Chapter 134: The Lost Strange Man
Chapter 134: The Lost Strange Man
The skinny and old body of the God of Wealth stood motionless in the rain, his head held in his hands, with a pair of pale eyes turned upwards. His lifeless expression seemed to be saying to Ning Zhe, "Do you want to do business, you idiot?"
Ning Zhe's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his facial features changed again, turning into a dirty man with untidy beard, and said to the God of Wealth:
"I sell this life to you."
It is easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away. Once the God of Wealth comes, he will not leave without doing business. He has the bad habit of forcing people to buy and sell.
Hearing the hoarse voice coming from Ning Zhe's throat, the God of Wealth nodded his headless shoulders slightly, and then there was a crisp sound of ding, and an inverted copper coin with a square outside and a round inside rolled out of the purse in His left hand and fell to the ground.
Ning Zhe's body stiffened slightly, and the facial features returned to his original appearance. At the same time, the God of Wealth disappeared.
He sold his life for one coin.
Ning Zhe bent down and picked up a copper coin that slipped out from the fingers of the God of Wealth, as well as the urn that was pried into two halves by a shovel. He looked at the name "Tian Chengyun" on the tombstone beside him, thinking.
"I can think of using Wutong to buy lives to interrogate the dead, and others can naturally think of it. Ji Bochang was a very famous Ascender when he was alive. There are many people on the Ascender network who know that Wutong can revive the dead."
"That is to say, the reason why Tian Chengyun's ashes disappeared is probably because a certain Ascended One destroyed the body and removed all traces of the corpse, thus eliminating the possibility for others to use the God of Wealth's rules to trace back along this clue."
Thinking of the conflict in memory between Yu Ziqian and Tian Zaixu, a guess emerged in Ning Zhe's mind:
"In the Bishuiwan Manor incident, there was such an ascender. He should have the ability to forge facts, tamper with memories, or modify cognition. He used his ability to tamper with the cognition or memory of one of Tian Zaixu or Yu Ziqian, and concealed the real cause of Tian Chengyun's death."
"After that, he took away Tian Chengyun's ashes and destroyed the body, eliminating the possibility that other upgraders would use the money to revive Tian Chengyun and interrogate the dead. This shows how meticulous this person is and how cautious he is in his actions."
It seems that Tian Chengyun's other body tissues may have been taken away and hidden or destroyed by the unknown ascender.
This clue is completely broken.
Ning Zhe closed Tian Chengyun's urn, buried it back under the tombstone, covered it with stone bricks again, tidied up the scene, and then left the riverside cemetery in Gubei Town.
Before returning home, Ning Zhe spent some time dealing with Zhang Yangxu's household and official affairs: giving living expenses to his son, pocket money to his daughter, flirting with several mistresses and giving them red envelopes, and turning down some unnecessary chores... Zhang Yangxu's identity can mobilize a large amount of funds and social resources, which is worth spending some time and energy to manage and maintain.
Fortunately, Zhang Yangxu and his wife were not in harmony, so Ning Zhe was able to take advantage of the situation naturally and directly called Zhang Yangxu's son to say that he had made his mother angry and was now hiding outside and dared not go home. This was a very cunning move that saved him a lot of trivial matters in managing family relationships and saved him a lot of energy. Energy in every sense of the word.
For example, you don’t have to pay the tax for Zhang Yangxu.
The drizzle gradually stopped. Ning Zhe, who had returned to his original appearance, walked through the wet streets holding a large black umbrella and returned to the door of his old house following his memory.
But when Ning Zhe stood at the door of his house, what greeted him was not the familiar courtyard and mottled door. The old camphor tree where he often climbed and played with his neighbors in his childhood was no longer there. All that remained were the ruins that had been knocked down by the construction project and a deep pit filled with water.
He has no home.
The umbrella in Ning Zhe's hand was like a black crutch leaning on the ground, supporting the boy's thin body in the cool breeze after the rain. Looking at the mess in front of him, Ning Zhe said nothing.
"What are you doing here? It's just a demolition project. I knew that a long time ago. Am I such a sentimental person? Would I be sad over an old house I've lived in for more than ten years?" Ning Zhe asked himself this in his heart, and he didn't want to hear the answer he got.
Since the house in my hometown has been demolished, my grandparents should have moved into Jiangcheng Junjingli in Taoyuan City by now.
Ning Zhe picked up his umbrella and prepared to leave. When he turned around, he suddenly saw two familiar figures walking under the eaves on the street, one old and one young, a man and a woman.
The man was the owner of the breakfast shop where Ning Zhe had eaten since childhood. His surname was Chen, but Ning Zhe had never known him. He had always called him Uncle Chen or Boss Chen. The girl next to him was Boss Chen's daughter. If I remember correctly, her name seemed to be Chen Yaming.
