Striving for Science C23 pt1

Yao Huailin's first reaction was that the scenic area manager was lying, but as he carefully observed the manager's expression, he knew the truth. Unless the manager was an Oscar-winning actor.

The manager was afraid Yao Huailin didn't believe his words and quickly explained, "If you don't believe me, you can check the tourist brochure, our tourist navigation map, there's never been any such mountain villa."

Yao Huailin flipped open the scenic area brochure, and there was indeed no relevant road sign for that mountain villa. The police station's technical personnel checked the satellite plan view, and there was no such mountain villa on it.

This mountain villa was hidden in the thick fog, as if it had suddenly appeared, a monster. Even more bizarre was that there were so many skeletons inside.

After sending the scenic area manager back, Yao Huailin took a few sips of strong tea and retrieved some surveillance footage from the scenic area.

He then discovered that because of the heavy fog that morning, the scenic area had closed its gates to visitors, so the entrance was very quiet. At around 8:40, a black car drove into the park, a young man got out of the car and walked directly towards the ticket office.

"Shen Chang'an…"

Yao Huailin clicked on the surveillance footage in the ticket office, and found that it was empty, but Shen Chang'an spoke to the empty ticket office, then took a few tickets and the scenic area brochure and left.

Then the scenic area gate slowly opened, letting Shen Chang'an's car into the park, the black car quickly disappeared into the fog.

The police officer who was watching the surveillance video with Yao Huailin felt a chill run down his spine. He picked up his police cap and quickly put it on, the light of the national emblem could protect him from evil spirits.

"Brother Yao, this guy... doesn't know he's seen a ghost in broad daylight, does he?" The police officer shivered, "Those we caught today, are they really people or…"

Just then, the office door was knocked on, Captain Li and two colleagues walked in with a few strangers.

"These are colleagues from the security department, the case is being transferred to them today." Captain Li glanced at the surveillance video playing on the computer screen, reached out to turn off the computer, and turned to the strangers, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's our duty." The people from the security department were very gentle, but their actions were very quick. They took away everything related to the case, including the computer that played the surveillance video.

After seeing off the security department colleagues with Captain Li, Yao Huailin's sleepy brain was a bit numb. He followed Captain Li to the captain's office in a daze, "Captain Li, does this count as Shen Chang'an seeing a ghost in broad daylight?"

"The case has been transferred to the higher authorities, we should not discuss it casually before the case is solved." Captain Li was older and had experienced all sorts of cases, he knew what could and couldn't be discussed, "You've been working hard lately, go home early tonight and get some rest."

"After watching that video, how can I sleep?" Yao Huailin wiped his face and slumped into the chair without any image, "I didn't expect Shen Chang'an to be so bold, he not only didn't get unlucky when he met a ghost, but also saved people. If this plot was made into a drama, it would be given a bad rating by the audience, right?"

"You're overthinking, there are no ghosts in our country's TV dramas." Captain Li patted him on the shoulder, "Alright, get off work."

Yao Huailin took out his phone and sent a message to Shen Chang'an.

Yao Huailin: Shen Chang'an, you're awesome.

Shen Chang'an, who was considered incredibly awesome in Yao Huailin's heart, was riding a shared bicycle at this moment, with two "tail-enders" behind him.

The two of them kept talking, one after another, making his head buzz.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll call the police and report you for malicious stalking and attempted robbery." Shen Chang'an jumped off the bicycle and glared at the two, "Don't bother me, if you have something to say, say it tomorrow, okay?"

Seeing that Shen Chang'an was on the verge of rage, Wu Wei dared not follow him anymore. He said, "After I explained to the school that the thesis was yours, I came back and found that you had already left the school, and you didn't even attend the graduation ceremony. I don't know if it's my fault, but Chang'an, please believe me, I really wouldn't do something like stealing my brother's thesis."

"I know." Shen Chang'an glanced at Zhang Gu, Zhang Gu chuckled, "Then you two chat slowly, I'll go first." He pretended to turn his bike around and ride in the opposite direction, but while Shen Chang'an wasn't paying attention, he cast a tracking spell on him.

After Zhang Gu left, Shen Chang'an and Wu Wei were quiet for a while. Wu Wei scratched his head, "I don't know how to explain it, it's just that a few years ago I helped a lost child go home, and then I don't know what happened, the child died and became a ghost following me, saying that he owed me a favor and wanted to repay me."

