Jiang Mianmian saw Tangning's surprised eyes and said calmly, "Whether Bai Wuliang is a human or a ghost, the Taoist Ken in the diary is a key NPC related to his family's dungeon. We can get information about the Bai family's breakthrough from them."
Tangning thought about it and realized that it was true. He asked with concern, "Can you go alone?"
Jiang Mianmian nodded: "No problem."
Once she made up her mind, she no longer hesitated as she did at the beginning, and returned to being the Jiang Mianmian that Tang Ning knew.
"If these two NPCs are really useful, I will take you to meet them and see if they can help your family." Jiang Mianmian said.
Tangning was stunned for a moment, "No need"
A Taoist priest should be someone who gets rid of ghosts. He doesn't want to hurt my mother.
"Goodbye for now, send me a message sometimes." Jiang Mianmian waved.
After saying goodbye to Tangning, Jiang Mianmian walked over to Bai Wuliang who had been waiting for a long time. Bai Wuliang teased her, "What are you and Tangning talking about that is so secretive? Is there anything I can't listen to?"
Jiang Mianmian said calmly: "Drive your car, and stop talking nonsense."
The deep friendship between the partners made Bai Wuliang drive to the destination given by Jiang Mianmian even though he didn't know what Jiang Mianmian was going to do.
"Why don't you catch up on some sleep today?" Bai Wuliang asked while driving.
Usually, Jiang Mianmian would fall into a deep sleep once she got on the bus. She would seize every minute to catch up on her sleep. To be more precise, she would seize every minute that Bai Wuliang was around to catch up on her sleep.
Once you close your eyes in the copy world, danger can occur at any time. Only when Jiang Mianmian is by Bai Wuliang's side, who is always vigilant, will she let down her guard.
"Thinking about something." Jiang Mianmian said.
"What's the current situation at your house? Hasn't the hiding monster shown up yet?" Bai Wuliang asked.
Jiang Mianmian did not answer this question, but asked Bai Wuliang directly: "Before this dungeon, you investigated the family background of every player and told me everything, but you didn't tell me the specific situation of your family."
"No one in my family has anything to say."
Bai Wuliang was concentrating on driving and didn't seem to want to explain in detail, so Jiang Mianmian didn't continue asking.
She didn't ask, nor did she close her eyes to fall asleep, she just stared at the scenery outside. Lack of sleep made her very sensitive to dizziness.
About two minutes later, Bai Wuliang, who had kept silent, suddenly said, "There are some things you know."
“My parents are both mysophobic.”
Jiang Mianmian slowly closed her eyes.
"A newborn baby cried a lot, and there was also the problem of feces and urine, which is inevitable for children. In addition, they were very busy at work and had no time to take care of me. So since I was a child, my grandfather raised me."
“I don’t have a deep relationship with my parents.”
"When I grew up, my grandfather was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. At that time, there were no fundraising methods on the Internet. If one person in an ordinary family got the disease, the family's savings would be emptied."
Jiang Mianmian did not say any words of comfort, she just listened quietly to Bai Wuliang's story. She knew that Bai Wuliang did not need to hear these things, and Bai Wuliang's heart was stronger than she imagined.
"Then my grandfather passed away..." Bai Wuliang was silent for a longer time. Countless scenes passed by his stern face and turned into blurred blocks of color. He looked ahead quietly. "My family paid a lot for his illness. Perhaps my parents could not accept this kind of stimulation, so they both jumped off the building and died."
"What about you?" Jiang Mianmian asked softly.
"Me? If I enter the card game, I can easily pay off all the debts my family owes, buy a plot for my family of four in a cemetery that's more expensive than the price of a house, and become the most outstanding and glorious person in the Bai family."
"I mean, are you sick?" Jiang Mianmian opened her eyes.
The car stopped suddenly.
On the other side, after Tangning sent Jiang Mianmian away, Lin Yun, who had made room for them, came over. He didn't ask what Jiang Mianmian and Tangning were talking about, but instead asked, "What are your plans for the afternoon?"
"I have to take the cat home." Tangning told Zhou Kang about her and his plan. After hearing this, Lin Yun accompanied Tangning to buy a cat bag and backpack.
They found Zhou Kang and took Xiao Mi and Zhou Kangyi into the car.
The kitty in the cat bag was very well behaved. Unlike other kittens, it did not meow non-stop. Instead, it curled up quietly and looked at Tang Ning through the hollow mesh in the cat bag.
