One Meter Sunshine, They All Call Me Old Shu

Gu Song quickly brought the Soul Urn over, and the little ghost instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke and slipped inside.

Holding the Soul Urn, Gu Song seemed reluctant to put it down: "Did he say why he ended up like this?"

Xu Qiuyan sat down on the sofa: "Do you know? If it weren't for him, you might have died tonight."

Gu Song was stunned for a moment, but he didn't doubt it.

"He went through a fierce battle. The other side sent an evil ghost to kill you. Even I didn't expect that he would face an evil ghost without flinching, nearly getting his soul scattered to the winds."

Gu Song sobbed: "Xiao Tian, how could you be so foolish!"

Even though I hadn't witnessed that scene myself, my nose stung a little.

Originally, I was very opposed to the idea of raising little ghosts. Those gossip news stories always had all kinds of rumors—some celebrity going to Thailand to ask a so-called master to raise a little ghost for borrowed luck, or gamblers raising little ghosts to improve their gambling fortunes.

In short, they were all satisfying their own selfish desires.

But Gu Song and Xie Xiaotang were just trying to keep their child.

It came from their love for the child. Even though I didn't approve of this method, I could understand it.

What I hadn't expected was that the little ghost would be willing to die again for Gu Song. If he really had his soul scattered, then in Duan Hongbin's words, he wouldn't even have a chance to enter reincarnation.

"That evil ghost ran off before I got there," Xu Qiuyan said.

I asked: "Could it be that Onmyoji causing trouble again?"

"I don't know. It's possible."

Xu Qiuyan hadn't even seen the evil ghost, let alone the person controlling it behind the scenes.

It seemed the other side was already making a move against Gu Song.

Thinking that we were heading to the northeast tomorrow, what about Gu Song's safety?

Although we could have Xie Yi send someone to protect him, I felt it might be better for him to come with us to the northeast.

First, he was familiar with that Zhuanghe, and second, I really wanted to see if the person trying to kill him was that faceless Onmyoji I had encountered before.

"Tomorrow we're going to the northeast to find Zhuanghe. You should come with us," I said.

He didn't hesitate: "Alright."

I called Old Du, and he said no problem, he'd send the tickets over later.

"How about you stay at our place tonight? We'll head straight to the airport tomorrow morning," I said.

Gu Song nodded: "Okay, I'll pack some things."

He went inside, and I told Xu Qiuyan about what happened to them in Lop Nur.

"I've heard some legends about the Twin Fish Jade Pendant before, but I never thought they were real."

Xu Qiuyan sounded a bit emotional.

I was about to say something when my phone rang again.

"Jiang Xiaobai, there's something I need to tell you." Xie Yi always got straight to the point, no foreplay.

"What is it?" I asked. Him calling at this hour couldn't be anything trivial.

"You said before that Gu Song and Xie Xiaotang were involved with the Twin Fish Jade Pendant, right? I can tell you responsibly, the Twin Fish Jade Pendant exists, and it's in the hands of our Unit Nine."

I was stunned by his words. Xu Qiuyan, who was beside me, had also heard what Xie Yi said, and her eyes went wide too.

"The other side is clearly after the Twin Fish Jade Pendant, and they seem to suspect that Gu Song and the others have already obtained it."

I interrupted Xie Yi: "But they didn't get it. I believe Gu Song wouldn't lie."

"You kid don't get what I'm saying? The other side only suspects the Twin Fish Jade Pendant is with them, that's why they're making a move. But it's not. Didn't I just say? That thing is in Unit Nine's hands. However, since they think so, we'll play along. I'll have someone spread the word that the Twin Fish Jade Pendant really was obtained by them, but Gu Song has already handed it over to you."

I finally understood.

"You want to use me as bait?" Even though I could understand his reasoning, deep down I still resisted. Being used didn't feel good.

"Yes, I know you're uncomfortable, but don't you want to get to the bottom of this case sooner?" Xie Yi sensed my displeasure and said.

"But will they believe it?"

"Of course. When necessary, you can take it out. Just showing it once will make them believe, because there should be someone among them who knows what it is."

I was taken aback: "You mean you're going to give me the Twin Fish Jade Pendant? Let me take it to the northeast?"

"Yes. Feeling the pressure all of a sudden?" Xie Yi laughed, and his laughter made him sound like an old fox.

"Are you really willing to trust me with something so precious? Aren't you afraid I'll lose it? And what if I can't resist using it for something?"

