Watching the little girl, who had initially been very afraid of her but was now holding her hand and nearly in tears, Bai Cha felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. The girl’s emotions had shifted far too quickly.
However, she had to admit, Tuya was a very intelligent child. Bai Cha only needed to start speaking, and Tuya could guess the rest of what she meant. She was indeed a promising prospect.
If this matter was resolved smoothly, Bai Cha could take care of her.
“You could say that. So, could you cooperate? Bai Cha said helplessly, “Do you have any leads on where your mother got the hallucinogen from? Was it also the Night Owl Merchant Guild?”
“I’m not too sure. By the time I knew about these things, my mother was already seriously ill,” Tuya said dejectedly. Her hatred for those illicit drugs and her longing for her mother had completely overshadowed her fear of Bai Cha. In fact, she felt a sense of closeness because of Bai Cha’s reason for being there.
“So, your family wasn’t well-off back then? Do you remember what kind of treatment your mother received?” Bai Cha continued to ask.
“Let me think. I think there was a respirator that maintained her respiratory system, and a blood circulation machine to ensure blood circulation and blood changes,” Tuya pondered seriously. “There was also treatment for her kidneys and liver. I didn’t recognize those two machines. Later, they were kept in petri dishes with nutrient solution for a period, but because it was irreversible, there was nothing that could be done in the end.”
Bai Cha: “…Your father paid for it?”
“Yes, my father worked very hard back then, leaving early and returning late every day. It seemed like he had several jobs,” Tuya said with a smile. “Fortunately, I’ve become a Dragon Knight now. With the monthly subsidies, I can give them to my father, and he won’t have to work anymore…”
Looking at Tuya, who was smiling happily, Bai Cha couldn’t bring herself to smile.
“…”
Silence filled the room. Bai Cha said nothing, and Lucifer said nothing. Tuya, who had been talking incessantly, suddenly felt uneasy as Bai Cha fell silent.
She suddenly had a bad premonition and subconsciously thought of her father. She felt anxious, but she also absolutely believed that her father would never do such a thing.
“It’s impossible. Father loves me and Mom so much. When I resonated with a dragon, I was already notified that I couldn’t become a Dragon Knight, because the descendants of such people cannot become Dragon Knights,” Tuya said, feeling more and more uneasy. Her already slightly damaged heart made her feel overwhelmed. She could only laboriously pick up the respirator and take several deep breaths.
After a while, Tuya finally caught her breath. She was still very weak, but she still propped herself up and sat up on the bed with effort. “Because of this, my father pleaded with people for a long time. In the end, it was only because I presented my mother’s death certificate and the joint signatures of my neighbors that I was able to go to Jun Yao.”
“No! He knew the impact this would have on me. He wouldn’t do this,” Tuya said with difficulty, gasping for breath.
As Bai Cha and Lucifer expected, Tuya, being intelligent, noticed the anomaly within three seconds of their silence.
“Lie down. What are you panicking about?” Bai Cha said with a somewhat indifferent expression, pushing Tuya back onto the bed. However, seeing Tuya’s fearful eyes, Bai Cha hesitated and then lied, “Of course, we have to ask about your mother when investigating the guild.”
Given Tuya’s current condition, telling the truth would likely cause her heart to stop. At the very least, stabilizing Tuya’s condition was the priority.
“Cough.” Lucifer at the door coughed softly and returned to Bai Cha’s side. Bai Cha immediately put on a faint smile again.
“You should focus on recovering from your injuries now. You don’t need to worry about anything else,” Bai Cha said with a smile.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Tu Kexulu knocked on the door and pushed it open, walking in with a fruit platter in his hand. It was indeed beautifully arranged. He had inverted the skin of the dragon fruit in the center, stringing it into a flower. It was hard to imagine that this rough man could do such things.
As soon as Tu Kexulu entered, he saw Tuya’s very unpleasant complexion. He immediately rushed over in three steps, holding his daughter’s hand with a look of anxiety.
“Xiao Ya? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?” Tu Kexulu knelt down decisively by Tuya’s bed, skillfully took out the medicine from the drawer, and fed it to Tuya’s mouth, then covered her with the respirator. All his actions were extremely proficient.
“What’s going on? Wasn’t she a little more stable? Should I ask for another period of leave for you?” Tu Kexulu’s worried expression didn’t seem fake. Bai Cha could tell that he was so nervous that his hands and feet were trembling.
“No, Uncle, you don’t need to be nervous. She just spoke too much at once and couldn’t breathe properly,” Bai Cha said with a smile, patting Tu Kexulu’s shoulder comfortingly. “Actually, we already gave her oxygen with the respirator, she just hasn’t recovered yet.”
“Ah! Oh, I see. You scared me,” Tu Kexulu said, relieved to hear that his daughter was fine. He gave Bai Cha an awkward smile. “I’m sorry to have made a fool of myself. Uh… she’s my only daughter. It’s fine, it’s fine. I just came to deliver the fruit platter. You continue chatting, I’ll leave, and you can continue chatting.”
“No need, Uncle. I’ve already finished chatting with Tuya and am about to leave,” Bai Cha said with a smile, standing up and bowing slightly. “No need for the fruit platter. I have to go back to class. I only asked for half a day off today.”
