Chapter 175

Ling Yue was stunned, then immediately reacted: "Jun Jun, let's go see."

Jun Jun shook its ears and darted over.

In the depths of the forest, Qiao Ershu greedily chased the chubby doll ahead; his ferocious, twisted face terrified the little ginseng doll, who had rarely left the mountains, into panic.

It wailed loudly, completely forgetting its own ability: "Help!"

The little purple marten on the ground wanted to rush over to save its friend, hoping to buy time, but Qiao Ershu paid no heed and straightaway pursued the ginseng doll.

The ginseng doll dared not turn its head in fear; seeing the red string in his hand, it shuddered.

Once a ginseng has its red thread tied around its head by a person, it can never escape.

It ran while clutching the little tuft on its head, and several lush green leaves popped out from fright.

This terrifying human surely wants to eat it!

The ginseng doll jumped anxiously, but its tiny steps could not outrun an adult; it was soon about to be caught, and Qiao Ershu was overjoyed.

His greedy gaze fell on the ginseng doll's chubby body; he had grown up in a village at the foot of Changbai Mountain, hearing old folks' tales since childhood—things like ginseng dolls and Huang Daxian—never imagining they actually existed!

This is a ginseng that has become a spirit!

He quickly reacted, looping the red string around it, his heart full of smug satisfaction.

A furious roar suddenly exploded beside his ear!

Qiao Ershu plopped onto his rear in a snow pit, terrified, staring at the newcomer—snow‑white all over, a horrifying giant tiger whose eyes alone were as big as brass bells; it bared a blood‑filled maw, its stern teeth like sharp daggers flashing cold light, chilling to the bone, making souls flee.

"Old, tiger!"

Jun Jun's momentum did not wane; it stepped on him with a paw, and in his daze he heard a crack, the intense pain making him wail horribly, startling a flock of birds.

The pain made breathing difficult; his vision blurred, he saw a pair of shoes—Ling Yue riding on Jun Jun's back, slightly leaning down: "What a coincidence."

He stared at Ling Yue in utter shock, never expecting to see a person on the tiger's back; his mind raced—she and the tiger……they……

"Spare, spare my life……please spare me, sir……" he said, blood frothing at his lips, a pitiable sight that surely arouses compassion.

The little ginseng doll beside him went limp, flopping with a thump onto Jun Jun's paw: "Sister, he's not a good person! He's a big villain! He must not be spared!"

Ling Yue said nothing; Jun Jun lowered its head first, and the little ginseng doll trembled with fear: "I have seen the Mountain Lord."

The moment it saw him, the little ginseng doll realized: it is a spirit born of Changbai Mountain, naturally under the Mountain Lord's jurisdiction; not only it, but every blade of grass and tree on this mountain are his subjects.

Seeing this, Qiao Ershu was so frightened his whole body stiffened: "You……"

He quickly came to his senses: "Please spare me, sir……I, the lowly one, deserve death……deserve death……"

How could he know that Qiao Qiao, that dead girl, actually had such friends—just looking at that huge tiger, it must be a demon that has cultivated into a spirit, yet willingly bows to her; Qiao Ershu instantly sensed something was wrong.

He begged for mercy for a while, but heard not a single reply.

Unconsciously he lifted his gaze, meeting Ling Yue's cold eyes; in an instant his heart sank straight down.

"I am a member of the Xuanmen Association; you cannot kill me! You cannot kill me!"

He was frightened silly, immediately bringing up the Xuanmen Association; hearing this, Ling Yue couldn't help but frown—she had almost forgotten the Xuanmen Association—when suddenly she heard the other's title.

Moreover, every time she encountered them, it was never anything good.

Ling Yue stepped down, her feet crunching on the packed snow: "What are you doing here?"

The little ginseng doll stood up: "He wants to steal my ginseng!"

"He's a big villain!"

Qiao Ershu quickly turned his head: "No, no, that's not my purpose; if you spare me, I will tell you everything I know, holding nothing back!"

"Sir, you are magnanimous; spare my humble life, and let me be……like a pebble by the road……" he said, clutching his chest; it hurt—Jun Jun's kick surely broke several of his ribs, and now his breathing was like a broken bellows, panting painfully.

Ling Yue pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Speak."

Qiao Ershu poured out everything he knew, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Finally he concluded: "……I was sent to look for the dragon vein."

Hearing his words, Ling Yue also froze: "Dragon vein?"

In an instant, countless novels she had read flooded her mind—things like overthrowing the Qing to restore the Ming, uh no, dragon vein ascension and the like; Ling Yue couldn't help but twitch her mouth, this concerns the nation's fate, yet the Xuanmen Association dares to meddle?

Are they tired of living too long? Otherwise why would they court death like this?