I was speaking my mind. That thing was like Pandora's Box—anyone would be tempted to try its effects. Even more terrifying than Pandora's Box, the consequences were impossible to predict.

"I trust you."

Hearing him say that, I couldn't help but think "Holy shit" to myself.

I really didn't know where his trust came from.

"Alright, go to West Lake Road right now. There's a 'One Meter Sunshine' psychological clinic there. It's still open. Someone will hand the item over to you when you arrive." With that, he hung up as decisively as ever.

"What kind of mess is this!" I grumbled.

Xu Qiuyan overheard my conversation with Xie Yi from the side, and she couldn't help but wonder if this was really true.

"How about this: I'll head to West Lake Road now. You take Gu Song back first for now."

"Okay."

After all, I'd be bringing Gu Song back to our place soon, and taking him along to pick up the item wasn't appropriate.

Xu Qiuyan naturally understood my thoughts and didn't say much else.

I went straight downstairs, out of the neighborhood, and hailed a taxi.

The "One Meter Sunshine" psychological clinic was quite famous in Lin City. It wasn't originally on West Lake Road; it had moved there only after the old city renovation at its previous location.

I'd heard the clinic's owner was a psychologist himself, surnamed Zhu.

The taxi stopped at the clinic's entrance. It was already past eleven at night, but the clinic's lights were still on—they must have been waiting for me.

As I entered the clinic, I saw two men playing Go.

One was about fifty years old, slightly plump, not very tall, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and holding a thermos. His gaze was fixed on the board with a troubled expression, and he was dressed in a moon-white silk Tang suit.

The other looked under forty, sitting ramrod straight in a dark gray mandarin-collar Zhongshan suit, looking very sharp. Though no longer young, his face still carried a handsome air.

"Teacher, you've lost," the man in the Zhongshan suit said to the Tang suit man with a smile.

The troubled look on the Tang suit man's face gradually faded. He tossed the piece in his hand back into the bowl. "Lost indeed. One wrong move, and every move after is wrong. Your skills have grown, you rascal!"

With that, his gaze turned to me. "Well, the person you're waiting for is here. Nothing left for me to do, so I'll head back first. Can't compare with you young folks—these days your teacher here has to sleep early and wake early, goji berries in my thermos." He gave me a slight nod and a smile, then brushed past me and left the clinic.

Instinct told me he was the clinic's owner, the psychologist named Zhu Yi.

"You must be Jiang Xiaobai?" the man in the Zhongshan suit said, looking at me with a smile.

I nodded. "Yeah. Xie Yi sent me to pick something up."

The Zhongshan suit pointed to a small box beside the Go board. "It's right here."

I walked over, picked up the box, and opened it. The moment I glanced inside, I couldn't look away.

Inside the box was a jade pendant—two yin-yang fish biting each other's tails. I could sense some kind of aura emanating from the pendant, very eerie, as if it carried a mysterious power.

"Is this the Twin Fish Jade Pendant? It doesn't look like the pictures I've seen online."

Hearing that, the Zhongshan suit laughed. "Do you think there are real pictures of the Twin Fish Jade Pendant online?"

"But how can I be sure it's real? How about we test it?"

The Zhongshan suit shook his head. "Little brother, don't be curious. Curiosity killed the cat. Some things are better left untried."

I nodded. Honestly, I hadn't really planned to try it anyway.

"By the way, I don't know what to call you."

He could call me by name, but I didn't even know his—that felt like a loss somehow. I also wondered what his relationship with Xie Yi was, or if he was from Unit Nine.

"My surname is Shu. Xie Yi and the others call me Old Shu. You can call me Old Shu too."

"Then I'll call you Old Shu. I've got the item, so I won't stick around to chat. I've got an early flight tomorrow morning. Bye!" I waved at him, turned, and left the psychological clinic.

"He's a master," Chu Ge said, appearing beside me out of nowhere.

"Oh?" Hearing that, I turned to look back at the clinic. I really hadn't noticed. Old Shu struck me as a university professor, a scholar.

I'd even thought he was one of the clinic's doctors—I'd clearly heard him call that Tang suit man "teacher."

They'd been waiting here just to personally hand me the Twin Fish Jade Pendant on Xie Yi's orders.

I hadn't expected Chu Ge to say Old Shu was a master.

"Who's stronger, you or him?" I asked with a smile.

Chu Ge shook his head. "I'm no match for him."