"Money?" I looked at Zhuge Wu with some confusion. This guy was someone who only cared about money. Zhuge Wu said, "That's right, help naturally costs money."
"But you're my third uncle? You bring up money right away—can you at least hear me out first?" I said, feeling a bit speechless. We had just acknowledged our kinship, yet this guy was still the same as before, only caring about money.
"What third uncle? You were adopted, I'm the biological one. Strictly speaking, we have no blood relation. Besides, even brothers settle accounts clearly!" Zhuge Wu said.
"So you were adopted, huh? That's really sad." Yu Mengxuan chimed in.
I glanced at Yu Mengxuan and said, "It's already dawn. You should head home first. I need to discuss something with Zhuge Wu."
"I don't have any money—my bag was snatched. Give me fare for the trip back." Yu Mengxuan said without any hesitation.
"How much fare?" I asked helplessly.
"Eight hundred."
"Eight hundred? I don't have that kind of money." I took out my phone and checked—there was signal here. I handed the phone directly to her. "Call your dad to come pick you up."
When Zhuge Wu heard me say I had no money, his face showed some disappointment. Then he looked at Yu Mengxuan and asked, "What's your relationship with this kid?"
Yu Mengxuan shot Zhuge Wu a sideways glance without acknowledging him. She took my phone, dialed a number directly, and said coldly into the phone, "Yu Zhen, I'm at number forty-four, Qianhun Lu. Come pick me up right now."
"Xuanxuan, thank heavens, you're safe. Why did you go there? Your father was so worried." A deep male voice came from the other end of the line.
"Heh, why am I here? You should ask yourself that—who knows which deity you've offended this time?" Yu Zhen immediately became furious and shouted, "Xuanxuan, which bastard dared to lay a hand on you? Tell me what he looks like."
"One bald guy with tattoos, and another wearing glasses." After saying that, Yu Mengxuan hung up the phone.
I put away my phone and looked at Zhuge Wu, who was somewhat dumbfounded, feeling a bit puzzled myself.
"Yu Zhen… You're that precious daughter of Master Zhen?" Zhuge Wu suddenly became extremely respectful, as if he were meeting an emperor.
Yu Mengxuan glanced at Zhuge Wu and gave a slight nod. Seeing Yu Mengxuan confirm it, Zhuge Wu quickly said, "Miss, when Master Zhen arrives, please put in a good word for us—don't let Master Zhen take his anger out on us."
"I understand. Zhao Lianfan saved me, so I won't let my father act recklessly." Yu Mengxuan said indifferently.
"Since your father is coming to pick you up, just wait here. Zhuge Wu and I have things to discuss." As I spoke, I forcefully dragged Zhuge Wu toward the second floor.
Zhuge Wu didn't resist and followed me up to the second floor. I casually opened the door to a room—it actually had lights inside. The space wasn't large, with two tables. One table was covered with yellow cloth, on which sat an incense burner, offerings, a peach wood sword, and some talisman paper. The other table had a computer on it, and besides the computer, there was a DV camera and some equipment for live streaming online.
I merely glanced at the items inside, then closed the door and said, "Zhuge Wu, I have a snake wife who was injured by a female ghost and poisoned with the Yinsha Poison. She's now inside my jade ring. I want to save her. Grandfather said you should have a way."
Zhuge Wu was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said, "Fifty thousand."
"Fine, fifty thousand it is. Tell me how to save her." I said directly. I happened to have just over fifty thousand on me. Zhuge Wu opened his mouth asking for fifty thousand right away—I even suspected he had gone through my bag.
