Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Meeting Under The Bridge

“Well?”  

Late at night, just after receiving Wei Shi’s notification, Mi Xiaoliu hadn’t even finished her homework when Lu Mingxue’s message arrived.  

And so, the girl who had just been warned not to wander off once again ignored the lesson and ran over.  

Lu Mingxue would give her fried chicken.  

“Come on, tell me—how was it?”  

Lu Mingxue watched the little girl’s profile nervously, one hand resting on Mi Xiaoliu’s thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze. Though soft and plush, it didn’t feel any plumper than before. 

As someone who loved farming simulation games, this was a crushing defeat for Lu Mingxue.  

Damn it, why hasn’t this little gremlin gained any weight yet? Does she go home and starve herself for three days every time after I feed her?  

She was asking about the novel she had written in her free time. Due to wearing the sunglasses, Lu Mingxue couldn’t directly read Mi Xiaoliu’s emotions—not that she particularly wanted to delve into the girl’s Malphite brain anyway.  

She had written an overpowered power fantasy novel but lacked the confidence to post it online directly.  

The protagonist started off being humiliated by a petty villain, only to be accidentally run over by a mighty immortal cultivator on his way home. To make up for it, the cultivator bestowed upon him immense power, making him a Great Luo Golden Immortal right from the start.  

With this strength, the protagonist set out with grand ambitions.  

His first order of business? Flexing his might and taking over the local gang, turning them into his loyal underlings—who, of course, were all secretly good-natured deep down, making them the only morally upstanding gang in the city.  

The story was also packed with classic xianxia tropes. Lines like “Heh heh heh!”, “This child is terrifying!”, shouting “Go!” when attacking, or yelling “Rise!” when lifting heavy objects…  

“It was good,” Mi Xiaoliu answered.  

Lu Mingxue: “…”  

She took off her sunglasses and confirmed that Mi Xiaoliu genuinely liked it.  

Well then. Guess I still need to make some improvements.  

Not that she looked down on Mi Xiaoliu’s Malphite-tier taste, but the girl was only thirteen! Taking herself as a reference, at thirteen, Lu Mingxue had been obsessed with angsty Mary Sue romances and domineering CEO stories.  

Not that there was anything wrong with that—everyone had their own little niche interests.  

“The guards around Beibei have been pretty lax lately. Think you could go check on her for me?” Lu Mingxue waved a couple of bills temptingly in front of Mi Xiaoliu.  

The Fanzui City Supernatural Police were severely understaffed, so of course they couldn’t afford to keep watch over Beibei indefinitely.  

What annoyed Lu Mingxue even more was that Yiwen kept visiting Beibei at the hospital, making it impossible for her to borrow Mi Xiaoliu’s phone to chat with Beibei.  

Even though she and Beibei were just ordinary friends, it still gave her the vague feeling of being NTR’d.  

Yiwen got along well with Mi Xiaoliu, but unlike Yiwen, who could monopolize Beibei without consequence.

Lu Mingxue didn’t dare try the same with Mi Xiaoliu—because she couldn’t beat Yiwen in a fight and didn’t want to get pummeled to death.  

Mi Xiaoliu reached for the money but, being a good kid, restrained herself. “Boss says no running around at night.”  

Lu Mingxue also caught the unspoken thought in Mi Xiaoliu’s mind: “Boss hits people.”  

“Oh? Your organization’s pretty strict, huh? I thought the whole ‘acting in the name of justice’ thing usually happened at night?” Lu Mingxue pulled the money back. “Besides, isn’t coming here already ‘running around’?”  

“…” Mi Xiaoliu lowered her head in conflict.  

“You’re already breaking the rules anyway—what’s a little extra detour?” Lu Mingxue waved the bills again, this time two of them, flicking them left and right.  

Mi Xiaoliu’s eyes followed the money like a cat entranced by a teasing wand.  

“No.” She shook her head and turned to leave.  

Mi Xiaoliu was a good girl who could control herself.  

…Except when it came to memory extraction.  

Though, admittedly, another reason was that Lu Mingxue hadn’t given her any snacks this time.  

“Fine, have it your way. At least take a chicken leg before you go.” Lu Mingxue pouted, pulling out the pre-prepared fried snacks to win back Mi Xiaoliu’s favor.  

The perks of mind-reading.

Leaving Lu Mingxue’s house, Mi Xiaoliu walked quietly through the dangerous nighttime streets of Fanzui City. 

Even most adults wouldn’t dare walk alone at night in this city, but she wasn’t afraid at all.  

She wasn’t even wearing her beginner combat suit, because Sasha had warned her that wearing it might actually be more dangerous if Easter were to appear.  

And, as storytelling logic would dictate, since this was a walking scene, an unexpected event was bound to happen.  

As she passed under a bridge, she heard voices below.  

“You didn’t bring what we wanted, yet you still demand to see her? Isn’t that a bit too greedy?” A grating, exaggeratedly high-pitched voice.  

