Chapter 22

Zhan Ni got up in the morning to find that Zhan Huitian had already left home.

She hadn't eaten much the day before and was too weak to cook, so she decided to go out and find something to eat.

She found a ramen shop on a street not too far from home. As soon as she walked in, she spotted Mr. Ning, whom she had only met the day before, leisurely picking up noodles with his chopsticks by the window.

At the owner's cheerful welcome, Mr. Ning turned to look at her. Zhan Ni hesitated, unsure whether she should go over and greet him.

But Mr. Ning waved her over, so she had no choice but to walk across.

"Sit," Mr. Ning said, pointing to the seat opposite him.

As soon as Zhan Ni sat down, a server brought over a bowl of beef noodles and placed it in front of her.

A little flustered, she said, "I didn't order this..."

"I ordered it for you in advance. Give it a try. It's pretty good."

"You knew I'd come here?" Zhan Ni asked, surprised.

Mr. Ning set down his chopsticks. More than half the noodles in his bowl remained untouched. He looked Zhan Ni in the eyes and said, "It wasn't hard to figure out. I'm a fortune-teller."

He could tell fortunes too? Zhan Ni wondered. She didn't know who was better at it, him or Liu Mumu.

She had seen Liu Mumu's abilities with her own eyes. Mr. Ning didn't look like a fraud, but she couldn't be sure.

Noticing her hesitation, Mr. Ning smiled. "Your mother once went on a blind date. You were unhappy, so you slashed the other person's tires. When your mother found out, she hit you for the first time... Shall I go on?"

"No need." She hurriedly stopped him. That was more than enough to prove he was the real deal.

Perhaps Mr. Ning was even more capable than Liu Mumu.

"You knew I'd come here to eat, and you showed up too... Did you want to tell me something?" Zhan Ni asked cautiously.

Mr. Ning shook his head. "I don't need anything from you. You're the one who needs my help, aren't you?"

Zhan Ni's heart gave a jolt. She warily watched the man across from her. Had he found something out? Impossible. Only Liu Mumu and Zhan Ni herself knew she was aware of the vase's secret.

And there were many things even Liu Mumu didn't know.

Mr. Ning remained inscrutable. "If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be the one sitting here today. It would be your brother."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhan Ni denied it without hesitation. She stood, intending to leave. She wasn't sure whether Mr. Ning was hinting at something.

"You do." He leaned toward her slightly and lowered his voice. "First, your mother died under strange circumstances. Now, something's wrong with your body too, isn't it? And your father died outside for no apparent reason. You're a clever girl. You must have had your suspicions all along."

Zhan Ni secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her nerves were still taut.

Mr. Ning didn't know her secret, but he was talking about the vase's secret.

"I only said something offhand just now, and you believed me. Clearly, you already believed there were forces in this world beyond the ordinary." He gazed at Zhan Ni. "You have sharp instincts."

Zhan Ni relaxed a little. She stood awkwardly for a moment, then sat down again after Mr. Ning reassured her.

She said quietly, "I once met a very capable fortune-teller in my hometown too."

That man was Liu Mumu's grandfather. From her teachers at school to her classmates' parents, everyone who went to Grandpa Liu for a reading had come away with a good opinion of him.

Some people thought he was a fraud, but Zhan Ni figured that if someone could fool a hundred people without a single one exposing him, he had to have some real ability.

Besides, she didn't think Grandpa Liu was a fraud. She had seen him stop an accident with a single sentence. He was truly remarkable.

"No wonder." Mr. Ning wasn't interested in the fortune-teller she'd mentioned. He steered the conversation back to its original topic. "Let's talk about the vase. It was your father's keepsake. Do you want to know what it does?"

Zhan Ni's body trembled. It felt as if countless needles were pricking her heart, making her uneasy and restless.

Of course she wanted to know. Liu Mumu wouldn't tell her outright, only giving her vague hints. Even now, all Zhan Ni had were guesses about the vase's purpose.

"Your father was a somewhat deranged man. If I'm not mistaken, he had some of your blood drawn not long ago, didn't he?"

Under Mr. Ning's questioning gaze, Zhan Ni nodded. She licked her dry lips and asked, "He sent me for a checkup. What was wrong with that?"

"The blood was actually meant to be smeared on the vase. With your blood, the vase gained extraordinary power." His voice grew quieter, nearly hoarse. "All you have to do is write someone's birth date and time on a piece of paper and burn it in the vase. That person will disappear from this world at your will."

"Why did it have to be my blood?"

Seeing that Zhan Ni hadn't reacted too strongly, Mr. Ning leaned back. He hadn't been wrong about this girl.

