The light inside the inn room was dim as Jiang Ming sat on the edge of the bed. On the bed, the unconscious Elvira was carefully wrapped in his coat, revealing only her pale profile and disheveled black hair.
Leaning against the wall nearby, her massive Scissors stood quietly, the blades still stained with uncleaned dark residue.
Jiang Ming looked up, a faint Blue Light shimmering in his eyes. In his vision, a girl who looked remarkably like Elvira was floating above the body. She wore a translucent white dress, the hem drifting slightly like mist, her face filled with anxiety.
“Are you her sister?” Jiang Ming spoke, his voice sounding clear in the silence.
The Girl froze, nodding gently. Then, she suddenly whipped her head around, her pupils shrinking in disbelief:
“You can see me?”
Jiang Ming tilted his head slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled by her surprise, but he replied calmly:
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
Hearing this, Elvia immediately floated in front of Jiang Ming, waving her palm back and forth before his face as if trying to verify the truth of his words.
Jiang Ming’s mouth twitched slightly as he looked away. “I can really see you. Stop waving.”
Only then did Elvia notice the faint Blue Light swirling in his eyes. She leaned in curiously. “Your eyes… why is there a Blue Light? Is this your ‘Soul Source’?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized something and froze.
No, this man’s Soul Source was clearly wind manipulation; it had nothing to do with glowing eyes. Moreover, she was currently in her Spirit Body state, and an ordinary person shouldn’t be able to perceive her at all…
Unless this man possessed two Soul Sources.
Elvia was stunned. The singularity of a Soul Source was an ironclad rule recognized by the transcendent world—a person could only possess one Soul Source unless they encountered extraordinary circumstances. This pair of blue eyes clearly did not fall under the category of wind.
“It’s a secret,” Jiang Ming said with a slight smile. The girl before him was indeed much more lively than her sister. “However, as I told your sister this morning: Equivalent Exchange is the fundamental law of Alchemy. You can use your secret to trade for mine.”
He suddenly felt like he was becoming more and more like a Bard; perhaps he really could make a living by writing other people’s stories in the future. After all, he did enjoy writing stories, didn’t he?
Hearing this, Elvia gently drifted down to the bedside and sat next to Jiang Ming, resting her chin on her hands as she thought for a moment. She turned to look at the unconscious Elvira, and after a few seconds, she whispered, “Okay.”
“First of all… we are Cleaners,” she said cautiously, while carefully studying Jiang Ming’s expression upon hearing those three words.
Usually, when people heard the term Cleaner, they would show fear or wariness. They were like a murder of crows bearing news of death; wherever they went, conflict and endings were sure to follow.
Yet, Jiang Ming simply sat there quietly, his face showing no ripples of emotion, as if he had just heard a perfectly ordinary word.
“We are Cleaners… people chosen by the Angels,” Elvia couldn’t help but turn toward him, her eyes filled with confusion. “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Do you eat people?” Jiang Ming scratched his head, his tone carrying a hint of genuine doubt. He truly didn’t feel that the identity of a Cleaner was inherently scary. Though their fates were bound to the “Angels” from then on, who could say for sure what fate really was?
“Of course not!” Elvia snapped her head up, her translucent cheeks puffing out slightly. But then she lowered her eyes, her voice softening. “But we are like crows of ill omen. Wherever we appear, disputes tend to rise… Perhaps that Cultist earlier was drawn here by us. Maybe we are destined to be alone.” Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress, and the silhouette of her Spirit Body fluctuated slightly with her mood.
Watching her like this, Jiang Ming sighed silently. Kids these days just thought too much; once they overthought things, they easily trapped themselves in a dead end. It seemed he would have to use his experience from his old profession again.
He reached out and gently tapped his index finger against Elvia’s translucent cheek. His fingertip didn’t touch anything solid, but it felt like passing through lukewarm ripples of water, causing a small ring of spiritual light to spread. Elvia was stunned and forgot to dodge.
“But even so,” Jiang Ming’s voice was very peaceful, the tiny Glimmer on his fingertip not yet dissipating, “didn’t we just get rid of a Cultist who was a plague upon the world? Hmm?”
He withdrew his hand, looking at the stunned expression on the girl’s face, and continued, “Don’t always dwell on where you stand.” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious Elvira on the bed before falling back on Elvia’s face. “Look at what you have actually done.”
