Chapter 180 - 179: Insufficient Ability

Chapter 180: Chapter 179: Insufficient Ability

Ever since that night, Song Qiweng had been frequently trapped by ghost walls. The longest episodes lasted over ten hours, the shortest only a dozen or so minutes, and there was no discernible pattern.

Yuan Shuyi had stopped having the nightmares, but she started having a series of small accidents instead.

She was pushed down the stairs, fracturing her ankle. But when they checked the security footage, there was no one there—she had simply lunged forward on her own.

However, when they got home that night, Song Qiweng saw a pitch-black palm print on her back. Judging by its size, it belonged to a woman—or a female ghost.

The list went on and on.

Her vision would suddenly go black while she was driving, nearly causing a car crash.

While she was cooking at home, the gas was mysteriously turned on, and she nearly got poisoned.

Even when she was just walking down the street, objects would fall from above, aimed right at her.

Yuan Shuyi felt like she was living under the constant threat of being murdered. Her life and work were in shambles. Unable to bear it any longer, she took an extended leave of absence and went with Song Qiweng to stay at a temple for a few days.

They spent their days burning incense, worshiping, chanting sutras, and praying for blessings. Sure enough, the "accidents" stopped.

Only then did Yuan Shuyi and Song Qiweng finally have to admit that they were likely being haunted.

They then asked the temple’s abbot to post a request for help with the Mystic Association on their behalf.

After reviewing the case file, Gu Qingyin had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

A weeping female ghost who only harmed Yuan Shuyi, yet seemed unable to part with Song Qiweng.

Clearly, the ghost knew Song Qiweng and held special feelings for him.

Gu Qingyin even suspected the ghost walls were created solely to fulfill the ghost’s desire to be alone with Song Qiweng.

’A pining ghost, suffering from unrequited love.’

Since Song Qiweng and Yuan Shuyi were still staying at the temple, Gu Qingyin wasn’t in a rush. She booked a flight for the following evening.

That evening, while her sons were all home, Gu Qingyin distributed the Soul-devouring Flower Seedlings.

There were four pots in total. Huo Xingye received two, Huo Xinghai and Huo Xingchen each got one, and Gu Qingyin kept none for herself.

The bonding process was simple: water them daily with a few drops of blood for forty-nine days. Once the bond was successfully formed, the Soul-devouring Flower Seedlings would sprout a bud.

After that, they could be cared for like any normal plant. The only difference was that the Soul-devouring Flower disliked sunlight. A little sun now and then was fine, but too much would cause it to wilt, and any more than that could easily kill it.

"Then how long until it blooms?" Huo Xingye asked.

"That depends on the environment," Gu Qingyin explained. "The Soul-devouring Flower absorbs the ambient Yin Qi from its surroundings. The more it absorbs, the faster it grows."

Huo Xingchen’s eyes lit up. "So if I take it with me ghost hunting, it’ll grow really fast, right?"

Gu Qingyin nodded. "In theory, yes. We’ll have to wait and see after you complete the bonding process." She stood up. "Alright, you should all go get some rest."

Huo Xinghai pulled Huo Xingchen away, and the two chatted about their experiences at the Ghost Market as they left.

Huo Xinghai couldn’t wait to watch the videos, and Huo Xingchen was more than happy to re-watch them.

Huo Xingye lingered for a moment. "You booked a flight to Lincheng City? Do you have a case?"

"How did you know?" Gu Qingyin asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Huo Xingye smiled. "I have a business trip to Lincheng City as well. We’re booked on the same flight."

Gu Qingyin’s eyes lit up. "Oh? Will you be busy? If not, how about you come ghost hunting with Mom?"

Huo Xingye hesitated. He was definitely afraid of ghosts, but he was also genuinely curious.

"Don’t force yourself. Just follow your heart. Go if you want to, don’t if you don’t!" Gu Qingyin patted his shoulder. "Your dad and I will be there, so you don’t need to worry about safety!"

Huo Xingye agreed. His business trip was just to inspect a branch office and a factory. If all went well, he would finish up quickly.