From Qiao Ershu's words, it seems they were divided into several waves; as for why such a famous mountain as Changbai would assign someone like him, a minor lackey, one reason is the master he venerates, another is that Changbai here had already been probed decades ago.

There was no other aura; it was merely a mountain peak exaggerated by people.

Ling Yue speculated, but because Jun Jun was protecting it, no one had noticed.

She lowered her head, looking at Qiao Ershu: "Is that so."

Apart from that, she said nothing more; Qiao Ershu felt relieved inside, immediately preparing to leave with trepidation, when suddenly his body lurched and he met the cruel, merciless tiger eyes—it was Jun Jun.

"Ling Yue may have spared you, but I never said so."

His face turned deathly pale; he looked at Ling Yue with grief and indignation: "You deceived me!"

Ling Yue gave him a deep look: "Isn't this your karmic retribution?"

She saw much tangled karma and resentment on him; his hands were certainly not clean, yet he lived well, even comfortably.

So from the start, she had no intention of letting him go.

Hearing this, Qiao Ershu's body stiffened; he didn't know how many people he had deceived were coming to mind—those he had toyed with at will, weren't they just like him today?

He suddenly flared with shame and rage: "You, you vile——"

Jun Jun slapped him across the face: "Shut up!"

The pain knocked him out instantly.

Jun Jun carried him off, soon disappearing into the woods; Ling Yue stood there, thought a moment, then called her colleagues at the Special Safety Bureau.

Hearing her mention the dragon vein.

Jiang Ye was completely stunned; although no investigation had been conducted yet, he instinctively believed Ling Yue: "Members of the Xuanmen Association, secretly looking for the dragon vein in private?"

"Are they idiots? Jiang Ye never finished the latter half."

He fell silent for a moment, then, following Ling Yue's hint, said: "Alright, I'll immediately send people to secretly capture the other side in Nan Shi!"

Jiang Ye finished speaking, immediately mobilized the team, and simultaneously reported the matter secretly; he raised his head to look at the clear sky, a vague premonition — the whole sky over Jing Shi was about to change!

In Changbai Mountain, Ling Yue waited a while before seeing Jun Jun return; it nodded: "I didn't kill him, it's too dirty!"

It merely placed him where wolf packs often roamed, broke his two legs, and waited for heaven to take his life.

Ling Yue patted its fluffy big head: "Jun Jun, you're so obedient."

Jun Jun stubbornly retorted: "I'm not a little kid, don't call me obedient."

It looked even cuter.

Ling Yue gave a perfunctory smile; Jun Jun drooped its head in defeat — it had long been an adult, a full-grown Da Lao Hu Junjun!

Suddenly, a timid voice sounded: "Benefactor."

Ling Yue tilted her head, somewhat surprised.

Da Lao Hu Junjun even blurted out: "Why are you still here?"

It had thought the other party had already run away.

The ginseng doll wearing a dudou tightly gripped its small hands, nervously looking at her: "I, I have a gift to give you."

At that moment, the little purple marten Yun clung to its side, two big eyes looking pitifully at Ling Yue; she twitched the corner of her mouth but hadn't said anything yet.

Da Lao Hu Junjun raised its head proudly: "What needs to be offered? Lead the way quickly!"

"Sure!"

Ling Yue tugged at its fur; Jun Jun said very familiarly: "Just accept it — this little ginseng spirit wants you to protect it."

He said with a hint of disdain: "This ginseng doll is too timid — seeing a red rope frightens it so much it dare not even use any spell."

Da Lao Hu Junjun bared its teeth: "This is actually a little demon of my fief!"

Ling Yue inexplicably sensed a hint of disdain; after thinking, she realized expertise has its specialty — although the ginseng doll can't fight, its ability lies elsewhere.

She couldn't help pinching one of Jun Jun's fluffy big ears: "It's fine; the ginseng spirit is a support type, unlike you."

Unexpectedly, Jun Jun, not knowing what it had thought, proudly lifted its head: "Ling Yue, are you praising me, saying I'm especially powerful?!"

Ling Yue's motion stalled, somewhat torn between laughter and tears; the point really wasn't about that, but seeing its excited look, she fell silent for a moment and let out an "en."

"I guess so. I'm going to look for the ginseng doll."

"I'm going too, I'm going too!" Jun Jun followed, running after her.

A few minutes later, the ginseng doll led them to a patch of forest; Ling Yue lifted her gaze to see endless white snow, as if sensing her doubt, the ginseng doll stomped its feet and vanished instantly.

In Ling Yue's sight, the originally solid ground suddenly split open; the ginseng doll lay in the soil, clutching a clean, whole ginseng root.

Ling Yue then recalled that ginseng is a deciduous plant; in winter its stems and leaves fall off, making it hard to spot, and moreover, the Changbai Mountain region has a thick layer of frozen soil.

