A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Lin had become a regular at the Ghost Market.
Xu Shuzi was quite surprised when he heard the news.
"He's actually started enjoying life!?"
His wife, Xu Zhao, chimed in, "Isn't that a good thing? He has a stable job now, and everything is fine. He should treat himself well."
"If you ask me, the current Jiang Lin truly has a touch of worldly charm."
As she spoke, she handed Xu Shuzi the return gift she had prepared.
"Here, remember to take it to Jiang Lin."
"Got it, I'll make sure he gets it," Xu Shuzi said with a smile.
He picked up the gift box prepared by his wife and flew towards the Eighteenth Hall.
Speaking of which, he hadn't visited the Eighteenth Hall much since Jiang Lin became captain.
It had been about a year since his last visit.
Either Jiang Lin was busy, or he was busy.
During major events, everyone was too busy to be seen.
...
"Is your Captain Jiang in?"
When Xu Shuzi arrived at the Eighteenth Hall, Xu Nan was the one who received him.
Seeing that Jiang Lin was not there, he didn't stay long.
He handed the items to Xu Nan, gave a few instructions, and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he remembered the recent rumors and couldn't help but ask,
"How has your Captain Jiang been lately?"
Although the rumors said he was doing well, and Jiang Lin had seemed fine when he visited his home last time.
He still had a strange feeling.
Could it be that something had happened, and he was now on his last breath?
Xu Nan thought for a moment and replied, "He's doing well."
"Then that's all the better."
Reassured, Xu Shuzi turned and left.
Xu Nan watched him go until he was out of sight, sighing inwardly.
Captain Jiang's current safety was indeed acceptable.
As for anything else...
The matter was not yet clear, and the fewer ghosts who knew, the better.
If he couldn't help, there was no need to worry other ghosts.
After seeing Xu Shuzi off, Xu Nan was about to turn back into the hall when he noticed a figure had appeared at the entrance of the hall at some point.
The person was dressed in a black robe, tied with a black belt at the waist, from which hung a piece of jade.
Long, straight bangs covered more than half of her face, and her expression was unreadable.
She possessed the ability to blend into a crowd, making no one notice her at first glance.
"I heard you were looking for me?" Qin Zhouzhou asked first.
As the captain of the intelligence team, she quickly learned who was looking for her.
Whether she met them or not was entirely up to her.
Xu Nan's heart tightened. She had finally arrived.
He glanced around. "Can we talk somewhere else?"
Many Bao and Niu Xiaoguo at the entrance, who had been eavesdropping intently,
heard this and couldn't help but feel it was a pity.
Qin Zhouzhou glanced at him. "Follow me."
...
In a highly secluded tea house in an alley of the Ghost Market.
Due to its seclusion, the tea house was very quiet.
The tea house owner didn't seem to be in a hurry about it, preparing only two taels of tea leaves each day.
Whether they were sold or not was left to fate.
He himself, dressed in a gray jacket,
leisurely set up tables and chairs and a stove at the entrance, boiling a pot of water.
He brewed tea and savored it.
The goatee on his chin, in the swirling mist, added a touch of carefree elegance.
Qin Zhouzhou ordered a pot of tea and a plate of pastries.
She looked at the little fellow in front of her with composure. "Speak, what is it?"
After learning to cultivate, Xu Nan's body gradually began to mature.
He now looked about three or four years old.
His features were exactly like Xu Ran's when he was young, making him look very cute.
All the way, Xu Nan had been thinking about how to say it.
After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"I'd like to ask you, what is [Ling]?"
He didn't mention Jiang Lin directly, but Qin Zhouzhou saw through it immediately.
She said directly, "You want to ask how to resolve the state of being influenced by Ling, right?"
She had heard a lot about the events in Happiness Community and Jiang Lin's recent changes.
"As far as I know, Jiang Lin is already at the冥使境 (Ming Shi Jing - Underworld Emissary realm). Even if he were influenced, it wouldn't be too deep for a while."
The aroma of tea filled the room.
Qin Zhouzhou slowly took a sip of tea,
"How do you know that his current state isn't him deliberately controlling it, just right?"
"Perhaps he's wanted to try living like this, enjoying life, for a long time?"
She raised her eyelids, glancing at Xu Nan from beneath her long bangs.
She said unhurriedly, "Especially... for a ghost who once had no permanent abode and wandered the Ghost Market."
No longer having to worry about where his next meal would come from or where he would sleep tonight.
No longer having to rack his brains to figure out how not to disappear without descendants burning incense or leaving paper money.
Like now, having enough to eat, money to spend, and...
a loving family.
Choosing to relax, to stop being so tense.
What was wrong with enjoying such a life?
"..."
The room was silent, only the aroma of tea wafting.
Xu Nan touched the teacup in his hand, watching the white water inside ripple gently, creating ripples.
— Qin Zhouzhou had only given him plain water, citing that young ghosts could not drink tea.
He truly didn't understand Captain Jiang well enough.
As Qin Zhouzhou said, if this was truly what Captain Jiang wanted, why should he interfere?
Was he perhaps overthinking things?
Perhaps this was what Captain Jiang meant by having his own arrangements?
Just as Xu Nan was about to be completely convinced, he suddenly heard Qin Zhouzhou say again,
"Besides, don't you think Jiang Lin as a salted fish is quite interesting?"
Xu Nan: "..."
So, which side are you on?
Were the words above meant to convince me, or yourself?
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him for at most half a year."
Qin Zhouzhou took a bite of a pastry and stood up, heading for the door. "I have other things to attend to, so I'm leaving now. You should head back quickly too."
Xu Nan: "..."
The more he listened, the more uneasy he became.
...
After Qin Zhouzhou left, the room became even quieter.
Xu Nan sat quietly in the tea room for a while before getting up to leave.
"Does the tea smell good?" the tea house owner asked.
His tea was ready, and he leisurely blew on the steam, taking a slow sip.
Xu Nan: "It smells very good."
"Mm," the tea house owner replied, slowly saying, "But it might not taste sweet."
"When you drink it all at once, almost no ghost can withstand the bitterness.
But how would they know that this tea must be drunk slowly, savored slowly, to understand its sweetness."
"..."
Xu Nan listened quietly, lost in thought.
After waiting a while longer and seeing that the other party had nothing more to say, he turned and left.
When he returned to the Eighteenth Hall, Captain Jiang had already returned.
Xu Nan paused his steps and mentioned that Xu Shuzi had visited.
Jiang Lin nodded, holding a book, and glanced at him.
"You don't look well. Is something wrong?"
Xu Nan paused. "Captain Jiang, are you happy now?"
Jiang Lin smiled without answering. "And you, are you happy with your life now?"
Xu Nan was stunned and truly thought about it.
His past life in the human world had come to an end. Now, following Captain Jiang, he could visit Xu Ran and the others anytime.
His daily life in the underworld consisted of attending school, cultivating, and completing missions...
He didn't need to compare himself to anyone; learning new things brought him great satisfaction.
Each time he grew a little, he felt a sense of joy.
Now, he was just himself.
Existing as an individual.
Instead of seeing the world through Xu Ran's eyes.
In the Eighteenth Hall,
Machine Ball, Rainbow Egg, Captain Jiang, everyone was doing well.
Was his current life good?
After a long while, Xu Nan replied, "Happy."
His current life was very good.
"That's good."
Jiang Lin nodded and continued to read the book in his hands.
"I'm also very happy, I'm also very happy!"
Machine Ball suddenly appeared from somewhere, flying around in the air, responding enthusiastically.
"It would be even more fun if Senior Brother were here!"
Inside the hall, there was an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
...