Fishing

"You didn’t notice? He has no heart—he really has no heart."

Gu Sheng turned his head as he spoke. He naturally took Liu Daimei’s small hand and slowed his pace.

"No heart? How can a person live without a heart? You’re joking~"

Liu Daimei laughed in reply, but subconsciously recalled the sounds in her memory. That was right—the sound was missing. There had clearly been fifty-five people present, yet only fifty-four heartbeats. The missing area was where Wu Xin’s group had been. "You’re right. He really doesn’t have a heart."

Liu Daimei was certain of her judgment. Vampires had astonishing memories, and on top of that, she was a Chosen One with a Mental Type talent. Her memory was even better than Gu Sheng’s. She could record every detail like a video camera and replay it freely, even recalling sounds with perfect clarity.

"What’s the deal with this mission? Heart of Wu Xin. Wu Xin doesn’t even have a heart, so how are we supposed to complete the mission? Could ‘heart’ mean love, and we’re supposed to make him fall for someone?"

Liu Daimei’s brows furrowed deeply. She glanced at Gu Sheng again and joked, "If that’s the case, it’d be easy enough for a woman. But what’s a man supposed to do? Turn him gay~ Pfft~~"

"It can’t be that. It wouldn’t be that simple. Saying Wu Xin’s heart means love is utter nonsense!"

Gu Sheng spoke with absolute certainty. That fellow Wu Xin lost his memories once every hundred years, and without memories, how could he still have love? Besides, how bored would the Lord God have to be to make Reincarnators fall in love with natives? This wasn’t some world adapted from a romance novel aimed at women.

"Wait. A hundred years~"

Gu Sheng stopped in his tracks. He felt as if he had grasped some crucial point. Wu Xin lost his memories once every hundred years. During that period, his body would certainly undergo some unknown change. Could it be that he had a heart at that time???

"What are you thinking about?"

Gu Sheng’s sudden stop nearly made Liu Daimei fall. Somewhat displeased, she patted his shoulder. When he did not react, she waved her hand twice in front of his eyes. "Hey! Wake up! Wake up! It’s broad daylight, and you’re standing in the middle of the street! How embarrassing! If you want to space out, go home and do it."

"Uh~ Ah~ What happened?"

Gu Sheng only came to his senses when he noticed something waving in front of him. He turned his head in confusion and asked, "Mei-jie, what’s wrong?"

"Were you sleepwalking while walking just now? You suddenly stopped—you nearly scared me to death!"

Liu Daimei complained as her delicate hand had already reached Gu Sheng’s waist. Without a reasonable explanation, her two-finger pinch was about to strike. After a girl became a woman, her temper grew quite a bit, and she had a remarkably tough waist too. She freely "bullied" Gu Sheng, acting coquettishly and demanding that he obey her in everything.

"I thought of something related to the mission."

Gu Sheng calmly caught the small hand at his waist and wrapped it around his own waist. Then, with Liu Daimei in his arms, he continued walking quietly. "So many Reincarnators took part in this mission world, yet none of them know anything about Wu Xin. That’s pretty pitiful, don’t you think?"

"What do you mean?"

Liu Daimei shot Gu Sheng a sideways glance. She had vaguely guessed what he intended to do.

"Someone has to investigate Wu Xin’s secrets. But I’m lazy, and taking action myself would be too troublesome. It’d be better to find a few cannon fodder and let them test the waters."

A smile crept across Gu Sheng’s lips. "Have you ever gone fishing? I wonder how many big fish Wu Xin, this fragrant bait, can draw out. I heard there are a few familiar faces this time. I wonder if any stupid huskies will take the bait."

"Huh? Your heart is so wicked! Is it really all right to scheme against people like this?"

Liu Daimei scolded Gu Sheng for having such a wicked heart, but her lips were filled with a smile, and she looked completely eager to try.

"Heh heh~ They’re all potential opponents. What’s there to say about scheming or not? I might as well use this opportunity to get rid of a few people I dislike."

Gu Sheng gave a cold, grim laugh. There were quite a few Reincarnators this time, and some of them would inevitably come into conflict with him sooner or later. This was the perfect chance to weigh their capabilities.

At the entrance to the former site of Gu Residence in Wen County, a spacious, exquisitely decorated shop was operating normally. Most of the items inside were Buddha statues, Protective Talismans, prayer beads, bracelets, and similar goods. A fair-skinned young man sat at the entrance behind a fortune-telling stall, while a long line of people stretched out before him.

"Master Wu Xin, my Xiao Bao…"

A middle-aged woman carried a child and told Wu Xin what had happened. The child was extremely restless as she spoke and looked deeply abnormal.

"I understand!" Wu Xin nodded. Then his thumb suddenly touched the boy’s forehead, leaving a drop of bright-red blood there. Amid an almost inaudible, shrill wail, the boy’s eyes cleared. After looking around, he timidly called to the woman, "Mother!"

"Xiao Bao, you’re finally better~"

The middle-aged woman covered her mouth and burst into tears. Then she hugged the boy, who was called Bao’er, and refused to let go.

"He’s a living immortal!"

"That’s incredible!"

"How many has he cured now?"

Discussion rippled through the crowd. After hearing it, Wu Xin glanced at the increasingly prosperous shop, a trace of delight flickering across his face.

Across from Wu Xin’s stall, two young men in military officer’s coats stood on the third floor of a restaurant. They held binoculars and kept spying on Wu Xin. One of them even let out a laugh from time to time.

"Heh heh~~"

Gu Xuanwu chuckled foolishly. "With business this good, I wonder how much we’ll earn today. One hundred or two hundred? At this rate, we’ll make back a thousand silver dollars in no time." He had invested in quite a few shares of Wu Xin’s shop, so he received a substantial dividend every day.

"Old Zhang, that was a great idea. Advertising for Wu Xin was brilliant."

Gu Xuanwu slapped Gu Sheng on the shoulder and laughed nonstop. A few days earlier, when Gu Sheng had told him about the plan, he had not believed it. Now he was thoroughly convinced. They had merely posted advertisements promoting Wu Xin, yet so many people had come from far and wide, allowing Gu Mengmeng to fill his coffers.

Gu Sheng intended to use Wu Xin as bait, so naturally he had to spread the news. Wen County belonged to Zhili and was not far from several major northern cities. Gu Sheng sent people to contact all the major newspapers and arrange a round of front-page coverage for Wu Xin.

At first, those people had said it was feudal superstition and refused to publish it. But under Gu Sheng’s barrage of silver dollars, they all surrendered. The chief editors personally picked up their brushes and wrote the articles. Truly, money could make the devil turn millstones!

"Business really is good! Three!"

Gu Sheng watched the crowd through his binoculars and soon noticed several figures who seemed somewhat unusual. After observing them for a while, he identified three targets and determined that he should not be mistaken.

"Where? Let me see!"

Hearing this, Liu Daimei took the binoculars from behind Gu Sheng. Under his direction, she also spotted the three people. Only after observing them carefully did she notice the subtle differences in their details and confirm their identities.