The father and daughter seemed to have just returned from the market, carrying a lot of bags. Chen Yaming was carrying two large bags of radish sprouts, straw mushrooms, and asparagus for chopping into buns, and Boss Chen was carrying a heavy bag of corn starch on his shoulders.
Seeing Ning Zhe standing in front of the demolished ruins in a daze, Boss Chen shouted in a hoarse voice: "Azhe, when did you come back? The college entrance examination is coming up in a few days, you can't be distracted."
"I... just came back today." Ning Zhe walked forward with an umbrella, and naturally took a heavy bag of radish sprouts from Chen Yaming's hand. The three of them walked towards her breakfast shop together. As they walked, Ning Zhe said, "I haven't been home for a few days. It's a rare trip back today. Who would have thought that I couldn't even get into the house."
"Demolition is a good thing that many people hope for but cannot." A drop of sweat slid down Boss Chen's temple and landed on his shirt, which was soaked by sweat or rain. "It's a pity that my store is not included in the government's demolition plan. If there was a choice, who wouldn't want to take a few million and move to the city? Destiny is beyond our control."
"Well, everything is determined by fate and is not up to human control." Ning Zhe said softly.
Chen Yaming was carrying two full bags of straw mushrooms and asparagus. She looked at Ning Zhe silently without saying anything.
Boss Chen's store is not far from Ning Zhe's home, just one street away, and it only takes a few steps to get there. After putting down the things in the store, Boss Chen wiped a table and asked Ning Zhe to sit down: "Yaming, go and make a pot of tea for Ah Zhe."
"Don't bother, I'll be leaving in a minute." Ning Zhe declined his offer: "I'm in a hurry to go to the city to find my grandparents. I don't know if they are used to living in the city."
Chen Yaming, who was squatting in front of the faucet washing the teapot, looked up and asked in confusion, "Grandpa Ning didn't go to the city. They rented a house next to the clinic and lived there for several days."
"Is that so..." Ning Zhe was a little surprised, but not that surprised. Grandpa and grandma were used to living a simple life. Although the location of Jiangcheng Junjing was good, it might not be as comfortable for the two old people as Gubei Town.
Of course, the main reason is that the old couple are reluctant to live in the new house. They want to leave the house in the city to Ning Zhe as a wedding house.
"You only focus on reading the books of sages and don't pay attention to the outside world. You don't even know where your family has moved to. It shows that you are very absorbed in preparing for the exam recently." Boss Chen laughed, took the teapot from his daughter and put it on the table, and asked: "The college entrance examination will be held in a few days. Ah Zhe, have you decided where to apply for the major?"
"Yundu," Ning Zhe said without hesitation, "Yundu is a good place, with beautiful scenery and nice people."
The educational conditions of Yunlu Academy are among the best in the country... although this is not important to Ning Zhe.
"You have great ambition." Boss Chen patted his thigh while laughing.
Chen Yaming stood by the table, washed the cups with boiling hot tea, and poured a cup of fresh tea for each of them. Ning Zhe took the teapot and poured her a cup as well.
"If I remember correctly, Ya Ming will take the college entrance examination next year." Ning Zhe picked up the teacup and took a sip, then asked, "Although it's a bit early to ask now, have you thought about your aspirations?"
Chen Yaming's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and she lowered her head and shook it.
"Hmm?" Ning Zhe frowned.
Boss Chen seemed a little unhappy and said in a hoarse voice: "Hey, Ah Zhe, you know, Ya Ming is not like you. There is no need for a girl to go to college. What's the point of having such a high level of education? You have to get married anyway, so going to middle school is enough."
"But Yaming's grades are very good." Ning Zhe said, "I remember she ranked fifth in her class in the final exam last semester. It would be a pity if she didn't continue studying with such grades."
Boss Chen said nonchalantly, "As the sages say, a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. I didn't ask her to be in the top five in her grade. What's the point of a girl having such a high degree? It's more appropriate to find a good family to marry while she's still young and in good shape."
After drinking the tea in the cup in one gulp, Boss Chen continued, "I think you are a good guy, Azhe. I have watched him grow up. I can't let him be given to someone else. How about this, when you finish the exam, I will give Yaming to your family as your daughter-in-law?"
Ning Zhe looked at Boss Chen's eager expression, then looked at Chen Yaming, whose cheeks were blushing and who lowered her head and dared not speak, then he picked up the teacup and took a sip.
It seems that my grandparents were unable to keep the family secret. Even Uncle Chen knew that the Ning family had recently received a huge windfall.
Although he knew it clearly in his heart, Ning Zhe did not expose this relationship openly. He put the empty teacup on the table and replied softly:
"Okay."
(End of this chapter)