The most frightening thing about bringing a cat home is that it suddenly makes a noise, but Xiao Mi is very human-like. It seems to know what it is going to do next. It has been very quiet and reliable.
Tang Ning opened a small hole in the cat bag and carefully inserted a finger to tickle Xiao Mi's chin.
The little Mimi squinted her eyes and snored comfortably.
Tangning hadn't felt happy in a few days.
He kind of wanted to be happy.
Soon, Lin Yun drove to Tangjialou. Tang Ning left without Xiao Mi. He walked out of the car alone and planned to go home. Lin Yun, Zhou Kang and Mao were waiting for him in the building.
Tang Ning walked in the narrow corridor, step by step, towards the closed door of his home. It was half past noon, and his mother might still be resting in her room. What would Su Anyun do
Tangning was thinking randomly as he inserted the key into the door handle, but before he could open the door, it opened by itself.
Tang Ning's heart skipped a beat. He raised his eyes and met Su Anyun's face.
"Xiao Ning, what's your response?" Su Anyun's voice sounded a little surprised.
Tang Ning smelled a faint scent of blood.
He lowered his eyes and saw Su Anyun holding a garbage bag, as if he was going to throw away the garbage.
This is?!
Could it be that Su Anyun and his mother had just eaten something that looked like blood clots?! Tangning quickly looked towards Su Anyun again. He did not see any blood on Su Anyun's lips, but that did not rule out the possibility that Su Anyun had licked the blood off his lips.
"Brother." Tangning reached out to the garbage bag in Su Anyun's hand, "Let me help you take out the trash."
Su Anyun's face showed the expression of a brother. He moved his hand slightly away, avoiding Tangning's outstretched hand. He said softly, "No need. It's so hot outside. You just got home and it's too much trouble for you to go upstairs again. Go in quickly."
Tang Ning continued to stare at the garbage bag. Based on his intuition, he felt that something was wrong with the garbage bag.
Tang Ning remembered that when he left at noon today, there wasn't much garbage in the kitchen, so there was no need to take it out again.
Ever since he was discovered rummaging through the garbage bag by his mother, the family has been throwing away the kitchen garbage very frequently. Tang Ning seriously suspected that his brother and mother had eaten something like blood clots and were throwing away the garbage bag in order to deal with it.
When Tang Ning was suspicious, Su Anyun had already walked out. Tang Ning did not chase after him. Instead, he used his mobile phone to send a message to Lin Yun, asking Lin Yun to drive the car away quickly and then asking them to wait next to the trash can to see if they could get the bag of trash that Su Anyun had thrown away.
After doing all this, Tang Ning walked into the room. There was no one in the living room. It was quiet and empty. The wind chimes hanging on the window swayed gently in the summer breeze.
Tang Ning walked lightly and cautiously towards his mother's room. Perhaps because he would not be home at this time in the past two days, the door of his mother's bedroom was half open. He only needed to move a little closer to see what was happening in the house.
Tang Ning stood by the door for a while. He didn't hear any crying, but he was still a little worried. He couldn't help but hold his breath and went to his mother's room through the crack in the door.
The floor was clean, without any bloodstains or sewing box, the quilt was neatly folded, and a woman in long sleeves was sitting at the dressing table with her back to Tang Ning.
It is called a dressing table, but it is actually just a table with a mirror, the flowers that my mother likes every day, and a brand new lipstick on it, which is a lipstick that my brother gave to my mother as a gift of his loyalty.
What is mom doing
Tang Ning looked carefully for a while and found that her mother was writing something at the desk. She was writing with her right hand, but her right hand was injured and it was difficult for her to move. As a result, she had to cover her right arm with her left hand every time she wrote for a while.
Tang Ning frowned, what could be more important than healing his injuries
The woman seemed to have noticed something. She raised her head, revealing her pale face covered with corpse spots in the mirror on the table. Her cloudy eyes looked through the mirror at Tang Ning outside the room.
The sinister gaze was like a bucket of cold water poured over Tang Ning.
Tangning's body froze for a moment, and the woman who had been writing also stopped. She slowly turned around, revealing her still beautiful face, "Why are you back so early today?"
At this moment, the mirror only reflected the back of the woman's head, as if the horrifying scenes just now were just Tang Ning's illusion.
If it was in the past, Tangning would have just felt nervous at this change, but now, although he was still a little frightened by the strange scene, he still stood firmly in his place, holding onto the door frame, and asked, "Mom, what are you writing?"
