IMMFBCG Chapter 38 V1

Chapter 38: Protective Talisman

If Bai Liu hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have thought that their nice hot pot outing would end up including one more person.

Yu Qi didn’t seem like the type who would even eat something like this.

No matter how he tried to figure it out, Bai Liu was baffled. Yet in the end, the hot pot duo of Bai Liu and Ye Xue did expand to include Yu Qi.

As Bai Liu glanced at his phone for directions, he mumbled, “Just 300 more meters, then we turn left… huh?”

He stopped in his tracks, realizing that Ye Xue, who had been walking right next to him, was suddenly gone.

Bai Liu turned around instinctively, spotting Ye Xue and Yu Qi a few steps behind, trailing along at a slower pace.

Yu Qi, taller than Ye Xue by half a head, would lower his gaze slightly to look at her while they talked. From that angle, he looked unexpectedly gentle.

It seemed Yu Qi had said something that made Ye Xue smile, eyes bending in amusement, so he followed her lead and smiled as well.

Bai Liu looked at them and finished his instructions, muttering, “… Turn left, and we’re there.”

But as he said it, that odd feeling crept up on him again.

Bai Liu thought with a complex look, feeling like his presence there was… somewhat unnecessary.

After a while, Ye Xue realized they’d slowed their pace and that Bai Liu was already waiting for them up ahead, so she caught up.

“Hey, how much longer until we’re there?” Ye Xue asked.

Bai Liu’s gaze drifted, glancing briefly at Yu Qi before looking away and sighing. “Almost there. Just a few more minutes.”

The hot pot restaurant was crowded, and they waited in line for a bit before getting a table.

Yu Qi and Bai Liu took seats on either side of Ye Xue, who noticed they had no drinks, so she grabbed a bottle of fruit wine, and cola.

As she was about to pour herself a glass, Bai Liu stopped her, teasing her with a grin, “Hey, Auntie, underage people can’t drink!”

Ye Xue shot him a glare, “Keep talking, and I’ll smack you!”

She’d been an adult for months now.

Bai Liu held up his hands and grinned, letting her pour him a glass as well.

While the two were chatting away cheerfully, Yu Qi seemed lost in thought, staring absently at the table.

Noticing his dazed expression, Ye Xue asked, “Can you handle spicy food?”

Yu Qi thought for a moment and nodded. “I can.”

They ate and sipped on their fruit wine, and Yu Qi didn’t drink a drop—he just watched them drink. When Ye Xue seemed a bit tipsy, he quietly switched her wine for warm water.

At first, Bai Liu tried to stop her from drinking, but eventually, he was the one who drank more, even grabbing a few cans of beer.

Ye Xue only had two glasses before stopping, her cheeks still a bit flushed. She sat there, propping her chin in her hand and spacing out, barely touching her food.

When Ye Xue drank, she grew quiet, while Bai Liu, on the other hand, got lively, even holding his bottle like a microphone to start singing.

In the end, the only sober one left was Yu Qi.

Yu Qi watched them both quietly, his expression hinting at helplessness.

Ye Xue pressed her temple, and just then, a cup of warm water was placed in front of her. She looked at the cup, then up at Yu Qi.

Yu Qi’s gaze lingered on her flushed face for a moment before he looked down and said, “Drink this if your head hurts.”

Ye Xue obediently took a sip, then put the cup down.

After a moment, she stood up. “I’ll be back—I’m going to the restroom.”

Yu Qi waited at the table for her to return, glancing at Bai Liu, who had begun singing. He quickly averted his eyes.

Fortunately, the hot pot restaurant was lively enough that no one paid them any mind, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care.

The restroom, on the other hand, was empty and quiet. Once the door closed, it blocked out all the noise from outside, leaving only silence.

Ye Xue thought the restroom’s soundproofing was impressive as she walked to the sink and splashed her face with water.

Seeing her flushed reflection in the mirror, she was a bit surprised, not expecting to turn red after just a bit of fruit wine.

Ye Xue splashed her face with cold water, feeling a bit clearer-headed, then went to use one of the stalls.

As she closed the stall door, she heard faint footsteps outside, as if someone else had come in.

She didn’t pay much attention to it until the footsteps stopped right in front of her stall. “Occupied,” she said.

There was no response from outside. Ye Xue frowned, her alcohol-fogged mind slowly waking up. She looked at the door and thought, the person outside… didn’t seem to notice her feet.

Just as she was mulling this over, the lights in the restroom started flickering, going on and off, with a faint buzzing sound.

It was like a classic horror movie setup—a ghost appearing in the restroom.

