Chapter 256: Cmity-Level Psychic Item
The Sun was fully up, and sunlight began flooding into the windows, filling the entire room in its warm embrace.
A girl found herself waking up in a simply decorated bedroom. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with a white ceiling. Collecting herself from the brief confusion of waking up, she fumbled around for her mobile phone from the nightstand beside her.
She woke up due to the sound of her phone ringing and beeping endlessly as it vibrated on the nightstand. From the time Hua sent her first message at 5:30am up to 8:40am, three hours had passed, and Jiangli now has more than 30 unread messages and 10 missed calls.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep…” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Ever since she was rescued from the grasp of the Eclipse Society, this was the first time she has slept so soundly outside of the Amber Mansion.
<em>To think I fell asleep in a dangerous ce like the Happy Community…</em>
Jiangli would almost always sleep in a half-awake state, and would immediately wake up if she heard a slight noise – just likest night, when Lu Yibei got up and left the room.
However…
Thinking for a moment, she shook her head, deciding to me that all-too-familiar bowl of instant noodles as the cause for her sound sleep.<em>After all, I should be able to sleep soundly with my saviour watching over me.</em>
Swiping through her phone, she called Hua back.
Beep… beep…
“Mistress! Is that you? You finally called me back! I was so anxious when you didn’t pick up the phone, so, I… I…!”
“Well, something happenedst night, and…” her lips remained open, but no words came out. She was busy remembering all of the things that happenedst night, and got lost in her train of thought.
“…that kid didn’t do anything to you, right?”
“No, no. We slept together almost immediately.”
“Oh my god!” Hua screamed on the other end. “The both of you… slept together?! Damn it! I know that stupid brat is good-for-nothing, but for him to attack my Mistress…! Damn it! I’ll have to teach him a lesson! Oh, when I catch him…”
Hua has always felt that if she had held her ground when Jiangli requested her to leave back then, perhaps her Mistress wouldn’t have been kidnapped by the Eclipse Society.
Hence, she has since cultivated a form of survivor’s guilt – after Hua returned to her post as Jiangli’s personal maid, she became extremely overprotective over her Mistress, and would even resort to ufortable measures to do so.
“Hua?”
“Yes! I’m right here, Mistress!”
“Well, as you know, he, well, she is a currently a girl. I don’t think-”
“Mistress!” Hua eximed once again. “The sisterhood of scissoring sisters1 has existed since the start of time! I know that the both of you are girls now, but you must learn to protect yourself no matter what!”
“Oh,” Jiangli rubbed her forehead. “Hua, it’s not what you think. Nothing of what you are thinking right now happenedst night.”
“…for real?”
“Yes,” Jiangli responded, lowering her head and ncing at her chest. “Will you take the time toe overter? I need you to bring me some things.”
Since her clothes were identally damagedst night, she was given an apron found in the apartment as a cover-up. She isn’t exactly in the right state to go out at the moment.
“Clothes and some daily necessities, please,” she listed out. “I may have to stay here for a few days.”
…
Before Jiangli left the bedroom, her mind yearned for the taste of instant noodles. She wondered how was she going to convey to the Witch that she wants another bowl of instant noodles without appearing weak and vulnerable.
As soon as she opened the bedroom door, however, she was greeted with a strange fragrance. She followed the scent trail and saw the Witch busy in the kitchen.
“That smells good.”
The Witch knew that her superior was approaching from behind. Curling her lips, she turned around and said, “Well, of course! I’ve got many secret recipes handed down from the Lao family.”
Jiangli rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Oh, so it isn’t the Lu family this time around?”
“Ah, uh… you were hearing things! You probably hurt your head or somethingst night! I don’t know!” the Witch retorted, turning back around to continue her preparations.
When she was little, she enjoyed adding a little something extra to the buns that she would buy from the bakery early in the morning before consuming them.
It wasn’tplicated by any means – frying the buns with a little scallion oil, and sprinkling some sesame seeds over them. This simple process is enough to enhance the taste and the aroma of the buns tenfold.
These buns were purchased by the gate of themunity earlier in the morning, and the scallions and sesame seeds were, well, generously loaned to her by the neighbour living in the opposite unit.
Sizzle!
