C10 The Person Behind Me

As the smile faded from Zhong Ling's father's face, a sense of foreboding washed over me.

His complexion turned a shade of steel, and without responding to Zhong Ling's remarks, he simply told her, "Let's have breakfast first."

Zhong Ling, with a hint of coyness, protested, "Dad, about this issue, it's really..."

"Ling, we'll talk after breakfast," he insisted.

Zhong Ling tried to continue, but I cut in, "Zhong Ling, your uncle suggests we eat first, so let's do that."

Earlier, Zhong Ling had cut me off to avoid being called 'beauty,' so this time I addressed her by name, catching her off guard. She quickly recovered, though, and agreed with a smile, "Okay, breakfast first."

It was clear from her father's demeanor that he was against relocating the graves, and if he was set against it, I knew better than to push the matter.

Once breakfast was served, I quietly finished my porridge.

Throughout the meal, Zhong Ling's father remained silent. Sensing the mood, I stood up and politely excused myself, "Uncle, I've finished eating. I'll be on my way now."

"Alright."

He made no effort to detain me, his silence speaking volumes.

As I rose to leave, Zhong Ling reached out and took my hand, urging, "Master, there's still so much food left. Have a bit more."

"I'm full, thank you."

I gently withdrew my hand and headed for the door.

Zhong Ling hastily followed suit, telling her father, "Dad, I'm finished too. I'll head out."

She called after me to wait, and as she caught up, her ample chest heaved dramatically, a sight that was hard to ignore.

Once outside, Zhong Ling asked, "Hey, why the rush?"

"Beauty, your dad's message couldn't be clearer. He's not going to agree to the relocation, and it's obvious he doesn't trust me."

Zhong Ling was no fool; she had a good sense of her father's disposition at the time.

With her cheeks bulging, she said, "Hold on, I'll try to convince my dad."

As Zhong Ling turned to re-enter the tea shop, I called out to her, "Hold up, Zhong Ling. There's no rush to deal with your family's ancestral grave relocation right now. Let's tackle the other issues first."

Curious as ever, Zhong Ling approached and inquired, "What's on the agenda now, security guard?"

I held the malevolent spirit and the vessels in my possession, my next move was to draw out the mastermind behind them.

Should I harm the spirit, the orchestrator would surely feel the repercussions.

Lost in thought, I didn't respond immediately.

Zhong Ling gave me a gentle nudge, snapping me back to the present. As I looked at her, she asked, "What's on your mind, security guard?"

"Zhong Ling..."

"You can drop the formalities; just call me by my name," she interjected.

I nodded, momentarily at a loss for words.

Without further ado, I suggested, "Let's go pick up some glutinous rice and a rooster."

"For what purpose?" she probed, seizing the moment.

I kept the explanation brief, "You'll see once we've got them."

Zhong Ling drove us to make the purchases, and afterward, we headed back to my place. My rental was a modest single room, making the space quite limited.

Upon entering, disbelief washed over Zhong Ling's face. It was hard for her to fathom how someone could live in such a cramped space, especially since she was accustomed to the expanse of a large villa.

Catching her look, I knew what she was thinking. With an awkward chuckle, I explained, "As you know, I'm just a security guard with limited education and means. Finding a place to live is challenging enough."

Zhong Ling responded nonchalantly, "I get it. But if you're ever uncomfortable here, feel free to move in with me."

"Let's just drop it."

Zhong Ling struck me as utterly naive and guileless. A phrase popped into my head to describe her: "beauty without brains."

I didn't bother with too much idle chatter with Zhong Ling.

I found a fruit knife in the house and used it to collect a bowl of rooster blood.

Next, I filled a basin with glutinous rice.

Both the company and the rice were known to suppress malevolent spirits. Mixing them together would surely boost their effectiveness.

I stirred the rooster blood into the glutinous rice.

Then I buried the vessel meant for nurturing evil—a clay pot—right into the rice.

As I did, I thought I heard a faint, agonizing scream.

But I didn't dwell on it. With everything settled, and the afternoon waning, I needed to rest up for work the next day. I told Zhong Ling, "If there's nothing else, you should head back."

Zhong Ling paused, her gaze lingering on me before she nodded, a touch of sadness in her agreement, "Okay."

I walked Zhong Ling out. Before she left, I handed her a talisman, instructing her to call me if anything came up.

She acknowledged and drove off.

Back inside, I slid the pot with the vessel underneath my bed. I hadn't slept well the previous night, and the past couple of days had been hectic.

So, I quickly fell asleep on my bed and was out for the whole afternoon. By the time I woke up, it was night.

The room was pitch black. I reached for my phone, only to find it dead. After plugging it in for a quick charge and powering it up, I discovered a slew of text messages. Initially, they were threatening messages from that guy.

But as I scrolled through, the tone shifted to pleading.

He was asking to meet and had even tried calling.

As I perused the text messages, a smile crept across my lips. It appeared my suspicions were spot on—the individual orchestrating this was indeed becoming restless and desperate.