Free Web NovelChapter 268: Chapter 229: Mo Daidai
Yang Xiao had only a little bit of bread and milk for breakfast, which barely sufficed for a meal. Now that he had left the apartment, he naturally wanted to find an opportunity to have a good feast.
He couldn’t go back to the last place, as visiting too often might give him away. So, he switched to a different place and repeated his old trick, this time even scoring two large chicken drumsticks.
The others followed suit, dispersing to beg and scrounge meals. In fact, some of them had money, but they couldn’t spend it—it was necessary for other things.
Li Qingxuan still followed Yang Xiao, and after the two had eaten their fill, they began to discuss in low voices in the restaurant. Li Qingxuan repeatedly emphasized that he had nothing to do with the female ghost.
Yang Xiao felt a bit stuffed as he picked his teeth, giving Li Qingxuan a meaningful glance, "I don’t know the female ghost either, so say whatever you want."
Li Qingxuan gave up, getting straight to the point, lowering his voice, "Mr. Chu, what should we do next?"
"Don’t wander about tonight, just stay in your room. I’ll find a chance to try out this Mo Daidai. There’s something off about him," Yang Xiao instructed.
Li Qingxuan agreed deeply, "Indeed, there’s something strange about him, and it seems like he’s up to no good."
Yang Xiao took a deep breath and shook his head, "More than just up to no good, this man is trouble. So far, everyone who has left their room after midnight has encountered the Ball-slapping Ghost, except for Mo Daidai. Don’t you find that strange?"
Li Qingxuan thought back carefully and realized that was indeed the case. Yang Xiao, Tong Han, and Wang Longhui had all heard the ball-slapping sound on the first night, and then there was Qu Yi from the previous night who even ended up with a bloody handprint. But Mo Daidai alone claimed to have heard nothing and encountered nothing.
"So, Mr. Chu, what do you think is going on?" With Yang Xiao putting it this way, Li Qingxuan began to take this person more seriously.
"Right, could it be that the Ball-slapping Ghost can only attack one person per night?" Li Qingxuan seemed to have a sudden realization and quickly added.
"No, Mo Daidai was the first to go out on patrol last night, and Qu Yi was the second," said Yang Xiao, who had also considered this possibility, "Currently, I can only think of two possibilities. The first is that he is like me, having an acquaintance. I once hid in your room, and Mo Daidai might have done the same to avoid the Ball-slapping Ghost’s attack."
"Second, he has money, a sufficient amount of it," Yang Xiao spoke in a hushed tone.
"Money?" Li Qingxuan frowned, "This is his first mission, where would he get the money from?"
"I can’t figure this out either, so it’s just a hypothesis. At the moment, there are certainly more than one way to earn money within the apartment. Maybe he has found some way that we are not yet aware of."
After a pause, Yang Xiao continued, "The tasks ahead are only going to be more dangerous. If we want to survive, we need to do everything possible to earn money. Furthermore, as the plot progresses, I think the Ball-slapping Ghost will become increasingly irritable and more lethal."
Li Qingxuan nodded again and again, "I understand, I’ve noticed it too. Actually, you conning that old man selling candied hawthorn wasn’t very kind either, given that he is a long-term NPC. Offending him is risky, but you aren’t prepared to just hand over the money to him."
"You’re right," Yang Xiao nodded, "Compared to offending him, the 10 yuan in my pocket is more important."
After resting for a while, the two left the restaurant visibly relaxed. Yang Xiao wasn’t worried that he would put Li Qingxuan in danger; after all, the evil cultivator who sneaked in must have done his homework, knowing that Yang Xiao had no teammates. Li Qingxuan’s appearance was completely unexpected.
The more natural he and Li Qingxuan appeared, the safer he would be.
Of course, Yang Xiao had another plan in mind. Li Qingxuan’s appearance was too coincidental. Keeping him close would also allow Yang Xiao to probe into his background. If anyone among these people was likely to be an Evil Cultivator, Li Qingxuan was the prime suspect.
The abilities of these Evil Cultivators are bizarre and varied, and it was hard to ensure they wouldn’t cause trouble, so one needed to be on guard. However, before confirming anything, Yang Xiao still intended to protect this unexpected companion.
After filling their stomachs, the two strolled further along the street. Li Qingxuan struck up conversations with passersby several times, and everything seemed normal at first, but when he mentioned Dongzhou Apartment, they all changed their expressions and avoided them like the plague.
Yang Xiao also visited several shops along the street, only to receive the same reaction.
Walking a few hundred meters more, Yang Xiao suddenly noticed a signpost not far ahead with "Dongzhou Street" written on it.
Li Qingxuan noticed it too. "What does this mean? Does this sign indicate the boundary of Dongzhou Apartment?"
But before they could get a closer look, a sudden clap of thunder roared from the sky, startling Li Qingxuan so much he nearly jumped.
Looking up, there were patches of dark clouds approaching quickly. Clear weather turned in an instant, and it was evident that rain was imminent.
The two immediately turned back, eventually running, and by the time they reached the apartment, the dark clouds were almost overhead. To Yang Xiao’s surprise, they were not the last ones to return.
A minute later, Mo Daidai and Tong Han ran back swiftly, a slowly forming mist trailing behind them. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Just like the previous night, the tin shack that the storm had destroyed reappeared in the same spot, and the group rushed in to take shelter from the rain. freёweɓnovel.com
The moment the door closed, the long-absent rainfall began to pour, with the distant sound of rumbling thunder. Tong Han seemed okay, but it was Mo Daidai who was gasping for air, face flushed and continuously coughing, much like Yang Xiao’s asthmatic deskmate from his memories after running a thousand meters.
Considering Mo Daidai’s physical condition, Yang Xiao felt confident that subduing him wouldn’t be an issue if it came to a confrontation.
Matching wits with the brawny and resorting to hands-on approach with the brainy had always been Yang Xiao’s style. If someone was superior to him both intellectually and physically, he would befriend them.
And then find an opportunity to poison them, to launch a sneak attack.
It’s safer to poison first and then attack. Of course, the current Yang Xiao was different; he had a gun in the real world, an incredibly handy tool.
"Where did you go? How did it suddenly start raining?" Fu Changxue was not so easily fooled and immediately noticed something was off, as the rain seemed too peculiar.
Tong Han glanced at Fu Changxue and coldly responded, "Don’t ask me; it’s not related to me."
Now everyone’s eyes were on Mo Daidai. Finally catching his breath, he still had that dull demeanor, "Actually, it was nothing much. I just walked a bit further, saw a signpost, and as soon as I passed it, the weather changed abruptly."
"What signpost?" Yang Xiao frowned, playing it cool.
Mo Daidai turned his head, staring at Yang Xiao with a strange look. His flat tone finally fluctuated, "The very same signpost you saw, Mr. Chu. We were just behind you."
