Chapter 269: 268. Chapter 268: Mission Complete

268. Chapter 268: Mission Complete — 「You've heard……

As the man spoke, the door revealed his face, and the water friends in the live‑stream room instantly exploded!

【Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts—ghost!】

【Um… there's water sound and breathing, his face is frozen white, he must be human, right.】

【If that's the case, Dick basically didn't die?!】

The just‑angry‑roaring Dielina said: 'Eh eh, I'm so embarrassed⊙▽⊙~~'

She lost her voice, and everyone's gaze involuntarily fell on Anna, who stood on the water, her skirt lightly lifting, her curly black hair falling down, behind her lay rotting, broken ships; seeing her, it was as if she had crossed an entire century.

Faced with that silent, questioning look, Anna unconsciously pressed her lips together—so different from her earlier wild, unrestrained demeanor, like two extremes.

Ling Yue also realized that what she was showing now was her true nature.

Anna openly admitted: 'Yes, I didn't kill him.'

She didn't even know there was a puppet master behind her; she simply instinctively wanted to spare his life—that little girl who perished in the sea of fire was, after all, a kind‑hearted person.

Including those before, other ghosts would act, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, hiding the bodies in the sea; only a few lucky ones might await passing ships, while most would become unlucky spirits of the sea.

It all depended on fate.

This is also why the legend of the ghost ship has endured.

After all this turmoil, the supposedly dead Dick naturally woke up.

A dolphin immediately came sprinting over, crying 'ā ā ā': 'Hey hey hey, little human, quick quick quick! Hurry up and climb on my back, Dolphin!'

"I also picked up a little human!"

Dick pressed his lips together, struggling free from the icy, bone‑chilling seawater; once his whole body was soaked and he clambered onto the dolphin's back, he grabbed its dorsal fin with one hand, and the excited dolphin's tail slapped back and forth with a 'pa‑pa' sound.

He looked at the girl opposite him and finally remembered everything.

Dick's voice hoarse, he said: 'Back then I saw the ghost ship rushing toward us, everyone on board was in utter chaos, there was no time to launch the lifeboats, and then I… became Jest.'

His voice unconsciously grew deeper, his wet hair swept back by his fingers revealing a smooth forehead; compared to his earlier shy, sunshine‑like puppy demeanor, he instantly transformed into a wolf.

His aggressive gaze fell on Anna, and in the man's eyes lay an undisguisable affection: 'Anna.'

In that utterance lay all his myriad tenderness.

Anna's heart stirred; she suddenly looked at Dick and said: 'From the moment I died, the person Anna should no longer exist in this world!'

She had never understood why she remained in this world; she longed to die but couldn't, and now that she was truly freed, why did her heart instead begin to ache?

The ghost ship behind her clearly revealed to her the gap between worlds.

Dick seemed to sense his beloved's feelings, instinctively reaching out; Anna, standing on the water, in an instant dissolved into shards of light.

Pure white light shattered and dispersed—some floated up, some sank down; and all of this, when the clouds in the sky cleared and a ray of sunlight fell on her face, quietly turned into bubbles.

She didn't even leave a word behind—only the smile at the corner of her mouth remained, gentle and tranquil, like the soft breeze blowing over the sea.

A gust of wind blew, and the ethereal girl collapsed in a crash.

Ling Yue lightly extended her hand, gathering toward the void.

At the same time, myriad rays of light poured down; the troubling ghost ship, like foam under sunlight, instantly vanished in a puff of smoke.

That layer of rotten, decayed, and antiquated hull, like fragile snow before the light, retreated again and again.

A brand‑new, majestic, sky‑covering steamship rose like a towering mountain range, standing on the sea surface as light and shadow poured down.

New York Harbor.

With a long whistle blowing, the locals here didn't even lift their eyelids; they had already guessed that another ship was docking.

But this time the commotion was especially huge, waves of screams rising and falling.

A housewife pushed open the window, saw the scene below, and covered her mouth in shock: OMG!

