Chapter 41: Find Some Child-Rearing Books

Chapter 41: Find Some Child-Rearing Books

Sure enough, it was just as she had expected.

When she heard that the old woman was over seventy years old and had died under suspicious circumstances, she had already had a premonition.

She tapped the dungeon button. The first sub-task showed as completed. The completion rating was SSS, with an additional reward of 250 Merit points.

At present, Ah Zai’s experience bar had become [576/1000].

“That high?”

She had not expected these side missions to have a completion rating system. Then again, after thinking about it, it seemed perfectly normal.

For example, if Pei Ye had only learned about the mystery of the seventy-year-old woman’s death from Zhu Chun’an and had not personally participated in it, the task would still count as completed, but the rating would be very low. The additional Merit reward would also be small, perhaps even nonexistent. After all, effort and reward were proportional. Without effort, there would naturally be no reward.

The same applied to missions.

Having earned money and also received a three-digit Merit reward, Pei Ye’s mood improved considerably.

“Do you usually live alone?”

Zhu Chun’an said, “I also occasionally host colleagues or fellow cultivators who come to T City on official business.”

Staying at home was cleaner than staying in a hotel.

“Senior, don’t worry. The bedding is cleaned and replaced regularly.”

Although Zhu Chun’an was a bachelor, his home was neither messy nor dirty.

On the contrary, the decorations throughout the apartment followed a simple, minimalist style. Everything was disciplined, clean, and orderly.

The only thing that did not fit with the apartment’s overall décor was the statue of the Patriarch being worshipped in the living room.

After entering, they removed their shoes in the entryway and changed into clean indoor slippers.

“I’m going to offer incense to the Patriarch first. Senior, please make yourself at home.”

Zhu Chun’an respectfully offered incense. When he turned around, he found Pei Ye curiously looking at a book spread open on the table.

He said, “I traded for that from a fellow cultivator. It’s said to be a ghost-hunting notebook passed down through his family. Although it’s called a ghost-hunting notebook, it doesn’t actually talk much about techniques for capturing ghosts and subduing demons. Instead, it contains many interesting stories about ghosts and monsters.”

“Can I borrow it for a while?”

“If Senior likes it, feel free to take it and read it. There are quite a few books on the shelves as well.”

The bachelor apartment had a large bookshelf filled from top to bottom with books.

A glance at it showed that nearly every book was either related to ghosts and monsters or to the cultivation of Celestial Masters.

Examples included Basic Handbook of Primordial Qi Cultivation, Several Beginner Techniques for Talismans, and Several Things to Pay Attention to When Inviting Gods and Summoning Ghosts.

It seemed that Zhu Chun’an really was a very diligent young man.

“I can read all of these?”

Zhu Chun’an smiled.

“It’s not some secret library belonging to a particular family. Why wouldn’t you be able to read them?”

Pei Ye asked again, “If there’s something I don’t understand, can I ask you about it?”

“What do you mean, Senior?”

“I’m good at fighting, but my theoretical skills aren’t very good. For example, you could summon the soul of the Lu family’s old lady, but I couldn’t. If I accepted a job alone and either Old Lady Lu or that fierce ghost refused to appear, all I could do would be stare helplessly.”

At present, the only ghost-summoning incantation Pei Ye knew was the one Zhu Chun’an had taught her earlier for summoning underworld messenger couriers.

(:з」∠)

“Senior, please don’t belittle yourself. Summoning souls is not difficult. Any Celestial Master with even a little cultivation can do it. However, Celestial Masters who are unafraid of fierce ghosts like Senior are quite rare.”

Zhu Chun’an spoke seriously.

“If Senior wishes to study carefully, feel free to ask me about anything you don’t understand. If I can’t answer it, I can always ask my master.”

It had to be said that Zhu Chun’an was truly a considerate, polite, kind-hearted, and adorable little angel of a gentleman.

Before leaving for work, he even specifically told Pei Ye that there was food in the refrigerator. If she got hungry, she could heat it up in the microwave before eating.

