Chapter 776 The Mute Uncle (3k)
“Gulp gulp…”
A white shadow streaked across the sky. The scorching sun shone directly through the sparse leaves, casting dappled shadows. Zhu Sha had a constant temperature year-round. While it was spring on the mainland, it was already 40 degrees Celsius here.
Under the mottled sunlight, a figure holding an umbrella walked on the beach. Su Jiu, along with Bairnis, had changed into more relaxed attire suitable for the occasion. The long, ripped short-sleeved shirt and hot pants she wore in high school proved useful.
A short-sleeved shirt, hot pants, and sandals were undoubtedly a pleasant travel experience for someone used to living in frigid regions.
However, Bairnis didn’t seem particularly fond of this attire. Nevertheless, she put on a light dress, chewed on slightly bitter flower petals, and followed Su Jiu like an older neighborly sister, clutching a small notebook.
“Miss, the young lady Ah Shui just mentioned before she left that her uncle seemed interested in singing. He might get along with you.”
As if completing the last stroke, Bairnis put away her notebook and said with a light smile.
“It’s just a hobby. The other person might be a professional, so I won’t show off my limited knowledge,” Su Jiu shrugged, continuously fiddling with a word puzzle game. She had already relayed the information she wanted to inquire about and the events she had encountered to the former Night Watcher named [Li]. If the other party needed her help, they would surely respond.
There were two long word puzzles in total, with the answers revealing:
1. [Location of the first island]
2. [Someone is targeting the water bird]
The two walked through various alleyways. As they passed a large umbrella stall selling ice pops on the street, they stopped for a moment, and each held an ice pop.
“It has a kind of bland sweetness. I wonder if Xiao Yezi will like it?”
Bairnis carefully licked the coconut milk ice pop, finding a strange sweetness. Having been born in Europe, she rarely encountered such fruits.
Su Jiu, leading the tall girl, walked into a secluded alley. Biting her ice pop, she pulled out a note from her pocket and looked at the nearby road sign. After comparing them, she softly said,
“It’s just ahead.”
The two continued walking. They were in the narrow space between two alleys, where the heat was minimal, emitting more of a strange, cool feeling. At the entrance of the houses along the street, bronze Iron Turtle Immortals were placed. It seemed that the residents on this island believed in this item.
“43, 44, 45, Baiyang Street, No. 46. It must be here.”
Su Jiu stopped in front of a building that looked quite abandoned. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the crisscrossing electrical wires and the buildings that were less than two meters apart. After finishing her ice, she complained,
“This place looks too run-down?”
Even though it was Zhu Sha, it had a crowded Hong Kong-style feel. The other party’s great-niece worked in the Law Enforcement Hall, so they shouldn’t be this desperate.
“Miss, do you have his phone number?”
Bairnis reminded her, then took out her phone and the note from Su Jiu, and started dialing. After a few “beeps,” the call was answered, but then silence… followed by the call being hung up.
“Miss, this person is indeed a bit difficult to deal with…”
The tall girl frowned and dialed again. After the “beeps” sounded, the other party immediately answered. This time, Bairnis spoke up at once: “Excuse me, are you Mr. Mu Qi? We are friends of your niece, Mu Shuishui, and we’d like to ask you about something.”
“…”
“Hello? Are you still listening?”
Bairnis blinked, a hint of confusion in her light blue eyes. Why wasn’t this person speaking?
“…”
The other party hadn’t made a sound. After a few seconds, the tall girl, with a solemn expression, directly hung up and looked at Su Jiu helplessly: “Miss, he’s not speaking…”
This person was indeed a bit eccentric and difficult.
“Didn’t you say before that he was mute?”
Su Jiu gently patted Bairnis’s head, sighing inwardly. This little maid must have spent too much time with the little fool flower spirit, becoming dually foolish and cute, unable to switch her thinking quickly…
As her body shrunk, her mind seemed to have also turned into that of a silly loli.
“Oh, right!”
Upon hearing this, Bairnis responded, her small face flushing. She had been too focused on the ice pop just now and had forgotten about this fact.
“Beep beep!”
Shortly after, Bairnis’s phone suddenly rang. It was the same number as before. The moment she answered, an electronic synthesized voice came from the other end of the line:
“Tell Ah Shui that I won’t go back until I find the Iron Turtle Immortal. Only the Iron Turtle Immortal can restore my voice; other methods are useless…”
The emotionless electronic voice suddenly stopped. After a few seconds, it spoke again from the other end of the phone: “According to my calculations, I have located the Iron Turtle Immortal’s position. Tomorrow, I will see Him again…”
With that, Mu Qi fell silent, seemingly preparing to hang up. Su Jiu, at this moment, crunched on her ice and immediately spoke:
“Hello, we were actually introduced by Miss Ah Shui to learn about the Iron Turtle Immortal. If we can accompany you to see Him, we are willing to offer some reward.”
Hearing this, the other party remained silent. After about 20 seconds, the electronic voice continued: “Baiyang Street, No. 46, left building, Unit 502.”
