Shang Yu remained silent throughout the journey. He had recognized Ma Qing'er the moment she got into the car, though he found it rather curious. Maintaining a ghost’s physical form for a temporary duration was an incredibly draining feat, and among those in the car, only Qi Jingtao was clearly capable of such a task. Had it been Zhao Chengyu or Xiao Nan, both would have been fast asleep by now.
Was this, perhaps, the legendary "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" that people spoke of?
Shang Yu pressed his face against the window, pretending to sleep, while covertly observing Qi Jingtao through the rearview mirror. However, with the trip being as long as it was, it was impossible for Shang Yu not to drift off eventually.
"Shang Yu, where do you live?"
Through the fog of sleep, Shang Yu heard Zhao Chengyu’s voice.
"Take him straight back; he’s staying at the inn tonight."
Qi Jingtao had already answered for him. Shang Yu rolled his eyes internally and went back to sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when the car finally came to a stop.
"Shang Xiaoyu, wake up!" Xiao Nan’s voice sounded in his ear, and Shang Yu slowly opened his eyes. They had actually brought him here!
Shang Yu rubbed his eyes and stepped out of the car. The mist hadn't yet cleared, but he knew this inn wasn't cheap. He grabbed Qi Jingtao’s arm and asked, "Lord Qi, how much is this place a night?"
"You don’t need rest. Come with me to interrogate Zheng Xiaodong." Qi Jingtao took a coffee that had been prepared in advance from someone waiting to greet them and shoved it into Shang Yu’s hand.
"Huh?" Shang Yu took the cup reflexively. "Isn't that a bit much?"
Coffee? Of all things. Coincidentally, he was allergic to coffee. One small sip and he would be out cold. If they weren't going to let him rest, they might as well send him to the hospital!
Xiao Nan saw his hesitation and asked, "Shang Xiaoyu, not drinking your coffee? Want something else instead?"
"Drinking, drinking, I’m drinking!" Just as the straw touched his lips, Shang Yu met Qi Jingtao’s cold, icy gaze.
Sure enough, he didn't dare risk his life. He had been sent to emergency care once before because of a single sip.
Shang Yu stepped toward Qi Jingtao. "L-Lord Qi, I’m allergic to coffee."
Qi Jingtao, with a look of realization, took the cup from him. "Get him a glass of milk."
***
Once they were some distance away from the others, Shang Yu finally asked, "Why did it have to be me?"
Qi Jingtao’s complexion had always been pale—unnaturally so—but at this moment, Shang Yu noticed beads of sweat on his forehead. The next second, Qi Jingtao stumbled.
"Lord Qi!" Shang Yu was startled and immediately reached out to steady him. He noticed that Qi Jingtao’s skin was not just pale, but significantly colder than a normal person’s. "Are you alright?"
It wasn't hard for Shang Yu to piece it together. Today, Qi Jingtao had not only maintained Ma Qing'er’s physical manifestation but had also handled the incident at the City God Temple. He had been there from start to finish, exerting that terrifying pressure specifically to suppress Zheng Xiaodong and his accomplices. No wonder Qi Jingtao hadn't immediately given chase back on the mountain.
Shang Yu helped Qi Jingtao sit by the hallway. "Lord Qi?"
"Where did you get your bottles?" Qi Jingtao’s voice was as steady as before, though the volume had dropped.
"I just found them lying around." Shang Yu watched a bead of sweat slide from Qi Jingtao’s temple, down his cheek, and into his collar. He swallowed hard and added, "I have a place at home where I keep a lot of plastic bottles. After the bounty was posted, I just grabbed one to hold the lesser ghosts I caught."
"Did you add any incantations to them?"
"No. I figured a basic lesser ghost wouldn't need anything more than a plastic bottle." Shang Yu looked left and right; a man of authority like Qi Jingtao surely wouldn't want others to know he was overexerted. There was only one cup of coffee in sight, held by Qi Jingtao. Shang Yu offered a sheepish smile and gestured for him to drink.
Qi Jingtao obliged with a sip, then said, "So, you don't even know the power of those bottles?"
"I don't. If I had known, I would have sold them all!" If he had a choice, who would want to be out catching ghosts in the middle of the night?
"Are you that strapped for cash?"
Shang Yu lowered his lashes, masking most of his expression. "Money is just a worldly possession."
*As if.*
Qi Jingtao didn't press the matter. "Do you know why I’m looking for you?"
"I’d like to know."
"I’ve looked into your background. You did well on your college entrance exams; there’s no need to play the fool with me. Let’s finish this quickly so you can go home, and I can get some rest."
The flattering smile on Shang Yu’s face froze. His expression grew serious. "Trust you to see right through me, Lord Qi. Lately, the Free Flight Bar—where I often go—has had an influx of ghosts. And I can catch at least a Grade-B lesser ghost there almost every day."
