On their way home after school, Chu Nuan gave Xie Luochen and Lei Lin a simple version of what happened after they parted.
"So the real reason you came here was to capture the escaped ghost lords? Since one of them sent you an invitation, does that mean you'll be leaving soon?" Lei Lin asked curiously.
Shaking her head, Chu Nuan answered, "not right now. I still have something to do before leaving." Her eyes secretly glance at the silent Xie Luochen.
"I see." Lei Lin said sadly with drooping shoulders. But in the next moment, as if remembering something, he looked up in excitement. "Envoy Chu, you were so cool today in the cafeteria!"
"Really?" Chu Nuan said in amusement. "How cool was I?"
"More handsome than when Hong Wen shoots his gun!"
Suddenly, blushing a little as he took a quick glance at Chu Nuan, Lei Lin asked. "Can you teach me to be as cool as you?"
"Oh?" laughing happily, Chu Nuan patted Lei Lin on his head. "If you call me big sis, I'll teach you even more amazing things then what you saw today."
Laughing with stars in his eyes, Lei Lin replied, "big sis!"
Thus, it was at this moment, the journey of how an angel becoming a devil begins.
Feeling pleased with himself, Lei Lin wanted to celebrate by buying something for all three of them. Rushing into the nearest store, he came out moments later with three cups of beverages.
"Here!" He offered, "to celebrate!"
Accepting his offer, Chu Nuan casually took a look at her surroundings while sipping from her cup. "Hm?" She paused when her sights landed on a crowded area not too far from them. "Let's go take a look." She said, taking the lead.
"Please…..please." The voice of an old man begged. "Have you seen my wife? I lost her here two days ago." Staggering slightly within the crowd, an elderly man in his 70's asked with a hoarse voice. In his hand is a black and white photo of an elderly woman smiling gently at the camera. Wearing an elegant cheongsam, she leaned pleasantly against an elderly man fitted in a suave black suit. It's a warm photograph of a loving couple.
The old man wandered about, pointing to the woman in the photo as he asked of her whereabouts. But even with his desperate pleas, barely anyone gave an ounce of attention to him.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the old man lifts his head up to stare straight into Chu Nuan's eyes. The moment their sights collided, both of them stood there, surprised by each other's presence.
"You?" The old man said, before directly fainting onto the ground.
-------------------------------------
"Hey, is it really okay to leave him here? Don't need to take the old man to the hospital?" Lei Lin asked anxiously.
"Just leave him here. He'll wake up in a little." Chu Nuan explained as she moved to the doorway. "Let's go to the main hall first."
After the old man fainted on the street, Xie Luochen and Lei Lin wanted to bring him to the hospital. But Chu Nuan rejected their idea and instead told them to bring him back to the sect. Although worried, they decide to trust her decision, thus, a room was prepared.
Gently laying the old man into the bed, all three of them went to the main hall.
"Is there something special about the old man?"
"There is." Chu Nuan nodded. "I once guided him in Hell. He probably recognized me a while back."
"Recognized you?" Lei Lin said with wide eyes. "But aren't souls supposed to drink Meng Po's soup before reincarnation?"
Thinking deeply about something, Chu Nuan answered carelessly. "They are, but he's a little different. I personally guided him."
"Ah?"
Just as Lei Lin wanted to ask more, Xie Luochen's phone started to ring, followed by Chu Nuan's.
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
They answered at the same time.
10 minutes later, Xie Luochen's frigid eyes locked onto Chu Nuan's frosty expression. In this split second, they seem to understand the urgency in each other's countenance.
"Dead bodies were found in three separate locations. Each scene of the crime has residues of the same spectral energy." Xie Luochen said. "Hong Wen asked us to meet up at the police department." Looking directly at Chu Nuan, he asked, "any inkling?"
Nodding solemnly, she said in a voice laced with annoyance, "a malicious ghost escaped from Hell."