My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 9

Xiao Nianyuan was nearly knocked off balance as Lian Qiushui threw herself into her arms. She calmly pulled Lian Qiushui away while asking, “How could there be ghosts here?”

The name “Sky City” suggested a righteous faction, so why would ghosts suddenly appear? Xiao Nianyuan was puzzled, but Lian Qiushui grew even more agitated, insisting, “There really is a ghost! And it’s a starving ghost!”

Xiao Nianyuan: “…A starving ghost?”

“Yes, a starving ghost!”

Lian Qiushui saw nothing strange about a starving ghost appearing here. After being pushed away, she grabbed Xiao Nianyuan’s hand again, trying to drag her inside. “If you don’t believe me, go in and see for yourself! There really is a starving ghost in there!”

Xiao Nianyuan glanced at her hand, attempting to break free, but Lian Qiushui held on tightly.

With a resigned sigh, she explained, “You’re covered in dirt.”

Lian Qiushui looked down at herself but paid no mind, continuing to tug at her. “Will you go in and look? There really is a starving ghost!”

Unable to resist, Xiao Nianyuan followed her inside.

As they approached, a loud “clang” echoed from within, like the sound of shattering ceramics.

The door had already been pushed open, and thick black smoke billowed out.

Xiao Nianyuan cautiously peered inside, the acrid smell of burning assaulting her senses.

Only after confirming there was no danger did she step in.

Lian Qiushui followed closely behind, her hand hovering near Xiao Nianyuan’s back as if ready to yank her away at the first sign of trouble.

Xiao Nianyuan’s attention was fixed ahead, so she didn’t notice Lian Qiushui’s subtle gesture.

The interior was a mess—walls, floors, tables—everything was blackened by the smoke.

The explosion had clearly been powerful, and the further they ventured, the more evident the devastation became.

Passing through another doorway, they reached the courtyard, where a pile of charred pots, pans, and utensils lay in the center.

Logically, if the explosion had occurred in the courtyard, the house shouldn’t have been affected. Yet the blast’s force had exceeded expectations, leaving even the interior scorched.

Xiao Nianyuan scanned the area but still saw no trace of anyone, let alone the starving ghost Lian Qiushui had mentioned.

It was strange. Earlier, she had walked around the streets but hadn’t seen anyone cooking or any smoke rising.

Yet the scene before her suggested someone had been cooking here until just moments ago, leaving in haste.

The mysteries of Sky City only deepened the more she explored. Xiao Nianyuan picked up a stick and poked at the smoldering remains of the fire, uncovering some burnt food scraps.

“Where’s the starving ghost?” Xiao Nianyuan asked.

Lian Qiushui frowned. “I definitely saw it earlier. How could it be gone now?”

“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

“How could I imagine it?” Lian Qiushui retorted indignantly, pointing at her own eyes. “Look at my eyes—do they look like they’d deceive me?”

Xiao Nianyuan studied her eyes. They were bright and clear, but that didn’t prove anything. She couldn’t be sure whether Lian Qiushui had actually seen something.

If Lian Qiushui could see it, there was no reason Xiao Nianyuan couldn’t.

Moreover, if someone had caused an explosion here, they should still be nearby—they couldn’t have just vanished into thin air.

“What are you thinking about?” Lian Qiushui asked when Xiao Nianyuan remained silent for a long time.

Xiao Nianyuan mused, “I was wondering… if I blew up all their houses, would they come out?”

Lian Qiushui: “…”

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly as she stared at Xiao Nianyuan in disbelief, wondering if she’d misheard.

Xiao Nianyuan remained expressionless. Lian Qiushui rubbed her ears, suspecting the earlier explosion might have impaired her hearing.

Xiao Nianyuan proved she hadn’t misheard through action—she walked to the wall, dragged over a pile of dried firewood, and tossed it onto the smoldering fire.

The residual heat quickly made the wood emit black smoke.

“Isn’t this a bit too much?” Lian Qiushui hesitated. “What if it really explodes later?”

Xiao Nianyuan replied calmly, “If they come out, I won’t need to search for them. Whether the house explodes or not doesn’t concern me—I just want to meet the people here. Since they’re hiding, we’ll have to provoke them.”

After some thought, Lian Qiushui found her reasoning sound and stopped objecting. Instead, she enthusiastically helped gather more firewood.

Xiao Nianyuan watched as Lian Qiushui diligently piled all the wood onto the fire, even adding furniture—wooden stools, ceramic jars—anything movable was heaped on.

If another explosion occurred, these items would likely be blasted apart, with fragments potentially damaging the walls.

In the worst case, the house might actually collapse.

As black smoke slowly rose, Xiao Nianyuan found it too slow and asked, “Do you have a fire starter?”

Lian Qiushui nodded. “Of course.”

She pulled one from her waist and handed it over.

Just as Xiao Nianyuan was about to light it, a sharp shout rang out: “Freeze!”

A streak of white light shot toward her hand holding the fire starter.

Before she could react, Lian Qiushui stepped in front of her, coldly stating, “Think you can bully her? Did you ask me first?”

A little girl emerged from the corner, glaring indignantly. “Whose side are you on? Why help her?”

Lian Qiushui answered matter-of-factly, “I’m her master—of course I help her.”

Wu Jinghe paused, then turned to Xiao Nianyuan. “What are you trying to do?”

Xiao Nianyuan countered, “That’s my question. Why are you hiding from me?”

Wu Jinghe pouted. “You’re a stranger. Isn’t it normal to hide?”

“You didn’t just hide.” Xiao Nianyuan narrowed her eyes slightly. “You’re the one who made me fall into the water earlier, aren’t you?”