Chapter 527 - 541: Flawlessly Fast
"I want to be your friend for a month. Is that okay?"
The humble, candid words made An Ning turn to Jiang Xia and dutifully act as a translator for the ghost.
"Tao Quan wants to be my friend for a month."
"Jiang Xia? Jiang Xia? Jiang Xia—"
"Ah—I’m here."
Jiang Xia snapped out of it. He looked at a worried An Ning and asked, "Why can he remain as a soul? If something happened to me one day, could my soul be preserved too?"
An Ning placed the back of her hand on Jiang Xia’s forehead. He wasn’t feverish.
"You don’t have a fever. What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you die? Besides, what’s so enviable about Tao Quan’s condition?"
"Isn’t being alive a good thing?"
Jiang Xia gave a silly smile. "Of course being alive is great. I want to live, I’m just afraid of the what-ifs..."
"Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll just pull out your soul and turn you into an evil spirit. That way you can ’live’ on forever, how’s that?"
An Ning was only half-joking, but Jiang Xia took her seriously.
"It’s a promise, then. You have to make me into your most powerful evil spirit."
"Um—can I?"
Tao Quan’s sudden interruption made An Ning turn to him. She said with utter disdain, "What are you trying to get in on? The fact that I haven’t already scattered your soul is the greatest mercy I can offer."
Showing no hint of disappointment, Tao Quan nodded in agreement. "You’re right."
Tao Quan stayed.
An Ning allowed him to stay, but for his remaining month of existence as a soul, she laid down a long list of rules.
If he violated a single one, his soul would be utterly obliterated. Tao Quan knew An Ning wasn’t joking.
Tao Quan was confined to a circle An Ning had drawn for him—his new ’room’—while she walked Jiang Xia out.
"You be careful."
"Don’t worry. His range of movement is restricted to the area under the tree in the yard. He can’t go anywhere else."
"Mm, how did he end up like this anyway?"
An Ning gave Jiang Xia a warning look.
"I can tell you, but don’t you ever try it. He found a Feng Shui Master and sacrificed his own essence, qi, and spirit. In other words, he planned the date of his own suicide. The process involves the pain of having your soul torn apart."
"Although I don’t know exactly how painful it is, it can’t be much easier than being burned alive."
"Furthermore, this process can’t be completed in a single day. It takes forty-nine days, and he had to endure the same agony every day. No, that’s not right. The pain actually multiplied with each passing day."
Jiang Xia glanced at the base of the tree in the yard, even though he couldn’t see him.
"Okay, I’m heading back. You be careful."
"Don’t worry."
Jiang Xia went back next door, and An Ning returned to her own yard. She didn’t spare a single glance for the soul drifting within it.
Under the tree, Tao Quan didn’t mind An Ning’s attitude in the slightest.
Ever since he learned An Ning was a Feng Shui Master, he’d had a few plans in mind.
He did it for no other reason than to wash away his sins, so that An Ning could see a ’clean’ version of him.
Sometimes Tao Quan also wondered, ’Does death really make me clean?’
He didn’t know the answer himself. He was even less certain about his feelings for An Ning. All he knew was that for the last moments of his consciousness, he just wanted to be quietly by her side.
Inside the house, An Ning remained completely unaffected, going about her business as usual.
As for Tao Quan outside, she did feel a degree of sympathy for his story. In a way, he had repaid the debts he owed.
However, An Ning’s compassion was limited to letting him stay outside for his final month.
She had no intention of communicating with him any further.
"BANG—"
A loud noise startled An Ning.
’Next door?’
An Ning dashed out of the house, pointed at Tao Quan under the tree, and yelled, "Stay right there!"
Tao Quan, who had one foot raised, silently lowered it, squatted down, and stayed put.
He watched as An Ning took a running start, kicked off the wall, and vaulted over to the neighboring yard.
’Her skills are incredible.’
Next door, An Ning rushed into the house and saw Jiang Xia packing his luggage.
"Where are you going?"
"Hong Kong. My uncle is in a coma and won’t wake up."
An Ning frowned. Hong Kong’s situation was unique.
"Are you able to travel there right now?"
"Yes."
An Ning pressed on, "Do you know why he’s in a coma? Uncle Jiang’s health should have mostly recovered by now."
"You’re right. His health did indeed improve a lot. The cause of the coma is unknown."
An Ning’s thoughts ran deeper. ’Hong Kong... Its culture of Mysticism is relatively intact. Many powerful practitioners went to Hong Kong back in the day.’
’Uncle Jiang has no children. In my view, his enormous fortune is a powerful lure.’
"I’m going with you," An Ning decided.
"You go on ahead. I’ll follow shortly. If you run into anything... unscientific, wait for me. Don’t trust any outsiders."
Jiang Xia immediately understood An Ning’s words.
"I know. I’ll wait for you."
He had unconditional faith in An Ning’s words.
Jiang Xia shouldered his backpack and left first.
An Ning wasted no time either. She made a call directly to Director Zhao to inform him she was going to Hong Kong.
"Okay, I’ll arrange it."
"I need the fastest way possible."
"Regardless of identity?"
"Yes, regardless of identity."
After hanging up, An Ning packed a bag. Under the large tree, Tao Quan remained in his circle.
"An Ning—I—"
"I’m going to Hong Kong. If you want to come, you might not even have a full month left."
"That’s fine. This is all borrowed time anyway."
Tao Quan’s easygoing acceptance prompted An Ning to take out a small gourd to serve as a temporary home for him.
"RING RING—"
The phone rang. It was a call from Director Zhao.
An Ning received an address, a phone number, and a contact person’s name.
"Okay, I’ve got it."
"An Ning, I really want to stop you, but I know I can’t. Just please remember, you’re not just representing yourself anymore. You have to come back safely."
"I will."
An Ning hung up, shouldered her backpack, and set off.
A car, which had appeared outside her house at some point, drove An Ning straight to an airport. She boarded a plane and flew to another city.
After the plane landed, An Ning was again picked up by a private car and taken to a specific location.
"Miss An Ning, the car can’t go any further. We’ll have to walk from here."
A crisp, clear female voice spoke, receiving a nod of affirmation from An Ning.
The two of them walked for a long time along a weedy riverbank.
As night fell, An Ning, who was busy feeding the mosquitoes by the river, finally spoke up.
"Are we going to... sneak... across?"
"Yes. You said you wanted the fastest way."
"Our intelligence suggests a small fishing boat passes through here on an irregular schedule—every three, five, or seven days."
An Ning was speechless for the first time.
’Can’t argue with that. It’s perfectly logical.’
With the help of the authorities, she was about to illegally cross a border for the first time in her life.
"We need to change clothes."
"We?"
The woman opposite An Ning nodded. In an instant, her entire demeanor shifted. Her determined gaze softened into one of fear mixed with anticipation.
"That’s right. We’re from the same village. I’ll do all the talking; I have the local dialect down. You can’t speak it, so just pretend to be mute."
"Most importantly, please don’t entertain any thoughts of me leaving. I will be providing close protection at all times."