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墨書 Inktalez
I ignored the Brat, Yang Gou Dan. Later that evening, Chen Shan called me to invite me out for dinner, and of course, I accepted. I had some questions for him anyway.
As I exited the school gate, Qin Hai was already waiting for me on his motorcycle.
Qin Hai took me to a bustling food stall where Chen Shan was seated inside. After we settled down at a table, Chen Shan pulled out ten thousand yuan and pushed it toward me.
I was taken aback and looked at Chen Shan with a smile. "Captain Chen, what does this mean?"
"This time, it's all thanks to you and your monk friend. This is a reward for you," Chen Shan said as he popped open a bottle of beer and raised it toward me.
"Wow, the police department is feeling generous! Last time with that Mask Demon incident, you only rewarded me five hundred yuan. Now it's ten thousand!"
Chen Shan and Qin Hai both laughed. "This isn't from the police department; it's from Wang Hanying. But since I didn't do much, this ten thousand yuan is definitely yours."
I didn't refuse it. I could tell that neither Chen Shan nor Qin Hai were short on money. Besides, I felt I deserved it after being unconscious for two nights.
I tucked the money away and asked about Lin Xiaosheng and Yu's situation. Yu was definitely dead, and as for Lin Xiaosheng, it seemed he had resigned and left Donghai City.
We chatted for a while and drank a few bottles of beer, gradually strengthening my relationship with Chen Shan and Qin Hai.
They asked how I could see ghosts, so I made up a story about falling in a graveyard once, which allowed me to see dirty things ever since.
Halfway through our drinks, I said, "Brother Chen, Hai Ge, I... I want to take over that coffee shop and run it myself. What do you think?"
"Ah?" Qin Hai looked at me, then chuckled, "Song Fei, you are quite cunning. Nothing can escape my keen eye, Hai Ge. Are you trying to seize someone else's property?"
I rolled my eyes at Qin Hai and turned to Chen Shan. "Brother Chen, I think that coffee shop is quite wasted sitting there. I'm planning to buy it or maybe rent it temporarily. What should I do?"
Chen Shan was a very composed person. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Logically, you should contact Wang Yun's family. However, they seem to be unreachable and don't know what's going on. The only one we can get in touch with is Wang Qiang, but he has already lost his political rights and has no inheritance rights either. In that case, you could visit Wang Yun's stepfather and see if you can find someone to discuss the contract with. If you can't find anyone, then it might be best to go through special procedures to manage that coffee shop."
I quickly agreed and asked where Wang Yun's stepfather was. Chen Shan promised to help me look it up once we returned to the police station.
The three of us had quite a bit to drink, and the later conversations turned to various criminal cases. I had thought supernatural cases were rare, but Chen Shan often encountered them and emphasized the importance of having a sense of fear and boundaries in life.
We three stumbled away from each other in a daze.
I began to enjoy this feeling—the sense of being recognized and needed. Although I no longer had a home, I no longer felt lonely either. It was time for me to establish myself in this society.
After returning to my dormitory, I fell asleep.
In my dreams, the sounds of hoofbeats, cries of battle, and weeping echoed again. However, this time I didn't resist the noise; I understood that it was likely the remnants of my mother's voice as she passed away.
I slept soundly, feeling relieved now that Wei Qiang's matter had come to a close.
Dinglingling...
My phone rang incessantly.
Rubbing my eyes, I picked up the phone and saw an unfamiliar number.
Early in the morning, receiving a phone call was quite annoying.
I answered, "Hello, who is this?"
"Is this Student Song Fei? My name is Zhao Jian, and I am..." The voice on the other end had a magnetic quality.
I suddenly perked up; it was Professor Zhao Jian! The professor who Liu Yiyi had told me about, the one who understood the meanings of accessories!
I immediately interrupted Zhao Jian, "Professor Zhao, hello! I know you."
"Ah, Student Song Fei, I heard you are very interested in the Cosmic Pendant, is that right?" Zhao Jian said.
"The Cosmic Pendant?" I replied. "Is that thing really called the Cosmic Pendant? Professor Zhao, I would like to meet you." I said eagerly.
I arranged a time to meet with Zhao Jian and then hung up the phone, jumping up in excitement!
I had never felt this exhilarated before. I wanted to know about my origins, and more importantly, I wanted to know who my mother really was. The images and voices lingering in my mind—what were they all about?
I quickly washed up, changed my clothes, and headed out. After grabbing a quick breakfast, I made my way to the Research Office at the History Department.
Upon arriving at the office building of the History Department, I found Room 202. I pushed open the door and walked in. Inside sat a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He looked to be in his forties and appeared very healthy—likely someone who exercised regularly.
"Song Fei, come over here," he said as he looked up at me.
At that moment, I was certain he was Professor Zhao Jian.
