I was about to hail a taxi home when a white Buick van pulled up right in front of me.
The window rolled down, revealing Old Shu behind the wheel.
"Get in. I'll give you a ride home."
Without hesitation, I opened the door and got into the front passenger seat.
"Are you worried this thing might get lost?" I figured he wasn't simply offering me a ride because he wanted to, but because of the jade pendant in my hand.
This thing was extremely valuable. As for just how valuable, I honestly didn't know how to describe it.
At the very least, even national treasures like that Song Dynasty Yao Bian San Mu were nowhere near comparable to it.
Otherwise, the Island Nation's Onmyoji would not have used that thing as bait to scout the way ahead.
"Not really. I was just headed this way. Besides, if I were worried about it getting lost, I wouldn't have given it to you." Old Shu smiled faintly and started the car, heading toward where I lived.
He knew where I lived. That meant he was probably with Unit Nine too, and his status there might even be higher than Xie Yi's. Otherwise, he would not have called Xie Yi Little Xie.
"Your friends?" Old Shu glanced at the rearview mirror. I was startled that he could actually see Eccentric Song and Chu Ge sitting in the back seat.
Their expressions changed slightly as well.
"You can see them?"
Old Shu asked in return, "Is that strange?"
"A lot of people can't see them, because their normal understanding tells them that they don't exist."
Old Shu nodded. "I'm not exactly normal."
For a moment, I had no idea how to respond.
"Many people believe mental power cannot be materialized, but that isn't necessarily true. At least, you've done it."
Old Shu's words stirred a strange feeling inside me.
In many people's eyes, I was probably a severely mentally ill person with multiple personalities.
But I knew I wasn't sick, because I knew who I was. I knew my understanding of the world was whole and correct. In fact, I had figured that out a long time ago. At first, I had doubted myself too, and I had even read many books on psychology and psychopathology.
I was certain that I did not have a mental illness, nor did I have schizophrenia.
They were not personalities attached to me. They existed independently, and they could exist alongside me. We could communicate and interact like normal people, and whenever I needed them, they could offer me the greatest help.
That help was tangible, too.
But so far, aside from Xu Qiuyan, Old Shu was the only person who could see them.
Still uncertain, I asked again, "You can really see them?"
"Do you think I'm trying to comfort you? There are two grown men sitting in the back. Both are very confident, and one of them is skilled at fighting, right?" Old Shu said with a smile.
I fell silent.
"Can you hear me talking?" Eccentric Song asked.
Old Shu actually answered him. "If I said I could, would you be shocked?"
Eccentric Song was genuinely stunned by that.
Old Shu continued, "I know you still have some doubts about their existence, but there's no need to worry. Their existence won't have any effect on you. Of course, if there is any effect, it's only the misunderstanding of outsiders."
"What other people think has nothing to do with me," I said.
I wasn't putting on airs. That was simply how it was.
What did it matter how outsiders saw or talked about me? Other than myself, no one would pay for my life, and no one would truly take responsibility for it.
Survival was my own business.
What was life? Being born, then living on. That was still my own business. Outsiders only moved their mouths, and most of them talked without knowing the pain of it. As for what kind of life you truly lived, to them it was no more than watching a show. If you lived well, they would offer flattering words while feeling jealous. If you lived poorly, they could still get some amusement out of it.
"That's a good mindset. Keep it up."
I glanced at him. "You feel very different from other people."
"Mm. A lot of people feel that way."
He really was confident.
"So, who exactly are you?"
I was genuinely curious.
He smiled. "You'll find out later."
At that moment, Chu Ge said softly, "The car behind us has been following us. It's been tailing us since three intersections ago."
I was about to turn around and look, but Old Shu said, "Don't look back. Pretend you don't know."
Chu Ge nodded as well.
Eccentric Song said, "Could it be that Onmyoji again?"
I thought it was very possible.
