Chapter 30

"Nothing to worry about, your sister has returned." Xu Mo said, then hung up the phone, looking at Luo Shi, his heart filled with great surprise.

She... how did she return?

Luo Shi approached and called out, "Big Brother Xu." Seeing Xu Mo's expression, she smiled and said, "I'm fine, I made you worry."

Xu Mo asked in confusion, "You went to No. 13 Qiuxia Road, did you see that Mr. Qingqiu?"

Luo Shi nodded, but her expression was somewhat strange.

Xu Mo continued, "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Luo Shi laughed, "Of course not, you're overthinking it. Actually, I should have known. How could those extraordinary people harm an ordinary person like me?"

Xu Mo's expression changed, thinking that after she met Mr. Qingqiu, she seemed even more enchanted. He didn't know what Mr. Qingqiu had said to her.

Unable to resist, he asked, "What did Mr. Qingqiu say?"

Luo Shi shook her head and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Big Brother Xu. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but Mr. Qingqiu warned me. If I tell anyone, it won't work anymore." As she spoke, her expression was incredibly serious, showing that she had completely believed Mr. Qingqiu.

Xu Mo responded with an "Oh," his expression changing frequently. He didn't believe that Mr. Qingqiu was a good person. The truck that had just passed was clearly part of his gang. And by enchanting Luo Shi, he must have set up another trap for her.

At this moment, Liu Jian had finished his phone call and came out. Seeing Luo Shi, he was greatly surprised and exclaimed, "You... you're back!"

Luo Shi, seeing his expression, immediately smiled, "I finished my business, of course I came back. What's wrong with you? It's like I shouldn't have come back."

Liu Jian turned to Xu Mo and asked, "You haven't told her about the truck, have you?"

Before Xu Mo could answer, Luo Shi interjected, curious, "What truck?"

Liu Jian, hearing her question, immediately knew that Xu Mo hadn't told her. He then briefly recounted what had happened and added, "The truck was going to No. 13 Qiuxia Road. If there really was someone in the truck, the owner of No. 13 Qiuxia Road must be involved. You went there, didn't anything happen?"

"Is there such a thing?" Luo Shi looked incredulous. "What about the note? Let me see it."

Liu Jian handed her the note. Luo Shi took it and examined it for a moment, then said, "This character just looks like a '求' (plea), but it's not necessarily that character. By the way, did you hear anyone talking in the truck?"

Liu Jian scratched his head, embarrassed, "I was giving directions to the man, so I didn't pay attention." He then turned to Xu Mo, "Little Brother Xu, did you hear anything?"

Xu Mo knew that Luo Shi was doubting his judgment, and the reason she was doing this was to protect Mr. Qingqiu. She was so protective of Mr. Qingqiu that she was defending everything related to him.

Xu Mo was extremely puzzled. What had Mr. Qingqiu done to her, what had he said, that made her so devout, even to the point of being blind?

He didn't reveal anything and said calmly, "I didn't hear anything. But when I knocked on the truck door, there was a response, as if someone was scratching the metal with their fingernails. Then I coughed, and he knocked on the bottom of the truck. I knocked again, and he passed this note through the gap."

"Strange," Luo Shi frowned. "If his hands were free, why didn't he write directly on the paper? Wouldn't it be faster to write with his hand?"

Xu Mo and Liu Jian were both stumped and had no answer.

Luo Shi continued, "Moreover, even if there really was someone in the truck, and the driver was looking for Mr. Qingqiu, it doesn't mean they are in the same gang. Maybe they had the same purpose as me, or maybe they were trying to harm Mr. Qingqiu."

Xu Mo noticed that when she said, "Maybe they were trying to harm Mr. Qingqiu," her expression was relaxed and natural, showing no concern for Mr. Qingqiu. He thought it was strange that she was so protective of Mr. Qingqiu, yet when she learned that someone might be trying to harm him, she didn't seem to care at all.

Liu Jian just smiled at Luo Shi's words and didn't argue, "I've already called the police. Whether he's good or bad, once the police arrive and investigate, everything will be clear."

"Police?"

Luo Shi's expression changed for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. She laughed, "Hehe, I believe Mr. Qingqiu is innocent. Even if the truck driver did something wrong, it has nothing to do with him."

She then turned to Xu Mo and said gently, "Big Brother Xu, I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Mr. Qingqiu told me some things, and I need to go back and make arrangements. The bus is about to leave. Do you want to go with me?"

