Eyes, or life?
Qing Zhu stared at her, an indescribable fear spreading through her heart. She stood rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zhongxue for a long time, her eyes filled with genuine terror.
Jiang Zhongxue looked at her, knowing she had already made her decision, and said nothing more. She simply stood there, giving a faint, indifferent nod. “I understand.”
Qing Zhu was so frightened that her legs went weak, hot tears welling up in her eyes. But after the initial shock, she assumed a defensive posture, as if facing a formidable enemy, her body tensing and arching slightly.
Amid the deafening sound of her own heartbeat, Qing Zhu’s blood boiled with adrenaline, and she even entertained the thought of fighting this person to the death.
Her eyes were her livelihood, she couldn’t lose them! And she certainly couldn’t just sit back and wait for Jiang Zhongxue to take her life!
The moonlight was hazy, and a white mist began to rise.
A chilling wind swept through.
Qin Changsheng sat on the ground, legs stretched out, propping her head up with one hand in a bored manner. Her flashlight lay beside her, its white light illuminating half her body, outlining a somewhat slender silhouette in the darkness.
She sat on a rock, a simple black cloth spread beneath her. The surroundings were cold and pitch-black, the moonlight pale. Sitting there, swaying slightly with her head in her hands, she looked as if she were possessed by a ghost.
Jiang Zhongxue pushed aside the branches and stepped out from behind the trees. Low shrubs with sharp thorns brushed against her skin but left no trace.
It was as if they had scraped against a lifeless stone.
She emerged from behind Qin Changsheng. The moment she stepped out of the bushes, Qin Changsheng was sitting on the ground, one arm wrapped around her knees, the other cupping her ear, swaying gently and murmuring under her breath.
Seeing this from behind, Jiang Zhongxue frowned, instinctively thinking she was possessed. She hurried to the front, only to find Qin Changsheng holding a phone, a white earphone cord tangled in her hair, softly singing along to a sentimental tune: “People are like the moon in the sky, impossible to possess~~~~ Love is like a melody that lingers, irreparable and parting~~~~”
Her expression was deeply engrossed.
In such a desolate wilderness, on a dark and windy mountain haunted by ghosts, while Jiang Zhongxue was out chasing someone, Qin Changsheng had the leisure to sit there listening to music. She really had nerves of steel.
Though Jiang Zhongxue didn’t quite understand the song, she grasped that Qin Changsheng was fine. Qin Changsheng, noticing Jiang Zhongxue rushing over, froze mid-sway and quickly pulled out her earphones, putting on a serious face. “Everything alright?”
Seeing Jiang Zhongxue’s gaze fixed on the earphone cord, Qin Changsheng chuckled awkwardly, stashing the cord away as she explained, “I thought you’d be gone longer, so I figured I’d sit here and play on my phone, listen to some music. Didn’t expect you back so soon. So, is it resolved?”
Relieved to find her unharmed, Jiang Zhongxue’s tone softened almost imperceptibly. “It’s fine. It’s resolved.”
No sooner had she spoken than she caught herself, her expression hardening instantly. Her eyes turned cold as she murmured, “Let’s go.”
Qin Changsheng nodded, got to her feet, and obediently followed behind Jiang Zhongxue. Frost gathered around them, and shadows leaned in, whispering unheard murmurs that dissolved into the endless, chilly night wind.
Qin Changsheng’s expression remained as calm as before. A chilly wind brushed past, and the figure of Jiang Zhongxue ahead seemed like a drifting specter, her white T-shirt flickering uncertainly in the darkness that enveloped them like thick fog.
The road ahead was long, the night cold, and the forest around them was covered in frost, the biting chill seeping into their bones. Qin Changsheng took out a long-sleeved garment and wrapped it around herself.
There was another piece of clothing in her bag, but she had no intention of taking it out. It was originally meant for Jiang Zhongxue, after all, they were companions, and it was only right to look out for each other on the journey. But now, that thought had completely vanished. Jiang Zhongxue and she were not on the same path; she shouldn’t have any further involvement with this mysterious and peculiar individual.
Following the arduous trek over mountains and rivers, Qin Changsheng walked behind Jiang Zhongxue, gripping a flashlight. Traveling at night, her energy was far from what it was during the day, and as she walked, drowsiness began to set in.
Jiang Zhongxue had long noticed this.
But the forest was unusually restless. Watching Qin Changsheng yawn as she walked, Jiang Zhongxue remained silent. Along the way, Qin Changsheng had shared some information disclosed to her by Ying Yan, also known as Qing Zhu, and had mentioned a few things about Yu Yin.
Qin Changsheng’s phone now stored only three numbers: one for her brother, Qin Shifeng; one for her late grandfather’s old number; and one for Yu Yin’s mother.
Every time she undertook a mission, she had to adopt a completely new identity and phone number. Originally, Xu Jing’s number had also been saved in this phone, but after some thought, Qin Changsheng had just deleted it.