“Eh, alright, alright, then take care. I’ll see you out!”
Tu Kexulu seemed to be a truly hospitable person. He walked Bai Cha and Lucifer a block away before reluctantly returning home.
After watching Tu Kexulu walk away, Lucifer finally spoke, “Master, is this really okay?”
“Hmm?” Bai Cha didn’t understand what Lucifer meant.
“You didn’t tell Miss Tuya the truth, and even deliberately concealed it. Are you planning to let them go?” Lucifer asked. “I thought you would take Tu Kexulu away directly.”
“Let them go? How is that possible?” Bai Cha shot Lucifer a glance and handed him an earphone. “When I patted his shoulder just now, I placed a micro-spy in his ear. Tasks are about the results, so how can I let them go?”
When carrying out missions, she always solved problems rationally. How could she let someone go just because she felt pity? She could bear being accused of being heartless, but she absolutely could not bear mission failure.
“However, taking him away for interrogation would seem faster,” Lucifer offered his opinion. “Isn’t it a waste of time to monitor and track him so meticulously?”
“Perhaps,” Bai Cha seemed absent-minded. “Interrogation would indeed be faster. If we take him back today, we can get accurate information tonight, but Tuya would likely die then.”
“Have you confirmed Tu Kexulu’s crime yet?” Lucifer asked, puzzled. “Although his appearance is indeed haggard and uncoordinated, very much like someone who has consumed illegal drugs, it shouldn’t be conclusive yet.”
Bai Cha gave Lucifer a helpless glance. “You’re a dragon, so you naturally have no concept of money. Do you know how much the medical expenses from Tuya’s mother to Tuya cost?”
Lucifer: “…”
Well, he really didn’t understand. After all, he had never dealt with money, and Bai Cha was never lacking. But as Bai Cha said, those medical expenses were likely unaffordable for ordinary people.
And selling those drugs was clearly highly profitable.
Consider it as cherishing talent. Although Tuya was also part of the crowd that passively observed campus bullying before, she was only fifteen or sixteen years old and could still be guided back on the right path.
Bai Cha thought to herself.
“Then, are you planning to let him go?” Lucifer asked.
“…Do I look that good in your eyes?” Bai Cha rested her forehead on her hand. “I’ve already had people seal off the surrounding trading locations and place informants. Moreover, a report for direct attack has been submitted to the higher-ups. Once approved, we’ll take down the guild directly.”
Lucifer: “…” Taking down the whole nest directly, that indeed had the demeanor of his master.
All the way, Bai Cha was thinking about these matters. When she returned to the detached villa at her school, Bai Cha found Cangliu standing stiffly at the entrance.
Cangliu’s skin was indeed pale to the point of being bluish. Upon closer inspection, a faint cold mist emanated from his body. Standing there at Bai Cha’s door, straighter than a mummy, he truly looked like an ice pop just taken out of the refrigerator. If one saw him from afar at night, they might mistake him for a water ghost at their doorstep.
His face was handsome, but his presence and the chill he exuded were truly chilling.
Bai Cha was speechless for a long time before walking over and asking curiously, “Cangliu, why are you waiting at my door?”
“The school notified me of new content, so I came to find you. Also, someone else, an outsider, is looking for you. He’s waiting inside,” Cangliu was truly a breath of fresh air. While others exhaled warm air in the cold, he exhaled cold air in the heat. Standing opposite Cangliu, Bai Cha could feel a constant coolness.
“You can go in together. Why are you standing outside in the sun waiting for me? And it’s not even past class time yet?” Bai Cha didn’t know whether to praise Cangliu for being honest or rigid, so she stepped forward to push open the door.
However, as soon as the door was opened, Bai Cha and Lucifer were both stunned.
“Korora?”
“Xidi?”
Bai Cha and Lucifer spoke in unison, but uttered two completely different names.
Bai Cha turned her head, looking strangely at Xidi, then strangely at Lucifer, and said speechlessly, “So, you know each other?”
“Long time no see, King. Please forgive me for not daring to reveal my identity sooner.” Hearing Lucifer call out his name, Korora’s legs immediately went weak. He didn’t even bother to state why he was here; he immediately confessed his fault.
He had thought that Lucifer, after a long period, wouldn’t remember an insignificant person like him. But then, without any outward signs, as soon as they met in private, he was hit with a critical blow.
“I apologize, my Master. I only suspected it at first. It was only when he used his true form before I arrived that night that I recognized him,” Lucifer said thoughtfully. “Korora, never mind, just use your new name.”
“So the Evil Dragon was your subordinate before? You remember all their names?” Bai Cha asked in surprise.
“You can think of it that way, my Master, but it’s not exactly subordinates,” Lucifer replied gently. “I just started it.”
“…Never mind, let’s not talk about these strange things for now. Your network of relationships is a bit messy,” Bai Cha waved her hand, leading Lucifer and Cangliu into the living room.
Bai Cha sat on the sofa in front of Korora, while Cangliu stood obediently behind Bai Cha. Korora seemed somewhat nervous, his face stiff since he first saw Bai Cha.
“Speak, why did you come looking for me?” Bai Cha asked directly.
“Miss Bai, I, I want to ask you to protect my wife, Lilia.”