I never imagined before how difficult it would be to have no hands and to be unable to speak. I've already stayed at Mo Yu's house for a month, and the wound on my abdomen is almost healed.
My daily work is to help out by using my hands to pick up things that aren't too heavy. I can barely be considered labor.
"Hey, Ethan Zhang, what are you standing there for? Go to the back and move the things over one by one. I'll take care of things here."
Mo Yu went out today. Her main job is as a doctor. After arriving here, she learned from an elderly doctor, and then opened a small clinic in this place.
In a place full of all kinds of people and such poor security, I don't quite understand how Mo Yu hasn't been harassed at all. Every customer who comes here is always respectful and never causes trouble.
Life without the use of my hands is tough. Mo Yu helped me fit a small hook on my right hand, so I can use it to handle light things. It's pretty convenient. On my left hand, she rigged up a small shovel.
I went to the backyard and found the medicine I needed in the pharmacy storeroom. I hooked it down with my right hand and held it with my left. Even though I could only carry a little each time, after a few trips it was no problem.
"Hey, I heard that Crown Jewelers is selling something really valuable today. Lots of people are going to check it out. Let's go see too."
At that moment, I heard people talking—it seemed like everyone on the street was discussing it. Crown Jewelers was selling something eye-catching again; it's a big jewelry store.
"I heard it's an incredibly sturdy Blue Crystal Cat."
My heart skipped a beat. I found some paper and a pen, wrote a note, and left through the back door. I didn't want to hear Leo's complaints. That thing should be the crystal cat that seals Xu Fu.
After wandering the streets for a while, I arrived at the entrance of Crown Jewelers. By now, the place was packed with people, everyone craning their necks to get a glimpse of the object covered with a red cloth on the table on the stage.
People all around were talking, saying the owner of Crown Jewelers had acquired it by accident. The crystal cat is completely transparent, and at night, it gives off a faint blue glow. It's made of a material that doesn't exist in this world.
It's also extremely hard—no matter what you use, you can't damage it. Someone has already offered over a million, but the owner of Crown Jewelers still hasn't sold it and plans to auction it today.
Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sporting a handlebar mustache came out, followed by twenty or thirty strong-looking bodyguards. They stood at the edge of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today this crystal cat ornament is a rare treasure. Highest bidder wins."
As he spoke, the owner lifted the red cloth. Sure enough, it was the pale blue crystal cat that sealed Xu Fu. From below the stage, in the evening light and with the spotlights shining, the whole cat looked stunning.
A wave of exclamations rose up. The owner of Crown Jewelers ordered the lights around the stage to be turned off, and the cat itself began to emit a soft blue glow. The shifting light really was beautiful.
People started bidding immediately. In just a few minutes, the price of the crystal cat jumped from one million to three million. Among the crowd, I spotted Ms. Mo Yu, holding up a bidding paddle again and again.
I couldn't help but feel like laughing, thinking about Xu Fu sealed inside—what would he think if he knew he was being auctioned off?
The price kept climbing, and finally, when it reached 3.5 million, Mo Yu won. She bought the crystal cat for 3.5 million. I couldn't help but be surprised—I never expected Ms. Mo Yu to be so wealthy.
3.5 million is no small sum in this world. Here, the average salary is about 1,500. But thinking about it, Ms. Mo Yu has run her clinic for over a hundred years.
"Ethan, what are you doing here?"
Mo Yu held the crystal cat, now boxed up, in her hands. I sighed and pointed at the item in her hands. She looked genuinely happy.
"It's really beautiful. I saw it a few days ago and immediately liked it."
I shook my head helplessly. If Mo Yu knew what was inside, she probably would have thrown the crystal cat away long ago.
"Wow, it's really gorgeous. But sis, you spent 3.5 million on this—was it really worth it? That's your savings from many years."
"You don't understand, Leo. Enough, go to bed."
The pale blue crystal cat sat on the table, emitting a soft blue glow that filled the room with an unusual light. Mo Yu was extremely happy, staring at the cat without blinking.
