Chapter 37: Braving the Black Market

He Yanran shook her head. “I don’t know either—it was something someone told me, but I never saw who she was. It was the year I turned eighteen. Do you remember? I was terribly ill that year.”

I nodded. “Of course. I was in my first year of high school, you were in your last.”

“It was then. While I was sick, I kept having a strange dream. In it, someone told me I was your medicine, and showed me how to heal you. I asked her why, but she never answered. Eventually, as I recovered, the dream stopped, but I never forgot it.” She looked at me as she spoke.

“So that’s how it is. But why didn’t you ever mention it to me?” I asked her.

“Because it was just a dream. I was never sure whether it was real or not, and honestly, I felt too embarrassed to bring it up. It only came to mind again yesterday when you returned.” She still seemed a little shy about it.

I nodded, not pressing further. It seemed she knew nothing more than being my medicine, so I decided to leave the matter for now.

We got ready to go out for breakfast together, but as soon as we stepped out, Xiao Fang and Xiao Yuan surrounded us, staring at me in astonishment. “Sir, you’ve only rested one night and those serious injuries are already healed?”

I nodded, offering no further explanation. Just then, Tan Xiao appeared. Seeing me standing there, not only unharmed but more energetic than before, she turned to He Yanran and asked, “Was it her who healed you?”

Surprised that she could tell, I only nodded. I didn’t expect Tan Xiao to say, “She’s your medicine?”

“How do you know?” I was even more astonished.

Tan Xiao replied, “Because I’m a spirit warden. Since she’s your medicine, you must be her lifeline.”

“What do you mean?” I was thoroughly confused.

“She can heal you, and you can extend her life,” Tan Xiao explained.

Her words left me stunned. Healing I could understand, but extending life—why? I pressed her, “Explain. Why is it like this?”

“Maybe because you grew up together, so she became your medicine. As for her life—it’s like it’s been offered to you. However long you live, that’s how long she’ll live.”

“Damn! Then—” I wanted to ask more, but seeing He Yanran beside me, I held my tongue after a brief curse. She seemed completely unaware of her own fate.

I couldn’t help feeling it was unfair to her. Why should her destiny be tied to mine? I’d suffered enough; she shouldn’t have to share it.

A wave of guilt washed over me, as if I’d somehow harmed her. But her grandmother probably knew—otherwise her attitude toward me wouldn’t be as it was.

“Sir, I actually think it’s a wonderful thing. If you live to a hundred, she’ll live to a hundred too!” Xiao Yuan piped up.

“No, she’s two years older than sir, so it’ll be a hundred and two!” Xiao Fang and Xiao Yuan began debating.

But Tan Xiao, looking a bit displeased, said, “I’m going to see if there are any other assignments,” and left.

We headed to a restaurant—it was already past ten, so we decided to combine breakfast and lunch, especially since I needed to see Lin Chuan soon.

Just as I was thinking of him, he called, “Xiao Bei, I’ve got our black market passes. Where are you?”

“Out eating. I’ll come find you soon!” I replied.

“Good, hurry up. We need to leave soon!” he said on the phone.

I hung up and ordered a few dishes.

“Xiao Bei, are you going back to the police station later?” He Yanran asked.

I nodded. “Yes. You should wait at the hotel, or go out shopping if you like.”

She smiled, “But you don’t need to give me more money this time.”

“It’s only right,” I said. “Besides, what’s mine is yours. If you need anything, just use it.” My words were sincere—not only was she my girlfriend now, she was the medicine offered for my sake. The thought made me feel even more guilty.

But she seemed quite happy with my response—such a silly girl.

After lunch, I took He Yanran back to the hotel, then caught a taxi to meet Lin Chuan.

At the station, he handed me my pass. “Look, it’s just like a card. To most people it’s useless, but in the black market, it’s like a debit card linked to your identity—you can load money and spend it inside.”

“No wonder it’s so specialized. Once inside, no one outside can trace what you’ve done,” I remarked.

“Exactly. So we’ll need to load some cash and make a few transactions inside, or we’ll look suspicious,” Lin Chuan said.

I nodded, then asked, “But how did you get a pass for your identity?”

“Fake identity, of course. I’d never use my real one. By the way, I’m heading to the cyber police group to get more intel. Come along!” With that, he led me to the cyber police.

From their briefing, I realized this mission would be incredibly dangerous. I almost wanted to back out—after being badly injured by the vengeful spirit king yesterday, now I was facing another perilous operation. What if I ended up needing He Yanran’s healing again?

But now, I was not only a spirit warden but also a temporary police officer. I couldn’t back down.

Once we’d prepared everything, Lin Chuan and I set out for Beihe Film City. On the way, Tan Xiao told me that once we arrived, she wouldn’t meet me—there were ghosts guarding the black market, and as a spirit warden, if she was seen with me, it would arouse suspicion.

It made sense—anyone shadowed by a spirit warden was no ordinary person.

But as a spirit warden myself, wouldn’t the ghosts see that? I asked her, “Will I be all right?”

“You’ll be fine. As long as you don’t take out the spirit warden’s badge, they won’t know who you are. Blend into the crowd, and they won’t notice you. Just act as if you can’t see them.”

Her words only made me more nervous.

We drove to a rest stop where Lin Chuan switched to another car he’d arranged beforehand. “For safety, we can’t use just one vehicle,” he explained.

I understood. Our previous car had left from the station and, although it was his personal car, the owner was a police officer—far too conspicuous.

Usually it wouldn’t matter, but today was different. The entire film city must be on high alert.

Sure enough, around three in the afternoon, before we even reached the film city gates, we were stopped.

They said there were many celebrities at the studio today and, for their safety, all cars had to be checked. We were forced to get out. Luckily, Lin Chuan had switched vehicles—if they’d found his police gear, our mission would have failed on the spot.

A few people searched the car while another checked our IDs and took down our details.

I glanced at Lin Chuan’s ID. The birth year put him at thirty, but he’d told me he was in his twenties—so it must be a fake. Of course, he wouldn’t use his real identity for this.

After some time, we were allowed through. Lin Chuan said nothing about the station afterward, worried the car might be bugged.

I guessed his concern, so I didn’t mention the black market either—we chatted idly until we reached the film city, parked, and finally relaxed.

Inside was bustling—so many stars filming, so many extras, even more tourists.

“Xiao Bei, imagine how hard it is to find someone in a place like this,” Lin Chuan said with a headache as we entered the crowd.

“Exactly. That’s why they’re clever—if something happens, they just disappear into the throng and you may never find them,” I replied in a low voice.

He nodded. “It’s a tough job. Let’s find a map and get familiar with the place.”

Soon we found a stand with free maps and each took one, studying the entire layout of the film city.

According to yesterday’s intel, the black market would open on Republic Street here, and the ghost market was across on Chang’an Street.

“Brother Lin, their choice of location is perfect for escape,” I said, studying the map.

“Yeah, Republic Street is full of alleys—it’s hard to catch anyone there,” Lin Chuan agreed.

It would be difficult, but tonight we were just scouting, not making a move. Besides, the next black market location hadn’t been set.

As we discussed the map, two men in uniform approached. “What are you two doing here?” one asked.

“Is there a problem?” Lin Chuan replied.

“Not really, but we overheard you discussing the layout,” one of the uniformed men said.

Noticing they seemed armed, I answered, “We’re just here for fun—isn’t it normal to discuss the layout?”

“Of course, but you seem suspicious. Show me your IDs.”

“…All right,” Lin Chuan said, giving me a wry look before taking out his ID. But I grabbed his arm and asked the two men, “Who are you? Why should we show you our IDs? Are you police? If not, you have no right to check.”