Chapter 300

Chapter 300

◎Just Want to Bring You Home◎

Ji Nanxing's words left the room in silence.

Cats and dogs could attempt communication, but how could one communicate with a snake? Those beady black eyes gave little hint of emotion.

Su Liting looked at Li Wei and speculated, "It's been following you and protecting you all this time. Its fixation must be you. But you already told it you're doing fine and asked it to move on, yet it still refuses. Do you think it might want to see you married with kids before it can rest?"

Li Wei wore an expression of uncertainty. "Marriage and kids are human concerns, not a snake's. It's just a snake—no matter how human-like it is, it wouldn't have the concept of 'a fulfilled life' like that, right?"

Xiao Ye asked, "Then how are you doing now? Any hardships in life? What's your relationship with your family like?"

Li Wei replied, "My relationship with my parents is just okay. I was older when they brought me home. If I were an only child, it might have been different, but they already had a younger sister they raised from birth. And because of San Cai, I still hold some resentment. I lived with them for three years in middle school, then chose a boarding high school. Now, in college, I only go back for a few days during the New Year. The rest of the time, we keep our distance."

It wasn’t like their relationship was terrible—her parents still provided tuition and living expenses on time, and they occasionally called to check in. But there was no deep closeness either. She felt more like a guest in that home, maintaining basic courtesy and distance.

Her parents weren’t bad people. Back then, they had no choice—both had to work long hours to make ends meet, leaving no time to raise a child. They could only leave her in their hometown. She just had bad luck, not being born when they had more stability. Maybe this was what people called "weak family ties."

Though her parents did favor her younger sister more, it’s human nature to play favorites. Even so, they still tried their best to treat her well. So Li Wei never resented them—she always understood.

Su Liting mused, "Would San Cai really stay just to see their family reconciled? That can’t be it. Or maybe… San Cai wants revenge?"

She glanced at Li Wei again. If San Cai sought revenge, who would its target be? The most likely candidates would be its killer—or perhaps Li Wei’s parents, if they were considered enemies in its eyes. If its fixation was vengeance, this would be even harder to resolve.

Ji Nanxing shook his head. "That’s not it. If its fixation were revenge, its lingering energy would reek of Grudge. But there’s no Grudge on it."

Su Liting frowned in confusion. "If it’s neither, then what?"

Xiao Ye asked, "Are you dating anyone? Maybe your boyfriend is no good, so it doesn’t dare leave?"

Li Wei immediately shook her head. "No, I’m not in a relationship."

Between classes and part-time work, she barely had energy or time left. Who has time for dating? If she had free time, she’d rather unwind with some TV.

Ji Nanxing asked, "What about your grandparents?"

Li Wei replied, "They’re gone. After my parents took me away, they worried San Cai might return. They couldn’t leave two elderly folks behind in the village. Plus, my sister was only two at the time—they had to work, and I had to go to school, so they brought my grandparents to the city. Maybe city life didn’t suit them, or maybe their time was up, but Grandpa passed the following year. Less than six months later, Grandma also left peacefully in her sleep."

San Cai, the subject of their discussion, seemed to really like the incense Ji Nanxing had lit. It drank in the fragrant smoke while coiling its tail around Li Wei, like it feared losing her.

Seeing how unwilling San Cai was to let go of Li Wei, Ji Nanxing couldn’t help wondering—was this a cheesy interspecies love story? Probably not. Li Wei clearly didn’t harbor any deep fixation toward San Cai. Could it be the snake’s unrequited crush?

If that were the case, he’d have to make San Cai move on. Right now, Li Wei was single, and without any other close relationships, things were fine. But if she ever fell in love or married, the snake’s jealousy could turn deadly.

Xiao Ye sat back down beside Ji Nanxing. "So what do we do now?"

A snake that can’t talk or communicate and refused to be laid to rest—they couldn’t keep guessing forever.

Ji Nanxing turned to Li Wei. "You should go back to your hometown. San Cai’s roots are there—it must have a special connection to the place. Maybe it wants its body properly buried. Going back might give us answers."

Li Wei didn’t object. "My old home might not even be standing anymore. Will you come with me?"

If she went alone, she wouldn’t even be able to see San Cai, let alone communicate with it. That wouldn’t solve anything.

Ji Nanxing nodded. "Of course we’ll go together. Where’s your hometown? Let’s see if we can take a train or a flight—we leave today."

Su Liting blinked. "So soon?"

She’s got a part-time shift this afternoon, so she can’t come.

"I’ll be fine going back alone," Li Wei said.

