Chapter 29

The four of them spent the whole day out. After they left Qingshan Temple, Zheng Xuan treated them to a pretty good barbecue restaurant. They ate and chatted, while Zheng Xuan, their senior, conscientiously filled them in on some of the less respectable things about campus.

For example, the food at the Second Canteen was always consistently good, except for the fish they served at lunch every Thursday. It always had a familiar whiff of dirty socks. Either the chef or the fish had to be a little unhygienic.

Qian Xiaomeng cut straight to the heart of the matter: "Senior, do you have trouble with stinky socks too?"

Zheng Xuan: How was he supposed to answer that? Why was this junior so sharp-tongued?

Didn't she know that stinky socks were a problem for every guy in sports? Of course he had that problem too!

Zheng Xuan waved a hand. "Next question."

Another example: the spot against the wall in the fifth row on the third floor of the library was a blind spot for the security cameras. It was a good place to consider for a date.

"So what have you done in that spot?" Qian Xiaomeng stepped down, and Liu Mumu took her place.

Zheng Xuan: Why had he run his mouth today?

Although the meal hadn't been all that pleasant for Zheng Xuan, Liu Mumu and the others had had a great time. Senior Zheng had entertained them very well.

Everyone was full and satisfied. Zheng Xuan paid the bill and even saw them safely back to campus.

On the way back to their dorm, Qian Xiaomeng glanced at Xue Lan walking beside her, then asked, puzzled, "Lanlan, you seem a lot better today. You ate so much barbecue tonight, but you don't seem uncomfortable at all?"

They'd all eaten quite a bit, including barbecue and seafood. In the past, if Xue Lan ate too much greasy food, she'd soon react to it, but now she seemed perfectly fine.

And whenever she got tired, her complexion usually turned terrible.

They'd taken cars to and from the temple, but Qingshan Temple was so large that walking around it took at least an hour. Yet Xue Lan still had a rosy complexion and hadn't complained of being tired once.

Xue Lan was taken aback by Qian Xiaomeng's words too. She touched her forehead, which was beaded with fine sweat.

Before, it had been as if she were trapped under a cover. She couldn't feel the summer heat at all and only ever felt cold.

But now, it was as if her skin could suddenly feel the temperature. Even the air she breathed felt hot and stuffy.

It felt as if she had suddenly returned to the world of the living.

"Really... Ever since we got back from the temple, things do seem different." Xue Lan's eyes shone with delight, though there was a hint of uncertainty in them too.

She hoped her body really had returned to normal, but worried that this normality might only be temporary.

Qian Xiaomeng glanced at Liu Mumu and smiled. "Looks like Qingshan Temple really is effective. I was right—we should get out more."

"Good point. Next time, we'll bring Wei Xue along."

Their laughter and chatter gradually faded. The campus streetlights stretched the three girls' shadows long behind them as they walked away.

Maybe because she'd overexerted herself that day, Xue Lan climbed into bed at half past ten and went straight to sleep.

A little while later, a soft snore came from her bed.

The thick quilt she used to tuck herself under at night had long since been kicked down to the foot of her bed. She wore only a thin cotton pajama set and didn't feel cold at all.

In fact, everyone else had always slept like that. Xue Lan was the only one who felt cold.

Qian Xiaomeng rose onto her tiptoes to look at Xue Lan's bed, then hurried over to Liu Mumu's and asked quietly, "What exactly was going on with that Peace Charm today?"

She'd accepted that Liu Mumu could tell fortunes, but seeing something so unscientific had still shaken her.

"I'm not sure either." Since she didn't understand it, Liu Mumu couldn't jump to conclusions. "I'll ask a friend who knows about this in the next few days."

She'd sent Yan Xiu a message earlier, but he hadn't replied.

On the third day of the holiday, at seven thirty in the morning, Dong Zhenghao called for Liu Mumu to come downstairs.

"Dad, why aren't you sleeping at home during this lovely holiday?" Liu Mumu grumbled as she rolled over, pressed her phone against her ear, and refused to move.

"Because Dad misses you, and your little sister misses you too." After saying that, Dong Zhenghao turned the phone toward the back seat.

