“Hahaha, my apologies.” The young man took out a tissue and handed it to Ling Lie. “Sorry, you didn’t want to make a scene, did you? I won’t say any more. I just saw that you two looked very much like… so I just…”

Ling Lie lamented the wasted watermelon juice, but despite his shock, he didn’t show any of Ji Chenjiao’s discomfort. He asked, “What, do people still honeymoon on this kind of island? Isn’t it unlucky?”

The young man laughed. “Not only that, some people even get married here. I’m here to attend a wedding.”

Ji Chenjiao frowned slightly. Getting married on an island filled with ghost and deity culture and funerals? A term filled with evil came to his mind.

“Are you talking about the kind of marriage where they dig up a girl’s bones to marry a man?” The young man was greatly shocked. “Buddy, you’re overthinking it. That’s illegal! We live in a society governed by the rule of law. Your legal awareness needs to be improved.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” A detective like him was actually being criticized for needing to improve his legal awareness?

Ling Lie suppressed a laugh and patted Ji Chenjiao’s shoulder, asking the young man, “Then what kind of wedding are you talking about?”

“It’s like an imitation of the underworld, right? The couple are both ghost and deity culture enthusiasts and want to have a wedding inspired by the underworld. Isn’t it the ‘Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade the Island’ right now? It has a bit of a ‘ten thousand ghosts paying respects’ feel to it.”

Ji Chenjiao frowned as he listened, truly unable to understand. Young people these days didn’t like to follow the old ways when getting married and always wanted to do something creative, but he had never seen a wedding held in the underworld. Although he was a staunch materialist, he still felt that this kind of gimmick was a bit creepy.

But on the side, Ling Lie was already chatting with the young man. The young man’s name was Weng Keqiu. Who knew what his parents were thinking, giving him such a name. What were they being demanding about?

Ji Chenjiao listened silently to their conversation. Weng Keqiu said that the ones getting married were his distant relatives with whom he didn’t have much contact. The invitation was for the elders in his family, but they couldn’t come, so they sent him to give the gift money. He also said that the wedding was being held at the Nonghai Grand Hotel, which was said to be one of the best hotels on Fengchao Island.

When Ji Chenjiao heard the name, it sounded somewhat familiar. He took out the ticket package and looked. Well, it turned out to be the hotel that Huang Yi had arranged for him and Ling Lie.

He was a little speechless. A hotel holding a wedding was bound to be unusually noisy, especially since this “underworld” wedding was being held at night. He hadn’t slept well last night and had been looking forward to getting a good sleep on the island, but he hadn’t expected to run into this.

Ling Lie, however, was very excited. “What a coincidence, we’re staying at Nonghai too.”

Weng Keqiu’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Then you must have booked your tickets early. I heard Nonghai is in high demand. My relatives wanted to book the whole place but couldn’t. They only managed to book about ten rooms. I can’t even stay there. I have to go to another hotel after the wedding.”

Ji Chenjiao thought to himself, the hotel was wise. At least it still retained a good deal of mortal energy.

Weng Keqiu then said to Ling Lie, “Then you two should come to the wedding too. It’s just a matter of going downstairs.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Thanks, but no—”

Ling Lie: “Okay!”

Ji Chenjiao glanced at him. “…”

Ling Lie automatically blocked out Ji Chenjiao’s resistance, unilaterally made a date with Weng Keqiu, and chatted for a while longer. The cruise ship began to broadcast that it was about to arrive at the pier. At the intersection of the blue sky and the sea, a magnificent island appeared.

The tourists became excited again, rushing to the deck to take pictures. Weng Keqiu was pushed aside. He grinned, showing his white teeth, and waved at Ling Lie. “See you there!”

Ling Lie also waved. “Okay!”

Ji Chenjiao silently grabbed Ling Lie’s hand and pressed it down.

Ling Lie: “Ouch!”

Ji Chenjiao: “?” Was he that forceful? Did it warrant an “ouch”?

Ling Lie: “In broad daylight, some people just want to hold other people’s hands.”

A vein throbbed on Ji Chenjiao’s temple. “Some people could be a little more passive-aggressive.”

Ling Lie nodded in agreement. “Indeed. After all, we’re about to arrive at the ‘underworld’ island. It would be a bit of a disservice to this ferry ticket not to be a ‘passive-aggressive person’.”

Ji Chenjiao left the “passive-aggressive person” and turned to leave. The “passive-aggressive person” chased after him with a smile, deliberately trying to annoy him. “Xiao Ji, we have to learn to understand the things we are not familiar with.”

