Free Web NovelTo the east of Liming City's night market, downwind, there is a large urban village located in a low-lying area, a very large area. It's like a huge, ugly scar on the city.
There, old buildings that have seen better days are squeezed together shoulder to shoulder.
Shacks haphazardly built are like vicious tumors, clinging to the gaps between the buildings. Illegally installed wires crisscross in mid-air.
The narrow, winding alleys are always waterlogged, brewing a persistent, foul odor of decay.
It is called Xiang Niangzi Cave, consisting of seven streets in total, three horizontal and four vertical, and countless completely winding branches.
People in Liming City have never regarded the residents of Xiang Niangzi Cave as human beings. In their eyes, the residents here are the same kind of existence as the snakes, insects, rats, and ants that live in the sewers and operate in the dark, and are even more harmful.
Xiang Niangzi is another name for a cockroach, so Xiang Niangzi Cave roughly means a cockroach nest.
Of course, this doesn't mean that outsiders are completely prejudiced against the residents of Xiang Niangzi Cave, as most of them do engage in some shady activities.
Black-hearted food stall vendors, pickpockets who steal all day long, 'artisans' skilled in counterfeiting, 'Breaking Bad' style drug makers,'success scheme brainwashing organizations', drunkards, gamblers, and addicts like these are everywhere in Xiang Niangzi Cave, and they can only be considered minor characters.
Those fearless smuggling gangs, alchemists who can blow up half a street with potions from their labs, and Psychic on the Night Watch's wanted list are the real tough guys.
Furthermore, when humans can no longer change their terrible lives through their own power, they always place their hopes on some vague and ethereal things. Thus, Night Watch Alley, with its nearly 100,000 residents, has become a good place for urban legend to develop followers.
In fact, at its peak, there were thirty-three cult organizations with different beliefs coexisting in Night Watch Alley, which is quite absurd.
And Hua Xieyu's father was a master of all trades among the residents of Night Watch Alley; he sold fake goods, was a pickpocket, participated in smuggling gangs, served as a small cult leader, and was also an addict.
About eight years ago, after unremitting efforts and persistent self-destruction, he finally successfully played himself to death. Probably dead.
Anyway, that guy hasn't been back to this house in Night Watch Alley for seven or eight years.
Of course, it's also possible that he found Hua Xieyu a burdensome nuisance and simply abandoned both the house and his daughter in this corner where the sun doesn't shine.
However, no matter the reason, Hua Xieyu didn't care at all. It would be best if that man never came back!
If he really suddenly came back, whether or not to personally kill her own father would be quite a headache.
After all, that man only abandoned her here; he didn't sell his child like cargo, as many residents of Night Watch Alley did, which could be considered having a tiny bit of conscience.
However, it's also possible that he simply forgot that he even had a daughter like her----
As Hua Xieyu walked into the area of Night Watch Alley and followed the familiar path deeper in, someone waved at her and greeted her.
"Yo, Sister Hua, I made some late-night snacks, no gutter oil used! Want to come in and try some?"
It was a bloated, dark-skinned man who grinned, revealing two golden front teeth. Noticing the man's lewd gaze that seemed to penetrate her clothes, Hua Xieyu rolled her eyes, secretly despising him. After so many years, how can this guy still have no self-awareness at all?
Does he really think that waiting here every day and showering me with attention will get him close to me?
Ignoring the man, she continued forward. Halfway through the journey, getting closer and closer to her residence, Hua Xieyu's expression not only didn't relax but instead became more vigilant. She silently took out a cleaver from her backpack, held it in her hand, and skillfully tied the knife to her hand with a cloth strip.
The dimly lit alley was unusually quiet, the atmosphere heavy. In the shadows, figures could be vaguely seen stirring, casting malevolent glances, until Hua Xieyu took out the cleaver. Only then did the figures that were about to move calm down again.
"Sister Hua, good harvest today, huh?"
In the shadows by the roadside, a tall, thin man with sunken, dark eyes leered and tried to strike up a conversation with Hua Xieyu.
But she just calmly moved the tip of the cleaver in her hand a few inches towards the man as a response, and then continued walking. In Xiang Niangzi Cave, responding to such a proposition is usually a test before a 'zero-cost purchase'. The best response is to ignore it. "Hmph, Little Girl!"
The tall, thin man watched Hua Xieyu's retreating back and snorted. ----
Hua Xieyu's home is in the eastern corner of Xiang Niangzi Cave, a three-story building. Compared to the surrounding dilapidated state, this small building is much brighter.
Perhaps it's because there are flowers and plants planted on the balcony of the small building, and the surrounding walls built with iron sheets and red bricks are spray-painted with many brightly colored graffiti.
