Chapter 157 - 156: Da Bao

Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Da Bao

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. "Missing your mommy and daddy? Then why don’t you go home and see them?"

The little girl’s expression turned desolate. "Mommy and daddy don’t like me."

"Hm?" Gu Qingyin looked her up and down. "How did you die?" ’She wasn’t abandoned, was she? So cute and so well-behaved, how could they bear to leave her?’

"I died from an illness." The little girl sighed like a little adult. "A very serious one, the kind that couldn’t be cured. My illness made Mommy and Daddy very sad every day. Now that I’m dead, they probably won’t be sad anymore, right?"

"No, they’ll be even sadder." Gu Qingyin sighed inwardly. ’Life and death are a matter of fate. What a poor child.’

The little girl was silent for a few seconds, then her voice was quiet but firm. "They won’t be sad."

’Hm?’ A flicker of doubt rose in Gu Qingyin’s heart. Just as she was about to ask, the little girl suddenly vanished.

Gu Qingyin stood up and came face-to-face with a woman walking out of the stairwell.

The woman was carrying a bag of trash. The dark circles under her eyes were heavy, and her gaze was filled with exhaustion and numbness. She didn’t look like she was doing very well.

Seeing Gu Qingyin, the woman froze for a second, then hastily lowered her head and walked past her.

Gu Qingyin caught the faint scent of milk on her. She glanced back once before turning and leaving.

When the woman returned, she didn’t see any sign of Gu Qingyin and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. They were just strangers who had met by chance, but a single glance had made her feel inferior, even pressured.

’That kind of person clearly isn’t from the old district. She must just be passing through.’

The thought was fleeting. The woman went up to the fourth floor, and before she even reached her door, she heard a baby’s hoarse cries. She anxiously unlocked the door, calling out soothingly from a distance, "Mommy’s back, Little Treasure, don’t cry."

Gu Qingyin followed the little girl’s lingering aura and found her in a dark corner.

"That was your mother who just came out of the building, wasn’t it? You look a lot like her." Gu Qingyin asked, puzzled, "Didn’t you say you miss your mom? Why did you run away the moment she appeared? It’s not like she can see you."

The little girl remained silent.

’She didn’t want to run, either. She wanted her mommy to hold her again, but she was afraid she’d lose control... The feeling was getting stronger and stronger. She was about to lose control of herself, but she wasn’t ready to just give up and be reincarnated.’

For a split second, Gu Qingyin sensed something, but when she tried to probe more carefully, it was gone.

"Auntie, are you one of those people they talk about, the ones who catch ghosts?"

With no time to dwell on it, Gu Qingyin smiled and nodded, teasing her, "That’s right. Auntie is a Heavenly Master. Are you scared?"

The little girl pressed her translucent lips together and shook her head firmly. "I’m not scared. Auntie, can you do me a favor? I want to see my mommy and daddy one more time. Can you come with me?"

"Is there something you want to say to your parents?"

The little girl nodded. "Something very, very important. After I say it, I’ll go be reincarnated without a fuss."

Gu Qingyin smiled. If it had been any other ghost soul, she would have sent it on its way long ago. But it just had to be a child, one she couldn’t help but feel a soft spot for.

"Alright, I promise."

The little girl smiled. "Thank you, Auntie." Her form slowly began to fade. "When I’m ready, I’ll come find you."

Gu Qingyin let out a soft laugh and, as originally planned, continued to wander through the old district.

The old district had many dark places where wandering ghost souls tended to gather. Strolling through occasionally to help some of them pass on was one way to accumulate good karma.

Huo Yunjing appeared with a smile. "This isn’t like you." ’Meddling in other people’s business, and for free, no less.’

Gu Qingyin was a little embarrassed. "I’m not that greedy, you know."

She fell silent for two seconds, then her tone became a little more serious as she replied, "Whenever I see a child now, I can’t help but think of what my sons were like when they were little. I think about what would have happened if they had run into trouble or danger back then."

So now, whenever she meets a child of a similar age, she just wants to dote on them a little more, to help them out. It was like that with Gugu, and it’s like that with that little ghost just now.

Huo Yunjing’s gaze softened, and he took her hand. "That wasn’t your fault. If you had known that leaving would mean missing twenty years, you never would have gone."

Gu Qingyin gave a bitter smile. "If I had known, how could I have ever left?" ’Whether it was Huo Yunjing or her three sons, she couldn’t have borne to leave any of them.’

Huo Yunjing tightened his grip on her hand and smiled. "It’s not your fault. You don’t have to blame yourself, and you don’t have to always be trying to make up for it."

Gu Qingyin nodded.

’But the next time she encountered a situation like this, she would still feel that soft spot, and she would still help. She couldn’t bring herself to say no.’

After helping a few ghost souls pass on, Gu Qingyin left the old district and returned to her hotel.

The next night, she went again, mainly because she was afraid the little girl wouldn’t be able to find her. It was the same on the third night, but the little girl never appeared.

Gu Qingyin grew worried and annoyed with herself. It was obvious the little girl’s soul couldn’t last much longer. ’Why did I forget to perform Strengthening Soul for her before I left?’

The longer she waited, the more anxious Gu Qingyin became. Several times, she considered going upstairs to ask the little girl’s parents for one of her belongings to just locate her directly.

Fortunately, she resisted the urge. The little girl finally appeared on the fifth night, but her soul body looked even fainter than before.

Gu Qingyin’s brow furrowed. The first thing she did was perform Strengthening Soul and replenish the girl’s Yin Qi before finally speaking. "Where have you been these past few days?"

The little girl stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then broke into a wide, happy smile. "I went to the hospital where I used to stay. You’re so nice, Auntie."

Gu Qingyin glared at her. "I thought your soul had dissipated."

The little girl shook her head. "I won’t dissipate." ’Her obsession had not yet faded; how could she possibly dissipate?’

Gu Qingyin snorted. She opened her mouth to scold the girl, only to realize she didn’t know her name. "What’s your name?"

The little girl beamed. "You can call me Da Bao, Auntie. That’s what my mommy and daddy used to call me."

Gu Qingyin nodded, picking up where she left off. "Da Bao, next time you go out, you need to tell me where you’re going, what you’re doing, and for how long, understand? What if you run into an Evil Ghost and get eaten? Just look at how faint your soul body is! If you keep running around like that, you’ll dissipate sooner or later."

Da Bao nodded obediently, her smile growing even brighter.

’Auntie is worried about me.’

"Should we go up and find your parents now?" Gu Qingyin asked.

Da Bao turned her head to look at the old building nearby and nodded. "Let’s go now."

Gu Qingyin followed Da Bao into the building.

It was an old walk-up building with only two apartments per floor, facing each other. Da Bao’s family lived in the one on the left.

Just as they reached the door, Gu Qingyin heard an impatient man’s roar from inside. "Cry, cry, cry, all you do is cry all day! You’re crying away all my damn luck!"

Gu Qingyin instinctively glanced at Da Bao.

Da Bao tilted her head up and blinked at her. "Auntie, can you knock on the door for me?"

Her expression didn’t change at all; she was clearly accustomed to her father’s bad temper.

Sighing to herself, Gu Qingyin knocked on the door.

As the sound of knocking echoed, the shouting stopped. A moment later, the door opened, and the haggard-faced woman peeked her head out. She couldn’t help but freeze when she saw Gu Qingyin.

"You..."

Gu Qingyin gave a small smile. "Hello. There’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s about Da Bao."

Hearing the name "Da Bao," the woman’s expression changed drastically. The door was slammed shut with a BANG.