Chapter 9

This pair of pants is clearly unusable. Fortunately, San Gou brought a change of clothes.

It seemed that San Gou still had a bit of reluctance.

"Alright, alright. Don't you think you should be grateful that you're unharmed?"

San Gou pouted, "This pair of pants was specially bought for me by my dad during the New Year."

"Uncle San will buy you another one later."

"Who knows when that will be." San Gou clearly had little faith in his father.

At this moment, Jiang Yue's phone rang.

"Jiang Yue? There's a package for you. I'm at the entrance of your building, please come down and get it."

A package?

Jiang Yue rarely shopped online. Usually, his sister, Jiang Ying, was responsible for buying things for the house. His sister had the habit of online shopping, but she always wrote her own name and phone number, and mostly filled in her company address.

When he went downstairs, the delivery guy had just arrived.

The package was very light, almost weightless. Jiang Yue guessed it might be some documents or a GG flyer?

But who would be so bored as to send a GG flyer by courier?

Jiang Yue entered the elevator and casually tore open a corner. A strip of paper about three fingers wide slid out.

To be precise, this thing couldn't be called a piece of paper. It was a textured yellow paper, with some strange symbols drawn on it, each stroke seeming to carry some profound meaning.

This kind of thing was quite common in the countryside.

Clearly, it was the kind of talisman hung in front of houses or pasted on doors in many rural areas to ward off evil and disasters.

However, unlike the crudely made talismans in the countryside, this one, when held in the palm, felt light but seemed to contain some inexplicable mystery.

Like a genuine piece of jade, its superiority was evident when placed next to ordinary stones.

Even without the contrast, its unique aura was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind.

"There are words on the back.

Yuzhu Street, Daizi Alley, No. 9 Villa.

Holding the talisman, Jiang Yue felt a bit uneasy.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the elevator, or they might have misunderstood.

A charlatan is not a good reputation, especially for a young one.

While Jiang Yue was lost in thought, something strange happened.

The surface of the talisman suddenly emitted a faint golden glow, and it seemed to be driven by some mysterious force, slowly rising.

The golden glow gently curled, and the talisman suddenly vaporized, turning into spots and gradually disappearing. The symbols on the talisman seemed to penetrate Jiang Yue's palm and seep into his flesh, becoming a mark on his hand.

Instantly, Jiang Yue felt a strange and inexplicable sensation, both physically and mentally.

His body shuddered, as if both his body and soul had been electrified.

In that moment, Jiang Yue felt as if he had entered a strange world, or as if a strange world had entered his body.

Ding!

The elevator's arrival sound clearly told him that this was the real world.

Looking at the mark on his palm, it had already vanished.

For no reason, the talisman now floated in his mind, with a few words on it:

24 hours.

Jiang Yue was greatly surprised. What was going on?

The words stayed in his mind for a few seconds and then disappeared.

No matter how Jiang Yue tried to provoke or manipulate, there was no further reaction.

This sudden series of events left Jiang Yue standing at the door, lost in thought for a while, unable to figure out what was happening.

He had to calm down and open the door to go inside.

The straightforward San Gou had already forgotten about the pants, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, one hand holding the remote control, the other a bag of chips, happily watching a variety show called "Sailing Ladies."

This show was hard to follow without some life experience.

From Jiang Yue's observation, San Gou definitely lacked such experience.

His focus was mostly on the ladies' thighs, the white flesh.

Being able to laugh carelessly like San Gou was a kind of happiness.

Jiang Yue didn't want to ruin San Gou's happiness, so he didn't tell him about the package.

He checked the package bag, but there was nothing else inside. This meant that the person who sent the package had only sent this strange talisman.

What a bizarre move?

Looking at the sender's information, there was none!

Wasn't this too showy? Sending something without leaving the sender's name and address?

Nowadays, courier services are quite regulated. How could they be so careless?

Jiang Yue opened his phone and checked the tracking number.

The result was that there was no such tracking number!

Without a tracking number, calling the courier company would probably be futile. The clue was broken, and it was hard to continue.

To solve the mystery, he might have to...

Yuzhu Street, Daizi Alley, No. 9 Villa.

Jiang Yue silently remembered this address.

Yuzhu Street was one of the top three commercial areas in Xingcheng, which Jiang Yue knew.

As for No. 9 Villa in Daizi Alley, for a child from an ordinary family living in an apartment, this was a bit beyond his scope.

What puzzled him more were those words.

24 hours?

What did this mean? Was it revealing a clue? Or warning of a crisis?

Or did it mean he had to go to No. 9 Villa in Daizi Alley within 24 hours?

"Second Brother, what package is it?" San Gou asked casually.

"A GG flyer." Jiang Yue replied casually.

"Who would be so bored? That thing is even uncomfortable to use for wiping. And they spent money to send it by courier?" San Gou sneered.

Jiang Yue didn't respond.

Seeing that it was already past twelve-thirty, there was no time to buy groceries and cook.

Jiang Yue went to the kitchen and made two bowls of noodles, using the snacks and pickled flavors from his aunt's bag. It was quite satisfying.

Just one bowl of noodles, but it made San Gou very happy with city life.

"Second Brother, why don't you let me stay in the city? I really don't want to go back to the town."

"Are you itching for a beating?"

"Second Brother, listen to me. If you keep me, I'll work like a horse for you." San Gou pleaded shamelessly.

"I'm not used to using child labor. Go back to the town and study properly."