Directly opposite the small building is a small convenience store, where a fierce-looking middle-aged woman sits. Hua Xieyu stopped for a moment in front of the small building.
"Aunt Sun, no one caused trouble today, right?"
The middle-aged woman lifted her eyelids, didn't speak, but just shook her head. "Alright, thank you!"
Hua Xieyu said thank you and quickly walked into the convenience store, took some dairy drinks and a dozen pork floss buns from the shelves, turned around and left a hundred-yuan bill folded into a heart shape on the counter, and then quickly ran to the small building opposite.
The middle-aged woman looked at the banknote on the counter, then looked at
Hua Xieyu's back, rolled her eyes, and muttered, "This girl, always like this."
One hundred yuan is slightly more than the price of the things Hua Xieyu bought. And she always buys things for slightly more at this convenience store.
While the middle-aged woman was muttering softly, Hua Xieyu had already passed through the wall, slammed the large iron gate at the entrance of the first floor of the small building shut with a "bang", and locked it with a "click"...
All the windows of the small building were sealed with wooden boards, completely blocking out the light. The moment the large iron gate closed, everything went dark.
Hua Xieyu fumbled in the darkness for a while and quickly found the switch, letting the lights illuminate the entire house.
The space on the first floor of the small building is very large, looking like a large hall created by knocking down the walls between two or three households. In some places, remnants of walls that were half-demolished can still be seen.
Several high-power light bulbs hung from the peeling ceiling, swaying and casting warm light.
In the empty hall, there were a few worn-out sofas and a round table made of oil drums and wooden boards. Broken furniture, tires, iron plates, and other items were tilted on the floor.
A pink wooden horse swayed next to the round table, and an old arcade game machine displayed the character selection screen of a certain fighting game, as if someone had just been playing there.
Strangely, on the wall near the window in the corner, there was a wall-to-wall book shelf. It's hard to imagine that someone like Hua Xieyu would like to read, with a wide range of content from novels to travelogues, from law to history.
And even stranger, among these books, there were also a large number of children's books and elementary school textbooks. "Thump!"
Hua Xieyu threw her backpack onto the round table, pouted her pink lips slightly, put her hands on her hips, looked around, and then pretended to be surprised and exclaimed softly, "Oh my, where is everyone? Why are they all gone! Could it be that they were taken away by the Pointy Hats?"
"What should I do? It looks like I'll have to eat these things myself!"
As soon as she finished speaking, something in the corner suddenly moved, knocking over a soda can and making a series of light "clinking" sounds.
Hua Xieyu followed the sound with her eyes, narrowed them slightly, and pouted, "Huh? Did we get mice? It must be A-Tian being lazy and not cleaning properly!"
As soon as she said this, a thin, dark Little Girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, suddenly stood up from the gap behind the sofa and argued loudly, "That's not true, I've been working hard!"
As she spoke, the Little Girl bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it towards another corner of the hall. "Fei Liang, it's all your fault, you can't even hide properly and you made Sister Hua misunderstand me!"
The stone drew a parabola and accurately landed in the gap formed by two old wardrobes leaning against each other.
With a surprised "Ouch!", a fair and plump Little Boy, rubbing his head, squeezed out from the gap. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
"You dare to talk back?" the Little Girl said.
Seeing this, Hua Xieyu let out a chuckle, waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, A-Tian, Fei Liang, stop arguing, hurry up and come eat. "
"And the other little ones, come over! Tonight's dinner is milk and bread, and the bread has pork floss!"
As soon as Hua Xieyu finished speaking, there was a commotion in the hall. Along with the commotion, a dozen thin, small figures, like startled house elves, emerged from the corners.
From their appearance, the oldest were no more than fourteen or fifteen, and the youngest were only two or three.
"Don't snatch, don't snatch, everyone gets some today, I'm talking about you, Xiao Feifei! Don't always bully your younger brothers and sisters!"
As she spoke, Hua Xieyu picked up the backpack on the table, took things out while walking towards different children. "Here, Little Red Bean, this is anti-inflammatory medicine. Remember to take it after dinner, it's good for your cold."
"Xiao Feifei, I got the small knife you wanted back for you, but you have to promise that this knife can only be used for self-defense and not to hurt others!" "Fei Liang, this is yours!"
Seeing the small box wrapped in kraft paper that Hua Xieyu handed over, the little fat boy called Fei Liang was stunned for a moment and asked doubtfully, "What is this, Sister Hua?"
"De-fatting medicine!" Hua Xieyu said with a serious expression, "You need to lose some of this fat." "Huh?" The little fat boy looked bitter, "Sister Hua, this is just bloating, I don't need to lose weight."
"Haha!" Hua Xieyu laughed heartily and pinched the little fat boy's cheek, "Yours, this is the astronomy book you wanted before. I don't understand these stars and moon either, so I just picked a few of the most expensive ones. You can make do with them!"