The next morning, Gu Qingyin went to Gugu’s place. She brought Mao Mao along to pick Gugu up from school and also gave them the presents she’d brought back from the Ghost Market.

Gugu had rarely seen Gu Qingyin over the past two months, so she was especially thrilled to see her today, grabbing her hand and chattering away nonstop.

Gu Qingyin listened patiently and even took her out for burgers.

It couldn’t be helped—no matter how wealthy their family, no child could resist the allure of a burger.

This made Gugu even happier. Mao Mao also ate with blissful contentment, its eyes squinted in delight.

Gu Qingyin didn’t take Gugu back to school until just before her afternoon classes began.

As the car pulled away, Gu Qingyin raised the privacy partition and stroked Mao Mao’s back. "Thanks for taking care of the kid. It must be a lot of work."

Mao Mao shook its head, signaling that it wasn’t tired at all. It really enjoyed being with Gugu.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but smile. She’d forgotten that Mao Mao had the mind of a child, so of course it would get along well with Gugu.

"If you’re ever bored, you could try studying along with Gugu. It’ll save you from having to learn everything from scratch when you eventually get your human form."

Mao Mao’s eyes darted about, and it seemed lost in thought.

After returning home, she packed her things, had some afternoon tea, and then went to the office to find Huo Xingye.

He had a three-day business trip, so he needed to get some work sorted out ahead of time.

Gu Qingyin hadn’t visited the company in a long time. When she walked in, the young woman at the reception desk stared blankly for a second before her face broke into a wide smile.

"Sister Qing! Good afternoon. It’s been so long since you last visited."

Gu Qingyin smiled. "I’ve been rather busy lately." She handed over a bag she was carrying. "Our chef at home baked some cookies. Have some."

The receptionist was flattered and quickly accepted the bag. "Thank you, Sister Qing!"

The young woman held the bag and attentively pressed the elevator’s "up" button for Gu Qingyin. After watching her step inside, she immediately spun around, returned to her desk, and snapped a photo with her phone to send to the group chat.

Cookies from the Huo Family’s chef! Sister Qing brought them herself! If you want some, hurry to the first-floor reception desk! Limited supply, first come, first served!

The group chat was silent for two seconds, then it instantly blew up.

Gu Qingyin was unaware of the "turmoil" a single bag of cookies had caused in the company. She walked a familiar path to Huo Xingye’s office, keeping her eyes forward to avoid disturbing anyone.

Huo Xingye, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, was sitting upright at his computer, working on some documents. He greeted Gu Qingyin when she entered, then glanced at the time. "I’ll be done in a minute."

Gu Qingyin waved her hand. "We have time. You finish up." She sat down on the sofa, pulled out her phone, and started playing a tile-matching game.

Half an hour later, Gu Qingyin still hadn’t managed to beat the second level, but Huo Xingye was all finished.

The mother and son left together, taking an elevator straight down to the parking garage where the driver was already waiting with the car.

Gu Qingyin hadn’t brought any luggage, as everything she needed was in her shoulder bag.

Strangely, Huo Xingye didn’t have any luggage either.

Gu Qingyin glanced behind them. "Is the luggage in the trunk?"

Huo Xingye shook his head. "I have a place in Lincheng City. It’s fully stocked, so there’s no need to bring luggage."

’When will I ever get used to this wealthy family lifestyle?’

The plane landed in Lincheng City before 10:00 PM. Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingye went to his place there, had a quick bite to eat, and then headed for the mountain that same night.

Meanwhile, at the temple on the mountaintop, the abbot opened his eyes. "My two benefactors, the one you have been waiting for has arrived. It is time for you to go down the mountain with her."

Song Qiweng and Yuan Shuyi exchanged a look. They both pressed their palms together, bowed to the abbot, and then turned to leave.

The abbot watched them go, his eyes fixed on the blurry figure clinging to Song Qiweng’s back. He couldn’t help but sigh.

’If I had been capable enough,’ he thought, ’why would I have needed to call for outside help?’