Chapter 325: The Little Thing About First Love

In the open space of Baiyan Village, a white figure fluttered around the stage, extending pale tendrils to hurriedly rearrange the setup. Under Meng’s guidance, the stage was dusted off, red silk was rehung, and four flat round red lanterns were attached to the four pillars surrounding the stage. With the limited materials from the village, she managed to construct a hip-and-gable roof and two curtains for performances.

Meng, once a renowned actress in Hua City, truly exemplified professionalism. This was what it meant to be a pro!

Lu Yibei sat casually on a bench beneath the stage, munching on spicy strips while watching Meng busy herself. Her mind wandered aimlessly as she awaited Xing Yuan’s arrival.

Why hasn’t anyone specialized in researching the cultural traditions that hauntings like Meng, who have lived through long ages, might possess?

Since Du Sixian was taken, it had been some time, yet the familiar’s mark hadn’t signaled any danger. Was the River God not harming her, or was the signal intercepted?

Speaking of which, the story between Shui-Ge and the Inspector was truly enigmatic. One claimed to be deceived by a heartless woman, while the other insisted she never intended to hurt him. Who was lying?

As Lu Yibei pondered, a gust of wind swept behind her, followed by the soft clack of high heels on the ground. She turned to see, frowning.

Sister, I know you have a great figure, but isn’t that dress a bit ill-fitting? Lu Yibei mused.

From afar, Xing Yuan appeared in view, wearing a pristine white wedding gown.

It was a strapless mermaid-style dress.

Its color was not pure, even somewhat yellowed. The bead embroidery lacked refinement, seemingly made of plastic, and the lace was not light, with a rather poor texture.

Even its size was not quite right, as if it might burst at any moment due to Xing Yuan’s impressive figure.

Aside from being clean and well-preserved, Lu Yibei could hardly find any redeeming qualities in the gown.

Why did she choose such a worn-out dress?

It made no sense!

Even though it was late, with her skills as an Inspector of The Midnight Watchers Society, getting a fine wedding dress should be a breeze, right? Lu Yibei thought.

In the heart of Hua City.

A streak of silver light darted through the dwindling concrete jungle, tearing through the night like a shooting star.

Under the night sky, Bai Kai pressed forward towards the address Lu Yibei had given.

Though he felt something was off-who gets married in the dead of night in a remote village?-he still wanted to see for himself.

Moreover, thinking of the woman getting married brought back memories of being eighteen, and he couldn’t think of anything else.

…

Twenty-two years ago.

Eighteen-year-old Bai Kai, along with his senior brother Lu Ming, left the desert and gobi where they had lived for over a decade and arrived in Hua City.

Back then, the two of them, having mastered their skills, were brimming with confidence, believing themselves to be as fierce as tigers descending from the mountains, if not quite dragons crossing the river.

However, reality soon delivered a harsh blow, leaving them like two beaten dogs.

No matter how strong their psychic abilities were, they still needed to eat.

Without diplomas or work experience, these two broke bachelors, newly introduced to modern society, could only cling to a dilapidated old mansion, racking their brains for ways to make a living.

Unfortunately, they could never agree on anything, making it difficult to take action.

Lu Ming, from a young age, had always been a bit of a rogue, as if he had a natural knack for mischief, constantly coming up with all sorts of dubious schemes.

With an empty stomach, he was eager to stir things up. At that time, tomb-raiding novels were all the rage, and he decided on a whim to use the Feng Shui skills learned from their Shifu to pull off a tomb-raiding gig.

“Xiao Bai, you see, the protagonist in this book is named Ba Yi, and my grandfather was also named Ba Yi. Maybe I really have a genetic talent for this! So, how about it? Want to join me for a big score?!”

As he spoke, Lu Ming’s eyes seemed to sparkle with the glint of money.

And at that time, Bai Kai was as pure as a white lotus.

Who would have thought that the future king of Hua City’s nightclubs started off with the persona of a naturally naive and innocent youth?

Faced with Lu Ming’s enthusiasm, Bai Kai refused without a second thought, “No, no! A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do.”

“Taking without asking is stealing, even a three-year-old knows that. How can we do such a thing!?”

“Xiao Bai, your Spirit Pattern advancement is sage-like, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a sage. Have you read yourself silly?” Lu Ming retorted, “Besides, we can use the summoning technique during the tomb raid to ask the tomb owner for permission before taking anything!”

“If we ask first, it’s not stealing, right? We won’t call it tomb raiding; we’ll call it tomb borrowing!”

“You…” Bai Kai looked at his senior brother, hesitating, “Forget it, senior brother, if you want to go, go by yourself! I’m not going!”

“Are you really not going?” Lu Ming asked with narrowed eyes.

