CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 27: COMING CLEAN

Qin Kairong’s visit to the Sang family couldn’t be kept a secret, nor could the fact that Sang Que had been missing for three days.

It was only late at night that the mother and daughter returned home from the police station.

Sang Que was reprimanded by Officer Ai Jing, who had attended to her last time. The reason being, after being shocked by Qin Lu’s death, she had an argument with her mother, left home without a word for three days, leaving no one to care for her mother, allowing Qin Kairong to take advantage.

There were also various safety education, writing apologies, steps of apology...

In short, although some things couldn’t be explained, like why Qin Kairong suddenly went mad, these were for Ai Jing’s team to investigate and had nothing to do with Sang Que and her mother.

After Qin Kairong ran out causing a commotion, all attention was on him, with all kinds of news flooding social media.

The matter of how Sang Que avoided the surveillance and left home was temporarily not being pursued.

The house was messy; some police had come to investigate the traces left by Qin Kairong.

Sang Que wanted to tidy up a bit, but Sang Wan pulled on her sleeve.

"Let Sister Zhang clean up tomorrow. Now you owe me an explanation."

"But we have to eat first."

Sang Que’s phone malfunctioned twice, and now she didn’t want to touch it. She used her mom’s phone to order fried chicken, cola, spicy hotpot, barbecue pizza, clay pot rice, and even ordered a new phone for herself.

After devouring the meal and satisfying both her mind and stomach, Sang Que leaned against the sofa with a cola, rubbing her belly, feeling that modern times were indeed comfortable.

In the afternoon, to deal with Qin Kairong, she released the Evil Mist, which effectively ’disinfected’ the house. The scent of the mist would deter vagrant spirits from approaching.

The house now felt extraordinarily ’clean,’ bringing a sense of peace.

Finishing the last sip of cola, Sang Que returned to her room, retrieved the bundle she brought back from under the bookshelf, pulled the curtains, and placed everything on the living room coffee table.

Afterward, Sang Que confessed everything to Sang Wan, starting from Qin Lu’s home, with almost nothing concealed.

...

As the midsummer night deepened, the roadside clamor gradually subsided, and the barbecue stall owners started packing up tables and chairs, making the city increasingly serene.

In the Sang family’s living room, after Sang Que finished speaking, both mother and daughter remained silent for a long time.

Although Sang Wan had mentally prepared herself, she still couldn’t control the turmoil in her heart after hearing Sang Que’s account.

"Mom, do you believe what I said?"

Sang Que cautiously asked; after all, for someone who hadn’t experienced it, it would sound quite absurd.

Sang Wan calmed her mind and nodded slowly.

"I believe you have no reason or necessity to lie to me, plus these evidences... I just can’t accept everything at once. In fact, when you disappeared for these few days, I started wondering if you had crossed dimensions. I thought my paranoia was acting up again."

"Is it because of the Ming Zhang Notes on my desk?" Sang Que asked.

"It’s various aspects," Sang Wan explained to Sang Que slowly. "That morning, when you suddenly disappeared, your phone was at home, and your outdoor clothes and shoes remained untouched. Only the pajamas you wore were missing."

"I checked the surveillance with the property management afterward, and there was no footage of you leaving in the hallway or garden, indicating you disappeared at home, and very suddenly too; otherwise, you wouldn’t even leave your phone behind."

"Then I found this notebook on your desk, along with an unopened letter and a vintage pouch containing fragmented silver ingots and copper coins. These coins didn’t look like they were made with modern techniques, and they bore the inscription ’Xuanyuan Tongbao,’ yet there is no dynasty in Huaxia history named ’Xuanyuan.’"

"The notebook was handwritten in brush, in traditional script. Given your barely passing grade in language class and your chicken-scratch handwriting, there’s no way you wrote this."

"Mom~"

Sang Que helplessly protested, wondering why they were discussing her grades and handwriting while talking about the matter. She was just disinterested and didn’t want to spend the time on it. In Black Mountain Village, she had been quite clever.