Before Xu Mo could speak, Liu Jian said, "Little Brother Xu, the police will be here soon. Don't you want to stay and give testimony?"

Xu Mo hesitated. Logically, since he found the note, he should be the one to give testimony. But he remembered the black eagle and couldn't shake the feeling that it was the same one he had seen on North Mountain.

If he stayed to give testimony, the police would likely take him to No. 13 Qiuxia Road for the investigation. If he went, and the black eagle recognized him, what would happen?

He felt a chill and didn't dare to think further. If those people came after him, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

He glanced at Luo Shi and asked, "Did you see an eagle when you went to No. 13 Qiuxia Road?"

"Eagle?" Luo Shi said, "The one that was flying overhead when we first arrived?"

Xu Mo was startled, "That one, you... you really saw it?"

"Hehe!" Luo Shi, not knowing what he was thinking, saw his expression and remembered the first time she saw the eagle. She thought he might have a phobia of eagles and found it amusing. She laughed and then comforted him, "Big Brother Xu, I see you're afraid of eagles. But don't worry, this eagle is different from ordinary eagles. It's Mr. Qingqiu's pet and very intelligent."

Xu Mo's heart sank. How could there be so many coincidences? How could he have seen an intelligent black eagle on North Mountain last month and then see another one here?

He remained calm and said apologetically to Liu Jian, "Brother Liu, I have some urgent matters to handle. I have to go back. I'll leave this to you. By the way, here's my phone number. If you need me to give testimony, you can call me."

Liu Jian, hearing this, was helpless and had to write down his number.

Xu Mo added, "Brother Liu, if the police find out anything, don't forget to let me know."

Liu Jian shook his head, "That note was found by you. If you stay, you can explain it more clearly. Sigh!"

Xu Mo smiled apologetically.

Luo Shi seemed eager to return and urged, "Hurry up, the bus is about to leave."

Xu Mo was also anxious. The police could arrive at any moment. If he missed this bus, he would have to wait another fifteen minutes, and then he would have to give testimony whether he wanted to or not. Seeing Luo Shi urging, he ran with her to the bus stop.

They had just boarded the bus when it started moving towards the city.

They found a seat and had just sat down when Luo Shi's phone rang. It was her sister, Luo Ci, calling. She had called Xu Mo and, feeling uneasy, decided to call her sister for confirmation.

Luo Shi quickly explained the situation in a few words.

Xu Mo, still thinking about the black eagle and unable to relax, couldn't help but ask again when she hung up.

Luo Shi only kept the words Mr. Qingqiu had said to her a secret. She didn't mind telling others the rest. She said, "Mr. Qingqiu is indeed very powerful. I hadn't even reached No. 13 when he already knew and sent a servant to meet me at the door."

Xu Mo was unconvinced, "Didn't you say the black eagle is intelligent? When we first arrived, it flew over our heads. Maybe it recognized you early on. Mr. Qingqiu might have known you were coming and sent someone to meet you because the black eagle told him."

Thinking about it, he suddenly realized that if the black eagle was the same one he had seen on North Mountain, it could recognize Luo Shi and naturally could recognize him. If it recognized him, why hadn't they taken any action against him yet?

"Could the black eagle have recognized me but not told Mr. Qingqiu?" Xu Mo smiled bitterly, finding this result unlikely. He then thought, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and the black eagle isn't the same one I saw on North Mountain."

Luo Shi sighed, "Big Brother Xu, I know you have a grudge against the Bamboo Forest Elder and Mr. Qingqiu, but they are not as you imagine. Sigh! If you had met Mr. Qingqiu, you wouldn't think that way."

Her words were very definite, making Xu Mo suspicious, "Why do you say that?"

"Mr. Qingqiu..." Luo Shi said, suddenly looking around, hesitating to speak. After a moment, she changed the subject, "Big Brother Xu, do you believe the stories in 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' are true?"

"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?" Xu Mo looked at her strangely, not understanding why she suddenly brought up the book. Seeing her expectant and questioning eyes, he had to answer, "The stories in 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' are folk legends. Some might be true, but most, especially the parts about ghosts, foxes, and spirits, are not true."

Luo Shi shook her head, looking around suspiciously. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did she say, "I used to think they were fake, but this time... after meeting Mr. Qingqiu, I realized that those things really exist. Mr. Qingqiu, he is actually..."

She hesitated, looking around again before continuing, "He is actually a fox spirit."