chapter 3
# 03 Lu Qianqian
Lu Qianqian soon stopped crying.
In these two years, she had shed tears many times. The burden on her shoulders had gradually turned her into an adult. She had learned to be strong, quickly wiping away her tears before sitting back down at the edge of the flower bed, looking toward the square in front of her.
The square was still nearly empty, with no one among the sparse crowd wanting to request a song.
Gu Qing didn’t know what to say, so he just sat not far from her side, silent as a statue.
Over these days, he had chatted with Lu Qianqian many times. He couldn’t help but reflect that troubles never come alone, and misfortune seems to find those already suffering. When Lu Qianqian was young, her father suddenly vanished without a trace. Her mother raised her alone, only to be diagnosed with a terminal illness last year. It was only today that Gu Qing learned she also had a brother, who had died in a car accident last year as well.
Thinking about it, her father really was a scumbag, even more detestable than demons.
Gu Qing thought silently to himself but didn’t speak his thoughts aloud. He just sat there lost in thought, watching the sky gradually darken in the distance. It had rained last night, and the air was still a bit humid. The wind seemed stronger today, feeling slightly cold against his skin.
He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there—an hour, maybe two?
During this time, a passerby stopped and requested a song. Lu Qianqian sang earnestly, her voice particularly beautiful. After the passerby tipped her fifty yuan, they hurriedly left.
After quite a while longer, Lu Qianqian suddenly covered her face and broke into tears. Teardrops fell through her fingers. Gu Qing thought for a moment but still said nothing.
Until that silver sports car parked at the roadside caught Gu Qing’s attention. Only then did he show some interest, carefully observing the luxury car whose brand he couldn’t identify, and watching the woman who stepped out.
She looked familiar.
Ji Yueling had changed her outfit today. She wore an oversized light purple knit sweater that concealed her upper body and covered half of her long legs. Below the sweater, she still wore nothing, not even warm tights despite the deep winter weather, though she did have knee-high white boots on.
Gradually, Gu Qing found it hard to look away.
Over the years, he had often sat on the street, watching pretty girls pass by, but few were as beautiful as Ji Yueling. Her features were delicate, her snow-white skin without the slightest flaw. Her face wore no makeup, yet was unbelievably perfect, though her features had a slight coldness to them.
When a person habitually makes a certain expression, that expression gradually becomes written on their face. Gu Qing noticed that hint of arrogance in her eyes and thought it really was a coincidence—seeing her twice yesterday and again today.
Only when she walked up to him did Gu Qing realize this might not be coincidence; she had come with a purpose.
“Hello, big sister,” Gu Qing spoke first.
Ji Yueling’s eyes looked him over from top to bottom, finally resting on his eyes. Her gaze was cold, and this expression, combined with her naturally cool features, easily gave people a strong sense of intimidation.
“Although you’re unwilling to join the Alliance, we now need you to do something for the Alliance. It’s trivial for you, and if done well, the Alliance will give you a generous reward.”
“Sure, what is it?” Gu Qing looked up innocently.
“Record what you said yesterday. In the future, if another S-class demon goes berserk, it will become one of the Alliance’s experimental methods to drive away demons.”
“What’s the generous reward?” Gu Qing’s attention naturally fell on this point.
“A hundred thousand yuan will be transferred to your bank account,” Ji Yueling replied calmly.
Gu Qing shook his head. “Money isn’t very useful to me.”
Although a hundred thousand was enough for him to rent a small place and live comfortably for two or three years, he wandered the city precisely because he wanted freedom. Otherwise, he would have found a factory job with room and board, where the better ones even served meat with every meal.
Surprisingly, Ji Yueling didn’t get angry. Her dark eyes just continued to stare at him as she said quietly, “Then what do you want? Or do you want more?”
“I’ve heard the Alliance has some healing-type ability users in logistics who can bring the dead back to life and heal broken bones?”
“That’s not true.” Ji Yueling shook her head. “No one can resurrect the dead.”
“What about curing some incurable diseases that humans haven’t conquered?”
“That’s not difficult,” Ji Yueling replied casually.
Actually, healing abilities weren’t so all-powerful. Not all healing-type users could easily solve ordinary people’s illnesses, but she could confidently make this statement.
Because she herself was a healing-type superhuman, though she chose to join the combat team instead of the support team.
“If you pull some strings to help me cure someone, I’ll record that audio for you. How about that?” Gu Qing looked up, his voice still as gentle as before.
“Agreed,” Ji Yueling didn’t refuse.
Lu Qianqian suddenly raised her head. She had heard the entire conversation and looked at the two people before her with shocked and confused eyes. She glanced at Ji Yueling, then at Gu Qing. Gu Qing pointed at Ji Yueling.
“Alright, why don’t you tell this sister about your mother’s condition?”