How could Ji Chenjiao not know his little scheme? He sneered, “You just want to drag me to that wedding too, don’t you?”

“Tsk, you’re always like this. You don’t try to understand what you don’t like.”

“Always?”

“I like savory meat buns, so I went to work at a kindergarten. When you heard that, your face was written all over with: This person is lying!”

“…”

Ling Lie spoke earnestly, even clasping his hands behind his back like the old gatekeeper uncle from the family courtyard. “Look at you, you get upset when I say a few words to you.”

Ji Chenjiao hadn’t been upset to begin with, but now he was amused by Ling Lie’s pretentious manner. He ruffled Ling Lie’s hair. “I shouldn’t have given you chicken wings back then. I should have let you starve to death.”

The tourists were crowded when boarding, each wanting to be first. They were even more enthusiastic when disembarking, as if they were trying to storm a beach. Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie were at the back, disembarking slowly. Others had a lot of luggage; they only had one carry-on travel bag between them, which Ji Chenjiao was carrying.

The pier was built to fit the “underworld” theme, with rotten wood and a rotten bridge. There was also a group of “Granny Mengs” giving tourists “Granny Meng’s Soup.” Originally, there was only one “Granny Meng,” but with too many tourists in the peak season, there was a whole group of them.

By the time all the tourists from this boat had passed through the pier, the “Granny Meng’s Soup” was basically all gone. Ling Lie went over excitedly to take a look. “Granny Meng” said awkwardly, “Sorry, you two. There’s only a little soup left at the bottom. It’s not good to give it to guests. How about you take two cans as a substitute?”

The so-called “Granny Meng’s Soup” was actually just mung bean soup and honey lemon water, served in sealed bubble tea cups. Tourists would go through the motions of crossing the “Granny Meng Bridge” and take a cup. Although it was like playing house, and the mung bean soup was very thin because it was free, and the lemon water was even more bland, the tourists were all first-timers and found it novel. No one complained.

When Ling Lie heard there was none left, he was a little disappointed and asked, “What’s the substitute?”

“Granny Meng” took out two cans of Coke from under her cart and smiled, her face crinkling. “It’s the thought that counts, the thought that counts.”

Ji Chenjiao would rather drink Coke. He took it and called to Ling Lie, “Let’s go.”

The sun was at its peak. Many “Ox-Head” and “Horse-Face” pulled carts were parked at the pier—they were actually tricycles decorated with cow and horse heads. The workmanship was shoddy, truly “underworld-like.” Fortunately, they had sunshades, so at least they didn’t have to be in the sun.

Ji Chenjiao scanned a QR code to unlock one and told Ling Lie to take the luggage bag and sit in the back. He called out twice with no response. He thought Ling Lie had run off somewhere to watch some excitement again. He turned around and saw that Ling Lie was standing just five meters away from him.

Under the sunlight, Ling Lie, in his white shirt, was ridiculously fair, as if he could glow. He held the can with both hands, looking at him, but his face was full of confusion.

Ji Chenjiao had to admit that although Ling Lie was a bit of a handful, his looks were impeccable. When he wasn’t smiling cheekily, he looked beautiful and innocent, especially when he showed this kind of worldly-unwise look, making one can’t help but… want to pity him.

But Ji Chenjiao, having been deeply poisoned by him, reacted quickly—what kind of trick was he up to now!

Ling Lie finally spoke, his voice a little floaty. “You… are you calling me?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” This is outrageous!

Ling Lie asked again, “Who am I? Who are you?”

Only a madman would play along with Ling Lie under this sun. Ji Chenjiao quickly pulled him over and threw him into the back seat. Ling Lie still looked at him with innocent eyes. “Where are you taking me? Why can’t I remember anything?”

Ji Chenjiao looked at his can and gritted his teeth. “Because you drank ‘Granny Meng’s Soup’!”

Ling Lie frowned in distress, even pressing his temples, his acting skills top-notch. “Then who are you?”

Ji Chenjiao: “I’m your father.” Go on, keep acting!

Sure enough, having been tricked once, Ling Lie stopped talking and sat obediently in the back seat. Ji Chenjiao waited for him to retaliate. Halfway through pedaling, he heard him say, “Xiao Ji, you’re not very decent, taking advantage of your leader when he has amnesia.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Oh, this ‘Granny Meng’s Soup’ isn’t very effective, is it? You’ve recovered so quickly?”

Ling Lie: “Mmm, I’ve put a demerit for Xiao Ji in my little notebook for abusing his power and acting like the masses’ father.”

“…”

Fengchao Island was very large. Ji Chenjiao followed the road signs. The air was filled with the smell of sea breeze baked by the sun. After being blown by the sea breeze for a long time, it became cool and comfortable in the shade.

