章 242: Chapter 242: Can You Buy Us Two Drinks?
Yanhai City, Special Department.
"Is everything you've said true?" The one-eyed man tapped his fingers on the table, genuinely startled by what he'd heard.
He truly hadn't expected the secrets of Mount Tai to be so explosive.
The evil entity, Chi?
Stronger than even Heaven-rank cultivators.
And there wasn't just one such terrifying evil entity. The thought sent chills down the one-eyed man's spine. If these entities were to join forces and attack Yanhai City…
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Even if he put his head on the line, he wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Master Yongxin said, "It's all true. That evil entity is called Chi. I'm not sure about the others, but they felt very dangerous to me, definitely not something ordinary people like us can handle."
A City-Protecting level expert considering himself an ordinary person.
Where does that leave the face of truly ordinary people? Are the requirements for being ordinary so high now?
The one-eyed man pondered.
He was indeed shocked when he learned of these things, as if a mysterious veil had been lifted.
"How did Lin Fan fare against that evil entity, Chi?" the one-eyed man asked.
Master Yongxin replied, "He was very strong, evenly matched with Chi. It was beyond our imagination. We don't know how he cultivated to such a realm. As far as I know, the strongest cultivators now are only Heaven-rank, but the strength of those evil entities surpasses the Heaven-rank."
"Is there any record of such a realm?"
The one-eyed man fell silent. He didn't know what the realm above Heaven-rank was. These cultivation methods were gleaned from ancient texts.
The current situation felt like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
Indeed…
Exploring the unknown, as you delve deeper, you uncover more terrifying truths.
Gradually, the one-eyed man realized that maintaining such an emotional state was wrong.
As the head of the Special Department…
Even if he was truly panicked…
He had to appear calm in front of his subordinates. If even the leader panicked, how could those under him remain calm?
"Regardless of whether there are records or not, don't worry. Lin Fan is a good example. As a human, he can be so strong, which means that we humans still have potential."
"Moreover, based on my speculation, if the evil entities have such powerful beings, why haven't they attacked? We might as well make a bold guess. Perhaps we humans also have hidden experts."
"The evil entities are wary of those experts, so they haven't dared to act recklessly."
The one-eyed man held a cigarette between his fingers, calmly speculating. What he said seemed to make sense. Coupled with his serious expression and deep gaze, it was quite convincing.
The people in the meeting room were all dumbfounded, almost ready to slap their thighs and shout, "Well said! Beautifully put!"
"So what should we do now? Do we need to report this to the Xia Capital headquarters?" someone asked.
The one-eyed man pondered for a moment and said, "This matter needs to be reported to Xia Capital headquarters. After all, this concerns all of humanity. Of course, the matter of the stone tablet can also be reported to them, but we absolutely cannot give the stone tablet to headquarters. If they want to study it, let them send people here."
"And the most important thing is that we need to conduct a series of observations on Lin Fan."
Master Yongxin said, "That makes a lot of sense. I think Lin Fan is quite remarkable. It's truly fortunate for us humans to have such a strong individual."
Lin Daoming looked at Master Yongxin strangely. "Baldy, I find you very odd now. Why are you praising a young man so much? Honestly, is it because you see his strength and want to hug his thigh?"
"Hmm?" Master Yongxin glared at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? I treat everyone with kindness. Young friend Lin is a good person, and I like him very much."
He certainly couldn't say, "How did you know?"
Regardless, if he told him, where would he put his face?
"Quiet."
The one-eyed man spoke.
"You all know Lin Fan's strength. It's a realm we can't touch. So my idea is simple. If we can also possess such a cultivation system, we can definitely become stronger. Then, when facing the evil entities, we'll have a greater chance."
"Don't you agree?"
Lin Daoming said, "That's true, but the key problem is that his cultivation method seems a bit strange. We've investigated it before, but haven't the results always been the same?"
"No, this time is definitely different," the one-eyed man said seriously.
A confident one-eyed man is the most charming.
The members in the meeting room were curious about the one-eyed man's confidence. What method did he have?
Xia Capital Headquarters.
"They went to Mount Tai?" Chief Xu asked in shock.