Sprinkling a handful of sesame seeds on the buns, she flipped the buns over on the pan as they soaked in the rich, fragrant oil. After a moment, the golden buns were served on a te and plopped down right in front of Jiangli.
“Here. Enjoy!”
Jiangli blinked at the Witch, then at the te before her, “You got up early to make this for me?”
“Tsk!” the Witch spat and looked away. “You may be beautiful, but is there any need for your thought process to be <em>that</em> wishful too? I was making it for myself, and I thought of making extra for Ms. Freeloader right over here. I’m generous, aren’t I?”
<em>Well, I just happened to think of my dadst night, and when I woke up this morning, I started to miss his cooking…</em>
Cursing underneath her breath, she picked up the chopsticks and stuck the bun into her own mouth.
Seeing that Yibei was about to put the third bun into her mouth, Jiangli came back to her senses and dug in as well before Yibei finished them all on her own.
There is a saying that goes ‘love and food are the only things that must not be taken for granted’. No normal person would give up the opportunity to eat good food.
<em>Although Yibei’s mouth is rotten, her cooking is sublime…!</em>
Jiangli began biting down on the fried buns when Yibei suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, “By the way, when I came back home, I bumped into someone from management at the entrance. He invited us over to a wee party this weekend.”
Jiangli stopped chewing and frowned, “Did you agree to it?”
“Uh…” the Witch responded vaguely, attempting to lick at the oil that slipped from the corner of her mouth. Jiangli couldn’t stand to look at her anymore, and was prepared to hand over a piece of tissue for her to wipe. However, the Witch simply raised her fingers and wiped at the corner of her mouth, then put her finger into her mouth as she slurped and licked at her fingers.
…<em>It takes talent to be seductive at </em><strong><em>breakfast </em></strong><em>– I’ll give her that. Is there something intrinsically wrong with her as a person, or is that how boys behave once they turn into girls?</em>
Jiangli shook her head and asked again, “The party. What are you nning to do?”
Jiangli thinks that it is necessary for them to attend the party. With all their clues being vague and solelying from second-hand ounts, attending the party might be a good breakthrough for them.
Of course, the urban legends in the Happy Community have strange, unpredictable abilities. A little nning is required before they dive into the deep end.
“Well, my n was…” the Witch put down her chopsticks and gazed into Jiangli’s eyes with a serious, intense look.
“My n was to let you n it,” she said with a straight face.
Yibei thinks that Jiangli is much more experienced in investigating urban legends, especially the kind of urban legends that could easily affect the livelihoods of the people living here.
After all, thousands of people live here!
<em>This is no video game like [Love and Magical Girl]! I can’t just be Bai Xiaohua and tear all the buildings down to get resources!</em>
<em>Is she worried about the safety of the civilians here? </em>Jiangli wondered, looking at how apprehensive Yibei was being. Nodding, she said, “Well, in that case, leave the nning to me. When the timees,y low and keep your mouth shut at all costs, and don’t even think about sticking your big nose in situations that don’t involve you. All you need to do is assist me at the most important time of the battle.”
Jiangli made sure to emphasize on the phrase ‘sticking your big nose’.
Yibei sighed, “I feel like you don’t trust me.”
“Is that so?” Jiangli tilted her head. “I’ll be honest with you – I’d thank the heavens if you’d stay by my side and not up and run the moment things turn south during the party.”
“Are you kidding me?! How could I do such a thing? I mean – I love you! I would never do something like that!” Yibei flirted, making her eyebrows do an borate dance for the girl sitting opposite of her.
Jiangli’s face remained stoic, however, “Oh… so, you’re telling me your love is the kind that fizzles out at any time. I see how it is.”
Yibei shrugged and didn’t pursue any further. <em>She’s an Operator of the Night Division, and I’m just some urban legend.</em>
<em>Well, even if I tell her that I didn’t want to be turned into an urban legend, and swear up and down that I want no trouble, she still has to believe me, right?</em>
<em>Even then… I can’t deny it – what she said was absolutely fucking right!</em>
…
After Yibei ate about five buns, she stood up, ordered her jacket to change into a set of breathable, casual clothes that hid her figure, and walked towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Jiangli asked, still sitting by the kitchen ind.