Dong Yue, sitting obediently in the back, called out, "Sis, Mom and Dad had a fight, and he—"

Before she could finish, Dong Zhenghao hurriedly pressed the phone back to his ear. "Anyway, get downstairs. I'll give you fi—no, fifteen minutes!"

"Fine."

A man who'd fought with his wife and might be planning to run away from home with his two daughters could be forgiven for the occasional whim.

After brushing her teeth in the bathroom and splashing cold water on her face, Liu Mumu dashed downstairs with her messy bun bouncing on her head.

When Dong Zhenghao saw his daughter running toward him in shorts and a tank top, he muttered a word he'd recently picked up from a business partner from the north: "So noisy."

Then he turned and warned his younger daughter, "Don't tell her!"

Dong Yue sat quietly in the back, saying nothing.

Liu Mumu opened the car door and climbed into the back seat. Once she'd settled in, Dong Yue whispered, "Dad said you're so noisy."

Dong Zhenghao, who had excellent hearing: What was the difference between raising a daughter and raising a traitor?

After picking them up, Dong Zhenghao took them out for breakfast, then drove them to a nearby flower market.

Liu Mumu assumed he wanted to get some plants to cultivate his mind. Who knew he'd get out of the car and head straight for a stall selling cacti?

The cacti the vendor had raised were as big as a bear's paw, with long, thin spines.

Dong Zhenghao happily bought one pot, then picked out a cactus ball as big as a soccer ball. If anyone accidentally sat on it, their life would be over.

"What's gotten into him?" Liu Mumu whispered to Dong Yue.

"Mom and Dad argued this morning about Grandma and Grandpa. Mom took Dong Qi to Grandma's house, and Dad's really angry."

"What does that have to do with him buying cactus balls?"

"Um..." Dong Yue looked a little awkward. "Grandma and Grandpa have recently gotten really into health stuff. They heard from someone that there's helium in the air and it's bad for your health, so they spent over twenty thousand yuan on a Pure Oxygen Machine. Then they said they were short on money and asked Mom for fifty thousand. Dad overheard."

Dong Zhenghao heard his daughters whispering. After paying for the cactus, he turned around and snapped at Dong Yue, "When your mom gets home, tell her to bring these two pots to your grandma's house. They only want to breathe pure oxygen, right? Let them hug these while they breathe. Natural oxygen machines, for less than a hundred yuan."

Liu Mumu exclaimed in admiration, "Dad actually knows cacti produce oxygen. So knowledgeable."

Then both daughters stood there and clapped for him.

Dong Zhenghao shamelessly straightened up and stuck out his belly. "Of course. Your dad here was an excellent student when he was young."

Behind them, the cactus vendor watched the father and daughters with an indescribable look.

Liu Mumu's National Day holiday began and ended with cacti.

On the last day of the holiday, Jiang Li, who'd already fought with her husband twice, finally took the cactus and cactus ball to her parents' house.

They didn't have money, but they had two pots of a son-in-law's love.

Would they be touched?

A little after two in the afternoon, Yan Xiu finally replied to Liu Mumu's message after being out of contact for four days.

Yan Xiu: Just got off the plane. What is it?

Liu Mumu: Yes!

Yan Xiu had been about to call her, but paused and sent a message instead.

Yan Xiu: Come to the City Bureau in an hour.

The young woman beside Yan Xiu, her hair tied in a ponytail, curiously leaned over to look at his phone. His cold glance made her shrink back.

A car waiting outside the airport picked them up and drove them straight to the City Bureau.

Liu Mumu arrived half an hour after Yan Xiu and the others. She was carrying two large plastic bags.

Fang Chuan had just stepped out of his office when he saw Liu Mumu coming over with the bags. He went to take them from her and said politely, "You didn't have to bring anything. We absolutely never accept so much as a cent from the public."

Liu Mumu gave him a frosty look. "Oh, it's fruit salad my little sister made for my roommates."

There were two ice packs inside to keep it fresh.

Fang Chuan's hand froze.

Liu Mumu walked past him into the office and added, "The other bag is for you guys."

