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墨書 Inktalez
Professor Qiu held the photo of Bai Yujing, flipping it back and forth, looking somewhat serious. After a long time, he still did not speak. Bai Yujing, feeling restless, cautiously asked, "Professor Qiu, how is it? Can you recognize it?"
Professor Qiu shook his head. "It doesn't seem like any kind of writing. This should be a specific mark or symbol. I feel like I've seen this somewhere before, but I just can't recall. You all take a look; I need to check some information."
Bai Yujing felt a surge of joy, having indeed seen this before. He quickly said, "I also think it should be a kind of mark. Professor, you have traveled extensively and are very knowledgeable; think about it. I'm not in a hurry."
Professor Qiu rummaged through a large pile of notes and documents from the room. There was also a computer on the table, indicating that old Qiu was keeping up with the times and was not just an old-fashioned scholar.
At that moment, Professor Qiu's wife opened the door, returning with a basket of vegetables. "Old Qiu, we have guests!"
"Two former students introduced them to me to look at this mark. I feel like I've seen it before but just can't remember," Professor Qiu said as he held the photo and took off his glasses.
His wife leaned over to take a look and immediately said, "Isn't this the sign from that village we stayed in when we went to gx Qinzhou that year? They have these signs everywhere in their village."
Professor Qiu suddenly realized. "That's right! No wonder it looks so familiar. As soon as you mentioned it, I remembered; this is the sign from Shuiyuan Village! They dig their wells particularly deep there; every family has an ancient well that's been around for years. The ancient Inoue are marked with this kind of symbol. I was particularly curious back then; it's been so many years since then."
Upon hearing the result, Bai Yujing was especially excited and quickly asked, "Professor Qiu, can you tell me about your experiences back then?"
Professor Qiu and his wife were classmates at that time and had followed their mentor to Qinzhou for a research activity. At that time, Qinzhou had just been designated as a municipal administrative region, and the ten-year turmoil had only recently ended. They stayed in a Water Tribe village.
"Water Tribe?" Bai Yujing asked with some confusion, but Li Xinyan seemed to know about this ethnic group.
"The Water Tribe is a branch of the Baiyue Miao ethnic group, primarily distributed in Guizhou and Guang Province. It is one of the smaller ethnic minorities," Li Xinyan explained to Bai Yujing since he was unfamiliar with this group.
Bai Yujing nodded, while Professor Qiu looked at Li Xinyan and said, "This comrade knows quite a bit! That's right. However, during the late Qing Dynasty, due to conflicts involving foreigners, warlords, and bandits, the Water Tribe began migrating into Guang Province continuously. Our teacher led us to understand this ethnic group's culture for research purposes."
"During our ongoing research activities, we made our last stop in a coastal village in Qinzhou. By then our team had collected enough data and planned to return after finishing this stop to organize our findings into written form. However, we found that this village was somewhat different from the Water Tribe people we had encountered before," Professor Qiu said hesitantly at the end.
Bai Yujing immediately asked, "How was it different?"
Professor Qiu shook his head. "Maybe I'm overthinking it; their clothing and appearance seemed no different from other Water Tribe people on the surface. Oh right! There was also a priest in their village who supposedly possessed complete knowledge of hydrology and Water Script. Although most Water Tribe people are now in Guizhou, very few can master Hydrology and Water Script; only nobles and priests among the Water Tribe have the power to possess such knowledge."
"Besides that, their village still maintained a matriarchal society style where women were respected; the system was very strict and they refused contact with outsiders. At that time, we were also staying in a small house on the outskirts of their village. Moreover, their village was filled with these signs you showed me; I was very curious about them back then and researched them but found no results."
After a conversation with Professor Qiu, Bai Yujing gained a lot of insights. Once Bai Yujing obtained the address of the Water Tribe village, he prepared to leave.
"Professor Qiu, thank you very much for your help. I apologize for bothering you this time," Bai Yujing said as he reached the door, shaking Professor Qiu's hand and bowing.
Professor Qiu waved his hands repeatedly, "It's no problem at all. Write down my phone number. If you encounter any difficulties or have questions, feel free to ask me. I might be able to help."
