After getting into Jingxian's car, Lu Yingjiu fastened his seat belt and said, "Let's go."
"How did the talk go?" Jing Xian stepped on the accelerator.
"No problem." Lu Yingjiu said, "The only one left is the Chen family..."
The Chen family is the most difficult to deal with.
He at least knew more people in the Ye and Chu families, but he was not familiar with the Chen family at all. The last time they crossed paths was when they were tracking down the human skin/mask.
To be honest, the people he was most familiar with in the Chen family were Chen Xiaoling and Chen Zheng.
If he asked Chen Xiaoling for help in saving her mother's life, Chen Xiaoling would definitely agree.
She can summon gods, so she is not an exorcist. If you ask her and her servants to fight, it would be tantamount to killing them.
So he didn't consider Chen Xiaoling.
As for Chen Zheng...
They had worked together for many years, drank tea and chatted together. Lu Yingjiu left the Qingdeng Club. Chen Zheng was the one who put the most pressure on them, and everyone was really unhappy.
Later, in the case of Mrs. Chen, Chen Zheng was stabbed several times by Chen Qi and was sent to the ICU. Lu Yingjiu brought some fruits to see him—this was the last time they met. When Lu Yingjiu came back from the ghost world, Chen Zheng also sent him a few messages to express his condolences.
Other than that, there is no other intersection.
But anyway, let's give it a try.
Lu Yingjiu sent a message to Chen Zheng, saying that she was near the Qingdeng Festival and asked him where he was and if it would be convenient for them to meet.
After a few seconds, Chen Zheng replied: I'm at the teahouse at the corner of the street, the one you've been to.
So Jingxian turned the car around and drove over there.
When they got downstairs in the teahouse, he asked for directions and asked, "Should I wait for you in the car?"
"Well, thank you for your hard work." Lu Yingjiu kissed him.
Jing Xian was immediately overjoyed: "It's not hard. I didn't just sit there waiting in the car. I just took Mao Tuanzi shopping."
The furry ball in the back seat of the car: "Ahhh!" and licked the corner of his mouth.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Jingxian must have given Maotuanzi something to eat again.
He got out of the car and went up the stairs to the second floor.
This teahouse is hidden in the downtown area, and is elegantly decorated. There are rockeries and fountains at the entrance, and various potted plants are lush and green. It was a weekday afternoon, and there were not many people.
Following the instructions, Lu Yingjiu arrived at the room at the end.
Pushing the door open, the tea aroma wafted through the air, and a pot of scented tea was bubbling slightly. A middle-aged man with a beer belly was pouring tea, and he pushed a bamboo silk teacup towards him, smiling and saying, "Come on, have some. Someone just gave me some jasmine tea."
Lu Yingjiu sat down and asked, "Why are you drinking tea alone?"
"I'm suddenly craving for tea." Chen Zheng turned the cup in his hand. "I just came back from a meeting and passed by here, so I just came to sit in the teahouse."
Lu Yingjiu nodded and took a sip of the scented tea.
Chen Zheng's tea-making skills are still as good as ever, and with the top-grade tea leaves, he can bring out the fragrance of jasmine flowers.
Lu Yingjiu likes scented tea, and Chen Zheng knows this and often makes it for him.
After drinking half a cup, Chen Zheng spoke up: "Xiaolu, what's the matter with you coming here so suddenly?"
Lu Yingjiu repeated the same opening remarks, saying that this incident was about the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and himself.
Unlike Ye and Chu, Chen Zheng's face showed obvious hesitation.
He put down his teacup and sat up straight: "Why don't you let me think about it for a while before making a decision?"
Lu Yingjiu said: "No, just knowing this will bring bad luck."
There was a long silence in the tea room.
The teacup was empty and the boiling water was bubbling.
Chen Zheng brewed and refilled the tea, and after a long pause he said, "But we have been preparing for this Night Parade of One Hundred Demons for a long time."
He took a deep breath. "Because of this, I haven't been home for more than half a month. I've been running around everywhere, urging progress everywhere. Now the defense line has been deployed, all kinds of talismans have been arranged, and there are different patrols in the city. Although this largest night parade of a hundred demons in history is dangerous, I think we can handle it."
The implication is that there is no need to take risks, and there is no need to stop the ghosts by offering wine on the way.
"Besides," he looked at Lu Yingjiu, "didn't you also say that you 'can't guarantee success'?"
"Yes." Lu Yingjiu nodded, "Success is not guaranteed."
Chen Zheng slowly stroked the teacup again and looked up to drink tea.
After a few sips, he said: "It's the most critical moment, and morale is very high."
"During the last Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the head of the Ye family passed away. The news was kept secret until the night parade was over. If the news had not been kept secret at that time, I don't know how much panic it would have caused to the Ye family."
