Chapter 24: My Name Is Lan Xiaoman

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“It’s not a hidden illness? Then what is it?” Song Ningsnow asked in surprise.

Ling Qiu narrowed his eyes. “I fainted from hunger.”

“Hunger?” Song Ningsnow was half convinced, half suspicious. She then said, “Are you trying to hint that I should invite you out for a meal?”

Ling Qiu chuckled. “There’s nothing in a restaurant that I want to eat.”

“If not a restaurant, then where?”

“The cemetery. The crematorium. Or... the morgue.”

As he spoke, Ling Qiu gave her a mysterious smile and looked at Song Ningsnow.

For some reason, that look from Ling Qiu suddenly made her feel a chill run down her spine. She hurriedly stood up, stared at him for a long moment, and finally bit her lip. “You, Ling Qiu, I get it now... From the very beginning, you’ve just been toying with me, haven’t you? You were only pretending to be unconscious!”

Ling Qiu truly hadn’t been playing tricks on her, but some things, even if explained, would never be believed. He simply grinned broadly and played along. “Exactly. I was just teasing you. What are you going to do about it?”

At those words, Song Ningsnow blushed fiercely. Her slender hand instinctively touched her red lips as she recalled the artificial respiration she’d just given him, their lips and tongues meeting, the mingling of their breath—shame and fury flooded her. “You... you... you shameless rogue!”

Ling Qiu shrugged with complete indifference. “Think of me however you like.”

Seeing his nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude again, Song Ningsnow stamped her foot in anger. Twice now—twice in just one week—she’d given her first kiss to the same person!

What’s worse... this time, she had done it willingly!

No, that wasn’t right...

Could a first kiss even be counted twice?

Her mind felt muddled with anger, and when she looked at Ling Qiu, he still wore that faint, insufferable smile.

“You, Ling Qiu... Don’t think that just because you’ve helped me, you can do as you please... Wait until we’re back at school, I’ll make you pay!”

Putting on a fierce act, she left those words behind, spun around, closed the door, and left.

Bang.

Song Ningsnow took the elevator downstairs, her mind adrift in a whirl of thoughts.

Scenes and sounds flashed by—Ling Qiu’s infuriating side, but also his sense of justice.

Finally, her memory fixed on that moment in the hospital when Ling Qiu stood up for her...

A wave of warmth and gratitude rose in her heart.

That boy, for her sake... had been willing to risk offending someone like Zheng Yuanbao...

How could someone like that possibly be a shameless scoundrel?

Actually, now that she thought about it...

Maybe Ling Qiu had deliberately driven her away just now?

He simply didn’t want her to see him in a moment of sadness or vulnerability?

The more she pondered, the deeper her thoughts ran. By the time the elevator reached the first floor, she was still lost in a daze.

Suddenly, she came to her senses with a jolt.

“Oh dear... Song Ningsnow, what are you thinking? Ling Qiu is your student!”

...

Bedroom.

Page 2 of 3

After absorbing the lingering evil spirit energy from the Yama Ring, Ling Qiu took a deep breath.

“It seems, once on the ghostly path, forever on the ghostly path.”

After all, Ling Qiu had once been the King of the Underworld.

Though now resurrected with only a wisp of his former aura, and having smoothly rebuilt his foundation, the way of ghosts required the constant devouring of evil spirits and deathly energies as sustenance.

The legends that Zhong Kui devoured ghosts were not without reason.

All who cultivate the ghostly path cannot escape this fate. But Ling Qiu, once a noble Yama, devoured spirits as a form of redemption.

“If Song Ningsnow hadn’t given me artificial respiration just now, and she herself didn’t possess the aura of the Ten Yama Kings, I might have slept for who knows how many years before waking again.”

The evil spirit energy he had absorbed earlier was all hastily converted into cultivation base, not used to replenish his hungry ghostly soul.

He would need to be more careful in the future.

After considering this for a moment, Ling Qiu left the room.

Before long, he arrived at the Third People’s Hospital.

He pushed open the door to an office. Inside was a man in a white coat—the very same Wu Suowei with whom he had previously struck up an acquaintance.

“Tsk... How many times have I said it? I’m busy enough as it is today. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, don’t come bothering me,” Wu Suowei said, his back to the door, a sharp scalpel in hand as he appeared to be pondering something.