"You're killing me. Books make my head hurt. I don't know if I'm reading them or they're reading me."

"Or, you can talk to Big Sister about it?" Jiang Yue smiled slyly.

"Absolutely not..." San Gou's face turned green at the mention of Big Sister.

San Gou's Big Sister, who was also Jiang Yue's older sister, was three years older than Jiang Yue. Due to family changes, she had left school two years ago and entered the workforce. She now worked at a real estate agency.

The fearless San Gou, who was always fearless, was terrified of his Big Sister.

If his aunt could be considered a strong woman, then his Big Sister could be called a super-strong woman.

The women in the Jiang family had a strong, unyielding spirit.

His aunt's strength was mostly in her words, never letting anyone off easily.

But his Big Sister's strength was usually hidden, but when provoked, she would really hit people.

San Gou had never been beaten by his father, his aunt, or even Jiang Yue, but he had been beaten by his Big Sister.

San Gou was notorious for his mischief at school, but his Big Sister rarely intervened.

The reason for his beating was that he had crossed the line.

For some reason, he put a snake in a female classmate's bag, scaring her so much that she wet her pants and had to stay in the hospital for several days, nearly suffering from mental breakdown.

His aunt had to take care of her in the hospital for several days without sleep.

When his Big Sister received the call, she immediately left her work, borrowed a colleague's car, and drove a hundred miles to the town school.

On the way, she even picked up a vine. When she arrived, she chased San Gou around the school, beating him until he rolled on the ground begging for mercy.

After that beating, the girl's parents, who had witnessed it, didn't dare to make a fuss anymore. In the end, they settled with some compensation.

Although San Gou remained mischievous, he finally learned what the line was. At the same time, he was both respectful and afraid of his Big Sister.

If he told her he didn't want to go to school anymore, who knew if she would beat him again.

The Jiang family had strict discipline, and it was natural for the older to discipline the younger, and the beatings were justified.

Mentioning his Big Sister, San Gou became subdued and ate his noodles absentmindedly.

While eating, his phone rang again.

"Hello? Li Yue?" This call was unexpected. It was from his classmate Li Yue, who usually blushed and was shy even to look at people. This was the first time she had called him.

"Yes... it's me..."

"Are... you okay?" Li Yue stammered.

"Ah? I'm fine. I'm having lunch right now." Jiang Yue could feel Li Yue's nervousness over the phone.

"Oh, then it's fine. Beep beep beep beep..."

Jiang Yue was bewildered. This call was completely incoherent.

Li Yue calling him was so rare! Jiang Yue thought there must be something big, but it turned out to be just a few words, and then, hung up?

To put it bluntly, it felt like, "You took off your pants, and this is all I get to see?"

Ding ding dong!

A WeChat message notification popped up on the screen.

It was from Li Yue.

"I just saw the news on my phone. A landslide near Dajinshan buried a bus. I was worried you might have been on it."

Jiang Yue understood. Okay, this explanation made sense.

No wonder, a classmate with a conscience.

But this happened yesterday. How long is your reaction time, classmate?

Did you just see the news? How focused must you have been on your studies? Even at home during the holiday?

"I'm fine. I hitched a ride back to the city this morning. Thanks for your concern, classmate."

After sending the message, he put down his phone and continued eating his noodles.

San Gou was staring at Jiang Yue with a strange smile, twirling his noodles.

"What? Can't eat?"

"Wow, Second Brother, you're quite the actor, not even blushing."

"Are you sick? Why would I blush for no reason?"

"Hehe, girlfriend?"

Pfft!

Jiang Yue almost spat out his noodles. He hadn't even started growing hair, and he was trying to act like an experienced driver?

Seeing this, San Gou became even more excited, slamming his chopsticks on the table: "Look, look, that's a sign of guilt. Second Brother, tell me, what does my future sister-in-law look like? Is her skin white? Is her butt big?"

Jiang Yue looked at his bowl, then at San Gou's forehead.

"San Gou, do you believe I'll pour this whole bowl of noodles on your head?"

"A gentleman uses words, not fists. Second Brother, you can't bully the young."

San Gou moved his butt back, retreating to a safe distance.

"You little brat, I think I should send you back early."

"If you send me back, I'll tell Big Sister about your secret smoking."

"It won't work even if you tell her..."

Okay!

Actually, it would work.

Jiang Yue gave in.

This really couldn't be let his sister know. Otherwise, if she went berserk, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Jiang Yue's smoking habit wasn't strong, or even non-existent. He occasionally smoked because he had something on his mind.

As a student, what could there be to worry about besides studies?

On the contrary, Jiang Yue had never been troubled by his studies. Although his parents had disappeared, as highly educated individuals, they had left strong genes.

Especially in Jiang Yue, this was very evident.

From a young age, Jiang Yue had a superpower: photographic memory.

From kindergarten to now, his academic performance had been outstanding.

Others' success is one percent talent and ninety-nine percent effort.

Jiang Yue's academic success was one percent effort and ninety-nine percent talent.

In terms of studies, from a young age, he had never met a worthy opponent.

In this aspect, the heavens had definitely favored him.

His troubles came from his family.

His mother's mysterious disappearance and his father's sudden departure.

For anyone of Jiang Yue's age, this would be a significant blow.

Over the years, Jiang Yue had never confided in anyone or shown any negative emotions in public.

But deep in his heart, there was a knot that no sunlight could reach.

Everyone thought he had resigned himself to fate, but—

Jiang Yue's heart had never, never accepted this fate!