Debt

After personally experiencing that underground adventure, Jiang Xueming was granted a period of leisurely long vacation.

The braised meat shop at the Hung Hom MTR station no longer saw this cold, slender man.

His store manager had called him over a dozen times to urge him back to work, but his phone's spam filter blocked them all.

As things stood, he had no intention of returning to the livelihood he once relied on.

The numbers on his bank card were like a string of delightful incantations, gradually dispelling the worry from the ordinary man's face.

[Transfer In: 3,000,000]

[Payer: Bailu Entertainment Media Co., Ltd.]

[Transfer Note: Happy Holidays]

[Balance: 7,751,550.79]

With over seven million in surplus, he felt both at ease and unsettled.

He felt at ease because this sum of money, in any small city, could allow him and his sister to live peacefully for the better part of their lives.

He felt unsettled because he couldn't comprehend the hidden meaning behind BOSS's generous actions. Even the phrase "Happy Holidays" made him feel like there was more to it.

Back on the train, Xue Ming had directly discussed this matter with BOSS.

He had originally boarded the train heading towards an unknown destination with a "treat a dying horse like a living one" mindset, all for the sake of his sister's critical condition.

Now that Jiang Bailu was healthy and the family had no worries about food or clothing, he couldn't think of any reason to end this [holiday] specially granted by the station.

After receiving the payment notification at the hospital, he brought his sister, Jiang Bailu, back to their new home.

Since Xue Ming was unemployed, the siblings found themselves staring at each other blankly upon returning home, with nothing to do. Only the accompanying Sister Seven wandered around the house.

-- The word "wandered" couldn't be more fitting. She wasn't as quiet as the siblings and acted as if she owned the place. She didn't even change her shoes after entering. Xue Ming hadn't prepared slippers for Sister Seven.

Barefoot, she paced back and forth in the living room and bedroom, unable to stay still, as if she had undergone professional etiquette training. Her steps were steady—coupled with that red dress.

In the middle of summer, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees because of this "female ghost" floating around.

Bailu bit her finger, looking utterly bored. She glanced at her brother.

Her brother was deep in thought, and she didn't want to disturb him.

She then looked at the strange Sister Xiao Qi.

Sister Xiao Qi would sometimes stare blankly at the bed in the bedroom, and other times giggle at the paperweight on the desk.

Underneath the paperweight were childhood photos of her brother Xue Ming. They were quite cute, but Sister Xiao Qi's expression was rather frightening.

-- It was the same eerie feeling Bailu had when she was little and heard stories about the old woman who ate children.

She didn't dare to ask anything, so she just sat obediently next to Xue Ming, waiting for her brother to finish thinking.

As darkness fell and it was time for dinner, Jiang Xueming stood up to prepare the meal.

Sister Seven was already standing by the refrigerator, saying with a smile, adopting a hostess's attitude.

"Cooking? I'll help!"

Jiang Xueming didn't speak, only looking at Xiao Qi with suspicion.

His initial intention to let Xiao Qi in was merely a last shred of decency; he thought—at least this woman had helped him at the station.

But now, Sister Seven seemed to be planning to stay permanently.

There were only two beds in the house, with no extra space for Sister Seven to sleep.

Xue Ming was uneasy about letting Bailu and Sister Seven share a room, no matter what.

After all, this woman had once jokingly threatened him with poisoning and kidnapping in front of him, half-seriously, half-jokingly, with Bu Liuxing. With his ordinary person's mindset, it was hard to understand the behavioral patterns of these "fun-lovers."

Who knew what Sister Seven might do in this house.

However, he wasn't entirely unreasonable.

In just a few seconds, Jiang Xueming's expression shifted from stern vigilance to letting down his guard.

"Okay."

Xiao Qi: "What do we need?"

Jiang Xueming: "Tofu skin sheets, gai lan, pork ribs, and six corn cobs. Thank you."

Xiao Qi complied and followed him into the kitchen with nimble movements.

Jiang Xueming put on his apron and repeatedly sharpened his knife.

He then saw Xiao Qi toss the ingredients onto the counter, spread her arms wide, looking like she was waiting for her lover to tie her apron, and said expectantly, "I'm ready! I'm ready! Tie it for me!"

He respectfully handed her the apron.

"Xiao Qi, you can put it on yourself."

"Mmm," Sister Seven whined upon hearing his cold words, her lips starting to droop, looking displeased.

At this moment, Jiang Bailu emerged. She smoothed things over for her unromantic older brother and, as she did, tied the apron for Xiao Qi.

"Don't mind him! My brother has always been like this. He has very low self-esteem."

"Bailu." Jiang Xueming didn't want his sister involved with these underground guests. This meal was a farewell. "Go wait outside."

"Okay." Jiang Bailu secretly made a face at her brother.

Xue Ming closed the kitchen door and started preparing the ingredients: butchering pork bones, chopping corn, and starting a big pot of soup. He then rinsed rice to cook.

He took a moment to ask, "What are your plans now?"