What did they see?

Luxury cars lined up in a long queue, their bodies engraved with the pure white rose crest; black‑suited, long‑trousered bodyguards stepped out of the cars and formed two neat rows.

As the iceberg‑like ship came to a stop, astonished cries rang out in unison once more.

"The Princess!"

"We only set off a day or two ago—how could we be back so already?" countless people wondered, their big eyes full of curiosity.

The Meisis family, an ancient American nobility that has endured for long, is not the sole dominant house and also has rivals; thus, when the news of Meisis heir Dick's disappearance at sea was released through the allies of his opponents, it immediately sparked a huge uproar abroad.

Everyone was waiting for the Meisis family's condolences and mourning, but no one expected that they would see, aboard the returning Princess, the Dick who ought to have been dead!

Someone who had practically been declared dead actually came back!

Countless spies from rival houses, upon hearing the wind, rushed to phone their masters.

As for who among them was the most excited, it had to be Dielina!

The moment she stepped down the stairs, she couldn't wait to disembark, without even a pause—she was as eager as an arrow heading home!

"Boom boom boom——"

She jogged down the gangway and threw her arms around her father; the fear she had endured this whole time finally turned into tears streaming down: 'Dad!'

"Waa waa waa, Dad, I miss you so much! I almost—" she paused, then swallowed the rest of the sentence, father and daughter clinging tightly together, a deeply moving scene.

Mr. Chaks didn't tell anyone else; watching the live broadcast, he patted his daughter's back, feeling it was nerve‑wracking enough—let alone for such a young daughter.

At the same time, it proved one thing: Master Ling Yue is someone he must absolutely not offend!

As for Ling Yue's earlier remark about refusing payment, only a fool like Chaks would do that! He had already ordered his subordinates that all expenses for Ling Yue's auction this time would be borne by the Meisis family!

Moreover, he transferred ten billion via the bank into Ling Yue's personal account; because the sum was so huge, Ling Yue still didn't know about it, and she almost got a call from the bank.

Chaks gazed into the distance, looking at his living son aboard the ship.

Dick, in formal solemn attire, kept his face tense, staring hard at the crowd below while tightly clutching a talisman; after drifting for a while, upon seeing his homeland's scenery here, his expression merely flickered.

Beside him also was a white‑with‑black‑spots spotted dog, which was none other than Harley.

Man and dog bore a vague resemblance in demeanor, both listless and decadent.

Harley still hasn't gotten over its heartbreak, shocked by Miss Wendy's words, and even more hurt by her departure; when it heard on the dolphin's back that it was a ghost ship, the whole dog was stunned!

Even on the return trip, it didn't cheer up, head drooping, listless.

Harley asked its best friend, who had seen her abilities, whether it could be with Miss Wendy; the friend gave it a mysterious smile.

Ling Yue rubbed its ears, speaking softly: "Harley, you need to listen carefully."

Harley stared blankly with its big eyes at her.

Then it left Ling Yue's side and returned to the Princess; the two ships bore different missions, sailing to different ports. Harley lay on the rail, its paws nearly worn down, howling at her, unwilling to leave.

"Friend, what do you mean? The little dog doesn't understand! Come back quickly!"

"Wuwu~~ don't pull me, the little dog just wants to be with Wendy QAQ"

Its little deer-like tail involuntarily drooped.

In response was Ling Yue's retreating back.

Harley whimpered, thinking of the sad past, the dog felt like it would fall into depression.

He followed the few crew members ashore, suddenly hearing a whimpering sound; its eyes were bright, its hearing sharp, and for some reason the dog's intuition made it want to investigate.

Fortunately, the one holding its leash was the former chief mate; not all the crew on board had been wiped out, and the more deeply entrenched in desire a crewman was, the quicker he died—wealth and status are tempting, after all.

The remaining □□ dozens of people were allocated a few to the Princess, while others followed Ling Yue to the agreed-upon auction site.

