Chapter 65: A Grand Gesture (Part 1)
Xie Yu raised her head, unable to see Sang Jing. She closed her eyes and heard Sang Jing’s very light breathing. The scent of white pear enveloped her, wrapping around her soul, strand by strand.
The cold, fine knife was even colder than her temperatureless soul. The tip of the knife moved along her neck. It didn’t hurt, but it was a little itchy, like a fingertip brushing past, with a gentle and soothing force.
Sang Jing’s hand was very steady, all her attention on the wound in front of her.
Perhaps it was because she knew the real cause of Xie Yu’s death and felt pity, or perhaps it was because she had said they were friends, and Sang Jing wanted Xie Yu to leave cleanly and with dignity.
Putting down the fine knife, Sang Jing picked up the needle and thread on the side. After treating the wound, she still had to stitch it up.
Unlike passing through real flesh and blood, stitching a soul was not so difficult. It was fast and smooth. Seeing the ferocious wound slowly straighten into a long, thin black line, Sang Jing was still not very satisfied.
Xie Yu’s neck was long and beautiful, and this abrupt black line had destroyed the original beauty. Sang Jing thought of covering it up, just like covering up the fact that Xie Yu had died a tragic death.
Sang Jing suddenly appeared in her field of vision. Xie Yu saw her take out a talisman and draw something on it, then stick it on her neck, followed by wrapping it with a soul cloth, a total of nine circles.
After the soul cloth was wrapped, Sang Jing waved her hand and removed all the talismans on Xie Yu’s body, then took a tissue from the side to wipe her sweat. Her hand, which had been holding the same position for a long time, was sore and stiff. She rotated her wrist and leaned against the table.
Xie Yu searched the room for a mirror, wanting to see what she looked like now.
She couldn’t find one after looking around.
Finally, she came in front of Sang Jing and bent down to look at her.
Sang Jing leaned back to distance herself a little. “What are you doing?”
The next second, two hands held her head and pulled it forward. The distance between the person and the ghost was instantly shortened. Sang Jing’s breath hitched, and her eyes reflected Xie Yu’s face.
Xie Yu looked into Sang Jing’s eyes. “I’m looking at my appearance in your eyes now.”
This distance, this posture, was very similar to when Xie Yu had covered her ears and kissed her… no, had helped her suck away the ghostly energy during the ghostly shriek at midnight last night.
Sang Jing’s breathing was sometimes light and sometimes heavy. She blinked her eyes, wanting to turn her head, but her head was held by Xie Yu’s hands.
“Don’t move. I’m not done looking yet,” Xie Yu said, then her eyes suddenly moved down.
Then she lowered her hands and took Sang Jing’s, slowly guiding her hand to her own chest.
A clear rise and fall could be felt under her palm.
Thump… thump… thump…
It was her heartbeat.
Sang Jing looked at her and frowned.
Xie Yu, with her hand on Sang Jing’s, naturally also felt that lively, beating heart. She asked with a grin, “Why is your heart beating so fast? Are you captivated by my beauty?”
Sang Jing: “…”
With a slap on Xie Yu’s face, she pushed her away. Sang Jing packed her things and opened the door. Hua Changge was outside. Seeing Sang Jing, she said with a teasing tone, “I didn’t expect you to take so long.”
Sang Jing’s spiritual medicine skills were at the level of seven-coin. Xie Yu’s injuries were not a difficult matter and could be solved in an hour at most. But she had taken a full four hours.
Looking back at Xie Yu, the bloodstains had been wiped clean. Her neck was wrapped with nine layers of soul cloth. The soul cloth was light and thin, almost without thickness. Wrapped around Xie Yu’s neck, it looked more like a decoration.
Hua Changge stared at the soul cloth for a while, then suddenly said to Sang Jing with a low, meaningful laugh, “A grand gesture.”
Sang Jing had no reaction, pretending not to understand.
Xie Yu really didn’t understand and asked Sang Jing, “What did she say?”
Sang Jing: “I don’t know.”
Hua Changge raised an eyebrow.