Ye Xue’s expression turned cold. Of all things, a ghost was going to show up while she was in the restroom.

Through the gap under the door, she saw a pair of pale, bloodless hands reaching inside, trying to crawl in.

The lights stopped buzzing and went out, plunging the restroom into darkness.

Ye Xue, already irritated, saw the hands still reaching for her. With a cold smirk, she lifted her foot and stomped down hard on the ghostly hand.

A shrill scream echoed out, and Ye Xue hesitated for a moment at the sound. “A male ghost?”

Realizing this, her anger only grew.

So a male ghost had the nerve to come scare her in the ladies’ restroom.

Gripping his hand firmly under her foot, she flung the door open and bit her finger, drawing a symbol in the air to ward off evil and slamming it down.

With a boom, the charm exploded, and the male ghost was thrown against the wall from the impact.

Ye Xue washed her hands, grabbed the now nearly fainted ghost, and pressed his face against the wall, “You’re dead meat, you pervert, showing up in the women’s restroom! I’ll chop you up and flush you down the toilet.”

As she spoke, she drew another symbol on his forehead. She barely started drawing before the ghost began to smoke and hiss.

The ghost, dizzy and defeated, managed to gasp out, “Please… have mercy… I’m not a pervert!”

Ye Xue scoffed, “A guy in the women’s restroom saying he’s not a pervert?”

The ghost tried to defend himself, “But… this is a public restroom!”

These restrooms didn’t differentiate by gender.

Ye Xue paused, realizing the slip, and almost fell for it, “Public restroom, my foot! You heard my voice and still tried to scare me. Do you think I’ll believe you’re not a pervert? You’re asking for it!”

He was a male ghost who came in after hearing a girl’s voice. If that wasn’t perverted, what was?

Ye Xue grabbed him and tossed him aside, drawing yet another charm. “Demon-slaying array!”

The ghost couldn’t put up any resistance, sliding down the wall and collapsing to the floor, trying to retreat to the corner, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at her.

Ye Xue walked toward the ghost, ready to deliver a final blow, when the sound of two girls chatting drifted in from outside—the door was about to open.

She paused, glancing at the door.

The ghost sighed in relief and tried to crawl away, taking advantage of Ye Xue’s distraction, but she quickly stepped on its face, pinning it to the ground.

As the door opened, the voices grew louder.

One girl said, “I never want to come here alone. They say the lights in this bathroom keep breaking. It’s so creepy…”

Her friend laughed. “Isn’t it fine as long as I’m here with you?”

They giggled as they entered, spotting Ye Xue calmly washing her hands at the sink.

Ye Xue was focused as she pumped out some soap, scrubbed her hands, and then rinsed them off. Noticing their curious glances, she turned and gave the two girls a friendly smile.

They froze momentarily, clearly taken aback by her looks, before smiling back politely and heading into the stalls.

Ye Xue looked down at the ghost on the floor, thinking it was a good thing she’d come here instead of someone else. Anyone else would probably have been scared senseless.

Though most people wouldn’t see ghostly hands—at worst, they’d just get spooked by the lights flickering suddenly. Still, this creep of a ghost, who loved scaring people in bathrooms, was extra annoying.

Ye Xue shook off the remaining water from her hands, bent down, picked up the battered ghost, rolled it into a ball, and carried it out.

When she exited, she spotted Yu Qi talking to a waitress, looking somewhat anxious. But upon seeing Ye Xue coming toward him, he visibly relaxed and told the waitress, “No need, thank you.”

The waitress passed by as Ye Xue approached. “What’s going on with you?” she asked.

Yu Qi stared at her for a moment, as if making sure she was okay, and quietly explained, “You were gone for quite a while…”

Ye Xue had been slightly tipsy earlier and had taken a while in the bathroom, which naturally worried him.

Understanding what he meant, she felt a warmth spread in her heart. Smiling, she said, “I’m fine. Just had a little… mishap.”

Yu Qi paused, wanting to ask for details, but she had already walked back to their table.

Bai Liu was still humming a song, and when he saw Ye Xue return, he waved her over, saying, “Master Aunt, if you hadn’t come back soon, I was about to come looking for you!”

Ye Xue, noticing how unsteady he was with his chopsticks, teased, “You? You’d probably pass out after a few steps.”

Bai Liu quickly countered, “Who said that? I could drink a few more rounds!”

To prove himself, he reached for his glass again, only for Ye Xue to block him with a cup of warm water.

Bai Liu muttered, took a few gulps, and then reached over to take the glass himself and drink several more sips.

Yu Qi sat down beside them and asked, “Ye Xue, what happened just now?”