SES Chapter 198 Part 1

Chapter 198

Mu Dai woke up.

The scenes from her dream lingered in her mind, so vivid it felt as if she had been there in person.

Wan San had once pointed out to her the courtyard where she had first been imprisoned, showing it off like a prized find. “Do you know how much effort Fatty Cao and I put into finding it? Even Liberation helped a lot.”

The information from Zheng Mingshan was that the owner of that residence was a wealthy businessman from Beijing who was currently abroad. He had bought the house in Lijiang and came by for vacation three to five days a year. Money wasn’t an issue for him, so the rest of the time the house just sat empty. Leopard and the others had quietly taken advantage of that perfect timing and moved in without a trace.

Mu Dai lay there for a while, then got up as lightly as she could, put on her boots, and grabbed her coat.

She had barely taken two steps when she suddenly heard Luo Ren’s voice. “Where are you going?”

Ever since he woke up this time, his alertness seemed even sharper than before.

Afraid he would worry, Mu Dai bent down and tapped her forehead against his lightly. “To the restroom.”

Luo Ren smiled too. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning close to her ear. His warm breath brushed her ear canal, making it itch.

“You think I’m that easy to fool? Dressed this neatly—are you going to the restroom on a blind date?”

Mu Dai laughed. Being found out didn’t bother her. Seeing his spirits improve day by day and his recovery going so quickly filled her with happiness. She lowered her head and kissed him, her teeth lightly nibbling his lip.

Luo Ren clearly enjoyed it. “You can use that move more often, but it won’t work.”

Mu Dai buried her head in the hollow of his shoulder and laughed for a long time before finally saying, “I dreamed about the courtyard where Leopard first held me. There were some strange details. I want to go take a look.”

Just as expected, his brows knitted together.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Dai added, “It might be a hint from the Phoenix Luan Buckle.”

He understood the reasoning, but once bitten, twice shy. Mu Dai had just been kidnapped, and in the dead of night, there was no way he felt comfortable letting her go out alone.

Mu Dai saw through his thoughts. “When you were unconscious, I came to see you at night all the time. I went back and forth at midnight more times than I can count—I’m used to it. Besides, that house was already cleared out by Senior Brother. After Leopard left, it really has been empty.”

Luo Ren finally nodded reluctantly, but he still made one request: the phone video call had to stay on the whole time, with constant contact.

After Mu Dai left, Luo Ren couldn’t fall asleep again. Propped up on his pillows, he stared at his phone. At first, she must have put it in her pocket—the video was pitch-black, but he could hear her light footsteps and the sound of her climbing stairs.

Then the screen lit up. She turned the camera toward herself. “I’m here.”

As she spoke, she turned the camera outward to show him her surroundings.

The old town at night wasn’t pitch-dark. For the sake of appearances, lanterns, light boxes, and colorful signboards stayed lit all night. From the higher eaves, you could see the silhouettes of bamboo stalks reaching upward.

The scene suddenly flipped—she was “scaling walls” again.

Luo Ren pressed his lips together, thinking he really needed to recover faster. Mu Dai never said it, but she must desperately want to return to Fog Town to pay respects to Plum Blossom Ninth Lady.

Separated by just one wall, the courtyard inside was eerily quiet. The rustling of bamboo leaves sounded especially clear. Luo Ren asked her, “Windy?”

“Yeah. It’s windy tonight. My hair’s all messed up.”

She pushed open a door and fumbled for the switch on the wall. A burst of bright light washed the screen white. After a pause, it became clear—it was a staircase going up.

The back door closed. Her footsteps echoed hollowly in the stairwell. Then, with a creak, she pushed open another door.

It was the main hall. The lights were off, and the screen plunged into darkness. An open window hadn’t been shut properly, banging back and forth in the wind. On the tea table by the window lay an open book. Its crisp pages fluttered loudly, the sound sending a chill through Luo Ren. In a daze, it felt as though that cold wind flipping the pages was blowing straight against his neck. He shivered.

He called out, “Mu Dai?”

Another morning arrived.

