touchnovel Chapter 53 Reunion with Zhou An, Facing the Extraordinary
Chapter 53 Reunion with Zhou An, Facing the Extraordinary
Cemetery No. 7 is built on a gentle slope on the outskirts of the city, and looks like a gray terraced field from a distance.
Two rows of cypress trees are planted on either side of the cemetery gate. When the wind blows, they rustle and whisper, as if someone is talking in hushed tones.
"Where are Jia Ke's family buried?" Kong Lingchen got out of the car and looked around.
"The location posted in the group is the seventh row of the East District." Wang Wenhao took out his phone's notes and glanced at it. "It said that the whole family was buried together, his parents, him, and his relatives, about ten people in total."
Li Cheng clicked his tongue: "About ten mouthfuls, all gone overnight. This monster is too ruthless."
Kong Lingchen lowered his voice: "I heard that those things are called 'funeral cat wolves,' and they specifically target families holding funerals."
"First, they stage an accident to extort money, then they release a cat. Once the cat attaches itself to the corpse, it comes back to life and kills all the victims' relatives. The Department of the Supernatural has been chasing it for many days, but they still haven't caught it."
"How do you know so much?" Wang Wenhao glanced at him sideways.
"It's just something circulating in Beijing's social circles," Kong Lingchen said casually. "We have similar cases over there, but they didn't cause such a stir."
Li Cheng chuckled and joked, "Tsk tsk, 'Master Jing' is something else, his information network is incredibly good. Does he have someone in his family working within the system?"
Kong Lingchen didn't reply, but just chuckled.
Jiang Jun walked to the side, listening silently.
He recalled the "Divine Rooster Talisman" that Kong Lingchen had given him; the red "Imperial Edict" seal on it exuded righteousness and was something that ordinary people could not access.
It seems this kid does have some connections.
"We're here, seventh row of the East District." Wang Wenhao stopped and pointed ahead.
A row of gray tombstones stood in neat rows, with the middle few being clearly new, and silk flowers and incense sticks still placed in front of them.
One of the tombstones bears Jia Ke's name, and next to it are the graves of Jia Ke's parents.
Someone arrived first.
Zhou Ping was squatting in front of the monument, inserting incense sticks into the incense burner.
Standing beside her was Zhou An, a small, thin man holding a bunch of white chrysanthemums, waiting quietly.
Zhou Ping moved slowly, her face expressionless. After lighting the incense, she took out paper money, folded it neatly one by one, and placed it on the ground to burn.
Zhou An suddenly turned his head and glanced in the direction of Jiang Jun and the others.
"That's... Zhou Ping?" Kong Lingchen recognized her. "And her son?"
Jiang Jun nodded.
Zhou Ping noticed them too, stood up, and nodded in their direction.
Not far behind her, a man in a dark jacket leaned against a cypress tree, his hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Jun and the other three with indifference.
It's a cycad!
Jiang Jun was slightly taken aback, then realized that Su Tie's aura was completely different from before.
He was like a sharp sword, his edge fully exposed, as if even the air itself had been cleaved open.
But beneath this sharp edge, Jiang Jun keenly sensed a deeper, more sinister undercurrent. Like magma flowing underground, it was both frenzied and dangerous.
He has advanced to the Transcendent Realm!
Jiang Jun felt a chill run down his spine. This was the first time he had come into such close contact with a transcendent being who could manipulate strange creatures.
My senses are screaming warnings, as if the person standing in front of me isn't a living person, but a ferocious beast that could go out of control at any moment.
The cycad appears calm on the surface, but beneath that calm lies a deeper madness, like a string stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.
"As expected, even those in the Transcendent Realm cannot escape the corruption of the Abyss."
Su Tie sensed their gazes, nodded slightly in their direction, and then took a few steps away to give them space.
"Let's go over and say hello." Kong Lingchen led the way.
When Zhou Ping saw them, she was a little flustered: "You... are Jia Ke's classmates, right?"
"Hello, sister-in-law." Kong Lingchen greeted her sweetly, then squatted down to look at Zhou An. "Hello, An'an, we are your father's classmates."
Zhou An held the flowers and quietly watched him.
Zhou Ping coaxed softly, "An'an, call him Uncle."