The mother answered naturally, "Of course I'm keeping accounts. When will you develop the habit of keeping accounts?" The familiar nagging voice sounded again. Tang Ning's eyes unconsciously fell on his right arm which was covered by clothes. He remembered that his mother had touched the wound several times just now. Did it hurt
The woman's nagging gradually stopped. She lowered her head to look at her arm. After confirming that it was covered by her clothes, she still tried to cover it with her hand, "I'm telling you, if you sit for a long time in the future, you should remember to move your shoulders and neck more. Otherwise, you will be like me, with soreness here and there at my age."
Tangning stood by the door and silently talked to his mother. After the woman finished her long speech, he whispered, "Does it hurt?"
The woman paused for a moment while moving her arms. She looked nonchalant and said, "It doesn't hurt at all. It's just my problem."
Tang Ning clenched his back teeth unconsciously. Every time he interacted with this being, his chest felt sore and heavy as if there was a ball of depression stuck in it that he couldn't exhale.
How could it not hurt
My mother is a person who can endure pain. She will not
At this moment, Tangning's phone screen lit up. She took out her phone and saw a message from Lin Yun: "Found the garbage bag!"
turn up!
That garbage bag that is always disposed of by my mom and brother!
After Tangning found out, he didn't have time to talk to his mother. He took a deep breath and said to his mother, "If your shoulders are not feeling well, stop writing these things and get more rest."
In the past, his mother would always nag him about this, telling him to take care of his health. This time, Tangning stood by the door and said to his mother seriously, "Youth is the most important thing."
Mom looked at him in a daze.
Tang Ning lowered his eyes, gently closed the door of his mother's room, and returned to his own room.
Zhou Kang sent him a message: "I went through the garbage bag and found the blood clot-like thing you mentioned, but it's just residue. I can't fully identify it. I only know that it's a healing item, but I can't confirm its specific effects or negative effects."
Tangning was stunned by this answer. He suddenly recalled what happened on the first night. At that time, Su Anyun and his mother were having dinner in the kitchen. When he walked out and saw this scene, Su Anyun said something.
"I was just looking for you. Do you want a midnight snack? Mom is cooking some tonic medicine in the kitchen."
Tonic, item with healing effect
So was what Su Anyun said on the first night true
Tang Ning remembered that at noon today he saw his mother's injured right hand hanging in the air unable to move. Now his mother can write with her right hand. Does this mean that his mother just took this tonic
Tang Ning thought back to when he asked Su Anyun if he could heal her mother's injury. Although Su Anyun said yes, she remained silent for a while before answering.
Tang Ning now knew that the food her mother and brother ate in the kitchen could heal the wound on her mother's hand, so her brother only needed to let her take some supplements to heal her. Then why did Su Anyun remain silent for that period of time
Did Su Anyun not want to treat my mother? Or was it because the substance was so rare that it could not be taken casually? Would it still cause some harm if eaten? Was it provided by Su Anyun or by my mother
Tang Ning's mind was a little confused. He couldn't figure out the truth based on this information. Tang Ning tried hard to recall the scenes he had experienced in the past few days. He remembered that the person who was eating the tonic in the kitchen last night was his brother, and his mother was standing outside the door, as if she was guarding the door.
Perhaps because he had equated the two events of "Mom saving him" and "Mom getting hurt" in his mind, Tang Ning's hand unconsciously reached for the porcelain doll in his pocket.
His brother has saved him many times. Will he get hurt if he saves him
Bai Yingxue said that the monsters in the confinement room must abide by the rules. The porcelain doll that looks like his brother broke the rules for him several times.
Then when my brother took the tonic yesterday, did it mean that he was also injured because of him
Tangning's brows gradually furrowed as she stroked the cracks on the porcelain doll.
But he remembered that on the first night, his brother and mother secretly hid in the kitchen to eat this thing. Did one of his mother and brother get injured at that time
What happened on the first day
Tang Ning remembered clearly that on the first afternoon, although he begged his brother to help Bai Yingxue, his brother did so after negotiating with the monster, so it didn't count as a violation of the rules.
Was it mom taking tonic medicine on the first day? Or was it brother who was injured
Tang Ning vaguely felt that he had found the key to breaking this family's predicament. Although the current clues did not allow him to fully deduce it, it was better than having no clue at all before.
"Knock, knock, knock." There was a sudden knock on the door.
