Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Qin Ying maintained a polite smile on her face. “You all enjoy yourselves. It seems this job isn’t quite the right fit for me.”
She rose from her seat without haste. “Fortune-telling, mysterious entities… don’t you all find this a bit…”
“Unprofessional?”
Adopting the mindset that even if she were facing death, she should remain calm and composed, Qin Ying kept her expression steady. Only she knew how fast her heart had raced the moment she heard the words “mysterious entities.”
“From the name of the department to the hiring process, everything is highly irregular.”
“Even if I were applying to screw bolts at a factory, I’ve never heard of getting hired based on your birth chart.”
The other four people sitting under the locust tree wore varying expressions.
Laodao said to Old Miao, “See what happens when you mess around? You should have just handled the paperwork properly and been done with it.”
The younger Wen Hao and Yin Minmin also shot Old Miao strange looks.
They had all gone through this themselves. The Specimen Bottle was only the first step; it was usually followed by a series of underhanded tricks meant to scare people. They hadn’t been as decisive as Qin Ying in trying to bolt, and they had suffered miserably for it.
Yin Minmin chimed in with annoyance, “It really is unprofessional. I thought I was becoming a proper public servant.”
Wen Hao adjusted his glasses and remained silent.
Old Miao was displeased at being slighted. “How is it unprofessional? To explore ancient culture, the most important thing is a level of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge so strong that you’d be willing to taste shit just to see if it’s salty.”
No one answered; they just stared at him.
Old Miao grew even more irritated, looking like a stubborn mule ready to kick.
Laodao, who had known him for many years, let out a groan of pain. “Alright, just get to the point.”
He assumed Qin Ying’s confrontational attitude was a reaction to Old Miao’s behavior. He advised, “Qin Ying, your uncle went to great lengths for you. Keep listening and don’t be so headstrong.”
Qin Ying hadn’t actually intended to leave. Otherwise, with her efficiency, she would have already been stepping into a taxi by now. She took the opportunity to sigh and said to Laodao, “Since you seem to be a friend of my uncle, I apologize for those two hits.”
Laodao was easygoing about it. Clutching his ribs, he waved a hand. “Can’t blame you.”
With Laodao acting as a mediator, Qin Ying sat back down. Although it was still morning, the sun was already harsh. The Cultural Relics Museum was filled with trees, and the cicadas let out wave after wave of irritating noise.
Amidst the noise, Old Miao took a sip of milk tea and asked Qin Ying, “Do you know about the Classic of Mountains and Seas?”
Qin Ying’s expression didn’t change, maintaining that annoying, self-assured smile. “I do, but I haven’t read it in detail. Don’t tell me there’s actually a department dedicated to studying the Classic of Mountains and Seas?”
“Exactly, that’s us!” Old Miao squinted as he chewed on a tapioca pearl, then said to Wen Hao, “Haozi, go grab a copy.”
Wen Hao stood up and went back to the office, returning a moment later with a modern vernacular translation of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which he handed to Qin Ying.
Old Miao set down his milk tea and looked her straight in the eye. “The original text of the Classic of Mountains and Seas consists of 32,650 characters.”
“It is divided into eighteen volumes and was roughly compiled between the early Warring States period and the early Eastern Han Dynasty, supplemented and revised by many people over many years.”
“People used to believe that the Classic of Mountains and Seas was merely a collection of ancient myths and legends.”
“But…” Old Miao paused, his expression becoming more serious than she had ever seen it. “Are the mountains, rivers, gods, and terrifying monsters in that book really just exaggerations and fiction created by the ancients?”
Qin Ying lowered her eyelashes, saying nothing.
Whether those Monstrous Beasts were real or not-who would know better than her?
Seeing her silence and assuming she was skeptical, Old Miao decided to reveal a bit more.
“That specimen in your hand? It’s a replica I created based on the real thing!”
Qin Ying lowered her eyes, looking at the tiny figure in the Specimen Bottle, its hair clearly visible. “The real thing?”
“So, you have an actual specimen?”
Old Miao had said the thing in the Specimen Bottle was a reconstruction based on the real thing.
That meant Old Miao had seen such a little person somewhere-in the form of a specimen.
Qin Ying spoke up and asked, “Where is this specimen? Are there any live ones?”
“A specimen that precious would naturally…”
Her manner and tone were so natural that Old Miao instinctively answered half the sentence before realizing something was wrong.
Wait, who was the boss here?
“Precious.” After repeating the word, Qin Ying gave a slight smile.
Even though Old Miao hadn’t finished his sentence, she could guess a few things.
She didn’t hide her thoughts, stating her deduction as a sort of test.
“The fact that even this tiny specimen is considered precious shows that you currently possess very little information.”
“I assume there are no live ones left?”
With every word she spoke, Qin Ying observed the four people, including Old Miao.
She hadn’t systematically studied micro-expression psychology, but no one could lie in front of her.
This was a talent Qin Ying was born with, one that had never been discovered by others.
Sweeping her gaze over Old Miao and the other three, Qin Ying said to herself, “As I thought, there aren’t any.”
She lifted the Specimen Bottle and gave it a shake, the yellowish liquid inside rippling.
When Qin Ying was serious, her soul-piercing gaze made people feel uneasy, as if their skin were crawling.
Wen Hao and Yin Minmin both instinctively looked away.
Only Old Miao and Laodao exchanged a glance, both seeing the pleasant surprise on each other’s faces.
Laodao gave a sentimental laugh. “That dog Qin Zhiguo was right after all. She really is a natural talent for Criminal Investigation.”
Old Miao soothed the fat rat that was terrified of Qin Ying. For the first time, he looked somewhat reliable.
“This world hides countless secrets.”
“Part of the records in the Classic of Mountains and Seas actually exists. Do you believe that?”
How could she not?
Just yesterday, the Monstrous Beast Fuzhu had been lying in Qin Ying’s palm, rolling around while soaking wet.
“Where is the original specimen?” she asked.
Old Miao gave her a wink. “I can’t tell you that yet. Once you reach a certain level, perhaps you’ll see it with your own eyes.”
“So? Do you want the job or not?”
He lowered his head to play with the fat rat, leaving the choice to Qin Ying.
After a moment of silence, Qin Ying let out a sigh. “I’ll do it!”
Old Miao dropped his solemn act and laughed heartily. “The birth dates don’t lie. Your fate is met with Hua Gai; you are destined to deal with the mysterious.”
“Even if you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for you!”
Recalling the Dragon Bone under her bed and the box in her wardrobe, Qin Ying remained silent.
Old Miao instructed Yin Minmin to handle the paperwork for Qin Ying, then left for the hospital with the gray rat perched on his shoulder, supporting Laodao.
Seeing him leave, the more outgoing Yin Minmin took Qin Ying’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Before she could finish, Old Miao, who had just left, doubled back and said to the three of them, “Right, yesterday’s rain was bizarre. The center of the storm was actually in the Old City. Go canvas the streets!”
“It must be some kind of anomalous event!” He left immediately after giving the order.
Yin Minmin curled her lip at his retreating back. “Anomalous, anomalous. What kind of anomaly could there be in a densely populated area in broad daylight?”
“Don’t you agree, Sister Ying?” She turned to ask Qin Ying.
Qin Ying’s smile stiffened slightly as she replied, “Yeah.”
It certainly wasn’t an anomalous event-it was a Monstrous Beast!