Finally, the Langxing Hall surged far ahead of the others and reached the top of the rankings.
For this, Xi Yu opened a jug of plum wine to celebrate his victory at taking first place.
He had selfishly never told his Master that, at the time, the entire Three Realms knew that Lord Langxing was extraordinarily talented and dazzling, his fame shaking the Eight Wastes.
That Langxing Hall had always been a substitute for Xi Yu’s name.
Lu Zhixing looked at Xi Yu, his brows and eyes filled with a smile.
“Then what should I do? You’re not here, so I’ll be scared.”
Xi Yu thought for a moment, then took out the cinnabar brush he carried with him and drew between Lu Zhixing’s brows.
“What are you doing?” Lu Zhixing asked, his eyes—
Golden light flowed past, and the red mark between Lu Zhixing’s brows disappeared. Those soul-stirring eyes immediately became utterly ordinary.
“This will do. Let’s go.”
Being too good-looking was costly in spiritual energy.
Even if only his eyes were exposed, Lu Zhixing was still far too conspicuous.
The art of disguise was considered a low-level technique and didn’t consume much spiritual energy, but with the amount of spiritual energy he currently had, using it still hurt.
Fortunately, he still had the ring.
The two climbed down through the window. Lu Zhixing’s hat was blown off by the inertia, so he simply removed his mask as well, revealing an utterly ordinary face.
After getting into the car, Lu Zhixing lowered the rearview mirror and pointed at his forehead.
“Do you want to change your appearance too? You’re going to be on a variety show next. A lot of people will recognize this face.”
Xi Yu thought about it, then took out the cinnabar brush.
If Lu Zhixing hadn’t reminded him, he really wouldn’t have thought of it. It would inevitably be necessary to interact with people while investigating the situation.
If someone recognized him on the variety show, considering what Xi Yu currently knew about the mortal world, even his underwear would probably be dug up.
Xi Yu’s face began to change.
An almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corners of Lu Zhixing’s lips.
His hidden possessiveness was satisfied, and a damp softness spread through the depths of his heart.
He truly didn’t like too many people’s gazes falling upon his Master.
Half an hour later, outside the residential complex where the deceased lived.
Lu Zhixing held a handful of sunflower seeds in his hand and sat on a stone bench in the residential garden. His expression was complicated.
“Is there really no more dignified way to do this?”
Xi Yu cracked sunflower seeds while staring straight at the elderly men and women chatting not far away. Hearing this, he turned his head toward Lu Zhixing.
Even while sitting, Lu Zhixing’s back was perfectly straight, forming a sharp contrast with Xi Yu’s boneless, lazy posture.
Xi Yu laughed.
“You actually have quite the celebrity image to maintain.”
His sitting posture was pretty, though, just like his disciple’s. He stood properly when standing and sat properly when sitting.
He looked like a refined gentleman.
“This method may not be dignified, but it’s fast.”
After finishing a handful of sunflower seeds, Xi Yu simply carried the whole bag with him. This time, he didn’t eat them himself. Instead, he got up and squeezed into the group of elderly men and women.
“Goodness, the police only just left. You don’t know how much they were crying. It’s truly pitiful. The two people at home haven’t eaten or drunk anything. I went over earlier, and even the stove was cold.”
An auntie sighed.
“Exactly! Little Qi was truly unfortunate. Old Zhao’s hair has all turned white. A white-haired person sending off a black-haired person… Don’t talk about it, don’t talk about it!”
Another person beside her continued,
“I heard that when they pulled her up, Old Zhao fainted when he saw Little Zhang. I didn’t see it myself. I only heard that the body had already been soaked until it was swollen.”
The moment this person finished speaking, a handful of sunflower seeds was stuffed into his open palm.
Xi Yu dragged over a small stool and naturally joined the conversation.
“I happened to be here when they pulled her out this afternoon. She was deathly pale and swollen up a whole size. I just moved here two days ago and this happened already. It’s kind of frightening.”
A completely unfamiliar face had suddenly appeared among the group. The person who had been speaking froze for a moment, then, hearing Xi Yu’s words, instinctively comforted him.
“It’s fine. It’s a little distance away from us anyway. If you’re really scared, there’s another gate in the back. You can go through there and won’t have to pass by the lake.”
“That’s right, young man. You just moved here, so you’re probably not familiar with the area. There’s a small gate on the west side. It’s usually open. It’s just that gate is far from the subway station and bus stop, so hardly anyone uses it.”
Xi Yu distributed sunflower seeds to everyone around him.
The elderly men and women hurriedly waved their hands and said they didn’t want any, but Xi Yu insisted on giving them some.
Before long, the trash can beside them had been moved right into the center, making it convenient to throw away the sunflower seed shells.
Lu Zhixing watched Xi Yu surrounded by a group of people, and he couldn’t help letting a smile appear on his lips.
He wondered if the people from the Divine Realm would shatter their image of the Lord Langxing if they saw what he was like now.
Back then in Heaven, his Master had been devoted to cultivation and didn’t like plunging himself into crowds.
Because whenever he went out, either some little immortal child would accidentally bump into him, or some fairy’s handkerchief would happen to fall by his feet.
After a long time, his Master came to think that the people of the Divine Realm were far too lazy and didn’t cultivate diligently, their bones becoming soft from idleness.
He simply stopped going out. What he couldn’t see couldn’t annoy him.
An ancient God Venerable who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years was actually this dull when it came to matters of love and desire.
He couldn’t see other people’s affection.
Nor could he see his…
Lu Zhixing stared at the side of Xi Yu’s face. The curve of his lips widened, and the corners of his eyes quietly reddened.
By the time Xi Yu withdrew from the crowd, the entire bag of sunflower seeds was gone.