"Xiaolu... After all, I am the president of the Qingdeng Society and one of the backbones of the Chen family. If something happens, it will have a great impact on both the Qingdeng Society and the Chen family. I believe they will not become a group of scattered sand, but we should still avoid this risk as much as possible."
Lu Yingjiu nodded: "I understand."
He did not feel disappointed. From the beginning, he did not expect Chen Zheng to agree.
Chen Zheng rubbed his brow.
Unconsciously, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he seemed to be fidgeting. He said, "Come on, Xiaolu, take your time drinking your tea. We haven't sat down and had a good chat for a long time."
"I'll leave after I finish this cup." Lu Yingjiu said, "Someone is waiting for me."
"Oh, that's good." Chen Zheng narrowed his eyes and nodded, forcing a smile, "I won't waste your time."
Lu Yingjiu finished her tea, stood up and said, "I'm leaving."
Chen Zheng said: "Xiaolu, I want to ask another question."
"What?" Lu Yingjiu stopped and thought that you and Chu Banyang are still alike, both asking questions when people are leaving.
The steam made the lid of the kettle rattle.
Chen Zheng asked: "Does this matter have anything to do with Chen Minlan?"
Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Chen Zheng was taught by Chen Minlan, and replied, "Yes, he is related to her. Did she mention it to you?"
"No." Chen Zheng said, "I vaguely sensed something and knew that she and others had made some plans. But I don't know the details."
He gave an ambiguous smile: "Now that I think about it, she must have wanted to tell me a few times, but she didn't say it when the words came to her lips. I wonder if she was worried that I would suffer the so-called 'bad luck'."
"I think so." Lu Yingjiu nodded.
"She actually told me another thing," Chen Zheng said. "On the night of the murder, she called me."
Lu Yingjiu knew about this.
He saw the conversation in the mirror of Demi-God.
Finally, Mrs. Chen said that she hoped Chen Zhengxun would become a brave and kind person.
Chen Zheng said: "She told me to be careful of Chen Qi, saying that he was a definite suspect. After her death, I was devastated for a long time. Do you know who came to comfort me every day?"
"It's Chen Qi."
He clenched the cup in his hand tightly, his fingernails turning slightly white. "He ran around for me every day, and took care of the old lady's funeral, settled her other relatives, and did everything perfectly. If it weren't for him, the Chen family would have been in a mess a long time ago."
"What happened next?" Lu Yingjiu said calmly, "Did you give up tracking him down because of this?"
"Not all of them." Chen Zheng sighed, "When I recover, I will start investigating him."
"But I have to admit that those illusions deceived me. Every night I would always think that he was my only relative. No matter how close the other members of the Chen family were to me, they were not my biological brothers after all."
"So, after I investigated and found no evidence, I was completely relieved about him."
Lu Yingjiu said: "If you hadn't completely let your guard down, it wouldn't have been my turn to catch him."
"Yes." Chen Zheng nodded, "Yes, you are right. I should have caught him a long time ago."
At this moment, a look of dejection and dejection appeared on his face.
Lu Yingjiu had never seen him look so handsome before.
The bamboo silk teacup turned a few more times in his hand, and Chen Zheng said slowly: "Xiaolu, even though you won't say it, you actually look down on me in your heart."
"Nope." Lu Yingjiu said.
Chen Zheng was a little surprised. He paused in his tracks and didn't even have time to drink his tea.
Lu Yingjiu said: "Why can't I tell it? I just look down on you."
Chen Zheng: “…”
He held the cup, neither raising it up nor putting it down.
"I'm leaving." Lu Yingjiu said.
He closed the door of the tea room, leaving Chen Zheng feeling extremely embarrassed.
Back to Jingxian’s car.
Jing Xian asked: "He didn't agree?"
"Well, it's as expected." Lu Yingjiu put down the chair and lay down comfortably, "I'll think of other candidates."
"go home?"
"go home."
…
As soon as he got home, Maotuanzi started fighting with Cow Cat for cat food, and his hair flew everywhere during the fight.
Jingxian cooked dinner.
Lu Yingjiu rarely cooks, so she rolled up her loose home clothes and helped him to fold vegetables, slice meat, and clean crabs. During the process, they talked sweetly and whispered to each other.
By the time the hot meal was served, it was already dark. They turned on the lights in the dining room, set the table, and started to eat dinner.
While eating, Lu Yingjiu suddenly asked, "When the Hundred Ghosts Parade at Night, do you return to the ghost world?"
He asked this for a reason.
It’s not just the exorcists who contribute to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
The priests will also stop the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, which is one of their duties.
One night before, before going to bed, Lu Yingjiu somehow started chatting about this topic with Jing Xian.
Jing Xian hugged him and said, "The essence of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is the explosion of the yin energy in the ghost world."
"Just like the mortal world will have various disasters, such as earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, etc., the biggest disaster in the ghost world is the explosion of Yin energy. Every once in a while, the abyss of the eighteenth level of the ghost world will begin to become restless."