Tang Ning, who was sitting in the room in deep thought, quickly turned around. He saw Su Anyun standing at the door and gently said to him, "Xiao Ning, do you still want to learn how to cook in the afternoon?"
Tang Ning's mind was still on the supplements, his mother and his brother. He was stunned for a moment, and after looking at Su Anyun, Tang Ning hurriedly ordered.
Learn, of course you have to learn!
In the past, Tang Ning just liked to eat, and he would feel satisfied after eating. But now, Tang Ning found that he liked his mother more when she eats the food he cooks. This kind of satisfaction far exceeds Tang Ning's happiness in enjoying food.
Su Anyun patiently asked: "Do you still want to learn how to cook fish?"
The fish Tang Ning cooked today was well received by his mother. Tang Ning wanted to make a few more fish dishes. He nodded when he heard Su Anyun's words.
Seeing this, Su Anyun said, "There is no fish at home now. Please trouble Xiao Ning to go to the market and buy some fish."
Going to the market now
Tang Ningmo felt that Su Anyun wanted to get him away on purpose.
Did his brother and mother have something else to do at home? Tangning was somewhat curious about Su Anyun's motives, but he did not force him to stay at home. His brother had not done anything to harm him so far. If Su Anyun wanted him to leave, it must be Su Anyun's own plan.
Su Anyun took out a few hundred dollars from his pocket and put it in Tang Ning's hand, "You have to buy fish so that you can make fish soup with it." He then told Tang Ning some things to note when buying fish and sent Tang Ning out.
Tangning turned around and glanced at Su Anyun. Su Anyun gently urged him, "Hurry up, don't miss the time."
Missed the time? Is the market closing time
Tang Ning wanted to ask more, but Su Anyun had already closed the door. Tang Ning left home and walked to the gate of the community to meet Lin Yun and Zhou Kang who were waiting for him in the car.
"Su Anyun asked you to buy fish?" After hearing such a lifelike explanation, Lin Yun was a little confused about what Su Anyun was up to.
"Yeah, my brother also said he wanted to buy some fish, and told me to hurry up and not miss the time." Although he didn't know if Su Anyun's words had any special meaning, Tang Ning was afraid that his brain would not understand and would miss Su Anyun's intention, so he told his teammates everything Su Anyun had told him.
Zhou Kang heard this and said, "If you want to buy fish, I can help out."
Among people, only Zhou Kang seems to be able to buy groceries.
Zhou Kang lowered his eyes and looked at Xiaomi in the cat bag again, "You can also buy Xiaomi a fish. If I had known that I had to buy him a fish before..." This simple sentence was filled with indescribable regret and sadness. Xiaomi meowed softly at Zhou Kang.
Lin Yun didn’t know what had happened between Zhou Kang and the cat. In this copy, everyone had their own sad stories at home.
They drove and soon arrived at the nearby vegetable market.
There were many small stalls selling fish in the market, and Tang Ning had no idea which fish they were selling. He looked around in confusion, watching the fish blowing bubbles. Zhou Kang, on the other hand, was like a fish in water here. He led Tang Ning to a small stall at the innermost part.
There weren't many people buying fish at this time of the day. In addition to Tang Ning and his group of customers, there was another person here who was picking and choosing.
Almost at the same time as Zhou Kang, he said, "I want this fish."
Both hands are pointing to the same fish.
Tangning looked at the man in surprise. He was short and small, probably in his seventies, wearing a grey shirt and shorts, and wearing flip-flops. When he saw the plump and fair Zhou Kang, he said, "My friend, you have a good eye, but do you know how to cook this fish?"
"The fish here is delicious whether braised or steamed," Zhou Kang replied.
At this moment, Tangning, who was standing behind Zhou Kang, whispered, "Buy some soup."
Only then did he shift his gaze from Zhou Kang to Tang Ning. He stroked Tang Ning's fingers, which were as white and clean as scallions. These fingers could be described as having never touched water before. "You even know how to make soup. Can you cook?" he asked cheerfully.
If Tangning had been asked this question in the past, he would have just shaken his head in shame. However, today he was learning how to cook from Su Anyun, and the dish was fish soup. Tangning could be said to be learning it right away, "I can do it."
His eyes were clear and bright, his voice was clear and pleasant, and he was a clean and pretty child who was very likable. He looked even kinder. "Little friend, can you really cook?"
This person's aura was very comfortable, just like an elder in the family. Tangning noticed that he was kind, so he started talking more, "I'm going to make fish soup for lunch today. My mom and brother both love it."
