“—But I’m just an ordinary person,” Qu Yanning said with an embarrassed smile.
This kind of ability might be an asset for the so-called elite disciples Xie Qi mentioned, but for him, it was nothing but a real, tangible burden.
“If you want to learn, I can—”
“No need, no need!” Qu Yanning hurriedly interrupted before Xie Qi could finish his sentence.
He raised his voice slightly, looking as nervous as a startled quail. “Really, don’t trouble yourself. I—I just want to run a small business peacefully.” All this supernatural stuff was better left to the experts.
Xie Qi fell silent. Countless people had begged to become his disciple, but only this oblivious young man dared to reject him so bluntly.
He let out a sigh. “I won’t force you if you don’t want to. But given your current condition, you must keep the protective charm I gave you on you at all times.” As for the fact that Qu Yanning was a pure-yin constitution and looked like a walking buffet to all manner of spirits and monsters—there was no need to scare him with that.
Qu Yanning nodded, saying he understood.
They called the waiter and paid the bill, then left the restaurant together.
Qu Yanning was heading home, and of course, Xie Qi wouldn’t go with him, so they parted ways.
By the time Qu Yanning got back, it was afternoon—the rush hour when housewives returned from the supermarket, arms full of shopping bags or dragging small carts. In the elevator, aside from him, it was a sea of women.
Some of the older ones even struck up conversation, asking which floor he lived on, whether he had a girlfriend.
Good-looking young men were always popular with middle-aged aunties.
Qu Yanning huddled awkwardly in the corner of the elevator, maintaining a polite smile while nervously fielding all sorts of questions.
The elevator stopped floor by floor, the crowd thinning until only Qu Yanning and an elderly lady remained.
Ding—a soft chime.
The elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor.
The doors slid open. Qu Yanning didn’t move. Neither did the old woman.
He glanced outside.
The hallway was empty, not a soul in sight, but the air carried an odd, uncomfortable stillness.
He pressed the “close” button.
The elevator doors shut again, and the red floor numbers resumed ticking upward.
“This elevator’s cursed,” the old woman muttered, patting her chest as if she’d just had a scare.
Qu Yanning blinked. “What do you mean?”
She spat twice for luck, then whispered, “Lately, this elevator always stops at the fourteenth floor—doesn’t matter if anyone’s there or not.”
“Maybe someone pushed the button outside,” Qu Yanning offered.
“Don’t dismiss it so easily, young man. I’m practically halfway in the grave, and that floor… it gives me the creeps!” She shivered and gripped her cart tightly.
When the elevator stopped again, she rushed out in a panic, clearly frightened.
Qu Yanning quietly closed the door behind her. Soon, he arrived at the sixteenth floor. Being high up, the lighting was good—the hallway was bathed in the golden warmth of the setting sun, and that eerie, oppressive feeling finally faded.
Inside the apartment, Chu Zhou was packing parcels for delivery, while Xie Qi lay sprawled on the sofa, tail flicking, watching TV. A small plate of beef jerky sat next to his paw.
“Sweetheart!” Qu Yanning called happily, leaning in to plant a kiss on the cat.
By now, Xie Qi was used to these ambushes.
He no longer overreacted to this level of affection.
He flicked his ears and pushed Qu Yanning’s face away—it was blocking the TV.
The show was a hit family melodrama.
On screen, the female lead was returning home from a night shift, only to realize she was being followed.
Panic rising, she frantically tried to call her husband.
She called again and again, but no one picked up.
Meanwhile, her pursuer was getting bolder and closing in fast.
The woman gritted her teeth, kicked off her heels, and started to run.
“Her husband’s ninety-nine percent off having fun with his mistress,” Chu Zhou commented from the side as he packed. These shows followed the same old cliché plots.
Qu Yanning glanced up from helping him and watched as the woman onscreen ran into a dead-end alley.
Xie Qi was watching intently. When the attacker got within a meter of the heroine, he got so nervous he started pawing the couch and meowing loudly.
“This cat’s seriously become a spirit or something,” Chu Zhou complained. “No matter where I hide snacks, he finds them. And now he’s obsessed with TV. Can’t you do something about him?”
He really has become a spirit… Qu Yanning thought, but said nothing as he focused on packing.
By the time the episode ended, Qu Yanning had finished helping Chu Zhou and also prepared dinner for one human and one cat.
Since he’d already eaten out, he didn’t make a portion for himself.
In front of Xie Qi sat a plate of food identical to Chu Zhou’s. He stared at the chicken wings coated in sauce, rubbed his round, full belly—he was stuffed.
Seeing that he wasn’t eating, Qu Yanning leaned over curiously and patted his head, then his belly. “Full already? Why aren’t you eating at all?”
Xie Qi calmly held down Qu Yanning’s restless hands, then picked up a chicken wing and began chewing on it slowly.
At eight in the evening, Qu Yanning went out to set up his street stall.
Lately, he’d been working on a small plan, so he started earlier than usual.
This was the time with the highest foot traffic. The street was packed with pedestrians coming and going. As soon as he set up his stall, customers were already lining up.
While grilling skewers, Qu Yanning was also thinking about his future.
His barbecue stall had been running for nearly a month, and he had managed to save up a bit of money.
He was considering renting a proper storefront near the night market and opening a barbecue restaurant—something a little more formal and expanded in scale.
But opening a restaurant required a lot of capital.
He wouldn’t have time to help Chu Zhou with his business anymore either, so he’d need to have a proper conversation with him about it.
By the time he sold out all the skewers he brought, it was already past midnight.
Qu Yanning leisurely rode his little three-wheeler home.
It was late; the streets were nearly empty of cars and people.
The scorching heat of the day had finally eased, and the occasional night breeze rustled the leaves gently overhead.
“Hello? Honey, I’m at Xiuping Road… Can you come pick me up?”
A woman with long hair was walking a bit ahead, her voice carried softly by the wind as she spoke into her phone.
Qu Yanning glanced at her curiously—she was still whispering into the phone, her long black hair hanging down and obscuring her face.
Something didn’t feel right.
He took another look and then realized, the screen of the phone by her ear was completely black.
Qu Yanning: “…”
He picked up speed slightly, trying to pass her but just then, he heard the woman break into a wretched sob.
He turned his head; the woman had crouched down by the roadside, hugging her knees and crying, her shoulders trembling.
He hesitated for a moment, then stopped his vehicle and walked over.
“Are… are you alright?”
He offered her a tissue. “Is there anything I can help with?”
The woman looked up at him, dazed.
Her face was pale, almost sickly.
Qu Yanning held the tissue out again. “Here, wipe your tears.”
“Thank you,” she rasped hoarsely, accepting the tissue.
Qu Yanning waited for her to finish wiping her face before speaking gently again. “It’s dangerous for someone to be out here alone this late. You should try to get home soon.”
“I can’t find the way back,” she said, eyes welling up again as she hugged her arms and sniffled softly.
Qu Yanning scratched his cheek. “Where do you live? If you don’t mind, I can give you a ride.”
She murmured a neighborhood name. Qu Yanning paused, then chuckled. “That’s my neighborhood too—perfect, we’re heading the same way. Come on, I’ll take you.”
“Thank you,” the woman said again, wiping her tears and giving him a timid smile.
Qu Yanning drove his little three-wheeler back, letting the woman sit in the back seat as he carried her toward their shared community.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.