Bai Yujing noted down Professor Qiu's phone number and walked down the stairs with Li Xinyan. As he walked, he glanced at the notes he had just taken, worried that he might forget some important points from their discussion.
"This symbol isn't related to some treasure map, is it?" Li Xinyan asked when she saw how focused Bai Yujing was.
Bai Yujing shook his head, "What treasure map? It's not anything particularly important. Don't worry about it; I'll take you home first."
Li Xinyan placed her foot on the steering wheel, preventing Bai Yujing from starting the car. Bai Yujing immediately caught a glimpse of her white lace-trimmed underwear from beneath her skirt. Realizing this, Li Xinyan quickly understood that she had exposed herself.
"How is it? Does it look good?" Li Xinyan asked in a flat tone, though there was an undercurrent of anger.
Bai Yujing pouted, "It's not like I haven't seen it before... Ah—!"
Li Xinyan grabbed onto Bai Yujing's chest, knowing all his sensitive spots after spending so much time together. This particular spot was the most painful. "Let go, let go, let go! I was wrong; I really shouldn't have looked."
Li Xinyan reluctantly released her grip and lowered her long legs that had been resting on Bai Yujing.
"Are you going to tell me? If you don't, I'll just investigate myself. Your task this month is to gather various experimental materials and data. Should I assign you some tasks?" Li Xinyan said dominantly as she hooked her arm around Bai Yujing's neck.
Bai Yujing felt helpless. He still needed to search for information and intelligence about Merfolk through the internal organization system later on. Li Xinyan would definitely find out anyway, so it was better to tell her in advance: "Alright, alright, I'm scared of you."
Bai Yujing continued, "This mark should be related to Merfolk. I got a clue from a friend and am currently investigating this."
"Merfolk? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?"
Bai Yujing nodded, "That's right—mermaids. There are legends about them all over the world. In ancient China, they were referred to as the Sharkman Clan and were said to inhabit areas around the South China Sea." Bai Yujing took out some materials he had previously collected from his bag. "However, I'm not sure if it's true yet. But this mark definitely hides a significant secret that I want to uncover. I've also found some information online indicating that this symbol appeared on a porcelain item from the Ming Dynasty, and it looks exactly the same."
Li Xinyan scoffed, "So you really think of yourself as an explorer now?"
Although she said that, Li Xinyan still looked through the stack of materials collected by Bai Yujing and finally turned to the photo that Bai Yujing mentioned. It was a Blue and White Porcelain Bowl with Floral Design from the Ming Dynasty, bearing exactly the same mark, color, and shape as the initial image provided by Bai Yujing, without any discrepancies.
"This seems interesting. It looks like this mark really represents something. However, if you want to investigate this, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack; it’s not an easy task. Are you sure your intelligence is up to it?" Li Xinyan said, holding a large stack of documents while looking at Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing nodded, "Regardless, I want to give it a try. Who knows, I might succeed. Besides, I've heard that Merfolk are immortal; I want to see them and talk to them. That would definitely be fascinating."
"Just to talk to them?" Li Xinyan asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Bai Yujing nodded again, "I want to find something interesting to do with my life. I'm not as financially strapped anymore; I have a house and a car. Even if I don’t work for a few years, I can still live comfortably. Isn’t it okay to chase after my dreams?"
Li Xinyan nodded in understanding, "That really fits your style—aimless and immature."
Bai Yujing had grown accustomed to Li Xinyan's sharp tongue: "Say what you want; as long as you're happy. By the way, if you have time, could you help me look up some information on this?"
Li Xinyan neither agreed nor refused; this attitude was considered acceptance by her. Bai Yujing drove Li Xinyan home to a quaint little courtyard that looked somewhat aged, where Li Xinyan's parents lived.
"How about it? Want to come in for a bit?" Li Xinyan opened the car door and said to Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing dared not enter; she would surely be scolded by the two elderly people, especially Li Xinyan's mother, who had always disapproved of her. Bai Yujing preferred not to go in and face discomfort: "No need. Don't tell Dad and... um, Uncle and Auntie that I brought you back."
With a loud "bang!" Li Xinyan slammed the car door shut without acknowledging Bai Yujing and stepped lightly into the courtyard.
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