Volume One, Chapter 56: The Fountain Pool's Water Specter Vanishes

"Waaah, I'm crying my eyes out. This ghost woman actually had a kind heart—she even tried to warn him."
"What's the use of being kind? She couldn't even keep her last piece of jewelry."
"How is that her fault? It's human greed, plain and simple!"
Song Weijia felt no remorse whatsoever. He curled his lip in disdain, his face full of scorn. "She's been dead for so long already. What's the point of keeping the hairpin? I'd rather exchange it for some cash."
Qin Yu snorted coldly, "Do you know why the grave robbers looted every tomb chamber but left this coffin untouched?"
"Why?"
"Because some grave robbers still have a moral bottom line. There are some things you can steal, and some things you absolutely shouldn't."
No sooner had Qin Yu finished speaking than there was a violent banging on the man's door.
"Who's there?"
"We're from the Bureau of Cultural Relics. Someone reported you for damaging cultural artifacts. Please come with us."
The man panicked, glanced at the silver hairpin in his hand, and, gritting his teeth, opened the window and threw it out.
Only after disposing of it did he open the door. "What damage? I don't know anything about that."
"Please come with us."
The officials at the door flashed their credentials and took him away.
"The staff from the Cultural Relics Bureau are so fast! Love that efficiency."
"This is so satisfying to watch."
"Did anyone notice that the guy who took away Our Beloved Jia Jia's friend looked about 1.8 meters tall and was actually kind of handsome, qaq~"
"Hey upstairs, that's my distant cousin. Have you got a crush on him? Want me to introduce you two?"
"Could you? Could you really?"
"I'll DM you."
The flurry of conversation left the viewers in the live chat utterly stunned.
Is she really about to find a boyfriend just like that?
Qin Yu glanced at the time—it was already past five. She stretched lazily on the spot. "Folks in the live room, your host is hungry and off to grab a bite. My phone's also dying, so I'll charge it for a while. After dinner, we’ll continue—an all-nighter tonight!"
"Host, how are you hungry again? You haven’t stopped eating all afternoon…"
"So what if a beauty likes to eat? Mind your own business."
"I don't care, I just can’t bear for the host to go offline."

"Don’t go, stay and chat a bit more~"
Qin Yu smiled and waved at the camera, ending the stream.
The moment the live feed cut off, her smile vanished.
"Mu Ling, Mu Ling, come in, Mu Ling."
The named Mu Ling felt a chill run down his spine and played dead. Instinct told him nothing good could come of this.
Then, he received a Song Dynasty ceremonial robe with a black-edged red silk collar.
Holding the new attire, Mu Ling burst into tears.
It was the new robe he had always wanted.
Outside, Qin Yu was still calling for him.
Mu Ling gave up the act, put on a big goofy grin, and trotted out, calling her "Little Yu" with affectionate familiarity.
"Little Yu, Little Yu, what can I do for you?"
Qin Yu put away the scissors and colored paper in her hand, raising an eyebrow.
Hah! Let’s see if I can’t handle you.
"It's nothing major, just want you to help me find a silver hairpin."
"Consider it done!"
Mu Ling mimicked the police salute he'd seen on TV the other day, giving Qin Yu an earnest Young Pioneers' salute.
Qin Yu gave him Song Weijia’s address, reminding him before he left to be quick and make sure no one else found it first.
Grateful for the gift, Mu Ling thumped his chest and promised to get the job done, then hurried off.
After she’d sent Mu Ling on his way, Qin Yu sat cross-legged on her bed for a while, practicing her breathing and meditation.
Her whole body felt recharged with spiritual energy—truly exhilarating!
She only stopped when she heard a knock at the door.
"Miss, dinner’s ready."
"Okay, I’ll be right there."
Qin Yu straightened her clothes before leaving her room.
When she came downstairs, she found herself alone at the dining table.

The housekeeper explained, "Madam said she’d be dining out with friends tonight, and the second young lady is staying at the hospital to keep the master company; she won’t be home either."
Qin Yu simply acknowledged with a hum and said no more.
After dinner, she didn’t resume streaming.
Instead, she took a stroll around the courtyard to stretch her limbs.
All the Su family buildings bore a distinctly antique style; walking through such a courtyard brought an inexplicable sense of tranquility.
She wandered to the fountain pool where they had first met. There was no longer any trace of the water ghost’s presence.
She sat on the porcelain platform beside the pool. The air above the fountain still exuded an eerie chill, as if silently recounting the ghostly encounters of the past.
"Miss, why are you sitting out here all alone?"
Lin Jian’an entered, arms full of tutoring books. Looking up, he saw Qin Yu’s slender figure silhouetted under the dim streetlamp.
Qin Yu thought to herself: What a coincidence to run into him.
"Uncle Lin, I have something to ask you."
"Of course," Lin Jian’an replied, setting down his towering pile of books. "What do you want to know, Miss?"
"Did someone die in this fountain pool?"
Lin Jian’an looked utterly bewildered.
Really? He had never heard of such a thing.
"I have no idea!"
Then, realizing something, he asked, "Miss, you didn’t happen to see… something, did you?"
Lin Jian’an’s face turned pale. He’d even splashed his face with water from this fountain on hot days!
The thought that he might have washed with a ghost’s bathwater sent chills down his spine.
Qin Yu nodded. "But it’s gone now."
Lin Jian’an looked slightly relieved at her words.
He bent to pick up his books, about to leave, when he suddenly remembered something about the time they purchased this fountain pool.