She was ambitious and ruthless enough. The Zhan family must have been born with a streak of madness.

From Zhan Hongye to Zhan Huitian and then Zhan Ni, none of them had disappointed him.

"Because your father once used your blood as an offering. The ritual wasn't completed before he died. The vase's previous owner used the power left in your blood to kill him."

"Is your 'previous owner' my big brother?"

Mr. Ning smiled without answering.

This clever girl had seen so many terrifying details. After today's conversation, she would surely have her suspicions and realize what her big brother was really like. What would she choose to do?

His silent smile gave Zhan Ni her answer. She had guessed right.

She had been her father's offering, and now her big brother was treating her as one too.

Mr. Ning's explanation of the ritual matched what Liu Mumu had told her. He hadn't lied about that.

"You know my big brother. Why tell me all this?"

Mr. Ning smiled faintly. He clasped his hands and rested them against his chin. "Because you're a better investment. Your big brother is far too greedy to make a good partner. As his sister, you've already sensed that, haven't you?"

He struck right at Zhan Ni's sore spot.

If she hadn't known, perhaps it would have been different. But now she knew she'd missed out on a huge sum of money. Her big brother was living so well, yet he had never once thought of his own sister.

Even now, he said he'd take care of her, but after inheriting all that money, he hadn't considered giving her even a little. He was the real hypocrite.

Her anger rose easily. She asked coolly, "All it takes is smearing my blood on it? Wouldn't that hurt me?"

Mr. Ning smiled. "The ritual requires at least four rounds. Your father taking your blood was only the first. You still have two chances. As long as you stop before the fourth, it won't harm you. Have you made up your mind?"

Zhan Ni's hand trembled slightly. She didn't know if it was from excitement or nerves.

Once her blood was smeared on the vase, she would have the power to control someone's life. As long as she kept herself in check, she could use those two chances to give herself a completely different life.

Zhan Ni had never dreamed of simply studying hard and getting into a better university.

She had only ever wanted to stand out, to make her father notice her and bring her home.

She should have been living just like the children of the rich. She had missed out on the first decade or so, but she had never given up.

She didn't want to be like her mother, accepting a generous allowance from her father but still shamelessly working in the school cafeteria, letting all her classmates know her mother was just a lunch lady.

She would become rich. She wouldn't have to worry about work or daily expenses, or count every penny. She would have a higher social standing, just like her father.

Her vision of the future was so beautiful that Zhan Ni nearly lost herself in it.

But she soon came to her senses.

No. She couldn't.

She had only met Mr. Ning for the second time. How could she be sure he was telling the truth? His words had certainly shaken her. It was only a little blood, after all. Maybe there really wouldn't be any serious consequences.

She didn't need two chances. One would be enough.

But soon, Zhan Ni dismissed that thought too.

Liu Mumu had told her not to let her blood touch the vase again. She hadn't explained what would happen, but she had warned Zhan Ni again and again.

Zhan Ni had seen Liu Mumu's abilities with her own eyes too.

Using herself as an offering was too risky. She needed to think it over.

Zhan Ni's gaze wandered, and her face was full of conflict. After a long pause, she said, "...I still need time to think."

"That's fine. Young people always want more options." Mr. Ning's voice remained calm, but when he lowered his eyes, his gaze turned sinister.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.

The ringtone rang out unexpectedly, a soft, melodious instrumental tune that only the two of them could hear. There seemed to be some noise mixed in with the music, like someone coughing and rasping out a cry.

The sound seemed to have some kind of magic, drawing all of Zhan Ni's attention. She didn't come to until ten minutes after the music stopped.

At some point, Mr. Ning had left. She was still sitting in the same place, and the bowl of braised beef noodles in front of her had gone soggy.

What had just happened?

She tried to remember, then shook her head. She had only listened to a piece of music.

Mechanically, she finished the bowl of noodles, then left the shop. But she felt anxious. She had to get home right away. There was something important she needed to do.

She walked all the way to her front door. Just before going inside, she suddenly felt restless for some reason.

She thought she should call Liu Mumu.

The number was dialed, but she didn't know what to say.

"Zhan Ni, is something wrong?" Liu Mumu's voice came through.

After a moment of silence, Zhan Ni said, "It's nothing. I dialed the wrong number."

Then she hung up.

Liu Mumu stared at her phone, puzzled.

Zhan Ni looked at the dark screen, feeling that her own behavior had been strange. Why had she called Liu Mumu?

Back home, she found the vase in her room. She wrote down Zhan Huitian's birth date and time, then tucked the note, a lighter, and a small knife into her pocket. She put the vase in a canvas bag and hurried out.