I walked over and exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then I asked, "Professor Zhao, what exactly is the origin and meaning of the Cosmic Pendant?"
Zhao Jian looked at me, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and asked, "Song Fei, why are you so interested in this? As far as I know, there aren't many people in China who have studied it."
"I..." I certainly wouldn't reveal my true reason. "I came across it in a book once and thought it was beautiful, so I became curious about it. Professor Zhao, could you give me this Cosmic Pendant?"
Zhao Jian nodded. He took out a piece of A4 paper from in front of him and showed it to me.
On the A4 paper was a drawing of the pendant. It depicted an outer circle with a figure inside that had three hands, and below it was a fish-like tail.
My breath quickened as I looked at Zhao Jian.
Zhao Jian said, "Actually, I named this Cosmic Pendant. As for its real name, I really don't know. You see, the outer circle symbolizes the earth, while the figure inside has three hands connected to the circle, indicating that he can communicate with the divine. Below, the figure has a snake-like tail, which suggests he can also communicate with the Underworld. This might be the meaning of this pendant."
"Ah?" I was stunned and found it hard to comprehend.
Zhao Jian put away the paper, squinting his eyes with a gentle smile on his lips. "Song Fei, I don't know its exact meaning either. However, I'm planning to visit the site again—the place where I discovered this Cosmic Pendant design years ago. Would you be interested in joining me?"
"Ah? Can I... really go too?" I stood up suddenly; of course I was interested!
Zhao Jian nodded. "Of course you can go. However, this is an expedition organized spontaneously by our team, so you'll need to prepare your own expenses and equipment. There are currently three people in our expedition team; if you're willing to join us, that makes four. If you want to go, come find me here tomorrow morning and we'll set off."
"An expedition team?" I scratched my head but quickly replied, "Thank you, Professor Zhao! I'll go back and prepare right now."
"Alright, off you go," Zhao Jian nodded with his usual warm smile.
I left the office and immediately searched online for where to buy adventure gear in Donghai City. Soon, I took a taxi to Baizhong Alley in Donghai City, where I found numerous shops selling various hiker equipment.
I bought a backpack, a military water bottle, trekking poles, a stun baton, a Swiss army knife, and more. I also got myself a full outfit, spending over seven thousand yuan.
It hurt my wallet!
But for the sake of uncovering my own origins, I had to endure it no matter how much it cost.
The next morning, I changed into my new clothes, strapped on my hiking backpack, and also packed my Peach Wood Sword and Corpse-Subduing Bell. I hurried to Zhao Jian's office.
Zhao Jian was holding a bag and didn’t say much; he just led me out of the school gate.
A modified Toyota Land Cruiser was parked at the entrance. It looked quite imposing.
Once I got into the car, I realized that the driver was a woman in her thirties. Besides her, there was a young man in his twenties sitting in the passenger seat.
I greeted them, but neither acknowledged me. The woman stepped on the gas, and the car belched out a cloud of black smoke as it headed toward the highway.
The three of us remained mostly silent during the drive.
I asked Zhao Jian where we were going.
He replied that we were heading to Hubei.
I was taken aback.
I suddenly remembered that my grandfather discovered me during a tomb raiding in Hubei. Could it be that Zhao Jian is also taking me there?
I didn't say anything more, sitting in the car and observing the two people in the front seats.
The woman driving was actually not bad-looking, but she wasn't wearing any makeup, and her skin seemed a bit rough, likely from frequent sun exposure. As for the young man in the passenger seat, he looked quite cold and a little intimidating.
I didn't dwell on it further and just sat in the back, looking out at the scenery.
By the afternoon, the car had entered Hubei and exited the highway.
I glanced at a sign by the roadside; it read Yicheng. This should be a county-level city under Xiangyang, though I wasn't entirely sure.
By evening, we had driven into a mountain valley.
The mountain roads were truly terrible; even this modified off-road vehicle couldn't go any further.
The woman stopped the car and said, "Alright, let's rest here for the night. From here on, we'll have to rely on our feet."
Everyone began setting up tents beside the car.
Lying in my tent, I felt excited about uncovering my origins and found it hard to sleep.
After a while, I felt my head getting heavy, and I drifted off into a daze.
The next thing I knew, I sat up, rubbed my head, and realized it still felt foggy and unclear.
Zhao Jian walked over and asked me with concern what was wrong.
I felt a bit dizzy.
Zhao Jian touched my forehead and said, "You might have caught a cold. This is your first time exploring in the wild, and the mountain wind is quite chilly, combined with the dampness from the dew, it's easy to catch a cold."
Zhao Jian handed me a bottle of medicine, something like an oral solution, and urged me to drink it.
After I finished the drink, I felt a little better, and we shouldered our packs and continued on our way...
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