Chapter 27

The next day remained peaceful. Thinking Tang Xiaoyu might return for dinner, Ming Jiao postponed her meal purchase by half an hour and continued focusing on her daily training.

As one movement concluded, she abruptly turned and struck toward an ancient tree nearby. Her pale palm appeared soft and boneless, yet the air whistled faintly even from several steps away.

The thick, sturdy trunk of the ancient tree trembled imperceptibly, branches swaying and leaves scattering in disarray.

A look of exhilaration crossed Ming Jiao’s beautiful face. She said to the System, [After training for so many days, I’ve finally regained 0.1% of my former strength.]

But she couldn’t keep striking the ancient tree.

It was fine for now, but in a few days, she might easily punch through the trunk.

The System murmured in agreement and reminded her, [Host, the protagonist you’ve been thinking about has returned.]

Ming Jiao felt that if the System had a physical form, she would grab it and give it a good shake. Its word choices were always so subtle, as if she had some ulterior motives toward Tang Xiaoyu.

With that thought, she glanced in the direction of the rustling clothes carried by the wind and indeed saw Tang Xiaoyu standing not far away under the moonlight, quiet as falling snow, gazing toward her.

She still wore the same black and blue uniform from their first meeting, but the silver-rimmed glasses had been replaced by a golden mask.

The mask was intricately crafted and petite, with elaborate patterns and a silhouette resembling a bird in flight. It covered only half her face, perfectly revealing her thin lips and delicate jawline while adding a touch of glamorous mystery.

Ming Jiao found herself momentarily dazed. Shaking off the stupor, she casually waved her arm and walked briskly to Tang Xiaoyu. “Nightingale, you’re back.”

“Mm.” Tang Xiaoyu responded. Exactly one week had passed since their last meeting—not a long time, but seeing Ming Jiao again stirred indescribable feelings within her.

Ming Jiao studied her carefully, relieved to see she looked well. Although she knew Tang Xiaoyu was only investigating and wouldn’t reach the action phase so quickly, she still worried something unexpected might happen.

Tang Xiaoyu had intended to say something, but under Ming Jiao’s gaze, she suddenly forgot her words.

Those clear, translucent eyes focused intently on her, reflecting her image, as if Ming Jiao’s heart and eyes were entirely filled with her.

She knew, of course, that Ming Jiao’s eyes were naturally enchanting and affectionate—being looked at like this easily created the illusion of being wholeheartedly cherished.

Yet even aware of this, prolonged eye contact with those eyes was dangerously mesmerizing.

“Don’t always look at me with such eyes.” Tang Xiaoyu slightly turned her head, a hint of barely perceptible restraint on her flawless profile.

Ming Jiao looked puzzled, her expression innocent. “What kind of look?” Dressed in a plain white T-shirt with no makeup or hair accessories, she still exuded an undeniable delicate beauty, like a deep yet alluring peach blossom spirit.

As if wrestling with that often inexplicable discomfort, Tang Xiaoyu soon shifted her gaze back.

As their eyes met, she inexplicably raised her hand slowly and covered Ming Jiao’s eyes.

Ming Jiao stared in surprise at the sudden darkness, wondering if something had happened to rapidly advance their relationship to the point where Tang Xiaoyu would cover her eyes to give her a surprise.

Unless she had suddenly lost a period of her memory.

But as the soft, delicate palm slowly transmitted warmth, her bewildered heart suddenly began to beat faster, inexplicably fast. “Nightingale?”

Tang Xiaoyu had thought that covering Ming Jiao’s eyes would calm her own emotions, but reality turned out to be the complete opposite of her expectations.

The faint tickling sensation in her palm allowed her to imagine that the owner of those eyelashes must be restlessly overthinking at every moment.

At times, she was like an enigmatic mist, mysterious and unfathomable; at other times, she was like a fox, brimming with countless mischievous ideas.

All the past annoyances had come and gone like the tides of the sea, leaving behind faint but lingering traces.

“Do you still hate her now?” The question Ming Yue had asked echoed in her ears again.

Hate?

Before the thought could fully form, she heard Ming Jiao’s tentative inquiry, “Nightingale?”

Tang Xiaoyu snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream, immediately withdrawing her hand and taking a step back, her gaze shifting away.

Ming Jiao seemed distracted and didn’t press her with questions or teasing. Instead, she casually brought up a topic, “You must be tired after being out and about for so many days. Go rest first.”

She added, “I’ll go buy some food, and we can eat together later.”

Tang Xiaoyu breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Okay.”

·

Ming Yue cautiously peeked outside. The distance was too far for her to hear what Tang Xiaoyu and Ming Jiao were saying, but from their demeanor, it didn’t seem like they were arguing or about to fight.

What were they doing? She slowly rose on her tiptoes and unconsciously pressed herself against the glass window.

She was starting to feel hungry. Should she go out to buy food today?

As she pondered this, Ming Jiao and Tang Xiaoyu had already parted ways. She saw Tang Xiaoyu heading back into the house while Ming Jiao turned and walked toward the small street outside.

She breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t retreat back into the corner.

“Sis.”

Tang Xiaoyu’s mind was still preoccupied with what had just happened. It wasn’t until she heard Ming Yue’s voice that she suddenly remembered she was there too. Forcing herself to compose, she noticed Ming Yue looking at her with a normal expression and finally relaxed slightly, though she didn’t quite understand why she had been tense in the first place.