“Okay!”
Su Jiu gave Bairnis a “V” sign and then pushed open the iron door, leading the way to the stairwell. Since there were only two units on each floor, they didn’t need to search much.
After a few minutes, they stood in front of the door of the apartment mentioned on the phone.
Unlike other residents, there were surprisingly no Iron Turtle Immortals placed in front of this door. Instead, two stacks of mugwort, which was rare in this area, were placed there.
“Knock knock!”
“Excuse me, Mr. Mu, are you there? We are the ones who called earlier.” Su Jiu stepped forward, knocked a few times, and said softly.
“Creak!”
The two didn’t have to wait long before the door was opened. A faint scent of mugwort emanated from inside, and then a rather handsome face appeared from the side of the door. Sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes were the most direct description of this face, like an immortal descending from a novel.
Su Jiu’s eyes, like little white flowers, widened. She felt a strange, indescribable aura from the “handsome guy” before her. He seemed ordinary, yet not quite ordinary.
The other party glanced at Su Jiu and Bairnis, frowned, but said nothing more. He then opened the door wide, revealing his body clad in a bathrobe, and gestured for them to enter.
He then tied up his loose long hair and went into the kitchen, seemingly preparing something.
“Let’s go in first.”
Pulling Bairnis along, Su Jiu could see a dichotomy in the living room. One side was filled with various musical instruments placed haphazardly…
The other side was very neat, filled with various geographical books, with a large map hanging in the center. It appeared to be a map of the Zhu Sha Islands, covered in circles and crosses, like the buried treasure locations in One Piece.
“Why are you looking for the Iron Turtle Immortal? He’s not just anything,”
The electronic voice came from the kitchen. At the same time, a tall figure holding three bottles of chilled soda appeared. The electronic voice was coming from his phone.
“But don’t most people here worship Him? Aren’t you looking for Him because you think He can help you recover your voice?”
Standing up, Bairnis took a can of soda and handed a cup to Su Jiu, then asked with surprise, “This person doesn’t seem to show enough respect for the Iron Turtle Immortal. That’s very strange for the island residents.”
Sitting opposite the two, Mu Qi opened the soda cap and drank it with a “gurgle.” After a while, he lowered his face and fiddled with his phone, replying with the AI voice:
“He ruined me, and He also told me that fairy tales are fairy tales, and in reality, there is no Little Mermaid.”
“What do you mean? The Little Mermaid, isn’t that an Eagle Country movie?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu and Bairnis exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes. They weren’t talking about the Iron Turtle Immortal, so why did it suddenly involve fairy tales?
“…”
He let out a silent chuckle. Mu Qi scanned the two of them, apparently thinking they were too young. He typed on his phone and asked,
“If you’re here to make a wish to the Iron Turtle Immortal, you can leave. It’s meaningless. He won’t grant your wishes.”
“We are here to investigate the matter of the red tide and need to find that immortal turtle…” Su Jiu explained, then took out the rather intimidating Night Watcher identification and waved it in front of him.
Glancing at the Night Watcher’s identification, a hint of surprise flashed in Mu Qi’s eyes, but he merely fiddled with his phone and said, “The red tide has nothing to do with the Iron Turtle Immortal. Based on my understanding, it should be caused by an external force.”
“You seem very familiar with the Iron Turtle Immortal?”
Su Jiu, listening to his words, could guess some of his experiences. After a slight pause, she looked directly at him and said softly,
“Judging by your tone, it seems you have met Him?”
“…”
Speechless, Mu Qi fumbled for a fairy tale book beside the sofa. The cover was torn by a knife. As his fingers brushed over it, a hint of self-mockery appeared on his handsome face. He then typed on his phone:
“Let me tell you a local version of ‘The Little Mermaid’: Over twenty years ago, there was a cultivation genius in a local noble family. However, this genius was short and ugly. Besides his family, no companions were willing to stay with him, and they privately gave him the name – Ugly Egg.”
“Alone, he found solace in songs and music.”
The mechanical voice paused for a moment. Su Jiu subconsciously looked over, only to see a softness appear on Mu Qi’s usually lazy face, but it quickly vanished. The mechanical voice continued:
“Ugly Egg loved wearing a mask and would go to the beach alone at midnight to sing. It was a midsummer night when a little mermaid appeared. She would always poke her head out and secretly listen to his singing. Over time, they became familiar, and the little mermaid often brought him items from the sea…”
“Ugly Egg experienced a girl’s tenderness for the first time, other than his mother’s.”
The mechanical voice stopped again. Mu Qi slowly stood up, turned his head, and looked out at the bright sun. He lowered his head slightly and typed with his hand:
“It’s a sunny day again. I have to go out for a bit. Feel free to make yourselves at home.”
…
On another boat, a slender black silhouette stood at the bow. Her shoulder-length hair fluttered in the sea breeze. She looked down at her phone, and a slight curve appeared on her slightly darkened lips. Her gentle voice echoed on the empty deck.
“Interesting junior. Zhou Hong is quite lucky.”