Her family had an overabundance of fruit lately, and she needed Yan Xiu's help anyway, so she might as well bring them something.

Yan Xiu's office had been completely redone. There was no trace of the devastating damage it had suffered last time.

Liu Mumu thought, That must be the power of money. Also, the ornament on the desk looked really expensive. It was making her fingers itch.

Yan Xiu was looking down at a document and hadn't noticed her approach. Liu Mumu was about to knock when she realized someone else was in the office: a very beautiful young woman.

The woman seemed about to speak to Yan Xiu. When she saw Liu Mumu, she paused. "You... need something?" she asked, puzzled.

Liu Mumu narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, her gaze unfriendly.

Yan Xiu looked up. Seeing Liu Mumu at the door, he calmly put down the document. "What is it?"

Behind Liu Mumu, Fang Chuan had just handed out the fruit salad she'd brought. He was eating a box himself. He'd meant to bring one to Yan Xiu too, but given the situation, he decided not to get involved.

"Who is she?" Liu Mumu didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked him aggressively.

That was a good question. Fang Chuan popped a grape into his mouth. He wanted to know too.

All he knew was that the woman was an investigator from the headquarters in the capital, but she seemed quite close to Yan Xiu.

"...My cousin." After a brief silence, Yan Xiu answered.

"Why don't you look anything alike?" Liu Mumu glared at him, her eyes practically spelling out two words: I don't believe you!

Yan Xiu crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Maybe my genes are better than hers?"

A comment utterly lacking in sibling affection.

Yan Ling looked completely lost. Why had she been dragged into this? And who was this girl, anyway? Was she her brother's superior?

Liu Mumu walked in, still doubtful. She looked from Yan Ling to Yan Xiu. They really didn't look alike at all.

"Do we need to go downstairs and get a certificate proving our Blood relation?" His tone was so matter-of-fact that it was hard to tell whether he was serious or mocking her.

Liu Mumu quickly sat in the chair across from his desk and placed her hands on her knees. "Actually, I'm not that curious."

Yan Xiu's dark eyes shifted away from her. "What is it, then?"

She held out a finger for him to see. "Look. It's red."

The finger that had touched the charm was still red, even after several days.

It didn't hurt or itch, but it was strange.

"What did you touch?" Yan Xiu frowned slightly and pinched the tip of her finger. "Does it hurt?"

"No, I can barely feel anything." As she spoke, she hooked her finger around Yan Xiu's, which he hadn't withdrawn yet.

Watching from the side, Yan Ling thought: Someone's sexually harassing my cousin, and she hasn't been thrown out and killed a hundred times over yet. Oh my god, this is so exciting!

"I only touched a Peace Charm my classmate was holding, and then my finger turned out like this. The charm turned to ash too," Liu Mumu continued innocently.

Yan Xiu withdrew his hand. "It's just a mild backlash. A Peace Charm couldn't hurt you."

A red mark wasn't exactly an injury, but the fact it had left a mark showed that the backlash had been strong. Liu Mumu had a Diviner's License, something diviners used to protect their lives. A talisman that could pierce its protection was already exceptionally powerful.

Liu Mumu studied the mark on her fingertip, deep in thought. "So it wasn't a Peace Charm?"

She looked up at Yan Xiu. "Can you tell what kind of talisman it was? Was it meant to help someone, or harm them?"

"If you didn't do anything improper to the talisman's owner when this happened, then there's an eighty percent chance the talisman was dangerous."

Liu Mumu blinked and leaned her arms on the desk, tilting forward slightly. "My classmate's boyfriend gave it to her. So if I report him now, can you arrest him?"

"Do you have evidence?"

"The talisman..." Liu Mumu fell silent. The charm was gone.

She still wasn't ready to give up. "But there's obviously something wrong here. I think my classmate's health improved after the charm was gone. Can't you investigate?"

Yan Xiu fell silent.

Fang Chuan stepped forward and patted her shoulder. "It's not that we won't investigate. But what you're saying is basically this: you found out your classmate's boyfriend gave her a gun, and then you lost the gun. Now you suspect her boyfriend is going to kill her.

