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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 45: Grudge (Part Fifteen)
Zhao Di let out a cold laugh, and under my warning, transformed into a wisp of mist that instantly dissipated into the air.
The girl trembled in fear, too scared to move or scream. I stepped forward to support her, saying, "It's okay now. Just don't casually take things from the dead. Go get a stick of incense, light it, and say a prayer; everything will be fine."
Zhao Di was hungry; her earlier appearance wasn't meant to harm the girl but rather to absorb some yang energy to sustain her spirit's presence in the mortal realm.
So, when someone occasionally shivers, it's often because something is drawing on their yang energy. Generally, those with bad luck are more likely to encounter such things, while those with good fortune and strong yang energy won't. The girl ended up crying when she left the mortuary's beauty room out of sheer fright.
Those who didn't know might think I was bullying her. Damn it, thankfully I had made acquaintances at the funeral home before. After explaining the situation in detail, it left them both amused and bewildered. This acquaintance informed me that the girl had connections to get in; she was still quite young and came from a difficult family that needed money.
I understood her situation and gave her the last two hundred yuan I had before leaving, reminding her to remember this: while working here, never be greedy. If you claim something belonging to the dead as your own, their resentment will follow you for life.
The girl took my words to heart. At eighteen years old, who would want to send their daughter to work in a funeral home if their family circumstances were better?
I looked at the bracelet; indeed, there was a photo of another girl on it. If I remembered correctly, this photo belonged to a girl named Li Aihong.
As I exited the funeral home, it came as no surprise that Chi Xinrong had indeed driven off by herself.
Let her go then; who’s afraid of whom! I wasn’t scared of ghosts lurking around by myself.
Not far from the funeral home was a platform with several large street trees nearby—great for hiding in the shade. However, during this late autumn season, sunlight was brief; it wasn't just about fearing sunburn; even getting sunlight under the tree's shade seemed impossible. Standing there alone felt chilly.
At that moment, there were hardly any people around. Occasionally, a car would rush by without stopping; otherwise, it would be a hearse passing through. As I looked up, a piece of hell money fluttered down and landed right by my feet.
Being in this line of work meant I understood more than most; I couldn't just step on hell money carelessly. As I moved my foot slightly, three words suddenly appeared on the hell money: "Save her."
This was a piece of old paper crafted as hell money, with three blood-red characters prominently displayed. It startled me so much that I quickly bent down to pick it up while politely addressing the air, "I'm sorry; I just borrowed it to take a look."
As I held the Old Money in my hand, the three blood-red characters suddenly vanished as if they had never appeared. I flipped it over and over, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Just then, someone asked, "Are you okay?" The speaker was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, his astonished expression clearly indicating his fear upon seeing me clutching this piece of Old Money meant for the dead.
"I... just now it was flying above my head... I thought it was something else..." My explanation felt inadequate, even to myself.
"Well, it's like this. I'm not afraid; it's just that holding it like that feels a bit strange," the middle-aged man chuckled awkwardly, nodded, and glanced around for a bus. It seemed he couldn't wait any longer and felt uncomfortable waiting with someone like me, so he simply walked away.
Hypocrite!
He claimed not to be afraid, but deep down, he was terrified.
I forced a bitter smile and decided not to wait for the bus anymore. Could the hint on the Old Money be from Zhao Di? Was she hinting for help to save Zhang Xian? Nothing happens without reason; if I thought of it, there must be a connection.
I dialed Qin Jian's number. He had something important to discuss regarding Li Mingliang.
Li Mingliang had a daughter who was exceptionally bright, understanding, and compassionate. She had volunteered countless times after the earthquake and continued her charitable work until she went abroad for her studies. However, she later got into trouble while trying to protect her best friend and lost her life in a chaotic attack.
But the strong Li Mingliang did not falter; she continued to save others and perform her duties as usual.
Motherhood is powerful. Qin Jian sighed on the phone, "Li Aihong comes from a single-parent family. Her father abandoned them because he despised her mother for being a doctor at a Mental Hospital. He left right after Li Aihong was born and has been out of touch ever since. With such a good doctor, how can you still doubt her?"
How could I not doubt her?
Could I really ignore the hints on the Old Money? No, I needed Qin Jian to come pick me up so we could check out the Mental Hospital together.
Qin Jian seemed puzzled about why Chi Xinrong was there; why should I wait for him? I could just go to the hospital myself.
I smiled, but it was a bitter smile! If Chi Xinrong were still around, why would I need you? Come or don’t come; it’s up to you.
My tone was somewhat unfriendly. Qin Jian sensed my irritation and quickly reassured me that he would come. He hurriedly drove over and saw me covered in dust from walking. He smiled apologetically and kept apologizing, saying that Chi Xinrong was just willful and that we must have been enemies in our past lives or something along those lines.
"Don't be polite, just take me to the Mental Hospital," I said eagerly.
Qin Jian looked surprised and asked, "Are you still suspicious of Li Mingliang?"
"No, it's not suspicion; it's certainty."
"What do you mean by that? Do you have evidence, or is it just your extraordinary ability?"
"Doesn't matter, just take me there."
Qin Jian was speechless. I got into the car, and he stepped on the gas. With the siren blaring, the car sped through traffic without a hitch. It was impressive; whether at green lights or red, even in heavy traffic, we cruised through as if the road was clear.
It was amazing. I felt a rush of exhilaration as I noticed the envious glances from those stuck in their cars. For the first time, I felt proud to be Qin Jian's partner.
We arrived at the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital quickly and unexpectedly found ourselves at a dead end. Li Mingliang's assistant informed us that Li had taken Zhang Xian to the Testing Room half an hour ago and hadn't returned.
We headed to the Testing Room but didn't see Li Mingliang there either.
I glanced up at the top floor of the Mental Hospital—sixteen stories high. A bad feeling washed over me, and I quickly urged Qin Jian to head straight for the Roof. We took the elevator up.
As we ascended, Qin Jian reassured me that perhaps Li Mingliang was just taking Zhang Xian for a break somewhere else.
I didn’t care about anything else; I just wanted to reach the rooftop as soon as possible.
While the elevator was rising, Qin Jian's phone rang. It was Chi Xinrong calling. She mentioned she had to leave the funeral home unexpectedly and thought I wouldn't leave so soon, so her departure wasn't intentional.
I smiled and assured him it was fine, asking him to hand me the phone.
Chi Xinrong apologized over the line. I reassured her that I was okay and that we had urgent matters to attend to before hanging up.
The elevator reached the Roof floor, and the two of us got off, only to find that we couldn't open the door no matter what we tried. In desperation, I kicked it a few times, but the door remained stubbornly shut.
Qin Jian was taken aback; logically, the Roof door should be closed but not locked.
"Should we go downstairs to get the key?"
"The key is with Li Mingliang."
"Are you sure?"
I slung my bag over my shoulder, nodded confidently, and then charged at the door with all my might. With a loud crack, it swung open. Qin Jian and I sprinted up to the Roof, where we actually saw Li Mingliang holding Zhang Xian's hand as they walked toward the wall parapet at the highest point of the Roof.
"Doctor Li, you..."
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