Standing before him was the head of intelligence. "Yes, this is the latest intelligence report. Not only did they go to Mount Tai, but they also returned safely. They found a stone tablet there, which they said seems to be called the Demon Subduing Tablet."
Chief Xu was very surprised, then said, "Have them send the stone tablet here."
"Chief, they said the stone tablet will remain in Yanhai City. If headquarters wants to know what's inscribed on it, they should send professionals there to study it together."
"So they've blocked that path completely?"
He also knew the one-eyed man's character.
This time, it was the Yanhai City branch that found the item from Mount Tai. It was obviously impossible for them to hand it over to Xia Capital headquarters.
In the end, there was no other way.
Xia Capital headquarters dispatched professionals to Yanhai City for joint research.
The ancient script could be Daoist or Buddhist, requiring expert linguists to study it slowly. Fortunately, such experts, though scarce, could still be found.
The Demon God's Home.
The two sisters lived in Yanhai City. If the Special Department knew that the Demon God lived in the same city as them, they definitely wouldn't be able to sleep well.
"Sister, have you sensed the situation at Mount Tai? Chi seems to have appeared," the younger Demon God sister said.
The older Demon God sister savored the sweet cake. "If you can sense it, do you think I can't?"
"Sister, I find you very sarcastic now. Those darn human TV dramas, how could they influence you to such an extent?" The younger sister felt her sister had changed. She wasn't like this before. Recently, she had accompanied her sister in watching many TV dramas, all about scheming and arrogant women. Even her way of speaking had changed.
"Hehe." The older sister rolled her eyes.
"Sister, can you please stop with the 'hehe'? I know what it means."
"Hehe!"
The younger sister didn't want to talk. She turned her head away, tilting it to the side, thinking about what to do next.
May 15th!
The weather was fine.
"Lin Fan, don't be nervous or agitated. This is a normal check-up. Just relax," the one-eyed man soothed Lin Fan's already calm mind.
At this moment, the scene was filled with Yanhai City's most professional experts. anatomists.
Musculoskeletal specialists.
And all sorts of high-end equipment.
The one-eyed man wanted to examine Lin Fan's physical condition. Although the previous simple examination hadn't yielded any useful information, this time was different. With so many experts gathered, what problems could there be?
Lin Fan said, "I'm very calm."
Old Zhang stood there talking to a middle-aged man in a white coat. "This equipment looks pretty good. Are you a doctor too?"
The middle-aged man in the white coat, seeing Old Zhang's age, assumed he was a high-ranking official and respectfully replied, "Yes, I am."
Old Zhang said, "I'm a doctor too. We can exchange notes sometime."
"Absolutely no problem," the middle-aged man said, flattered.
Old Zhang nodded with satisfaction.
To him, the equipment here was all very advanced, dazzling him. He had thought about taking out his precious needles and sharing them, but decided against it. His acupuncture skills were too superb; it wouldn't be good if someone coveted them.
"Begin the test," the one-eyed man said.
Soon, all sorts of equipment whirred to life.
A group of people busily recorded data.
This was the first time for such a situation. What the one-eyed man wanted to know most was how Lin Fan cultivated. To be honest, he still hadn't figured it out.
When he asked Hao Ren, he knew he was being foolish again. If Hao Ren knew, would he have kept it hidden until now?
As for Hao Ren…
He was truly baffled. Although he knew Lin Fan was extraordinary, after all, when he was courting death at the青山 Mental Hospital, ordinary people would definitely have died, but Lin Fan managed to pull through every time.
To say there was nothing unusual about it…
Would be a lie.
It's just that he truly hadn't expected Lin Fan to be so strong, strong to the point of exceeding the limits of human comprehension.
The test concluded.
The one-eyed man held the test report, his brow furrowed, muttering, "Impossible, how is this possible?"
Looking at the unremarkable test results…
He truly couldn't believe it.
All the data was normal.
There was nothing unusual.
"Chief, perhaps there's a problem with our equipment," a person in a white coat said, trying to comfort the one-eyed man, seeing his incredulous expression.
The one-eyed man shook his head. "It's not the equipment. This…"
He looked at the relaxed Lin Fan and sighed helplessly, finally understanding. Perhaps this was the truth. This equipment simply couldn't detect his true condition.
