a young maiden.

"Qingting, why did you come out?" Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I quickly wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

"It was getting a bit stuffy inside the soul urn, so I came out for a walk. Besides, I came out to thank you! You've finally avenged Grandpa," Qingting said, standing right in front of me.

"You don't need to be so polite with me. Master Li treated me well, and it was only right that I do this." Thinking of Li Dainian, aside from feeling a sense of sorrow over his life, I deeply regretted the loss of his Yin-Yang eyes. His Yin-Yang eyes had thus been lost to the world.

"Big Brother, the day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I want to go visit and pay my respects to Grandpa. Will you accompany me?" Qingting climbed onto my lap and asked.

"Visiting and paying respects to Grandpa is fine, but why must it be on the Mid-Autumn Festival? The Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday for human family reunions, whereas the Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the proper time for ghosts," I explained.

"But I miss Grandpa. I want to see him," Qingting said, her eyes turning red.

"Alright, don't be sad. I'll take you there." Actually, I should have gone to see Master Li long ago. On the day of his burial, Wei Qi and I had left early, but now that I had killed Xingyun, it could be considered avenging him, and I ought to go and report to him.

Seeing that I agreed, Qingting stayed outside to keep me company for a short while before slipping back into the soul urn.

The next day, Cao Xuan and Yufang came to pick me up together. The two of them arrived in a car, having switched from the X3 to a Hummer, which made it clear that Cao Xuan's family estate was quite substantial. Fatty and I came along. Originally, I hadn't wanted to bring Fatty, but the guy insisted I give him a chance—a chance to meet Cao Xuan. So I had no choice but to let him tag along.

Cao Xuan's home was located in the wetland park near Shuhe in the eastern part of the city. True to the signs of wealth, their property spanned dozens of acres, essentially forming a private manor.

The car stopped at the front gates, and the few of us walked inside.

In the living room, we met Cao Xuan's father, a man in his fifties or sixties. As soon as we met, he shook hands with both of us. No matter how I looked at him, Cao Xuan's father seemed quite familiar. Finally, it suddenly dawned on me: I had seen him on television. Yes, he had delivered reports on television. Good grief! He turned out to be the mayor. He was actually the mayor.

Fatty recognized him as well, addressing him repeatedly as Mayor Cao. Mayor Cao smiled and told him not to call him that, as he had already retired, and requested that this not be spread around, since the organization forbade any engagement in superstitious activities.

After drinking tea in the living room for a while, we headed to the residence of Cao Xuan's grandmother—a small villa in the backyard. Before even stepping inside the villa, a wave of gloomy, chilling energy washed over us. Although I could sense it, I couldn't actually see those entities.

"Little brother, let me warn you first—my mother has a rather difficult temper, so you need to be careful," Cao Xuan's father pulled me aside just as we were about to walk in.

I nodded. "You can rest easy."

Stepping inside, my whole body couldn't help but tremble slightly. How could an ordinary residential household harbor such heavy Yin energy? This feeling definitely indicated that more than just a single ghost was hiding here. I tapped the soul urn with my hand, signaling Qingting to keep watch and report the situation to me at any moment.

"Desheng, what are you up to? Are you planning to badger your mother to death by bringing so many people here?" As soon as we entered the room, we saw an old woman standing near the foot of the second-floor staircase, speaking with an angry expression.

"Mom! These are a few of my friends who just wanted to come and pay their respects to you," Mayor Cao hurried over to support the old woman.

"Pay respects for what? No need to pay respects, I'm not dead yet!" The old woman looked fierce and overbearing, completely lacking the gentle and amiable demeanor typical of the elderly.

"Yufang, you and Cao Xuan keep an eye on this old lady. I'll go check out her room," I whispered to Yufang.

Yufang exchanged a glance with Cao Xuan, and the two of them held the old woman steady. "Grandma, tell me the story of the Red Guards again."

Seeing the two of them keep the old woman occupied, I signaled Fatty to stay downstairs and keep watch. We had barged in abruptly; if we disturbed the ghost hiding here, the possibility of them suddenly turning violent could not be ruled out.

Mayor Cao and I went up to the second floor. The entire second floor was drifting with a faint blue haze. In such an environment, even a healthy person would fall ill if they stayed too long.

"Mayor Cao, besides having a bad temper and appearing somewhat demented, does the old lady show any other symptoms?" I asked.

"Yes! She carries around a small notebook all day long, drawing and muttering to herself." As Mayor Cao spoke, he retrieved a hardcover notebook from the side.

Opening it, I saw that it was filled with sketches of little figures, with names written beneath each one. Flipping through a few pages, my entire body gave a start. I vividly caught sight of a sketched figure—chubby and unmistakably resembling Wei Qi. Looking underneath, the name written there was indeed Wei Qi.

Flipping a few more pages, I discovered a sketch of Wang Ying along with her name. Turning further down, there was actually a sketch of myself and my name. Although it wasn't an exact likeness, it was drawn with remarkable spirit.

How could this be? What kind of background did this old woman have? Why was she drawing these sketch figures?