After Bai Ling'er left, Zhang Dabiao and I didn't rest. We decided to go out and find something to eat. We had been up for most of the night and were starving. The few pounds of lamb we bought weren't even enough for Bai Ling'er to pick her teeth with. Besides, I didn't want Bai Ling'er to get angry with us for not having roasted lamb when she returned.
As we stepped out of the courtyard, we saw two figures lurking suspiciously by the wall. They seemed flustered when they saw us emerge, and as they stood up, they tried to run.
They hadn't gotten far before Zhang Dabiao caught up with them, giving each of them a kick that sent them rolling like tumbleweeds.
I followed, stepping on one of their chests. "Who are you? Why are you spying on us?"
The one under my foot was defiant. "Who... who's spying on you? We're just passing by."
Zhang Dabiao chimed in, "What are you doing? We're just passing by! Do you know it's illegal to hit people?"
"Illegal?" I chuckled. If there was any law in other places, I felt there was no law in Molu Village. Even if there were, it would have been smoothed over by the merchants who dealt in strange and antique objects.
However, I found myself hesitant to truly lay hands on them. They hadn't really seen anything. Bai Ling'er, at its speed, was a streak of light in the darkness. Anyone with weaker eyesight might not have even seen its shadow.
"You don't need to tell me. I know who you are. Go back and tell your boss, 'If you don't want anyone to know, you shouldn't have done it.' Behave yourselves."
With that, I lifted my foot. Zhang Dabiao, though not understanding my intent, also let go. As we walked away, he kicked one of them again, "If you follow us again, we'll kill you."
The two men got up, cast resentful glances at me, and when Zhang Dabiao glared at them, they took off faster than rabbits.
"Brother, why did you let them go? We should have taught them a good lesson."
Zhang Dabiao was still very unhappy about the matter of me being afflicted with the Yin Gu. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have gone to fight Li Zuoquan.
"Forget it. They're just small fry. It would dirty my hands to beat them. Besides, this is the South, not our territory. It's better to have fewer troubles."
Zhang Dabiao thought for a moment and nodded, remaining silent.
Although the East Village was bustling at night, there weren't many places to eat. The closest one was the lamb restaurant. Since I had promised Bai Ling'er a roasted whole lamb, we headed straight for the lamb restaurant.
After we finished eating and drinking, we ordered two freshly slaughtered lambs. Seeing Zhang Dabiao hand over dozens of red banknotes to the owner, I winced at the cost. Two lambs cost nearly five thousand. With the owner's enthusiastic service, we took the seasoning packets and a set of borrowed tools back to our residence.
It was two hours later when everything was set up. Looking at the golden-brown, sizzling lamb, I started to worry about Bai Ling'er.
At its speed, it could have made several round trips in two hours. Even if finding someone took some time, it should have returned by now. Could something have happened?
Zhang Dabiao saw me pacing in the courtyard and comforted me, "Don't worry. That little guy looks harmless, but it's very clever. Besides, it has skin as tough as bronze and bones like iron. It definitely won't have a problem carrying something."
I nodded and remained silent, having no choice but to sit and wait. Another half hour passed, and then we heard Bai Ling'er shouting for help.
Zhang Dabiao grabbed his cleaver and rushed out. Immediately, we heard a flurry of fighting sounds. When I followed him out, I saw Zhang Dabiao locked in combat with a shadowy figure.
The figure was as agile as a mountain cat, dodging and rolling, each movement perfectly evading Zhang Dabiao's attacks. Although Zhang Dabiao's offense was fierce, he was clearly at a disadvantage, and defeat was inevitable.
After assessing the situation, I formed a Heaven Retreat Seal. The moment the golden light of the seal appeared, the shadowy figure leaped out of the combat circle, let out a cold snort, and turned to flee.
Zhang Dabiao was about to give chase when I stopped him.
"Why aren't you chasing? With both of us, we could have beaten her black and blue."
I gave a wry smile. I knew my own capabilities. The Heaven Retreat Seal was a formidable weapon against malevolent spirits, but I had to be able to hit them first. Moreover, with my current level of Xuan Yang Qi, I could only use it twice before my internal Xuan Yang Qi was depleted, often leaving me being chased instead.
I certainly wouldn't say that. I coughed to ease my embarrassment and said, "It's more important to check on Ling'er. We'll have opportunities to meet again."
"At least you have a conscience."
As soon as I finished speaking, Ling'er, hidden beneath the corner of the wall, wobbled into the air. It looked as if it were drunk, complaining, "What kind of trouble have you gotten me into? You almost got me killed."
I chuckled awkwardly. "How could that be? Miss Bai, is there anyone you fear?"
"I don't fear people, but she's not human. Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Is my food ready? Otherwise, don't blame me for getting angry."
"Don't you smell it? It's already set up in the courtyard."
Bai Ling'er's two small nostrils twitched slightly. "That's more like it. Here, this is what you wanted." With that, Bai Ling'er opened its small mouth and spat out two pearls, each about the size of a fingernail.
I took them and brought them closer to the light. One pearl was carved with the character "Fang," and the other with "Hui."
With these two items, I was confident that Fang Huixin would allow me to leave. To help her find her daughter?
...
The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Zhang Dabiao and I arrived at Fang Huixin's residence.
After knocking for a long time, someone finally responded. The door was opened by a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was slightly balding, but his eyes shone with intelligence.
"Knock, knock, knock... What are you knocking for? Disturbing people this early in the morning?"
I stopped Zhang Dabiao, who was about to reprimand him, and said, "Tell your boss, I have news about her daughter. Ask her to come out and meet me."
He glanced at me, then at Zhang Dabiao. "Song Qingyun?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Wait."
After a short while, the balding man returned and opened the door, letting me in.
This time, there weren't as many bodyguards, but the surveillance cameras mounted on the walls, tracking my movements, indicated that Fang Huixin was suspicious about the lost items. It seemed Fang Huixin suspected something had been taken.
We sat in the hall for a short while before Fang Huixin emerged from the back rooms, dressed in a well-fitting qipao.
She glanced at me briefly and asked in a calm voice, "You found my daughter? Where is she?"
Seeing Fang Huixin's seemingly indifferent expression, my heart sank. Had I guessed wrong?
"She's in Xiangyanggou."