Master Yongxin said, "Could it be that we're looking in the wrong direction?"
Lin Daoming said, "Perhaps this is the so-called 'return to the basics.'"
"Sigh!" The one-eyed man sighed deeply. He didn't understand what they were saying at all. Return to the basics? Return to what basics?
The failure of the test didn't disappoint the one-eyed man. He felt there was just a slight problem, and they would definitely find it in the future.
At this moment, Old Zhang came to the one-eyed man's side, staring curiously at his eye. "Do you still trust me?"
When he said this…
He was full of anticipation.
The one-eyed man looked at Old Zhang, recalling past experiences. To be honest, they had a significant impact on him. Having been hospitalized multiple times, having suffered losses, he wouldn't be fooled again.
But sometimes, when he thought about it…
Old Zhang did have genuine skills.
The one-eyed man's heart was restless, repeatedly wanting to try again.
But thinking about the consequences…
His heart ached.
"We'll talk about it later," the one-eyed man declined, not in the mood to discuss this now.
The examination ended.
Lin Fan took Old Zhang and the hen to go shopping again.
The previous events had no impact on him. Although he didn't quite understand why the one-eyed man did that, he felt it was somewhat interesting, perhaps checking his physical condition.
"How did you feel during the examination?" Old Zhang asked.
Lin Fan replied, "Nothing special."
"Alright, I thought there might be something different," Old Zhang said. He was just testing the waters. Fortunately, Lin Fan said he didn't feel anything. Otherwise, Old Zhang would definitely regret not experiencing it properly himself.
As they walked…
Lin Fan stopped and looked around. The streets were crowded with people, and they didn't stand out in the crowd.
"What's wrong?" Old Zhang asked curiously.
Lin Fan pointed towards the distance. "Just now, I felt someone watching us from over there."
Old Zhang followed Lin Fan's gaze. "How's that possible? That's a tall building over there. How could someone be watching us from a tall building? If they were really looking for us, they could just walk over. There's no need to stand so far away."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
Far away, on the roof of a World Trade Center building…
"Holy crap, he can detect me from such a distance?" A man squatted there, drenched in sweat. The telescope beside him betrayed his identity. Using such equipment to peek at others, he was very likely the legendary peeping Tom.
The man's face was painted with a playing card, the King of Spades. He was indeed handsome, but his eyes held a sinister glint.
"It must be an illusion," the playing card man muttered to himself, then confidently declared, "Definitely an illusion. I'm hiding so well, how could I be discovered? The eye contact just now was just a coincidence. I'm scaring myself. I could really scare myself to death."
His self-comforting ability was very strong.
He quickly figured it out.
Packing up his things, he immediately vanished from the rooftop.
Special Department
"We've figured it out!"
"We've finally cracked the code!"
A group of experts cheered. They were deeply interested in ancient texts, and the study of an ancient stone tablet had them incredibly excited. They had practically threatened violence if they weren't allowed to study it.
The stone tablet had been brought back from Mount Tai some time ago. Since then, these experts had been working day and night, completely absorbed in their research, poring over various ancient texts. Early on, they had determined that the inscriptions were a mixture of Daoist and Buddhist scriptures. With this target in mind, their progress accelerated.
The one-eyed man asked urgently, "What is it?"
"Based on our research, the text on this stone tablet is a demon-suppressing scripture jointly created by Buddhist and Daoist masters," an expert explained. "We've found references to these scriptures in some excavated ancient texts, but we never imagined they possessed such power. Our conclusion is that ancient myths have a high probability of being true."
They had always studied ancient texts and admired the wisdom of the ancients, but they had always treated it as an academic pursuit, exploring the ancient people's understanding of the world. But now… the possibility that myths were real significantly impacted their worldview.
The one-eyed man asked, "Which scriptures are they?"
The expert replied, "The stone tablet contains a mixture of two scriptures: the Buddhist Śūraṅgama Mantra and the Daoist High Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Scripture."
"The Śūraṅgama Mantra? Does it have such power?" Master Yongxin asked in surprise, his mind racing. He knew of this mantra but had never imagined it possessed such abilities. He felt like they were exaggerating.