“Not going!” Bai Kai replied firmly.

“Then if I make money from tomb borrowing and buy food, will you eat it?” Lu Ming asked again.

“I…” Bai Kai touched his stomach, which was so empty it was almost sticking to his back, turned his head away, and said fiercely, “I won’t eat it!”

“Fine! Xiao Bai, you’re tough!” Lu Ming gave Bai Kai a thumbs-up, “Then I’ll go by myself. Anyway, my lousy Spirit Pattern doesn’t have as many taboos as yours. Filling my stomach comes first.”

With that, he opened the window and jumped out, quickly disappearing into the night. He was gone for over three months, and though he didn’t “borrow” any tombs, he did dig up a complicated romance that ensnared him.

However, Bai Kai only learned about Lu Ming’s ordeal six months later.

During Lu Ming’s absence, Bai Kai, a living person, was nearly starved to death due to the limitations of his Spirit Pattern.

If it weren’t for someone introducing him to a job hunting hauntings, by the time Lu Ming returned, he might have found his junior brother’s corpse in their old mansion.

Bai Kai was at the overpass on Mudan Street, competing for business with the fortune-teller Liu Seer, when he heard about the haunting attack incident from Liu Seer.

He tried his hand at fortune-telling to make some money, but lacked Liu Seer’s thick skin. When a young lady asked him to read her palm, his face turned red as soon as he touched her hand, and he was too embarrassed to speak.

Seeing Bai Kai fumbling with her hand without letting go and unable to explain himself, the young lady thought he was taking advantage of her and was about to drag him to the police station.

Fortunately, his handsome appearance and Liu Seer’s timely intervention narrowly saved him from trouble.

Eventually, Liu Seer sat down next to Bai Kai, speaking earnestly, “Young man, why bother competing with an old fortune-teller like me? This isn’t a decent job.”

“If I weren’t old and had a family, I wouldn’t be doing this either…”

“Look, young man, I figured you’re also in this line of work, right? If you don’t mind, I might have some connections and could help you find some jobs hunting hauntings.”

Bai Kai stared at Liu Seer, unable to discern his expression behind round-framed sunglasses. After a long pause, he bowed slightly, “Thank you, senior. I would like to hear more!”

“Well, there’s a clothing factory on the east side of Hua City. The factory manager is messing around with male and female relationships, specifically, every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, he invites female employees to…”

“Senior!” Bai Kai, blushing, couldn’t help but interrupt, “Do not see evil, do not hear evil.”

“Just tell me what I should do.”

“That won’t do!” Liu Seer stiffened his neck, speaking sternly, “Don’t you know, when hunting hauntings, every detail is crucial! You listen carefully!”

Bai Kai, “…”

Thus, Bai Kai, still as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, was dragged by Liu Seer into a half-hour session of health and hygiene education.

…

In his first job as a haunting hunter, Bai Kai, through Liu Seer, helped the clothing factory in the east of Hua City hunt hauntings.

It was said that Liu Seer mentioned the boss had impregnated a young female worker and, unwilling to take responsibility, pushed her to despair. Overwhelmed with shame, she committed suicide wearing a prop wedding dress produced by the factory.

She cut open her belly, already four to five months pregnant, and the unborn baby mixed with her viscera spilled all over the floor, staining the yet-to-be-shipped prop wedding dress with blood.

Although the factory boss managed to suppress the incident with money and connections, workers started hearing a baby’s cries and seeing a blood-stained woman wandering around the factory.

Normally, dealing with a newly formed evil spirit type haunting wouldn’t be difficult for someone at Bai Kai’s level.

However, a man who doesn’t eat will die!

When Lu Ming left, he handed over all his possessions to Bai Kai, which altogether didn’t exceed a hundred yuan.

Surviving on less than a hundred yuan and the five yuan earned from fortune-telling, Bai Kai made it through two weeks without starving to death, though he was close.

Back then, Bai Kai’s demeanor was akin to that of a poor scholar from ancient times, his mind filled with the teachings of sages, always saying things like “fulfill the entrusted task with loyalty.” His skin was so thin that he felt embarrassed to ask his employer for a meal before hunting hauntings.

Moreover, the boss of the clothing factory wasn’t a good person and had no intention of treating him to a meal, making Bai Kai even more reluctant to ask.

So, he faced the haunting on an empty stomach, alone, and after just a few exchanges, he was dizzy, weak, sweating, and began to experience severe symptoms of hypoglycemia.

…

Bai Kai had shared many stories from his youth with Lu Yibei, but there were some embarrassing tales he never mentioned.

For instance, he almost starved to death in front of a haunting, or how his love story with his first crush began.

Many love stories start with a hero saving the damsel, but his began with the beauty saving the hero.