“During the thesis competition, I bragged to a friend about how well you wrote your paper, saying it would definitely win first place. I was just there to make up the numbers,” Wu Wei chuckled awkwardly. “Who knew that the ghost who was secretly following me overheard that? I don't know what he did, but he swapped our thesis content.”

At the time, he was furious and asked the ghost why he did that. But the ghost, who was only six or seven years old, thought it was perfectly fine to help him win first place. He couldn't reason with a ghost that young, nor could he feel good about taking someone else's work. So, he went to the school authorities to explain.

But when he came out of the school leaders' office, he heard from his roommate that Chang'an had already packed his bags and left in a hurry. For the past year, Chang'an hasn't contacted anyone, and he's searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of him.

This incident became a heavy stone on his heart, always feeling that he wouldn't find peace until he cleared things up.

“I know this reason sounds absurd to anyone, but…” Wu Wei continued scratching his head, “I really didn't lie to you.”

“What about the ghost?” Shen Chang'an asked.

“I don't know. He disappeared after I got first place. Maybe he felt he had repaid his debt and reincarnated?” Wu Wei sighed, finding the whole thing ridiculous. “I think he wasn't here to repay a debt, but to seek revenge on me.”

If it were before, Wu Wei using this reason to explain the thesis swap, Shen Chang'an would have undoubtedly smashed his head in. But today, he was unsure.

He rubbed his nose, realizing it was empty, and remembered he had taken off his glasses and forgotten to put them back on.

He sighed. Oh well, lost is lost.

“Don't sigh,” Wu Wei said. “I swear on all the good luck I have for the rest of my life that I'm not lying to you.” Although his luck in the past year hadn't been very good.

“I don't disbelieve you, it's just…” Shen Chang'an shook his head, “My worldview is a bit shattered.”

“It's okay, my worldview turned to dust when I first saw a ghost. You get used to it.” Wu Wei pulled out his phone. “I thought being transferred to Wuming City to work was a bad thing, but I didn't expect to meet you. It seems my bad luck is about to end. Since we've cleared up the misunderstanding, how about we exchange contact information?”

Shen Chang'an looked at him for two seconds: “Don't tell anyone I'm here.”

Although Wu Wei didn't understand why, he still nodded in agreement.

After exchanging contact information with Wu Wei and listening to his endless chatter, Shen Chang'an finally returned home.

The quiet and empty house finally gave him a chance to think. He lay on the bed in a spread-eagle position, suddenly thinking about the ancient tree outside the office building.

Sun Jia, Miao Miao, the ancient tree, playmates…

He rolled over and got out of bed, grabbed his phone and keys, and rushed downstairs.

The streetlight outside the Civil Service Department office building was broken, and the courtyard was dark, making it impossible to see anything. Shen Chang'an used his key to open the dilapidated courtyard gate and walked to the giant tree.

As soon as he approached the tree, the leaves rustled, as if blown by the wind, or as if it were afraid.

“Come out.” Shen Chang'an stared at the tree for a while, then suddenly spoke.

The tree didn't react.

“I heard trees are afraid of salt water. I bought a lot of salt at home. If…”

“Damaging protected trees is illegal.” A faint voice came from the tree, but no one appeared.

“Hurting others is against the law.” Shen Chang'an said, “Since you understand human law, why do you still, for your own selfish desires, steal the souls of others, causing a family to live in pain? If I hadn't accidentally released Sun Jia's soul, he would have been a fool for life, and his parents would have been worried about him until their deaths.”

"And as he was leaving, he was still thinking about you, his childhood friend. You say humans are untrustworthy, but I think you, the yao*, is the cold-blooded one, only thinking about yourself.” Shen Chang'an sneered, “Just because you're a yao, you can do whatever you want?”

TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoguai

The big tree sensed the change in Shen Chang'an's tone and trembled violently: “What else do you want? Because of you, I lost decades of cultivation, and I can't even transform into a human.”

Hearing this, Shen Chang'an remembered that night. He thought that tree yaos and ghosts were things that only appeared in dreams, so he beat them up. It wasn't a dream, he was just deceiving himself, treating everything as a dream.

