Unorthodox methods, cultivating immortality relies on rich women

"Xiao Qiu?"

Jiang Xinyue called out in a slightly trembling voice.

"oh?"

Xiao Qiu responded blankly, then looked up and saw her mother's lips trembling as she looked at her with teary eyes.

She suddenly realized what was happening and ran straight ahead, but forgot there was a table in front of her. She bumped into it, stumbled, and fell backward.

Fortunately, Shen Qingzhou reached out in time and supported her little head.

"Slow down, watch your step," Shen Qingzhou said calmly.

It's not entirely Xiao Qiu's fault. After she became a ghost, her soul became ethereal and she could pass through objects. After getting used to it, she subconsciously ignored the table in front of her.

"Xiao Qiu".

Seeing her daughter fall, Jiang Xinyue suddenly grabbed her, quickly went around the table, squatted down, and hugged her daughter in her arms.

"Xiao Qiu, my little darling, where have you gone? Mommy has been looking for you so hard..."

Jiang Xinyue hugged her daughter, kissing and cuddling her, feeling that she could never love her enough, and tears blurred her vision.

"Waaah~, Mommy, I'm so sorry... Waaah..."

The little one hugged his mother's neck and cried loudly.

Shen Qingzhou stood up, rubbed her temples, and left her seat, giving the mother and daughter some space.

The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried for a while. Jiang Xinyue habitually picked up her daughter, but she stumbled and almost fell. It wasn't because her daughter was too heavy, but because her daughter was too light. She could hardly feel her weight, so she used too much force.

This calmed Jiang Xinyue down a bit. She thought about Shen Qingzhou's actions just now and had some guesses in her mind.

She gently placed her daughter on the table, cupped her little face, and carefully stroked and examined her.

Seeing her daughter's tearful eyes and aggrieved expression, she felt as if her heart had shattered into pieces.

"Xiao Qiu~"

Jiang Xinyue choked up and called out again, as if to confirm that the person in front of her was indeed her daughter.

"Mommy~"

Xiao Qiu's soft, sweet voice was tinged with a hint of grievance.

The daughter before her was so real, her voice so familiar. Even if everything before her was a dream, she hoped this dream would never end.

"Drink some water."

Just then, Shen Qingzhou placed a glass of water beside her.

His words brought Jiang Xinyue to her senses completely.

"Mr. Shen, what... what exactly happened? My daughter..."

Jiang Xinyue's eyes were blank, yet tinged with sadness.

"You already have the answer in your heart, don't you?" Shen Qingzhou interrupted her.

Then he pointed to the stick of incense with wisps of smoke rising from it on the table.

"Are you sure you want to explain now? You only have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Shen Qingzhou said.

"Then...where will she go after that incense stick burns? Will she go to the underworld?" Jiang Xinyue asked hurriedly.

"That depends on her. If she's willing to leave, she'll naturally return to the underworld and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. If she's not willing, she'll naturally wander in this world as a lonely soul..."

Jiang Xinyue wanted to ask more, but Shen Qingzhou raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Xinyue then came to her senses. Now was really not the time to ask these questions, as the incense stick had already burned down to almost halfway.

So she quickly looked away and turned to her daughter.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her mind: "Xiaoqiu, tell Mom, where did you go after you got lost that day?"

-----------------

Shen Qingzhou ignored the mother and daughter and went straight to the second bedroom.

There was no bed in the second bedroom, only an altar, but what was enshrined on the altar was not a deity, but a spirit tablet.

The inscription on the memorial tablet is not the name of a deity or elder, but rows of tadpole-like runes, densely packed, looking more like a waterfall of code.

In front of the memorial tablet was an incense burner, which was quite ordinary, with a few burnt incense sticks stuck inside, and several kinds of offerings on both sides.

There is a brazier and a prayer mat on the ground in front of the offering table.

The whole room was empty, with only these few items.

Shen Qingzhou walked to the incense burner, lit three incense sticks, picked up the offering fruit next to him and started eating it, then sat down on the prayer mat in front of the altar.

Then he picked up a stack of yellow paper next to the brazier and lit it.

As the fire grew stronger, smoke filled the house.

The smoke was not pungent at all, and even carried a faint herbal aroma.

"Woof woof..."

Just then, a dog's barking suddenly rang out in the room.

Before anyone knew it, six or seven dogs had silently appeared in the room.