Getting back to the point, Harley's abnormality made the chief mate, who knew it was heartbroken, very tolerant; he led the dog all the way to the overturned trash can, where just moments ago, through the crowd, one could hear the puppy's voice, now even clearer.

Harley patted the trash can; the chief mate lifted the lid, and surprise instantly welled up in his eyes: "A stray dog!"

A chubby little puppy, eyes open but obediently lying in its nest, began whimpering nonstop; upon feeling the warmth of a human hand, it immediately opened its mouth and sucked eagerly.

Without sweet, warm milk, its belly was flat like a deflated little ball; in the cold steel jungle, its mother had not returned for a long time, obviously, she was probably GG.

Even more surprising—

It was a white-coated black-spotted spotted dog.

When the chief mate brought it out, the glum Harley instantly lifted its head, its drooping eyelids snapping open, as if countless tiny stars glittered in its eyes.

The chief mate squatted down and laughed: "Hahaha, Harley, you also like this little puppy, don't you?"

Harley couldn't hear its voice at all, its big eyes fixed on the adorable little creature; on its short ears was a standard little heart, vividly printed, making it involuntarily whimper: "Wendy…"

"Wendy~~" its short tail began to wag, it spun excitedly several times, then, unusually, sat down and stared fixedly at the puppy.

Finally understanding what that human friend had said, if it hadn't been paying attention, it would surely have missed the Miss Wendy it had been longing for.

As for Dick, he had also asked Ling Yue to help him rekindle his fate; Ling Yue glanced at his Fate Line and was startled—Dick is over ten years old, and he won't meet his true love for another ten-plus years, and it will be a past-life affinity.

Ling Yue couldn't help thinking of Anna; the soul she had secretly gathered, which should have dissipated, was thus retained, and Anna was reborn together with others, entering the cycle of reincarnation.

To make sure she wasn't mistaken, she specifically looked at their futures: in the church, the bride with a veiled white gown had hair as dark as ebony, her charming brows and eyes smiling with a shimmering glow; that face and soul were unmistakably Anna.

She had finally endured hardship and found sweetness.

So Ling Yue directly shoved a peace talisman into his hand, as if recalling something, she said: "You need to take good care of yourself and maintain your appearance."

The bearded, disheveled Dick looked at her, utterly bewildered.

Many years later he met a young, beautiful girlfriend; Ling Yue's words suddenly flashed in his mind like lightning, prompting him to unconsciously touch his face.

Dick: "……"

When the Goddess temporarily docked, it was a beautiful day with clear skies. The ship even made the front page of the local media, with the newspaper giving it prominent coverage.

Ling Yue stood on the deck, looking down from above on these people, sensing the increasingly mixed atmosphere aboard the ship, and couldn't help wrinkling her nose.

A wizard in black robes held a crystal ball; coincidentally, she had just punished a black wizard.

Cultivators from all over the world gathered; on the Goddess, boxes of treasures were moved into the cargo hold—a Sotheby's-style sea auction was about to begin.

Ling Yue swept her divine sense over them; though not saying she saw everything clearly, she grasped about eighty or ninety percent, while others noticed nothing at all.

She was tired of these people; it would be better to chat with Jun Jun—a handsome man and beautiful woman, looking like a perfect couple among the mostly elderly cultivators, truly hard to believe.

Thus, many still thought she was an ordinary person who had wandered in by mistake, and they snorted coldly on the spot: "Why hasn't the venue been cleared yet?"

Crew member: "⊙▽⊙"

He hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and even while withdrawing he had to stay diligent to the end, explaining: "This master, she holds an invitation from our host family."

Meiyi Si family?

The man couldn't help narrowing his eyes; his words instantly switched to Cantonese, with a strong Hong Kong-Taiwan accent.

Coincidentally, he is a cultivator from Hong Kong; because the territory was once ruled by colonizers, Hong Kong has preserved much of its heritage, and it is said that the original lineage of Dragon Tiger Mountain went to Hong Kong.