Zhuge Wu said, "Money first." Seeing how money-grubbing Zhuge Wu looked, I began to doubt whether he was really reliable. "If you don't tell me anything, I won't give you the money." Zhuge Wu said seriously, "Fine, I'll tell you then. The Yinsha Poison is an extremely yin energy. The snake demon is also inherently yin, so it cannot be countered with yang methods, or the snake demon would surely die. The only way is to fight poison with poison, to transform yin with yin." "How do you transform yin with yin?" I asked, a glimmer of hope rising in my heart as I listened to Zhuge Wu's smooth talk. Zhuge Wu said, "The ultimate yin poison is the Yinsha Poison, and the ultimate yin object is the Yinshazhu. As long as we find the Yinshazhu, it can absorb the Yinsha Poison." "What's the logic behind that?" I asked, somewhat puzzled. By common sense, both things are extremely yin, so they should nourish each other instead. Zhuge Wu explained, "It's simple. For example, if your hand is soaked in water for a long time, your fingers will wrinkle. Why? Because the water molecules in the water are concentrated, and the water molecules in your finger cells will flow out into the water, causing the cells to dehydrate, which is why wrinkles form." "Nonsense. That's because the epidermis is mainly composed of the stratum corneum, which swells after absorbing water, while the dermis beneath the stratum corneum is connective tissue that doesn't swell from absorbing large amounts of water. This creates a volume difference between the inner and outer layers, resulting in wrinkles. Your way of fooling people isn't very professional." I was good at physics, and I could basically explain most physical phenomena. Zhuge Wu gave an awkward smile and said, "I hate people like you who need scientific evidence. Let me explain it with Xuanmen knowledge. The Yinshazhu gathers all yin energy and yin poison. As long as we find the Yinshazhu, it can absorb the Yinsha Poison, and the Yinshazhu won't harm the snake demon's Yuanshen. The logic is really that simple." I could only nod helplessly and say, "Alright, since you say the Yinshazhu can save my wife, then where can I buy a Yinshazhu?" "Buy?" Zhuge Wu was stunned for a moment, then said somewhat speechlessly, "The Yinshazhu is extremely precious and generally exists in Yangshidi." "What is Yangshidi?" I asked in confusion. "The so-called 'Yangshidi' refers to a place where corpses buried there don't naturally decay, and over time, they turn into Zouying." Zhuge Wu explained. "What is Zouying?" "In layman's terms, it's a zombie." Zhuge Wu said. I nodded silently. I had heard quite a few legends about zombies; so the place where zombies could form was called Yangshidi. "Then can you find a Yangshidi?" I continued to ask. Zhuge Wu smiled and said, "Alright, I've told you so much. You need to give me the money first. Three days later, I'll take you to a Yangshidi to have a look. But not every Yangshidi can form a Yinshazhu—that depends on your luck." "Fine! Here's the money. Actually, don't wait three days—let's go tonight." I agreed readily and took out fifty thousand yuan from my bag. Zhuge Wu took the money and put it in the drawer, then took out a talisman paper from the drawer and stuffed it into his pocket. He shook his head and said, "Heh heh, no rush. You've brought me a big business deal, and I need to take care of that first." "I brought you a big business deal?" "Just wait. Don't ruin my good fortune, or I won't help you." Zhuge Wu said as he turned and walked down to the first-floor lobby.
I followed her down, and Yu Mengxuan was still sitting on the sofa below. However, my suitcase had already been opened by her—she had taken out one of my shirts and put it on, completely making herself at home. Looking at that suitcase, I suddenly thought of that Lietougui, wondering if he was still around. "Hehe, Miss Yu, sorry to keep you waiting. What's the matter, has Master Zhen not arrived yet?" Zhuge Wu said with a smile. Yu Mengxuan shook her head, seemingly unwilling to speak with Zhuge Wu. Zhuge Wu sat down beside Yu Mengxuan, his eyes sweeping over the sofa, then secretly reached his hand behind her back and suddenly plucked out one of her hairs. Just as Yu Mengxuan was about to react, Zhuge Wu directly said, "Miss Yu, you've been haunted by a ghost." Yu Mengxuan, who was about to get angry from having a hair pulled, froze upon hearing this, and asked in confusion, "What did you say?" Zhuge Wu took out another business card and said, "You must have heard of what kind of place Qianhun Lu is. Walking here at night, your chances of being haunted are very high. This is my card—if you feel anything off after you go back, feel free to call me anytime." Yu Mengxuan let out a cold laugh and said, "I'm not afraid of shadows when I walk straight. But Zhao Lianfan, you should give me your number instead." "What for?" I asked in confusion. Although I didn't know what Zhuge Wu was up to, I wouldn't expose him, since he was the only one who could save Zhao Yixian right now. Yu Mengxuan said, "You're very special. No one has ever been so indifferent to me. I'll look into your background. If you're in league with those two people, I'll make you regret ever being born. If not, I've decided to date you." "Boring." I rolled my eyes at Yu Mengxuan and said no more. "Can't you stop being so full of yourself? Just give her your number already," Zhuge Wu said, reaching over and snatching my phone from my hand. He found the number and read it out to Yu Mengxuan. I looked at Zhuge Wu, knowing he must have his own agenda. Less than half an hour later, a black high-end commercial vehicle pulled up outside Number 44. Two middle-aged men got out. The one in front had a square face and an imposing air, as if there was nothing in this world he couldn't handle. The one behind wore a suit and sunglasses, with a burly build and a stern expression—clearly the look of a high-end bodyguard. After getting out of the car, the two walked straight in. When the imposing man saw Yu Mengxuan, his gaze softened considerably, and he asked with concern, "Xuanxuan, are you alright? Daddy was so worried about you." "I'm fine. Yu Zhen, these two people saved my life. Don't make things difficult for them. I want to go home now." As Yu Mengxuan spoke, she didn't even look directly at Yu Zhen. Yu Zhen swept a cold gaze over us and said icily, "People who dare to live on Qianhun Lu are either desperados or those with some skills. Whether they're really your saviors or schemers trying to get close to the Yu family—I'll find out soon enough. Kaipeng, take the young miss home first. And those two who don't know their place?" "Master Zhen, I'll bring them in three minutes," the bodyguard behind him said respectfully. Yu Mengxuan didn't leave. Instead, she sat back down, looking at me with a complicated expression, and said, "I want to know the truth about this too. I'll leave once you've investigated it."