Chapter 45: Sorry, Brother
The piercing screams were truly heartbreaking and tear-inducing.
Even the “callous” and “brutal and bloodthirsty” young girl grabbed the little ghost and covered its mouth tightly.
Fortunately, the area near the repatriation center was sparsely populated, so even though it screamed very loudly, no one else heard it.
Qin Liu breathed a sigh of relief.
She blinked her eyes and wanted to explain to the little ghost.
However, when she looked down, she realized that the little ghost in her hand had been scared unconscious.
“…”
Qin Liu silently placed the little ghost in front of the gate of the “Triple Personnel Repatriation Center,” clasping her hands together.
“Sorry, brother.”
This “Triple Personnel Repatriation Center” seemed to have been abandoned for some time.
The notice board hanging above had not been updated for a long time, with the last item being: “Resolutely crack down on illegal activities such as forging underworld registration and smuggling across the river.”
The date was not clearly indicated, but it looked like a notice from the 1980s.
Apart from the little ghost standing guard at the door, there were no other ghosts in this management center, and it looked quite desolate and empty.
Qin Liu had originally planned to ask for directions, but when she found no ghosts inside, she had to give up.
“That’s not right…”
Just as she was about to ask other ghosts for directions, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
Given how many bad things she had done in the underworld, she must be notorious, if not universally known.
She always felt like everyone in the underworld recognized her.
The ferryman was terrified, and the gate-keeping little ghost was scared unconscious…
Well, she should disguise herself properly.
Qin Liu couldn’t understand how such a great person who saved a child at the cost of her own life in her past life had become like this.
She was truly a law-abiding ghost…
Qin Liu sighed.
While thinking, she tried to find something to cover her appearance so as not to attract attention.
But unfortunately, after searching for a long time, she couldn’t find any clothes to disguise herself with.
Finally, with no other option, her gaze slowly shifted to the unconscious little ghost.
…
“Sorry, brother.”
“I really didn’t mean to.”
Qin Liu stripped the little ghost of its clothes. Although there was a strong smell of mold and death, Qin Liu could still bear it.
“Hmm… it’s quite fitting.”
Looking at her current inconspicuous appearance, like a nobody, Qin Liu was very satisfied.
Then, following the map of the “Triple Personnel Repatriation Center,” she moved forward and soon arrived at Youdu.
However, this place was too large. After entering the city, although Qin Liu did not cause a commotion, her mind was indeed thrown into a bit of confusion by the complex road conditions within the urban area.
With no other choice, she had to place her hope on the ghosts on the street.
She took out a piece of paper money from her pocket…
This was, of course, the little ghost’s money.
“Brother… I’ll definitely return it next time.”
Qin Liu clasped her hands in her heart, silently offering her sincere apologies.
Although her expressionless face showed no hint of apology.
“Excuse me,” Qin Liu stopped a wandering ghost on the street, “Can you tell me where the square is?”
This ghost was a bit displeased at being suddenly stopped, but upon seeing the stack of underworld money in Qin Liu’s hand, it immediately withdrew its displeasure.
Smiling broadly, it replied.
“You’re from somewhere else, aren’t you? There are several squares in Youdu, so it’s hard for me to tell you which one.”
“Oh, this…”
Qin Liu was suddenly in a difficult situation. The place she dreamed of was a narrow alley, and she couldn’t see the entire square, nor could she know any landmark buildings nearby.
Just as Qin Liu was racking her brain to think, a shop suddenly appeared in her mind.
“Meng Po Coffee Shop?”
Why did she suddenly think of this place?
“Oh, you mean here?” Qin Liu’s unintentional muttering was heard by the ghost, who pointed to the southeast and said, “Follow this street all the way, turn left at the second intersection, and then continue forward, and you will see a commercial street. Meng Po Coffee Shop is there.”
“Thank you!”
With the guidance of the kind ghost, Qin Liu hurried over.
But before she could even take two steps.
The ground suddenly trembled slightly, accompanied by heavy footsteps.
This feeling was comparable to the sounds made by monsters walking in some anime or movies.
And when Qin Liu reached the second intersection, she finally saw the source of this movement.
A giant ox-headed monster was walking down the street with a steel fork on his shoulder, looking dejected.
Hot air puffed from his nostrils, his eyes were downcast, and he looked a bit listless.
Beside him was a horse-faced man of similar build and physique.
“I really didn’t lie to you!” The Ox-Head said in a muffled voice, “The smell on that man is definitely Qin Liu’s smell. I’d recognize that smell even if it turned to ash!”
“Hahaha!” The Horse-Face, instead of comforting the Ox-Head, merely glanced at him, a mocking smile curling his horse mouth, “As if you could beat Qin Liu if she were here.”
The Ox-Head angrily snorted and glared, “It was a momentary lapse in judgment back then. That little girl who hasn’t even fully grown, if I really got serious, I could take her down with one hand!”
As he spoke, he swung his steel fork with great force, looking quite intimidating.
After joking, the Horse-Face spoke frankly.
“But, after all, that guy is indeed a living person. Although I don’t know how he got here, living people in the underworld must be sent back. So, we’ll gather some little ghosts later and search this area. Maybe we can catch some big fish…”
As they were talking, the Ox-Head suddenly stopped.
Its nostrils widened, and it sniffed the surrounding air with a “snort, snort.”
“That’s strange, why do I smell the scent of a guide again?”
“Oh?”
The Horse-Face also tried to smell.
“No, I don’t.”
“Definitely! He must be nearby, and very close to us…”
The Ox-Head and the Horse-Face kept circling around, trying to find the source of the scent.
However, Qin Liu reacted quickly and ducked into a garbage can at the first opportunity.
And because she had changed her clothes in advance, the scent of golden nanmu on her had faded considerably compared to before.
Otherwise, the Ox-Head’s dog-like sense of smell would have surely detected Qin Liu immediately, and she wouldn’t have had time to hide.
After waiting in the garbage can for a while, Qin Liu tentatively lifted the lid a little, trying to check the situation outside.
