I used Bingbing's phone to call my own, asking about Xiaomiao's progress. Xiaomiao said she had only registered ten people so far, with over fifty more in line. Since most people couldn't write (and she wasn't very good at it either), they had middle-aged people act as scribes, translating spoken words into classical Chinese, which slowed down the writing process.
I did a rough calculation. At this pace, it would take until seven or eight in the evening to finish. We really should go for dinner first.
The three of us left the Range Rover at the villa and took the opportunity to explore the prosperous area of Laobiao Bay.
After a tour, I realized it was not only a wealthy district but also a recuperation resort, with many seemingly high-end sanatoriums. I asked Cheng Xiaojuan if there were quality hot springs here. Xiaojuan said no, but each sanatorium did have a hot spring hydrotherapy system, with the water transported from Tanggangzi, over a hundred kilometers to the north.
"They really spare no expense. Are all the people here royalty?" I asked.
"Pretty much. Many high-ranking officials have set up sanatoriums here. Otherwise, how would they live so long?"
I waved my hand, signaling her to stop. She was violating the rules. Anyway, places like this weren't accessible just by having money.
We ambled over to the commercial district, where there was a high-end department store of the "Xibanyá" brand. Cheng Xiaojuan suggested buying me some new clothes – suits, shoes, ties, a watch, and so on. I declined, saying I preferred casual sportswear and felt uncomfortable in formal attire.
However, with a lot of time to kill, the three of us still browsed the mall. Inside, we finally saw some super luxury brands that I had only seen online before, like "Lu Wei" and "Hermès." The items didn't look particularly special, but the prices were astronomically high. I pondered buying something for Bingbing, but Bingbing said she disliked overly luxurious brands, finding them a bit vulgar.
The only drawback was that such a high-end mall had no dining facilities, only an ice cream shop. Thirsty, we bought three ice creams, which cost over four hundred yuan. The brand was in Latin, so I didn't recognize it. The ice cream tasted like cow dung. I threw mine away after a few bites. What a sin.
We shopped until five o'clock and then left the mall to eat in the commercial street opposite. Cheng Xiaojuan wanted to treat us to a French feast, but I was so put off by the ice cream that I didn't dare agree. Chinese food was a safer bet. It was also a large restaurant. We took a private room upstairs and deliberately lingered over the meal, eating until seven o'clock. Then I called Xiaomiao again, saying only three people were left to register their information.
Back at the villa, since there were no longer any security guards or property management staff in the complex, the electricity hadn't been turned on. Coupled with the sea breeze, it felt even more eerie. After Cheng Xiaojuan drove me and Zheng Bingbing to the back of the villa, I asked her to wait in a brightly lit place next door to avoid being scared. Zheng Bingbing was also a bit unnerved, but she was a Yin messenger and would eventually have to face these things. So, I dragged her up the mountain.
We reached the edge of the mine pit. Without activating the qi perception technique, nothing could be seen. Only the faint neon lights reflected from the sea surface prevented us from falling into the pit. Zheng Bingbing wanted to turn on her phone's flashlight, but I held her hand, afraid of disturbing the ghosts.
Activating the qi perception technique, all the surrounding ghosts, including the mountain itself and the mine pit, became clearly visible. Perhaps because the mountain had a magnetic field, I could "see" them. Most of the ghosts had completed their information registration and were squatting in the pit. Two more ghosts stood beside Xiaomiao and the middle-aged man. One ghost was narrating, while the middle-aged man recorded diligently. The other ghost muttered to the side, perhaps practicing what to say.
I didn't know if they communicated regularly. If they didn't, or communicated little, their language skills might also degrade.
"Where are they?" Zheng Bingbing asked timidly.
I glanced at the aura above her head and said, "Hey, how about I teach you the qi perception technique?"
"How can I learn? I'm so stupid... Can I learn it?" Bingbing frowned.
"I was very stupid too, but I learned it instantly. Look at tomorrow's weather."
Bingbing checked her phone and found that tomorrow would be sunny. Perfect, we could use the midday sun to teach her the qi perception technique.