Chapter 188 The Safest Place

Chapter 188: The Safest Place

The Mist Shop's existence was both mysterious and inexplicable.

Yet, it was undeniably safe.

As Jin Zheng and Jin Yi stood inside the Mist Shop, gazing out through the display window, their minds churned with thoughts as turbulent and chaotic as a raging sea. Amidst this deluge of emotions, a peculiar and rather ill-timed realization began to surface:

They felt… incredibly safe right now.

Outside the window, the world remained shrouded in dense fog. Yet, for some reason, even the Jin brothers could vaguely discern various grotesque apparitions moving through the mist. Some moved stiffly and slowly, others stood motionless in a daze, while a few darted through the fog like the most agile hunters. Some apparitions had even begun to turn on each other.

Occasionally, an apparition would pause outside the Mist Shop’s display window, as if sensing something. Their unmasked, eerie faces pressed almost against the glass, directly in front of the Jin brothers. Yet, these strange entities remained utterly oblivious to the light within the Mist Shop, let alone the presence of the two brothers. After a moment of apparent confusion, they would simply turn and wander away.

At that moment, Jin Zheng and Jin Yi felt even safer than tourists in a wildlife safari park.

The stronger this unexpected sense of security grew, the more extraordinary, mysterious, and powerful Su Bai’s image became in their eyes. What incredible fortune had led them to encounter such a being and travel alongside him?

“You two should rest here for a while,” Su Bai said, glancing at the Jin brothers. Several minutes had passed, and the two players were still curiously pressed against the counter, intently observing the world outside. Su Bai then picked up the Thread-Wrapped Doll, which certainly shouldn't have been on the counter, and prepared to enter the back room for an “interrogation.”

“Sir,” Jin Zheng suddenly turned around, his demeanor now one of profound respect.

Before this, Jin Zheng and Jin Yi had been polite to Su Bai, but their attitude was merely the customary deference players showed to the strong. Now, however, Jin Zheng’s tone suggested… that they no longer belonged to the same world.

“Hmm?” Su Bai had a rough idea of what Jin Zheng might ask—perhaps about the shop’s origins or the nature of Su Bai’s abilities.

“You… aren’t human, are you?” Jin Zheng asked with utmost seriousness.

“…” Su Bai was slightly taken aback.

“Oh?” Su Bai raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying. “What makes you suddenly think that?”

“This shop didn’t just appear out of nowhere, and it’s not some uncontrolled anomaly,” younger brother Jin Yi also turned and stated with certainty. “You are the one who made this shop appear here.”

Their attitudes were not only respectful but also tinged with caution. In the Jin brothers’ eyes, Su Bai was now a “spectral being.” No matter how “amiable” or “helpful” he appeared on the surface, he was not human. Thus, the Jin brothers dared not guarantee that they wouldn't be "eaten" by Su Bai for an accidental misstep in their words.

Before Su Bai could respond, Jin Yi apologized with a look of remorse: “I was overthinking earlier. Even though you seem completely different from those mindless anomalies, there’s no way you could be related by blood to that guy Su Xuan. So, sir, your urgency in finding out about Su Xuan… is it because he wronged you? Did he steal some important treasure from you?”

“That might actually be the case,” Jin Zheng added, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face. “Perhaps we knew too little about Su Xuan. His strange abilities might have come from possessing artifacts he had no right to.”

“Did you make yourself resemble Su Xuan to track down people who know him and gather information about his whereabouts?” If Jin Yi’s brain had a cooling fan, it would be spinning at full speed now.

As Jin Zheng and Jin Yi exchanged glances and continued their rapid-fire speculation, Su Bai was left somewhat speechless.

Why were they so convinced that Su Xuan had wronged him by stealing something important? Was it because his shop seemed too sparsely furnished? Sparse enough to give the impression of a recent robbery? Why did he suddenly feel a pang of self-reproach?

“You two should rest properly for a while. If you’re hungry, feel free to take food from the shelves,” Su Bai said with an ambiguous smile before turning to leave. Earlier, to decline Feng Zhe’s offer, Su Bai had preemptively placed a sofa and coffee table in the shop, creating a comfortable seating area for future guests.

Just as Su Bai was heading to the back room with the Thread-Wrapped Doll, the little black kitten, Kaixin, happily leaped from a high shelf onto Su Bai’s shoulder. However, upon noticing the Thread-Wrapped Doll in Su Bai’s arms, the kitten immediately jumped down to the counter, settling obediently beside a ceramic cat statuette.

Su Bai knew that Kaixin and Xiao Wu, the two mascots of the Mist Shop, were not on good terms. Whenever the two faced off, the kitten would retreat to the ceramic figurine, which embodied the cherished memories and attachment of departed cat spirits to their owner.

The small, exquisitely crafted ceramic piece depicted a female figure surrounded by cats of various sizes, colors, and breeds, forming a harmonious scene. Even when Kaixin hopped about on the counter, he carefully avoided the figurine. Sometimes, he would approach it and murmur softly in cat language, as if telling “her” that he was doing well—or perhaps bad-mouthing Xiao Wu.

At such times, even Xiao Wu’s attitude toward the kitten would soften slightly.

Su Bai gazed softly as the kitten curled up beside the figurine and fell asleep. Then, he continued into the back room with the Thread-Wrapped Doll and closed the door.

The back room was exactly as he had left it. Even the projector monitoring the nearby area was still on, but the image on the wall had turned to snowy static, as if interfered with by something.

After turning off the projector, Su Bai placed the Thread-Wrapped Doll on the table.

Almost the moment he let go, the small, round doll sat up on its own and stretched in a very lifelike way. Beneath the threads, hints of tiny red eyes could be seen.

“Madam, welcome back.”

This was the first time Su Bai had heard Xiao Wu speak in the form of the Thread-Wrapped Doll.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Su Bai felt that the doll’s voice sounded slightly more mature than Xiao Wu’s usual tone—as if a childish voice had suddenly grown deeper.

“Sorry, I can’t return to human form for now. This is the only way I can talk to you, Madam,” the doll said, sounding somewhat dejected.

“What happened?” Su Bai also sensed that something was unusual with Xiao Wu’s condition.