“Fine, then I’ll be on my way,” Ling Qiu tossed out.

At the sound of his voice, Wu Suowei hesitated, quickly turned his head, and when he saw Ling Qiu, his face lit up. “Hey, what wind blows you in, my little Qiu!”

“...” Ling Qiu felt goosebumps all over. “I’ll give you another chance to rephrase that.”

Wu Suowei laughed. “Then should I call you little Ling?”

“Try again.”

“Hmm... little Ling Qiu?”

“Why are you so obsessed with adding ‘little’ to my name?”

“Because you’re younger than me!” Wu Suowei snickered. “Unless you want to compare right now?”

Ling Qiu: ?????

“Wu Suowei, do you think... I was too polite to you before?”

Wu Suowei looked puzzled, pulled out his ID card. “What do you mean too polite? Didn’t you bring your ID?—Hey, wait, you’re not thinking of comparing... Brother, where’s your mind at? I meant compare ages with our IDs!”

Ling Qiu: ...

Ling Qiu was honestly at a loss with Wu Suowei. Clearly, he was a thoroughly good person, surrounded by an aura of fortune, yet he insisted on being so cheeky and mischievous.

“I need a favor,” Ling Qiu cut to the chase.

“Say it! Whatever you need, if I can do it, I’ll help!”

“I need... to visit the morgue.”

Wu Suowei froze. “Bro, are you kidding me?”

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“No, I’m very serious.”

Seeing the look in Ling Qiu’s eyes, Wu Suowei hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright! I’ll help. Come with me.”

He made a quick phone call, grabbed a ring of keys, and beckoned Ling Qiu to follow him out of the office.

...

Soon, the two stood before the doors of the morgue.

Even before the door was unlocked, they could feel a bone-chilling cold wafting out.

No...

There was no wind!

It was simply cold!

Who knew where this icy sensation was coming from.

Shivers down the spine—that must be the feeling.

“Brother, this is the morgue. I’ll open the door for you. Once you’re inside, don’t take too long. I got rid of the security for you, but you’ve got at most ten minutes, so be quick.”

Ling Qiu nodded, about to go in, but couldn’t help but ask, “Wu Suowei, aren’t you going to ask... why I need to go into the morgue?”

Wu Suowei coughed. “Well... who doesn’t have a special hobby or two? Even if your tastes are a little... unusual... as your brother, I of course... hey, hey, don’t raise your hand... I’m fragile, you know!”

“Looking for a beating?” Ling Qiu was starting to get used to Wu Suowei’s style, half exasperated, half amused.

Wu Suowei grinned. “Just kidding, don’t take it to heart. Actually, when I saw you use your aura to heal patients before, I guessed it—you must have inherited the most orthodox ancient Chinese medicine. In ancient medicine, there’s a tradition of studying corpses, observing how the acupoints cool after death to better understand the flow of energy, right... Don’t worry, I get it. And honestly, I, Wu Suowei, am no saint, but I’d never let someone with a real... special hobby into the morgue. Not even my brother. You go on—”

Bang!

Before he could finish, Ling Qiu had already gone in and closed the door.

“Hey, brother, be careful!” Wu Suowei quickly glanced around nervously, worried someone might see.

Once inside, Ling Qiu took a deep breath.

Excellent. The deathly aura here was abundant!

Usually, after people die, their souls remain in the world for a time. After all, there aren’t endless grim messengers in the underworld, and there’s always a queue to be led away.

During that time, many souls, by chance, encounter baleful energies and transform into wandering spirits with awareness. Once a wandering spirit gains consciousness, it can form attachments, grow reluctant to leave the world, and try every means to avoid the underworld’s summons, evolving into wild ghosts...

So, Ling Qiu’s visit to absorb the death aura was also a means of early redemption—a good deed, in its way.

Buzz.

Activating the Yama Ring, Ling Qiu began to absorb, and soon, the entire morgue seemed to grow noticeably milder.

But—

He noticed something strange.

In the farthest corner, there was a deathly soul he could not seem to draw in!

“So, a soul has already evolved into a wandering spirit here! A mere wandering spirit, trying to escape right under my nose?”

Without further thought, Ling Qiu strode over and opened the last cold chamber.

The next moment—

His expression changed slightly, his brows knitting in surprise!