One auntie waved at Xi Yu, still reluctant to leave.
“My daughter is coming back in a couple of days. You two should meet. Don’t reject me yet. My daughter is really pretty.”
Lu Zhixing walked up to Xi Yu, took the empty bag from his hand, and said loudly,
“Auntie, he’s gay.”
Xi Yu pointed at himself, his face full of confusion.
“I’m gay?!”
Lu Zhixing lifted his eyelids and asked indifferently,
“Are you not? Then do you want to go meet Auntie’s daughter?”
Upon hearing this, Xi Yu nodded heavily.
“Yes, Auntie. I’m gay.”
“So what!” The auntie slapped her thigh. “I also have two sons, one is a 1 and one is a 0. How about I make a group chat? The two of you can get to know them together. I really like you, young man.”
Xi Yu: “…”
Wait.
Was this really how this was supposed to go?
Xi Yu fell silent.
Seeing this, Lu Zhixing leisurely took hold of his hand and raised it. Under the auntie’s expectant gaze, he turned his face to the side and lowered his head.
Xi Yu only felt an itch on the back of his hand, followed by hot breath falling against it.
It was very hot, so hot that Xi Yu instinctively wanted to pull his hand away.
But Lu Zhixing seemed to have anticipated it and tightened his grip.
A very light kiss landed unexpectedly, touching and leaving in an instant.
Like a feather brushing across it, leaving not even the slightest trace, only a fine, lingering itch that wrapped itself around his nerves.
“Oh my, you two are a couple! Little Xi just said he was single.”
Lu Zhixing pressed his lips together and smiled.
“He’s shy.”
……………………….
The supposedly shy Xi Yu didn’t say a word even after getting into the car. He merely kept pinching the back of his hand.
The thin flesh had already been pinched until it turned red, yet he seemed completely unable to feel the pain and simply kept his head lowered.
Just now, he had learned roughly everything about the female ghost from those people.
The female ghost was named Zhao Qi. She and her husband, Zhang Ping, had been university classmates. They hadn’t been very familiar with each other while studying. It was only after they encountered each other again at work that they gradually got together.
Zhang Ping’s family was from another region. His father was addicted to gambling, and he also had an older brother who had only graduated from middle school and spent all day at home doing nothing but eat and wait to die.
He was a typical golden phoenix who had emerged from a remote mountain village.
Zhao Qi’s family wasn’t extremely wealthy, but they were much better off than Zhang Ping’s. Her father owned a small restaurant, and their life was fairly comfortable.
The two of them actually weren’t very well matched. Zhang Ping being able to get together with Zhao Qi—and even becoming a live-in son-in-law—was already him marrying above his station.
But Zhang Ping’s mother thought her own son was extraordinarily capable and looked down on Zhao Qi in every way. When she heard that he was going to become a live-in son-in-law, she flew into a rage and ordered Zhang Ping to return home and marry the village chief’s daughter.
In the end, Zhang Ping fell out with his family, gave them all his savings accumulated over the years as repayment for their upbringing, and completely severed ties with them.
Zhao Qi’s father was an honest man. Seeing Zhang Ping go this far for his daughter, he was deeply moved.
Everything afterward followed naturally.
Zhao Qi’s father bought them a house with three bedrooms and two living rooms. To prevent Zhang Ping from feeling ashamed about becoming a live-in son-in-law, he put both Zhang Ping and Zhao Qi’s names on the property deed.
Not long after getting married, Zhao Qi became pregnant.
From their marriage to her death, according to when the corpse was discovered yesterday, only one year and three months had passed.
Xi Yu calculated along the timeline and was certain that Zhao Qi’s soul had been drifting around for at least three months.
In other words, Zhao Qi should have died when she had only just become pregnant.
But the belly of the corpse discovered yesterday was not that of someone who had just become pregnant.
It was corpse-locking magic.
Using the deceased person’s Eight Characters and ashes made by burning corpse oil, candles were created and lit around the corpse. This could allow the corpse to continue growing even after its life force had been severed.
Blood would continue flowing, breathing would remain even, and the complexion would stay rosy.
Aside from the soul having left the body, there was no difference from a living person.
The Luo family’s Life-Exchange Formation.
And now, the corpse-locking technique.
A City truly was a place where hidden experts gathered.
Breaking this spell wasn’t particularly difficult. It was just that doing so yesterday, in front of everyone, had been inappropriate.
Today was even more inappropriate.
Because the people in the residential complex said they had still seen Zhang Ping accompanying Zhao Qi downstairs for a walk three days ago.
Xi Yu became lost in thought while calculating everything. The back of his hand had already been pinched until red marks appeared.
A dark glint flashed through Lu Zhixing’s eyes, and the pressure around his entire body dropped sharply.
“Are you trying to tear a piece of flesh off your hand?”
“Huh?”
Xi Yu lowered his head and looked at his hand. Only then did he notice that he had pinched the skin until it had broken.
Xi Yu frowned.
“The back of my hand is really itchy. I think I’m allergic to your mouth.”
Lu Zhixing was unusually silent.
Xi Yu thought he was being strange. Afraid that Lu Zhixing didn’t believe him, he even held his hand out in front of him.
“It really is itchy.”
Lu Zhixing lowered his head.
Xi Yu’s fingers were slender, and the jade-white back of his hand bore a patch of red exactly where Lu Zhixing had kissed him earlier.
For no apparent reason, it evoked an indescribable trace of desire.
Lu Zhixing’s mouth suddenly went dry.
He wanted to lick it…
He didn’t dare look any longer and swiftly moved his gaze away.
“You won’t be allergic to me.”
He had kissed him last night, and nothing had happened then.
However, seeing Xi Yu looking like this, Lu Zhixing breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he wasn’t angry.
It was only itchy.