Striving for Science C39 pt2

Dao Nian sat by the window, watching Shen Chang'an joking around with his colleagues, he pulled the curtains closed and retracted his gaze, turning to Liu Mao and said, "Let's eat dinner."

Liu Mao said, "Sir, you should order the capture of the life force. If we destroy it, there might be a chance."

"Then what?" Dao Nian asked back, "Even if we avoid this disaster this time, there will be another next time. The Great Dao let that life force escape, it was meant to restrain me. Before it dissipated, it had already calculated everything. If it were so easy to find this life force, why would the Great Dao go through all this trouble?"

"Then you…"

"Dao Nian." Shen Chang'an's footsteps came from outside, he knocked on the door, pushed it open and poked his head in: "Dinner has your favorite fish, it's steamed."

He saw Liu Mao's expression was a bit grim, thinking they were discussing work matters, he said, "You guys chat slowly, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground. The closing door clipped his head.

"Old Zhao, bring some medicine up, Mr. Shen's head got caught in the door."

Shen Chang'an: No, my brain is fine, it wasn't caught in a door.

"It's okay?" A hand reached out in front of him, Dao Nian sat in his wheelchair, bending down to look at him.

"It's okay." Shen Chang'an weakly grabbed Dao Nian's hand, not daring to really use force, he was afraid he would pull Dao Nian out of the wheelchair, "Dao Nian, is your door made of solid wood? It hurts so much when you bump into it."

"Sticking your head into the crack of a door is a dangerous move." Dao Nian rubbed the bump on his head, "It's okay, it'll be fine after a night's sleep."

"I've probably been cursed with bad luck lately." Shen Chang'an was in so much pain that tears were welling up in his eyes, "Otherwise, why would I keep encountering such frustrating things?"

"Bad luck?"

"It means your luck isn't very good."

"It's okay." Dao Nian touched his head, "I'll lend you my luck, it'll be fine."

"Thank you." Shen Chang'an knew Dao Nian was trying to make a joke with him, even though it wasn't very funny, he still cooperated and stood up, pushing Dao Nian downstairs.

When he went to sleep that night, Shen Chang'an had a strange dream. In the dream, he was a small star, and not far from him, there was a big, bright star.

The big star had a dazzling glow, bright and beautiful. Suddenly, the big star approached him, and he was scared and hid back. But the big star didn't hurt him, instead, it shared some of its light with him.

He instantly transformed from dusty to sparkling, then the big star carried him to many magical places, the ocean floor, the sky, the vast universe.

In the darkness, lying in bed, Shen Chang'an unconsciously smiled happily.

The night wind danced gently, allowing this beautiful dream to continue.

***

After staying at Dao Nian's house for a few days under the pretense of recuperating, Shen Chang'an went to work and received the sports schedule from Xu Ze.

Great, they actually signed him up for five or six events. Perhaps feeling a little guilty, after receiving the events list, Chen Panpan gave him two boxes of yogurt, Ding Yang gave him two bottles of homemade chili sauce, and Xu Ze gave him a box of chocolate.

They called it a "comradely encouragement package."

"Let's not talk about 'comradery', shall we?" Shen Chang'an ate the yogurt Chen Panpan gave him. "By the way, where are Aunt Juan and Director Du?"

"They were called to a meeting for the sports meet." Chen Panpan replied. "By the way, I just received a call from another department saying that there was a Daoist arguing with the staff at the bio-tech company you went to last time. Apparently, the Daoist insisted that the company was haunted and the security guards wouldn't let him in. Do you want to go take a look?"

"Isn't that already settled?" Ding Yang was a little confused. "I still have a pile of forms to fill out today, I don't have time to go."

"I'll go." Shen Chang'an stuffed the sports schedule into his drawer, grabbed his car keys, and said, "I have a lighter workload today anyway."

"Look at Chang'an, then look at you." Chen Panpan watched Shen Chang'an's departing figure and said to Ding Yang, "With such work enthusiasm and attitude, are you not ashamed?"

"I was just as enthusiastic when I first started working." Ding Yang shook his head. "But bad company corrupts good character."

"Get lost!"

A folder was thrown at him, knocking him to the ground.

***

Hearing Chen Panpan say that a Daoist insisted that there were ghosts in the Changfeng branch, Shen Chang'an felt something was wrong. He rushed over to the company and saw two police officers lecturing a man in a Daoist robe. The man being lectured was expressionless, looking at the police officers as if they were ignorant mortals.