Most of them were small pet dogs, and there were also two mixed-breed dogs with messy fur and sturdy builds. Only one of them stood out.

It has a tall and slender body, a deep chest and narrow waist, a slightly tucked-in abdomen, and slender but muscular limbs. Every inch of its muscles exudes the agility and explosive power unique to hunting dogs.

Its short, glossy black fur lies close to its skin. Its head and face are narrow and wedge-shaped. Its ears are sensitive, and its amber eyes are exceptionally bright with narrow pupils, revealing the alertness and intelligence unique to hunting dogs.

This is a purebred greyhound, a natural hunter with a keen sense of smell. When it runs, it is as fast as lightning. At this moment, it is undoubtedly the "leader" of this pack of dogs.

The greyhound took the lead, its light steps bringing it to Shen Qingzhou's feet. It gently rubbed its head against his trouser leg, its movements gentle and affectionate.

Shen Qingzhou raised her hand and gently rubbed its smooth back with her fingertips. The greyhound let out a low whimper, as if it were being affectionate.

It has a beautiful name: Wuying (乌影).

Shen Qingzhou gently patted the dog's head, and it slowly walked to the brazier, bent down slightly, and then took a deep breath. The wisps of smoke rising from the brazier were drawn in by an invisible force and were all inhaled into its belly.

As the smoke entered his body, Wu Ying's black fur suddenly shimmered with a lustrous sheen, making his already dark fur appear even darker.

It lowered its head and barked softly at the brazier. Only then did the dogs behind it dare to surround it, stretching their necks and frantically inhaling the smoke from the brazier, making satisfied humming sounds.

Shen Qingzhou munched on the offering fruit, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a tissue, and threw it into the brazier.

This tissue is the very one that Old Zhong used to wrap up curly hair at his house.

The tissue ignites instantly upon contact with fire, and the curled hair inside naturally bends instantly, emitting a burnt smell.

The dogs, who were engrossed in sniffing, all took a step back as if they had been burned.

"Remember this taste, and help me find him."

"Woof~"

Wu Ying barked, and the dogs hurriedly returned to the fire pit, sniffing desperately at the remaining smoke and trying to remember the smell.

After the yellow paper in the basin burned out and the last wisp of smoke dissipated, the dogs circled Shen Qingzhou once, barking a few times, before turning into a gust of cold wind and suddenly disappearing from the house.

"Who are you looking for? Why didn't you ask me for help? Why are you looking for a few dogs instead?"

A soft sigh came from the corner.

"Because your price is too high. Using a dog is cheaper; a few meals of incense will suffice."

Shen Qingzhou turned to look at the corner, where a handsome middle-aged man was now standing.

He had a dignified appearance, graying temples, and an excellent demeanor; one could tell he was a pampered upper-class person in his lifetime.

"I can offer a discount too," the middle-aged man hurriedly said.

This middle-aged man with an exceptional demeanor was named Zhao Xuliang, and he was a senior executive at an investment company before his death.

Shen Qingzhou tossed the fruit pit in his hand into the brazier and said directly, "Alright, I happen to have something I need you to do."

"Please speak," Zhao Xuliang said respectfully.

So Shen Qingzhou told him the whole story of the throat-slitting case from beginning to end, including the clues she got from the old woman ghost.

After understanding the whole story, Zhao Xuliang immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Leave this to me, I will definitely catch the murderer for you."

Shen Qingzhou nodded. This wasn't the first time the two had worked together, so there was some trust between them.

"And the reward?"

Zhao Xuliang smiled obsequiously, appearing extremely snobbish.

"I will transfer the money to your daughter's card on time, just like before."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Zhao Xuliang thanked Shen Qingzhou repeatedly.

"Your daughter's two thousand yuan a month should be enough for living expenses, so why are you in such a hurry to make money?"

"Girls always need to dress up, buy a dress, buy a lipstick, it all costs money."

When talking about his daughter, Zhao Xuliang, who had just been looking snobbish, was now full of tenderness.

"Knock knock knock~, Mr. Shen, are you inside, Mr. Shen..."

Jiang Xinyue's urgent knocking came from outside the door, indicating that the incense stick had already burned out.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for your good news." Shen Qingzhou waved his hand.

Zhao Xuliang bowed to Shen Qingzhou and disappeared into the corner.

"Come in~"