Chapter 40

Chapter 40

◎ Got a Death Sentence ◎

Although Xiao Ye had seen Ji Nanxing without his school uniform before, it was rare enough that seeing him again still left him in awe.

He wore a white t-shirt inside, and over it, a warm yellow wool cardigan that made his skin look radiant and soft. Anyone passing by couldn't help but look back for a second glance.

The attention made Xiao Ye uneasy, as if his treasure was being eyed. So, he took a hat from his bag and placed it on Ji Nanxing's head: "It's sunny, don't get burned."

Ji Nanxing wasn't fond of hats; he preferred soaking up the sun and reached up to take it off.

Xiao Ye immediately grabbed his hand: "Keep it on. You look too good today; I'm worried someone might get the wrong idea. The stadium is crowded today, let's cover your face a bit."

Compared to the sun's warmth, Xiao Ye's touch felt more grounding, so Ji Nanxing didn't resist and let him hold his hand.

At the basketball court in the stadium, amidst the nearly deafening noise, Xiao Ye led Ji Nanxing through the door. As soon as they entered, several girls surrounded them, holding various brands of mineral water, so eager they practically shoved the bottles into Xiao Ye's arms.

Ji Nanxing, trailing behind Xiao Ye, looked completely speechless. Alone on the battlefield? Not even a water bearer? He shouldn't have believed Xiao Ye's nonsense.

Surrounded, Xiao Ye refused all the bottles and, fearing their overwhelming enthusiasm, quickly grabbed the person behind him, smiling as he pushed through the crowd: "Ladies, please, step aside, don't crowd my little brother!"

Ji Nanxing, who could look stunning even in tatters, was impossible to ignore. Many had noticed him as soon as he arrived with Xiao Ye, and hearing Xiao Ye call him his brother, some bold and eager girls couldn't resist asking: "Are your family's genes just too good? How old is your brother? What's his name?"

Though Xiao Ye held Ji Nanxing's wrist, it didn't stop him from pinching Xiao Ye's waist.

Xiao Ye, enduring the pain, grinned through clenched teeth: "Alright, alright, stop crowding us, please step aside, or I won't be able to get on the court!"

The spectators were confined to the stands; the area below was reserved for the team's logistics. Xiao Ye, guiding Ji Nanxing, finally pushed through the crowd and reached the logistics area, sweating heavily. He took off his jacket: "If you're cold, take my jacket."

Ji Nanxing gave him a slightly displeased look.

Xiao Ye, laughing, slung an arm around his shoulders: "So grumpy? Smile for me."

Ji Nanxing: "Want to fight?"

Afraid that he might really make Ji Nanxing turn and leave, Xiao Ye didn't dare to push further. He led him to their team's logistics seats and introduced: "These are my basketball buddies, not a formal team, just amateur enthusiasts. We get some sponsorship from event organizers, and there's prize money for winning."

A group of tall, strong guys greeted Ji Nanxing with smiles. One of them, who had heard Xiao Ye earlier, joked: "Why haven't you brought your brother along before? Brother, take a seat, there are drinks over there, help yourself!"

Ji Nanxing smiled at everyone: "He's joking, I'm his classmate."

The guy who had just spoken punched Xiao Ye's shoulder: "Damn, you really know how to take advantage."

Xiao Ye pushed them away: "Alright, alright, go warm up, stop crowding my little classmate."

Worried the chair might be too hard, Xiao Ye folded his jacket to cushion it, but Ji Nanxing simply draped it over his legs. The jacket, still smelling like Xiao Ye, was too precious to waste on a chair; better to use it as a blanket for a while.

Xiao Ye let him be, placing his bag on the chair next to him and taking out a pair of over-ear headphones: "By the way, where's your medicine?"

Ji Nanxing looked up, confused: "What medicine?"

Xiao Ye crouched down, afraid the noise in the stadium would drown out his words, and leaned in close to Ji Nanxing: "Your heart medicine, don't you carry it with you?"

Ji Nanxing hadn't thought about maintaining his persona outside of school, so he didn't carry any medicine. Besides, those weren't real medicines but vitamin C tablets made to look like pills. He shook his head at Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye gave him a disapproving look. "How could you not carry such medicine with you?" he added, worried. "If you feel unwell anywhere, you must tell me. Just wave at me, and I'll notice."

After saying that, he put the headphones he was holding on Ji Nanxing's ears.

Once the noise-canceling headphones were on, the venue's noise seemed to fade. Although some sounds could still be heard, the noise was pushed further away, making this small area seem much quieter.

After fitting the headphones on Ji Nanxing, Xiao Ye took out a water bottle. Afraid that Ji Nanxing wouldn't hear him, he pulled the headphones aside and spoke close to his ear, "The water bottle is new. It has pear water inside, and it's warm. Be careful when you drink it."

Making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Xiao Ye then took off his sweatshirt, leaving only a short-sleeved shirt, and put on a basketball jersey before heading onto the court.

He wanted Ji Nanxing to come watch him play basketball, but how could he only care about his own happiness? He brought Ji Nanxing out, so of course, he had the responsibility to take good care of him.

The information his sister-in-law gave him mentioned that people with heart conditions should avoid noisy environments. But how could a young person stay cooped up all day? So, wearing headphones to block out the noise while enjoying the lively atmosphere was perfect.

After the game, he would have to ask Ji Nanxing what brand of medicine he took. He would have to carry it with him from now on, just in case Ji Nanxing, being a bit forgetful, forgot to bring it one day.

Being the older one really meant worrying about everything.

Xiao Ye's playing style was as wild as his name suggested—bold, aggressive, and full of energy, yet he also had a knack for teamwork with his teammates. He wasn't selfish for personal glory; whenever the ball was in his hands, he would pass it to a teammate if they had a better chance to score. Only when the angle was too tricky for his teammates would he break through the defense and go for the shot himself.