She doesn’t want to say it. Alright then.
“Let’s go,” Hua Changge said, turning around. “The area Ruan Wenxiu was in charge of was mainly in Nancheng. The ghost-raising place should be there too.”
Using the identity of a walking Wuchang to steal ghosts, the ghost-raising place would not be too far away. Not only would it be inconvenient, but it would also be easy to be exposed.
Nancheng. What a coincidence.
They had just come from Nancheng.
Sang Jing remembered Ruan Wenxiu. At that time, on the Yin Road, her expression when she saw Xie Yu was obviously not right. She had originally wanted to ask Sister Hei for the list of walking Wuchang to check on her, but she hadn’t expected to get involved in the matter of raising a ghost with a ghost. And this Ruan Wenxiu happened to be among the walking Wuchang who had had accidents.
In the intricate web of connections, Xie Yu’s death also seemed to be related to raising a ghost with a ghost. There was also the malevolence that someone had forcibly added to her, and those people had been relentlessly pursuing Xie Yu…
According to the strength of the person behind this, how could Xie Yu have escaped for three months?
Sang Jing sorted through these messy threads and asked the ghost beside her in a low voice, “How did you escape for those three months?”
Xie Yu was admiring herself in the glass on the side. Hearing Sang Jing’s words, she turned her head. “I’m clever. I run fast.”
Sang Jing: “…”
“Wei Qingyun and Bei Shan have already set off. Yan Chuan and Tan Wei are waiting for us to go over,” Hua Changge in front said.
As they walked out of the Special Investigation Team’s main gate, Sang Jing saw another person standing beside Tan Wei.
Wenren Jin.
Ruan Wenxiu was Wenren Jin’s senior sister.
Yan Chuan stuck her head out of the driver’s seat and waved at Hua Changge. “Sister Hua!”
Hua Changge laughed softly and said, “No manners.”
When Tan Wei saw Sang Jing and Hua Changge come over, she took two steps to meet them. “She’s also going.”
This sentence carried a clear inquiry. In this line of work, any of them had more say than her.
Wenren Jin’s eyes were firm. “Senior Sister Ruan died under unclear circumstances. My teacher was heartbroken after learning about it. I also want to contribute to this matter. I know my strength is not as good as the chairmen and team leaders, but I can cover all expenses, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, and the magical artifacts and talismans used.”
Hearing this, Hua Changge raised an eyebrow.
The young mistress really knew how to use her greatest advantage: money.
Food, clothing, housing, and transportation were fine, but magical artifacts and talismans… a few of them could cost hundreds of thousands or millions. And it was still unknown when the matter of raising a ghost with a ghost could be solved. And with the combined forces of Fengdu, the Special Investigation Team, and the Xuanmen, it was clearly not a small matter…
Hua Changge smiled and nodded. “I have no objection.”
Yan Chuan raised her hand. “If Sister Hua has no objection, I have no objection either.”
Since the two chairmen had no objection, Tan Wei naturally had no objection either.
So four pairs of eyes turned to Sang Jing.
Sang Jing: “…Ask those two.”
Yan Chuan waved her hand. “They’ll definitely be happy. The Special Investigation Team is not very rich.”
Sure enough, after Hua Changge asked Wei Qingyun, the reply came quickly.
“This is a money tree, and the kind that drops golden leaves on its own. What’s not to be happy about?”
“They’ve agreed. Then let’s go,” Hua Changge said, raising her hand and resting it on the passenger door.
Wenren Jin turned and made a phone call.
A minute later, she said to the four people who were seated in the car, “This is too slow. Let’s switch to something faster.”
“What’s faster?”
“That.”
Four heads poked out of the car window and looked up in the direction Wenren Jin was pointing.
A high-end private helicopter.
The four of them: “…”
The money tree is dropping golden leaves.
On the helicopter, Sang Jing asked Wenren Jin a question. “Is there an annual gala for White Whale Live in a few days?”
Wenren Jin was surprised that she would ask such a question and nodded. “It’s also an anniversary celebration. What’s wrong?”
