Chapter 122: The Hanging Earrings
It was a palm-sized bone flute, as white and lustrous as human bone, with a red string attached to the end. Ge Wuchen stood in front of the window and played it three times without interruption.
This is a flute made from the finger bones of the flower beaver, except for the flower beaver, no one else can hear the sound of the bone flute blowing out. A few moments later, in the wind and snow, a man in red abruptly flew in through the window, and Flower Beaver walked barefoot on the floor, his tone cold and stern, “What did you call me here halfway?”
Ge Wuchen said, “You will watch over the master with me.”
The Beaver frowned.
Ge Wuchen looked at the human lying on the floor and led the beaver towards the bedroom, “In addition to watching over the master, watch over the human that the master has taken a fancy to.”
The beaver suddenly remembered Jiang Luo’s abominable look and his expression changed to one of vague repulsion.
Ge Wuchen Yu Guang glanced over at him, “The first time the master goes in and out of the mirror world, I will not follow him. But the second time I will go in with the master, and when that happens, we are counting on you.”
The Beaver stopped in his tracks and looked at him, “You’re going too?”
Ge Wuchen smiled, a vaguely shrewd light flashed from his eyes as he nodded slightly, “I’m going to see what the people behind …… are trying to do.”
The Beaver was not the least bit interested in what Ge Wuchen wanted to do, but he said, “I don’t care what you want to do, I will only do my best to ensure the safety of my master. As for you and the human? You send Teng Bi over to protect you.”
“No need to waste so much manpower,” Ge Wuchen said, “I know you can, Beaver.”
Blossom Beaver sneered and clasped her arms without saying a word.
Ge Wuchen said, “If you do well, I’ll take you to the top of the game and never let anyone call you a retarded schoolboy again.”
Flower Beaver’s face darkened: “…… deal.”
*
Teng Bi, who was eating a lollipop, suddenly sneezed.
After looking around blankly and seeing nothing, he continued to look down and earnestly mess with the gamepad in his hand.
“Aaaahhhh, deadbeat help!” Lu Youyi next to him wailed, “A monster is attacking me, get on it!”
Teng Bi nodded solemnly and manoeuvred the on-screen warrior as if he was on the verge of a big move, but in contrast to the expression on his face as he was about to zoom off, the on-screen warrior jumped awkwardly twice and leapt onto the sword to poke himself to death.
Teng Bi : “……”
Lu Youyi : “……”
The word “Game Over” flashed on the screen. Lu Youyi threw the handle away in despair, “No more, no more, it’s no fun.”
Behind them both, Ye Xun, who had placed Xiao Fen on the sofa and was carefully brushing and braiding Xiao Fen’s hair, said lightly, “How many times have you died?”
“398 times,” Lu Youyi said breathlessly, “impressive?”
Ye Xun nodded and scoffed without a hint of mockery, “You are good enough to have persevered to your deaths so many times.”
As they spoke, Wen Renlian and Kuang Zheng walked in with two hands full of shopping bags. The warmth of the room blocked out the cold wind outside as they both took off their gloves and scarf coats and hung them one by one on the hangers, smiling, “Did you get in touch with them?”
Ge Zhu put down his mobile phone, “Sai Liaoer has gone home and will come back to celebrate with us during the New Year. But Jiang Luo’s mobile number is always unavailable.”
“Called Zhong Qiu?”
“Calling,” Ge Zhu waved a hand, “she hasn’t picked up yet.”
Lu Youyi got up from the ground and walked towards Ge Zhu. Teng Bi looked at them and silently put down his gamepad.
A few seconds later, Zhuo Zhongqiu picked up the phone, but before Ge Zhu could speak, she was the first to say, “I’ve just come out of Lian’s house. Jiang Luo and Lian Xue have gone up to the mountains where it has been snowing for several days and there is no signal, so it’s normal that I can’t reach him.”
“No,” Lu Youyi said, disappointed, “he can’t come when we’re on holiday. I haven’t seen him for almost half a month, and it’s Ye Xun’s birthday.”
Ye Xun sighed and also picked up Xiao Fen with some disappointment , “It can’t be helped.”
Ge Zhu asked, “Say, why did Jiang Luo go to Lian’s house, Zhong Qiu, do you know the reason?”
Zhuo Zhongqiu was also surprised, “I asked Jiang Luo and Lian Xue once when I brought their luggage over last time, but neither of them told me. Lian’s family doesn’t usually go out, and they go up to the mountains to seek out their elders. What could have happened that Lian Xue couldn’t even solve it and had to take Jiang Luo up to the mountain?”
She was puzzled, “Forget it, let’s get together again when Jiang Luo comes out.”
In the early afternoon, a group of people who had not been together for the best part of a month met up in a frenzy of activity. But the party hadn’t been going on long when there was another knock on the door of their room.
Even though he knew it was impossible, Lu Youyi’s spirits were lifted, “Is Jiang Luo here?”
Wen Renlian laughed out loud, “How is that possible.”
Lu Youyi muttered and went to open the door: “…… It always feels like something is missing when he’s not there.”
But when the door was opened, there was an extremely unexpected person standing outside.
Lu Youyi froze, “Funeral shop owner?!”
The people in the room hastily got up and went to the door, and surrounded by people looking on was none other than the heavily wrapped and dusty funeral shop owner.
Why is the funeral shop owner here on a cold day?
Ge Zhu said, “Is it because we’re on holiday, so no one is buying from your shop, so you can’t eat and you’re selling door-to-door instead?”
Ji Yaozi coughed softly a few times and whispered, “There is no shortage of anything but a few of your dollars. I am here to give you a reminder.”
“Reminder?”
Ji Yaozi raised his eyes slightly from among his deep black scarf to look at them and said, “Two things.”
“First, Dean Xu has long been discontented because the Qi and Chi families have always targeted the students of Bai Hua University, he has been secretly collecting evidence and finally sent it to the Xuan Ling Joint Office, the administration office of the twelve universities, a few days ago. The Qi and Chi families are now on trial, and you, as victims, will face them both at a trial to be held at the Joint Office in ten days’ time. If one of you is missing, this trial will be postponed again, and there is no telling when the next opportunity for a trial will be.”
The undertaker coughed some more and Wen Renlian snapped out of his shock and said, “Please come in and talk.”
“No,” Ji Yaozi raised his hand slowly, “the second thing.”
He unfolded his hand and a long crimson earring pendant poured out of his hand from a black cuff. The earring is surmounted by a rustic triple clasp with three tasseled spikes, giving it a somewhat exotic feel.
“Deliver this to Jiang Luo within three days. Otherwise–”
Ji Yaozi raised his head and turned to them, ” Jiang Luo will be in some danger that you will not be happy to see.”