After I said the name Jiang Nanfeng, a strange green light suddenly flashed in Jiang Xiumei's eyes.
Startled by her unusual behavior, I quickly opened the door a crack. If she made any aggressive move toward me, I would not hesitate to run.
But Jiang Xiumei did not do anything to harm me. The green light in her eyes disappeared and she squinted her long eyes and asked, "You know Jiang Nanfeng?"
I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I do, and I have seen him."
"Really? Where did you see him? Take me there quickly." Jiang Xiumei was very excited, extending her hands to grab my arm, with eyes full of undisguised delight.
Although she was a woman, she had an unexpectedly strong grip. After struggling a bit, I spoke, "Let go of me first, okay?"
"Sorry, I was out of line." Jiang Xiumei let go of her hands and looked at me apologetically.
"I will let you see him now." I was about to walk out when Jiang Xiumei suddenly said to wait and went into the room. She waited at the door for a long time before coming out.
Now she had changed into the black floral cheongsam and was wearing the same black hat as when we first met. She looked at me and asked, "Mingyang, do I look good?"
"Beautiful." I nodded, even though I knew she was already several hundred years old, at this moment I truly saw her as a thirty-year-old woman.
Jiang Xiumei said contentedly, "That's good, let's go now."
I didn't say anything and poked my head outside, saying, "Come in."
Looking at Jiang Xiumei again, she excitedly clenched her hands, her eyes full of anticipation. When Jiang Nanfeng appeared by my side, I thought Jiang Xiumei would directly rush over and hug him, but to my surprise, she burst into tears.
Tears fell, Jiang Nanfeng looked at Jiang Xiumei for a long time and suddenly asked, "Are you really Xiaomei?"
"Yes, I am the black cat you raised, Xiaomei," Jiang Xiumei wiped her tears, took a step forward and asked Jiang Nanfeng, "Do you remember me?"
"I remember," Jiang Nanfeng adjusted his glasses and said softly, "After I died, I forgot everything, but I remembered that I once raised a black cat. I wanted to go look for it, but I didn't know where to start until I gradually remembered some things. But when I went back, everything had changed."
"I have been looking for you for over sixty years, but there has been no news," Jiang Xiumei wiped away her tears, sniffed, shook her head and forced a smile, "Let the past go, and if you want, live with me here."
Jiang Nanfeng didn't say anything, instead he turned his head towards me and said, "Thank you, if it weren't for you, I would still be wandering outside."
"Don't be so polite," I waved my hand, and asked Jiang Xiumei, "I have a question, if you don't mind."
Jiang Xiumei did not inquire further, seemingly knowing what I was going to ask, gestured for me and Jiang Nanfeng to enter the house and sit down, and then she continued her story.
Two hundred years ago, Jiang Xiumei was just an ordinary black cat. Because of her color, many people found her ominous, and she was neglected by her owner, wandering in the wilderness.
After enduring wind and rain, and fighting with fierce beasts for food, in the most difficult environment, she met her second owner. This person did not shun her color, and instead treated her very well.
But during a battle, this owner died a tragic death on the battlefield. Jiang Xiumei searched for her owner's figure amidst the bodies on the battlefield, but ultimately found nothing.
However, as a black cat at the time, she discovered something strange in that place.
She saw a very thin gas drifting above the bodies, and after absorbing these gases, she felt her body gradually changing.
At that time, Jiang Xiumei did not understand the concept of cultivating, but as time passed, she gradually felt that the gases absorbed into her body were changing her.
Decades passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Xiumei also glimpsed some of the rules within it. Whenever there was turmoil and chaos, she would go to the battlefield alone after the conclusion of the fighting to absorb those gases.
In the 1950s, she had cultivated to the point where she could transform. When she met Jiang Nanfeng, she found a very familiar feeling within him.
Jiang Nanfeng also held her in high regard, and the two of them seemed to have known each other for a long time. Jiang Nanfeng would hold Jiang Xiumei silently in a vine chair behind the house whenever he had free time, but this peaceful life was soon disrupted.
Upon learning of Jiang Nanfeng's tragic death, Jiang Xiumei, as if gone mad, committed her first murder and wiped out the entire family responsible for killing Jiang Nanfeng.
To find Jiang Nanfeng's remnant soul, she searched halfway across the country, but ultimately found no trace. She then returned to this city and waited quietly.
After hearing her account, I finally understood. I had previously seen information online about this incident. It turned out that the true culprit behind the massacre of that family was Jiang Xiumei, which explained why the bodies had sharp claw marks on their necks as reported.
Taking a deep breath, I asked in a low voice, "What was the purpose of those who killed Jiang Nanfeng?"
"I don't know. I was so furious at the time that I didn't listen to what they had to say at all," Jiang Xiumei shook her head, and looked at me quietly and said, "But I found a very strange pattern."
Before I could speak, Jiang Xiumei picked up a paper and pen, and started drawing. After handing it to me, I saw a right side-up and upside-down triangle with a pentagram in the center.
At this point I didn't understand what it meant, so I kept the paper and asked them about their future plans.
Jiang Xiumei turned to look at Jiang Nanfeng and said to me, "We might stay here, or we might leave, but in any case, I will preserve the layout of this room."
I did not inquire further about what happened next. After waiting for so long, Jiang Xiumei had finally found Jiang Nanfeng, and seeing the happiness of the two, I checked the time, got up and bid farewell.
When I walked out of the apartment building and looked up again, the room I had been staying in had no lights on.
It was already past three in the morning. As I was driving away, nearing my rental property, I saw a young man in a black short-sleeved shirt squatting at the intersection, with a young woman in a white dress standing behind him.
I just casually glanced at them; couples having a disagreement was a very common thing. I whistled lightly and stepped on the gas to move ahead.