From now on, Xu Jing would have nothing to do with these matters. The fewer outsiders involved, the better.
The affairs of the Qin family were managed by her brother, Qin Shifeng. Aside from a few distant relatives, Qin Shifeng had few people he could rely on.
Her parents were outsiders to these matters and could not be dragged into this bewildering curse.
Two years ago, her grandfather had vanished in the Kunlun Mountains and was never seen again. After a period of inactivity, his phone number had been reassigned to someone else. Yet, Qin Changsheng had not deleted it. Sometimes, when she missed her grandfather, she would still call the number. The person on the other end was a young man who, after hearing Qin Changsheng’s story, politely informed her that the number had been transferred. Out of kindness, however, he welcomed her to chat with him again.
But Qin Changsheng never called that number again.
Regardless of whether the person on the other end was male or female, kind or malicious, they were no longer her grandfather. The person who had inherited her grandfather’s number had spoken to her with kindness and gentleness once, that was enough.
As for the last number, Yu Yin’s mother’s, it was saved because she was the client behind this mission.
This mission had been accepted by Qin Shifeng, partly to prepare for Qin Changsheng’s return to action. They intended to go to the Kunlun Mountains, but financial, material, and human resources, every preparation had to be in place.
Yu Yin’s mother was a high-ranking official at the provincial level, while her father was a successful entrepreneur. A girl like her, tall and beautiful, with such a family background, was practically the campus goddess admired by everyone at the university.
Yu Yin’s academic performance, however, was not ideal. Her mother, being strong-willed, planned to send her to any university for four years and then abroad for further studies once she completed her undergraduate degree.
Yu Yin was the undisputed campus goddess, adored and admired by everyone at school. Yet, despite her popularity, she remained humble and low-key in her daily life, unlike some girls who flaunted their status, and she still had quite a few friends.
In Yu Yin’s dormitory, there was a girl named Yu Mingming, who came from an extremely poor family. This girl was somewhat overweight, with clusters of acne scars on her face, and she suffered from deep-seated insecurity. The contrast between Yu Yin and Yu Mingming in the dormitory was stark, one was the affluent campus goddess, the other a poor, unattractive, and overweight girl. Strangely, however, Yu Yin always treated Yu Mingming exceptionally well, often taking her out to have fun. To everyone else, the two appeared to be the closest of friends.
And the girl who had gone missing on Ji Mountain and was later found dead in a sewer was Yu Mingming.
No one had expected such a tragedy to occur, and it caused Yu Yin’s entire personality to change drastically. It was said that the Yu family had consequently canceled Yu Yin’s plans to study abroad. Perplexed by her transformation, they eventually sought out the Qin family.
Qin Changsheng had met her once.
Before taking on the task of investigating the reason behind Yu Yin’s drastic change, Qin Changsheng paid a brief visit to the Yu family’s villa. Yu Yin’s mother, clad in thick-heeled black high heels, clicked sharply across the marble floor. Her slender waist and well-maintained appearance exuded an air of arrogance and authority, as if every action she took was a command.
She led Qin Changsheng into Yu Yin’s room, which was in complete disarray. It turned out that after Yu Mingming’s death, Yu Yin, who had been brought back home, had torn all her previously taken photos to shreds, even family portraits had been cut up with scissors.
Even her ID card.
At first, the Yu family thought Yu Yin was experiencing a temporary mental breakdown due to Yu Mingming’s death. But as time passed, Yu Yin’s mother began to sense that something was amiss.
Yu Yin seemed strangely unfamiliar with her own home. She couldn’t even recognize her favorite uncle, couldn’t name the restaurant she used to love the most, and couldn’t accurately locate her own house. After a while, she even started throwing tantrums, demanding to return to school and forbidding her family from sending anyone to accompany her.
Yu Yin’s mother was a keen observer. She could feel that Yu Yin had changed, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint how.
Yu Yin still recognized her and her father and could recall the names of some old friends, but anything from the distant past seemed lost to her. Whenever her mother pressed for more details, Yu Yin would cry out in pain, complaining of a headache. Though strict, Yu Yin’s mother, seeing her daughter in such distress, eventually gave up on pushing further.
But the seed of suspicion had already taken root in her heart.
Behind her husband’s back, Yu Yin’s mother, through an acquaintance’s referral, sought out the Qin family.
The illustrious Qin family of Gu Shu, renowned for their “ghost eyes.”
She wanted to know what exactly had happened to her daughter, Yu Yin.
Sitting upright before Qin Changsheng, Yu Yin’s mother negotiated with her, her hair neatly combed and gleaming black, her well-maintained figure encased in tailored suit pants. “Name your price, set your conditions. Our Yu family will handsomely reward you upon success. Besides, I’ve heard from our mutual friend that your Qin family plans to go to Kunlun Mountain soon. I have connections in that area.”
This last statement was the most crucial reason that prompted Qin Changsheng’s journey to Ji Mountain.