The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 26: An Inheritance?

Was it a dream? Opening her eyes, Song Jianqiu lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The dream had felt so real—everything she had seen and heard was still vivid in her mind and ringing in her ears. Yet it was, after all, just a dream. When she first woke up, she could recall it fairly clearly, but after a moment, the impression of the dream in her mind gradually began to fade. In the end, she could only vaguely recall the general scenes and events of the dream; yet the very last sentence spoken as she awoke lingered in her mind, refusing to fade. She lay there for quite a while before sighing, pulling back the covers to get up. But as soon as she sat up in bed, she saw a pendant lying right beside her hand. No way…?! Although many scenes from the dream had already become hazy, a few remained quite vivid. Among them was a scene where she saw many golden carp in the river. She remembered that in the dream, a carp had indeed leaped out of the river, landed in her hand, and transformed into a carp pendant. She held the pendant up to examine it closely. Just as she had seen in her dream, it was shaped like a carp, still retaining the curved posture it had when leaping out of the water. The pendant was entirely golden in color, looking like gold but feeling like jade to the touch—giving the impression of being neither jade nor gold, leaving her unsure of its exact material. Perhaps because it had been transformed from a living fish, the carp pendant appeared lifelike. When placed in the palm of her hand, it looked just like a young carp resting there, completely still. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if this was a dream or reality. How could something she’d obtained in a dream appear in the real world? Or perhaps it wasn’t a dream at all, but reality? After mulling it over, Song Jianqiu felt her head was about to turn to mush. In the end, since she couldn’t figure it out anyway, she decided to stop overthinking it—she’d just take things as they came! She got out of bed, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Standing in front of the mirror, she used a horn comb to quickly smooth out her hair. Looking at her reflection, she still felt somewhat unfamiliar with the face staring back at her. Her hair was jet-black and thick, falling past her ears and nearly reaching her shoulders. Although she liked girls with long hair, she didn’t want to grow hers out herself, so she planned to get it cut in a little while—about a finger’s length would be just right, making it easier to manage. After washing up, she went back to her room to get dressed, then headed downstairs. To her surprise, she spotted Song Wencheng in the dining hall today. It seemed he didn’t have to work the morning shift, so she said hello, and they sat down together to eat breakfast. Today’s breakfast was dumplings. The family of three chatted casually while eating the dumplings, enjoying a harmonious and warm atmosphere. After breakfast, those who had to go to work went to work, and those who had errands to run went out, leaving Song Jianqiu alone at home once again. But she didn’t want to just sit around at home watching TV out of boredom, so after Lin Yuqin left, she locked the door, took the front door key with her, and headed out. Without hesitation, she walked along the main road of the residential complex, and before long, she found herself standing outside the company dormitory building where she used to live. This dormitory building didn’t actually belong to the company; rather, the company rented it from a third party. Many companies had rented rooms here to house their employees. If that were all, it wouldn’t be so bad, but in reality, the building was home not only to employees from nearby companies but also to many migrant workers, people who had just arrived in Yashan City and were still looking for jobs, and even some small-time hoodlums who claimed to be job-hunting but were actually just loafing around. In short, the building was a mixed bag of tenants, and with no security cameras, things were frequently stolen even when the doors were locked. Since the stolen items were generally of little value—teacups, electric kettles, or small items like cigarettes left on the table—no one bothered to call the police. At most, people would grumble and complain for a while, but there was nothing they could do about it. She came here, of course, not because she still wanted to tell her coworkers what had happened to her and get them to believe her, but purely to retrieve some of the belongings she’d left in her dorm room. After all, since she’d suddenly stopped showing up for work for several days, the company had probably already assumed she’d quit on her own, hadn’t they? As a new employee who’d only been on the job for half a month, they’d probably just fire her outright. She just didn’t know if, after being gone for so many days, her belongings in the dorm had been stolen—or if someone had noticed her disappearance, called the police, and had everything taken away as evidence. Fortunately, her belongings consisted of nothing more than a few sets of clothes, and the bank card she kept with them didn’t have much money on it either. Only the other bank card—which she’d hidden away—contained the wages she’d painstakingly saved up over time. This was all her hard-earned money—she couldn’t just leave it behind in the dorm. No matter what, she had to get it back. The main entrance to the dorm building consisted of just two dilapidated iron gates, with no one guarding them. Outsiders could basically come and go as they pleased—no one would stop them. Song Jianqiu walked through the gates without any trouble, went straight up to the third floor, and stood in front of the dorm room where she used to live. It was Tuesday, and it was currently work hours. Everyone in the building who needed to go to work had already left, and those who didn’t had gone out as well, leaving