Shang Yu had one problem: unless he physically engaged them, he couldn't accurately judge a ghost's grade. When he saw Ma Qing'er, he had pursued her immediately. Had he known she was a Grade-A, he would have stayed as far away as possible! As for the other one he’d caught, that had truly been a matter of convenience.
When he discovered Qi Jingtao on that island, he realized he shouldn't be curious. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. But who could have guessed that this Qi Jingtao was so incredibly powerful?
"So, my appearance at the City God Temple was also your arrangement? Trying to test me? Because of my grandfather?"
Dealing with a smart person was truly effortless. Qi Jingtao smiled with satisfaction. "Aren't you curious about where your grandfather is now?"
"Why should I be? My parents have been dead for so long, and he never showed his face. For all I know, he’s already dead."
"You are curious." Qi Jingtao looked at him as if he had seen right through him. "If you weren't, you wouldn't have applied to a local university."
"Lord Qi, you don't mean to tell me my parents were murdered, do you?"
"Your mother died of cancer—lymphoma. She was gone in six months. Your father died suddenly while at work."
Something in the depths of Shang Yu’s eyes flickered violently. The traces of what happened back then were too obvious, but he had been a child; he hadn't understood. If he had, how could he have remained obsessed with these questions for so many years?
He forced a stiff smile. "Why are you telling me this now? What do you want?"
"I can help you find the people who caused your parents' deaths."
"And then?"
Qi Jingtao paused, staring at him impassively.
"This is a society ruled by law, Lord Qi! Revenge and murder—that’s not something I can get involved in!"
Before he had encountered ghost catchers, Shang Yu had been skeptical. He had never seen this so-called "mysterious department." Ten years ago, he had accidentally found a lesser ghost and stuffed it into a plastic bottle. The moment the bottle shimmered with golden light, two men appeared within twenty seconds to find him. Later, he learned their names: Xiao Nan and Zhao Chengyu.
From then on, he was monitored by the predecessor to the Mingning City Ghost Catcher Administration—he’d forgotten the name, but he had been under surveillance ever since. They forced him to sign a series of treaties: he couldn't be seen by ordinary people while catching ghosts, he couldn't use his abilities at will... the list of rules was endless.
Everything in Mingning City was under Qi Jingtao’s control; he knew the moment a new ghost catcher appeared. Shang Yu had long understood that his discovery all those years ago was also Qi Jingtao’s doing.
"Why the indifference all these years? Why only show up when it suits you?" Shang Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, a grim, haunting smile playing on his lips. "Why, when I had the ability to act, did you monitor me and stop me from saving my parents? And those people—have you found them? With all those rules and regulations, you don't use them to restrain the people who need restraining, but you come to stop me from saving my parents! On what grounds?"
As soon as he finished, a cup of milk was splashed across his face. Qi Jingtao held the empty cup and signaled for Zhao Chengyu to leave first.
"Do you know that if you had acted to save your mother, every piece of equipment in that hospital, even the lights, would have failed? Do you know how many people would have died?"
"The Trolley Problem?" Shang Yu pulled out a tissue and wiped the milk from his face, stroke by stroke. "And so what? Out of all the patients in that hospital, I only knew my mother!"
"Are you suggesting that I shouldn't have stopped you, and that you should have been allowed to kill countless patients in that hospital?"
Shang Yu had long suspected the reason he hadn't been able to act that day, but he hadn't expected Qi Jingtao to admit it so readily. The tone was matter-of-fact.
"There is no right or wrong in this question." Shang Yu gritted his teeth. "You view things from the perspective of maximizing utility, but I only care about my mother! My mother died! If you hadn't stopped me that one time, she would still be alive!"
"If I hadn't stopped you, you certainly wouldn't be alive today."
"So what?" Shang Yu wanted a drink, but one cup contained coffee he was allergic to, and the other had been poured over his head. He stood up, feeling an intensity of emotion he hadn't experienced in a long time, and kicked the wall hard.
"You people are so damn free! When there’s a real problem, you’re nowhere to be found! But the moment I’m about to save someone, you pop out of nowhere! Once something happens, you immediately start arresting people!"
Ice formed in Qi Jingtao’s eyes, and the oppressive pressure made everyone in the inn struggle to breathe. Shang Yu was no exception, but he held his ground.
"Qi Jingtao, I know I shouldn't hate you for preventing me from making a mistake. I should hate the people who killed my parents!"
All these years, whenever the subject of his parents arose, Shang Yu’s loss of control was inevitable. Now, Qi Jingtao’s pressure actually helped him calm down.
"I know this is a moral argument," Shang Yu said, balling up the tissue he’d used to wipe his face. He looked for a trash can, but finding none, he stuffed the trash into his pocket, wiped his hands on his clothes, and leaned toward Qi Jingtao.
"Since you forbid me from using those abilities," he pressed both hands onto Qi Jingtao’s shoulders, his eyes red, "then where were you when my parents were being murdered? What is the point of your existence?"