Home wouldn't work. She needed to find somewhere high up.

At ten in the morning, Zhan Huitian sat in his father's old seat while the department heads held a meeting.

The air conditioning in the conference room seemed too cold. He felt a little chilly.

He tugged at his tie, about to speak, when he noticed all the department heads staring at him in horror.

He looked down at himself. Blood was seeping through his suit.

The gash on his neck was the deepest, leaving him unable to speak.

Zhan Huitian clutched his neck, eyes wide, as if he still couldn't understand how any of this had happened.

Someone screamed and ran for the door. Someone else rushed over as if to help, while another person called an ambulance.

Zhan Huitian's vision went dark. All he could hear was a roaring wind blowing past his ears, loud and clear.

Just then, another group of people rushed into the office. The man at the front shouted at those surrounding Zhan Huitian, "Police! Everyone out!"

The others hesitated, then backed away. Some tried to stay, but the officers coming in behind them ushered them out. Once the conference room was clear, Fang Chuan rushed over, checked Zhan Huitian's condition, then turned to Yan Xiu and asked gravely, "He's been cursed too. What's going on?"

They had only just named Zhan Huitian as a suspect in Zhan Hongye's murder, and now he had nearly died from the same curse.

They'd arrived just in time. If they'd been a moment later, he'd be dead.

Yan Xiu crouched beside Zhan Huitian. He took a brand-new fountain pen from his pocket, then lightly cut his index finger with the sword tip hidden inside. A bead of blood appeared at once.

He pressed his fingertip to the center of Zhan Huitian's forehead and swiftly drew a blood talisman. Its intricate lines nearly covered the other man's entire face.

With the final stroke and a low "Bind," the bleeding wounds on Zhan Huitian's body stopped in a strange way.

They didn't heal, but they stopped widening and bleeding.

Yan Xiu withdrew his hand. Fang Chuan hurriedly presented him with a rabbit-patterned bandage.

He'd swiped it from his young niece. It was quite adorable.

Yan Xiu frowned at it for a moment, then peeled off the backing and stuck it on.

"What's going on with this guy? Did we get the wrong culprit? That can't be right. The headquarters sent back word that he's guilty of killing a family member."

Ordinary evidence couldn't prove that Zhan Huitian was connected to Zhan Hongye's death, so Fang Chuan had filed a report requesting help from headquarters.

They only had his date of birth, not the hour, so getting a more precise reading took longer. They had spent the past few days waiting for a reply from headquarters.

The results were just as they'd suspected. But why had Zhan Huitian been targeted too?

Yan Xiu suddenly asked, "Where is Zhan Huitian's sister?"

Fang Chuan tensed and immediately ordered his subordinates, "Spread the word. Search for Zhan Ni. Bring her straight to the station as soon as you find her."

"Yes." Two officers received the order and left at once.

"Is there something wrong with the Zhan family's feng shui? Why is everyone in that family so crazy?" Fang Chuan couldn't help saying.

Yan Xiu made no comment.

Clutching the vase, Zhan Ni went to an old residential compound a few streets away.

The apartment buildings were only seven stories tall, and there was a rooftop on the top floor. Someone had hung a row of wet clothes there, but no one stopped her as she made her way up.

There, she used the small knife to cut her hand, smeared her blood on the vase, then lit the piece of paper with Zhan Huitian's birth date and time and tossed it inside.

The flames inside the vase turned from yellow to black in an instant. They burned for a while before finally going out.

The wound on her hand was still bleeding, but she seemed unable to feel the pain. She lifted the vase and threw it off the roof.

The sound of the vase shattering came from below, followed by a string of furious shouts. Zhan Ni didn't care.

After that, she stood at the edge of the roof and stared down. One step forward was all it would take to fall. A voice in her mind urgently urged her to move.

But she could never bring herself to take that step.

Before she jumped, she wanted to make a phone call. Who should she call?

Liu Mumu received Zhan Ni's call for the second time. She waited a long while, but there was no sound on the other end.

She had to speak first. "Zhan Ni, is something wrong?"

The first call had come out of nowhere. This one was strange too.

"Do you know? I've always hated you," Zhan Ni suddenly said.

Liu Mumu frowned. What was this about?

"Why wouldn't you help me? Is it just because of money? I have plenty of money now."

Liu Mumu could tell something was wrong. She tossed the coin in her hand and pressed it down with her palm. Closing her eyes, she saw an image flash through the darkness.

She rushed out with her phone and glanced around. Spotting Dong Yue in the living room, she ran downstairs and pointed at the phone on the coffee table, asking her to unlock it.