Elvia was quiet for a few seconds, and the glow of her Spirit Body seemed to brighten slightly. She gave a soft “Mm,” lowering her head, though a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
Kids are still easy to coax, Jiang Ming thought, smiling.
“Then what about your secret, Mister?” Elvia tilted her head, returning to her mischievous self.
The smile on Jiang Ming’s face froze instantly. He raised his hand, curving his index finger, and gave the girl’s smooth forehead a light flick.
“Who are you calling Mister?” He straightened his face, though his tone lacked any real threat. “I just turned eighteen. You should call me Brother, got it?”
Elvia burst into laughter. Instead of dodging, she deliberately leaned her forehead forward, the light of her Spirit Body trembling gently with her laughter. “I know, I know, eighteen-year-old Brother—” she drawled out the title, her eyes sparkling with cunning.
Jiang Ming withdrew his hand and shook his head helplessly, though a trace of a smile flickered in his eyes. He paused, his tone deepening slightly. “Actually, I am also a Cleaner.”
Attributing the condition of possessing multiple Soul Sources to a blessing from an Angel was the simplest explanation. After all, the gifts of those beings could never be measured by common logic.
Any questions? Go ask an Angel yourself.
He pointed to his right eye, where the Blue Light flowed like water. “As for this light… consider it my second Soul Source.”
Elvia’s laughter stopped abruptly. Her pupils shrank slightly, and the lively expression on her face was instantly replaced by a profound shock. The light of her Spirit Body even stagnated for a moment.
“You… are also a Cleaner? Which Angel do you belong to?” Her voice revealed unshielded urgency, like someone suddenly identifying their own kind in a vast crowd, and she subconsciously floated closer.
Jiang Ming did not answer directly. He leaned back slightly, meeting her gaze calmly. “Rather than asking me that, why don’t we talk about your situation first? For example—” He paused, his tone carrying a faint hint of investigation, “Why are you a pair of Scissors?”
Following his question, Elvia subconsciously looked toward her sleeping sister on the bed. She remained silent for several seconds, her spiritual fingers curling unconsciously, before she finally shook her head gently. “That is… a secret between me and my sister. I can only say it once my sister agrees.”
“Fine.” Jiang Ming didn’t push it, his tone showing no disappointment. He turned and picked up half a piece of leftover bread from the side.
After the fierce battle, hunger was starting to set in. He naturally broke off a small piece and, out of habit, asked without looking up:
“Want some?”
There was no response for a moment.
Puzzled, Jiang Ming turned his head, only to see Elvia floating in the air with her hands on her hips. Her cheeks were puffed out slightly, and the silhouette of her Spirit Body flickered with tiny sparks of light due to her emotional fluctuation. She pursed her lips, glaring at him with a huff, her expression a mix of dissatisfaction and an indescribable cuteness.
“I. Am. A. Spirit. Body,” she said, enunciating every word, her voice carrying a hint of feigned anger as if she were being teased. “How am I supposed to eat your bread!”
Looking at her huffy appearance, Jiang Ming suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“Why don’t… you try doing what your sister does?” He waved the small piece of bread in his hand. “If you possess me, you should be able to taste it.”
Elvia froze, the annoyance in her eyes gradually replaced by a complex light. Curiosity, hesitation, and a long-suppressed longing. She floated closer, her voice very quiet. “…Is that allowed?”
“Try it and see.” Jiang Ming reached out his hand, palm up, in an inviting gesture.
Elvia closed her eyes. The silhouette of her Spirit Body began to fluctuate and diffuse like a reflection in water, turning into a wisp of cool wind that gently merged into Jiang Ming’s body.
Instantly,
The sensation of being alive flooded over her like a tide.
It had been so long that she had almost forgotten the tiny shiver of wind brushing against skin, the coarse texture of fabric rubbing against her, the warmth of blood flowing through a body, and… the steady rhythm of a beating heart. All of this became real and tangible again through Jiang Ming’s body.
Jiang Ming picked up the piece of Black Bread and took a small bite.
Almost simultaneously, a strange and surging sense of taste exploded on Jiang Ming’s tongue.
It was the most primitive aroma of grain combined with a coarse texture.
Then, a drop of warm liquid slid down from Jiang Ming’s right eye without warning.
It wasn’t his.
It was hers.
A whisper sounded in his ear, like an echo from deep within his soul:
“…It’s so sweet.”
But clearly, it was just a piece of dry, hard Black Bread that was almost flavorless.