Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Ji Yueling
At 3 AM, Ji Yueling received an emergency summons and came to A City Alliance headquarters.
She had been enjoying a reasonable week-long vacation, but because her abilities were special, she was directly awakened by the electric current from her bracelet. She always had serious morning irritability and drove furiously to Alliance headquarters in anger. She entered the elevator password and came to the S-level classified laboratory, where she saw everyone gathered around the Green Scythe Demon’s corpse in the center. Her anger gradually melted away.
“Miss Ji, you’re here.”
Ji Yueling walked through the crowd to look at the corpse now lying on the operating table. The body had originally been severed in two but was now stitched back together with needle and thread. Obviously, it was a Green Scythe Demon dead beyond any possibility of revival. With her abilities, there was absolutely no possibility of healing it.
So what was the purpose of suddenly calling her here in the middle of the night?
“Please do everything you can to save this embryo. This may be A City Alliance’s first captured S-rank demon embryo.”
Ji Yueling’s gaze was drawn to the embryo. It had just been extracted from an organ similar to the Green Scythe Demon’s uterus. There were three embryos total—two had now become dried, empty shells, but one embryo remained. At its heart was a drop of crimson blood glowing with faint luster, giving it some remaining vital signs.
Ji Yueling didn’t hesitate. That trace of the embryo’s life force was already extremely weak. She raised her hand, releasing milky white light from her palm. The light condensed into milky white threads that tightly wrapped around the embryo. Her fingertips moved as she felt the flow of life force within the embryo.
Her ability rank wasn’t low. Facing ordinary demons, sensing the aura in their bloodlines wouldn’t cause her heart palpitations. But when her perception extended to that drop of blood at the embryo’s heart, she suddenly cried out, struck as if by lightning, and retreated several steps.
Everyone in the laboratory turned their gazes toward her, their expressions grave and tense.
“I’m fine. It’s been healed and should be able to survive.” Ji Yueling answered in panic, then slowly continued, “That drop of blood in the embryo has a very high rank—at least higher than my rank. It doesn’t belong to the Green Scythe Demon.”
“It appeared again…”
Someone murmured softly.
A City’s Alliance had been circulating news for two years about a demon with imperial-level bloodline who had quietly infiltrated A City. He was currently hiding among the crowd with unknown motives and unknown identity—only scattered traces from the past proved his existence.
“It’s precisely this drop of blood that kept this embryo alive… What does that demon with imperial blood want to do?”
There were various opinions but no answers.
“Miss Ji, thank you for your outstanding contribution to this mission. We’re sorry to have disturbed you. You may now return to rest. Have a pleasant vacation.”
Ji Yueling nodded lightly without saying more, but her eyes took one last look at the embryo now lying on the operating table.
For some reason, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. What this embryo would bring to A City Alliance was still unknown, but she felt an inexplicable palpitation, as if a storm was approaching.
………………………………
Only two days remained until New Year’s Eve.
In the morning, Gu Qing unsurprisingly stayed in bed for two more hours. When he opened his room door and came out, Lu Qianqian was wearing pajamas, working on math problems at the table. Gu Qing yawned and asked, “Did you eat breakfast?”
“Not yet.” Lu Qianqian shook her head.
“If you’re hungry, eat first. You don’t always have to wait for me.”
“I’m not very hungry.” Lu Qianqian shook her head, her voice carrying small stubbornness. Seeing Gu Qing get up, she also stood and went to the freezer to take out frozen dumplings—celery and pork filling.
Mom had taught her to cook dumplings when she was very young, because Mom was busy with work alone and sometimes couldn’t take care of her meals. She would always make many, many dumplings to keep in the refrigerator. By age ten, she had learned to stand on a stool by herself, cook dumplings, and prepare dipping sauce.
“How many do you want?” Lu Qianqian asked him.
“However many you eat, I’ll eat double that.”
So Lu Qianqian cooked forty-five dumplings. After cooking them, she carefully served them and brought them to the table. She also prepared dipping sauce and thoughtfully asked if Gu Qing wanted spice. Gu Qing’s answer was to add more.
Lu Qianqian’s own dipping sauce contained only vinegar, and she dipped a lot each time. Seeing Gu Qing’s somewhat surprised expression, she instinctively blushed and muttered quietly, “I like eating vinegar…”
“Can I try some?”
Lu Qianqian didn’t hesitate and brought a dipped dumpling to his mouth. Gu Qing bit down. The unique fragrance of celery mixed with the aroma of meat fat, the aged vinegar very sour but perfectly neutralizing that bit of greasiness. It was just a bit hot—he looked up and panted several times before swallowing the dumpling.
“Be careful, it’s hot…” Lu Qianqian realized she seemed to have spoken too late, but fortunately Gu Qing just blinked at her. “It’s fine. It really is quite delicious. Give me more vinegar too.”
So Lu Qianqian obediently went to get the vinegar and poured it into his dipping dish.
Outside the window, sunlight was bright. A City’s winter was either smoggy or overcast—these past two days of sunshine were rare. After eating breakfast, Gu Qing sat beside Lu Qianqian and began teaching her math.