So, she had never even considered this possibility.

On the contrary, the ginseng doll excitedly hugged the ginseng and leapt over: "There's a huge patch of ginseng here — I'll give it all to you!"

It's a good thing it didn't dig them all up; otherwise, Ling Yue would have trouble carrying them all.

However, the state clearly stipulates that private digging of ginseng is forbidden; Ling Yue looked at its innocent little appearance and smiled faintly: "The state prohibits private harvesting of wild mountain ginseng; that's illegal."

Ginseng: "I dug this up; I'm giving it to you!"

Unexpectedly, it was quite clever, seeming to recall something; the ginseng said: "This patch isn't wild mountain ginseng — it's forest-floor ginseng!"

So-called forest-floor ginseng is not natural wild mountain ginseng, but rather ginseng that grows naturally in the woods after humans scatter seeds; its efficacy differs from wild mountain ginseng, yet it is many times better than cultivated ginseng, and its effects almost match those of wild mountain ginseng.

The ginseng doll flicked its little tufts: "I once saw a person secretly scattering seeds here; later a patch of ginseng grew, and since no one came, I've been helping to look after it." It said this rather happily; the ginseng doll has no other abilities — planting ginseng is what it's best at!

As for the notion of harming one's own kind, that simply doesn't exist; to it, these are merely soulless weeds.

The ginseng bent its chubby fingers, saying: "One, two, three… it's been over fifty years; that person probably doesn't want it anymore."

"I'm giving it all to you!"

On the way back, Ling Yue still felt a bit dazed — with so much forest-floor ginseng, how could the ginseng doll be so sure it was ownerless?

Suddenly, the little tiger on her wrist trembled, quietly reminding her: "Ling Yue, snap back to it."

Ling Yue immediately composed herself; facing her were Qiao Qiao's family. She greeted them, about to enter when she suddenly recalled something, stopping at the threshold and looking at Qiao Dad: "Around here, does anyone cultivate forest-floor ginseng?"

Qiao Dad heard this, startled, didn't answer, but instead asked her: "Young lady, why did you suddenly think to ask about this?"

As he spoke, he suddenly recalled that Ling Yue had just returned from Changbai Mountain; his own father's dying words came to mind, his body stiffened incredulously, and he stared at Ling Yue: "You discovered a patch of forest-floor ginseng?"

Ling Yue noticed his complexion looked odd, as if he were recalling something, and couldn't help asking: "Do you know something?"

Qiao Dad: "I… I this…"

Just as he began speaking, voices came from outside the door: "Qiao Qiao's dad, hurry over to help, bring your tools quickly!"

Qiao Dad instantly had nothing to say, grabbed the pig‑killing knife at his side: "We'll talk about this later; I'm going to go help them first."

Ling Yue nodded.

Actually, she didn't care about these at all; having the ginseng doll meant having countless ginseng, so she ought to think more about how to use the land she had acquired.

As for this batch of forest-floor ginseng, Ling Yue hadn't decided how to dispose of it; she planned to first ask whether it had an owner, but seeing Qiao Dad's demeanor, it seemed she wouldn't get an answer.

After entering the house, Ling Yue immediately opened her computer; a few minutes had still passed, she tossed the earlier matter out of her mind, just opened the live‑stream room, and layers of comments nearly flooded the entire stream.

Even Ling Yue herself could barely be seen.

【Ahhhh start the stream start the stream!】

【Streamer streamer I miss you, muamuamua~】

【Honey you finally started the stream; I thought I couldn't wait any longer 【sob sob】】

【Upstairs spouting nonsense, this is clearly my wife!】

Cheesy lines came one after another; clearly it was only her alone in the room, yet suddenly there was a strange bustle.

It felt as if all these people were right by her side; the joy of streaming lay right here.

Ling Yue lowered her lids, a faint blush creeping up her ears, then looked at the screen: "Ahem, everyone, behave."

【Honey, where am I being improper? You say, I will definitely…… not change!】

【Pah, you shameless!】

【I'm different now—I'm a true gentleman, a streamer—let's start the draw quickly!】

【Plus one, I always want to laugh when I see these comments, because the streamer is actually right here in my house!】

Regarding these comments, Ling Yue couldn't bear to look; she went straight to the point: "I'm about to start the draw, everyone calm down—I'm currently single, no lover, I only like fluffy little animals."

【Yay! The streamer likes fluffy stuff—I wear a fluffy onesie = fluffy little animal = the streamer likes me!】

【I think the person upstairs is thinking about eating peach!】

Ling Yue rested her chin on her hand, sighed wistfully, unaware that the little tiger Jun Jun on her wrist was about to burst with joy.

