Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Old Case One [Fixing Prohibited Words]

No matter how bright the sky, once it reaches the area above Ming Family Village, it always turns gloomy and gray.

The public mourning hall was filled with wreaths, and the family members cried uncontrollably as they looked at the body covered with white cloth. Children supported their frail old father and gently caressed their mother’s body, which was about to enter the cremation furnace.

In the low sky, the old mother gazed longingly at her family. Her transparent soul stretched out its hand to embrace her child.

Ming Yue stared at the old woman’s soul, receiving her gaze. Ming Yue lowered her head to show respect.

It was always like this.

Death is fair and sudden, taking away a body that carried decades of emotions in just a few minutes.

As a staff member of the Ming Family Village business, Ming Yue wore a simple black suit and nodded appropriately, sighing countless times in her heart.

Seeing that Ming Yue was in a low mood, Butler Zhou suggested, "The master is in the back hall. Why don't you go talk to him? You two haven't met in months. I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant conversation."

"Second Master."

Every time Ming Yue heard this name, goosebumps would rise on her skin. It sounded so old-fashioned.

Ming Yue avoided the crowd of mourners and whispered:

"Uncle, can you just call me by my name?"

"Second Master sounds so strange."

"Or... just call me... Miss?"

Butler Zhou smiled appropriately, "I serve Master Ming Ye, not Master Ming Dinghai. You are currently the second heir of the Ming family. Addressing you as 'Second Master' is only right."

Ming Yue blinked, staring at him.

Butler Zhou said, "The master is in the Shunian Hall."

Ming Yue deflated, "Uncle, you just want to watch me make a fool of myself."

"When I came back a few days ago, you saw it too. My brother scolded me so badly, even the old ghosts in the house were stirred up and came to watch me get embarrassed."

"Oh, the slap he gave me is still red," Ming Yue puffed out her cheek, showing the butler the red mark. "Now I go to find him to talk, it’s no different from touching the devil’s backside."Butler Zhou unconditionally stood on Ming Ye’s side, smiling as he said:

"Master is also worried about your safety."

"Originally, he disagreed with you going to Jin University for the sealing."

Ming Yue sat on the ground, dusting herself off, feeling unlucky: "What did he ever agree to me doing?"

"Honestly, Uncle, it wasn't until I went to university that I realized our Ming family isn’t a local tyrant but a powerful dragon. My older brother is so capable, but since I was young and my eyesight was bad, he never bothered to find a way to treat me."

Butler Zhou said meaningfully: "Maybe, in Master’s eyes, having a bad Yin-Yang eye and not entering the Yin-Yang path is actually a safer thing."

Ming Yue: "..."

Ming Yue rubbed her earlobe, "I guess that makes some sense."

As the farewell ceremony for the family concluded, the staff began to push the corpse cart away. The cries were deafening, and the children collapsed to the ground in grief, while the old father silently stood at the back, tears streaming down his face.

Ming Yue watched all of this, feeling a surge of emotions. She couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh to her brother.

Family is made up of people bound by blood who, no matter what, drag each other along and bear each other's burdens.

Having witnessed so many partings, she could no longer be tough with her own blood relatives.

Butler Zhou: "So, when you secretly changed your university choice, Master was furious."

Ming Yue pouted, "I know. He originally wanted to send me to Imperial University."

"Once it’s done, it’s done."

"But why did I go to the Sealing Institute?" she said softly. "After being pressured so many times in one semester, I still didn’t drop out. Do you not know why, Uncle?"

This time, Butler Zhou didn’t smile. He spoke calmly: "It was to protect Master."

"Just like how Master protects you."

The crematorium was lit, and the strange-smelling flames burned with an eerie dark red color.

The corpse cart was slowly pushed into the fire in the back hall. The gate closed, and the muscles and veins of the body, which hadn't completely decayed, were burned in the flames, struggling and groaning, pulling at the fragile skeleton in unison.

It was as if a living person was dying in the fire.Ming Yue looked on calmly and said, "Ming Ye doesn’t have Yin-Yang Eyes, and with so many karmic obstacles on him, it’s impossible to count them all. According to fate, his life will be filled with endless hardships."

"Being in business means having to expose oneself, isn’t it dangerous?"

"Aside from becoming a Yin-Yang Exorcist, I can't think of another way to help him even a little."

Butler Zhou felt a subtle shift inside. He couldn’t fully comprehend the complex and entangled emotions of humans but still objectively replied, "Perhaps the second master is overthinking. Master’s power is beyond mere words."

Ming Yue: "..."

Ming Yue was taken aback.

So, I’ve been overthinking it?

She turned to look at Butler Zhou, whose face was pale, his lips tinged blue. His smile was perfectly measured, as though a ruler had been used to gauge the curve, his three-piece suit making him look refined. "Uncle, I really shouldn’t have discussed this with you."

"You’re always standing on Ming Ye’s side."

Butler Zhou's smile widened slightly. "But Master is always standing behind you."

Ming Yue: "..."

Ming Yue puffed out her cheeks, "Uncle, your rhetoric is impressive. The Jin University debate team would love to have you."

