"Oh, I forgot you're a high school senior," Lin Yan said. She was so young that she didn't seem like a senior.
Zeng Jingjing ate the breakfast Lin Yan had bought, watching her scroll through messages on her phone while eating.
She really didn't seem like a senior. Setting aside her age, her composure alone made her seem more like an adult than a child.
After Zeng Jingjing finished eating, Lin Yan said she wanted to take her pulse.
She could also read fortunes, but that was a difficult skill, and she hadn't mastered it. She usually relied on taking pulses to determine a person's condition.
After Lin Yan finished taking Zeng Jingjing's pulse, she asked for her birth date and details about recent events.
However, as she asked questions, Lin Yan found nothing amiss. Apart from the lingering yin energy from the ghost, there was nothing else on Zeng Jingjing.
It seemed she would have to deal with the ghost itself. She didn't know if the ghost had targeted Zeng Jingjing intentionally or unintentionally.
"Sister Zeng, I don't detect anything wrong with you, just some lingering yin energy. You should just get more sun exposure. Here's a protective amulet; keep it with you. I'll get rid of that ghost as soon as possible," Lin Yan said, handing her an amulet.
Zeng Jingjing carefully put the amulet away. She knew how powerful these amulets were. If not for a similar amulet last night, she would never have survived to see Lin Yan.
"Why would that ghost target me?"
"We'll know once I catch the ghost. However, seeing as it kept trying to push you towards the road, it's highly likely looking for a replacement." Of course, it was also possible someone wanted to harm Zeng Jingjing.
Although Zeng Jingjing lived in an old apartment complex, her birth details indicated to Lin Yan that her family was not simple.
"Then I'll have to trouble you. May I call you Yan Yan?"
"Of course, but Sister Zeng, you shouldn't live alone recently."
"Alright, I'll move back home right away," Zeng Jingjing agreed readily.
"I should be going back. I have classes in the morning and can't take too much time off," Lin Yan said, checking the time.
"Then I'll drive you. I have a car," Zeng Jingjing immediately offered.
"Thank you for your trouble."
After dropping Lin Yan off, Zeng Jingjing returned to her own home, packed some clothes and toiletries, and then drove to another location.
As Zeng Jingjing arrived at the entrance, someone came to greet her.
"Miss is back! You've gotten thinner. You must not have been eating well outside. Don't leave again once you're back; I'll cook more for you to replenish your strength," the kind middle-aged woman said affectionately, holding Zeng Jingjing's arm with concern.
"Aunt He, are my father and the others home?" Zeng Jingjing couldn't refuse the middle-aged woman's kindness and changed the subject.
"Master has already gone to work. Madam is not awake yet."
"Has Ah Ming gone to class?" Zeng Jingjing asked. Ah Ming was her younger brother, nearly ten years her junior and a child prodigy.
Despite being a genius, he disliked attending school, so his family hired a private tutor for him.
"He doesn't have classes today. He went to the library early this morning."
"Okay," Zeng Jingjing said, placing her luggage in her room.
"Aunt He, I'll be staying home for a while."
"That's good. I'll go make you a nourishing soup right away," Aunt He said happily and prepared to head to the kitchen.
"Aunt He, I'm still on a diet recently. Please don't cook anything too greasy," Zeng Jingjing said. Knowing she couldn't refuse Aunt He's enthusiasm, she could only compromise.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan arrived at the precinct during her lunch break. After reporting Zeng Jingjing's situation to the authorities, she inquired about the recent surge in paranormal events.
There weren't many people at the precinct at lunchtime, so the receptionist provided Lin Yan with a computer to search for information herself.
Lin Yan not only saw cases from her city but also from other cities. She discovered that many similar incidents had occurred in these cities over the past few months.
These were only the documented cases; there were many more undocumented ones. Lin Yan didn't know if her assumptions were correct, but she felt they were.
The Ghost King was about to awaken. Lin Yan knew that in the original novel, the Ghost King awoke when the protagonist was in her early twenties and was sealed away when she was about twenty-five.
However, she was only fifteen now, meaning there were still ten years left. Had the Ghost King begun its awakening this early?
Lin Yan didn't continue reading. She closed the computer and left.
"Yan Yan, what's wrong? You seem a bit down."
"It's nothing, Sister Wei. It's just something that's been weighing on my mind, unresolved."
"Can you tell me about it?"
"It's not the right time yet," Lin Yan shook her head. She couldn't tell Wei Wanru because she couldn't explain how she knew this information.
"When the time comes, you can tell me. Yan Yan, you're still young. Don't carry all the burdens yourself," Wei Wanru reached out to pat Lin Yan's head, then hesitated and withdrew her hand.
Lin Yan took Wei Wanru's hand and placed it on her own head. "Sister Wei, I will. Thank you."
Thank you for not leaving, thank you for staying by my side to protect me.
Lin Yan was very grateful to Wei Wanru. Although she knew many things, the knowledge of the Xuanmen was in a different category. If Wei Wanru hadn't stayed by her side, she wouldn't have adapted to this world so well.
"Then should I say you're welcome?" Wei Wanru said with a smile.
"It's you!" a surprised voice exclaimed from behind Lin Yan.
Lin Yan turned and saw a somewhat familiar young man. He was wearing a white shirt with two buttons undone, revealing a sliver of his collarbone. He wore jeans and white sneakers.
The young man's attire was neat. He was holding a stack of books, and his eyes sparkled like stars as he looked at Lin Yan.
"What sights are you here to see today?" his smile was radiant.
"I'm out here to save the world," Lin Yan said, then chuckled. "What about you? Are you buying books?"
"Yes, I read some interesting books at the library, so I bought them. Where are you headed next? Do you need a ride?" He saw that Lin Yan hadn't bought anything and assumed she was out on an errand.
Hearing Lin Yan's comment about "saving the world," he simply smiled, not taking the joke seriously.
"I'm going back to school. I have classes this afternoon," Lin Yan said, not explicitly asking for a ride, but she was happy to see him again.
"Have you had lunch yet? I haven't. Do you want to eat together?" He found the young girl in front of him very approachable and wanted to get to know her.