Meng Po Gave Her a Bowl of Soup (GL) - Chapter 26

Xu Ruying clutched her chest tightly, her body pressed against the cold arm. Wanyue anxiously grabbed her arm. “Ruying, what’s wrong?”

Cold sweat dripped from Xu Ruying’s forehead, and she could no longer hold onto Xiao Yueyue in her arms. The puppy fell to the ground, letting out a few whimpers. It then turned around, and the tiny pup, resembling a fluffy ball, surprisingly bared its teeth and let out a faint “woof” as a warning to the man in the black suit.

When it was first picked up, the puppy was weak and frail, but after eating a little, it seemed more energetic, and now it already knew to protect its owner.

Song Wanyue also vaguely sensed that something was wrong. She turned around and stared intently at the man in the black suit, stepping forward to shield Xu Ruying. “Who are you?”

Who was he?

The man in the black suit was rather surprised to see an ordinary woman daring to stand in front of him. As the Black Wuchang, even without revealing his identity, the murderous aura around him was enough to make people cower. A man full of yang energy would tremble at the sight of him, let alone Song Wanyue, who was already tainted with yin energy. He could sense people’s emotions, and although this woman was clearly terrified, she still stood protectively in front of Xu Ruying like an eagle guarding its young.

Did she even know what she was protecting?

Facing his scrutinizing gaze, Song Wanyue did not back down. Her eyes were like knives, staring fiercely at the man in the black suit.

At that moment, Xu Ruying, biting her lip, mustered all her strength to grab Wanyue’s arm. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I know him. Wanyue, step aside…”

This man… his aura was somewhat similar to that of the ghost in black who had taken her soul to the Wangxiang Platform after her car accident, but he was much stronger.

Xu Ruying knew something was wrong. She was terribly frightened, but she had to step up to protect Wanyue.

Her Wanyue was just an ordinary person; how could she resist the ghost messenger?

Song Wanyue remained still, firmly blocking Xu Ruying.

The man in the black suit observed the two of them for a while. Seeing their mutual protection didn’t seem fake, he fell silent for a moment, then glanced at the puppy tugging at his pant leg. He said calmly, “I’m Fan Wujiao. Ms. Xu, you have a good memory, but it seems you’ve forgotten me.”

••••

Fan Wujiao was soon invited inside.

Xu Ruying wanted Wanyue to leave and let her handle the guest, but Wanyue refused to leave and insisted on staying with her. She went to wash fruit, keeping a close watch on everything happening in the living room.

After entering, Fan Wujiao casually looked around. With his hands clasped behind his back, he moved about, then sat down on the sofa, crossing his legs. His dark eyes fixed on Xu Ruying. “You’ve been here for almost half a year. Are you comfortable?”

His manner of speaking was somewhat archaic and formal. Xu Ruying sat opposite him, having guessed his identity to some extent. She replied calmly, “Very well.”

Fan Wujiao was taken aback by her calm demeanor. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he asked, “Have you prepared for when you’ll return?”

Xu Ruying fiddled with the tea cup in her hand, her expression calm. “I have one year long agreement with someone. Until the agreed time is up, I naturally won’t leave.”

In the kitchen, Song Wanyue’s hand trembled at this remark, causing the sharp knife to cut her finger.

Fan Wujiao frowned upon hearing this. He glanced towards the kitchen, and Xu Ruying, alert to his gaze, immediately stood up. “How did you cut your hand?” She quickly pressed her hand down. “Don’t just stand there; hold the wound. I’ll get some bandages!”

Song Wanyue had cut a chunk of flesh, with blood flowing freely. She covered her finger with one hand, staring dazedly at Xu Ruying.

So… it’s a year?

Blood dripped onto the floor, bright red and glaring, resembling the otherworldly flowers of the underworld.

At that moment, 10 kilometers away, in a school dormitory, Qin Xiao, sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened her eyes. In that instant, her eyes were blood-red, almost as if she wore red contact lenses. “Sister?”

••••

Riding her little motorcycle in a hurry, Qin Xiao arrived at Wanyue’s home, leaving her motorcycle unlocked and rushing up to the door. She knocked vigorously, shouting, “Sister? Sister?…”

Soon, the door was pulled open, and Fan Wujiao, arms crossed, looked at her coldly. “Looking for the soul?”

Qin Xiao gasped when she saw him, instinctively stepping back. “Uncle Hei?”

Hearing “Uncle Hei,” Fan Wujiao’s face darkened. His brows furrowed fiercely, and his eyes flashed with anger. “What did you just call me?”

Qin Xiao, timid, blinked and tried to repeat, “Hei… Brother?”

Fan Wujiao: “…”

Qin Xiao’s eyes blinked. “Why are you here at this time? Isn’t this your off-duty period… Did the ancestor give you overtime pay?”

Seeing Fan Wujiao’s stern expression, Qin Xiao suddenly realized. “Wait, could it be that you were tricked by her too? Oh, Uncle Hei… I mean, Brother Hei, don’t be resentful or troubled. Just smile, and everything will pass. It’s daytime; go back and stop creating tragedies.”

Fan Wujiao: “…”

Brave and unafraid.

