The sound of a door opening came from outside, followed by soft footsteps descending the stairs.
Miss Zhu Zi had also woken up.
Xia Zhi sat up in bed, rubbing his face, feeling somewhat listless.
After all, he hadn't slept for most of the night.
Xia Zhi got out of bed, walked to the table, and picked up the manuscript that had been returned to its original place to check it.
Hmm, despite such frequent reading, not a single page was creased.
Heh, women.
Xia Zhi picked up the manuscript again, bringing it close to his nose for a sniff, but detected no strange odors.
That female ghost seemed to lack physical form, which explained how she could easily pass through walls, yet she could clearly touch and pick up physical objects—truly bizarre.
Recalling her practiced movements while browsing his manuscript, Xia Zhi knew this certainly wasn't her first visit.
She might have come the night before, or the night before that, or perhaps both nights.
If so, why was it only last night that he suddenly awoke from his sleep because of her?
Thinking about this, Xia Zhi couldn't help but "look" at the ordinary incense burner on the table.
If there was any difference between these past few days, it was that he had fallen asleep to the scent of [Spirit-Calming Incense] two nights ago and the night before that, but not last night.
[Spirit-Calming Incense] had a mind-stabilizing effect on humans. Perhaps her previous visits had also caused him a slight unease, but the incense's calming effect had been so strong that it instantly dispelled these unusual feelings, preventing him from waking up.
Thinking carefully, this possibility seemed quite likely.
Xia Zhi sighed helplessly, put away the manuscript, and took out both the [Spirit-Calming Incense] he had prepared but hadn't used last night and the iron-quality dagger from his inventory.
Placing the incense on the table, he ran the dagger's sharp edge across it, easily dividing it into four equal portions.
He kept one piece and stored the other three in his inventory.
Xia Zhi checked their description in his interface again.
The item name now had a "fragmented" prefix, and the original recovery price had disappeared, changed to "non-recoverable."
There really was no way to exploit the system.
Xia Zhi shook his head, opened the window for ventilation, changed out of his sleepwear, and went downstairs.
After washing up, Xia Zhi took Zhu Zi out for breakfast.
Seeing his tired appearance, Zhu Zi couldn't help but ask softly, "Boss, did you not sleep well last night?"
Xia Zhi waved his hand, saying, "Mm... it's nothing, I'll catch up on sleep during the day. What would you like for breakfast?"
Zhu Zi remained indecisive: "Anything is fine with me, boss."
"Then let's go get fish noodles."
"Oh yes, boss! I know a place that serves especially delicious fish noodles! The price isn't expensive either! It's just a bit far, near the dock."
"That's fine, we can walk there slowly."
"Mm!"
After crossing half the city district, they arrived at the lively dock market and sat down at a table.
Zhu Zi expertly ordered from the server: "Two bowls of signature fish noodles."
The server asked, "Would you like to add fish offal?"
Zhu Zi nodded, then turned to ask, "Boss, would you like fish offal? It's mainly fish roe, cleaned very thoroughly, not fishy at all!"
Xia Zhi considered it: "I'll give it a try."
Zhu Zi then said, "Then add fish offal to both bowls."
Xia Zhi added, "Please make mine spicier."
The server noted, "Certainly, please wait a moment."
Soon after, two steaming bowls of fish noodles were served.
The soup was milky white, with an aromatic fragrance wafting up.
The taste was even better than the already delicious fish noodles Xia Zhi had tried at another stall before.
Especially that spoonful of chili sauce—the flavor was excellent.
After finishing, Xia Zhi couldn't help but break into a light sweat, and his previously weary spirit had lifted considerably.
Zhu Zi asked with a smile, "Boss, how do you like this place?"
Xia Zhi nodded: "Excellent."
Walking out of the shop, Zhu Zi added quietly, "Actually, there are even better fish noodle shops in my hometown. Boss, if you ever visit Inazuma, you must try them."
Xia Zhi looked at her and nodded seriously: "Alright."
Confirmed—this girl is such a foodie!
As they slowly made their way back across half the city district, Zhu Zi spotted a familiar petite figure standing in front of their shop from afar.
"Boss, it's Qiqi!"
"She's here?"
"Yes, she's waiting at our shop entrance."
"Then let's hurry back."
Reaching the shop entrance, they found Qiqi still carrying her bamboo basket, filled with freshly picked herbs.
"Good morning, Qiqi."
"Good morning, Miss Qiqi."
"Good morning, Miss Zhu Zi, Mr. Xia Zhi."
Qiqi lifted her pale face, still expressionless, and responded softly.
Xia Zhi keenly noticed that Qiqi's speech today was more fluid; yesterday she seemed to only manage two or three words at a time.
Zhu Zi opened the shop door, and Qiqi walked to the wall, set down her bamboo basket, then approached yesterday's table where the incense burner had been.
The incense burner wasn't on the table now.
Qiqi turned her head to look at Xia Zhi, her gaze showing confusion and longing: "Where's the incense..."
Xia Zhi had brought the incense burner down from upstairs this morning but had absent-mindedly left it on the counter. He retrieved it along with the quarter piece of incense.
Qiqi's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the small, beautiful crystal in his hand.
So this is the incense?
Xia Zhi placed it in the burner and lit it.
Wisps of smoke drifted from the burner's openings, carrying a strange power that brought comfort and peace.
Qiqi stood on her tiptoes, face upturned, greedily breathing in the aroma.
Xia Zhi couldn't help but take a deep breath himself, feeling his fatigue from staying up late diminish considerably.
Considering that Qiqi didn't like hot tea, Xia Zhi didn't ask Zhu Zi to brew any, instead directly mixing three glasses of colorful fruit juice.
Then everyone sat at the table, drinking juice and chatting.
"When did you arrive, Miss Qiqi?"
"A while ago."
"We went to the dock for fish noodles, it's quite far. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine."
"Have you had breakfast, Miss Qiqi?"
"No."
"Are you hungry?"
"Not now."
Qiqi looked at the incense burner and said softly.
"This incense tastes good."
"Tastes good?"
Xia Zhi was startled, then remembered how divine spirits feed on mortal incense—do jiangshi eat incense too?
He had thought Qiqi's fondness for the incense was because its effects pleased supernatural beings, but now it seemed it wasn't just about pleasure, but also about satisfying hunger?
If so, then that female ghost from last night—perhaps she too craved the taste of this incense?
Xia Zhi couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Author's note - Guys from now on I will upload 2 chapters per day ;-; . 4 chapters per day is kinda hectic .-. or maybe I should make some PS goals wdyt? like 2-5 ( random ) chapters per 100 PS?
Also, guys, leave a review if you liked the story so far.