Chapter 1156: Chapter 637: Thank You, Daddy (Two-in-One) (Part 2)
"Mother was... completely fainted at the time, as if she was truly snatched by a ghost... knew nothing..." Zhu E looked bewildered, but soon regained calm and said, "... Did you thank Daddy?"
Qin Yue felt at a loss when she heard, turning her face away. That person had already approached with a smile, taking Qin Yue from Zhu E’s hands.
Qin Yue didn’t want to be held by him, but she had just received help and felt it wasn’t proper to resist. Though a two-year-old child might not be able to write the words "one is short on words after taking help," she vaguely understood the principle.
Seeing his full expectation, staring intently at her, Qin Yue felt embarrassed and murmured softly:
"Thank you, Daddy..."
"Yue’er is really good," Chen Yi said with satisfaction, "Say it more, otherwise the ghost will come back. Yue’er is the best, right?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue felt uncomfortable with the praise and shyly muttered, "Yue’er, called, called... one, two, three, four, four times."
"Oh."
"Then, then the ’four calls’ you owe to Yue’er, Daddy..." Instinctively saying this, Qin Yue held out a finger, "Five, five calls."
"I’ll owe it for now. You can repay when you’re grown up."
For a moment, Qin Yue wanted to argue, but Chen Yi glanced at her and made a beckoning gesture, causing her to fear he might summon the ghost again. Reflecting on it, she thought growing up wouldn’t take too long,
After all, the ghost was driven away...
And she would soon grow up...
.........
One night has passed.
Though last night was just a little chaos, the goal was ultimately achieved.
The simpler the plan, the easier it is to carry out. Chen Yi understood this principle thoroughly. On that night, he met Donggong Ruoshu and immediately had her play the ghost to scare Qin Yue, thoughtfully reminding her not to frighten Qin Yue too much, but instead let Qin Yue gradually realize something was amiss.
Perhaps this is the biggest difference between himself and Great Yin. He never engages in drawn-out schemes. Usually, within three or four days of conceiving an idea, he carries it out. He’s an ordinary person, without much foresight, thinking that plans always lag behind changes.
Recalling the two words that came out of his daughter’s mouth, Chen Yi felt a slight stir in his heart.
Qin Yue finally called him Daddy...
It wouldn’t matter if she refused later,
He could just ask Miss Donggong to come again.
Chen Yi was in high spirits, his steps quickening. After finishing important work, it was time to attend to some trivial tasks.
He strode into the Zige Bureau, where two figures stood nervously, the heroic couple Yue Tingyun and Liu Hanyan, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
"Let’s skip the formalities," Chen Yi said directly, taking the main seat, voice flat, "Tonight you just happened to encounter my new shift, with others you wouldn’t have this luck."
Chen Yi’s straightforward remark made the couple slightly embarrassed. Fortunately, Yue Tingyun had a thicker skin, responding, "I understand, surviving this time is all thanks to your great kindness."
"Bring Wu Meng here." Chen Yi did not look at them, instructing the attendant next to him, who led him towards the dungeon, with Yue Tingyun and Liu Hanyan naturally following along as the concerned parties.
Wu Meng was huddling in the corner of the cell, roughly dragged out by two jailers, his previous arm injury barely bandaged, complexion ashen.
Most of his body’s meridians had been sealed, with no True Qi circulating. Wu Meng’s gaze was scattered, devoid of previous ferocity, only the numbness of surviving an ordeal remained.
The interrogation began.
Contrary to Chen Yi’s expectations, there was almost no need for scare tactics or torture. Wu Meng, as if drained of all vigor, sat slumped on the cold floor, answering questions monotonously, as if reciting an old story that had nothing to do with him.
He confessed to the events of his defection: hearing prophecy, stealing the Holy Fire Order Fragment, being hunted by the Divine Sect, escaping into the deep mountains, seeking refuge by attaching to the Tusi tribe, doing "dirty work" for shelter. However, as the Divine Sect’s search intensified, he experienced a brief moment of obscurity...
Chen Yi listened quietly, fingers lightly tapping the desk unknowingly. Wu Meng’s confession flowed too smoothly, like a dried-up riverbed, until Wu Meng mentioned the divination and spirit summoning at Gaoliang Mountain, leading Chen Yi to abruptly speak.
"You summoned the spirit after divination?" Chen Yi interrupted to ask.
Wu Meng was caught off guard, his murky eyes slowly rolled for a moment, seemingly recalling, then nodded affirmatively, "Yes... it was me... I asked Ming Venerable, inquiring for a way out..."
"A way out?" Chen Yi’s tone turned colder, "In the vicinity of Gaoliang Mountain, you happened to summon my acquaintance, is this a way out?"
Wu Meng showed clear confusion and bewilderment for the first time: "I... I don’t know... Divination is divine; it’s a common practice of our Divine Sect. Ming Venerable possesses supreme wisdom and power, the ultimate truth; even a sliver as part of me is the greatest favor. Thus... I conducted the divination... As for whom it summoned... How could I know? I merely wished for a strong aid..." He paused, seemingly finding it too coincidental himself, muttering, "Perhaps... perhaps it’s Ming Venerable’s guidance?"
"Ming Venerable’s guidance?"
Chen Yi chewed on this term, the sudden gathering of doubts not only unresolved but rather intensified.
Ming’an Divine Sect’s divination seeking advice from Ming Venerable and various Ming Envoys was no secret, both inside and outside the sect. However, Chen Yi vaguely recalled from a past life, the position of Ming Venerable was vacant, and responses to divinations were almost always from Ming Envoys.
If that’s the case, it should not be like this...
It shouldn’t have been a spirit summoning, let alone... Donggong Ruoshu...
Chen Yi’s thoughts stirred slightly, ceasing further inquiry. He retrieved the fragment wrapped in cloth from his pocket and placed it on the desk, slowly unfolding it.
The oilcloth opened, revealing the item inside.