Getting back to the point, the man was called Elder Eternal Youth, with many followers; the Hong Kong Island conglomerate practically fawned over him, thus inflating his arrogance, completely forgetting that, to the mainland, Hong Kong is not even as big as a province.

He coldly glanced at Jun Jun; Ling Yue had already overheard their conversation, and seeing his reaction, she felt somewhat surprised—he seemed to have mistaken the person, the master the crew spoke of was her, not Jun Jun.

After this master sized them up, he actually strode straight up to them, his gaze scanning them up and down like appraising goods; Ling Yue pinched her fingers, feeling a little itch.

The evil cultivator before them leaked true qi, strong on the outside but weak within—clearly just a show.

At this moment, the man turned to Jun Jun and asked: "How much does your lover cost? I'll buy them."

!!!

Upon hearing this, the crew member's face instantly turned ashen, trembling with fear!

Is this a master? Maybe he's just an idiot!

Just opening his mouth, he directly offended the master!

Hearing this, Ling Yue's face instantly turned cold; inside she was both astonished and amused, unable to muster anger—indeed, it was her first time encountering such a situation, completely without experience.

Like an ant shouting before a human, "I challenge you!"—will your reaction be anger or laughter?

The so-called master, seeing they didn't answer, let the fury of being ignored twist his face into a feral grimace; accustomed to acting as he pleased on the small island, he had no idea he had kicked onto such an iron plate.

At this moment he was still fantasizing, "Such a peerless beauty, delicate and frail, the perfect furnace—if she aided my cultivation, how wonderful it would be…"

He unabashedly sized them up; the crew saw this and immediately bolted backward, he was practically an old man hanging himself—tired of living!

The crew reacted swiftly, immediately steeling themselves to explain: "The master is that lady over there."

Changqing Daoist Priest:!!!

He was about to say something else when Jun Jun already had his neck in a grip, and Changqing Daoist Priest didn't even know how the other had gotten up to him!

Besides feeling shocked, he only felt a great force surge, his eyes felt intense pain, and in his suffocation he fell straight into the water.

"Plop!" a sound, huge splashes sprayed!

He could swim, but his body was out of control, as if a pair of invisible big hands grabbed his neck, madly pressing him, suffocation and despair attacking together, the man's low voice deafening: "You're courting death!"

He regretted so much his intestines turned green!

Just as he opened his mouth, surging icy seawater rushed into his lungs, so fast that Ling Yue hadn't even reacted yet, and Jun Jun had already finished everything.

Ling Yue tugged at his sleeve, wondering if it was a bit too harsh.

She was thinking in a mess, her eyes fixed on the man's profile, and she actually faintly saw a few traces of a familiar outline.

Jun Jun seemed unaware, lowering her gaze downward.

Changqing Daoist Priest's eyes were destroyed, he was washed ashore by the water, lying there in a sorry state, his cultivation ruined, panting like a dead dog.

No one dared to approach, but he himself knew the situation was lost, he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Not far away, the plump woman who had rushed over saw his appearance, and was instantly astonished, a flash of delight crossing her eyes; she stood to one side and immediately asked people to inquire.

Upon hearing that he had been punished, seeing that he had been given a good scolding, and upon hearing that Changqing Daoist Priest had slunk away in disgrace, her heart was even more startled!

Because of her status, she could understand best just how wicked this Daoist priest's temper was, relying on his techniques; he extremely liked women, coercing many, acting like he was the big boss and she the little one, to the point that 'unrivaled' could no longer describe him.

The only way to make him slink away in disgrace like a rat crossing the street is if he had been crippled!

The woman, upon thinking this, actually faintly breathed a sigh of relief, then through the servant looked toward the distance, her heart suddenly fluttering, trembling nonstop.

A fervent light burst in her eyes, and she actually trembled with excitement.

She is a loyal fan of Ling Yue! At first just curious, plus she also has a cute baby, later she dove straight into the fandom, and for every Ling Yue livestream she brushes it thousands or tens of thousands of times!