He remembered that he just dragged the green-haired ghost over and beat his butt. Why did he lose decades of cultivation?

Now even monsters are learning from talent shows and starting to play the victim?

"If I had known you were the reincarnation of a ten-life merit body, I would have rather uprooted myself and left than provoke you." The big tree was still trembling, "My cultivation is low, I finally managed to absorb the moonlight day and night to transform into a human, how could I provoke someone like you?" The tree yao's voice was filled with grievance and regret, "With your kind of physique, you don't cultivate Buddhism, you come to deal with old men and women, are you crazy?"

"You hurt others, causing the whole family to fall into pain, and this is your consequence." Shen Chang'an was suspicious, what did ten-life merit body mean? He didn't know how much the tree yao knew, so he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "What's so great about a ten-life merit body, the days when you can't eat meat are the scariest."

"What's not great?!" If it could transform into a human at this moment, the tree yao would have jumped out and shaken Shen Chang'an's head, to see if there was a brain or water inside, "A ten-life merit body is rare in a thousand years, ghosts and yaos cannot approach. If it were a time of abundant spiritual energy, you could cultivate into an immortal, live forever, and never have to experience any suffering, isn't that what many people dream of?"

"But it's not a time of abundant spiritual energy, is it?" After hearing the tree yao's words, Shen Chang'an's doubts grew even stronger. If he really was a body that ghosts and yaos couldn't approach, why did he have so many dreams related to evil spirits?

"You didn't cultivate Daoism, nor did you cultivate Buddhism, how did you survive before adulthood?" The tree yao asked, "A ten-life merit body is a body that is immune to all evils, but before adulthood, because the fate is unstable, it is the ten-all-great tonic for all kinds of great yaos and old ghosts. Have you read Journey to the West*? Before adulthood, your soul is equivalent to Xuanzang's flesh to those demons and evil spirits.

TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West or you know, Black Myth Wukong

"Do you also have a noble person similar to Sun Wukong?"

Shen Chang'an: "..."

Thinking back to how he tried every way to fight ghosts in his dreams, Shen Chang'an felt that he was probably a mutated version of a martial arts-style Xuanzang.

"Or, do you live in a place with abundant righteous energy?" The tree yao was still muttering.

Shen Chang'an was stunned, live in a place with abundant righteous energy?

He looked up at the big tree, his eyes deep.

"You, you, don't look at me like that, I'm just chatting, just chatting." The tree had been scared by Shen Chang'an, afraid that he would knock it a few more times, he wouldn't even be able to keep his spiritual consciousness, and would become an ordinary tree, so he quickly said good things: "I dare to swear to the Dao, I've only done this one bad thing in my life."

Today is probably a good day to swear, this is the second person to swear to him.

"You admit that you did something bad?" Shen Chang'an sneered, withdrawing his gaze, "Go and reform yourself, don't think about transforming into a human until you truly make amends for your mistakes."

"Wait, brother, boss, grandpa, I'll call you grandpa, okay…"

Shen Chang'an ignored the tree yao's shouts. He strode out of the courtyard, locked the courtyard door, and looked at the dim streetlights on both sides of the road. He suddenly felt a sense of loneliness, the world was vast, but there was no warmth to bring him home.

Taking out his phone, Shen Chang'an saw Yao Huailin had sent a strange message. He ignored it and sent a message to Dao Nian.

Chang'an: Dao Nian, do you believe in ghosts and gods in this world?

He had asked Dao Nian this question before, but tonight, he suddenly wanted to ask again. Maybe he didn't want to know the answer, he was just deceiving himself, when he was lost, he had someone to ask.

After sending the message, Shen Chang'an felt his action was a bit ridiculous and wanted to retract it.

Nian: ?

Looking at this simple greeting, Shen Chang'an suddenly smiled. He didn't retract the message and quickly replied to Dao Nian.

Chang'an: Someone just told me a story, and it made me think.

Nian: No, don't believe it.

Shen Chang'an deleted the words "Maybe there really are ghosts and monsters in this world" one by one.

Chang'an: Yeah, I don't believe it.

Dao Nian put away his phone and asked Liu Mao, who was standing before him with his head bowed, "Go and add another scientific propaganda fund tomorrow."

Liu Mao immediately nodded: "Okay, sir."