Facing Bai Ling'er, who refused to budge, I was somewhat at a loss. I couldn't exactly threaten to send her back to the semi-underworld every time something happened, could I? What if I truly angered her and she ran back on her own? That would be a huge loss for me.
Seeing Bai Ling'er's anthropomorphic little eyes glance at me from time to time, I understood that it was asking for benefits.
I glanced at the several pounds of mutton on the table, which it had already devoured, and guessed it wasn't full.
"A leg of lamb."
Bai Ling'er was unmoved, even giving me a big eye-roll.
Pondering the money left in my pocket, which was barely enough to buy a pound of mutton, I really didn't dare to boast further.
"A whole roasted lamb."
"Deal. When will you buy it for me?" Bai Ling'er's anthropomorphic eyes were full of little stars as she looked at Zhang Dabiao, who had just come in from outside.
"Let's settle the matter first. Tell us everything you know, and then we'll go eat. What do you say?"
Zhang Dabiao clearly had a better way of dealing with Bai Ling'er than I did. I stood by the side without a word, accepting this method of appeasement.
"This won't do." Bai Ling'er shook her little head and refused.
I asked anxiously, "Why? Didn't you say deal?"
"I know too much. If I told you everything, and you only exchanged it for one whole roasted lamb, wouldn't I be at a huge disadvantage?"
After Bai Ling'er finished speaking, I stumbled and almost fainted. I felt my eyelids twitching incessantly, my teeth grinding. I really wanted to grab it and beat it soundly, but considering the difference in our strength, I suppressed the urge to act. After all, I didn't have a masochistic tendency.
I gritted my teeth and said, "Then tell me something related to me."
"This I can do. There are two things related to you. Given that this is our first collaboration, I'll tell you both. Otherwise, it would cost at least two whole roasted lambs... The first thing is, the person you're looking for has been hidden by someone arranged by Li Zuoquan."
I had already suspected this. When Wang Jun forced me to see Fang Huixin, I saw that her residence was separated by iron doors in many places, and there were password locks between the doors, with people constantly patrolling for security.
Even if Sui Wan'er could temporarily revive by borrowing a corpse, it would be harder than climbing to heaven to leave without being discovered. In such a situation, the disappearance of Fang Huixin's daughter and Sui Wan'er indicated one thing: someone was stealing from within. This was also why I was reluctant to look for her daughter.
"What's the second thing?"
"The second thing, I can congratulate you." Bai Ling'er looked at me with a smile.
"Congratulate me?" I was stunned. "Congratulate me on what?"
"Congratulations, you're about to get engaged."
"Engaged? Engaged to whom?"
I was completely confused by Bai Ling'er's words. I had been single for eighteen years and didn't even have a girlfriend, so how could I suddenly be engaged? I, the person involved, didn't know, so how did Bai Ling'er know?
"To the person you're looking for!"
Hearing Bai Ling'er's teasing words, I reached out to grab it without thinking. "What time is it, and you're still in the mood to tease me? I'm going to skin you today, and we'll have snake soup later."
My agility was originally inferior to Zhang Dabiao's, let alone Bai Ling'er's. I chased it around the room for five or six rounds without touching a single finger of it, only to exhaust myself.
"Hey, how can you be like this? I wouldn't have told you this news if I had known."
"You... you're really going to anger me to death. Brother Zhang, help me catch it. We'll have snake soup later..."
Zhang Dabiao didn't move. Instead, he looked at Bai Ling'er seriously and said, "Continue."
Bai Ling'er gave me a disdainful look and then continued, "Li Zuoquan got this kid's birth date from somewhere and is planning to invite guests tomorrow for his engagement. Sudannevel.com"
As soon as I heard this, I stood up abruptly. "What did you say? How did he get my birth date?"
"You ask me, who do I ask? This news should have been told to you by Fifth Princess, but I don't know what you did to anger her away..." Bai Ling'er grumbled, blaming me.
"Little brother, how could you casually give away your birth date? If this is true, it's going to be a big problem." Zhang Dabiao ignored Bai Ling'er, who was clamoring to eat, and looked at me seriously.
"I know that, but I haven't given my birth date to anyone, unless... I understand, the police station."
Fang Huixin could do such a large business in yin objects and antique items, so it was impossible for her not to have connections with local powers. With this in mind, it wouldn't be difficult to inquire about the identity information of someone arrested and taken to the police station.
Seeing that I was silent, Zhang Dabiao said in a deep voice, "What do we do now?"
"We have to find a way to get out of the village."
Now that I knew Li Zuoquan's next plan, he would definitely prevent me from leaving Dong Village. I just didn't know his purpose for doing so.