"Oh, really?" He asked excitedly, "Do you have any secrets to teach me?"
Tang Ning did not hide anything. He told the man the recipe that Su Anyun had taught him. He nodded his head repeatedly. He said to Tang Ning, "You are indeed suitable to take this fish. I will help you deal with the big fish from your friend's house."
Varied
Tangning stared at him blankly. He said in confusion, "I don't have any fish at home."
When he looked into Tangning's eyes, his expression suddenly became solemn. His pale eyes stared at Tangning, and his tone, which had been chatty all along, also became serious: "I see that your forehead is dark, your eyes are bloodshot, and there is a faint black aura between your eyebrows, floating and erratic. It must be the breeze that is causing trouble."
With such a huge change in temperament, even though the other person was wearing flip-flops, he still had the air of a great master hidden in the city. Tang Ning felt that this scene was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen and heard it somewhere before.
It seems that Bai's father wrote in his diary that when Bai's mother went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables, she met a fish seller, who gave them a lot of guidance.
Could it be that the person in front of me is the one mentioned in Father Bai's diary? !
After a pause, he continued, "In addition, the right corner of your forehead is dark and slightly sunken, which means your family is not at peace."
Lin Yun and Zhou Kang, who were following beside him, both changed color. Tangning twisted his neck and suddenly thought of the words that Su Anyun had said when she was teaching him how to cook, which seemed to have a hidden meaning.
—"Xiaoning, you have to remember this."
—“If you have the chance to meet a master who is good at killing fish, remember to ask him how to deal with big fish at home.”
His brother specifically asked him to buy fish today. Was it to get him away, but to let him encounter this in the market
Don't miss the time, does it mean don't miss the time to meet this
Looking at Tang Ning, he said, "Your mother is not here, do you have any wishes?"
The moment he heard these words, the softness on Tang Ning's face gradually withered, almost to the point of indifference. He was like a patient suffering from a stress reaction. The intense emotions made his originally soft facial muscles tense, and his originally clear eyes became paranoid.
"My friend, I have observed your face and found that you should have suffered a bloody disaster, but the complexion of your marriage palace is as white as jade, bright and shiny. My friend, your spouse will be quite helpful to you."
He said here with a bit of surprise, "But this part is slightly concave. This is such a strange facial feature. I have never heard of it or seen it before."
Tangning stared at him motionlessly, like a vigilant little animal, but his eyes were red. He sighed and continued, "Your mother's love is touching, but humans have their own ways, ghosts have their own ways, ghosts are strangers after all, ghosts are yin and humans are yang, if you stay together for a long time, my friend, you won't be able to last long... Don't let your mother's motherly love go to waste, you should make a decision."
Decision? What decision
Tang Ning stared at him with red eyes. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. Perhaps all the blood in his body was rushing to his head, making him want to shout "Don't say that".
Don't say.
Don't say anymore.
He doesn't want any decision, and he doesn't want to listen to any experts, so please stop talking.
He took out a yellow talisman from his pocket and handed it to Tang Ning. Tang Ning lowered his eyes, his fingers trembling slightly.
This symbol
It's a spell that hurts my mother.
Tang Ning instinctively wanted to reject the spell, but even a fool knew that it was a very rare item. Even if he didn't use it, other teammates would be able to use it.
The hands hanging by his legs kept shaking, and the depression and sorrow lingering in his chest also trembled. He wrote in vermilion on the ancient yellow paper. The red had no evil aura, but rather holiness.
Everything around seemed to be silent, solidified into a dim picture, and the only thing left in the world Tang Ning could see was this talisman.
"Take it..." The talisman placed the talisman in Tang Ning's hand and walked away in his flip-flops, blending into the crowd leisurely. When the talisman fell into Tang Ning's trembling hands, the surrounding environment suddenly became lively, and the noisy sounds in his ears continued.
The sounds of vendors shouting and fish splashing in the water filled Tangning's ears. Suddenly, it was like a breeze blowing by his ears. Tangning could vaguely hear a desolate voice singing:
"Mother and son parted, crying to the sky among the wild grass.
White horses circled the flags, wailing and chasing each other.
The poplars are bitter in the autumn moon, and fall early in Yuzhang Mountain.
I am a Xiuming man, and I have never stopped killing enemies. 1… Release them! Release them! "
He held the talisman in his hand, and everything around him was still prosperous.