Chapter 44: The Rare Pearl of the Vast Sea – Du Sixian
At noon.
The brightest sunlight of the day bathed the stone road of Mudan Street, fresh air like water, as autumn leaves, aging like a beauty, drifted down, startling the fish in the clear stream, resembling elves.
Du Sixian held her camera with both hands, walking and stopping, occasionally capturing the beautiful scenery with her lens, sighing in her heart that Mudan Street was indeed a magical place—how had she never noticed it before?
Since coming to Huacheng for university, this was not her first visit to Mudan Street; it was here that she discovered its magic.
From the moment she stepped into Mudan Street, she was astonished to find that there was not a trace of demons or monsters in this clean, well-kept old street.
Looking around, she nodded slightly.
It certainly seemed like a place in Huacheng where those with mysterious powers could easily hide.
Immersed in the scenery of Mudan Street, Du Sixian had no idea how long she had been walking. Following the address given by the doctor, she finally found the white-walled restaurant with green walls in a somewhat secluded corner of the old street.
Her gaze traveled up the quaint shop door and saw the sign with the words “Luxi Chuancaiguan.”
“This should be the place?”
Du Sixian murmured to herself, stepping forward, pulling the door knocker, and gently knocking.
“Dongdongdong—dongdongdong—!”
Silence, there was no response.
Peering through the gap in the door, she did not see anyone moving inside.
“Is no one home? Or do they just not want to see me?” Du Sixian muttered softly. Just then, behind her, a pleasant male voice rang out.
“Who are you looking for?” The soft voice carried a hint of melodious charm, evoking the image of a handsome young man, like a refined gentleman from a turbulent world.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to meet someone who could empathize with her, a gentle and beautiful young man?
With a bit of expectation, Du Sixian turned around, only to see the burly figure of Su Mi.
His physique, reminiscent of a UFC wrestler, cast a shadow beside her, overwhelming her with a strong sense of pressure. She stepped back several paces until her back hit the wooden door.
Fear.JPG
Could this person be Luxianbei? Du Sixian twitched her lips and weakly asked, “Excuse me, do you know Luxianbei? Or are you Luxianbei?”
This girl is here looking for Luxianbei? Su Mi narrowed his eyes and appraised Du Sixian, asking, “What do you want with him?”
“I…” Du Sixian hesitated, her brows furrowing deeply as she bit her lip, looking as if she had something difficult to say.
“Sorry, I can’t tell you that, but I really need to find him urgently.”
Ah? This… Su Mi frowned, wondering if old Lu was out there messing around, causing trouble, and now some girl was here to collect a debt?
When did he become that kind of person? Has he been led astray by that uncle who messes around with his dad?
“Oh, I don’t know him; wait here for a bit. But it looks like no one has lived here for ages, so you probably won’t be waiting for long.”
With that, Su Mi left Du Sixian behind and turned back toward his own shop.
On a moral level, Su Mi strongly condemned Luxianbei for his disgraceful actions, but as a good brother to Luxianbei, Su Mi would still lend him a helping hand.
Striding back into the antique brocade Shu embroidery shop, Su Mi slammed the door shut with a “bang!” and slyly took out his phone, snapping a photo of Du Sixian through the gap in the door, sending it to Luxianbei.
【[Image][Image][Image], Old Lu, your lover has come to visit! I don’t know how to handle this; you figure it out yourself!】
……
Watching Su Mi’s retreating figure, Du Sixian slightly parted her lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately just sighed softly.
“Ah—!”
She could tell Su Mi was hiding something from her, but she also didn’t dare to press the issue.
After all… Su Mi looked too capable, the kind who could pick her up with one hand and swing her around.
Du Sixian turned to glance at the restaurant door behind her, her brows slightly knitted.
Should she wait a little longer? Maybe he would be back soon?
……
“Tap—tap—tap—!”
The sound of high heels clicking against the bluestone pavement echoed.
A woman in a black professional suit walked from the end of the street, her slightly curled black hair flowing behind her with a white coat like a cape, her vivid red lips holding a slender cigarette, and one hand swaying a half-empty beer can.
Without the embellishment of her bright appearance, she looked like a disillusioned, greasy middle-aged person.
“Hey! Really treating people like beasts and not even providing food! Tsk, I’m not afraid of exhausting myself to the point of turning into a corpse and biting you all to d*ath…” An Qing mumbled in complaint.
On a moonless night, the work of the Siye Society was always so busy.
As the only operative in the Huacheng Siye Society who was proficient in urban legend anatomy, she had spent the entire night with the corpses of urban legends.
Recording the characteristics of the urban legends, handing them over to Jiang Li for analysis and archiving, then slicing off materials suitable for alchemy from the bodies.
Separating the core of the urban legends and sending it to a girl who liked to impersonate mushrooms to conduct a purification ritual, then storing the initially purified cores and materials in the warehouse for safekeeping.
This was all of An Qing’s work, monotonous, repetitive, and tedious.
Logically, with such a job, she should no longer double as a patrolling operative.
But…
There were simply too few spiritual ability users with enough combat power in Huacheng; they couldn’t even gather the seven required for the weekly rotation.
This was one of the reasons she and Jiang Li were eagerly hoping for new members to join.
“I wonder what the higher-ups over there are thinking; there are so many operatives in Rongcheng, they could just transfer a few over to ease our pressure! Really!”
An Qing complained, raising her hand to massage her throbbing temples.
Handling urban legend corpses required various spices, and breathing in too much left her feeling dizzy, like a hangover.
Just as she dropped her hand and took a sip of beer, she frowned upon raising her head.
Following the faint spiritual energy fluctuations in the air, An Qing saw the girl sitting at the street corner, looking lost and abandoned like a little stray cat, evoking a sense of pity.
Gazing at the girl’s profile, a hint of expectation glimmered in An Qing’s eyes as she secretly probed the girl’s spiritual energy fluctuations.
The fluctuations were not evil and had no trace of bl**d, seeming to carry a slightly hot feeling—perhaps a combat-oriented spirit pattern?
Could she be a naturally awakened spiritual ability user? Oh my, I might have stumbled upon a treasure this time!
With the excitement of discovering a rare pearl of the vast sea, An Qing approached.
……
Time passed, and as the sunlight began to slant, losing some of its intensity, Du Sixian finally realized it was past noon and that she had been sitting there for nearly two hours.
It seemed unlikely to wait any longer; perhaps she should find an inn on the street to stay the night and come back tomorrow?
Du Sixian didn’t want to return to school; only on Mudan Street could she avoid those strange figures and feel at ease.
Lost in thought, she was about to get up when a strikingly beautiful woman with a hint of wildness in her demeanor approached and sat down beside her.
Seeing this, Du Sixian frowned slightly and cautiously asked, “Uh, excuse me, do you need something?”
An Qing turned towards her with a charming smile, “I have some liquor; I see you have remarkable potential. How about learning from me and becoming a protector of Huacheng?”
Du Sixian, “…” Is this some new type of scam?
(..•˘_˘•..)
Only a fool would believe you!
Du Sixian thought to herself as she silently activated her camera, capturing a shot of An Qing’s face.