Was it just because I disrupted his arrangement of the King's prosperity and husband-killing fate? This reason didn't hold water. No matter what, the person who wanted to arrange a ghost marriage was Fang Huixin's daughter, and Fang Huixin should have been the one to benefit. Unless there were other complications.
"This might be difficult. I've been wandering around the village for the past two days you were missing. There are many people guarding the village exits, and they all have your photos. It won't be easy to sneak out."
I frowned and asked, "Whose people are these? Fang Huixin's forces? Or the subordinates of Li Jian, who is by her side?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head, looking at me with some confusion. "I don't know about that. They're all in this together, so what's the difference?"
"I suspect Fang Huixin probably doesn't know that her daughter was taken away by Li Zuoquan and Li Jian, those two old fellows. What do you think would happen if she knew this news?"
Zhang Dabiao thought for a moment before replying, "This... she would probably start a fight, right?"
I thought about it and replied, "Not necessarily. Since Li Jian dared to steal her daughter from under Fang Huixin's nose, he should have a foolproof plan. It won't be easy for Fang Huixin to catch him. If we want to leave the village, we might have to start with Fang Huixin."
No matter how big Fang Huixin's business was, or how much she "hated" her daughter's death, she couldn't escape one thing: she was a mother. Just the fact that her daughter appeared in a dream and she arranged a ghost marriage for her showed that she loved her daughter very much.
If there was evidence that her daughter was stolen by Li Jian and Li Zuoquan through despicable means, then all problems would be solved.
With this thought, I turned my gaze to Bai Ling'er.
Bai Ling'er, who was wholeheartedly fantasizing about a big meal later, instantly became alert. Her anthropomorphic eyes looked at me nervously. "What are you going to do?"
I put on what I considered my most amiable smile. "Ling'er, do you want to eat another whole roasted lamb?"
Hearing about food, Bai Ling'er became excited, but this excitement vanished from its "face" in an instant. It looked at me seriously, "Fifth Princess said that if someone is overly attentive without reason, they must have bad intentions."
I felt my face stiffen and harbored endless resentment towards Fifth Princess. What had you taught this little thing for no reason!
Zhang Dabiao chuckled beside me. I gave him a displeased look, and then I heard him say, "You really should do this, otherwise the roasted lamb I promised you will be gone."
Bai Ling'er, with its usual lazy demeanor, suddenly flew up from the table, its anthropomorphic eyes filled with anger, staring intently at Zhang Dabiao. "You're going back on your word?"
Facing Bai Ling'er's threat, Zhang Dabiao took a step back. I guessed he was picturing the scene of being gnawed by Bai Ling'er.
"How could I go back on my word? I always keep my promises. However, this delicacy takes time to roast, doesn't it? Since the waiting time is boring, wouldn't it be better to do something meaningful?"
Bai Ling'er thought for a moment, then looked at Zhang Dabiao. "You're not tricking me, are you?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head like a drum. "How could that be? I wouldn't dare to trick anyone, but I wouldn't dare to trick you! If you don't believe me, he can guarantee it?" Saying this, he pointed at me.
I really wanted to curse Zhang Dabiao for being disloyal. Why was he pushing the promise he made onto me? But on second thought, this was all for me, so I could only nod in cooperation. "If you go back on your word, you can do whatever you want. What do you think?"
"In that case, tell me what it is."
I subtly gave Zhang Dabiao a thumbs-up, then slowly said, "It's very simple. Go south, find Fang Huixin's daughter, and take something conspicuous from her."
Bai Ling'er looked at me doubtfully. "Is it that simple?"
I nodded. "Yes, it's that simple."
"But I don't know who Fang Huixin's daughter is?"
Damn it, how could I have forgotten this?
Up to this point, I had never properly seen what Fang Huixin's daughter looked like. The only time I met her was when Sui Wan'er entered her body and she was possessed, but at that time, her whole body was covered in white fur.
"Little brother, why are you so stupid? Did you forget how to find Sun Chuang?"
Zhang Dabiao's reminder made me remember. How could I have forgotten this?
"Ling'er, are you sensitive to yin energy?"
Bai Ling'er nodded and said it was okay.
"That's good."
Then I found some yellow paper and wrote down Fang Huixin's daughter's birth date. I also ground some soul-seeking incense and evenly smeared it on the paper before lighting it.
This method could only be used within a radius of five li. Beyond that, it would be ineffective. With everything prepared, I lit the yellow paper, and a wisp of gray smoke curled up.
Bai Ling'er sniffed with its two small nostrils, then turned and flew south, leaving behind only a sentence: "If I come back and don't see two whole roasted lambs, you two wait to die!"