But after saying this, Gu Qing suddenly seemed to remember something. He went to Lu Qianqian’s ear and whispered something very softly.
Lu Qianqian looked up at him with surprise.
Gu Qing maintained his gentle demeanor, quietly gazing into her eyes, waiting for her decision.
One second, two seconds… a blush slowly appeared on the pale face of the young girl. Her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, and finally, in a very soft voice, she answered, “I agree.”
—
In the hospital room.
Gu Qing didn’t like this place because it was filled with the smell of disinfectant. People coming and going were so hurried yet so depressed, and the warm air made him drowsy.
Ji Yueling was currently in the ward. After showing her Alliance credentials, the hospital naturally cleared a path for her. She stood by Lu Qianqian’s mother’s bed and extended her hand. A milky white light was released from her hand, gradually turning into thick white threads that enveloped Lu Qianqian’s mother’s body.
Lu Qianqian and Gu Qing stood to the side. Gu Qing’s expression was calm, but Lu Qianqian was extremely nervous, instinctively grabbing the hem of his clothes until Ji Yueling withdrew her hand and spoke.
“Her condition is serious but not incurable. My ability has put her into a deep sleep. In this sleep, her body will slowly repair itself. She’s expected to wake up in a year, and by then, all her illnesses will be cured.”
In that moment, Lu Qianqian raised her head, her eyes becoming incredibly bright.
The sudden joy nearly made her faint, and all the burdens that had been crushing her were swept away in an instant. Her back instinctively straightened a bit, feeling lightheaded and unaccustomed to it.
Ji Yueling was a very thorough person.
She instructed the medical staff to arrange a special ward for Lu Qianqian’s mother with dedicated care, and left her contact information. After completing all this, she led Gu Qing and Lu Qianqian to a separate examination room.
She sat down in the chair, crossing her slender white legs beneath her purple knit sweater. Gu Qing’s gaze instinctively shifted in that direction, but unfortunately, in the next moment, Ji Yueling gently tugged at the hem of her sweater, covering the glimpse of snow-white thigh visible below her shorts.
She raised her eyes. “You’ve made a very good deal. For ordinary people to have me help them, a million would be the minimum price.”
Gu Qing wanted to say that actually she was the one who made a good deal, but he didn’t. He just smiled kindly and said, “You’re beautiful and kind-hearted, big sister. Shall we start recording now?”
“I’ll take you to a proper recording studio.”
“That shouldn’t be necessary. A phone will do. After all, it’s just to let those demons hear the demon language and trigger their fear of death to regain consciousness. But this only works on S-class demons because only S-class demons have intelligence, and they clearly know there’s something in the city that can kill them.”
“I understand. Now… go ahead.”
“Jili gululu jili gululu jili gululu…” Gu Qing muttered three phrases, and Ji Yueling’s eyebrows raised slightly as she said calmly, “This seems somewhat different from what you said the night before last.”
“Because what I said the night before last was demon language specifically for the Green Sickle Demon. What I’m using now is their common language among demons, which most demons should understand.”
“And the meaning is?”
“Still the same—there’s something in this city that can arrive within ten minutes and kill you. If you don’t want to die, leave immediately,” Gu Qing answered frankly and honestly.
“You’ve awakened a demon-system superpower, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Ji Yueling listened to the recording carefully once more, and after a moment of silence, she looked up at Gu Qing. “Your ability is very rare and extremely useful to the Alliance. It can help us better understand the existence of demons. I again suggest you join the Alliance. If you join, you’ll receive an exceptionally generous salary and power, and the Alliance can assign an A-class ability user to protect you personally.”
“Is there someone as beautiful as you, big sister?”
As soon as he said this, Gu Qing slapped himself and added, “Sorry about that. My mouth ran away from me.”
His reaction was so quick that Ji Yueling had no chance to get angry and was left speechless. She just said coolly, “After joining the Alliance, you might meet many beautiful ladies.”
“No, I was just joking. I still won’t join. I’m really afraid of dying.”
Ji Yueling looked up at him. “According to Alliance regulations, from now on you must report to the Alliance weekly about what you’ve been doing. And if you join any malicious organization unrelated to the Alliance in the future, you’ll be hunted by the Alliance—a fight to the death.”
“Understood, understood,” Gu Qing nodded repeatedly.
Having said all this, Ji Yueling stood up, seemingly ready to leave. However, after walking a few steps, she suddenly seemed to remember something at the door. She turned back and gave him a cold look. “What condition did you propose to this girl earlier?”
Gu Qing scratched his head. “I just asked if I could spend the New Year at her place. This winter is so cold—if I keep wandering outside, I won’t survive.”
The coldness in Ji Yueling’s eyes melted slightly. She quietly said, “I understand,” and turned to leave.