Qin Xiao was always so cheeky.

But upon entering the house, she found it was not quite as she expected.

Her sister, whom she had always been worried was sitting on the sofa, wrapped like a dumpling, drinking tea, while Xu Ruying was busy in the kitchen. On the floor, a chubby puppy had appeared, looking like a little ball, licking its shiny, black fur—this little dog had turned itself into a cat.

Qin Xiao was startled and gaped. “It… it…”

Fan Wujiao shot her a fierce look, causing Qin Xiao to swallow her words and weakly mutter, “It’s so ugly.”

Song Wanyue observed her expression and glanced at Qin Xiao, uninterested. “What brings you here?”

Qin Xiao smiled brightly at her. “I came to see my dear sister. Wow, it smells so good! What are you cooking?”

What was she cooking?

With such a powerful presence in the house, what could she possibly be cooking?

Xu Ruying, of course, had prepared a feast herself, even bringing out the carefully selected wine from Xu Ruying’s private collection.

This ancestor seemed to love drinking, judging by the variety of wine bottles that dazzled the eyes.

Neither Xu Ruying nor Wanyue had much knowledge about wine, so she decided to use the most luxurious-looking bottle to entertain this esteemed guest.

But Fan Wujiao pointed to the simplest, somewhat worn-out white bottle. “This one.”

Qin Xiao gasped. “Oh my, this old gentleman is bold; that’s a rare treasure from my ancestor’s collection.”

Eight dishes and one soup.

Xu Ruying prepared the best dishes she knew how to make. While cooking, she was distracted, repeatedly guessing Fan Wujiao’s identity. Seeing his arrogant demeanor, she thought he must be a high-ranking official. With a hint of hope, she secretly searched his name and saw on Baidu: Fan Wujiao * Black Wuchang, making her legs go weak with fright.

Black Wuchang, known for using black iron chains to capture souls.

So, was that why her heart hurt so much when she saw him?

Was he originally meant to take her soul?

Fan Wujiao had not tasted human food for a long time. Although many households would offer food to the emissaries during the three major ghost festivals, his character was far from the playful White Wuchang.

In his own words, he was a high-cool type in the human world.

One must have their own style.

Qin Xiao, now quite familiar with Song Wanyue, chatted freely about school during the meal.

She talked about which boys and girls were caught secretly dating by the dean, a girl who accidentally burned a boy while curling her hair in class, a boy who made a teacher cry, and which gangs were about to fight.

Fan Wujiao occasionally shot Qin Xiao a very embarrassed glance, but Qin Xiao was completely unbothered. She even kindly asked, “Brother Hei, do you not know the name of that dish? It’s sweet and sour ribs.”

Fan Wujiao: “…”

Although he hadn’t been in the human world for a long time, it wasn’t like he had never seen sweet and sour ribs before.

Song Wanyue glanced at Fan Wujiao, and Qin Xiao shrugged. “Brother Hei is probably the most dedicated worker I’ve ever seen, even working during his spare time.”

At this, Song Wanyue and Xu Ruying both looked at Fan Wujiao.

Fan Wujiao put down his chopsticks with a forced smile. To seem less out of touch, he stated his motto: “Work makes me happy.”

Song Wanyue: “…”

Xu Ruying: “…”

Qin Xiao: “………………”

It truly was a new era for the underworld.

Even the ghost messenger seem to have a tough job.

During the meal, though Fan Wujiao spoke little, he was no longer as menacing as when he was guarding the door earlier.

After the meal, Xu Ruying went to clear the dishes, and Xiao Yueyue gnawed on a bone on the floor, exerting all its strength and making whimpering sounds.

Qin Xiao watched with her mouth agape. My goodness, this is the sacred beast of my ancestor, the three-headed dog(Cerberus). I wonder what angered the ancestor, turning it into a clueless little puppy.

She was nervous and scared. Given how she had offended the ancestor, she hoped she wouldn’t be turned into something like a rat or a fly.

Despite her inner rejection of Fan Wujiao, Song Wanyue maintained basic etiquette.

After the meal, she took a teacup and prepared tea for him.

Her tea-making movements were graceful, reminiscent of ancient times—her long hair flowing over her shoulders, her features delicate, her slender fingers holding the cup with meticulous care.

Fan Wujiao watched her thoughtfully for a while. His lips moved silently, but Song Wanyue was taken aback, feeling a buzzing sound in her ears, followed by a deep, magnetic male voice.

— You know who she is, don’t you?

Song Wanyue looked up in surprise at Fan Wujiao. His dark eyes locked onto her, his jawline sharp, his lips seemingly moving yet still.

He was speaking.

Speaking to Wanyue.

Yet in this small space, only Wanyue could hear him.

Instinctively, Song Wanyue glanced toward Xu Ruying in the kitchen.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her hands and feet growing cold.

At that moment, Qin Xiao also approached Xu Ruying. She casually rinsed a bowl, unusually without her usual playful demeanor, and said softly over the sound of running water, “Miss Xu, the yin energy around you is too heavy.”

Startled, Xu Ruying looked at Qin Xiao in surprise. Qin Xiao blinked and smiled at her. “Being around you for a long time will affect my sister.”