She’d brought Su Liting along earlier because she hadn’t interacted with them before and was scared to go alone. Now, she wasn’t afraid anymore, and she was returning to her hometown. Even though many people had left the village, there were still some residents. There was nothing to fear about the place where she grew up.

Xiao Ye immediately took out his phone to book tickets. No direct flights were available, and layovers would’ve been a hassle, so he opted for the high-speed train instead. It wasn’t too far—just a three-hour ride. If things went smoothly, they might even make it back the same day.

Su Liting made Li Wei promise to be careful and asked her to send a message at least once every hour. If she didn’t receive any updates, she would call the police.

Li Wei nodded with a smile. Xiao Ye came out of the room with a bag in hand. "Let’s go. I’ve packed everything."

He packed a jacket for the train ride—just in case. Since the trip was a bit long and there wasn’t enough time to prepare food, he packed some fruit. Worried they might get bored, he also brought a small tablet and asked, "Should we bring the little wooden fish?"

Exorcisms might call for it—what could pair better with exorcism than a wooden fish?

"Nah, we’re good. Let’s move," Ji Nanxing said.

They only brought one bodyguard—Old Mo. Li Wei noticed an unfamiliar man with a very different aura following them and couldn’t help but glance at him a few times.

"A buddy from home. Didn’t want us traveling solo," Xiao Ye explained.

Li Wei: "..." Shouldn’t *she* be the one freaking out? She was a girl traveling with two guys, even if it was to her hometown.

Once they were safely on the train and overheard them talking about school and such, Li Wei looked surprised. "Wait, you guys are in *high school*?"

The two of them did look a bit young, but they lacked the naive, foolish air typical of high schoolers. Their grown-up vibe had her thinking they were college students like her. But they were only in their third year of high school?!

After staring for a while, Li Wei couldn’t hold back. "How long have you been in this line of work?"

Ji Nanxing: "Aside from those who stumble into it by chance, most of us inherit it from our masters. If you’re asking about work experience, I’ve been catching ghosts for at least ten years."

Li Wei’s brain supplied one word: *Damn.* Ten years in the biz and still underage? What kind of cutthroat industry was this?

She had been too anxious to sleep the entire night before. Now, in the quiet train car, lulled by the steady motion, she drifted off.

"Wanna use my shoulder as a pillow?" Xiao Ye patted his shoulder.

"No, I’ll watch a movie. You sleep," Ji Nanxing said.

"Gimme one earbud—I’ll join," Xiao Ye said.

Ji Nanxing generously shared one earbud. Xiao Ye plugged it in, scooted closer, and glanced at the small tablet on the tray table in front of Ji Nanxing. Ugh, horror. Typical Ji Naonao. Good thing he had a strong stomach.

After finishing the movie and dozing off against each other for a while, they finally arrived at the station. They hit up some random diner for lunch before hopping onto the local "bumpy car" to enter the village.

The "bumpy car" turned out to be a rickety e-trike. Because the roads were uneven, the ride was jolting—hence the name.

The four of them split into two cars and drove into the village. Li Wei couldn’t help but sigh. "This place has changed so much. It’s nothing like what I remember."

The driver chuckled, his Mandarin rough but earnest, "A college student who left here a long time ago became an official—something like a mayor’s or county head’s secretary. He came back to give back to his hometown and paid to fix the roads. At first, they only repaired the one along the river, but then a few wealthy businessmen took turns contributing. Bit by bit, the roads got better."

Li Wei smiled. "Good on them for giving back after hitting it big."

Unlike her—though she had also left the village, she was barely scraping by. She probably wouldn’t have the means to give back.

The driver laughed heartily. "We appreciate folks who give back, but we can’t force them if they don’t. But hey, most folks are decent. Alright, head straight—your village’s right up there."

Perhaps because they had returned to a familiar place, the snake spirit wrapped around Li Wei flared back to life, thrashing excitedly as it coiled even tighter.

Ji Nanxing: "It's overjoyed."

Li Wei: "Really? It seems San Cai really wanted to come back too."

Xiao Ye: "Did you ever come back after leaving?"

Li Wei nodded: "No one’s left in my hometown. My grandparents died in the city, so my parents never came back."

At first, she’d daydream about coming back, longing every day to return. Here were the friends she grew up with, San Cai, and everything familiar to her. But she was just a middle schooler—she couldn’t travel alone.

Later, in high school, she lived on campus, swamped with schoolwork. By the time she entered university, she didn’t feel as attached to this place as when she first left. With no one left in her hometown, she never thought of coming back.

Walking into the village, the changes weren’t as drastic. Some dirt paths looked exactly as she remembered. Li Wei pointed to an empty plot of land: "This was all reeds back then. San Cai loved playing here, catching field mice. Whenever it got filthy, I’d haul water from the well at home to wash it. When San Cai was little, its scales were soft, but later they grew harder, like armor."