Old Shu stomped on the gas again, accelerating the car, but the vehicle behind us still stayed close on our tail.
After turning at the next intersection, Old Shu pulled over and stopped by the roadside.
When the other car saw us stop, it stopped too.
Old Shu opened the door and got out.
He told me to stay in the car.
Chu Ge had originally wanted to go with him, but Old Shu told Chu Ge to stay with me. He was clearly asking Chu Ge to remain behind and protect me.
After hesitating for a moment, I got out as well. I couldn't just let him face danger alone, could I?
Although we had only met for the first time today, he was still from Unit Nine. We were colleagues, after all. If something happened to him, I would feel terrible too.
When I got out, Chu Ge followed. Eccentric Song disappeared, and Duan Hongbin appeared in his place.
Eccentric Song probably knew that Duan Hongbin would be more useful than him in a situation like this, so he switched people at the last minute.
Hearing me shut the car door, Old Shu looked back and frowned slightly. In the end, though, he said nothing, and a smile returned to his face.
He had already walked over to the other car.
It was a black BMW sedan, and four burly men got out.
The leader ignored Old Shu completely and looked at me behind him. "Hand over what you're holding."
Old Shu and I stopped about a meter away from them.
"What thing?" I asked.
"That box."
I had not left the box in the car. That would have been unsafe. But it would not fit in my pocket, so I was carrying it in my hand.
Just as I was about to speak, Old Shu asked first, "Who sent you?"
I was curious too. I had originally thought that the person following me might be the Island Nation's Onmyoji, but I hadn't expected four men like these.
"Why so much nonsense? Hand it over when we tell you to." The man seemed rather hot-tempered.
Slap! Old Shu raised his hand and gave him a resounding slap across the face.
I froze for a moment. Old Shu really was tough—he threw the first punch without a word.
The man was stunned by the slap too. When he finally came to his senses, he flew into a rage and threw a punch at Old Shu. Old Shu caught his hand, twisted it hard, and pinned him against the hood of the BMW. Seeing their leader being dealt with, the other three men were eager to make a move, but just as they did, a gun was already aimed at one of them.
Old Shu held the man down with one hand, while a gun had somehow appeared in his other hand.
Did Unit Nine issue guns?
Why didn't Xu Qiuyan and I have one?
That was actually what I was thinking about at that moment.
"I'll ask you one more time. Who sent you?" Old Shu withdrew the gun from the others and pressed it against the head of the man he was holding down.
The man might have been big and strong, but with a gun against his head, his whole body trembled. He was practically scared pissless.
"I'll talk. I'll talk."
Only then did Old Shu release him, put away the gun, and step back half a pace to let him straighten up.
Now all of them behaved themselves. I figured they were probably street thugs. Men like them could bully ordinary people just fine, but the moment they ran into someone truly hard, they immediately wilted.
Their earlier arrogance was gone. What had seemed stiff and unyielding instantly went limp.
"We were just taking money to do a job," the man said.
"Who paid you?" Old Shu asked again.
"I don't remember," the man said.
Old Shu narrowed his eyes, while I snorted coldly. "How could you not remember?"
The man looked miserable. "I really don't remember anything. I clearly saw what he looked like, but when I think back now, it's like something was covering his face."
I immediately thought of that Onmyoji. This really was connected to him. But where was he? Since he knew the Twin Fish Jade Pendant was in my hands and had sent people to take it, why hadn't he appeared himself? Was he really that confident these guys could take it from me?
Who was he looking down on?
Even without Old Shu, these guys would never have succeeded.
"Call your companion and see what's happening on her end," Old Shu said.
His reminder sent a chill down my spine. Could they be using a feint? Had that Onmyoji gone after Xu Qiuyan?
"Well?"
I shook my head at Old Shu. "I can't get through. Her phone is probably off."
Old Shu said grimly, "Let's go!"
Ignoring those men, we got back into the car. Old Shu floored the gas, and the car raced toward where we lived.
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