Xiao Qi watched him, helping to wash vegetables.

"Nothing much. I just want to spend some time with you."

Jiang Xueming continued, "Don't you have to work?"

Xiao Qi, her hands wet, drained the vegetables. Scraps fell into the trash. "There are very few new passengers at the station. My supervisor knows what I'm doing and gave me leave."

The meat from the bones was separated into lean and fatty portions, then moved to the side of the cutting board. Jiang Xueming asked, "And then? Stay at my place? Not planning to leave?"

"Can I?!" Xiao Qi's eyes lit up, her heart racing. She tossed good and bad vegetables into the trash.

Before the picked-out stems hit the bin, Jiang Xueming caught them firmly, pulling them back into the basket.

Xue Ming stated concisely, "No. I'm not looking for a roommate."

"Are you afraid I'll bring bad things from the underground into your home?" Xiao Qi's expression changed. She glanced behind her, towards the door. "Are you afraid I'll harm your sister?"

Hot oil hit the bottom of the wok. The fatty meat, along with ginger and scallions, was added and stir-fried until fragrant.

Jiang Xueming stirred the pot, waiting for the rendered fat to turn golden brown. He then added the lean meat and dried tofu skin.

The crackling of the wok and the roar of the range hood drowned out their conversation.

Jiang Bailu hid outside the door, pressing her ear against it, unable to hear anything.

Disappointed, she slunk back to the sofa and started fiddling with her phone screen, wondering when her brother would bring home a beautiful and wealthy sister-in-law.

At this moment, Jiang Xueming finally replied.

"You should ask me what my plans are."

Xiao Qi, finished with her tasks and with nothing else to do, glared at Xue Ming beside her. She asked, "So, what are your plans?"

"To finish this meal with you."

"And then?"

"Then you drive home, and I plan to move somewhere else."

"And then?"

"Find a new environment, preferably near Bailu's school, and get her settled."

"I can pick her up and drop her off at school."

"You don't need to. I'm very free right now. I can take her myself."

Xiao Qi: "We'll take her together!"

Jiang Xueming ignored her comment and continued—

"—I need to go back to my hometown."

"Do you want me to come with you to meet your parents? I'm good at that!" Xiao Qi said enthusiastically. "What do your parents like? Pure types or more flamboyant ones? A Xing told me your family is in the countryside, a traditional family. Should I put something under your butt to make you look more fertile?"

Jiang Xueming covered his face, feeling the conversation was becoming unbearable. "When you say things like that, you sound like a rented girlfriend visiting home for the holidays. Can we maintain some distance between us?"

"Distance?" Xiao Qi smacked her lips, pondered for a moment, then retreated to the shower room. "Is this what you mean?"

"No." Jiang Xueming felt helpless. "I mean, we've only known each other for a few days. We're not very close, right?"

Xiao Qi turned around and came back, rubbing her temples. She seemed a bit confused by Xue Ming's words.

After his explanation, she remembered what Sister Yang Chun had told her about not rushing when pursuing a man, and finally understood.

Jiang Xueming revealed his upcoming itinerary. "I need to go back to my hometown. Specifically, to pay off a debt."

Xiao Qi also started to worry about Jiang Xueming. "What debt do you owe? Did you borrow money before? Loan sharks?"

Jiang Xueming shook his head and scooped the shredded meat and tofu skin out of the pot. "Not loan sharks, it's a bit tricky. My parents were originally going to sell Bailu for a bride price. I ran away with her—there are wanted posters out for us, like a gang bulletin. They said if we don't run again, they'll break both Bailu's and my legs."

He handed the plate to Brother Seven.

Xue Ming continued cooking the vegetables.

"This debt of flesh and blood is what I owe, and now I have to settle it."

"Oh." Brother Seven sniffed the aroma of the food, not quite grasping it. He asked again, "It does sound quite tricky."

"Don't worry." Jiang Xueming, having finished outlining his plans, then mentioned the specific reason. "Bailu still wants to go to many places. I will definitely handle this properly."

Xiao Qi kindly reminded him, "Xue Ming! Speaking of which! There's something else I need to remind you about!"

Jiang Xueming: "I'm all ears."

Seeing that the vegetables were almost ready, Xiao Qi prepared another plate in advance.

She continued, "You are a passenger of the underground world. The moment you boarded the train, you became inseparable from it."

Jiang Xueming's expression changed drastically. "What do you mean?"

"If you plan on going alone, you'd better bring something for self-defense," Xiao Qi continued, speaking extremely slowly, as if afraid Jiang Xueming might miss a single word. "Because you and I are both people with extraordinary [Inspiration]—returning to the mortal world from underground. This place is not controlled by BOSS, nor are there sufficient armed personnel to protect you."

Jiang Xueming quickly asked, "Will I encounter danger?"

Xiao Qi thought carefully. "Because your [Inspiration] is outstanding, on one hand, you'll get entangled in strange events. On the other hand, you've done work for the station."