He had to watch the game, keep an eye on his teammates, and defend against opponents. Even with all that going on, Ji Nanxing noticed Xiao Ye still glanced his way now and then.

With Xiao Ye's jacket over his legs, his sweatshirt in his arms, the pear water bottle in his hand, and the headphones Xiao Ye gave him on his head, Ji Nanxing couldn't help smiling. Just then, Xiao Ye turned around, and their eyes met directly.

Seeing Ji Nanxing smile, Xiao Ye immediately grinned back brightly.

Watching Xiao Ye's energetic and lively movements on the court, celebrating with his teammates after scoring, Ji Nanxing thought to himself, "This must be what youth at its best looks like."

Since they were an amateur team, they didn't have a coach. At halftime, they discussed second-half tactics, adjusted positions, and then Xiao Ye walked straight over to Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing handed him a water bottle.

Xiao Ye gulped some water, then grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his face and body. "How's it going? Boring just sitting here watching?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head. They were all passionate young guys, full of energy and life. Even though it was a bit noisy, it was nice to enjoy some liveliness now and then.

Xiao Ye picked up Ji Nanxing's water bottle, shook it, and noticed he hadn't drunk much. He opened the lid and handed the bottle's straw to Ji Nanxing's mouth. "Drink it while it's warm. Cold might upset your stomach."

Ji Nanxing, now somewhat used to Xiao Ye's motherly tendencies, took the bottle and said, "I know how to drink. You focus on your game."

Xiao Ye smiled and said, "Alright, if we win, I'll take you out with the prize money."

The whistle blew, and the players from both teams returned to the court.

Ji Nanxing took out his phone, connected it to the headphones via Bluetooth, and found some energetic anime music. Listening to music while watching the game made it even better.

The opposing team's skills weren't great, and the score gap widened significantly in the first half, which seemed to affect their morale. In the second half, they clearly couldn't catch up, and the pace of the game slowed down.

Ji Nanxing glanced at the time. It was almost 3 PM, and the game would probably end soon.

Just as he was about to take off the headphones for some fresh air, his phone showed an incoming call from Mu Chun, the captain of the Management Bureau's first team.

Ji Nanxing answered the call, and Mu Chun chuckled on the other end, "It's so lively. Isn't today a weekend? Where are you? School gym class?"

Ji Nanxing adjusted his headphones to make the microphone pick up sound better. "I'm at the basketball court. What's up?"

Mu Chun asked, "Do you have your master's Four Directions Cauldron with you?"

Ji Nanxing: "No, the master took it away."

Mu Chun sighed: "I thought so."

Ji Nanxing: "Is it about the White Building?"

Mu Chun hummed in agreement: "Meng Hongwei's crime of murder and burying the body is confirmed. He chose Tan Shuyi because of her eight characters, and timed it so Tan Shuyi would become pregnant with his child. He promised Tan Shuyi that as long as she gave birth to a son for him, he would immediately divorce and marry her. He lured Tan Shuyi to a villa in the outskirts, hired specialized caretakers for her, deliberately erased any traces of Tan Shuyi's social presence, and it was all meticulously planned from the start."

Ji Nanxing had already guessed this before. If it wasn't premeditated, with today's investigative methods, how could they not find any connection between Tan Shuyi and him? Only if it was calculated from the beginning, hiding all possibilities of them knowing each other, could it be tied up so neatly in the end.

Mu Chun said: "The Ghost Baby's remains are the evidence of his crime. Plus, after the Ghost Baby confronted him, the evil Taoist Tu Yeshan was also apprehended. He couldn't withstand the interrogation and confessed everything."

Ji Nanxing: "His guilt was already a foregone conclusion. Has the lower altar found a way to dismantle the curse?"

Mu Chun laughed: "Yes, they charged him directly with murder, along with corruption, bribery, tax evasion, and tax fraud. His billions in assets aren't enough to cover it, and the companies under his name will have to be liquidated. The White Building will soon change hands and be auctioned by the Bureau. It will be demolished to build a park. Now, we just need to find a ritual artifact to suppress the overwhelming malevolent energy when the altar is broken. Since the treasure cauldron is not with you, we can only borrow from the Yuchun Temple."

Ji Nanxing instantly understood what Mu Chun meant—it was just a pretext to legally seize Meng Hongwei's assets and use the money to cover the losses of the land. Otherwise, speaking in business terms, no businessman would pour billions into such a charitable endeavor.

Ji Nanxing: "Will Meng Hongwei be sentenced to death?"

Mu Chun: "Yes, along with that evil Taoist. This is no ordinary murder, so the formal charges will include corruption, tax evasion, and other offenses. The death penalty is inevitable."

Ji Nanxing: "Then, when the Ghost Gate opens during the Cold Clothing Festival, can we send Tan Shuyi and her child away?"

At this, Mu Chun paused before saying: "Tan Shuyi likely can't be sent away. Once the altar is broken and the evil-suppressing power is lost, her soul will dissipate. As for the Ghost Baby, we'll see how to purify it and send it on its way."

Tan Shuyi was just an ordinary person with slightly special eight characters. Her soul couldn't endure the altar's suppression. The altar worked only because of the unborn Ghost Baby. Even Tan Shuyi herself was able to maintain her soul because of the Ghost Baby's power.

Once the altar is broken, Tan Shuyi will lose the power sustaining her and will instantly dissipate.

Thinking of the Ghost Baby that had been out for so many days without killing anyone, Ji Nanxing sighed silently. Without its mother, he wondered how sad the little ghost would be.

Even though it wasn't truly born, even as a ghost, it was still a child with a mother. Once Tan Shuyi dissipates, the little ghost will be left without a mother.