Striving for Science C23 pt2

On Monday morning, Shen Chang'an just walked into the office and saw Liu Mao and Director Du walking out with smiles. He stopped and greeted Liu Mao.

Seeing him appear, Liu Mao was very enthusiastic: "Mr. Shen, good morning, have you had breakfast?" Today, Mr. Shen didn't wear his glasses, and he looked quite energetic.

Shen Chang'an nodded.

Before Shen Chang'an could ask, Liu Mao took the initiative to explain his purpose: "Sir, I think promoting science can't rely solely on traditional print media, we also need to strengthen online promotion. So I'm here today to represent the sir and donate a sum of money to your department."

"Thank you for your company's support for our work. Your dedication to public welfare is commendable. I will definitely write a report and submit it to my superiors." 

Du Zhonghai felt his brain might be short-circuiting, and for a moment he couldn't remember the name of Liu Mao's boss, so he had to use "your company" as a substitute. "Please rest assured, we will provide detailed financial statements for all expenditures, ensuring that every penny is used for scientific promotion."

"I believe in your department, and with Mr. Shen here, we are even more reassured." Liu Mao didn't forget to emphasize Shen Chang'an's importance to his superiors. "If it weren't for Mr. Shen, we wouldn't know that your department has been working silently to promote science all this time."

"This is what we should be doing." Liu Mao smiled slightly. "Our sir always advocates for science and opposes feudal superstition. It is our honor to contribute to science."

Hearing this, Shen Chang'an secretly felt relieved. Thankfully, he didn't tell Dao Nian last night that maybe there really are ghosts and gods in this world.

For those who don't believe in the existence of gods and ghosts, any talk of gods and ghosts in front of them is undoubtedly a challenge to their worldview.

As friends, one should respect each other's beliefs, such as... believing in science?

At this moment, on a mountain peak to the north, cultivators from all walks of life looked at the surging miasma in the canyon with a sense of defeat, their eyes filled with growing worry.

"Dharma Master Yan Yin, if this continues, I fear it will not be good." An old man wearing a yellow Daoist robe coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face pale. "The sealing formation is about to collapse."

They had been here for several days, their spiritual energy almost depleted. They had no choice but to hold on.

"If all else fails, should we try to summon the gods again?" Another female Daoist wearing a purple robe walked up to the yellow-robed Daoist. "What if it succeeds this time?"

Everyone present let out a wry smile. No one had been able to successfully summon the gods in the past hundred years. As human technology advanced, they gradually understood that the gods had abandoned the human world, or perhaps, humans no longer needed the gods.

But if this miasma spill out, a major plague would break out in the human world. Although with the current level of human technology, a useful vaccine might be developed soon, this miasma would inevitably harm people's bodies.

"Let's try again." The Daoist priest in purple robes, her eyes weary, looked up at the rolling white clouds in the sky. "What if the heavens can hear our prayers?"

"Humanity has recklessly harmed nature, endlessly exploiting resources, long ago losing all reverence." Master Yan Yin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze weary. "Humans have long abandoned the divine. Countless deities have vanished from the earth. Who can we even ask for help now?"

"These miasmas, born from human greed, we can only try to minimize them." Yan Yin sighed deeply. "As long as humans have desires, these miasmas will never be completely eradicated. But all things in the world, if they want to survive, will have desires. It's a natural cycle, there's no solution."

"Amitabha, you are all fixated on appearances." Yan Yin closed his eyes and began chanting scriptures again.

The miasma in the valley writhed and twisted, gradually solidifying, as if it had gained life.

Some people pray for wealth and fortune, some pray for peace and longevity, but some, when they pray, reveal their ugliness. For example, they might wish for their partner to die, or for their hated rival's entire family to perish.

Before the divine image, they no longer conceal their desires, because they know that the deity is just a clay statue, forever unable to reveal their secrets.

But... can the gods really not hear?