Regardless, he had thoroughly studied Buddhist scriptures, large and small, and had never sensed such power from the Śūraṅgama Mantra.
Daoist master Liu Haichan smiled. "I never thought that in ancient times, our Daoist High Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Scripture would have such power. Lin Daoming, why do you think this is?"
The gap-toothed Maoshan master, Lin Daoming, rolled his eyes, speechless. What could he say to such blatant boasting?
"Heh, heh," Lin Daoming chuckled, offering a small protest. He had always firmly believed that Maoshan was the strongest.
All other Buddhist and Daoist sects could step aside.
"Quiet down, everyone," the one-eyed man said, raising his hand to silence them. Then, in a deep voice, he continued, "As we continue to unveil the mysteries of the ancient world, all of you have more or less come to a realization. This world is not as simple as we imagine. Our understanding of these evil creatures is perhaps too limited."
"You are from headquarters, so you can report these findings to them. Next, there's an even more important matter. I think we need to find all the ancient texts we've overlooked and carefully search for the secrets hidden within them, the secrets we don't know."
The one-eyed man believed that ancient myths were real. Things they had previously dismissed as myths might very well be true.
Everyone remained silent, but the meaning in their eyes was clear. They sensed that a new chapter was about to be unearthed by them.
"Yes, understood."
"I'll report this information to headquarters immediately."
"This will be the greatest discovery for mankind."
Everyone felt a burning flame in their chests. They were filled with pride. For them, this discovery was the result of their tireless efforts. It was a testament to their dedication.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan and Old Zhang were enjoying drinks at a milk tea shop.
Two glasses of Mojito sat before them. The slightly alcoholic beverage was a bit strong for Old Zhang, but Lin Fan enjoyed it immensely.
It was an ordinary scene, but Lin Fan noticed a woman. She wore a hat, dark sunglasses, and a mask, concealing herself completely. It was impossible to tell who she was from her appearance.
"Lin Fan, what's wrong?" Old Zhang asked, noticing Lin Fan's distraction. They knew each other so well that they could detect even the slightest change in each other's mood. Lin Fan's eyes darted around as if he was searching for something or perhaps avoiding something.
Lin Fan said, "I saw my wife."
"Wife?" Old Zhang's eyes widened as he looked around. "I don't see your wife."
Recently, Old Zhang had noticed that Lin Fan's mental state wasn't quite right. It seemed to have started after they left Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
It was difficult. It was troubling.
He wanted to take Lin Fan back to Qingshan, back to their home, where it was safest.
Lin Fan held his drink with both hands, glancing sideways. "She's right across from us."
"Then go talk to her," Old Zhang said.
Lin Fan replied, "She doesn't seem to know who I am."
Old Zhang pondered this, then patted Lin Fan's shoulder, offering an encouraging smile. "I think when you meet your wife, you should boldly acknowledge her. And if possible, I hope you can ask her to buy us a drink. We're out of money."
Jin Heli had lent Lin Fan a thousand yuan last time, but after the trip to Mount Tai, he discovered the money was missing, leaving him with only a few dozen yuan. He was truly broke.
Even these two drinks had been purchased with money he'd scrounged up after a long search.
"Can I really do that?" Lin Fan asked.
Old Zhang nodded emphatically. "Don't you trust me? I'm very experienced in these matters."
"I trust you," Lin Fan said.
The situation was quite awkward. One dared to suggest, and the other dared to believe. It was a frightening thought.
Lin Fan got up and walked towards the woman.
Mu Qing was nervous. She was fully disguised, alone, and no one knew she was there. She sat quietly, watching Lin Fan, her mind preoccupied with a single question: What was he thinking?
They had never met, so why did he insist she was his wife? It was a strange notion. Even forced sales didn't work like this.
"He's coming. He's really coming," Mu Qing thought. She had assumed he hadn't noticed her and felt a sense of relief, but as Lin Fan drew closer, she realized things weren't so simple.
He recognized her even through her disguise. His eyes were sharp.
"Hey! Wife," Lin Fan greeted her with a smile.
Mu Qing quickly raised her hand. "Wait, you might be mistaken. I'm really not your wife. If I were your wife, wouldn't I know you were my husband?"