…

When the boss of the clothing factory briefed Bai Kai, he only mentioned the wandering blood-clad ghost but failed to inform him of the accompanying ghost baby haunting.

Already weakened by hunger, Bai Kai found it challenging to deal with even one haunting. Suddenly, facing an additional haunting, the pressure was far from a simple one plus one equals two.

The blood-clad ghost’s attacks were brutal and fierce, while the ghost baby’s methods were sinister and treacherous.

Soon, Bai Kai was cornered, his clothes torn, his body covered in wounds emitting black mist, and was about to be swallowed by the blood-clad ghost’s gaping maw.

That’s when Xing Yuan appeared.

“If you can’t handle it, don’t try to hunt hauntings!”

“I’ve been eyeing this job for a while now, waiting for Boss Li to buckle under the pressure of halting production and raise the pay, but you, a brat, had to mess it all up!”

“It’s infuriating! Why do I still have to save you now? Damn it!”

In a daze, Bai Kai heard a pleasant voice muttering to him. He slowly lifted his head and saw, from bottom to top, a pair of white running shoes, tight jeans, a beige jacket, and an oversized black axe.

A girl with exquisite features had appeared behind him, looking down at him with a cold expression. Her slightly alluring eyes were sharp and fierce, as if they could shoot fire.

This was Bai Kai’s first encounter with such a beautiful girl. She wasn’t just pretty; she exuded a captivating confidence. Despite Bai Kai’s scrutinizing gaze, she seemed completely unfazed, as if she didn’t care about anyone’s opinion.

A beautiful heroine saving someone from danger-that was Bai Kai’s first impression of Xing Yuan.

“Watch closely, haunting hunter. This is how it should be done!”

Xing Yuan coldly said to Bai Kai before charging at the hauntings with her axe.

Suddenly, the air exploded with a piercing sound, and a crimson arc tore through the night.

After that, Bai Kai had no recollection of events. Overwhelmed by the powerful psychic energy fluctuation, he blacked out, only to awaken cradled in Xing Yuan’s arms.

She carried him in a princess hold, soaring over the cityscape, landing in a dilapidated residential area, where he was unceremoniously tossed onto a bed, stripped of his clothes and pants.

September in Hua City had already begun to show signs of chill, and as the cool breeze brushed against his skin, Bai Kai’s mind was flooded with Liu Seer’s risqué tales, especially as he watched the pretty girl fumbling around.

Thus…

“Miss, wait a minute… don’t come any closer!”

“What’s with the fuss? Not only do you look as fair as a girl, but your temperament seems just as delicate,” Xing Yuan retorted, clearly annoyed. “If you keep squirming like this, how am I supposed to apply the medicine?”

Bai Kai glanced at the dark wounds on his body and then at the ointment in Xing Yuan’s hand. He covered his face with his hands and meekly replied, “Oh, sorry, my mistake. Please, go ahead.”

Upon hearing this, Xing Yuan’s lips curled into a mischievous smile as she licked the corner of her lips with her pink tongue. “Really? I can do as I please? Honestly, I quite fancy your type of fresh meat.”

Bai Kai, “???”

And so, the beautiful heroine gained yet another label-one of a flirt.

Watching Bai Kai’s wide-eyed, panic-stricken retreat to the corner of the bed, Xing Yuan burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Look at you, all scared. Are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my Huabei bill?”

“Relax, I’m not someone who takes advantage of others. You can apply the medicine yourself. Once you’re done, if you’re hungry, check the kitchen. There’s probably only instant noodles left.”

“As for me, I’m off to collect my payment.”

With that, Xing Yuan left Bai Kai behind and went to claim her reward from the garment factory owner, seemingly unconcerned that Bai Kai might steal something from her place.

Of course, there wasn’t much worth stealing, except for the cupboard full of instant noodles in various flavors.

Sometimes Bai Kai wondered if it was that day he developed a fondness for instant noodles, so much so that every time he investigated a haunting incident, he would make a bowl of noodles whenever he had the chance.

Even if he didn’t eat them, he would just hold the bowl.

…

It seemed as though those bosses had a penchant for messy relationships and disappearing acts.

Anyway, the owner of the garment factory in the east district of Hua City did indeed flee.

Despite Bai Kai and Xing Yuan’s efforts, they ended up without a single cent of compensation.

In a fit of anger, Xing Yuan raided the factory’s warehouse, taking over fifty boxes of unsold clothing as payment.

For a long time afterward, the two of them lived a life of battling wits with city inspectors during the day, selling clothes at street stalls, and taking on haunting hunting commissions at night.

During those days, they were inseparable, calling each other brothers, watching movies together, dining at street stalls, whistling at pretty girls on the street, and even sharing the same bed at night.