Back in the room, I didn't think about Jiang Xiumei anymore and fell asleep on the bed.
I slept very comfortably, with a clear mind, without having a single dream.
Driving out and honking several times under Du Xiaolan's building, the guy took his time coming down. As I entered the store, I saw a young man in a short-sleeved shirt standing at the shop window, constantly looking out.
He was around twenty, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, standing quietly outside the shop window. I had seen him last night; he was the young man squatting at the intersection.
I cleaned up the shop and paid no attention to him. I picked up my phone and browsed the news from the past two days, while Du Xiaolan sat in front of the mirror as usual, doing her makeup.
I've always found her very strange. Normal women delay time at home when doing makeup, etc. But Du Xiaolan still delays time without makeup. Sometimes I even suspect that she stays in bed until I come and honk at her downstairs before getting up.
"Mingyang, what dirty thoughts are you thinking about?" Du Xiaolan's voice came out, and I quickly came to my senses, seeing her looking at me with ill intentions.
I smiled and slid my phone, saying, "Nothing, just thinking about what to eat today."
Du Xiaolan brightened up, "You treat me, as long as it's not instant noodles."
I said, "Then let's not eat."
Du Xiaolan stood up directly, "Hey, what do you mean? Can't a grown man afford something else?"
Looking at her coming towards me with a fierce look, I glanced at my phone and gestured to her, "Just wait a moment."
Du Xiaolan came over and asked, "Wait for what?"
Without responding to her question, I fixed my eyes on my phone.
It was a news report from yesterday morning; there was a traffic accident near my rented property, and a girl was directly hit and killed by a car. Even though the face was pixelated, I could still recognize the clothes and the appearance. This girl was the one standing behind the young man last night as I drove home.
Suddenly, I quickly looked up, and the young man had disappeared without a trace.
Du Xiaolan was leaning over to look at my phone, and as I stood up and walked outside, the young man had disappeared into the crowd, completely untraceable.
When I returned to the store, Du Xiaolan squinted and asked, "Is your butt on fire?"
"Nonsense," I glared at her and sat back on the chair.
If this report is true, then the girl I saw last night must have been a spirit. The young man squatting on the ground was likely in pain, and they were either relatives or a couple.
I nodded, this guess can indeed hold up.
For this matter, I didn't put much thought into it. After all, I am just an ordinary person, not a hero who saves the world. If I were to meddle in everything, I'd just tire myself out.
After watching the news all morning, I went out for a stroll, and the day quickly passed by. Du Xiaolan surprisingly didn't come bother me today. Instead, she put on makeup by herself, stood up, and turned around in circles repeatedly. Although I didn't know what this girl was up to, something good must be happening.
It's six o'clock, time to get off work.
As I left the store, I was about to offer to take Du Xiaolan home, but she hesitated and looked at me, saying, "Mingyang, do you have time tonight?"
I go!
I sighed inwardly. She has always been so casual, so I wasn't expecting her to be so polite today--I was having a hard time accepting it.
After thinking for a moment, I realized that I indeed had nothing to do tonight, so I nodded and said, "I have time. Do you want to invite me for dinner?"
Du Xiaolan shook her head and said, "You should be treating me to dinner. I want to invite you to watch a movie."
It seems the sun did rise in the west today. She's the type of person who never expects others to treat her, not even for a drink of water. I never expected her to be so courteous today, and she even wanted to invite me to watch a movie.
Looking into her eyes, I asked, "Are you trying to pull something?"
"With you, what could I possibly be up to? Forget it, go or don't go." Du Xiaolan looked at me disdainfully and was about to leave.
I quickly stopped her and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go. I shouldn't have made assumptions."
"You know your place!" Du Xiaolan said and got into the car.
As we drove, at a turn, I caught sight of a man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt. Glancing at the rearview mirror, I realized this man was the young man I saw at the intersection last night.
Unconsciously, I slowed down a lot. Du Xiaolan punched me and asked, "Mingyang, why are you acting so weird today?"
"Ah, it's nothing," I forced a smile and picked up the speed again.
It was a horror movie. For someone who had seen real ghosts, this fabricated horror didn't frighten me at all. However, Du Xiaolan grasped my arm tightly with both hands, closed her eyes, and screamed at the sudden appearance of the terrifying scenes.
I looked scornfully at the people around me making noise. Was it really necessary? Can't they handle just a movie scene? If they encountered a real ghost, would they soil themselves?
After enduring over an hour of torture, as we left the theater, my ears finally had some peace.
Du Xiaolan was still immersed in the horror scenes, looking suspicious of everything, as if everyone passing by were ghosts.
After casually eating something, I dropped her off, and it was already past nine o'clock.
Driving slowly back home, as I reached the intersection, I saw the young man again.
He was squatting, unmoving, and I didn't know what he was doing. I glanced at him. No matter who it is, encountering such a situation will cause them to break down, and standing at the scene of the accident for a long time is also understandable.
But this time, there was no white-clad girl behind him. I sighed and was about to move forward when, with a casual glance, I saw a long-haired girl in a white dress standing not far away on the green belt.
In the moment when our eyes met, she suddenly avoided my gaze and disappeared into the night.
Returning my gaze to the intersection, the young man remained motionless on the ground. After driving away and returning home to drink a beer in the living room, I got up to prepare to go to the bathroom, but just as I reached the door, I heard a faint knocking from outside.
I opened the door, and there stood a young woman in a white dress.
The young woman, around eighteen or nineteen years old, had delicate facial features with a strong three-dimensional quality, but her face was extremely pale, devoid of any color. She looked at me anxiously and asked, "Can you see me?"
Taken aback by her gesture, I swallowed and nodded, saying, "Don't be so agitated. I can see you."
The young woman muttered, "Then why can't anyone else see me? They all seem to treat me like air."