It wasn't certain what reaction the young man was expecting by saying those words. But the ghostly woman's face paled to transparency the moment Xie Luochen finished his sentence.
The veins of Xiao Minlan's arms and face throbbed with a darkened hue for a fraction of a second before regaining normalcy.
Looking up with a jittery reaction of quivering lips and eyes, the woman replied with a stiff curve of lips. "I-is that so?"
Casually placing an arm onto the side of the couch, Xie Luochen revealed a cold curve of the mouth. "Our report states that each night, a woman with long hair would appear tightly wrapping her hands around his neck. Demanding him to return her son."
"Pfft! Doesn't it sound familiar?"
Saying up to this point, the facial appearance of Xie Luochen's mocking smile disperse back into a state of solemn dispassion.
Flitting a glance at Xiao Minlan, the youth warned in a low tone, "there's only one reason I'm taking the time to say so much."
"The dead cannot interfere with the living. Wen Mingxuan is going to jail for his crimes and you have already found your son. There is no reason for you to stay any longer."
Xiao Minlan lowers her sight in silent reply.
Xie Luochen: "If you decide to cause harm to the living despite my warnings…"
The dagger unsheathes from Xie Luochen's waist gleams with a cold aura of death.
"I will eliminate you."
A thick tension covers the ambience of the chamber with an occasional sound of, "kacha kacha."
"... …"
Chewing on her bottom lip after a few minutes of contemplation, Xiao Minlan finally looks up with a resigned sigh.
"I understand."
"I understand." Xiao Minlan said. " I will leave."
Xie Luochen: "Good."
Nodding his head in approval to this expected answer, Xie Luochen revealed his first genuine curve of lips. Folding his arms in a relaxed manner, the young man leaned his body back while waiting…
He waited…
And waited…
Wait…
"... …"
Eyebrows twitched in a state of annoyance as Xie Luochen shot a scathing glare towards the chewing woman.
"Kacha, kacha," resounds across the room in rhythmic beats.
"... …"
Becoming speechless at this display, the youth took a deep intake of breath before calling out in a low tone.
"Hey."
"Kacha." Chu Nuan looks at the man with curiosity.
"Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Kacha. Do what? Kacha Kacha."
"What do you think you should be doing, hm? Envoy Chu?" Xie Luochen replied with clenched teeth.
"Ka-"
Stopping halfway on her crunching spree. Chu Nuan stares silently at the man for a few seconds before standing up from the sofa.
The pattering sound of sunflower shells littered the living room floor akin to the fall of rain on a summer evening.
Stretching her limbs with a lazy yawn, Chu Nuan nodded with a casual glance at the mother and son duo.
Receiving a satisfactory answer, Xie Luochen stood up as well while taking out his phone. "I will be waiting outside."
"... …"
Sending the young man out with her sight, Chu Nuan waited a few more minutes before asking in a leisure tone of voice.
"So, who is it?"
This sudden inquiry of her's surprised the dazed ghost with a jolt. "Huh?"
Gaze narrowed in accompaniment to the slight lift of the young woman's chin. "I'm not Xie Luochen."
"A few months old ghost is definitely not powerful enough to possess a man to that degree. Invading the man's dreams should have been the limit to a spirit of your level."
"However, you've caused his car to crash."
A cold gleam flashed within the depths of the young woman's irises as Chu Nuan split her lips into a cold sneer.
"Unless you had some form of help from another party, that would not have been possible. So, who helped you?"
"... …"
The ghostly figure continues to lower her gaze in silent refusal to answer.
"Pfft!"
Chu Nuan peers at the woman while releasing an icy peal of laughter akin to the clinking of ice against glass.
Her tone of voice lowers in gentle articulation, soft with an airy tint of bewitchment as she speaks.
"Think carefully Xiao Minlan, I'm only giving you this one chance to say the truth. After all, there's a limit to my patience."
"... …"
Xiao Minlan's sight shook from these words but the ghostly woman remained quiet.
Knowing that the spirit requires a little push, Chu Nuan flitted a glance at the child on the couch.
The right tip of the young lady's sole raised then tapped against the ground which produced a light rasp muffled by the thickness of carpeting.
A faint indigo radiance burst from the design formed by sunflower seeds on the floor.
"Affiliating with malicious spirits in an attempt to cause bodily harm to innocent humans in the pursuit of murder."
Indigo chains sprung out from the array on the ground akin to arrows that left its bow as it rushed straight at Xiao Bao.
"Not only will you be sentenced to ten thousand years in Hell, your son will also follow the same path as you complete your sentence. The fryer will be waiting for him."
Xiao Minlan shot straight up in hysterical motions as vision widened in fear while she witnessed those chains wrap around her child.
"No! This has nothing to do with him!!"
"Oh?" Chu Nuan chuckled in a relaxed manner as she brushed off nonexistent dust from her shoulders in careless fashion.
"Then do tell me someone who does have something to do with this. I can't lower your sentence but I can most certainly make sure your son can be safe from it."
"Hm? What do you think?"
"... …"
Transparent skin turned even more translucent as the female ghost sat back down in powerless defeat. Halting for a few seconds, her quivering voice rang out in recollection of the events that led to this ending.
"A dog…"
"A black dog came to me."
"That thing, it told me that as long as I help it look for a certain place. It will help me with my revenge."
Interest flashes in Chu Nuan's gaze as she pressed further in encouragement, "what place is "it" looking for?"
The frightened spirit contemplates for a moment before answering, "a place called the Dark Moon Sect? Although I have never heard of a place like that, the dog said that it's supposed to be a daoist temple of some sort."
