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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
"Or perhaps there are other details we are unaware of," Fatty said, noticing my awkwardness and trying to help, but his words were essentially meaningless.
"So, we must definitely ask Gu Qingyun for clarification! Anyway, it's been decided unilaterally," I could only act stubbornly.
Lingfeng looked at me with a mix of amusement and exasperation, pointing a finger at me, "I didn't see this side of you, Zheng Nan. You can be quite shameless."
Fatty laughed and said, "Sometimes he doesn't pay me my salary, and he's just as shameless."
Lingfeng picked up the phone, glanced at us, then turned and stepped outside to make a call. When he returned, he smiled wryly and said, "I found a big shot to pressure him; we should hear back soon!"
About half an hour later, Gu Qingyun's call came through. Lingfeng exchanged a few words before handing the phone to me. Gu Qingyun simply said on the line, "Midnight tonight, at the pavilion in Chaoyang City Botanical Garden. Come alone!"
Then he hung up.
Isn't Chaoyang City just the Jin Family Villa Area? And isn't the botanical garden the green belt in the middle that's now occupied by the Jin Family for their Spirit Tent? Isn't the pavilion right next to the Spirit Tent? What does Gu Qingyun want me to do there? If there was something to discuss, why not just say it over the phone instead of making it sound like a date in a garden pavilion?
After sharing Gu Qingyun's request with Lingfeng and Fatty, Lingfeng said, "Anyway, I'm busy and can only help this much. From now on, even if you get killed by Gu Qingyun, I won't care!"
"Damn it, killed? When did you become so lowly, Lingfeng?" I scoffed. Lingfeng laughed and waved goodbye as we all scattered like birds.
——————————A dividing line of anxiety about being killed————————
I have a good habit of never being late when I have an appointment; I always leave ten to twenty minutes as a buffer. At 11:50 PM, I sat on the stone bench in the pavilion, looking at the nearby Spirit Tent. From this angle in the pavilion, I could see most of the front hall of the spirit hall.
About ten minutes later, I saw Gu Qingyun enter the Spirit Tent. I couldn't help but feel surprised; what was Gu Qingyun doing in there? Paying respects to Jin Manyuan? What would he say to me later? Did Jin Manyuan die from fright? If it was poisoning, was it Jin Zhenzhong or Jin Xinghua who did it?
Spirit Tent Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and then about ten Taoists came out one after another, heading towards Jin Family Villa. The front hall of Spirit Tent was instantly empty.
Damn, is it break time again? The words of Qingfeng Daozhang echoed in my mind: "Even labor reform prisoners have break time. I let them go out for a stroll; work and rest should be combined..."
However, why didn’t I see Qingfeng Daozhang and Gu Qingyun?
A few minutes later, the black cloth behind the spirit hall was lifted, and three people emerged: one was Qingfeng Daozhang, one was Gu Qingyun, and the other was a Taoist priest whose face was obscured as he lowered his head. However, it was clear that he was an old Taoist. The three walked up to me, and I stared directly at Gu Qingyun: "Doctor Gu, what do you mean by this?"
"Zhong Gui, why do you have to dig so deeply into things?" Gu Qingyun sighed, looking at me with a sense of helplessness.
"That's just how I am. If there's something I don't know the truth about, I can't sleep," I replied with a smile.
"Some things might not be good to know the truth about," surprisingly, it was the old Taoist who spoke this time. I looked over at him as he slowly raised his head.
With silver hair and a white beard, his eyes shone brightly. Huh, this person looks familiar.
I must have seen him somewhere before, and it must have been recently. I racked my brain trying to recall which elderly person I had encountered during this time—was it Old Man Cao who admired cup sizes with Fatty on the street? Or Old Li, the invisible rich man selling tea eggs? Or perhaps Old Zhang, the gatekeeper of River Division? None of these seemed right.
"Do you think I look familiar?" The old man smiled slightly.
"Yes!" I nodded honestly, truly unable to remember where I had seen him.
"Is it possible you saw me in a picture frame?" The old man turned his head and winked at Qingfeng Daozhang, looking playful.
A picture frame? It was a nonsensical statement that left me puzzled when suddenly a flash of realization struck me like lightning in my mind. I exclaimed in shock: "Jin Manyuan, you are Jin Manyuan!"
"Shh!" Jin Manyuan placed a finger on his lips, making a gesture to silence me, and scolded like a child, "If someone sees us, it won't be good."
I really couldn't describe my feelings inside; it was as if I had painstakingly built a tall tower of blocks, only to have a child laugh and knock it down. I felt frustrated like a turtle's grandchild, with no place to vent my anger.
It was also like when a teacher assigned a homework problem that I worked hard to solve, only for the teacher to say, "You misread the question." What could I do? Beat up the teacher?
Jin Manyuan was surprisingly alive, his old face smiling like a flower in front of me. Damn it, if it weren't for my composure, I would have picked up a stick and poked that flower until it turned into a sunflower.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked irritably; being toyed with like an idiot was extremely unpleasant.