Ming Yue, however, sensed something odd about Tang Xiaoyu—an indescribable strangeness. “Sis, are you tired? Why don’t you go take a bath and rest for a while?”

The suggestion made Tang Xiaoyu feel even more at ease. She nodded gently and, recalling that Ming Yue had been alone with Ming Jiao for so many days, asked with concern, “How have you been these past few days?”

Ming Yue’s expression grew somewhat complicated. “Pretty good.”

Tang Xiaoyu hadn’t really expected any conflicts between them but had been worried about Ming Yue’s feelings. Seeing no signs of distress, she felt completely reassured and gently patted Ming Yue’s shoulder before heading to the back.

·

In the bathroom, steam filled the air.

During her days out investigating, Tang Xiaoyu hadn’t felt particularly tired. But as she immersed her body in the hot water, a profound sense of comfort and a faint weariness spread throughout her.

She slowly raised her hand, her gaze fixed on her palm, as if that faint tickling sensation was lingering once again.

The steam dampened her long, feathery lashes, softening the usual coolness in her eyes. Especially with the mystery gone after removing her mask, her fair cheeks now carried a delicate, pear-blossom-like confusion.

What exactly was wrong with her today?

Ming Jiao walked back in high spirits after buying all the fried chicken Ming Yue had requested the day before, along with a few dishes Tang Xiaoyu liked. Yet, her cheerfulness was tinged with a hint of confusion.

“Confusion” wasn’t quite the right word—it felt more like her thoughts were a tangled mess of threads. She had already grasped the end of the one that kept unsettling her heart, but she still couldn’t figure out why it was there.

She was about to chat with the System when she realized that, lost in her thoughts, she had already completed the walk home without noticing.

She couldn’t help but chuckle wryly, her attention quickly drawn to the two people sitting inside.

One was, of course, Tang Xiaoyu. She seemed to have just taken a shower, her seaweed-like long hair still damp and glistening. Under the warm, yellow light, her skin was so pale she resembled a glowing jade sculpture.

The other was unmistakably Ming Yue. Dressed in black denim, she wore a mask that covered her entire face—snow-white with a pattern of black flying birds.

Ming Jiao glanced over, carefully observing the eyes visible behind Ming Yue’s mask. As expected, they looked completely unfamiliar.

[Why has Little Black Cat decided to come out today?] “Little Black Cat” was the affectionate nickname Ming Jiao had given Ming Yue in her mind, because in her memories, Ming Yue’s eyes were as round as a cat’s, and she loved wearing black outfits.

System, [Host, a good older sister shouldn’t give her younger sister nicknames.]

Ming Jiao, [Don’t think acting all prudish can hide the fact that you just want to tease me.]

System, [You saw right through me, Host. You truly are an unfathomable woman.]

[Take a break, save the banter for later,] Ming Jiao said. [Let me eat first. You know, suddenly spitting out food in front of guests could range from being rude to getting me sent to a mental hospital.]

The System considerately went into silent mode.

·

Ming Jiao set out the dishes. “Wash your hands and let’s eat.”

She didn’t mention a word about how Ming Yue had been practically invisible these past few days, only to suddenly reappear now. Her calm and natural attitude helped Ming Yue, who had been nervously waiting for some reaction, relax completely.

Since they needed to discuss serious matters—the very reason Ming Yue had come out—the three of them quickly finished dinner and got down to business.

Tang Xiaoyu made a gesture as if reaching into empty space, and a stack of documents materialized in her hand.

Ming Jiao guessed this was the spatial ability the System had mentioned. Having such an ability was like carrying a mobile warehouse—incredibly convenient for storing anything. She couldn’t resist, [System, I really want…]

[No, you don’t,] the System coldly interrupted.

Feeling a bit wistful, Ming Jiao took the documents handed to her by Tang Xiaoyu, her expression soon turning serious.

The documents detailed the situation of the Xie family. The current state of the Xie family was quite complicated. Setting aside Xie Chu’s father’s siblings and their families for now, the focus was solely on Xie Chu’s immediate family.

Xie’s father had two wives. The first was Xie Chu’s biological mother, with whom he had only Xie Chu. The second wife had no children.

Privately, Xie’s father had countless lovers and several illegitimate children, some of whom were around Xie Chu’s age.

Ming Jiao raised an eyebrow. Cheating during marriage.

But that wasn’t her main concern. The key point was that several of the illegitimate children whom Xie’s father admired or who had shown talent had met unfortunate ends.

Tang Xiaoyu had also gathered their files—all had died in accidents, though the circumstances varied: car crashes, drowning, mountain climbing fatalities from falls, and home invasions. The causes were all there.

Ming Jiao’s heart raced as she flipped to the last page with a sense of foreboding. The girl who died in the home invasion had also been killed with a single stab wound. The word “also” lingered because, without her cheat, she would likely be a corpse by now too.

“The modus operandi isn’t exactly identical, but it’s undeniably consistent.”

Tang Xiaoyu sat in the single armchair to Ming Jiao’s left. Without looking at the files, she knew what Ming Jiao was referring to.

“We can now conclusively pinpoint Xie Chu.” Her gaze was heavy, her tone resolute.

Ming Jiao turned to look at her. Relying solely on similar methods to identify Xie Chu was too unstable—even her earlier suspicions of him had been tenuous. These suspicious accidents only deepened his suspicion, given his conflicts of interest with all the victims.

But Ming Jiao sensed that Tang Xiaoyu’s certainty stemmed from another discovery, one that was likely the key.

“Did you find something else?”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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