Sang Wan continued, "I read the notebook’s content and opened the letter; they both talked about another world. Plus, on the night before you disappeared, your behavior scattering glutinous rice was mentioned in the notebook, and you had said you encountered something but hadn’t figured out how to tell me yet, and even asked me if ghosts exist."

"All things considered, according to my novel-writing logic, my first thought was if you had crossed dimensions. Then I considered you might have encountered a ghost at Qin Lu’s house, went to find someone in the daytime to get this notebook, and that your disappearance might be due to encountering the ghost, or something of the sort. I thought of all sorts of bizarre possibilities..."

"I’m sorry, Mom, for worrying you these past few days."

Sang Wan felt a twinge of emotion and shook her head, "It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re back. Nothing else matters."

"I’ll never easily leave again."

"Little Que, since you can travel through dimensions, could it be possible your aunt isn’t dead but is instead soul-traveling the otherworld?"

Faced with her mom’s hopeful eyes, Sang Que opened her mouth, unsure of how to respond.

Her aunt was two years older than her mom. As children, the sisters had experiences similar to Qin Lu, both from single-parent homes with alcoholic, abusive fathers, so whenever she saw Qin Lu, she wanted to help her.

Her mom gave up schooling young to support her aunt, who worked hard, got into a top high school, then Huaxia’s best university, taking her mom with her to escape the mountain village.

That was the year her mom and aunt found her in a small alley by a garbage dump in the Imperial City, with a Yansheng coin around her neck.

Her mom hadn’t said these things, but she knew, or rather... remembered them!

Due to her mom’s disability and her aunt being busy with studies, her aunt had her learn martial arts to protect herself and her mom.

Her aunt went through undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. in eight years, enduring hardships, finally graduating and getting into a renowned research institute, only to meet with an accident before starting work, which deeply affected her mom.

Her mom locked herself away, writing a time-travel novel in six months, naming the protagonist after her aunt, Sang Yu.

Sang Que knew her mom appeared fine, but deep down hadn’t accepted her aunt’s departure and still hoped her aunt lived well in another world like in her book.

This obsession bordered on illness, prompting visits to a psychologist.

With the psychologist’s help, her mom found hope and purpose in her career and with her, slowly recovering, moving from the Imperial City to this northern small town to settle anew, distancing from the past.

Her mom never opted for a prosthetic limb because her aunt had promised to make one for her herself before the accident.

What ultimately arrived was an unfinished relic.

That might be why her mom more readily believed in the existence of such phenomena.

"Perhaps, maybe Aunt will return soon." Sang Que also sincerely hoped for her aunt’s return.

Sang Wan chuckled wanly, recalling an important question, "That taming of evil spirits, will it harm you? This notebook says such people don’t live beyond six months unless there’s a secret technique."

Sang Que didn’t deny it, explaining to her mom about Heart Lamp and saying she was safe for now.

"This is something I need to deal with next, first by attempting to gain Incense Fire Wishing Power on our side to strengthen Heart Lamp, then..."

Sang Que patted the bundle on the coffee table.

"Finding a third method to tame evil spirits from what I brought back. Yan Daozi told his disciple Ming Zhang that important matters should be recorded using vermillion ink to prevent certain entities from causing trouble."

"So I deduce there could be taming methods recorded by Yan Daozi in these books and notes, and even if encrypted, I must find it."

Sang Que didn’t hesitate; after explaining the workings of the Heart Lamp to her mom, she accepted her immediate safety.

These were things she planned to address; first, securing Incense Fire Wishing Power from their side to bolster the Heart Lamp, and to continue with..."

Sang Wan nodded slowly, smoothing her thoughts.

"It’s also because of the Ming Zhang Notes on your desk, isn’t it, Little Que?"

"In various ways," Sang Wan explained slowly, "That morning you vanished suddenly, leaving your phone at home, with no outdoor clothes or shoes worn except what you had on while you slept."

"Afterwards, I searched surveillance at the property; no footage showed you departing from the corridor or garden outside, indicating you disappeared at home suddenly, otherwise, you wouldn’t have left your phone."