“I need to deal with some things,” Yibei turned around and answered. “After all, you only gave me three days to prepare! I still have got a bunch of things to do that I haven’t finished yet! Let’s see – I still have to continue chatting with old people, and continue my lessons at the cultural centre, and then…”
“Okay, go,” Jiangli interrupted and shooed Yibei away before she could begin her yapping process. “Ande back home early.”
Yibei felt a little giddy hearing that. She bid Jiangli farewell and left the apartment. As soon as she walked out the door, her eyes narrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.
<em>I still need to yap. I still need to practice myba. I still need to meet the foreman, and ask him about the psychic who came for the ancient sword. If I’m quick enough, I might be able to retrieve the sword before the party.</em>
Yibei decided not to tell Jiangli anything about the sword for now. From the ounts of the excavator, it seems like that ancient sword is something very powerful. If she were to tell Jiangli, she might have no choice but to confiscate it under Night Division duties, and Yibei herself was unwilling to part with something potentially powerful.
<em>I’ll see how it goes, </em>she thought to herself. <em>If I can’t deal with it, it wouldn’t be toote to hand it over to them.</em>
…
Huacheng – in Tang Han Arts, Trade, & Transport Co.
In an old-fashioned office, an old man hung up the phone.
His face betrayed his age, but his salt-and-pepper hair was meticulouslybed, and so was his well-ironed suit. His eyebrows were thick and strong, and he held a calm, yet intimidating aura.
His name is Lee Shunnian, and he is the boss of this verypany.
A few meters away from his desk, a young man who resembled Mr. Lee was sprawled out on the sofa. As he munched on grapes, he raised his head and asked, “Dad, what were you talking about on the phone?”
His name is Lee Tang Han, and he is Mr. Lee’s son. He is also the juridical person whose name is used as the forefront of thepany.
Mr. Lee nced at his son and calmly replied, “I gave him another tens of thousands for him to keep quiet. There is nothing to worry about.”
“Tsk,” his son sneered. “That Qin-or-whatever-his-name-was is nothing but a lowly foreman from the past. If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t be alive talking to you on the phone! You’re telling me he’s still knocking at our door threatening us for money?”
“Old man,” he continued. “How much hush money have you spent on him over the years? If you ask me, we should simply cut him off, and…”
nk!
Mr. Lee threw his tea cup as it shattered on the floor by Tang Han, making him leap up in shock as Mr. Lee’s voice boomed through the office, “You little brat, what do you know? If he dies, and the news leak out, there is no guarantee that what had happened back then will not be discovered by the Night Division!”
“And if they investigate us, do you think our lowly shrine will be able to protect something as precious as <em>that?</em> Even if the gods provide us with divine intervention, the only thing that I’m able to do is skin myself alive.”
“I was just trying to help…” Tang Han stiffly replied after an awkward silence.
It was silent again between them, and Tang Han asked, “Hey, old guy, <em>that thing</em> that we have… is it truly part of a Cmity-Level psychic item?”
“You’re questioning a god’s judgement?”
“Yes! I am! The psychic energy fluctuations of that thing is way too weak! How about you hand it over to me so I can take a closer look at it? Maybe I can figure out how to use it!”
“Oh, you’re hellbent on pissing your old man off today. Cai Jin? Cai Jin! Come in the office!” Mr. Lee bellowed, mming on the table. Immediately, a buff and burly man came walking through the door.
“I don’t want to look at my failure of a son anymore. Send him away as far as possible,” Mr. Lee muttered coldly. “And keep a close eye on this brat. If he talks like this again, pull ten teeth out for every word he says.”
“Dad, you…!” Tang Han words were stuck in his throat, but he hesitated to speak.
His father was too angry to even look at him. Mr. Lee averted his eyes, and quickly left the office.
Tang Han wanted to catch up to say something, but Cai Jin, the buff and burly man, stopped him, and soon, he was dragged away by a group of bodyguards.
…
Back home, Tang Hanid on the bed as he stared at the antiquenterns on his ceiling, and was lost in his thoughts.
Thinking about his earlier experience today, he was full of resentment. If it wasn’t his father, he might have burst out in anger.
“Stupid…! Nothing I do is right in your eyes… you just don’t like me! I’m right, aren’t I?! Why is it alright for you to hook yourself up with those evil gods, but when I talk to some weak urban legends, I’m in the wrong?”