the place very quiet. If she were a real burglar, she would naturally have to pick the lock to get in, but as someone who had once lived in this dorm room, she knew full well that a spare key was hidden outside the room. First, she untangled a thin piece of wire wrapped around the window bars, straightened out about ten centimeters of one end, and bent it into a hook. Then she went to a blocked-off, abandoned drainpipe in the hallway outside the door, inserted the wire, and, feeling her way with her fingers, stirred it around a few times before quickly hooking out the key hidden inside. She used the key to unlock the door. As soon as she pushed it open, a thick smell of smoke hit her face, nearly suffocating her—someone who never smoked. She stumbled back several steps before regaining her footing. Standing there and peering inside, she saw that the windows were tightly shut, and she could faintly make out a wisp of pale blue smoke swirling within. She was the only one in the entire dorm who didn’t smoke. In the past, her roommates had been somewhat considerate of her—they’d open the window to smoke or go outside—but now that she was gone, the dorm was choked with smoke; standing inside felt like being in a foggy, hazy realm. Although she knew she didn’t have much time to spare, she still stood at the doorway for a moment. Only after she felt the smoke had mostly cleared did she cover her mouth and step inside. Even so, the dorm was still filled with a strong, pungent smell of smoke. She had to quicken her pace. When she reached her bed and took a look, she couldn’t help but freeze in shock. The lower bunk where she had been sleeping was now completely empty—not only were her luggage and backpack gone, but even the sheets and straw mat had been swept away, leaving nothing but a bare wooden slat. What was this? A robbery? She had indeed considered the possibility that her belongings might be stolen if she suddenly disappeared, but surely no one would clean out the room this thoroughly? They hadn’t left her a single thing—it felt as if she’d packed up and left on her own! Who did this? Although she didn’t want to suspect them, her first thought inevitably turned to the other three coworkers sharing the dorm with her. To be honest, she hadn’t known these three colleagues for very long—just like at work, she’d only met them a little over half a month ago. Overall, she had a pretty good impression of them; at least before she ended up in her current state, they’d gotten along quite well. Although they each had their strengths and weaknesses, they weren’t unbearable. But now, she’d only been gone a few days, and her belongings had been completely cleared out. Even a thief wouldn’t have been able to clean out the place this thoroughly, would they? What’s more, the belongings on the other beds were still there—did the thief really target only her bed? She wrinkled her nose; she’d pretty much figured out what had happened, but the problem was, there was nothing she could do about it—not even calling the police was an option. “Hey!” Just as she was sighing inwardly, thinking how fortunate she was to have taken precautions, a sudden voice startled her. She turned her head and saw a girl with long, brightly dyed hair and heavy makeup leaning against the doorway. Her expression was a mix of sleepiness and impatience as she eyed her up and down with curiosity. Noticing Song Jianqiu looking at her, the girl continued, “Little girl, didn’t your mom tell you that stealing makes you a bad kid?” She actually recognized this girl—her name was Ling Zhiqing, and she rented the room next door. She had a bold and generous personality, often dropping by to ask for cigarettes and frequently treating people to drinks and barbecue. As a result, even Fang Heng, who had only recently moved in, had become quite close with her. However, familiarity aside, up until now, not only her but everyone else on the same floor had no idea what this girl actually did for a living. All they knew was that she’d only been renting here for a month or two, and her daily routine was very simple: she basically stayed cooped up in her room, only coming out at night to chat, joke around, and socialize. On top of that, with her face caked in heavy makeup, it was impossible to make out her true appearance. But as the saying goes, to each their own. Even a girl like this seemed to have her admirers. Before she became Song Jianqiu, there were rumors that someone here was trying to court Ling Zhiqing—though it was just a rumor, and no one knew exactly who it was. She’d been a bit nosy back then and had even made a serious effort to find out, but before she could get any results, she ended up looking the way she does now. Seeing Ling Zhiqing appear, Song Jianqiu couldn’t help but recall certain things and became a bit distracted. But she quickly snapped back to reality. Upon hearing the other person’s words, she simply replied expressionlessly, “I’m here to help my brother pick up his luggage.” “Your brother?” “Yes, his name is Fang Heng.” Song Jianqiu had already thought this excuse through; if anyone happened to catch her, she’d just claim him as her brother. Although it felt a bit awkward, it was better than being mistaken for a thief. “Hmm, that kid does seem to go by that name.” Ling Zhiqing nodded and walked into the room. Unlike Song Jianqiu, who found the stench of smoke in the room unbearable, Ling Zhiqing didn’t seem to notice it at all. Song Jianqiu was actually a bit surprised that this girl still remembered his name. Although she used to often tag along with them for late-night snacks, she’d always been a rather inconspicuous presence in the crowd. On top of that, she didn’t have much regard for girls who wore heavy makeup, dyed their hair, and hung out with a bunch of guys all day, so she’d deliberately kept her distance; over the past half-month or so, they’d barely exchanged a few words. And yet, despite all that, Ling Zhiqing actually remembered her real name! (End of Chapter)