Dong Yue, not understanding what was going on, handed Liu Mumu the unlocked phone.

After glancing at the time displayed on the screen, Liu Mumu continued talking to Zhan Ni on the other end.

She said, "I had my reasons for not helping you. It wasn't just about the money."

Zhan Ni seemed not to hear her at all, talking to herself. "I don't need your help anymore. My dad is dead, and my brother is dead too. Everything they left behind belongs to me. I know you're jealous."

"Yes, of course I'm jealous of you."

A minute passed. Liu Mumu asked, "Do you know why?"

"Because I've always been better than you." Zhan Ni's voice grated.

"Yes, you're very impressive. When I read your fortune before, I actually found out some other things too, but I didn't tell you."

Time was passing too slowly. Liu Mumu was getting impatient and wished she could fast-forward the phone's clock by four minutes.

"What did you find out?" Zhan Ni seemed intrigued. For the moment, her curiosity outweighed the urge to jump.

"I saw that you're destined to be incredibly lucky with money, so I didn't want to tell you. And there's something else..."

The two of them made small talk for a full five minutes. Zhan Ni stood there the whole time, captivated by Liu Mumu's words as she listened to her describe how glorious her future would be and how insignificant Liu Mumu was. She didn't notice someone climbing onto the roof.

"Three, two, one!"

As Liu Mumu counted down silently, a sudden "thud" came from the other end of the phone, as if something had slammed hard against the ground. Then the call disconnected.

She couldn't be certain about anything else for now, but Zhan Ni should have been rescued.

At a time like this, perhaps she should call the police for the other person.

While making the call, she also took the opportunity to cast a divination for herself. The result was inauspicious. She'd just done a good deed, and yet Liu Mumu was still indignant.

At 10:20, Fang Chuan received a message from Zhan Ni. She wasn't at the Zhan family home; she was at the hospital.

When they arrived, Zhan Ni was still in the emergency room. Outside, a middle-aged woman stood there cursing nonstop, spittle flying everywhere, as though she were trying to drown Zhan Ni inside.

The woman's language was so foul that Fang Chuan had no choice but to step forward and interrupt her.

"Hello, I'm a police officer. Did you call us?"

The woman finally stopped talking. She took Fang Chuan's ID and examined it carefully, still looking doubtful. "You really are a police officer?"

"Yes. Could you tell us what happened?"

The woman immediately perked up at the question, launching into her story again. "Officer, can you believe it? We were playing mahjong downstairs when that young woman suddenly threw a flowerpot off the roof. It nearly scared us to death. Thank goodness nobody was walking by, or someone could've been killed."

The woman still looked shaken.

"What happened next?"

"Then I saw her standing on the roof. I don't know when she sneaked up there. It scared the life out of me." The woman patted her chest. "I hurried to call the police, but I was worried she'd jump before you got here.

"It's hard enough to rent out places these days. If someone died, this whole building would become a haunted house, and the rent would definitely drop. So I ran upstairs and hooked her down with a clothes hanger pole while she wasn't looking."

After that, she added for emphasis, "Officer, I really was only trying to save her. Who knew she'd land right on the back of her head?"

Fang Chuan was silent for a long moment. The woman deserved praise for saving someone, but her reason was difficult to swallow. She'd done it to protect the rental prices?

These days, even women who owned an entire building had to hustle this hard.

The woman stole a glance at his face and asked, "Officer, I'm not going to get in trouble, am I?"

"Don't worry. You did a good deed."

Fang Chuan reassured her, then turned to meet the doctor coming out.

He briefly asked about Zhan Ni's condition. The doctor said it wasn't serious, just a mild concussion.

However, the examination had revealed abnormal brain waves, and they still hadn't found the cause. She probably wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

The doctor then handed him a bag of belongings that had been collected when Zhan Ni was brought to the hospital. Her phone was inside as well.

Fang Chuan picked up the bag and handed it to the officer behind him, telling them to take it back for examination. He also left two officers outside her room to take her statement as soon as she woke up.

At eleven in the morning, the high-speed rail station in Qingcheng was bustling with people. Every row of seats in the waiting room was full.

In a corner, Mr. Ning had a travel bag at his feet. He sent a message from his phone: The witchcraft artifact has been destroyed, and the Zhan family has been dealt with. You can begin closing the net.

A few seconds later, a message appeared: Well done. You can come back now. Have a safe trip.

A faint smile crossed Mr. Ning's face as he read the message. He removed the SIM card, snapped it in two, and tossed it into the toilet in the nearby restroom.

The toilet flushed. Not a trace could be found.

The mission was over, and the train leaving Qingcheng would arrive at 12:05.