But Ji Chenjiao didn’t linger in this comfort. He just wanted to get to the hotel and rest quickly.

Due to the special nature of the event, the island would only become lively after dusk. There were basically no activities during the day. Only newly arrived guests were wandering around. Tourists who had been here for more than a day were almost all catching up on sleep. Ji Chenjiao planned to take advantage of the quiet daytime to get some good sleep, otherwise once night fell, there would be no time to sleep.

As they approached the tourist-concentrated West Street, the surrounding stalls gradually increased. Nonghai Hotel was at the end of West Street and had its own private beach. When they got off the bike, Ling Lie had “amnesia” again. “Where are we going?”

Ji Chenjiao’s head was spinning. Lack of sleep made his brain a little slow, and arguing with Ling Lie was too tiring. He simply grabbed Ling Lie’s hand and walked directly to the hotel front desk.

There were many people in the lobby. When they saw two handsome men walking in holding hands, they all stared.

Ling Lie: “They’re looking at us!”

The front desk staff was also very curious, their eyes darting between Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie. Ji Chenjiao’s head hurt even more. He didn’t even hear what the front desk staff was saying and just randomly pointed at a room type.

The front desk staff nodded with understanding and completed the procedures. “I wish you sweet and happy memories here.”

Ji Chenjiao was confused. It’s just staying at a hotel, what sweet and happy?

After opening the room door, he understood.

It was actually a deluxe king-size bed room facing the sea! Why a king-size bed room? What about a standard room?

Ling Lie placed the “Granny Meng’s Soup”—bah, Coke—on the table, came to Ji Chenjiao, and said grievously, “Xiao Ji, who am I?”

Ji Chenjiao was still speechless about the king-size bed and couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

Ling Lie: “It seems you’re the one with the more severe amnesia after drinking ‘Granny Meng’s Soup’.”

“What?”

“Did you forget that at the front desk just now, you were the one who said you wanted a king-size bed room?”

“When did I say I wanted a king-size bed room?”

So Ling Lie kindly helped Ji Chenjiao recall the situation. At that time, they had walked up to the front desk holding hands. The front desk staff, upon seeing them, took out four king-size bed room types and explained each one. Ji Chenjiao, drowsy, had nodded his head and pointed randomly at the current one.

Ji Chenjiao: “You saw they were all king-size bed rooms, why didn’t you remind me?”

Ling Lie spread his hands. “I poked you, but you didn’t react.”

Ji Chenjiao remembered being poked in the back a couple of times, but Ling Lie was always fidgeting. How was he supposed to know Ling Lie was trying to remind him!

The room was already booked, and changing it would be a hassle. More importantly, he really didn’t want to bother anymore. He just wanted to take a shower and sleep.

At this moment, Ling Lie was quite considerate. He closed the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window, blocking out the sea and sun.

Ji Chenjiao quickly finished his shower and saw Ling Lie looking like he was about to go out.

The sun was strong now, and Ling Lie would surely be playing all night. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask Ling Lie to come and sleep with him.

Ling Lie: “I’m going out for a walk, and I’ll check out Cao Xinxin’s house on the way.”

Ji Chenjiao was instantly wide awake.

Ling Lie immediately said, “You don’t have to go. It’s a hassle with more people.”

Ji Chenjiao thought about it and realized it was true. Ling Lie could handle finding clues on his own. And his eyelids were already starting to fight each other.

Ling Lie closed the door, and the room became quiet. The heavy curtains and excellent soundproofing completely turned it into night. Ji Chenjiao quickly fell asleep.

Ling Lie rode the tricycle around the streets. Fengchao Island was divided into West Street and East Street. West Street was very prosperous, with hotels, guesthouses, and bars everywhere. The main venue for the “Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade the Island” was also on West Street. East Street was where the islanders themselves lived. Some food and funeral workshops were also on East Street, as well as a primary school, a middle school, and a few scattered cheap hotels and restaurants. It was relatively deserted compared to West Street.

Ling Lie parked the tricycle by a restaurant on East Street. The owner’s wife greeted him warmly. “Handsome, what would you like to eat?”

The names of the dishes on the menu were also very “underworld-like,” with things like “Tongue Pulling,” “Frying in Oil,” and “Eighteen Levels of Hell.” Ling Lie adapted well and pointed to the signature dish. “I’ll have a cold mixed chicken and a bowl of mint lemon congee.”

“Alright! Handsome, you’ve got good taste. These two are my best sellers.”