After going downstairs, Zhu Chun’an headed to the garage to get the car. Xiao Pangzi, who had maintained his hamster form the entire time, climbed into the back seat and transformed back into human form.

His plump body collapsed into a boneless heap as he panted weakly, looking utterly drained.

“Teacher Zhu...”

Without turning around, Zhu Chun’an replied, “What is it?”

“That Senior Pei is terrifying.”

Xiao Pangzi’s eyes brimmed with tears.

Whenever she was around, he simply could not suppress the urge to revert to his original form.

Zhu Chun’an said, “You’ll get used to it after seeing it often enough.”

He himself had gotten used to it.

Hugging a cushion from the back seat, Xiao Pangzi let out pitiful whimpers.

“I’m a hamster spirit. This isn’t something you can just get used to.”

Zhu Chun’an could not help laughing.

“Then work hard on your cultivation and try your best to withstand Senior’s pressure without being frightened back into your original form.”

Xiao Pangzi could not help muttering.

That...

Even ordinary great demons probably could not manage it.

“Teacher, do you know Senior’s background?”

“I don’t. But my master is already investigating it. After interacting with her several times, I think Senior is a pretty good person, and her character is open and straightforward.”

The Celestial Masters Alliance adopted a policy of noninterference toward people like her.

As long as they did not do anything that endangered society, harmed ordinary people, or threatened the nation, everyone could coexist peacefully.

Whether it was the government or the Celestial Masters, neither would proactively provoke such individuals under the excuse that they were “potential threats.”

To be honest, many of these ancient beings had existed for far longer than the relatively young nation itself.

If they could build a good relationship, then they should do so. Perhaps one day they might need these people to lend a helping hand in a crisis.

If a good relationship could not be established, then maintaining a respectful distance was enough.

With his cute chubby face, Xiao Pangzi deliberately put on a world-weary expression and sighed.

“I’ll try harder to control myself next time.”

QAQ

When he said this, his heart was bleeding.

That Senior really was terrifying.

A smile crept onto Zhu Chun’an’s lips as he comforted him.

“You’ve had it rough.”

By the time Zhu Chun’an and Xiao Pangzi arrived at the branch office, Pei Ye had already finished reading the Ghost-Hunting Notebook in her hands.

This collection of anecdotes completely overturned the conventional image of demons, monsters, and ghosts in people’s minds, making them seem far more alive and human. Aside from wearing the shells of different races, they possessed the same seven emotions and six desires as humans.

For example, the fierce ghost Lan Ying murdered people in revenge, driven by hatred.

For example, the elderly couple whose jade burial plug had been stolen were still able to remain devoted to each other after death.

And then there was Zhou Dachui’s shamelessness, which made people grind their teeth in hatred whether he was alive or dead.

Setting aside the identity of being “ghosts,” joy, anger, worry, contemplation, sorrow, fear, and shock were no different from those of the living.

[Ding-dong!]

Her phone chimed.

She opened it and discovered a system notification from the game Love and Raising a Child.

[Congratulations, player, for fully reading Ghost-Hunting Notebook, authored by Master Guidao. The Reading Record function has now been unlocked.]

A new icon resembling an open bookmark had appeared in the game interface.

When she tapped it, she found a Q-version bookshelf.

At present, there was only a single book on the shelf, Ghost-Hunting Notebook by Master Guidao.

“What’s the point of adding a reading record function like this?”

Thanks to her powerful mental domain, she could achieve true photographic memory while reading. There was absolutely no need to imprint the contents into the app itself.

Although she did not know how much storage space the phone had or whether it could handle an increasingly bloated app, wouldn’t taking up too much space eventually cause lag?

No one answered Pei Ye’s question.

However, she quickly discovered the hidden setting.

This bookshelf was not intended for her to use to review old knowledge.

It had been prepared entirely for the future Ah Zai after hatching, allowing the child to learn about the outside world.

Pei Ye: “...”

It seemed she would have to find time to visit a bookstore and look for some child-rearing books.

Otherwise, Ah Zai might treat these books as beginner reading material and eventually grow into a superstitious little fortune-teller.