It wholeheartedly agreed with that person's words, because it is the very essence of fluff—Yue Yue likes fluffy little animals, which means Yue Yue likes me!

Jun Jun blushed so hard its ears turned red, its thick fur couldn't hide it.

Ling Yue had no idea what it was thinking, she stared intently at the screen; a few minutes later, the draw result appeared.

She smiled faintly: "Congratulations, all the fluffy stuff is mine—do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"

As soon as her voice fell, the screen connected, revealing a girl with red-rimmed eyes and a weary face; she looked hopefully at Ling Yue, like a drowning person spotting the last lifeline.

"Streamer, save me!"

Upon hearing this, Ling Yue froze, and the viewers in front of the screen were startled—what's going on?!

The girl seemed to realize she'd said something wrong, and immediately explained: "Streamer, I want you to save my cat, Yuan Yuan."

"It's been missing for two days; I've tried scissors** and other methods, checked all its usual spots, but I can't find it—Yuan Yuan won't leave my side, and it's very timid..."

In her panic, her words came out all jumbled.

Although Ling Yue could barely make sense of it, her expression grave, she looked at the worried girl; before she could speak, the screen was already filled with concern.

【Good heavens, another rescue request!】

【How did it get lost again! Seeing this, my heart lurched, I thought of carrot T^T】

【Wuwuwu, sis, same here—Mom, my eyes are about to cry blind, streamer, please save my life too, I don't want to be!】

Obviously, the girl also saw the comments; the tears she had been holding back suddenly streamed down: "Wuwuwu, streamer, our Yuan Yuan is so well-behaved—please save it."

【Seeing her cry makes me want to cry too—Mom, we definitely have to find it this time!】

Ling Yue looked at her, her face expressionless; she could see the girl was under immense pressure, on the verge of breaking down, and she couldn't show any other expression, lest the girl start overthinking.

Ling Yue steadied her emotions and asked: "Don't cry, tell me—how did the cat go missing? Does it have any social circles?"

The girl nodded eagerly: "My Yuan Yuan went missing two days ago—no, wait, last night I suddenly couldn't find it, and then I noticed the window at home had been opened."

The moment she saw the open window, her heart sank halfway; she never imagined her own cat had learned to open windows—she always kept them shut tight!

Moreover, it had never gone near the window before.

The viewers' questions, she answered each one through tears.

Ling Yue made a snap decision: "Let's go downstairs first, ask the other animals in your complex—and, can you be sure your cat opened the window itself?"

The girl said firmly: "Absolutely—I always latch it securely; the clasp can only be opened from inside."

Hearing that, Ling Yue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—this cat is really smart, but why would it jump off the building in the middle of the night?

Ling Yue really couldn't figure it out.

During this time, "All the fluffy stuff is mine" had already gotten up and left; she rents an apartment in the complex, stepping out into the hallway, entering the elevator, the number displayed made one jump.

【Tenth floor! Oh my god, the door wasn't open, it went missing in the middle of the night, the window wide open—unless the cat can turn invisible, it must have jumped from the tenth floor!】

【Save me, I'm getting more and more worried—miss, have you noticed any other traces?】

【Fun fact: a cat only has one life—if it jumps from the tenth floor, it will definitely die.】

【Save me QAQ】

Seeing this, "All the fluffy stuff is mine" almost wanted to die crying—she never expected this, her heart had sunk to the bottom.

Suddenly, the elevator dinged.

Downstairs, we've arrived.

"All the fluffy stuff is mine" wiped her tears: "Streamer, I didn't see anything else in the bushes downstairs, no blood either."

She pinched her fingertips, looked at the screen: "Our Yuan Yuan will definitely be fine…… Yuan Yuan will definitely be fine……"

Ling Yue couldn't answer her.

Suddenly, a chubby, dirty milk-tea orange cat appeared on the screen, lounging lazily by the roadside, licking its plump big cat leg, looking utterly leisurely.

Ling Yue narrowed her eyes; this plump build was clearly a beloved pet.

Ling Yue immediately called out to "All the fluffy stuff is mine": "Go over, I'll ask if it's seen Yuan Yuan."

Through "All the fluffy stuff is mine"'s chatter, Ling Yue learned that the missing cat was a golden shaded, named Yuan Yuan, because its entire body was round and lustrous like pearls and jade.

"Hello." "All the fluffy stuff is mine" said timidly.

The usually gentle Daju, upon seeing her, had its pupils shrink instantly; in the blink of an eye it went against its nature, puffing up its fur into a complete ball.

The orange cat eyed the humans warily, eyes wide, hissing and meowing: "Don't come closer! If you dare approach, I'll call people, I'll call cats!"

"Wuwuwu, Mom, she's so scary, so scary!"

【……What's going on? I feel like this cat is really afraid of Miss.】

【You're not alone!】 ， ， 。