Chapter Nineteen: The Third Aunt Arrives

“Lin Ran, do you know? The moment I first saw you at the police station, I fell in love with you! I always thought I’d never have a chance to be with you, that maybe we’d never see each other again for the rest of our lives!” Guo Ting sat beside Lin Ran, her hand gently caressing his face, so tender, so beautiful.

“I had a crush on you back in school! I never expected that after graduation, you’d come here for your internship too! Maybe this was heaven’s gift to me.” As she spoke, a faint blush appeared on Guo Ting’s cheeks.

“Do you know? I love the way you look when you train, so focused! I love the way you frown when you’re thinking about a problem! I love everything you love! But all of this happened so suddenly! I haven’t even had the chance to tell you how I feel about you!”

“Maybe fate has decided you’re not meant to be mine? Am I unworthy of you?” Two sorrowful tears slid down Guo Ting’s cheeks.

“I told you, that jade shouldn’t have been returned to the boy!” Just as Guo Ting was lost in grief, the hospital room door burst open and a man’s voice rang out.

“This is his trial! Sooner or later, he has to face it! It’s his destiny!” Suddenly, a thin, sharp voice chimed in, its shrillness uncomfortable to the ears, almost like a woman’s voice.

Guo Ting looked toward the source of the sound and saw a man in his forties standing at the doorway, dressed in a bizarre yellow Taoist robe. He muttered to himself, his voice at times turning into that of a woman, at times a man, as if he were arguing with someone.

“He shouldn’t have to face all this alone!” The man’s face softened with pity as he looked at Lin Ran, who lay weak and deathly pale on the hospital bed.

“That thing belongs to him! Even we have no right to interfere!” The woman’s voice sounded again, piercing and harsh.

“Who are you?” Guo Ting eyed the strange man warily.

“Hey? There’s actually a yin maiden here? How interesting!” The man’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Guo Ting.

Guo Ting felt a sense of discomfort just looking at this odd man. He might have seemed normal when silent, but once he spoke, his facial features seemed to scrunch together, and it was as if a rat were talking to her.

“What nonsense about yin maidens and yang maidens! If you don’t leave, don’t blame me for being rude!” Guo Ting glared at the man, full of vigilance.

“Don’t misunderstand, young lady! You’re Xiao Ran’s friend, aren’t you? I’m his third aunt! When I heard Xiao Ran was in trouble, I rushed right over!” The man’s voice suddenly shifted to a deep, masculine tone. Though his voice had changed, the way his features bunched together still made Guo Ting uneasy.

“Third aunt?” Guo Ting looked at the self-proclaimed third aunt in confusion. She remembered that from the moment Lin Ran had his accident, neither she nor Fan Beixiao had called anyone! And what man calls himself ‘third aunt’? To Guo Ting, everything about this man was strange and unsettling.

“Um, don’t worry, young lady! We mean him no harm! I came here specifically to save Xiao Ran!” The “third aunt” seemed to realize there was no way to explain this clearly, and that the more she said, the more suspicious she would seem. With that, she started to walk toward Lin Ran.

“Stop! I’m a police officer! Don’t you dare come any closer to him!” Guo Ting planted herself in front of the “third aunt,” her suspicion deepening.

“This yin maiden is such a nuisance! Might as well knock her out so she doesn't get in the way!” The sharp voice echoed again.

Guo Ting’s heart leapt with alarm. She was about to use a grappling move to throw the man out, but suddenly her vision blurred and she found herself unable to move. This realization filled her with terror.

“What did you do to me?” Guo Ting stared at the man, panic in her eyes.

“Hmph! I’m here to save that boy! Don’t be ungrateful!” The man pushed his face close to Guo Ting’s, the shrill voice grating in her ears. With his features scrunched together, for a split second, Guo Ting thought she saw a rat staring at her.

With that, the “third aunt” ignored Guo Ting, despite her shouting and screaming, and, annoyed by her noise, stuffed a towel into her mouth.

The “third aunt” walked over to Lin Ran, lifted his eyelid, and examined him carefully.

“Oh no! The ghost pupil has already entered his body! Did the jade shatter?” The moment the “third aunt” saw the black spot in Lin Ran’s eye, she cried out in alarm, her piercing voice filling the whole room. Luckily, there were no other patients; otherwise, they would have been scared out of their wits.

“No wonder the boy’s been unconscious for so long. With yin energy this heavy, even I can barely stand it! It’s a miracle he’s lasted this long!” Muttering to herself, the “third aunt” fished out a yellow pouch and took out something wrapped in a plastic bag.

She produced a yellow copper bowl and poured the contents of the bag into it. Guo Ting saw that it was filled with earth, yellow soil, mixed with some black, unidentifiable bits.

The “third aunt” added clean water to the bowl, waited for the sediment to settle, and then gave the clear water to Lin Ran to drink. Before long, Lin Ran vomited up a pool of black, foul-smelling liquid. The sight made Guo Ting’s heart tighten—could this really save him, or would it kill him?

To Guo Ting’s astonishment, Lin Ran awoke not long after. The whole scene was beyond belief, and the “third aunt’s” strange abilities changed the way Guo Ting looked at her entirely.