"Thank you, Sister Hua!" The little fat boy took the small box, his face full of excitement.
...
After distributing the contents of the small backpack one by one, Hua Xieyu finally walked towards the thin, dark Little Girl named A-Tian.
While Hua Xieyu was giving things to the other children, A-Tian kept watching, her expression full of anticipation, yet she was timid and didn't dare to step forward.
"Here, this is yours."
Hua Xieyu handed a mobile phone to A-Tian.
Seeing the brand new Huami flagship phone, A-Tian was stunned for a moment, and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Sister Hua, I can't take this!"
Hua Xieyu rubbed her head and said, "Take it! Look how old your previous phone is? Sometimes calls can't even get through!"
"Don't let something happen here while I'm out and you can't contact me!"
"Then, then thank you, Sister Hua." A-Tian blushed and responded, extending both hands to carefully take the phone Hua... freewebnoveℓ.com
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...Xieyu handed over.
Seeing A-Tian accept the phone, Hua Xieyu patted her shoulder and smiled, "Alright, I'll leave the rest to you. I'm going up now."
"Okay!" A-Tian nodded.
Hua Xieyu didn't feel like she had given those children a great favor; she just couldn't bear to see children with similar experiences to hers living on the streets.
It was probably like adopting a bunch of kittens?
Although, for these kittens, she could have left Xiang Niangzi Cave long ago, but she stayed here, spent all her savings to buy the entire small building where her home is, and even had to join a local gang to pay protection fees and seek protection.
To be honest, she had been a member of that damn Sun Gang for over two months, and besides Old Zhan who came to collect protection fees, she hadn't seen anyone else at all.
However, with the Sun Gang as a backer, there were indeed far fewer troubles around the small building.
The children all lived downstairs, while Hua Xieyu's residence was still the small house built extra on the rooftop of the small building; that was her home.
After a busy day, Hua Xieyu was tired. She put down her backpack, kicked off her shoes, took off her clothes one by one, and walked into the bathroom. With a "whoosh," she pulled the shower curtain closed, and soon the sound of water echoed in the simple bathroom.
Warm water droplets slid over her tender white skin, smoother than Dove.
"~Damn it, why is this hair dye so hard to wash out? I knew I shouldn't have pretended to be a schoolgirl."
"Old Zhan should be coming again tomorrow, right? A bunch of vampires, hmph. Good thing I pulled off a big one today!" In the bathroom, a few faint complaints could be heard.
A moment later.
After taking a shower, Hua Xieyu wiped her long dark blue hair while walking towards the dressing table with her long legs peeking out from under her large T-shirt.
Unlike the clutter of the entire small house, the small dressing table, although filled with bottles and jars of all sizes, was neat and tidy.
Those seemingly cheap bottles and jars contained expensive high-end cosmetics and skincare products. The reason they were placed like this was mainly out of fear of being stolen.
Hua Xieyu knew from a young age how powerful beauty could be, how many benefits it could bring, and how much convenience it could provide. She was not stingy with using her beauty to exchange for some benefits within an appropriate range.
Therefore, only when she looked in the mirror each time would she sincerely thank her parents for giving her a good appearance.
Of course, growing up in a place like Xiang Niangzi Cave, even with natural beauty, maintaining fair and beautiful skin required ten years of consistent maintenance and self-discipline.
In fact, when other children who were homeless like her finally managed to get a dozen yuan and eat a few full meals, she was already considering saving a little from that dozen yuan to buy a bottle of Baobao cream.
After spending nearly an hour on skincare, she pinched her flawless face. Hua Xieyu climbed onto the bed contentedly, propped up her legs, and reached under the pink pillow with her backhand to pull out a business card with a little ghost's doodle on it, and silently activated the Spirit Mark.
"It's time to see how much money those three simpletons earned for me! Thinking about it makes me a little excited!"
Hua Xieyu had always liked cooperating with people like those three strong men the most.
Because, to put it nicely, they liked to speak with their fists, and to put it bluntly, they didn't think before acting, making it easy to squeeze out all available value.
Just like now, relying on a business card attached with the Power of the Sheng Cai Gui, she could transfer the small amount of money in Fu Nuoman's pocket to hers without anyone knowing.
Just a little more than half? How could your Sister Hua be satisfied? She wants it all!
As the Spirit Mark began to operate, Hua Xieyu's consciousness became hazy, as if it had drifted away with the wind, lightly leaving her body and flying towards the other side of the city.
The scene before her eyes twisted and became bizarre, like a meaningless illusionary dream.
When Hua Xieyu's vision became clear again, she saw a brightly lit luxurious suite.
Good heavens! This is that five-star hotel, right? What was its name? Tsk, as expected of a muscle-head, just earned some money and is already spending it so lavishly?