“Fuck. If I can’t deal with you, then I’ll deal with that stupid Qin-guy-or-whatever…”
Anger is a strange thing. The more you think about something, the angrier you be; the more you concede, the more you feel you lose.
Tang Han knew that he couldn’t do anything to his father, so he could only endure his harsh words. Hence, he decided to vent all of his anger on that parasite named Qin Dalin.
…
The address of Qin Dalin, the foreman, was obtained by Yibei when he went to visit Tang Yao.
He wanted to thank Tang Yao for the information by treating him to his favourite buffet. However, as soon as Tang Yao heard the word ‘buffet’, his face turned pale, as if he was about to be served up hisst meal, and vehemently refused the offer.
It was as if Tang Yao was saying, “You made my dder hurt because of tea, so what will happen to me if I ept his invitation to the buffet? He might just kill me!”
However, Yibei continued to pester him with invitations, and Tang Yao gritted his teeth and told him the address of Qin Dalin. He made sure to warn Yibei that no other person is to know of this information, otherwise, something bad might happen to him.
Seeing how secretive Tang Yao was being, he felt thepulsion to meet Qin Dalin even more. His intuition seemed to hint that Mr. Qin must have some sort of way to locate the psychic who pulled the sword out of the Happy Community grounds.
…
Leaving themunity, Yibei stopped a taxi and gave the driver the address given by Tang Yao.
Before setting off, she looked at the map, and it seems like Mr. Qin only lives a dozen kilometres away.
Despite this, the roads in Huacheng were winding andplicated to navigate. The taxi had to stop and check the map constantly, and it took more than an hour to reach her destination.
Stepping out the cab, she looked at the various buildings that were in the distance, and she couldn’t help but mutter, “Damn… you live like this? What the hell was this Qin-dude thinking about when he decided to stay here? Won’t you be afraid of bumping into something when you get up in the middle of the night to pee? Jesus…”
Ahead, the crooked cement road was littered with weeds on both sides, and the dense canopy of treespletely obscured the Sun above her. Through the dense branches, a collection of vintage, red-bricked houses could be seen.
After walking for about a hundred meters along the dim cement road, she finally arrived near the address given by Tang Yao.
It was a house trapped by tall, dark-grey walls. It resembled a Soviet-style building from the 1950s, and there was only one entrance – arge, rusty iron door.
The building itself is dpidated and remote. Even before the nights became long, one might think it’s haunted. Now, nobody would dare to set a single foot into the building.
Entering through the gate, the situation behind the decrepit walls was just as she expected – a long, dark corridor with aged, yellowed walls was abandoned, popted by only garbage bags that hadn’t been cleared up in a long time. A pungent smell of rot flooded the corridor.
“Strange. ording to what Tang Yao said, Mr. Qin made a lot of money from the Happy Community project. Why live in a ce like this?”
“Tang Yao wasn’t trying to fool me, right? If he did, oh… I might just treat him to an ice-cream-only buffet…”
Yibei muttered to herself as a door near the entrance cracked open. The old, iron door slid open with a loud groan, which caused her to turn towards it immediately.
“Hello?” she greeted, walking towards the door. However, the owner didn’t seem to be willing to show their entire face. It was only barely open, revealing only half of their face behind the door.
The lights in the corridor were dim, and the Witch could only roughly identify the person behind the door. Surprisingly, it was a woman, and her eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath them. Her most striking feature was arge scarlet birthmark on her face.
“Excuse me, do you know of a Qin Dalin who lives here?”
Although she couldn’t smile, she tried her best to sound as kind as possible. However, she didn’t expect the woman to re at her before mming the door in her face. Waiting, the Witch knocked on her door twice, but she received no answer.
<strong>TRANSLATOR NOTES:</strong>
<strong>Note 1: “The sisterhood of scissoring sisters”:</strong>The term used this time was “grinding mirrors,” (磨镜) which, well, you can already guess the meaning from the previous chapter.
I’m not quite sure if “Apocalypse-Level Psychic Item” sounds corny, but I can’t think of any suitable alternatives for it so I’m open to suggestions :v Perhaps “Disaster-Tier?” Unsure. Anyways, I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
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