35: Mountain God Festival (2)

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Judging by the sun's position high in the sky, it was probably close to nine o'clock.

Grandma, however, was a diligent 'ghost,' having gotten up early. She made buns filled with cabbage, cowpeas, and red bean paste—the aroma was wonderful!

She held a rolling pin and poked Jiang Yi right in his raised butt, yelling, "Get up right now for This Old Lady! You ungrateful brat!"

Then she instructed, "Hurry up and call Xiao Mei and the others for breakfast."

Jiang Yi was startled awake by the sudden poke. He groggily opened his eyes, and the moment he met Grandma's sinister, dark ghost eyes, all traces of sleep vanished instantly.

He froze completely. Only after recovering his senses did he stammer out, "O-okay! Grandma~ I'll go right away."

Jiang Yi rushed to the guest room door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he was surprised to find the door hadn't been fully closed, leaving a small gap.

He pushed the door open and immediately saw a hilarious scene—Du Wenqing was already washed up and neatly dressed, while Star was still sound asleep, her posture indescribably awkward, legs wide open, snoring occasionally.

Seeing this, Jiang Yi couldn't help but let out a mischievous laugh. He intentionally pinched his voice and called out, "Xiao Mei, wake up quickly! The sun is going to bake your round little butt!"

Star heard the noise, shivered, and slowly opened her eyes. She said with a face full of disgust, "I say, Big Brother, can you stop imitating other people's cutesy voices? It gives me the creeps; it's so gross!"

Jiang Yi heard that and was displeased, retorting, "Hey! Why are you the only one who gets to sound cute? Can't your brother try it too?"

"You're imitating Xishi poorly. They are professionals, and you look like a madam!" Star smoothed her hair and took lipstick out of her backpack to touch up her lips.

"You!" Jiang Yi was so choked up he couldn't speak.

At that moment, Du Wenqing interjected, "Alright, alright, stop fighting, both of you. Finish breakfast quickly, and let's get down to business!"

Only then did Jiang Yi and Star stop arguing and come to the dining table.

The various buns Grandma made were incredibly delicious, and the four of them ate with great relish... Meanwhile, in the Underworld 18th Floor Lounge, Shang Wan Ning, wrapped in a blanket and holding the sandwich that You Wu had solicitously bought from the cafeteria, suddenly found it tasteless.

"Ling Qi, Ling Qi, Ling Qi..." Shang Wan Ning looked up at the Secretary-General, who was tidying up the bed (workstation) nearby.

"What is it, BOSS!" Ling Qi clipped her fine hair with a shark clip, her long lashes lowered, her eyes smiling.

She was wearing a white camisole that clung tightly to her body, revealing snowy white shoulders and large patches of cherry red marks below her collarbone.

Shang Wan Ning felt a little guilty and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, revealing small red marks on her neck.

She pretended to casually glance at Ling Qi's long legs, but her gaze was involuntarily captivated.

Faintly, she could even see many hickeys on her thighs, extending all the way to the top of her legs!

"Cough, cough, cough... I want that Old Granny Ghost."

Ling Qi walked over and squatted down. She propped her chin on her elbow and smiled faintly at BOSS.

"Alright! You little glutton!"

"I'll arrange it shortly. I guarantee that after the trip to Jiang Family Town is over, she will become your private chef."

"Mmhmm!" Shang Wan Ning licked her lips, her pink tongue tip especially seductive. After contentedly finishing the sandwich, she leaned back on the sofa, rubbed her belly, and let out a satisfied burp.

"Comfortable~"

She checked the time, stood up, and stretched her limbs.

"It's about time to get to work."

Ling Qi naturally handed over a suit jacket, and Shang Wan Ning nimbly took it and put it on.

Ling Qi winked at BOSS, then left the lounge in high heels, looking completely satisfied.

"Tsk tsk tsk! How mushy." System Xiao Si, who hadn't spoken for several days, grumbled sourly.

"Shut up! This Young Lady is merely basking in favor."

"A girl's body, a boy's soul—can't I be a spoiled little princess?"

"Xiao Si must be unbalanced because great host got into character too quickly!" Xiao Si pouted and leaned angrily against the wall of the System Space.

"Hmph! Does This Old Lady need to stage a whole show for you, complete with crying, making a fuss, and threatening suicide..."

"Besides, the feeling of lying flat is top-notch." Shang Wan Ning's cheeks were flushed as she involuntarily recalled the ripples of last night.

"Host! I suspect you are making an indecent joke." Xiao Si rolled up its sleeves, pretending to knock Shang Wan Ning on the head.

"What are you doing!"

"Who told you to feed the system dog food."

"Hiss, hiss, hiss... Gently... Gently... Knock gently."

...Half an hour later, Shang Wan Ning quickly walked into the office, plopped down in the office chair, opened her computer, and began handling the mountain of documents.

Seeing this, Xiao Si's phantom flew to her side, transforming into a virtual screen and asking, "Do you need my help?"

Shang Wan Ning rolled her eyes at it. "What can you do? Go play somewhere else."

Xiao Si mumbled, "I can help you look up information on Jiang Family Town, analyze data..."

"Alright, alright," Shang Wan Ning interrupted Xiao Si, "Help me check what's going on with Jiang Yi. I'm still a little worried."

"Okay!"

...After breakfast, Jiang Yi shamelessly sought out Jiang Zhen, the son of the clan leader's Third Uncle, hoping he would act as a guide to the Mountain God Temple on the back mountain.

Jiang Yi claimed his girlfriend was a photographer who was particularly interested in the town's Mountain God Sacrifice and wanted to observe the entire process and take some photos.

To this end, he also gave Third Uncle a pack of Suyan Cigarettes, otherwise, Third Uncle wouldn't have agreed to let outsiders watch.

Jiang Zhen looked to be over thirty and quite honest. Seeing how beautiful Star was, he secretly edged closer to Jiang Yi.

"You're a lucky guy; your girlfriend is so beautiful."

"Hehehe... I really did get incredibly lucky." Jiang Yi pouted, a little embarrassed.

"Don't be dishonest, kid. Your girlfriend is so beautiful, make sure your words match your heart." Jiang Zhen put on the air of an experienced man.

"No, no." Jiang Yi quickly waved his hand. "Brother Zhen, shall we go up the mountain now?"

"Alright!"

Jiang Zhen led the four of them to the foot of the mountain, pointing to the path leading up. "From here, it takes about an hour to reach the Mountain God Temple. But there might be 'Pheasant Necks' around here, so you must stick close to me."

"AYi, you be careful too, since you've been here a few times when you were little."

Jiang Yi nodded, thanked Jiang Zhen, and then led the three of them up the mountain.

Along the way, Star looked around, seemingly searching for something.

Du Wenqing followed behind, vigilantly observing the surroundings. After walking for a while, Star suddenly stopped and pointed at a century-old locust tree ahead, saying, "Look quickly, what is that?"

Jiang Yi and Du Wenqing looked in the direction Star was pointing, only to see strange symbols carved into the trunk of the locust tree.

Jiang Yi leaned in for a look. "What does this mean?"