"You two go somewhere else and keep watch for me," Jin Manyuan said, dismissing Qingfeng Daozhang and Gu Qingyun with a single sentence. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable pressure, and Qingfeng Daozhang and Gu Qingyun obediently walked away without any objection.
"Are they your subordinates?" I asked in surprise once the two had left.
"No, they are not my subordinates," Jin Manyuan replied with a smile. "They are both under the influence of money."
"Who isn't?" I nodded in agreement. In life, we hustle and bustle; all material things require money for exchange. In the past, money could only buy beauty but not love. Times have changed; now love can also be bought, sometimes even at a discount... Although my thoughts were somewhat extreme, they certainly existed.
"The land of Lingxu Temple belongs to me. I approached Qingfeng Daozhang to transfer the deed to his name, and he immediately promised to go through fire and water for it." Jin Manyuan seemed to understand my confusion and directly explained the reason. "As for Gu Qingyun, I simply introduced him to an old friend, Wen Zhiqiang. You might not know who Old Wen is, but Gu Qingyun knows very well; Old Wen is from the Provincial Health Department. Although he is not the top leader, he can help Gu Qingyun get transferred to the neurosurgery department at the Provincial People's Hospital."
Jin Manyuan was quite skilled at winning people over; giving Qingfeng Daozhang land and promoting Gu Qingyun were both ways to cater to their interests. I couldn't help but praise him; indeed, experience is the most valuable wealth—living longer means knowing more things. Even if you change a chicken's life to 80 years, it still becomes chicken essence.
Damn it, why was I thinking about all this nonsense? I took a deep breath and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
"Qingfeng is with me now; you went to find Kong Xuan," Jin Manyuan said with a proud wink, the mischievousness of a child returning to his face. Old age makes people act just like children.
"Yes, so what?"
"Then you should know that the world is divided into the Yin-Yang Realm, right?" Jin Manyuan said confidently. "It's his habit to refer to everyone as belonging to the Yin-Yang Realm."
"Isn't he wrong?" I was taken aback.
"Naturally, he is not wrong. Those in his line of work hope everyone believes in the distinction between humans and ghosts," Jin Manyuan replied with a smile, a hint of worldly wisdom showing on his face.
"He even gave me this! Does this mean it can be given to anyone?" Hearing Jin Manyuan say that, I felt indignant and took out the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin to show off in front of him. Surely, this thing couldn't be mass-produced?
Upon seeing the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin I held, Jin Manyuan's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "Yin-Yang Ancient Coin? You, surprisingly, are also of the Yin-Yang Physique?"
Before I could feel proud, I furrowed my brow at Jin Manyuan's words. What did he mean by "also of the Yin-Yang Physique"?
Jin Manyuan reached out and took my Yin-Yang Ancient Coin from me. I was instantly shocked and stood there dumbfounded.
My surprise was warranted; I had practiced the Five Elements Fist for decades and was among the top fighters in Star City. There was no doubt I ranked within the top five. However, when Jin Manyuan made his move just now, I realized that I was absolutely no match for him. Even combined with Kong Xuan, we wouldn't stand a chance.
This skill alone was impressive; there were many experts in the world. The problem was that this was the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin—something even Kong Xuan dared not touch. Yet Jin Manyuan handled it as casually as if he were grabbing a piece of toilet paper.
Wasn't this something only a rare Yin-Yang Physique could touch? Could it be that Jin Manyuan was also one of those rare individuals? Was Kong Xuan's rarity just a game name?
"You are also of the Yin-Yang Physique?" I couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
Jin Manyuan looked at my shocked expression and smiled, "That's right, I am also of the Yin-Yang Physique."
I hurriedly asked, "Old Man Jin, what is going on?"
"What do you know about Kong Xuan?" Jin Manyuan inquired.
I told Jin Manyuan everything I knew about Kong Xuan and my experiences.
After listening, Jin Manyuan pondered for a moment, then took out a box roughly the size of a cigarette case. It had an ancient style and was quite exquisitely crafted. Old Man Jin weighed it in his hand and handed it to me along with the Yin Yang Ancient Coin.
I received it, surprised, and looked at him, not understanding his intention.
"Take a look first!" Jin Manyuan raised his hand, signaling me to open it.
I opened the box to find... a page of some sort. I wasn't sure how to describe it; it was the size of a business card and very thin, with some strange symbols on it that resembled writing. The texture of the paper was familiar to me; it was the same as that of the Yin Yang Ancient Coin I held in my hand—one half dark red with a ring pattern, and the other half deep blue with wavy patterns, the colors slowly shifting. Even stranger, the symbols on this page changed as the colors flowed, as if they were floating above the surface of the page.
"What is this?" I cleared my throat and swallowed before asking.
"This is the Scroll of the Greedy Wolf from the Book of Life and Death!"
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