I smiled and said h.e.l.lo, and then hesitated. I got straight to the point and asked, "Did you pick up two white, uh, bugs?" I didn"t actually know what kind of insects Xiao Pang and Little Thin were.
The child froze, then slowly lifted up his greasy hair. In the long hair, one fat and one thin worm wriggled around.
I was happy to have found the bugs, until I noticed the child"s face. It was identical to Xiao Lingdang"s.
My whole body froze, and the child was clearly puzzled. He pulled the bugs from his hair, then held out his hand to give them to me.
I did not reach to take them, just stared at the child"s face. After what felt like an eternity, I asked, "Do you have an elder or younger sister?" Then I added, "Or a twin?"
The child shook his head.
Is this child wearing Xiao Lingdang"s skin? I thought. Then I asked in a pleading voice, "Brother, will you help me find a skin? Is the skin you"re wearing yours?"
The child was clearly frightened and took a slight step back. He didn"t answer, but instead lowered his hair over his face again.
I tried a different approach. "Are you missing your skin?" I asked. The child"s eyes lit up and he nodded hard. I immediately felt relieved. I found the worms AND Xiao Lingdang"s skin. What a day!
I thought for a moment before asking the child, "Go somewhere with me, will you? I might be able to help you find your own skin."
The child hesitated again, and then firmly nodded. I tried to take his hand, but he moved away from me. I started walking forward alone, and was relieved to see that he followed me.
Walking in the empty streets, we were not far from the Ghost House. I felt calm, when suddenly I saw a figure sitting on a roadside bench.
I shouldn"t have been scared. After all, I was with a child who had scared back the baby ghost. He was clearly powerful.
Still, the closer I got to the body, the colder I felt. I saw that the figure was dripping water, although it hadn"t rained at all today. Even more unnervingly, I was suddenly hit with the strong scent of the sea.
Long s.h.i.+rted person, d.a.m.n you. I had run this errand, and now here I was face to face with this…person who I suspected was connected to the killing puppet.
I could not help but to slow down, and the child seemed to notice. He walked in front of me, staring at the person intently.
The figure slowly stood up, long hair sticking to its body. I recognized the person standing before me. It was Wu Ting.
Wu Ting slowly approached me, and I wanted to run as far away as possible. However, I didn"t move at all. I was not afraid of ghosts at this point, but I was afraid of the aura Wu Ting gave off, and even more afraid of the powers that even Witch Yan could not deal with.
Wu Ting looked at the child, then stopped. I moved closer to the child, and Wu Ting turned her head to look at me.
Her mouth opened, and smelly sea water sludge dripped down from her mouth. Then we heard Wu Ting"s faint voice, as though she was speaking through water. "I love him, and I just want to be with him. Why won"t you let me?"
Who said I wouldn"t let her? In this moment, I agreed one hundred percent, one thousand percent. But I did not say anything. I was afraid that if I spoke, she really would take Wu Jian, as well as Huang Xiaolong.
Wu Ting did not wait for my answer, and said, "It"s no use finding anyone to come."
Wu Ting"s tone was calm, but I could hear strong confidence in her voice. However, she loved Wu Jian, not Huang Xiaolong. Would she let Huang Xiaolong go? As for Wu Jian, we could come up with a solution. Maybe Huang Xiaolong would be able to help.
"You love Wu Jian. Why do you want to take Huang Xiaolong too?" I asked tentatively.
"d.a.m.n him. All those who are unfaithful to love should die."
Had Huang Xiaolong died? I was surprised, and must have expressed my feelings on my face.
"You don"t have to worry. They"re all alive and well," she said. "The unfaithful should be punished. Just leave me to my business, or I will kill you, no matter who you call."
Wu Ting"s last few words were very firm, and I was frightened. I felt my back go even colder. Fortunately, Wu Ting had finished speaking, and I slowly backed away.
Wu Jian seemed to have never promised to become Wu Ting"s boyfriend. Her words about faithfulness seemed incorrect, or maybe there was something that I still did not know. The feeling that Wu Ting gave me was quite different from what Ni Min described. It was like she was two different people.
I was full of questions. I meant to go back to the Ghost House to ask Sister Hua, but I saw the child still standing in front of me. His face was alert, watching Wu Ting. It was nice to see the child be so vigilant.
"Let"s go," I said, and began to try to put distance between us and Wu Ting. However, the child did not move at all. Even the expression on his face did not change. I was astonished, and reached out my hand to tap him on the shoulder.
As soon as my hand touched on his shoulder, the child was shocked and fell to the ground with horror in his eyes. Afterward, he began to walk with difficulty. He sometimes got close to me, and sometimes shuffled away from me. He seemed to want to protect me but clearly feared Wu Ting and our interaction.
We walked in sight of the Ghost House, which was still lit up. The building seemed to remind the child of some bad memories. He began to tremble. He was standing at a distance, and I didn"t make him move closer.
Yeah, that must be where this kid was skinned.