Business on East Street was not very good, so the owner’s wife was not busy. She chatted with Ling Lie, and Ling Lie took the opportunity to ask if she knew where Cao Xinxin’s family lived.

In a relatively closed place like this, almost every household had met each other. Moreover, Ling Lie knew that for Cao Xinxin to get into the city’s medical school from the island, his grades must have been outstanding.

Sure enough, the owner’s wife said, “Cao Xinxin is a celebrity here. What, are you looking for him?”

Ling Lie said, “He helped me out before, and since I’m on the island for a trip, I thought I’d come see him.”

The owner’s wife: “Oh, he’s probably not on the island right now. I heard from Old Xu that he’s doing very well in the city now, working as a doctor. High salary, high status, and he often sends things home.”

“Old Xu is?”

“His mother.”

Ling Lie smiled. “That’s fine. I can go see his parents. It’s a rare trip.”

So the owner’s wife gave Ling Lie the address of Cao Xinxin’s home. It was in an alley on Danquan Road in East Street. You could find it just by asking around.

At this moment, the chef brought out the dishes. The cold mixed chicken was cooked very tenderly and mixed with a sour and spicy sauce, which was very refreshing. Ling Lie thought it was delicious and ordered a portion for Ji Chenjiao.

The owner’s wife was even happier and continued to chat with Ling Lie. Ling Lie asked if the Cao family was also in the tourism business. The owner’s wife sighed and opened up.

“The Cao family, they’re actually quite pitiful. Most of us on the island are in the tourism business, but to do business, you need a thriving family. The Cao family only has three people. Cao Xinxin is a child and can’t help much. Xu Ling and Old Cao tried to open a restaurant like us, but it didn’t work out and they lost a lot of money. Later, they had no capital, so they could only work odd jobs for people during the peak season. Fortunately, their son is promising. The year Cao Xinxin got into university, their family held a feast for three days and three nights!”

From the owner’s wife’s description, Ling Lie sketched out a general picture of the Cao family and also gained a comprehensive understanding of the livelihood on Fengchao Island.

The businesses on the island were all relatively primitive family businesses. As long as a family had enough people and land, they would open a hotel or restaurant, and also do tour guide business. Although the “Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade the Island” only took place in the summer, it required at least three months of preparation beforehand—making props, rehearsing—which provided a lot of job opportunities.

The Cao family was the kind of family that did odd jobs everywhere. Wherever a waiter or security guard was needed, Cao Xinxin’s parents would go.

This kind of work was at the bottom of the island’s social ladder, subject to layers of exploitation, but there was no way around it. They couldn’t afford to open a restaurant or hotel.

When Cao Xinxin was in university, his father passed away, and the family’s financial situation became extremely tight.

Ling Lie calculated the time; it was exactly when Cao Xinxin had stolen the laboratory equipment.

Now his mother, Xu Ling, would tell everyone she met that her life was good, her son’s job was stable, and he was filial. But everyone could hear the bitterness in her words—Old Cao couldn’t enjoy it.

After finishing the cold mixed chicken, Ling Lie paid and left. The owner’s wife had never seen a customer who left no side dishes behind. She was extremely pleased, not only giving Ling Lie a discount but also a bottle of counterfeit “Mojito.”

Ling Lie put the take-out cold mixed chicken and the “Mojito” for Ji Chenjiao in the back seat and rode towards Danquan Road. When he got to the alley and asked, someone indeed pointed him to the Cao family’s house. But the person said, “Are you looking for Old Xu? Unfortunately, her son seems to have gotten into some trouble. She was called away by the police station early this morning.”

Ling Lie had guessed this. The detachment would definitely ask the family to identify the body. But this didn’t stop him from wanting to take a look around Cao Xinxin’s old home.

The houses on the island were not as neatly built as in the city, especially on East Street. They were all self-built small courtyards, some with workshops. The courtyard walls were very low, and you could see inside from the outside.

Xu Ling had left in a great hurry. The courtyard gate was unlocked. Inside were piled many cardboard boxes, silks, and large bamboo baskets the size of water vats.

Ling Lie struck up a conversation with a neighbor, asking what the cardboard and silks were for. The neighbor pointed to her own yard and let Ling Lie see, saying it was work taken from a large workshop to make “ghost props” and “ghost clothes” for tourists. If Xu Ling didn’t do it, she would take it over and do it herself.

Ling Lie then asked if she knew what had happened to Cao Xinxin. What the neighbor said was completely different from what the cold mixed chicken owner’s wife had said. Perhaps because she lived closer and knew more, the Cao family seemed very unhappy in her eyes. Even if Xu Ling often boasted, she couldn’t feel any envy.