Butler Zhou smiled without replying but reminded her, "Second Master, your phone just lit up."

Ming Yue took out her phone and saw a message notification: [Unreliable Senior Guo Tianyang] has added you to the group [Sealing Picnic Group].

Ming Yue: "..."

Picnic group?

She clicked on the group introduction:

[This is a message group for our big Sealing team to occasionally have picnics and snack breaks, please everyone actively cause some trouble.]

Ming Yue: "..."

What does a Yin-Yang Exorcist having a snack break or a picnic mean?

Are they killing wild ghosts?

Before she could ask Guo Tianyang for details, she noticed the group was already flooded with messages:[ @Yuan Ye: What's going on, how long has it been at Baoshan Hospital? Is the situation cleaned up yet? ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: Don't even mention it, my house is in this area, it's disgusting. I originally thought it was just a student rivalry, you know, the kind that happens during internships—fighting for opportunities to stay in the hospital, and all that. ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: These kinds of people deserve to be tossed straight into the frying pan. No discussion. ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: But who would’ve thought, recently this hospital has been practically overflowing with deaths. It's not just one or two people, it's like twenty or so at a time. Damn, I've been woken up by the Yin Qi for the past seven or eight nights, seeing the ghost messengers come to collect souls. ]

[ @Xi Cheng En: So many dead people! ]

[ @Chao Tian Que: Senior, are you saying there’s something unusual here? ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: Unusual? It's more than that. There’s something in this hospital—this morning, the whole hospital was covered in gray mist. I used my Yin-Yang Eyes and stared at it for a long time, but couldn't see a thing. ]

[ @Yuan Ye: Was it Yin Qi mist? Or physical mist? ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: Yin Qi mist. I called the police, but the evacuation was poorly done. These damn people refused to leave, saying they came to the hospital to get treatment, so there's no reason to kick them out. Now, they’re standing on the street corner with banners, cursing the hospital and the police for treating people like dirt. Wait, I’ll send you a picture. ]

Ming Yue: "..."

So it really is a “picnic group,” handling everything outside the school’s regular business.

[ @Zhou Jingren: [image] ]

Ming Yue clicked on the image.

The view outside the window showed a dim and gloomy skyline, with the hospital enveloped in a layer of gray-brown mist.

At the street corner downstairs, there were over a dozen black banners reading, ‘Black-hearted Hospital, Treating Lives Like Dirt.’ The ugly faces of the crowd were captured at just the right moment—tongues out, teeth bared, screaming out what they thought was justice, but little did they know, they were only sealing their own doom.

[ @Guo Tianyang: A mob of idiots. ]

[ @Yan Jun: Maybe they’ll get what they deserve, just like their banners say. ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: So, guys, what do you think? Shall we go for a little action? I know a few of you in the group have Exorcist licenses. ]

[ @Yuan Ye: Da Ren, didn’t you get one? ]

[ @Zhou Jingren: Hahaha, of course I did. But I’ve been stuck doing academics at school, the needle’s almost ready to burst. Yuan Ye, what do you think, should we go for it? ]

Yuan Ye didn’t reply.A moment later, everyone in the group saw the administrator, Yuan Ye, post an announcement:

【@Everyone:

【Baoshan Hospital, North of Jinling City, strange occurrences have been happening continuously for half a month】

【Who’s to blame for the ghostly disasters and human misfortunes】

【Come, respond to Q1】

At the same time, Yuan Ye attached the photo that Zhou Jingren had sent.

Picnic group: "......"

【@Zhou Jingren: Hahahahaha Yuan Ye, I believe Zhai Dan now when he says your Chinese is poor, this half-assed colloquialism hahaha】

【@Zhou Jingren: 111, right in front of my house, why not go?】

【@Zhai Dan: 1】

【@Xi Cheng En: 1】

【@Chen Xiu: 1】

In less than five minutes, over twenty Q1 responses flooded the group, making Ming Yue's blood boil.

The sound of a leather shoe heel tapping on the floor came from behind.

Ming Yue’s hair stood on end.

Before Ming Ye arrived, his voice had already reached them:

"Zhou Lu, where’s Yue Lang?"

Ming Yue: "......"

Ming Yue was so scared that her hair stood on end, she desperately shook her head and waved her hands at Zhou Butler.

Zhou Butler, after watching the second young master act even more timid than a puppy, smiled and replied to the back hall, "Second young master has gone to the front yard. If needed, I can call him for you."

Ming Ye’s voice paused for a moment before it came cold and clear, "Forget it.""Let her come over for lunch."

After saying that, the footsteps gradually faded away, growing more distant.

Ming Yue: "......"

Ming Yue let out a sigh of relief, as if pardoned, and collapsed onto the wooden floor.

【@Ming Yue: 1】

Zhou Butler looked down at her.

Ming Yue lifted her phone to show him the message. "The hospital is holding a picnic event. Uncle, to avoid having my right cheek meet the same fate as my left one, I think I'll go eat at Baoshan."

Zhou Butler: "......"

Zhou Butler smiled and responded, "Okay, second young master. If you come back late and need a ride, don't forget to call the house."

