"I'm telling you the truth! I was just there to watch a movie! How was I supposed to know how she knew me?" Shang Yu looked as if he were about to cry. He had noticed that ever since he went to that bar the other day, he had been running into bad luck every single day.
It was one thing to be inexplicably transported from his home to another location, but to have this happen while watching a movie?
Xiao Nan flipped through the transcripts, frowning. "You went to the movie alone?"
"Yeah!" Shang Yu nodded vigorously, then remembered Jiang Yuansheng’s seat. "She and I—we absolutely have nothing to do with each other!"
Xiao Nan tapped the tabletop. "Do you know what her goal is?"
"No idea!"
Shang Yu had already recounted the entire sequence of events, but the idea of an Esper pulling him in as an accomplice sounded utterly preposterous.
"Sister Nannan! Let me go! Brother Yu! Let me go!" Shang Yu slumped over the table, pleading. "I even have plans to go see a cat tomorrow!"
Zhao Chengyu’s eyes lit up. "What kind of cat? A silver shaded?"
"A dandelion? I can't raise a dandelion!"
Xiao Nan coughed lightly to cut off Zhao Chengyu’s rambling, shooting him a sharp look.
Zhao Chengyu straightened his expression. "We’ve taken note of the situation, but since Jiang Yuansheng is still being interrogated, you cannot leave until the results are in."
With that, the two left the room together, leaving Shang Yu behind.
This was nothing short of being locked in a dark room!
In a room nearby, Wujin’s jaw dropped. "To uncover the truth of the world? You went through all this trouble just to find out the so-called truth of the world?"
All three of them laughed. Jiang Yuansheng said, "That’s why I have to see Qi Jingtao. He is the only one who can give me the answer I’m looking for."
"Are you kidding? Lord Qi isn't someone you can just see whenever you want," Wujin said, slamming his hand onto the table. "You hijacked over a hundred people; you certainly won't be escaping punishment."
"I accept the penalty, but you have to tell me the answer I want. Otherwise, I can just run."
"Run?" Group Leader Feng let out a scoff. "Even international jokes aren't as ridiculous as that! Do you know where you are?"
"The Mingning City Paranormal Incident Administration. It’s located beneath Central Park, with a reception hall on the first floor and eighteen floors underground. We are currently on the sixth floor below ground." Jiang Yuansheng spoke with a bored tone and finally sighed. "Gentlemen, since I’m already inside, what makes you think I wouldn't be able to get out?"
The Paranormal Incident Administration was equipped with devices to suppress supernatural abilities, controlled by the central system, which meant Jiang Yuansheng’s powers were neutralized. Here, only Qi Jingtao was unaffected by these devices.
However, the person before them was a student at Mingning University with a high IQ; it wasn't entirely impossible for her to pull off something.
"Cut all internet access to this room," Qi Jingtao said, standing behind the glass, before turning to look at Shang Yu in the next room.
"Lord Qi, the interrogation of Shang Yu is finished. He was indeed just a passerby," Xiao Nan said as she pushed the door open.
Qi Jingtao kept his back to her and picked up the intercom. "Wujin, ask her why she was looking for Shang Yu."
Before Wujin could speak, Jiang Yuansheng said, "I told you, he’s an accomplice of mine. Lord Qi, why do you still not believe me?"
The title "Lord Qi" made Qi Jingtao’s expression shift. He walked quickly into the interrogation room, signaling Wujin and Group Leader Feng to step out first.
"I know you. You are a member of the original Imperial City Bureau. It’s been over a thousand years since the Song Dynasty, hasn't it?"
Before Jiang Yuansheng could finish, the room was completely isolated from the outside by Qi Jingtao, though Wujin and the others could still see the situation inside through the one-way mirror.
"Lord Qi, since you have lived for so long, can you tell me the truth about this world?"
Qi Jingtao stood across from Jiang Yuansheng, an unusually grave look on his face.
"The truth? What good would it do you to know it?"
A fervent desire for knowledge burned in Jiang Yuansheng’s eyes. "So, you really do know?"
"I don't know." Qi Jingtao was firm; he truly did not know.
"But you are about to die."
Jiang Yuansheng’s words actually made Qi Jingtao laugh. "Really?"
"You didn't die back then because time stopped for you. Now, the catalyst for time to start moving again is approaching. Once it begins to flow, you will age at five times the rate of a normal person until you die."
"If you had lived for over a thousand years like I have, you would have wanted to die a long time ago."
"That is, provided you hadn't met me," Jiang Yuansheng said with complete sincerity. "Someone is looking for that man named Shang Yu, and it’s not just because of his grandfather; there are other reasons."
Qi Jingtao showed no surprise at Jiang Yuansheng’s sudden change in tone; he simply waited calmly for her to continue.
"That’s all I know. As for those five kidnappers, they were being controlled. Someone probably wanted to use them for something after they died," Jiang Yuansheng said, patting her head. "Sigh, my IQ isn't high enough, I can't think of anything else."
The people outside heard this, and Wujin’s face turned green. Her IQ wasn't high enough? A top student from Mingning University said her IQ wasn't high enough!
A few minutes later, Qi Jingtao stepped out. "Group Leader Feng, you handle Jiang Yuansheng. I’m taking Shang Yu."
"Lord Qi, wouldn't that be inappropriate? Logically speaking, even if Shang Yu wasn't involved, he should still be detained for three days."
Qi Jingtao lowered his eyes, lost in thought. Everyone else stood silent, not daring to make a sound.
"Fine. Detain him for three days. Send him to the inn after that."
After three days of free meals and lodging, Shang Yu was personally delivered to the entrance of the inn by Group Leader Feng. He tried to bolt, but Wujin was already waiting at the door to haul him back in.
"It’s Lord Qi’s decision that you remain under our supervision for a while," Wujin said, handing him the paperwork.
"You're in charge of me?"
"Yes, that's right. Me."
Great. Now Shang Yu could report him to the police for stalking!
Assuming he had the nerve to do it.
The supervision period was for three months. After putting aside the savings from the money earned from the last lesser ghost, the remainder was enough for Shang Yu to live on for a month.
So, he first went to find the seller to pick up the British Shorthair kitten, then went straight home.
According to the Ghost Catcher Management Regulations, Wujin was required to live and eat with Shang Yu, but the cost of room and board had to be paid to Shang Yu. Consequently, Shang Yu had another source of income.
Fortunately, Shang Yu’s home was an old house left by his parents, with three bedrooms. He used one himself, and it didn't matter if he gave one to Wujin.
But soon, he ran into a problem: the cat.
When he lived alone, he was a homebody, and his monthly expenses were minimal. But since the cat arrived, what with the cat food, snacks, toys, litter, and boxes—the cat ate too much and pooped too much—the food and litter were gone in a flash. And the kitten was only three months old!
Shang Yu looked at videos of British Shorthairs online, then at the cat bed he had prepared, which was clearly insufficient.
So, he gritted his teeth and bought a giant cat villa.
At this rate, he would have to head out to catch ghosts in another two days!
"Bolang, your daddy is about to go broke! Can’t you go out and earn some money for me?"