"If it were a gun, we'd have to investigate even if we only suspected something. But it's an unknown talisman. That doesn't prove it was meant to hurt anyone. Maybe he bought the wrong talisman; maybe there's some other explanation. I could bring him in, but with no evidence, we'd still have to let him go after twenty-four hours."

Even if they believed Liu Mumu, they couldn't investigate a case that hadn't happened, had no victim, and had no evidence.

Liu Mumu bit her lip. "I still trust my judgment."

Fang Chuan could only look to Yan Xiu. After a brief silence, Yan Xiu finally spoke. "I can draw a Peace Charm for you to give her. If she carries it with her and something really does happen, it could save her life."

"Okay." Liu Mumu nodded. It was the best option for now.

Yan Xiu glanced at Yan Ling, who hurried off to get yellow paper and cinnabar.

Yan Xiu casually drew two Peace Charms, folded one, put it in the charm pouch Yan Ling had provided, and slid it in front of Liu Mumu.

The other one was still unfolded. Yan Ling tried to reach for it, but her cousin tapped her fingers with his pen. She snatched her hand back and didn't dare make a sound.

Liu Mumu reached out too, but before she could touch it, Yan Xiu said, "A Peace Charm won't work on you."

"I just wanted to try it." She reluctantly drew her hand back.

Fang Chuan grinned and picked up the extra Peace Charm. He folded it expertly. Yan Xiu didn't stop him, which clearly meant it was for him.

Holding the Peace Charm, Fang Chuan showed off to Liu Mumu. "What a shame you can't use it."

Liu Mumu curled her lip. "We diviners don't rely on talismans to stay safe. Before I leave the house, I calculate whether stepping out with my left foot first will bring me good luck, or whether stepping out with my right foot first will help me find money. Can you do that?"

Fang Chuan couldn't. He thought it over and realized she'd bested him.

With the Peace Charm in hand, Liu Mumu had accomplished what she'd come for.

She checked the time, grabbed the bag of fruit salad for her roommates, and hurried out. "I'm off. Bye!"

"Hey, do you want a ride to campus?" Fang Chuan called after her.

"No need."

Before her voice had even faded, she was gone.

"She sure runs fast," Fang Chuan muttered.

"Like a rabbit."

"What?" Fang Chuan hadn't heard him clearly.

"Nothing. Where's the case file I asked you to get?" Yan Xiu asked.

Fang Chuan slapped his forehead. He'd been so caught up watching the show that he'd forgotten what he was supposed to do. He said to the two people in the office, "Wait a moment."

Then he rushed out.

Yan Ling kept looking at her cousin, itching to ask what that girl, who seemed to have so much sway with him, was to him. But his expression showed no emotion, so in the end she held back.

By the time Liu Mumu got back to the dorm, Wei Xue had returned too.

Strangely enough, Xue Lan was there as well. Liu Mumu had thought she'd go see Xu Anze.

She handed out the fruit salad she'd brought from home, made by her little sister. Everyone unanimously declared that Liu Mumu's little sister was their little sister from now on.

Liu Mumu stingily refused to let them adopt her little sister so casually.

"Lanlan, your boyfriend still hasn't come back? Why didn't you go out with him?" Liu Mumu asked tentatively.

Xue Lan sat on her bed in her nightdress, her legs dangling over the edge. She thought for a moment, then answered, "Aze said his flight doesn't land until seven tonight."

"That late?"

"Mm. His flight was supposed to be this morning, but something came up and delayed him, so he changed his ticket."

"Oh..." Liu Mumu and Qian Xiaomeng exchanged a look.

Wei Xue suddenly spoke up. "I've been wanting to ask, Lanlan: what exactly happened to you these past few days? How did you suddenly get so... healthy?"

Over the holiday, Xue Lan's condition had visibly improved day by day. Wei Xue hadn't seen her for several days, and it felt like she'd come back with a completely different roommate.

Xue Lan happily touched her face. "Really? I haven't had time to tell Aze yet. He'll definitely be thrilled when he finds out."

Whether Xu Anze would be happy or not, they didn't know. At the moment, he had no inclination to contact Xue Lan either.