"Explain things one by one, in more detail," Jiang Xueming finished the remaining kitchen work and pulled Xiao Qi's arm back to the living room.

At the dinner table, Xiao Qi exchanged a knowing glance with Bailu, then nodded towards Jiang Xueming.

Jiang Xueming served rice to the two girls. "It's fine, no need to be reserved."

"I mentioned it to you earlier. One of the matters is related to the [Inspiration] of the underground station's passengers," Xiao Qi said, holding her bowl and chopsticks, patiently explaining. "When we were children, more or less we all had a period where we opened up [Inspiration]—all sorts of urban legends, including ghosts and spirits! Including special abilities, these might actually be real."

At the dinner table, Jiang Xueming wasn't idle either. He opened his phone, entered work mode, and started taking notes.

Xiao Qi continued.

"As we get older, the frequency of our brainwaves changes, and our hearing deteriorates. So there are many things we can no longer see—in the metaphysical sense, it's called 'seeing ghosts while alive.' Mr. Xue Ming, one of these matters is that you might see strange [spirits] in the mortal world. You call them ghosts, but that's not quite right. This world has spiritual energy and Inspiration, including the tickets we sent you before, which are also things only visible to those whose [Inspiration] exceeds the passing line."

Jiang Xueming: "Will it be dangerous?"

Xiao Qi explained, "Definitely. If you intentionally stare at passersby on the street with an annoying look, people will slap you. What more with spirits?"

Jiang Xueming could roughly understand the meaning.

Basically, any passenger who has been to Nine Realms Station bids farewell to normal life upon returning to the mortal world.

—From now on, even when going downstairs to buy groceries, he'd have to worry if the vendor selling chicken legs was a real living person.

"As for the second matter," Xiao Qi said, shoveling rice into her mouth, "In the station's history, there have been passengers like you who only wanted to ride once and do one job—after BOSS paid their dues, these people also wanted to return to the mortal world and live a normal life like you."

"But among the other old passengers, there's a very small portion of foolish and wicked people. They return to the mortal world and try to rob or kill these new passengers."

"Why?" Jiang Xueming couldn't understand. "The reward BOSS gives is very generous. They shouldn't be short of money. Could it be Panacea?"

He finally remembered that BOSS had handed Panacea to him in front of everyone at the Council of Five Kings, a detail that made cold sweat break out all over him.

"The cards for the polarizing sextant were designed with braille to prevent peeping, precisely to guard against these traitors. The equipment for new passenger security checks is set up separately on the second floor, also to protect newcomers—if people casually knew the level of your mental state and combat skills, these scoundrels would harbor wicked thoughts," Xiao Qi added. "It's not just Panacea, but more importantly, your passenger logs. You know, BOSS is willing to pay an equivalent reward for these logs, which shows how important the information within is."

Jiang Xueming frowned, silent.

Xiao Qi shook her chopsticks, her eyes sharp.

"We call these notorious traitors who ambush and kill passengers Armadillo Hunters, because armadillos and humans share only one common trait—they carry the leprosy bacillus and are close to Madness Butterfly. Perhaps some of them did it for Panacea, ultimately embarking on this evil path, but many are simply calamities who kill for pleasure."

"They will look for you in the mortal world, capture you, threaten you with your friends and family, and use all sorts of methods to extract all the information you know, then kill you and use your information to profit in the underground world."

"BOSS also said it wouldn't let anyone with mental instability return to the mortal world, but there will always be well-disguised fugitives. BOSS has assigned a personal attendant to each passenger, precisely to prevent accidents from happening to passengers in the mortal world."

Jiang Xueming asked, "Do you know how to deal with these people? Brother Seven? You tell me. The attendants BOSS assigned us are like insurance for newcomers, so..."

Xiao Qi smiled. "What did you just call me?"

"Brother Seven. Oh, no." Jiang Xueming corrected himself. "Xiao Qi."

After the meal, Xiao Qi neatly placed her bowl and chopsticks back on the table, not a single grain of rice wasted.

She took out a summon bell from her long dress's bodice.

"Originally, I thought, since you're not returning underground, you're no longer useful to BOSS, and I'd only see you one last time. Yangchun and I already agreed, she'll arrange another passenger for me next month. Anyway, BOSS will arrange other armed personnel to protect you, just a formality, but they definitely won't be as good as me. Our attendant qualification exams are very strict—but since you're being so distant, I don't think it's convenient. I won't force it; a forced melon isn't sweet. I'm leaving now!~ If you need me for anything, just ring the bell, and I'll be there immediately."

"Wait. Hold on, friend!" Jiang Xueming called out to Xiao Qi. "Can we talk about what we discussed before?!"

Xiao Qi asked, "What did we discuss?"

Jiang Xueming tried his best to put on a businesslike smile.

"About what you should wear when you go home to see your parents."

Jiang Bailu had been listening from the side for a long time, not understanding her brother and sister's encrypted conversation.

She only understood the last sentence and thought to herself that her brother had indeed found a girlfriend.

"Yay!"