Ling Yue hadn't expected that punishing a heretic cultivator would instead bring about a private commission.

The plump woman didn't delay, immediately kneeling before her, her knees hitting the floor with a thud, hitting the wooden board: "Streamer, Yueyue, please save me!"

Ling Yue sized up the woman before her: her face was like a silver basin, her manner gentle and graceful, her clothes all high-end, her jewelry exquisite treasures, her wealth evident at a glance.

The only shortcoming was the thick makeup on her face, which still couldn't hide her dark circles; Ling Yue glanced over and concluded: deficient in both qi and blood, spirit unsettled.

Hearing her way of address, it seemed she was a netizen from the livestream room, only they would say that; Ling Yue's attitude immediately softened considerably, for she always treats netizens gently.

But what made her doubtful was: "Who are you?"

The woman immediately seized the opportunity to introduce herself: "My name is Tan Minghua."

Ling Yue knew she was a young lady from a certain Hong Kong family, later married into business, after her husband's death she gained a large inheritance, both her natal and marital families liked her, so in the whole circle many people respected her greatly, calling her Mrs. Minghua.

Ling Yue: "Please get up first, then tell me what— matter."

She blinked slightly, took another two looks at the woman's shoulder, her brows and eyes growing even softer.

Tan Minghua instantly became elated, thinking of that matter, her ashen face growing even uglier: "Streamer, I, I suspect I'm being haunted by a ghost!"

Ling Yue: "How so?"

Tan Minghua still didn't conceal it, recounting one by one the events that had happened in her household during this period——

"About two months ago I fell ill, then I discovered I began to have various hallucinations, often hearing dripping water sounds; I saw a doctor who prescribed melatonin, but it had no effect. Moreover——"

She paused, clenched her hands, and continued: "I also experienced the symptom of waking up startled in the middle of the night, until that night……"

She said, eyes wide open, as if seeing something extremely terrifying: "I personally saw my water-drinking cup trembling slightly, bit by bit being pushed over by an invisible thing, crashing into pieces!"

"Moreover! I often see two green lanterns the size of holy fruit! Always swaying before my eyes! My pillow also often collapses in a spot, though my sleeping posture has always been good, I never toss and turn!"

"What's even more terrifying is……"

Her voice trembling, she said: "I, I often hear babies' crying; the most recent time I almost had a car accident, driving off the overpass! Just a bit more and I would have died in the wreck, and before fainting I heard the crying again! I can guarantee I never went to Thailand to ask for a spirit child, nor did I raise little ghosts, but I suspect I'm being targeted by a little ghost!"

Ling Yue: "……You really do have a bit of yin energy on you."

Tan Minghua instantly, as if finding a kindred spirit, said excitedly: "Streamer Yueyue, do you believe me?!"

She was like opening a chatterbox: "My younger brother and sister never believed me, they told me it was all my hallucinations, they haven't experienced it, but I know I've been tormented alone for two months, two months!"

"I don't even know how I managed to endure it, even the masters I hired said there's no yin energy around me, no little ghosts, yet they still made me take medicine! What medicine should I take when I'm not sick?!"

Her emotions were unusually excited; after a moment she reacted, hurriedly closing her mouth, fearing to annoy Ling Yue.

That posture was cautious and humble.

Actually, Ling Yue could quite understand her; anyone bothered by endless hallucinations for two months, day and night without rest, would also be close to being driven mad.

She pursed her lips: "Besides these, is there anything else?"

Tan Minghua nodded, suddenly realizing the streamer's gaze seemed to have been fixed on her shoulder, or perhaps her back?

Her body tensed, cold sweat seeping out layer by layer on her back: "Streamer, Yueyue, I, I what's wrong with me?"

Ling Yue: "Ah?"

She seemed to be chatting with someone, suddenly hearing someone call her, she exclaimed in surprise, then asked: "Mrs. Tan, have you heard of the kitten ghost?"

"Ah?" Now it was her turn to start being surprised.,,,.