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Ch108 - Snow Pear Flavored Dead Gong (7)




Translated by Hua Li ^_~
Time quickly passed, and it was Saturday evening.
“Yo, isn’t this He Huo? Specifically waiting here to welcome me, how embarrassing.”
Sun Zhuozhuo threw the keys to the parking attendant, opened his arms, wanting to give them a reunion hug, but unfortunately, no one cooperated. Ming Ming glanced at him and pouted, saying, “What? Didn’t you promise to bring Meng Qining with you?”
Sun Zhuozhuo, seeing him complaining while holding He Huo’s arm, rubbed his arms with a shiver, pretending to be scared. “Don’t, don’t look at me like that, I can’t handle it.”
Ming Ming gave him a glare and was about to say something when He Huo said, “Alright, let’s go in.”
As the three were about to enter, Sun Zhuozhuo’s keen ears caught the sound of a high-end sports car. He turned around—Oh my god, Meng Qining, why aren’t you flying!
A wine-red convertible sports car skidded in front of the three, and a handsome man with long hair jumped out, casually tossing the keys to the parking attendant. He then walked around the car to unfasten Gou Liang’s seatbelt, patted his head, opened the door, and led him out. Gou  Liang’s forehead knocked against his chest, and his shoulders suspiciously trembled. Bi Xia pinched his neck and whispered, “Don’t laugh too hard.”
Gou Liang hugged his waist, struggling to hold back a smile. “You watched so many idol dramas yesterday just for this?”
In this era of advanced information, even someone like Bi Xia, a bit of an old-fashioned person, easily grasps the correct posture for a class reunion—usually, it’s either to witness that others are not doing better than me or to show off affection. Moreover, there was an unknown person ready to publicly challenge Gou Liang, so Bi Xia naturally took the initiative to support him in this situation.
Bi Xia cast a sidelong glance at He Huo and the others, and leaned in Gou Liang’s ear with a light smile. “The effect is pretty good, isn’t it?”
He put his arm around Gou Liang’s shoulder, walked towards the entrance, politely nodded to He Huo and Ming Ming, then looked at Sun Zhuozhuo. “Lead the way.” With just this sentence, he effortlessly passed through them.
Sun Zhuozhuo: “…” It would be even more handsome without the last sentence.
Ming Ming: “…”
He Huo: “…”
Sun Zhuozhuo, leading the way, pushed open the door of the private room, shouting like a butterfly, “I’m here, did you miss me?”
Everyone turned their heads behind him, “Where is your family? Why didn’t they come with you?”
Sun Zhuozhuo, with a frightened expression, said, “Don’t talk nonsense—”
Ming Ming pushed away the showy Sun Zhuozhuo, pulled He Huo into the room, and everyone was about to have a lively conversation. Suddenly, a tall and handsome man stepped out from behind him.
The lively crowd suddenly fell silent, looking at the newcomer in surprise.
He had a distinctive personality, with waist-length hair tied high, not affecting his handsome and sharp aura. His pair of sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, high nose, thin lips—his face was imposing when serious, and the moment he softened his expression, a few strands of tenderness appeared.
The commanding presence instantly softened.
“Come in.”
He said.
Only then did everyone notice that he was still holding a slender and fair hand. The wrist was delicately boned and beautiful, adorned with a pricey wristwatch that drew attention.
Satisfied with the laughter from hiding behind the door, Gou Liang walked into everyone’s sight. His eyes still carried a playful smile, and the corner of his mouth revealed a reserved smile, appearing shy and blushing.
Everyone reacted simultaneously.
Hiss…
Gou Liang said, “Long time no see, everyone. Class monitor, we didn’t arrive late, did we?”
The class monitor came to his senses first, playfully looking at the intertwined hands of the two and said, “Student Meng Qining, don’t you plan to introduce this handsome guy to us?”
Gou Liang coughed and looked up at Bi Xia. With a smile, he said, “This is Bi Xia, um, my partner.”
There was an uproar in the private room.
It could be foreseen that Gou Liang’s partner would soon become a hot topic in his circle of friends in the near future.
The dinner was quite enjoyable, with everyone discussing recent events. The time for the meal quickly passed. When they were about to continue the gathering at KTV, Gou Liang excused himself, claiming that he had something to attend to.
When he returned to the parking lot, Gou Liang couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Long live our emperor, you were so handsome tonight…”
“Hush.” Bi Xia covered his mouth and said, “Someone followed us out.”
It was He Huo, followed by the somewhat aggrieved Ming Ming.
“Qining, please wait a moment.”
He Huo quickly approached, nodded slightly to Bi Xia, and then turned to Gou Liang. “I have something I’d like to trouble you with. Can we talk about it now?”
“What’s the matter?”
“I want you to take a look at my mother; she hasn’t been quite right lately.”
Gou Liang looked at He Huo in surprise. He had noticed the few traces of black energy on He Huo’s body, but since it wasn’t life-threatening, he hadn’t considered intervening. But now that He Huo had found him, he wouldn’t refuse business that came knocking on his door.