Leo glanced at me unhappily. Lately, he seems to feel that Mo Yu is getting closer to me, which makes him uncomfortable.
"Ethan, I bought this for a reason."
I nodded. Indeed, Mo Yu's house doesn't have any luxury items, just ordinary furniture. She would never spend that much money on something frivolous.
Mo Yu leaned over the table, smiling at the crystal cat as if it were a flower, her eyes full of hope.
"Tell me, Ethan, is there any way to leave this world and return to the living?"
So that's it? I muttered to myself. Maybe that's the only reason Mo Yu would buy it—she wants to go back.
Now, maybe Emperor God and Rachel Lan have already created a passage between this world and the living world. I sighed, deciding not to talk to Mo Yu about too much for now. I just wanted to quietly stay here for a while.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
"Back in the Yellow Springs, I wasn't very powerful, but the Mo Family did study some ancient techniques. It's a bit distant, but I remember there are ways to enter another realm. Ethan, do you know what a revenant is?"
I was startled and nodded.
"Some powerful revenants can cross between the living and the dead. I once heard my grandfather talk about seeing a strong revenant who went halfway across to snatch souls from there. So my grandfather chased after it, hoping to see for himself."
Suddenly, something clicked in my mind—I’d never considered how revenants actually came to this world.
"In the end, my grandfather nearly died, but the revenant spared him. After that, my grandfather discovered something strange—a secret of the revenants."
I nodded, signaling Mo Yu to continue.
"It’s the Golden Soulstone. This is just a theory, but with the Golden Soulstone, revenants can freely travel between the living and the dead. The thing I bought today is made of something quite similar."
I swallowed hard. I never expected to hear something so shocking from Mo Yu.
Just then, Mo Yu stood up. With a wave of her hand, she lifted the crystal cat high. With two swift sounds, I watched in amazement as the space split open. Two strips of white silk floated out, wrapped around the crystal cat, and pulled it inside.
"There are powerful rulers in this world, so this thing needs to be well hidden. This is just a simple space technique, unique to the Mo Family."
Speaking of which, aside from Lan Yin, I’ve never seen the true power of the other nine Soul Collectors.
At that moment, Mo Yu suddenly looked at me. After turning on the light, she sighed and handed me a lit cigarette.
"Sorry, Ethan. Did I remind you of something? You look troubled. I really do hope you can live differently from before, but now, is there any real difference?"
I stared at Mo Yu, nodded, took a drag on the cigarette, and then started coughing violently.
No matter how much I think about certain things, what’s meant to happen will happen. After that, I went upstairs to sleep. Back in my room, I struggled out of my coat and lay down on the soft, comfortable bed.
Aside from eating, sleeping is the thing I enjoy most. For ghosts, sleep is a rare luxury—maybe in a whole lifetime, you never feel sleepy at all.
Soon, sleep overtook me and I drifted off.
"Zhang Qingyuan, Zhang Qingyuan..."
I heard a cold voice calling me. Someone was shouting, but I was dazed. Suddenly, I opened my eyes wide and looked over.
"Xu Fu, how did you..."
Xu Fu returned to his usual form and started talking with a grin.
"Don't worry, this is a dream. I can't get out now. But thanks to our previous confrontation, I left something in your mind that lets me contact you."
I was startled and watched Xu Fu warily as he burst out laughing.
"Looks like you're not doing much better yourself, Zhang Qingyuan."
I looked at myself—I was still disabled, nothing had changed. I sighed and sat down.
"So, you’ve given up on turning back?"
Xu Fu spoke, sitting down next to me. I shook my head.
"I’ll just stay like this for now. Whatever’s meant to happen will happen. Even if I try to hide, I can’t escape it."
Thinking back, I wondered about what Xu Fu wanted to tell me before he was sealed. I looked at him, puzzled.
"What did you want to tell me back then?"
Xu Fu gave a small, subtle smile.