Chapter 6: Going Home

In the mist, a woman's cry for help echoed; you turned around and saw outside the high-speed rail guardrail, a man was pulling a woman's hair, dragging her deeper into the mist.

You saw it clearly, that man was the Paperman you had seen earlier at the gas station, and the woman was the one who had been killed nearby!

"Save me!"

The woman, obviously noticing you watching her, hurriedly cried out for help.

The man forcefully pulled the woman to his side, tightly gripped her neck with his right hand, and gestured to you with his left hand, his smile growing more malevolently sinister.

Sideways glancing, you tilted your head to one side as if to pretend you saw nothing.

After all, everything has a cause and effect, even flies don't bother with a seamless egg.

Even if it's a ghost, even the most malevolent ghost wouldn't kill without a reason; this heavily made-up, self-righteous woman must have been seduced by the Paperman, leading to her current predicament. Her death was no one else's doing but her own folly.

The highway police arrived quickly, and after a few people were slightly shocked, they all got back on the bus since the coach wasn't involved in the accident, and everyone was in a hurry.

When the bus arrived at its destination, the sun was already high. You and Zhao'er, whose hand felt slightly cool, got off the bus. Just stepping out of the station, you saw a trendy, fashionable woman not far ahead waving at you.

This woman, both in terms of appearance and physique, was top-notch, drawing many gazing eyes her way; you couldn't help but sigh the moment you saw her; she was none other than your own mother, Little Hong!

Just by her appearance, she looked no less youthful than those girls in their blooming age, yet who could imagine she was nearly forty?

You and Zhao'er walked over; Mom didn't greet you but circled Zhao'er, then lifted the large hat that had been sitting on Zhao'er's head in front of everyone.

As the hat was lifted, a mass of black hair fluttered with the wind, scattering about, a strand even sticking to your face, carrying with it the unique youthful fragrance of Zhao'er.

The moment Zhao'er's true face was revealed, the surrounding crowd instantly quieted down; sweeping a glance around, every visible face looked utterly astonished, mouths agape, a few guys even drooling all over the ground.

Not just the men, even women who saw her couldn't help but stare, feeling inferior in comparison.

"Let's go, back home."

From the upturned corners of Mom's mouth, you could tell she was in a good mood, clearly satisfied with Zhao'er's appearance.

You held Zhao'er's hand and got into a J-10 SUV.

Speaking of which, your Mom was a real character, unlike the other beauties who liked small Beetles or Audi TTs, or flashy Maseratis or Ferraris; she pulled strings to get a modified J-10 SUV from a special unit.

This thing was massive, with a newly reinforced shell, not only bulletproof but also crash-resistant, making Hummers look like a small dish. What's more, it's not available for purchase in the market; the factory's limited annual production was designated for military and police use, not to mention civilian.

Driving on the road, the tender small sedans hardly dared to come close, desperately veering away, as though they were made of paper.

Of course, Mom was wealthy, but she was always stingy towards you, controlling money tightly that despite years of matching wits, you were still unable to save even ten yuan a week from the living expenses.

Her rationale was "A man should earn his own way. I'll only take care of your necessities, that's the Old Li Family rule!"

The ride home was silent; you had a lot on your mind, but you knew it was better to speak at home, as you needed not just answers but solutions.

The J-10 SUV pulled into an old but lush residential complex, surrounded by ivy-covered walls that made even the hot summer days feel breezy.

You had lived there since childhood; although the twenty-year-old building seemed a bit worn, it was sturdy and conveniently located, and with such pleasant neighbors, few had moved away over the years.

Your family lived in building number four, on the fourth floor, apartment 404.

Upon entering the apartment, you dropped onto the soft couch, and Zhao'er, imitating your action, crashed onto you.

Just as you were embracing her beautiful body, Mom came over and kicked you lightly, saying sternly, "Get up!"

Reluctantly, you pulled Zhao'er up with you.

"You were unclear over the phone earlier; now, tell me carefully the whole process."

Shrugging, you vividly described the entire incident detail by detail.

Her brow furrowed ever tighter, she asked you, "When the Star Stealing Life-changing Talisman was burning, did anything strange happen, like seeing a constellation or golden light?"

"No," you shook your head.

"That's impossible," she retorted, "According to the Li Family archives, burning the Star Stealing Life-changing Talisman should definitely produce anomalies; otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to destroy her Heavenly Crystal Coffin and change both of your destinies."

You thought back carefully, then suddenly said, "Oh, there was!"

"What was it?" she asked urgently, looking at you intently.

"Well, I remember after the talisman burned out, the ashes sort of flew up."

"Flew up?" Mom's brow creased deeply, an expression of confusion like you'd never seen before on her face.

"Yeah, right, and they formed into a weird Magic Seal."

Saying this, you picked up a pen and sketched the Magic Seal from your memory onto a paper. After finishing, you checked it against your memory before nodding, "This was it, and it even shot into my left eye."

"Let me see."

Mom walked over and scrutinized the Magic Seal closely, then checked your eye, but apparently, she couldn't discern any clue.

"How can this be? It's different than what was anticipated," she appeared troubled.

You comforted her with a smile, "It's okay; I'm fine now, and isn't it a good thing that my fate has changed, breaking our family's millennium curse?"

Mom sighed softly and turned to observe Zhao'er, visibly more conflicted than you had ever seen.

"Oh, right, Mom, something weird happened on the road."

You proceeded to tell her about the Paperman harming the woman, which immediately brought her rushing to you, her eyes wide with urgency, "Did you really see the Paperman gesturing to you?"