The four moved to a private room at the club to discuss in detail. Gou Liang took the tea poured by the dedicated Bi Xia and looked at He Huo, “Before you talk about your mother, I’m curious, how did you end up finding me?”
He Huo said, “I have a collaboration with Sun Zhuozhuo’s cousin, Mei Ling. It came up in our conversation, and she highly recommended you. To be honest, I was surprised when I confirmed that the person she mentioned was you.”
At that moment, he was not just surprised; even after confirming the name several times, he still couldn’t believe it. He pulled out the photo of Meng Qining, carefully preserved in his phone, to show Mei Ling.
Gou Liang understood.
After He Huo explained the situation, Gou Liang confirmed his visit to He Huo’s house the next day.
*
The vehicle was driving on the road, and the woman in the driver’s seat turned to her husband, saying, “After picking up Mom, let’s go to the school to pick up our son. We can have dinner outside together, so we don’t have to bother going home.”
“Okay—be careful!”
The man shouted loudly. The woman turned her head, only to see something black being flung into the air.
She stepped on the brakes, her face turning pale, beads of cold sweat appearing on her forehead.
The man, still composed, quickly got out of the car to see what the woman had hit. She unfastened her seatbelt, legs trembling, and walked to her husband’s side. On the roadside were the lifeless bodies of two small black cats. The man breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “It’s okay, don’t worry; it’s just a cat.”
The woman also let out a big sigh of relief. Listening to her husband saying that he would take over driving, she was about to walk back to the car, but she felt a strange sensation and turned her head.
There were no black cats on the roadside. The vividly bloody fiGoure lying on the ground turned out to be her just-turned-five-year-old son—
“Ah!!!”
The woman screamed and woke up.
The husband turned on the light, “Having a nightmare again?”
The woman uncovered the blanket, rushed to her son’s room, and saw that he was still sleeping soundly, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
*
The next day, Gou Liang arrived at He’s house as scheduled.
Since a few days ago, Mrs. He had suddenly become prone to sleeping and had a poor appetite, her body quickly deteriorating. Although she wasn’t awake for much time, she had a very cheerful personality. When He Huo brought Gou Liang into the room, she was being entertained by Ming Ming. She didn’t mind showing her smiling face, full of crow’s feet lines, seeming genuinely happy.
“Mom, this is Master Meng, who I invited to check on your health.”
Gou Liang nodded when introduced to Mrs. He and the other young woman in the room, He Jia.
Gou Liang, with a shy smile, said, “Auntie, I’m He Huo’s college classmate. You can call me Xiao Meng.”
Mrs. He, in good spirits, said, “You are Qining, right? This kid showed me your photos before.”
He Huo, feeling awkward, called out to his mom and then looked at Ming Ming, who was expressing displeasure very straightforwardly.
Mrs. He patted Ming Ming’s arm with a smile. “Don’t be upset. Go and bring some fruits for our Gouests. How can we not even offer a glass of water? Xiao Huo, you should have arranged that.”
Ming Ming, recognized as the host’s family, immediately became happy. He raised his head to show off to Gou Liang, then walked away with an air of arrogance.
Gou Liang found it amusing and sat down, getting straight to the point. “Auntie, I heard that five days ago, after you visited the cemetery, you started feeling unwell. Is that correct?”
Mrs. He nodded. “Yes, that’s what they all say. But that day, I didn’t feel anything wrong at the cemetery. I thought it was just a little cold when I had a fever afterward. I never expected to faint. I can’t really say what it was for.”
Gou Liang nodded and said, “Auntie, you seem to be a very caring person. You must love animals, right?”
Mrs. He, looking more comfortable in front of Gou Liang than she did with doctors or elderly gentlemen with long white beards, nodded and said, “Yes, my daughter used to have allergies, so we had to give away the cats we kept at home. They died in the last two years.”
Even though the cats were sent away, she often visited them. After their deaths, she donated a plot for their graves. She still felt a bit sad talking about it.
Gou Liang said, “Auntie, the day you came back from the cemetery, you must have seen a black cat, right?”
Mrs. He was surprised. “That’s right. How did you know?”
He Jia, who had been silent, said, “Are you saying my mom’s illness is related to those cats?!”
He Huo quickly said, “Sister, don’t get upset. Let Qining explain slowly.”
He Jia opened her mouth to say something more but restrained herself.
Gou Liang looked at He Jia, and the smile on his face faded a bit.
“Whether it’s related or not, Miss He should be more aware than me, right?” Gou Liang’s eyes became deeper, as if he could see through all the secrets. His tone remained calm. “Auntie is kind-hearted. When she saw the dead cats on the road, she felt sorry for them. She originally called someone to bury them, but you and your husband persuaded her not to handle it. Later, you claimed to have buried the kittens, but in fact, you both just casually dumped those two cats in a ditch.”
“Xiao Jia, is this true?”
Mrs. He looked at her daughter in surprise.
He Jia lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Mom. We… we had something urgent at that time…”
“Miss He, deceiving oneself is not a good habit.” Gou Liang interrupted her. “You might have forgotten who ran over those two kittens with a car.”
