Chapter 322: From now on, we'll go by this standard

Lin Meng's eyelid twitched violently; this familiar opening line...

"Grandfather, how did you become crippled..."

Before, at least they were just poor—worn clothes, a broken home, but healthy; now they look truly miserable.

The grandfather, sniffling and teary-eyed, leaned on his cane and sat in the chair opposite Lin Meng.

Having lost one eye, he could only look at Lin Meng by tilting his head; though pitiable, it was also somewhat comical.

Lin Meng thought of many sad things in her heart, barely managing to keep the corners of her mouth down.

"Grandfather, what on earth is going on?"

The grandfather wore a bitter melon face, yet seemed unwilling to say more, giving Lin Meng a vague look.

"Ah, it's just that I'm not good enough—I lost a fight. Don't worry, this injury will heal with some rest."

After saying that, the grandfather stared at Lin Meng, full of expectation.

"Xiao Meng, how's the soul collection going?"

Lin Meng quickly took off the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Pearl and handed it to the grandfather.

"Not much, just one, but it's a pretty powerful soul. Grandfather, quickly draw it out—this thing sits in the bead around my neck, and I always feel a chill in my chest, kinda creepy."

The grandfather laughed, took the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Pearl, sensed it a bit, and his good eye instantly brightened.

"Good lad, worthy of being my good granddaughter—refining this soul is definitely a great tonic!"

"Good granddaughter, wait here; I'll be right back, old rule—don't wander off."

After saying that, the grandfather took the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Pearl and went to the rear hall of the house.

Just like last time, Lin Meng was left in the living room; this time she wasn't so curious, obediently sitting in the chair waiting for her grandfather to return.

In her free moments, she pondered her grandfather in her heart, feeling that this Underworld was also a rather mysterious place.

Here money flows like water, here ghosts can cultivate, and here too there are many unknowns.

The grandfather said his leg and eye injuries were from a fight, but deliberately avoided explaining exactly why they fought.

Could it be that this Underworld is also a place of survival of the fittest, where the biggest fist wins?

Unable to figure it out and unable to investigate, Lin Meng could only sit and sigh.

When the grandfather returned with the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Pearl, the blindfold over his eye had been removed, his bandaged leg had healed, and he walked over to Lin Meng hopping and jumping like an old child.

"Good granddaughter, where did you get that soul? Its quality is too high—I absorbed only part of it, and my injuries are completely healed!"

Lin Meng stared at the grandfather's eye, still bruised like a panda's, and tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"It's from a strange world. Grandfather, do you still remember the jade bracelet you gave me at the start? This kind of jade bracelet lets me connect to other planes. Where did yours come from, and do you have more?"

The grandfather heard that, stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head.

"Ah, I see, that thing is really powerful. Grandfather truly didn't know—does that strange world you mentioned have many more souls? I'd like to get more, the more the better."

Lin Meng frowned, knowing her grandfather seemed unwilling to say much, and whenever she asked the key question he would talk nonsense.

She didn't know whether her grandfather couldn't say it, or if that was just his nature.

Lin Meng sighed, thought a bit, and said:

"Grandfather, that world is very dangerous, and my time there is limited—please give me some time."

Upon hearing that, the grandfather immediately nodded happily, his old face creasing into smiles.

"Good, good, good, Grandfather will wait—from now on, the souls he wants will be to this standard; those little souls and spirits are not enough, not even worth stuffing between teeth."

Lin Meng: "..."

The grandfather's appetite is always this huge—burning all that paper money isn't enough, and now he even wants high-quality souls; this old man really isn't being polite with her.

In the time it took to roll her eyes, Lin Meng woke up and saw that it was already daylight outside.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up, recalled last night's dream-visit, and was again speechless.

Just then her aunt came to ask about breakfast, and Lin Meng simply asked Lin Cuihua.

"Aunt, what kind of person is my grandfather? Do you know how he ended up owing several million while he was alive?"

Lin Cuihua heard that, shook her head, seeming to recall, and couldn't help but turn up the corners of her mouth.

"Your grandfather, he's sometimes really unreliable, his ideas always strange; your grandmother couldn't stand it and left when I was young, and by then he was already in debt."

"But your grandfather was very good to us kids; it's just a shame his eyesight was poor, so he didn't notice that the eldest brother and them were actually white-eyed wolves."

Saying that, Lin Cuihua sighed again.

Lin Meng pressed: "Specifically, how exactly is his thinking strange?"

Lin Cuihua recalled again.

"I can't really put it into words, but your grandfather is the type who constantly tells us to believe in science, yet he himself is all mysterious and likes to dabble in the occult."

"In the year before his death, he seemed to know he was going to die; although his body was still fairly strong, he gathered us to give his last instructions—the old house was what he gave to your parents at that time, and though the household was in an uproar, he never relented."

Lin Meng listened carefully, but also didn't catch any key information.

In short, her grandfather seemed to have been odd even while alive, as if he knew about afterlife matters.

After Lin Cuihua learned that the grandfather had once begged for money in a dream, she folded gold ingots more diligently.

Lin Meng enshrined the grandfather's spirit tablet in an empty room of the villa; Lin Cuihua, after folding a box of gold ingots, would burn them for the grandfather.

Lin Meng wasn't idle either—she lived normally by day, meditated and cultivated at night, occasionally practicing sword flight in the sky, becoming ever more free and unrestrained.

That day, Ye Chenjing, who had been away traveling, finally returned.

As soon as he landed, he went to Lin Meng's house; the door was opened by Lin Cuihua, and Ye Chenjing visibly startled.

"Hello, I'm looking for Lin Meng."

The two had met before; Lin Cuihua knew Ye Chenjing's identity and invited him in.

"General Manager, my little Meng is resting upstairs; shall I go call her?"

Ye Chenjing, upon hearing that, hurriedly stopped her.

"No need, Madam Lin, I'll wait until she rests and then come find her; I just live next door."

Lin Cuihua saw that Ye Chenjing was so polite and thoughtful, knowing not to disturb Xiao Meng, her impression of this powerful and influential big boss improved a bit.

She joked:

"Calling me Madam Lin is too formal; why don't you call me Little Aunt like you do Xiao Meng, if that's inconvenient, call me Aunt Lin, I won't stand on ceremony with you either—I'll call you Xiao Ye, okay?"

General Manager Ye was delighted to be called Xiao Ye, and quickly went along with it.

"Little Aunt, from now on we're neighbors; if you have anything, just come find me."

Lin Cuihua, upon hearing that, shifted her gaze, stood up, and said:

"Xiao Ye, Auntie won't stand on ceremony with you; it's like this: that stone pedestal at the entrance is a bit in the way, I want to move it to the side, but my husband and I can't move it; you young people should be stronger than us—can you…"

Ye Chenjing agreed upon hearing it, immediately took off his suit, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and went to the courtyard.

That stone pedestal looked a bit heavy, but Ye Chenjing just limbered up a little, bent over, and lifted it slightly, moving it to the side in one go.

Lin Cuihua saw this, her eyes stared wide round, and she was greatly startled.

After coming to her senses, Lin Cuihua's look at Ye Chenjing became ever more satisfied.

This young man has extraordinary strength; looking at him, he's really not bad.

Someone who is wealthy, polite, and physically that strong is truly rare.

If Xiao Meng wants to get married, this Ye Chenjing can get in line.

"Aunt Lin, do you think this works?"

Lin Cuihua, after coming to her senses, said with a smile:

"Okay! Just like that, Xiao Ye, go home first and wait for news."