Cao Liberation was unusually energetic today. Before Wan San even got out of bed, he heard several loud cries of “Ha—do—lo,” mixed with Cao Yanhua’s heavy breathing. Was he stretching his legs or practicing forms?

Lying in his warm bed, Wan San suddenly thought that Cao Yanhua was actually quite persistent.

Yawning, he went out. He had just reached the bar counter when Yan Hongsha sprang over. “Update.”

Wan San rolled his eyes and leisurely took out a coffee cup and latte art needle, setting up the machine. The hum of the appliance started, and the rich aroma of coffee beans filled the bar. Uncle Zhang bustled through the hall and headed outside. Just as he pushed the door open, Cao Liberation let out a loud squawk.

Both of them looked toward the door and heard Uncle Zhang shout angrily, “Are you trying to die, Cao Liberation? If you stand in the doorway again, I’ll pluck every feather off you—believe it or not?”

Oh no. Why would anyone provoke Cao Liberation so casually?

Wan San was about to say something when Cao Yanhua hurried over and wedged himself between Uncle Zhang and Cao Liberation.

“Uncle, please, please—be a bit gentler with our Liberation. As gentle as possible…”

Uncle Zhang rolled his eyes. “I’ve lived most of my life, and now I’m supposed to be polite to a chicken?”

“Well, no,” Cao Yanhua stammered. “Our Liberation, um… has some violent tendencies…”

“I’m afraid of violence? If it dares make a sound, I’ll stew it with mushrooms tomorrow.”

Uncle Zhang strode off.

Cao Yanhua was drenched in sweat as he carried Cao Liberation back inside. Meanwhile, Wan San slid the finished coffee over.

Yan Hongsha ground her teeth. “In the past? ‘Once upon a time’?”

“Yeah. Don’t all stories start like that? ‘Once upon a time.’”

Furious, Yan Hongsha slapped the bar counter. Plates and cups rattled.

Cao Yanhua passed by. Though he didn’t fully understand what had happened, he had heard bits and pieces and tried to comfort her. “Sister Hongsha, Brother San is actually quite decent.”

“What concise wording. If he started with ‘a long, long time ago,’ it’d take six days.”

Wan San looked at Cao Yanhua appreciatively. “Brother Cao, you really get it.”

Yan Hongsha sincerely felt that compared to Cao Liberation, Cao Yanhua and Wan San were far better suited to spend their lives with mushrooms.

Before she could say anything harsher, Wan San’s phone rang.

He answered, spoke briefly, then looked up at them. “Get the fortune-teller. Luo Ren wants us at the hospital right away.”

That morning, Luo Ren had already been moved to a private room. On the way, Yan Hongsha bought breakfast—six portions, all different kinds, still steaming hot, filling the tray by the hospital bed.

Mu Dai walked to the door, closed it, and slid the bolt into place.

Cao Yanhua was carrying a large black duffel bag with a zipper. Only now did he mysteriously open a slit. “Brother Luo, look!”

Cao Liberation’s head popped out immediately, drooping over the zipper opening with a very clear I’m suffocating in here expression.

Taking down Leopard had been largely due to Cao Liberation, and Cao Yanhua had long wanted to bring it to see Luo Ren. But since this was a hospital, he hadn’t dared to be too blatant.

Luo Ren smiled slightly. “There’s something to discuss. Let’s eat while we talk.”

Really? Being summoned so solemnly only to “eat while we talk” felt oddly unsettling.

Yan Hongsha muttered to herself as she picked up a tea egg to peel. Wan San and Cao Yanhua exchanged a look. Only the fortune-teller ate with complete focus, crunching on fried dough sticks and soy milk, commenting, “Not good—wasn’t fried crispy enough!”

Mu Dai sat to the side with a book in her arms. She waited patiently until everyone had hesitantly started eating, then said softly, “I know what story the Seven Water Shadows are telling.”

Yan Hongsha froze. The peeled tea egg dropped to the floor and rolled far away. The fortune-teller choked on his soy milk, coughing repeatedly. Wan San struggled to swallow the bun in his mouth, turning red as he reached for water from Cao Yanhua. Only Cao Liberation was delighted, flapping down to chase after the egg.