Watching He Jia’s face turn pale, Gou Liang said, “Accidentally running over those two cats was unintentional on your part. At that moment, they were already destined to pass away, and there was no blame on you. However, you both, having promised to bury them, turned around and callously abandoned the cat corpses without any compassion.”
“Later, your husband killed the mother cat.”
“Miss He, you have a five-year-old son, right? If someone treated your child like that, how would you feel?”
Mrs. He and He Huo looked at He Jia in shock.
He Jia covered her face and, thinking of last night’s dream, shrank back, slowly revealing the truth through sobs.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… It was an accident with the car. Later, my husband said black cats are ominous, and if we buried them, they would haunt us. So, I… But then, that cat suddenly appeared and attacked my husband, scratching his arm. He was just trying to shoo the cat away, but it kept chasing us, trying to bite us. My husband only… because of this, he had to get several days of vaccinations in the hospital, and it was not pleasant.”
“Is that so? That’s truly a pity.”
Gou Liang said with a light smile.
Furious, Mrs. He raised her hand almost to strike her daughter, but after a while, she put her hand down, saying disappointedly, “How could you do this? Don’t you find your actions too cruel and heartless?”
“Mom…” He Jia cried, “I know I was wrong. I’ll let Jia Zhen arrange for the burial of those three cats right away.”
She rushed to grab her phone.
He Huo, with a furrowed brow, looked at Gou Liang. “Qining, if this matter doesn’t have much to do with my mom, why is she affected, but my brother-in-law isn’t…? My mom is even worse?”
Gou Liang said, “That cat, it’s not an ordinary one.”
“Originally, black cats were considered protectors against evil spirits. Cats in the cemetery are even more special, almost like messengers from the underworld. That cat had Gouided many souls and had cultivated some spiritual power. Miss He, the mother cat your husband killed probably had two tails, right? It originally had two lives, but it died by your hands, showing your husband’s cruel intentions.”
He Jia, who picked up the handbag, opened her eyes wide and said: “I, I don’t know. I was too scared at the time and didn’t see clearly…”
Staring at He Huo, Gou Liang continued, “Not only auntie. The cat carried deep resentment, and your family, including you, accumulated bad karma. Auntie has the merit of helping animals, so the resentment on her is the lightest. However, due to her being born during the Yin phase and having a weaker constitution, her symptoms appear more severe. But, sleep is a natural process of self-recovery. The resentment on auntie has already been mostly eliminated, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Mrs. He said: “What about the others? My daughter…”
“Miss He is not inherently bad, but she was an accomplice. Although it’s not visible now, her fate has already been altered. However, the one you should be more concerned about is your husband.”
Originally, she should have had a long life, prosperity, and obedient children, but a single misstep twisted her fate, subjecting her to a life of loneliness and suffering.
He Jia stood up abruptly, “How is my husband?”
Gou Liang calculated, confirming that He Jia’s husband had indeed passed away. He then furrowed his brow, “Your son and he are together? They went to the countryside?”
He Jia’s body went weak, collapsing on the floor. “I… I sent him with our son. There’s a temple near my mother-in-law’s place that is said to be very effective. I thought of letting our son stay there for a few days…”
She shakily took out her phone from her bag, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t make the call.
He Huo took the phone and, upon answering, the sound of a child crying loudly came through. “Mom, help me! So many cats, I’m scared… Mom, help me…”
He Huo was shocked, “Baby, what happened to you?”
“So many cats, so scary, Mom, help me…”
He Jia snatched the phone over, “Baby! Don’t be afraid, baby. Mom will come to pick you up wherever you are! Where is your dad? He’s not with you?!”
“Dad is gone…Mom…here…There are so many cats, I’m so scared, woo woo woo.”
Mrs. He rushed down from the bed, saying, “Master Meng, what happened to my grandson? Can you save him? He’s just an innocent child—”
“Qining…”
He Huo supported his sister, looking up at Gou Liang.
“Borrow your hair for a moment.”
Gou Liang took a strand of He Jia’s hair, grabbed a cup of water, and chanted, “Invoke the Earth God, the most spiritual of deities. Traverse heaven and earth, enter the realm of spirits. Manifest!”
The water in the cup rippled, and a sudden image appeared in it.
Inside a car, a child in the child seat was crying, surrounded by countless green and golden eyes on the window, looking terrifying. Upon closer inspection, those were numerous black cats, encircling the car!
He Jia screamed, the water mirror was silent, but she could still hear her son’s terrified cries, “Mommy, help, there are so many cats, I’m scared…”
“Baby!”
She cried uncontrollably.
Mrs. He staggered, “What’s happening… Master Meng, what should we do now? What should we do?”
Gou Liang said, “He Huo, go talk to the child. Tell him to close his eyes, hold the protective amulet on his chest tightly, and whatever happens, not to open the car door.”
He Huo immediately complied, and while Gou Liang continued chanting, the image in the water cup changed again — an adult man, covered in blood, was being bitten and attacked by dozens of black cats. His face was torn apart, and his body was dismembered, extremely gruesome.
“Jia Zhen…”
He Jia recognized the man’s clothes as the ones her husband wore when he left in the morning. She screamed and fainted.
“Qining, what should we do now? How can we help my nephew?”