“You won’t let me see her, yet you expect me to do your bidding. If anyone’s greedy, it’s you.” That voice belonged to Gloria.  

Mi Xiaoliu immediately quickened her pace, wanting to leave this trouble behind.  

Gloria’s terror level was on par with getting spanked.  

“Master, get down—slowly and quietly,” Sasha urgently warned.  

This stone bridge had partially collapsed at some point, and the repairs had been shoddily done with wooden planks. Whether walking or running, anyone crossing would inevitably make noise.  

Ugh, what rotten luck. Of all places, why did the Master have to stumble upon what sounds like a criminal exchange? 

Though, to be fair, as a resident of Fanzui City, everyone occasionally passed by a crime scene or two.  

Mi Xiaoliu carefully lowered herself onto the bridge, moving as silently as possible.  

Through the gaps in the wooden planks, she could see the scene below. There was no water flowing beneath the bridge—or rather, the riverbed had long since dried up. 

Normally, places like this attracted a few homeless people, but for some reason, none were around tonight.  

Gloria stood across from a clown-like woman, chin raised as she looked down at her with an air of arrogance.  

The way she practically looked down her nose at the woman was eerily reminiscent of Barrett.  

Though she was a young noblewoman, Gloria usually didn’t act like this.  

Unless she was dealing with someone she truly despised.  

“Even if you really could revive Misha, why not just talk to my parents about it? The ‘Star’ is in my father’s hands, not mine.”  

“And if I went to them, do you think they’d agree?” The clown woman made an exaggerated question mark gesture with her hands, her posture comically exaggerated. “Something as important as the ‘Star’—how could they ever trade it for a mere person?”  

“Hmph.” The words struck a nerve, visibly angering Gloria.  

White light began to radiate from her body, glowing like the dawn in the depths of night.  

“You and your so-called ‘spiritualism’—do you even hear yourself?”  

The clown woman immediately backed down. “Easy there, young mistress! Even something like the soul can be explained scientifically. Supernatural abilities themselves defy modern science, don’t they? If you’re so desperate to see your sister, fine, I’ll arrange it… But I can’t summon her spirit out of thin air. At the very least, you’ll need to give me one of her belongings—a piece of clothing, perhaps?”  

The light faded as Gloria calmed down.  

“Tomorrow,” she declared, making a “I want it all” gesture. “If I don’t see Misha by then, you’d better run far away. Killing Night Hawks isn’t illegal. If I find out you’ve lied to me, I’ll slaughter every last one of you I come across.”  

Mi Xiaoliu: “??”  

“Okay, okay! I’ll call you.” The clown woman flipped backward like an acrobat, leaping out of the riverbed and vanishing into the night.  

“How much longer did you plan on watching?” Gloria suddenly looked up, locking eyes with Mi Xiaoliu.  

Mi Xiaoliu scrambled to her feet and bolted.  

She was a little scared.  

Gloria wants to kill Night Hawks.  

A flash of golden light—and in an instant, Gloria appeared in front of Mi Xiaoliu, giving the back of her head a light smack. “Brat, you weren’t following me, were you?”  

Mi Xiaoliu shook her head rapidly.  

“Talk. How much did you hear?” Gloria pressed a hand against Mi Xiaoliu’s forehead—  

—in a perfect imitation of Yiwen’s Nine Yin White Bone Claw stance.  

“Misha,” Mi Xiaoliu answered truthfully.  

“Hmph. At least you’re honest.” Gloria snorted, not actually angry. She slung an arm around Mi Xiaoliu’s neck, forcibly dragging her along. 

“Since I caught you, you’re coming with me for a drink. What? You’re thirteen and still can’t handle alcohol? Are you useless? Disgrace to boys everywhere…”  

Mi Xiaoliu wanted to shake her head but was locked in place by Gloria’s grip.  

“What? I’m even letting you snuggle up in my armpit,” Gloria grumbled, flicking her forehead.  

She found a vending machine, bought a beer, released Mi Xiaoliu, then bought her a cola and handed it over.  

Mi Xiaoliu took it but didn’t dare drink.  

Gloria cracked open the beer and took a swig. She didn’t actually like the taste, but sometimes it did help lighten the mood.  

After finishing, she turned to Mi Xiaoliu, who was standing obediently with her cola. “Aren’t you curious who Misha is?”  

Mi Xiaoliu shook her head.  

“Ask me!” Gloria cracked her knuckles.  

“Who is Misha?” Mi Xiaoliu complied.  

“Misha was my little sister.” Gloria crushed the empty beer can and tossed it aside.  

She just wanted someone to vent to. Her usual girlfriends were only ever there to comfort each other after breakups.  

“But she’s dead. And because she’s dead, I’m still alive.” 

Seeing Mi Xiaoliu’s blank expression, Gloria clicked her tongue, her urge to continue fading. 

“Don’t tell anyone what you saw or heard today. Or I’ll chop your little d*ck off. Got it?”  

“Sasha, what’s a ‘little d*ck’?” Second time asking.