"The abyss has no end. All the ghosts that fall into it die of starvation or old age on the way down. This is also the source of Yin energy. Once it becomes agitated, the Yin energy will start from the eighteenth floor, sweeping upward layer by layer, corroding all the ghosts."
"The ghosts in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons are all lonely ghosts that have been corrupted by the Yin energy."
Lu Yingjiu said "Oh", picked at one of Jing Xian's buttons, and asked, "How many ghosts have been eliminated in the ghost world? We have asked many priests before, but they can't tell clearly."
"About 60% to 70%." Jing Xian thought for a while, "The rest cannot be stopped, so they will come to the human world."
Lu Yingjiu fiddled with the button while identifying it.
As he was pulling and pulling, he finally caught it.
Road to welcome wine:
Finally, all the buttons they had opened came undone.
Now that the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons is approaching, Lu Yingjiu thinks of this matter again.
Jing Xian didn't comment on his question: "Okay."
"Let's go back." Lu Yingjiu said, "This time is unusual. You are a priest, and you can only display your full strength in the ghost world."
Jing Xian wanted to say something, but he didn't open his mouth.
Lu Yingjiu knew what he was thinking.
If he had a choice, he would never want to be separated from Jing Xian.
Everyone remained silent, and Lu Yingjiu picked up a piece of food from Jingxian's bowl with his chopsticks.
At night, they lay together.
Lu Yingjiu was still pulling at the button - with his persistence, the button finally showed signs of falling off.
Jing Xian said: "Is this button so interesting?"
"We're just chatting, so I'll just do it casually." Lu Yingjiu said.
Jing Xian: "If you really don't want to talk, we can play something else."
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Lu Yingjiu: "I am playing with you every day. If you don't sleep, I will sleep."
Jingxian was very sorry and shocked.
The surroundings became quiet, with only the sound of the second hand.
Lu Ying was a little sleepy after drinking, and after a while, he said to Jing Xian: "If you really need it, you can go to the ghost world without worry. The first half day of the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts is the most powerful. If you hadn't stopped the ghosts, who knows what would have happened in the world of the living."
Jing Xian said: "You had already activated the formation at that time. If you had found the Heavenly Path, would you have gone there alone?"
He added: "As long as I stop the first wave, there will be a gap in the middle, and then I will come back temporarily."
"But that's not possible," Lu Yingjiu shook his head. "As soon as the formation is activated, the Heavenly Dao will definitely notice us and won't give us a chance to breathe. Once the formation is activated, I must act immediately."
Jing Xian: “…”
He gently grabbed Lu Yingjiu's hand.
Lu Yingjiu smiled lightly: "But I promised that I won't abandon you again. No matter what happens, I will stick with you until you come."
In the darkness, Jing Xian stared at him intently: "You promise?"
"Yes." Lu Yingjiu kissed his lips, "I promise."
Jing Xian's expression looked better now.
After pacifying the Ghost King, Lu Yingjiu yawned and continued to pick at the button.
Suddenly, a light came up—
He looked down and saw that the black button finally gave way and was pulled off. The white line broke open, and the pajamas were torn, revealing a large area of skin and faint muscle lines.
Lu Yingjiu looked up subconsciously and happened to meet Jing Xian's eyes.
There was a dark yet excited light in Jing Xian's eyes.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Something bad is happening.
That night he played with Jingxian for another round before he went to sleep well, thinking that from now on he would only allow Jingxian to wear pullovers.
When he woke up the next morning, Lu Ying finished his breakfast in a daze.
After the dishes were cleared away, he took out the microwave.
Ye Feng still didn't reply.
Yesterday at noon, he wanted to call Ye Feng, but Ye Feng said that he was busy and couldn't talk, and he also asked for leave from the bar.
Lu Yingjiu also sent him a message in the evening, but there has been no response until now.
He frowned.
"What's wrong?" Jing Xian brought Mao Tuanzi to the sofa, and then he fell on the sofa himself, hugging Lu Yingjiu just in time, "He didn't reply?"
"Yeah." Lu Yingjiu nodded, "I'm a little worried, let's go to his house and take a look."
Jing Xian: "... There's someone at the door."
"Um?"
Jing Xian said, "There's someone at the door."
After five or six seconds, the doorbell rang.
Lu Yingjiu went over and opened the door.
The middle-aged man stood outside, wearing a sports suit, with slightly gray hair at the temples, and the muscle lines of his arms were still obvious. He was not tall, and his whole body revealed a beast-like temperament, lean and strong.
Ye Shou.
Ye Feng's father.
When he was the chief, Lu Yingjiu had met Ye Shou several times, but they had no private contact at all.
He knew that the relationship between the father and son was tense and they hadn't had a good talk for several years. This visit was really unexpected.
Lu Yingjiu: "...what can I do for you?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is Ye Feng with you?"