Baoshan Hospital was said to be in the north of the city, but in reality, it was considered a subordinate district in the northern part of Jinling City. One would need to take an intercity high-speed train to get there.

The hospital was quite unusual, "distinctive."

In most large cities, the best medical resources are usually concentrated in the central districts, and it's rare for top hospitals to be located in the outskirts or districts.

But Baoshan Hospital was the exception.

On the high-speed train.

After Ming Yue settled in, she checked the information about Baoshan Hospital and discovered that it was actually one of the top ten hospitals in Jinling City, a grade three A hospital.

Interesting, a grade three A hospital built in a suburban district.

Baoshan Hospital must be generating a considerable income for Baoshan District every year.

The intercity high-speed train from north Jinling to Baoshan District took a total of fifty minutes. As the train started moving, the scenery outside the window flowed by, and the sky slowly turned from blue and white to gray. Before long, raindrops began to dot the glass, and the sky flashed with lightning and thunder as dark clouds rolled in—

Ming Yue suddenly realized she had forgotten something.

She patted her backpack.

She had forgotten her umbrella.Forget it, I'll just go with the seniors to see the excitement. Maybe I won’t stay long, Ming Yue thought happily.

A message from Yan Jun popped up on her phone:

【@Yan Jun: Are you going to Baoshan Hospital too?】

【@Ming Yue: Yes, what about you, Squad Leader?】

【@Yan Jun: I’m in this area these days. Did you bring an umbrella?】

【@Ming Yue: Thanks, but I took the high-speed train. I might run into a senior, so I can just share an umbrella.】

【@Yan Jun: Alright, message me when you arrive, and we’ll go together.】

【@Ming Yue: Okay, thanks!】

Twenty minutes passed. The train had already left Jinling’s city area. The buildings outside the window quickly shrank in height, and the neatly planned rice fields with small red-roofed houses appeared. On a clear day, it would surely be a scenic view.

Unfortunately, the sky was now filled with dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down. The rice fields and houses were being battered by the storm, looking pitiful.

The dampness of the rainy day made the air inside the train car feel much colder.

And not to mention the destination of this trip, Baoshan District, which was already covered by the "treasure" Baoshan Hospital, with a much higher density of yin energy than usual.

Strange.

Ming Yue thought, feeling a slight warmth from the curse marks on the corner of her eye, and her left eye’s vision flickered between light and dark, overlapping with the normal vision of her right eye, causing physical discomfort.

The man at the table across from her was on the phone, purposely lowering his voice but sounding impatient, scolding the woman on the other end of the line:

"...What does this have to do with me? You got pregnant, now you want me to pay?"

"Ridiculous, what principles? My principle is not to refuse and not to take responsibility."

"I already covered the hospital fees for you, do you know how expensive Baoshan Hospital is?!"

"...Raising a kid? You can think about it in your next life. Dream on."

"Let’s break up today. Hurry up and get lost."

Ming Yue’s hearing was sharp. She looked up from her curse textbook and glanced at the man.

The man was in his thirties, quite good-looking. Noticing Ming Yue’s gaze, he immediately turned hostile and threatened, "What are you looking at? Never seen a fight before?"Ming Yue: "..."

Ming Yue stared at him fixedly. The man’s female ghost, who had her arms wrapped around him from behind, was also glaring at Ming Yue.

The three "people" were having a staring contest.

After a moment, Ming Yue smiled, saying nothing.

The man turned his attention away, continuing to curse into the phone, only to realize that the call had ended, and the phone was just emitting a busy signal.

"Money-grubbing piece of crap."

He cursed.

The female ghost holding him from behind stared at him with eyes full of resentment and affection, gazing at him deeply.

Ming Yue: "..."

Ming Yue felt a pang of sympathy.

This man wasn’t talking to a lover; his lover had long been dead, still lying gently on his back.

All that talk about children—it was probably all long gone.

The female ghost had been whispering in his ear earlier, and Ming Yue had seen it clearly.

As for the phone call, Ming Yue felt her left eye absorbing the yin energy. She opened her phone to check—the signal had only one bar, flickering, and then disappeared.

This man hadn’t actually gotten through to anyone.

Ming Yue flipped through her curse textbook, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.

As long as the female ghost didn’t overstep, she couldn’t be bothered with this scum of a man’s feelings.

After a while, the man felt a chill at his back and decided to go to the bathroom to smoke and warm up. Ming Yue watched him walk into the restroom with his "girlfriend."

The fog outside the window grew thicker and thicker, so dense that the buildings along the way became indistinguishable. The mist seeped through the cracks in the high-speed train, swirling like maggots.

Gradually, the vision inside the train became obstructed, and a faint gray mist began to rise from the floor.The passengers whispered among themselves.

"The smog is really thick."

"Yeah, the pollution in Jinling is getting worse and worse."

"Hey, it's still better than that Devil City to the east."

Ming Yue continued reading her book.

Suddenly, the bathroom door slammed open. The man from earlier stumbled out, and as the door shielded his body, a strong figure appeared—

But his head was gone.

All that remained was a gushing, blood-soaked neck, completely bare.

The blood sprayed like a fountain, splattering onto the ceiling, and it rained down in a shower of blood.