He and Zhuo Ran had originally agreed to split up on the way back, but just before he was supposed to leave for the airport, Zhuo Ran suddenly developed a headache, and he had no choice but to stay behind.

Zhuo Ran had been in poor health since childhood. After he was sent to the Zhuo family, he had always been the one accompanying her.

Whenever she fell ill, her temper became terrible. She would beat and curse him at the slightest provocation, and he wasn't allowed to fight back. In Uncle Zhuo and Aunt Lin's eyes, it was nothing more than children fooling around. In Xu Anze's eyes, it was humiliation.

Unfortunately, what he thought didn't matter. He couldn't escape the Zhuo family. He had been sent there by his family as one of the means of extending Zhuo Ran's life.

On the plane back to Qingcheng, Zhuo Ran's face was pale as she rested her head on Xu Anze's shoulder, her hands tightly digging into his arm.

The two of them were sitting so close that her nearly venomous words reached his ears clearly.

"My body had already recovered. Why did it suddenly deteriorate? Did that mistress of yours, your girlfriend, discover something? Or did you deliberately tell her?"

Xu Anze had not wanted to pay attention to her unreasonable behavior, but her voice grew louder and louder, drawing the attention of the passengers around them. He could only explain in a low voice, "Since I agreed to help you, I won't go back on my word. I didn't tell Lan anything... I didn't tell Xue Lan."

Zhuo Ran let out a mocking laugh. "Maybe you suddenly couldn't bear to do it. You've watched me suffer since we were children, so you think I deserve all this. You couldn't bear to see her become like me."

"She really is important to me, and I don't want to see her become like you either. But since I agreed to it, I won't go back on my word. This is something I owe the Zhuo family, and something I owe you as well."

"You'd better not go back on your word!" Wave after wave of dizziness and nausea made Zhuo Ran's fingernails dig even deeper into Xu Anze's arm.

"Maybe Xue Lan's Substitute Life Talisman was simply lost. Uncle Zhuo said when we left that the ritual was ready. Once it's formally performed on your birthday, the Substitute Life Talisman won't be needed anymore."

The so-called life-substitution ritual naturally couldn't be prepared successfully overnight.

For this reason, he had been sent to Xue Lan's side. She had been chosen because she was born in the same year, month, day, and hour as Zhuo Ran. At the cost of his feelings, he had obtained everything required for the life-substitution ritual.

At first, he had only wanted to exchange Xue Lan's health for his own freedom.

The Zhuo family was like a shackle around him. As long as Zhuo Ran remained sickly, he would never be able to escape.

Xu Anze knew perfectly well that the Zhuo family looked down on him, but he could help suppress Zhuo Ran's illness. If Zhuo Ran recovered, he would have no further value to them. Whether they were willing to release him would be a matter of a single sentence.

After meeting Xue Lan, he felt that using this transaction to exchange for the possibility of being together with her in the future was a worthwhile deal.

Xue Lan's health would deteriorate, but he would take care of her forever.

The plane finally landed. Xu Anze helped Zhuo Ran off the plane and guided her to the side to rest. He then went to retrieve their suitcases, but before he could get them, he suddenly heard someone scream.

When he turned around, he saw Zhuo Ran crumpled on the ground, her face covered in blood.

At the same time, in the dormitory bathroom, Liu Mumu placed the Peace Charm she had obtained from Yan Xiu into Xue Lan's hand. Looking into her eyes, she said seriously, "I specially asked a friend for this Peace Charm. It's very important, so make sure you keep it on you."

After a pause, she added, "Don't tell anyone, including your Xu Anze. Can you do that?"

Xue Lan tightened her grip on the charm. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt a warmth spreading from her palm throughout her entire body.

She nodded firmly. "I'll remember. I won't tell anyone."

Then she said to Liu Mumu with great solemnity, "Thank you, Mumu."

She knew that Liu Mumu could tell fortunes, so her friend definitely wasn't an ordinary person. Since even Liu Mumu had needed to ask that person for the charm, she must have paid a considerable price. Xue Lan kept this favor firmly in her heart.

In reality, there had been no price at all. She had even taken the opportunity to touch a little hand, so she had made quite a profit.