However, Bai Kai, ever the gentleman, insisted on placing a bowl of water in the middle of the bed before sleeping, only to wake up each morning and stare at the empty bowl in contemplation.

At that time, Xing Yuan often told Bai Kai that she was the strongest psychic in Hua City, and following her would ensure a good life. Bai Kai would just smile silently and focus on his instant noodles. He knew well that within Hua City, psychics like Lu Ming were far stronger than Xing Yuan, and even he himself, once well-fed, surpassed her in strength.

Despite knowing this, he never exposed her bluff. During each haunting hunt, he quietly stood behind Xing Yuan, offering his silent support.

Thus, autumn passed, winter came, and spring arrived again, ushering in the season of life’s renewal.

One night, Bai Kai placed a bowl of water in the center of the bed as usual. Shortly after lying down, he heard a crisp sound. Xing Yuan had smashed the bowl of water, then pulled back Bai Kai’s blanket, offering his lips a warm and passionate kiss.

The curtains blocked the streetlight’s glow, and the night turned into a deep abyss, devoid of light and consciousness, filled only with intense, ambiguous, joyful life. The bed beneath them seemed to transform into a small boat, rocking amidst turbulent waves as they nestled together.

Their breaths mingled, whispering sweet nothings with closed eyes, hands exploring each other in the haze, touching and parting. They were lost in the tumultuous night, sharing the same wild, crazy dream, rising within that hazy Dream.

Outside, the gentle breeze stirred the curtains, bringing a light drizzle and leaving a few peach blossoms behind. In the silent night, someone spoke.

“Don’t cry, I’ll take responsibility.”

“Hmph! Who… who wants you to take responsibility!?”

“But isn’t your Spirit Pattern supposed to require abstinence?” Xing Yuan murmured as she stroked Bai Kai’s hair.

“Food and love are natural desires. It should be fine, right?”

“Oh.” Xing Yuan responded thoughtfully, muttering, “That’s good, that’s good…”

A week later.

Without warning, Xing Yuan vanished from Bai Kai’s world, taking with her the psychic energy she had siphoned from him, along with the savings they had accumulated from selling clothes and hunting hauntings…

It seemed premeditated, leaving not even a reason behind.

On the open ground of Baiyan Village, everything was ready.

Four red lanterns were lit, signaling the start of tonight’s performance.

Lu Yibei glanced around, snapped her fingers, and with one hand on her hip and the other holding a newspaper-rolled microphone, she shouted, “Actors in position, lights ready, music start!”

“Okay!” Meng replied, stepping to the center of the stage, striking a pose, and with a clear voice, she entered her role.

“Remember the days of iron horses and golden spears, from the first oath in the Peach Garden…”

Meanwhile, on a small hill not far from the stage, Bai Kai watched a figure in a wedding dress sitting alone at the edge of the stage, looking around. His heart felt like it had been squeezed tightly, skipping a beat, as he murmured, “I didn’t expect you to keep it.”

That wedding dress was the last piece left from when he and Xing Yuan were selling clothes. Being a sample, the material and craftsmanship were far from refined, even downright poor, making it unsellable.

Bai Kai originally planned to discard the dress or sell it at a very low price, but Xing Yuan insisted on keeping it.

She said, “If it can’t be sold, then let’s not sell it. I think it fits me well, so I’ll keep it for my future wedding.”

“A wedding? With whom?” Bai Kai asked naively.

“You…” Xing Yuan replied, pausing for a long time before finishing, “You don’t need to worry about that! Just keep it!”

As Bai Kai was lost in his memories, an unusual change occurred on the river.

Meng first sang a segment of “Double Dream,” and after finishing, her voice transitioned into “Crying Image,” followed by several mourning songs, and finally “Female Release.”

“One, cursed are the parents too cruel… Two, cursed… Three, cursed…”

Meng’s ethereal and melodious voice flowed out, perhaps due to her own similar experiences, she vividly expressed the despair and hatred of the weak, sending chills down the listeners’ spines while evoking a sense of sorrow.

Immediately after, the lake behind the stage began to change.

The tranquil flowing river merged with the mountains and the night, making it impossible to distinguish where the sky ended and the water began, or where the riverbank was.

Only a dense fog suddenly appeared in the pitch-black distance, with specks of light shining through, as if someone had scattered a handful of stars into the mist.

The dark river and the night became one, indistinguishable from sky, water, or shore, with only a few points of light appearing in the distant darkness, as if someone had tossed a handful of stars into the river.

Under the illumination of those lights, in the flickering shadows, more and more shadowy figures appeared on the riverbank, floating densely in the water, gradually approaching the stage.

Then.

In the distance, a large ship, glowing a ghastly red, seemed to glide effortlessly through the mist, slowly sailing closer…