“What’s there to be proud of? Isn’t it all thanks to their Cao Xinxin working himself to death outside? Look at their living environment. If Cao Xinxin was really making that much money outside, wouldn’t he bring her to the city? Let her do this kind of tiring work every day?”

Ling Lie went around the entire Danquan Road and found that this might be the poorest place on Fengchao Island. The contempt and enmity between people were also more obvious. Cao Xinxin grew up in this environment, which cultivated his character of theft, cowardice, and framing others.

But just by wandering around like this, it seemed difficult to find the reason for his murder.

The cold mixed chicken wouldn’t taste good if left for too long. Ling Lie pedaled the tricycle back to the hotel. By this time, the hotel had already begun to set up for the wedding that would start in the early morning. White soul banners were floating everywhere. Many people who weren’t staying at the Nonghai Hotel came to see the novelty. A wedding like this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime sight in other places.

Ling Lie squeezed through the crowd and returned to the room. Ji Chenjiao was already awake. Although he hadn’t slept for long, it had been a solid sleep, and his energy had returned at once.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Ji Chenjiao asked.

Ling Lie opened the lid. “Am I a good leader or what? I even thought of you when eating chicken.”

Ji Chenjiao was about to complain that Ling Lie had brought him leftovers, but then he saw that it was a new portion, and it smelled pretty good.

The one surnamed Ling was occasionally reliable.

Ling Lie: “Let’s go buy some things later.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Buy what? Didn’t you already buy swim trunks?”

“Oh, I don’t want to swim anymore.”

“…”

“I saw a notice downstairs. For the ‘Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade’ and the ‘Underworld Wedding,’ it’s best to follow the local customs. You can be like anything, as long as you’re not like a person.”

“…”

Ji Chenjiao felt that just watching the excitement would be enough. He had never thought of dressing up as a little ghost himself. But having eaten Ling Lie’s cold mixed chicken, he felt a little obligated. Ling Lie dragged him all over the street, and he didn’t complain much.

At dusk, the summer heat was receding, and the streets were getting more and more crowded. Almost everyone was dressed up strangely. The “Parade the Island” event wouldn’t officially start until ten o’clock. Before that, warm-up performances and spontaneous programs would begin one after another.

Ji Chenjiao understood why he couldn’t look like a person—the streets were full of “demons and monsters.” Being a person was the “pervert.”

Turning his head, Ji Chenjiao’s vision was filled with two fluffy paws. His pupils contracted slightly, and then he saw Ling Lie’s face peeking out from between the paws.

“Meow—roar—” Ling Lie bared his fangs and brandished his claws.

Ji Chenjiao: “…” The cat I fed has really become a spirit.

Ling Lie turned around again, revealing a cat tail trailing on the ground behind him. The cat tail wouldn’t wag on its own, so he grabbed it and swung it vigorously, asking, “How is it?”

Ji Chenjiao said calmly, “Cats don’t wag their tails. Only dogs wag their tails.”

Ling Lie dropped the tail. Feeling hot, he took the paws off his hands. This was a cat demon costume, a yellow and black one-piece suit that was relatively light and breathable. But the paws and ears had to be put on separately. The ears were fine, but the paws were very hot.

Ling Lie liked it very much and wanted to help Ji Chenjiao pick one out. But Ji Chenjiao was very resistant internally and also found the cat demon costume ridiculous. It was clear that the person who made the clothes wanted to highlight the mystery and strangeness of the cat demon, but they used cute, fluffy material for the ears and paws, making it look incongruous, just like the feeling the entire Fengchao Island gave off.

Putting so much effort into developing funeral and ghost and deity culture, it must be out of love and passion. Since there was such passion, why not delve deeper? Why not explore the original charm of these cultures?

Fengchao Island was filled with many foreign customs, and the gods were a chaotic mix from various countries. This deviated from the concept of developing local culture and gave the impression that it was all for a quick buck—many young people liked foreign customs, and these imported goods were indeed easier to make money from.

The passion and the actual presentation, when thought about carefully, had a strange sense of disconnect.

But at this moment, Ji Chenjiao had no time to think too much. Ling Lie was determined to dress him up, putting all sorts of strange masks on his head. He was so annoyed that he blurted out, “Which one goes with your outfit?”

Ling Lie thought for a moment. “I think it’s that one.”

He pointed to a somewhat chilling scholar’s robe. The scholar was originally going to the capital to take the imperial examination, but he rescued a cat in the wilderness. He didn’t expect this cat to be a cat demon, which sucked the scholar’s life force dry, turning him into a ghost scholar.

Ling Lie: “Uh…”