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墨書 Inktalez
I was taken aback. "Old Zhou, what do you mean?"
Old Zhou didn't turn around. "This hospital is strange, very clean for some reason."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"When you stepped through the hospital doors, I sensed a slight change in your aura. It seemed like something was missing, as if you had been under some kind of surveillance, and now it's gone."
"What does that mean?" I was becoming increasingly confused.
"It means that perhaps someone really has their eye on you." Old Zhou looked up, surveying the tall Inpatient Department building.
I shrugged nonchalantly. "What can they do? I'm in the military; it wouldn't matter if they were watching me."
At that moment, Old Zhou turned around, his expression serious. "You really need to be careful. I suspect it's the person I faced last time."
I chuckled lightly. "Old Zhou, when did you start caring about people instead of food? Hurry up and save that girl; then I won't have to stay in the military anymore, and wouldn't that be safer?"
Old Zhou snorted and turned to walk toward the ward building. I patted Nong on the shoulder and quickly followed him.
When we arrived at the ward, I asked Nong and Old Zhou to wait outside while I went in to greet Xi's parents. They were already growing impatient; as soon as they heard I was outside, they rushed to open the door and let themselves in.
I gently stopped them, pulling open the door myself and signaling for them to come in quickly. After all, this wasn't something we could make a big fuss about.
Once Old Zhou and Nong entered, they merely nodded slightly at Xi's parents before standing on either side of Xi's bed. Each had their own way of handling things: Nong took off his sunglasses and stared intently at Xi, while Old Zhou didn’t look at her at all; he just muttered under his breath, his fingers moving restlessly.
I stole a glance at Xi's parents, feeling a bead of sweat form in my palm. I worried they might think I had brought two lunatics with me. Thankfully, Dad Xi was supporting his wife, anxiously watching from the side.
After a considerable amount of time, Old Zhou finally stopped. I quickly signaled him with my eyes and gestured toward the door. He understood and followed me out, with Nong trailing behind.
Xi's parents wanted to follow us out as well, but I politely blocked their way. Some things were simply too much for them to know; otherwise, it would only make them more anxious.
I stepped out onto the deserted Stair Platform and finally asked them, "What's the situation?"
Nong spoke first, "Company Commander, I can't see the girl's soul; she must not be in her body. But the situation is different from the one you had me look at last time."
I quickly asked, "How is it different?"
"Actually, the state of losing one's soul varies, and so does the body's reaction. For instance, with that girl you had me check last time, I didn't sense any presence of a soul, and her body was completely stiff, as if it were entirely separated from her soul. This time is different; I feel that her body still has a reaction, and I believe her soul is still there, just not sure where."
"Old Zhou, what about you?" Old Zhou shrugged. "My conclusion is similar. From my calculations, this girl's soul should still be present. It seems that after being drawn out, the Shikigami didn't have time to act as a Soul Devourer, so her soul likely hasn't been harmed."
"Then what are we waiting for? You're a Night Watchman, right? You know how to summon souls! Hurry up!" Ignoring Nong's presence beside me, I grabbed Old Zhou.
"Ah, I can do it, but..."
"But what?"
"But strangely enough, when ordinary people get frightened, their souls usually return to their bodies after a while. At most, they might lose a few of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. I just don't understand why this girl can't come back."
"I see. So what do we do now?" I looked at Old Zhou. He scratched his head. "I don't know either; there could be many reasons. Perhaps it has something to do with this hospital."
"What does this have to do with the hospital?" I was getting a bit anxious.
"Didn't you hear me when I came in? This hospital is unusually clean!" Old Zhou seemed somewhat displeased with my attitude.
At that moment, Nong, who had been silent until now, chimed in, "Yes, it's extremely clean!"
I looked at Nong in surprise. "Are you also trying to keep me guessing?"
"No, Company Commander," Nong said with an innocent expression. "This hospital is really special; there's none of that stuff."
Old Zhou pondered for a moment. "It feels like something is guarding this place, as if all unclean things are avoiding it."
"What about Xi's soul then?" I began to panic again.
"I don't know. How about this: I'll try to summon Xi's soul tonight and observe the surroundings to see if I can find the reason."
It seemed that was the only option!
I had to go back and concoct a story to deceive Xi's parents, hoping to return later. Fortunately, they graciously saw me out of the ward, as if they were clinging to a dying horse in hopes of it being alive.
I glanced at my watch; it was almost time. I hadn’t eaten in the ward earlier, and once I left, they would probably insist on treating me. I wasn't that kind of person. Now it was time for me to treat Old Zhou and Nong to a meal.
After exiting the hospital, I looked around and unexpectedly discovered a McDonald's not far across the street. I thought for a moment; neither of them had probably ever eaten at McDonald's. Old Zhou was from an old era and had been wandering for ages, while Nong had always lived deep in the mountains. I decided to take them both out for a feast.
The two of them silently followed me in line to order. When it was my turn, just as I was about to place their orders, Nong rushed up and said, "I want a Teriyaki Chicken Burger combo, please!" Then he glanced at me and added, "He's paying!"
I was stunned into silence. Just as Nong took his food and walked away, Old Zhou squeezed in beside me. "Girl, I want a Big Mac with iced cola, thank you!" He pointed at me and added, "He's paying too!"
What the hell! Old Zhou could order at McDonald's!? Wasn't he supposed to be living a life of hardship? The first time I met him, he looked so worn down!
These two once again shattered my understanding of them. With the cashier's reminder, I obediently pulled out my wallet and paid for the meal, ordering a large fries to share with them.
"You two are something else! Spending money like it's nothing!"
"Hehe, Company Commander, I've worked outside before; I think this is pretty good!" Nong said with an unexpected sly smile, breaking his usual serious demeanor.
"See? I'm eating more than you! All my part-time job money goes into food!"
As I stood there in shock, the two of them happily dug into their meal. What infuriated me the most was that Old Zhou even went ahead and ordered another set of meals to share with Nong!
The most frustrating part was that during this meal, the two finally struck up a conversation. Old Zhou tirelessly discussed his cultivation methods with Nong. Nong didn’t seem bothered at all; instead, he was quite eager to learn, asking questions left and right. Old Zhou was particularly interested in Nong's Yin-Yang Eyes. After confirming that they were obtained by chance, he sighed, recalling how he had spent seven or eight years mastering similar techniques, while Nong had acquired them after just one illness! As they chatted, it felt like they were old friends who had just met again after a long time. Thus, the three of us spent an entire afternoon at McDonald's.
As it approached four o'clock, I could no longer hold back and interrupted, “Nong, you should head back! Go report to the Instructor that I’ll be back later tonight; I need to check in at the camp and do my night watch.”
Nong nodded in agreement, but Old Zhou interjected at that moment, “Zi, you asked me for help to save someone, and now I want to discuss something with you.”
“What is it?” I replied dully, feeling like I had no choice but to comply.
“Zi, I want to take you as my disciple!”
“Take me as a disciple?” I exclaimed in surprise. Then it hit me—wasn’t Old Zhou saying that I had great potential? Oh no, this meant he was interested in me! That couldn’t happen; as a military officer, how could I study cultivation techniques? The repercussions would be disastrous!
Realizing this, I quickly waved my hands. “No way! It’s impossible for me to become your disciple!”
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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