Xiao Ye: "Did people in your village know your family kept San Cai?"

Li Wei: "Yes, all my childhood friends knew."

Back then, San Cai was no bigger than a palm. Her friends were only amazed, not afraid at all. Even as San Cai grew bigger, they weren’t scared. In the summer, they’d even nap on San Cai’s back because it was cool and comfortable to lie against.

The village kids ran wild, and since San Cai had been raised since it was small, folks would even borrow it to help catch mice. Except for a few households that despised it, most people who were afraid would just keep their distance—no one ever caused trouble.

The field ridges, the rice paddies, the warm summer breeze carrying the scent of grass—everything felt like childhood again, like she’d never been gone. Li Wei even had a fleeting illusion that when she got home and pushed open the door, San Cai, now taller than her, would still be waiting inside.

In winter, San Cai would squeeze into her bed. She’d tell it off for being grubby and not allowing it on the bed until it obediently waited for her to wipe its scales clean. It’d hibernate in the mountains during the coldest months and return with prey in spring.

She and her friends often ate the rabbits and pheasants San Cai caught. She wondered how there were so many in the mountains—they never encountered any themselves.

Her grandfather said those animals had retreated deep into the mountains, scared away by human activity. San Cai had to go deep to catch them.

She and San Cai grew up together carefree. She would carefully clean every scale on its body, and San Cai would climb trees to shake flowers onto her.

She would lie on the bamboo bed at home, resting her head on San Cai while gazing at the starry sky. Back then, the sky was beautiful—so many stars you could see them just by looking up. She’d try to recognize constellations from books, but she couldn’t quite connect them.

With a creak, the wooden door, unopened for years, groaned from disrepair. The small courtyard was now in ruins. The big tree San Cai used to coil around and sleep on had rotted from the inside. The roof tiles were broken, letting light spill into the house.

There was no going back. In that moment, Li Wei’s strongest feeling was that she could never return—never to her childhood, never to see her grandparents again, never to have San Cai again.

Xiao Ye handed her a pack of tissues. Li Wei accepted them sheepishly: "Thank you."

Wiping her tears, she looked at Ji Nanxing: "What do we do next? Do we need to find San Cai’s remains?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, watching the snake spirit no longer coiled around Li Wei but joyfully floating in midair: "No need. Its last wish has been fulfilled."

Li Wei was stunned: "Fulfilled? But we haven’t done anything."

Ji Nanxing looked at her: "Bringing you home was its last wish."

Li Wei froze. When she realized what Ji Nanxing meant, she burst into tears.

Xiao Ye sighed: "Its last memory might’ve been you crying as you were locked up or taken away. It didn’t understand that you were leaving for school. In its mind, maybe some bad people had kidnapped you, keeping you from coming home. So it stayed by your side, protecting you, wanting nothing more than to bring you back."

But Li Wei never knew San Cai was with her, never knew it had died. All these years, she never came back. Maybe if she had, San Cai’s unfulfilled wish would have dissipated naturally. But she didn’t return, so San Cai stayed, guarding her even as its own strength faded.

Seeing Li Wei cry, San Cai, still floating joyfully, coiled around her again. It tried to lift her face with its head, to lick away her tears with its tongue. But it was dead—it couldn’t touch her, couldn’t shake flowers onto her like it used to when she was sad.

Watching the girl and the snake, Ji Nanxing felt an unusual softness. An innocent, kind-hearted spirit—let it depart happily with this final fulfillment.

He turned to Xiao Ye, who carried a backpack and a small pouch. The backpack held a jacket and some snacks, while the pouch was filled with talismans.

When Xiao Ye noticed Ji Nanxing looking his way, he instantly understood and stepped forward: "What do you want?"

Ji Nanxing directly reached out and opened the pouch on Xiao Ye's chest, rummaging through it until he pulled out a talisman. He held it between two fingers, muttering an incantation under his breath.

The talisman didn’t ignite. Instead, after a flash of vermilion-red light, it dissolved into wisps of spiritual light, scattering into the air.

Delicate, shimmering strands drifted down, and San Cai’s ethereal form gradually solidified from transparency.

Li Wei’s mouth fell open in shock. She had known San Cai was by her side, but she hadn’t dared hope to see it again. Yet now, witnessing its ethereal form, she was too stunned to speak.

Ji Nanxing said, "We don’t have much time. One last look, then I’ll guide it onward."

Li Wei hastily wiped her tears and gazed at San Cai, whom she hadn’t seen in years. She had so much to say, but suddenly, she was at a loss for words. The two simply stared at each other until Li Wei reached out her hand. San Cai instinctively nuzzled into her hand.