Zhou An pursed his lips and said, "Hello, Uncle."
"Oh, good boy." Kong Lingchen rubbed his head.
Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng also came over and said a few words to Zhou An.
Zhou An simply nodded or shook his head, occasionally uttering a word or two in a voice as soft as a kitten's.
Zhou Ping explained, "An'an isn't very talkative, but he understands everything."
Jiang Jun stood to the side, watching Zhou An. The child was quiet, but his eyes were very bright.
Zhou An suddenly raised his head and looked straight at Jiang Jun.
He released Zhou Ping's hand, walked over, looked up at Jiang Jun for a few seconds, and then reached out and grabbed the hem of Jiang Jun's clothes.
Zhou Ping was somewhat surprised: "An'an?"
Zhou An didn't let go, but just looked at Jiang Jun, the corners of his mouth curving slightly as if he were smiling.
"This child..." Zhou Ping said somewhat embarrassedly, "He seems particularly close to you."
Jiang Jun squatted down to meet Zhou Anping's gaze. He sensed that the child possessed a special spiritual awareness, far more acute than that of ordinary people, even capable of perceiving the power of suppressing objects.
"An'an, we meet again." Jiang Jun took out a keychain from his pocket, with a small willow twig "Gui Bu Xu" hanging on it.
He made this by hand, and its power to suppress evil spirits is hidden very well; it looks like an ordinary handicraft.
Zhou An took it, held it in his hands, and his eyes lit up.
Zhou Ping felt a little guilty: "How could I possibly accept this..."
"It's just a little trinket, it's worthless." Jiang Jun smiled.
Seeing Zhou An's joyful expression, Zhou Ping's eyes reddened slightly. "This child has always been different from others. If you have time... could you come and see him occasionally?"
Jiang Jun initially wanted to refuse, but looking into Zhou An's clear eyes and then at the "Ghostly Prohibition" keychain, a thought struck him.
This child has extremely high spiritual awareness and is very compatible with the power to suppress things.
"Okay, I'll come when I have time." Jiang Jun nodded.
Zhou Ping thanked her repeatedly.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the atmosphere remained somewhat awkward.
After all, Jia Ke had ignored Zhou Ping and her son while he was alive, and now that they were dead, they had nothing to say.
Kong Lingchen led the way by bowing three times to Jia Ke, followed by Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng. Jiang Jun stood at the back, giving a slight bow.
"Sister-in-law, we'll be going now. We need to rush back to school to take graduation photos," Kong Lingchen said goodbye.
Zhou Ping nodded, took Zhou An's hand, and watched them leave.
On the way down the mountain, Kong Lingchen glanced back and lowered his voice, "Did you guys notice that guy standing at the back?"
"What's wrong?" Wang Wenhao asked.
"His aura was so imposing that I felt suffocated even from more than ten meters away. I've seen that button on his cuff before; it's an accessory worn by high-ranking officials in the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs."
Kong Lingchen said with certainty, "That must be a very important person."
"How do you even know this?" Li Cheng asked, both surprised and suspicious.
Kong Lingchen chuckled: "Someone in my family is in the system and overheard it."
Jiang Jun walked silently, having already made his judgment.
The "Divine Rooster Talisman" given by Kong Lingchen is blessed with divine artifacts, and now he knows the details of the Department of Mysteries like the back of his hand. He must have a powerful background.
But strangely, he himself is not a demon tamer. Is it because he lacks the qualifications, or because his family forbids it?
"With such powerful connections in your family, why didn't they get you a ghost to play with?" Jiang Jun asked tentatively.
Kong Lingchen scratched his head: "My family won't allow it. They say this stuff is too evil, once you get hooked on it, you can't get rid of it. They just want me to be a normal person."
Jiang Jun nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
As the four walked out of the cemetery gate, their cell phones rang simultaneously.
"Everyone! Meet at the library entrance at 2 PM for graduation photos! No one is allowed to be late!"
"Let's have our farewell dinner at 'Yiweixuan' near the school gate at 6 PM!"
Kong Lingchen slapped his thigh: "Alright, let's hurry back, we still need to change into our graduation gowns!"
The four quickened their pace and headed towards the parking lot.
Sunlight shines on the cypress trees in the cemetery, casting dappled shadows on the ground.