***

Wuming City, Monday afternoon, two o'clock. Shen Chang'an and Chen Panpan knocked on the door of a house. The apartment reeked of neglect, and several pairs of shoes were scattered haphazardly by the entrance.

"Hello, we're from the Civil Service Department. We'd like to inquire about your family situation." Chen Panpan smiled at the middle-aged man who opened the door.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then opened the door wider, allowing Chen Panpan and Shen Chang'an to enter.

The living room floor was sticky, the coffee table was cluttered with unwashed dishes, and a layer of grease covered the surface. Shen Chang'an could even smell a faint, musty oil odor.

The middle-aged man glanced at Shen Chang'an and Chen Panpan's work badges and gestured for them to sit down. "What would you like to ask?"

Shen Chang'an looked at the sofa, stained with grime, and asked Chen Panpan to sit on the plastic stool next to it. He sat down on the dirty sofa himself. "It's like this, we heard that someone in your family is seriously ill. We're here to see if you're facing any financial difficulties."

"Who told you that? My wife's family, those nosy old women?" The man's face turned a bit ugly. He got up and closed the room door, preventing Shen Chang'an and Chen Panpan from seeing the inside. "Those old women love to gossip. My wife is fine, she just lost her soul while walking at night. I've already hired someone to retrieve her soul, she'll be fine soon."

Shen Chang'an frowned, then smiled. "What does it look like when someone loses their soul? Can I take a look?"

"What's there to see?" The man, seeing Shen Chang'an's youthful appearance, like someone fresh out of school and unaware of the world, said, "Women are naturally weak. I've told her this before, what decent woman works the night shift? But she wouldn't listen, so now she's run into something dirty."

The man's tone lacked any real concern for his wife, instead carrying a hint of "she didn't listen to me, so she got what she deserved" smugness.

Chen Panpan, being a woman herself, couldn't help but frown at the man's attitude.

"So there's such a thing?" Shen Chang'an said, feigning understanding. "Is your wife okay now? Should we take her to the hospital first? Maybe the doctors have a solution."

"Just a sip of blessed water can solve it, why waste money on that?" The man looked at Shen Chang'an with suspicion. "You people from the Civil Service Department, you can't interfere in other people's family matters, can you?"

Chen Panpan gave a forced smile, "We can't."

"Alright, I have things to do, please leave." The man's face darkened, and he opened the door. "Or I'll be rude to you."

He took out his phone and shouted loudly, "Do you believe me if I post a video online, saying you're breaking into people's homes and bullying ordinary citizens?"

"You!" Chen Panpan couldn't take it anymore. "Your wife is sick, you don't take her to the hospital, and you have the nerve to blame us?"

“She married me, she's mine. Whether I give her money for treatment or not is my business.” The man reached out to push Chen Panpan, but Shen Chang'an stopped him with a hand.

“Sir, you've been stopping us from visiting the elder sister. I suspect you're trying to harm her.” Shen Chang'an sneered, “We're her relatives from her maiden family. We can't even visit her when she's sick?”

“Mind your own business.” The man pushed Shen Chang'an, but found he couldn't budge him. He hadn't realized this tall and thin guy was so strong?

These two young people, one moment they're staff, the next they're relatives of that ugly woman. They're clearly here to cause trouble.

The man grew angrier and angrier, raising his fist to strike.

Shen Chang'an pressed the seemingly sturdy man down onto the floor with one hand. Suddenly, a sound of something falling came from the inner room, followed by a woman's weak voice.

“Help… help me…”

Chen Panpan's face instantly turned pale. She turned to look at Shen Chang'an.

Shen Chang'an increased his pressure on the man: “Panpan, call the police, call an ambulance.”

After calling the police and waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Chen Panpan realized her legs were shaky.

“Chang'an, it's a good thing you suggested we distribute flyers to every household and discovered something was wrong with this family.” Chen Panpan looked at Shen Chang'an with admiration, “Otherwise, that elder sister might have really been killed by her husband.”