A spirit’s touch wasn’t like a living creature’s. Though they could briefly connect, there was still a faint, ghostly sensation to it.

But just being able to see it like this was enough for Li Wei. Gently stroking San Cai’s head, she whispered, "San Cai, go to where you belong. I’ll live well and take care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me anymore—I’ve grown up, and no one can hurt me now. If possible, come back as my child. I’ll raise you all over again, and this time, I won’t let anyone harm you."

San Cai rubbed its head against her palm. It knew it was time to leave. Though reluctant, it had brought Weiwei home. Now that she was back, no one could hurt her anymore.

San Cai wound itself around Li Wei one last time, lingering. But this time, it couldn’t curl up comfortably to sleep. After greedily imprinting her scent on itself, it finally let go, surrendering to the force pulling it toward its rightful place.

The spirit vanished in an instant. Over a decade ago, Li Wei had been locked away, unable to see whether San Cai had left or died. But this time, she watched it go with her own eyes. Though it hurt, she could bear it—because she knew that beyond this, San Cai would have a better future.

With the snake spirit sent off and Li Wei back in her childhood home, she remained lost in her emotions.

Ji Nanxing didn’t disturb her. Their return tickets weren’t due yet anyway. "Let’s go," he said. "It’s rare to be in such heavily forested mountains. Might as well take a walk."

Xiao Ye naturally followed his lead. "Let’s head into the mountains. It’s too hot out in the open."

The forest was dense, the air cool and pleasant. They kept to the outskirts, strolling aimlessly.

Only after leaving Li Wei’s courtyard did Xiao Ye lower his voice and ask, "You really couldn’t tell how San Cai died?"

Ji Nanxing: "No."

Xiao Ye let out an "Oh" and didn’t press further.

Ji Nanxing added, "But I caught a glimpse during the sending-off."

Xiao Ye leaned in, intrigued.

Ji Nanxing: "Just as Li Wei’s grandfather said, that night, San Cai broke free from the net and fled into the mountains. But the snake catchers Li Wei’s father hired were in it for the money—a live python of that size could sell for a fortune. Figuring the sedative would wear off slowly, they gave chase."

Xiao Ye: "And then?"

Ji Nanxing: "The mountains were San Cai’s territory. It knew where to hide, but the anesthesia took effect too quickly. It couldn’t escape."

Xiao Ye tensed. "Was it caught?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head. "No. It plunged down a cliff and died on impact."

The snake catchers couldn’t descend the treacherous slope, so they never found San Cai’s body. They gave up, grumbling that the snake got away.

San Cai’s body lay broken among the rocks below, but its spirit instinctively drifted home. On the day Li Wei was taken away by her parents, she had cried and resisted. San Cai didn’t understand—it only saw her being forced to leave. So it followed her, determined to protect her, and had stayed by her side ever since.

Ji Nanxing glanced at the dense forest. "Though the outcome isn’t perfect, it’s not the worst. Li Wei got to see San Cai one last time, and San Cai fulfilled its wish of bringing her home. That’s closure, in a way."

Xiao Ye, however, wasn’t so quick to see the bright side. "Do those hunters get what’s coming to them? A snake’s life is still a life. Li Wei and her grandparents raised it like their own child. Just imagining it—if those people get off scot-free, it’s infuriating."

Ji Nanxing: "If you're curious, you can check it out when we get back."

Xiao Ye decided to look into it as soon as he returned. However, the snake catcher was just hired help—those truly responsible for San Cai's death should be Li Wei's parents.

Before, Li Wei didn’t know San Cai had died; she only thought it had returned to the mountains. Now that she knew San Cai had actually died so many years ago, things with her parents were probably even frostier.

Seeing his expression, Ji Nanxing knew what he was thinking and said, "Li Wei got one thing right."

Xiao Ye: "What?"

Ji Nanxing: "She has weak family ties. Whether or not the incident with San Cai happened, her relationship with her family was never going to work out."

Xiao Ye: "What about me, then? Do I have weak or strong family ties? My family is harmonious, but my parents are rarely home—we’re lucky to meet once a year."

Ji Nanxing: "Family ties aren’t measured that way. It’s about the connection between people, not how often you meet. You’ve got a good fate—as long as nothing goes wrong, you’ll have a fulfilling life and get what you wish for."

Naturally, you won’t have the same kind of regret in family ties as Li Wei does.

Xiao Ye looked at Ji Nanxing, his eyes lighting up a little: "Get what I wish for?"

Ji Nanxing smiled and affirmed: "Yes, you’ll get what you wish for."