Gu Qing was indeed very patient. Even when Lu Qianqian felt embarrassed by her own clumsy thinking, when she looked into Gu Qing’s eyes, his eyes were always gentle, lazy and slow, gradually putting her at ease.
An hour later, Lu Qianqian finished today’s exercises, and Gu Qing returned to his corner of the balcony to continue sunbathing.
“Later… want to go downstairs together to buy groceries?”
“Didn’t we buy a lot of groceries yesterday?” Gu Qing scratched his head.
“The dumplings are finished. I want to buy more meat filling to make some… Or you can keep sunbathing. I’ll just go buy them myself since it’s not far.” Lu Qianqian said hurriedly, but Gu Qing had already stood up, looking gently into her eyes.
“It’s okay. It’s not very safe outside lately. Let’s go together—I’ll protect you.”
For some reason, when she saw those eyes, Lu Qianqian always felt inexplicably at peace.
………………………………
Lu Qianqian bought six pounds of ground meat, plus celery, mushrooms, and corn. After returning home, she began preparing the dumpling filling. Gu Qing sat quietly beside her, waiting. When it came time to wrap dumplings, the two sat facing each other. Lu Qianqian’s dumplings were beautifully wrapped, each pleat pinched especially nicely. Her fingers were white and tender like scallions, slender and delicate-looking, appearing very nimble.
One by one, the dumplings were wrapped and placed in trays. Gu Qing was momentarily dazed, suddenly feeling something indescribable in his heart, his body warm. For the past few years, he had always worried about his tomorrow. Now he suddenly had a little nest, and in the little nest was a caring girl who looked after people. The warmer it became, the more unreal it felt to him.
Until there was a knock at the door.
Both Lu Qianqian and Gu Qing froze. Gu Qing stood up first and said slowly, “I’ll get it.”
As he spoke, he put his hand in his pocket and gripped the spring knife hidden there.
Click—the door opened.
Ji Yueling stood quietly outside, her eyes cold as she looked at him.
Seeing it was her, Gu Qing immediately released his grip on the spring knife. The expression on his face also became gentle and compliant, clearly the posture of a sunny neighborhood boy. “Hello, big sister.”
Ji Yueling wore a gray sweater today, with a denim jacket and black hot pants with white boots below, making her already tall figure appear even more slender and graceful. The sweater was slightly form-fitting, clinging to her body and showing off her elegant, mature curves—soft and beautiful.
“Hello.” Ji Yueling’s voice was still that cold, as were her features.
“Why did big sister come?” Gu Qing’s voice showed a trace of curiosity, then as if thinking of something, he immediately confessed, “I really am just staying here temporarily for the winter. I’ve never done anything bad to her. If you don’t believe me, big sister, you can ask her.”
Lu Qianqian had already stood up and upon hearing this, nodded vigorously. “He’s very good to me. He’s never bullied me.”
Ji Yueling watched the two of them sing in harmony and glanced at him indifferently. “I’m not here for that matter.”
“Then what is big sister here for?” Gu Qing leaned against the door, blinking at her in confusion.
“Let me in first.” Ji Yueling crossed her arms, her expression growing even colder.
Fortunately, Gu Qing’s face still beamed with smiles as he answered obediently, “Please come in, big sister.”
………………………………
After entering, Ji Yueling showed no trace of restraint. Instead, she seemed like a mistress inspecting her domain, looking around once. Lu Qianqian had already brought her a chair. She sat down, leaning back against the chair back, her legs beneath the sweater instinctively crossing. Her eyes stared at Gu Qing before her, her gaze like that of interrogating a criminal.
“Where were you last night?” she asked.
“Last night? Last night Lu Qianqian and I went to a newly opened bar.”
“What are you nervous about?”
“Am I nervous?” Gu Qing blinked innocently and spread his hands.
“So you also saw that Green Scythe Demon, right?” Ji Yueling squinted slightly, trying to see a trace of panic or mockery in his expression, but there was nothing. He just answered innocently, and even his heartbeat didn’t accelerate by half a beat.
“Yeah, Lu Qianqian and I both saw it. Later we ran to the trees across the street and happened to see the Alliance Erasers eliminate her.”
“Why did you go to that bar last night?”
“To participate in that bar’s cocktail challenge.”
“Just happened to encounter that Green Scythe Demon again, so coincidentally?”
Gu Qing’s expression seemed somewhat helpless. “I participate in every competition like this in the city because I’m really good at drinking, and there are always small prizes—why not take them if they’re free.”
“I’ll verify what you’re saying later. The surveillance shows that when you left the bar, you bumped into that woman’s table.”
“I was a bit drunk then and unsteady. What about it?”
“Just so coincidental?”
“What else could it be? I couldn’t even recognize she was the Green Scythe Demon then. If I could have recognized her, I would have run away long ago. Why would I stay there?” Gu Qing looked at Ji Yueling before him in confusion. Ji Yueling fell silent for a moment.
She had no evidence, only instinctive suspicion. The reason for her suspicion might be because on the night they first met, she clearly remembered seeing a trace of pity in Gu Qing’s eyes.