Sang Jing: “I saw on the announcement that the gala will invite red-badged and yellow-badged V-streamers to participate.”
Wenren Jin: “Yes, but not all of them. It depends on the livestream revenue and fan popularity of that year. Only the top few will be invited. All red-badged V-streamers will be invited, but it’s up to them whether they come or not. Do you want to go?”
She remembered that Sang Jing’s account had only been registered for less than a month. Logically, she did not meet the conditions to participate in the gala. But if Sang Jing wanted to go, she could talk to the person in charge. It was just a matter of a few words.
“Is Encounter on the invitation list?” Sang Jing asked again.
Wenren Jin knew that Sang Jing had also paid attention to some of her affairs after she had started on White Whale Live and knew that she and Encounter had had a falling out. “Hmm… I remember she is. If you want to go, I can cancel her…”
“No need,” Sang Jing shook her head. “I’ll have to trouble you to tell the people at White Whale Live to add one more person.”
“A small matter,” Wenren Jin said, not delaying at all. In less than two minutes, it was settled.
Then, Sang Jing’s White Whale Live backend received an invitation to the gala.
Xie Yu was beside Sang Jing. Hearing their conversation, she pursed her lips.
As she lowered her eyes, Sang Jing leaned towards her and said in a low voice, “I told you, I will take your matter to heart. Even if there are other things to do now, I won’t forget.”
Xie Yu thought to herself, I want you to take me to heart, not my matter.
But she also knew that Sang Jing wouldn’t. She was a responsible person who did what she said. If she said she would send her away, she would send her away, without any delay.
Xie Yu gritted her teeth in hatred, her displeasure clear on her face.
On the other side, Hua Changge looked at her and let out a soft snort. Yan Chuan came over. “Sister Hua, what are you laughing at?”
Hua Changge reached out and flicked her forehead. “Sit properly. We’re here.”
Just as she finished speaking, the helicopter lurched. Yan Chuan’s hand slipped, and she fell directly into Hua Changge’s arms. Hua Changge reached out and held her so that she wouldn’t roll onto the floor.
Lying in Hua Changge’s arms, Yan Chuan looked at Xie Yu opposite her and winked.
Xie Yu: “?”
The helicopter slowly landed. Yan Chuan deliberately dawdled until the end and walked to Xie Yu’s side, saying in a low voice, “Did you learn it?”
Xie Yu looked at her in confusion. “What?”
Yan Chuan: “…”
She looks so smart, but she’s really… a ghost can’t be judged by its appearance.
A car was parked in the empty field. Wei Qingyun and Bei Shan were standing by the car.
They hadn’t understood why they had to wait here before, but they understood after seeing the helicopter.
This place was big enough to fit this big thing.
Wei Qingyun didn’t delay. After everyone was there, she said directly, “I’ve checked Ruan Wenxiu’s range of activities in recent months. During the day, besides going to work and the Nancheng Xuanmen branch, she basically doesn’t go out much. Besides the supermarkets and shopping malls she needs to go to, there’s one place she goes to very frequently, almost once a week.”
“Nancheng Sophora Tree Park.”
Almost the moment Wei Qingyun said the name of the park, the same guess formed in everyone’s minds.
A ghost-raising place like Chaoyang Community.
The sophora tree, also known as the ghost tree, had heavy yin energy, and they liked it.
“I’ve been to that place,” Sang Jing recalled.
About three months ago, she had taken on a private job. A child had lost his soul, and she had found the child’s soul not far from that park.
She hadn’t gone in, but had just inexplicably looked at it from a distance at the park’s main gate.
A huge old sophora tree stood there, its branches and leaves lush, like a cloud.
Xie Yu stood behind Sang Jing, looking down at her back. A memory fragment flashed in her mind, so fast that Xie Yu almost couldn’t catch it.
But she still caught the tail end of that memory.
She seemed to be hiding from someone, hiding under a tree.
In a panic, a light suddenly shone on her. At the end of the light stood a person. That person turned her head sideways and looked at her under the tree.
And with that light, she had successfully escaped.