How many days can this last? It's better for me to save it for you and give it back when you get married in your next life!
While complaining in her heart, Hua Xieyu silently controlled the little ghost formed by her Spiritual Energy to search the suite. However, before she could find the money left by Fu Nuoman, she saw the police and hotel staff appearing in the suite.
"Officer, that Mr. checked in around 11:30 tonight, and probably jumped from the building around 2:00 AM."
"~Then, was there anything unusual before he committed suicide?"
Hearing the conversation between the police and the hotel staff, Hua Xieyu's mind went "buzz," and she almost lost control of the little ghost. That guy is dead? Jumped to his death? How could this happen?
Then what about my money?
It couldn't have been taken by the cops, could it?
Just as Hua Xieyu was worried that the money on Fu Nuoman would be taken away by the police as evidence and have nothing to do with her anymore, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the crowd watching outside the caution tape at the suite entrance.
It was as if a pair of invisible large hands had forcibly twisted her head.
The next moment, the hairs on her entire body stood on end, and she could no longer maintain control over the little ghost. Her consciousness returned to reality amidst a strong pulling sensation.
In the crowd, she saw a person.
A person wearing work clothes, looking mentally...
...listless office worker. His face was pale, his eyes were wide, and there was a bloody, hideous bullet hole on his forehead.
Just as she noticed that person, he seemed to have discovered her presence, flashed her a strange smile, and waved.
"F*ck!"
Accompanied by a curse mixed with a hint of fear, Hua Xieyu detached from the state of conscious wandering while controlling the little ghost and suddenly sat up from the bed.
As soon as she sat up, her body froze as if it had turned to stone.
She didn't know when, but there was an extra person in her room, sitting on the chair by her bed, quietly watching her.
That was an office worker in work clothes, with a cigarette in his mouth, carrying a convenience bag in one hand with a few cans of cheap beer and a bag of peanuts.
Hua Xieyu, "..."
Staring expressionlessly at the man for two seconds, she silently picked up the pillow, covered her head, and with a "bang!" fell back onto the bed, trembling and babbling nonsense.
"There's no reason! I didn't kill him, why is he looking for me?!" "Illusion, it must be an illusion! The Spirit Mark is out of control, I've gone mad..."
Seeing this, the man shook his head and said, "Miss Hua, escaping reality won't solve the problem. Shall we talk?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, a fierce look suddenly flashed in Hua Xieyu's eyes. Without warning, she jumped up from the bed, holding a cleaver in her hand, and chopped down at the man's head from top to bottom, quickly and fiercely.
Even if it's a Strange Tale, I'll kill you and show you!
Die for me!
Then...
...the man, with a cleaver on his head, slowly opened a can of beer, took a sip, and then handed a can to Hua Xieyu.
"Don't be so angry. I'm just here to talk about a business deal. Here, have a can of beer first to cool down."
"Oh, these peanuts taste pretty good too..."
Looking at the man in front of her whose head was bleeding profusely yet who was full of life, Hua Xieyu was completely numb.
Although she was a Psychic, it was the first time she had seen someone whose head was half-severed yet could still talk and laugh.
Just then, the man added coldly, "I advise you not to think about finishing me off. If I die, not only you, but also the children downstairs, every single one of them, will not survive."
Hearing the man mention those children, Hua Xieyu's heart tightened, and she completely lost the desire to resist. What did he mean by that? Does he have helpers nearby?
Or does he have full confidence that he can kill me and then... Damn it, using children as a threat, what kind of hero is that!
Hua Xieyu stood frozen for a while, suddenly noticing the man looking at her with a lewd gaze, as if appraising goods, and her body trembled. She was all too familiar with that look; the dead fat guy at the alley entrance had always looked at her like that.
"You, you're talking about, about... it couldn't be the flesh trade, could it?" Hua Xieyu asked weakly. The man thought for a moment, nodded, and said seriously, "Sort of!"
After all, he wanted her to seduce Lu Yibei!
If necessary, sacrificing her body was completely fine.
Hua Xieyu was silent for about five minutes, and finally chose to compromise, saying with a mournful face, "If, I mean, if I cooperate with you, can you let me and those children go?"
"I didn't plan to do anything to those children anyway, but as for you..." The man's words stopped halfway, and a greasy smile unique to middle-aged office workers appeared on his face.
Hua Xieyu covered her forehead, "Alright then, I agree."
As long as he doesn't kill me and doesn't harm those children, I'll just pretend I was experiencing sleep paralysis!
"Come on!"
Seeing Hua Xieyu lying on the bed in a spread-eagle position, closing her eyes, the corner of the man's mouth twitched, and his face turned red.
There's probably some misunderstanding here?