"The only place anything similar to what was described is the temple about an hour from here. That's all I know, Your Honor, please, about my son…"
"Yes, yes." Too lazy to reply after having lost all interest, Chu Nuan waved her hand in careless manner akin to shooing a fly.
In an instant, the chains that encased around Xiao Bao retreated then dispersed into a burst of indigo orbs.
"I'll send you two away now. Check to see if you have something like a business card on your body, both of you."
Afraid that their slow movements would anger the scary envoy, the mother and son duo immediately began searching.
Amidst the fluster of hurried movements, the little ghost discovered a dark colored card embossed with designs of cold silver. It's a wonder when and at what time this item was placed in the pocket of his pants without him knowing.
"Now, read the numbers on the card one by one and remember to add the pound symbol at the end. Otherwise, they won't bother to come."
"...?"
Although confused with the information of those instructions, Xiao Bao obediently repeated the numbers on the card nonetheless.
Dark mist as light as the flow of silk streamed into the chamber in harmonization to the child's voice. It grew in accompaniment after each clear articulation of a number, lowering the temperature to the room.
An eerie iciness different from the sensation of a simple breeze of cold air manifests within the ambience of the chamber.
Following the tone of the last sound made by Xiao Bao, the thickness of the dark fog rumbled and rolled with a silent ferocity.
Akin a night of stormy waves in the middle of the perilous ocean, a chilling vibe clenches at the heart of the two ghosts. Inducing their bodies to quiver despite strong intentions to resist.
In a matter of seconds, the whirling fog began to congregate towards a certain point in the living room. It was as if there were some kind of suction which forces all the mist to gather towards the same destination.
Those clouds of darkness crashed and folded until forming a mysterious black gate that took up most of the room.
The double gates appear solemn and eerie but grand nonetheless as it creaks open in slow motion. Revealing the ripple of a glowing green surface akin to the image of a mirror under water.
"Clank. Clank."
The sound of colliding chains echoes from the interior of that cryptic doorway, knocking against each other. Whilst pounding upon the surface of Xiao Minlan and Xiao Bao's unbeating hearts.
"Clank. Clank."
Those soul stirring echoes grew more loud.
Vague at first before revealing their true form from behind the gates is a tall figure geared in black robes.
A black piece of cloth covers the bottom half of that envoy's face, leaving only a pair of emotionless eyes out in the open.
One hand holds a pair of gleaming chains while the other holds the end of a swaying red lantern.
The envoy's steps sounded firm and steady similar to the deep beat of drums but the movement of its body is ghostly without weight.
Appearing in the blink of an eye three steps away from the young woman the figure in black placed himself in front of Chu Nuan.
"Your Honor." The envoy spoke with a deep bow.
"En." Chu Nuan released a tired yawn while pointing at the mother and son with a slender index finger.
"I leave them to you," the young lady ordered before turning to leave the room.
"Understood."
The figure in black bowed in a deeper angle, maintaining the same motion until the young woman completely disappeared from sight.
_____
A blast of cool wind caressed the young woman's face as Chu Nuan exited from the entrance of the room.
Taking a breath of fresh air as she saunters downstairs, the young woman ponders over the information Xiao Minlan provided.
Thoughts whirling in a tangle of ideas and hypotheses, she arrived to stand beside a lamp post nearest to the building gates.
Standing at that area, obsidian irises raised to stare without much focus at the glowing post.
Staring at the occasional flicker of radiance as well as the fluttering of moths battering its body against the thickness of glass.
"Are you done?" A voice sounded in sudden inquiry, startling Chu Nuan out of her reverie.
Causing the young lady to turn around just in time to see Xie Luochen walking towards her direction with an inquisitive stare.
A tall graceful figure paired with well-structured hands.
Thin lips tinted in a healthy shade of pink.
An exceptional appearance highlighted by the curve of peach blossom eyes lowered to a lazed fashion as he walks in steady strides.
Halting two steps away from Chu Nuan, Xie Luochen locked gazes with the absent-minded woman in front.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Nothing…" Chu Nuan replies in almost a whispering tone while reaching out a hand, "I was just thinking about how attractive you are…"
Maybe it's because of the cool caress of night air combined with the orange glow of lamps.
The facial expression of the man in front of her has eased to a warm hue made gentle by the tint of tender radiance.
Lithe fingers couldn't help but to reach out in mesmerized compulsion to touch.
Xie Luochen: "... …"
Feeling the foreign sensation of cold fingers resting upon his cheeks.
Perhaps he was also bewitched by the ambience of twilight tranquility as Xie Luochen did not feel the desire to dodge.
Profound irises lowered to observe the woman's pale lips and skin, round almond eyes that spark with an unknown brightness. As well as that cute and dainty nose marked with the shadows of fluttering moths from above.
"... …"
The young man's sight traveled from those focused pupils before landing back to her soft mouth.
Pale and icy without a trace of blood.
Nonetheless, it invokes a sudden impulsion in the youth to perhaps, give them a quick lick.
Perhaps, it will help cure the stress of summer heat.
Catching his wandering thoughts with an abrupt jolt. Xie Luochen took a sudden step back while clasping his fingers around the fabrics of his chest.
The throb of irregular heartbeats seemed to flush inside the interior of his ears in loud vibrations.
Turning away from the young woman, the young man murmured in a stiff voice without looking back, "follow me."
"Where to?" Chu Nuan followed close behind.
"You don't have a place to stay yet, right? I'll take you back to the sect, there are plenty of empty rooms there."
"And water to wash your hands…" The youth murmured in an inaudible tone of voice as he recalled the dust on Chu Nuan's left hand.