Chapter 98 - 97: Paying a Visit

Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Paying a Visit

The two talismans might not have looked like much, but their effect was surprisingly good.

Feng Xia was already injured, so the destructive power of the lightning bored into his body through the wounds, eradicating the black slime as it went.

Feng Xia writhed on the ground in agony, only recovering after a long moment.

Huo Xingchen seized the opportunity to draw two more. After a few rounds of this, Feng Xia was down for the count. Finally, when Huo Xingchen figured it was about time, he ended the strangely comical battle with one last Thunder Spell.

On the ground, Feng Xia’s body looked much gaunter than before. He was nothing but skin and bones, and his eyes had sunk deep into their sockets.

Huo Xingchen glanced at him and tsked. Then he turned, puffed out his chest, and announced smugly, "Problem solved!"

Mao Mao hopped off his head and ambled over to Gu Qingyin.

"How is Feng Xia so useless?" Gu Qingyin frowned. ’He can’t even serve as a decent whetstone. And here I had such high hopes for him, I even sent Mao Mao to act as his bodyguard.’

"Forget it. Let’s go." Gu Qingyin wasn’t pleased. An opportunity like this was a rare gift, and there was no telling when another would come along.

"Oh," Huo Xingchen said, scratching his head as he followed them.

Huo Yunjing trailed closely behind Gu Qingyin. "Honey, let me take you down. I can fly."

Gu Qingyin paused, tempted. "Is it safe?"

"I guarantee it!"

Gu Qingyin turned and walked to the edge of the rooftop. "Is there anything I need to do?"

Huo Yunjing drew near, a perfectly straight-faced expression on his face. "Just hold on to me tight."

Gu Qingyin shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Huo Yunjing’s confidence began to waver, and just as he was about to take it back, Gu Qingyin suddenly raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. "Like this?"

Huo Yunjing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He grunted in affirmation, held Gu Qingyin tightly, and leaped from the edge.

Huo Xingchen, who had been standing obediently to the side waiting for his parents, was left speechless...

’Couldn’t they at least give me a heads-up before ditching me next time?!’

Out of the corner of his eye, Huo Xingchen saw Mao Mao, who had also been left behind, peering down from the edge of the roof.

Huo Xingchen felt a sudden sense of comfort. He wasn’t alone! He waved to Mao Mao. "Stop looking. Let’s go, I’ll take you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Mao Mao kicked off with its hind legs and leaped down.

"Holy shit!" Huo Xingchen yelped. He scrambled to the edge and looked over. Mao Mao was descending at a steady pace, arms outstretched. Just before hitting the ground, it did a somersault and landed safely.

Nearby, Huo Yunjing and Gu Qingyin, who had jumped first, were so busy being romantic in the air that they actually landed a moment after Mao Mao.

Huo Xingchen watched in silence for a couple of seconds, then turned to take the stairs. If one looked closely, his retreating figure seemed a bit lonely.

Huo Xingchen had thought his parents might feel a little guilty, but when he got downstairs, he saw them share another lingering kiss.

’Right now, I really feel like a third wheel.’

Fortunately, Gu Qingyin had the decency to maintain some composure in front of her son. She pushed away Huo Yunjing, who was leaning in for another kiss, and cleared her throat. "It’s getting late. Let’s go home."

Not long after the family of three and their pet left, the sound of police sirens echoed from below.

The officers in the car exchanged uneasy glances. They had actually arrived a while ago but had been stuck circling the area, unable to get near the residential complex. Then, just two minutes ago, the road leading to it had suddenly cleared.

The more experienced officer swallowed nervously. He quickly pulled out his phone to report the situation, then retrieved two peach wood daggers and two yellow talismans folded into octagons from the armrest compartment. He handed one of each to his colleague and said grimly, "We’re going up to reconnoiter only. Don’t engage. We wait for the specialists from the higher-ups to arrive."

The two officers thought they were heading into a life-or-death situation, but when they got upstairs, they found the killer was already dead amidst clear signs of a struggle.

The officers exchanged another look, not daring to disturb the scene. They went back downstairs to calm the residents.

The person from the higher-ups arrived quickly—a young Daoist priest. Once he was on site, the police and the onlookers were all evacuated. No one knew what the priest did, but after he left...

...this clearly supernatural incident was spun into a sensational news story about a "mental patient on a rampage, committing a string of murders."

Gu Qingyin came across the story while scrolling through short-form videos. She glanced at the headline and swiped past it. ’Just the Mystic Association’s standard operating procedure.’

After a day of rest at home, Gu Qingyin got a call from Liu Ergou. Xia Zelin had arrived in Yun City.

Xia Zelin was in town for the roadshow promoting his new movie. It was his first film role, and he was taking it very seriously.

He knew a dangerous individual had surfaced in Yun City recently, which made him a little apprehensive, but he figured he wasn’t important enough to attract any attention.

Xia Zelin never expected that someone would show up at his hotel room door almost as soon as he arrived.

When the doorbell rang, Xia Zelin was in the middle of lunch. He’d taken a red-eye flight, caught up on some sleep after landing, and had only been awake for a short while. His hair was a complete mess, utterly ruining his public image.

Xia Zelin assumed it was his assistant, so he went straight to the door. When he saw a beautiful young woman standing outside, his first thought was that he was being stalked by a fan.

Almost instinctively, he ran a hand through his hair before his expression hardened. "What do you want? An autograph? Fine. Where do you want me to sign?"

Gu Qingyin, standing in the doorway, couldn’t help but chuckle. She tipped her chin toward the room. "Let’s talk inside."

Xia Zelin laughed, but it was a laugh of anger. "Don’t push your luck. If you don’t want an autograph, then leave. Otherwise, I’m calling security."

Gu Qingyin didn’t want to attract a crowd either; this wasn’t something to make a scene about. She tsked, then placed a hand on his head, shoved him back into the room, and slammed the door shut, placing a ward on it as she did.

Xia Zelin saw her place the ward. His heart skipped a beat, but he maintained the facade of an exasperated celebrity pushed to his limit by a stalker. He growled, "I don’t care what you think you’re doing. You’d better leave right now. Don’t make me call the cops!"

Gu Qingyin shot him a look and scoffed, then began to survey the room as if he weren’t there. As she did, she casually released a monkey.

’Nothing seems out of place on the surface. I’ll have to let Mao Mao check. It wouldn’t be right for me to go rummaging through some guy’s luggage. What if I saw something... unseemly? That would just be awkward.’

"What was that?!" Xia Zelin saw a shadow dart into his bedroom but couldn’t make out what it was. He instinctively moved to stop it, but Gu Qingyin blocked his path.

"Just a little pet. It’ll come out on its own after it’s done playing."

Xia Zelin was going insane. ’I wish I could summon a Fierce Ghost right now and send this woman to her grave!’

He stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily as he desperately suppressed the murderous intent welling up inside him.

Acting as if she didn’t notice, Gu Qingyin asked him point-blank, "What’s your relationship with Lin Wu?"

Xia Zelin’s breathing hitched for a moment, but he kept up the act. "Lin who? Never heard of him." He scowled, his face darkening as he tried to usher her out again. "Stop spouting nonsense and get out!"

Gu Qingyin turned a deaf ear. "Fine, you don’t know him. Then let’s talk about Huo Xinghai. You can’t possibly say you don’t know him, can you?"

Hearing the name Huo Xinghai, Xia Zelin’s facade finally cracked. He studied Gu Qingyin carefully, and a moment later, realization dawned. "You’re Huo Xinghai’s mother? And you’re a Heavenly Master!"