"Upon searching your desk, I found this notebook, an unopened letter, and a vintage pouch containing fragments of silver ingots and copper coins, not of modern craft, inscribed with ’Xuanyuan Tongbao’. Huaxia has no dynasty named ’Xuan’."

"The notebook contains handwritten brush script in traditional characters. Given your barely passing literacy and scrawly handwriting, you couldn’t have written this."

"Mom~"

Sang Que sighed, exasperated. They were discussing serious matters; why mention her grades and writing? It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, but she didn’t want to spend brain power on such things. In Black Mountain Village, she managed quite well.

Sang Wan persisted, "From the notebook’s contents and the letter I opened—describing another world—and considering your scattering of glutinous rice the night before you vanished, which was noted in the notebook, and you saying you encountered something but couldn’t yet talk about it, even asking if I believed in ghosts..."

"Taking everything into account, with the logic of writing novels, my initial thought was if you crossed dimensions, then wondered if a ghost encountered you at Qin Lu’s home, went the next day to find a master and got the notebook, and the disappearance might be linked to encountering a ghost or something, I considered all bizarre possibilities..."

"Sorry, Mom, for making you worry these past few days."

Sang Wan felt a pang, her eyes misting, and she shook her head, "All’s well as long as you’re back, Little Que. Everything else is secondary."

"I’ll never just leave again."

"Little Que, you crossing dimensions brings a thought, could your aunt be alive, having soul-traveled to another world?"

With her mom’s hopeful eyes upon her, Sang Que opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

Her aunt, two years older than her mom, shared childhood experiences with Qin Lu: a single-parent family and an abusive, alcoholic father, moving her to want to help Qin Lu.

Her mom abandoned her studies early to support her aunt, who, dedicated, got into a prestigious high school and then Huaxia’s best university, escaping the mountain village with her mom.

That year, her mom and aunt found her in an alley by a garbage depot in the Imperial City, with a Yansheng coin around her neck.

Her mom didn’t share these stories, but she knew them all, or remembered them!

Due to her mom’s disability and her aunt’s academic commitments, her aunt had her learn martial arts to protect herself and her mom.

Her aunt completed undergraduate to Ph.D. in eight grueling years, landing a position in a top research institute, but died unexpectedly before starting work, which was devastating for her mom.

In grief, her mom locked herself away, writing a portal fantasy novel with the protagonist named after her sister, Sang Yu.

This obsession almost became pathological, but therapy shifted her focus to work and her daughter, enabling recovery as they relocated from the Imperial City to this northern town, starting anew.

Her mom refused to use the prosthesis, only receiving an incomplete relic—an unfinalized piece her aunt was making before she died.

This could be why her mom was so inclined to believe in dimension crossing.

"Perhaps, maybe your aunt can come back soon." Sang Que sincerely hoped for this.

Sang Wan appreciated, but her joy was tinged with sadness. Then she remembered her concern, "Little Que, about controlling evil spirits, doesn’t it pose a risk to you? The notes said such people don’t live beyond six months unless there’s some secret technique involved."

Sang Que affirmed, explaining the role of the Heart Lamp to her mother, assuring her she was temporarily safe.

"Indeed, it’s something I’ll address. First, tapping into our side’s incense fire wish power to strengthen the Heart Lamp, and then..."

Sang Que revealed the bundles on the table.

"Finding the taming methods that Yan Daozi may have possibly recorded using vermillion ink to preserve crucial knowledge."

"I hypothesize there’s a record of taming methods within these books and notes, and even if encrypted, I must find it and decipher it."

Sang Que was candid, explaining the Heart Lamp’s protective role in ensuring her current safety and her plans to secure wishing power should the need arise.

"That’s why further efforts will go into acquiring incense power here and continuing to..."

Sang Wan nodded understandingly, passing fingers over the laid-out notes and looking over handwritten records made.

Slightly thinking, she beamed with realization.

"Little Que, considering what you’ve managed to uncover, I think I understand what your next step should be. From combing several notes by Yan Daozi, the method you need wasn’t explicitly laid but I’ve extracted key connections leveraging my skills in weaving novel plots and logical analysis."