"Uh…" Lin Fan wasn't eloquent. Hearing this, he lowered his head, fiddling with his drink, momentarily speechless.
"I'm dressed like this, and you can still recognize me. How did you do that?" Mu Qing asked curiously. If he could recognize her like this, he could be a top-tier paparazzi, capable of identifying anyone regardless of their disguise. That was quite a skill.
"The scent. I recognized your scent," Lin Fan said.
Mu Qing wanted to rip off her mask and stare at him in disbelief.
Scent?
My goodness.
That was even better than a dog's nose.
"Look, handsome, you're flirting in a way that I don't even know how to respond. Do you understand?" Mu Qing asked.
Lin Fan shook his head. "Not really."
Mu Qing rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Then how do you know me, and for how long?"
Lin Fan thought for a moment. "A long time. I think I met you in a dream. I watched you die."
"Die?" Mu Qing couldn't process Lin Fan's words. He had effectively killed the conversation. Why would he say he watched her die? It was unsettling.
"Yes, you died of old age," Lin Fan said.
Mu Qing pondered this, now suspecting he might be delusional.
"Then how did you pursue me in this dream?"
Lin Fan shook his head. "I didn't pursue you. You said that if I married you, you would give me something. I agreed to save Xiaobao. Then, every night, you liked to take off my pants. I was troubled by this, but you seemed to enjoy it, so I went along with it."
If she had a knife, Mu Qing might have stabbed Lin Fan right then and there. He was going too far.
He dared to say she took off his pants?
And that she was enthusiastic about it?
Did she look like that kind of person?
"Wait, you just said it was in a dream, so it's not real. Why are you so sure I'm your wife? You know I'm a public figure. It's normal for men to have dreams about their idols being their wives, isn't it?" Mu Qing argued.
Her reasoning was sound. It wasn't an impossible scenario. It was just a fantasy.
Lin Fan said, "No, I don't think I'm mistaken. I won't forget your scent."
Mu Qing was about to say something but was momentarily silenced by Lin Fan's words. She felt that his situation might be serious. It was definitely not simple.
Could he be… mentally ill?
"You keep saying it's the scent, but is there any other proof?" Mu Qing asked.
She was almost amused by his words. She had encountered many people trying to pick her up, using various methods, but she had never seen such a straightforward approach.
"Hmm…" Lin Fan thought carefully, then said, "You have a scar on your arm."
Mu Qing raised her arm. "That can't be considered proof. I've had it since I was a child, and it's visible when I wear short sleeves."
"I bit you. It matches the arrangement of my teeth," Lin Fan said, baring his teeth and pointing at them.
Mu Qing knew about the scar on her wrist. It did look like a bite mark. But believing him based on that alone was impossible.
"If that's all, who would believe it?"
"Is there anything else?"
Lin Fan thought hard, then said, "I remember you told me before that your breasts are very white."
Mu Qing took a deep breath. She really wanted to hit him.
"Many people have white skin. What's the point of saying that?" Mu Qing suppressed her urge to lash out. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she knew she couldn't beat him.
She had already figured out his situation. He was powerful. The strongest in Yanhai City. No one could match him.
Lin Fan continued, "I've seen them, and you told me you don't have any hair there, and it's natural. I was curious about that for a long time. You knew I was curious, so you even let me study it closely."
"What you're saying… You…" Mu Qing didn't react at first, but gradually, she realized something was wrong. The way he looked at her was filled with innocence and sincerity.
Suddenly, Mu Qing's face, hidden behind the mask, flushed with anger and embarrassment. Her chest heaved.
"You… peeped at me."
He had admitted it himself. It was exactly as Lin Fan had described.
Lin Fan shook his head. "I didn't peep. You let me look, so I looked."
Mu Qing grabbed her bag and turned to leave. She felt that if she continued the conversation, she wouldn't be able to control her anger, and it wouldn't be good to hurt innocent people.
"Wait…" Lin Fan called out.
"What else do you have to say?" Mu Qing asked.
Lin Fan scratched his head and smiled. "Can you buy me and Old Zhang two drinks?"
Silence.
The atmosphere shifted.
The weather suddenly turned unpleasant.
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