It was a good thing these two police officers had good tempers. If they had encountered some hot-headed young men, they might have been beaten up on the spot.

"Excuse me, I'd like to interrupt." Shen Chang'an walked over with a thick face. "I'm a staff member of the Civil Service Department. I heard that someone is spreading superstitious beliefs here, so I came to take a look."

The two police officers were both quite old. Seeing Shen Chang'an, a young man with a gentle appearance, they were also friendly and explained the situation to him.

It turned out that this Daoist claimed the company was haunted and demanded to catch the ghost for free. The company employees refused, but the Daoist insisted and came to the door every day, causing a stir among the surrounding residents. The company management had no choice but to call the police.

"We thought he was just a fake Daoist trying to scam money, but he actually has a legitimate Daoist certificate issued by the association." The police officer was a little embarrassed. If they forcibly took the Daoist away, they were afraid that the association would accuse them of disrespecting their beliefs. But if they didn't take him away, the Daoist wouldn't listen to reason. No matter how they explained it, he insisted that there were ghosts inside.

“If you keep making a fuss, we'll have to take you to the police station.”

“Heh.” The yellow-robed Daoist sneered. “You don't know anything. If you take me to the police station, you'll be responsible for any consequences.”

“I'm perfectly fine, what could happen?” General manager Wang couldn't take it anymore and walked out of the security room. Seeing Shen Chang'an also approaching, he gave him a polite smile, then turned back to the yellow-robed Daoist. “Don't spread rumors. Since Mr. Shen helped us identify the system problem, our company's production line has returned to normal. If you say our company is haunted, why is everything back to normal?”

“That's because he's no longer planning to use such petty tricks against you.” The yellow-robed Daoist calculated with his fingers. “If our calculations are correct, the ghost died forty-seven days ago. This ghost's destiny is extraordinary. If he is not appeased or subdued within forty-nine days after death, he will become a malevolent spirit, harming countless people.”

Shen Chang'an glanced at him but didn't say anything.

“What forty-nine days, I've got eighty-one days.” Ever since Shen Chang'an helped him identify the real problem, general manager Wang felt that all this talk of ghosts and spirits was nonsense. He looked at the two police officers helplessly. “Comrades, if he keeps making a scene, it's not good for our company's reputation. What do you think…?”

The two police officers sighed and decided to take the Daoist away in the police car, lest the situation escalate further, attracting crowds and spreading unfavorable rumors.

“Please wait.” A car pulled up to the company entrance, and an old man wearing a blue cotton jacket stepped out. The old man had a rosy complexion and snow-white hair, making it impossible to tell his true age.

“Master.” The yellow-robed Daoist lowered his head, his arrogance disappearing upon seeing the old man.

“Don't call me Master, I've already expelled you from the sect.” The old man walked up to the two police officers and bowed his head in apology. “I apologize for the trouble, comrades. Our association strongly opposes the promotion of superstitious beliefs. He violated the Daoist handbook regulations. After this incident, his Daoist status will be revoked according to the rules.”

"Master!" The yellow-robed Daoist looked at the old man in shock, his eyes filled with grievance, anger, and unwillingness. "Why do you always treat me like this? Do you think I'm not as good as those mediocre senior brothers and sisters?"

"Before doing anything, one must first learn to be a good person. Even if you have exceptional talent, if your character is flawed, then everything is in vain." The old man lowered his eyelids, his voice calm. 

"When you left the mountain after completing your studies, you hunted down ghosts and yaos mercilessly. I thought you were just young and didn't understand. But after all these years, you're still the same. Whether it's humans or ghosts, before acting, one must consider good and evil. Your extreme bias will only lead to more mistakes."

“Master!”

"There is no master-disciple bond between us. From now on... don't call me Master anymore."

The two police officers were a bit dumbfounded. They didn't expect that responding to a call would lead them to witness a live "expulsion from the sect" scene. This was a classic scene from countless martial arts novels.

Usually, when the protagonist is expelled from their sect, it means they're about to become successful. If it's a supporting character, it means they're going to go crazy and become a villain.

The two police officers exchanged glances and silently tightened their batons.

To nip any evil in the bud, that was their duty.

"Fine, fine, since you look down on me, I won't call you Master anymore." The yellow-robed Daoist directly threw his Daoist certificate to the ground. "Who cares!"

"Comrade, littering is not allowed." A police officer gave a quiet, friendly reminder.

The yellow-robed Daoist's surging anger, after that prompt, abruptly fell silent for two seconds. He turned to the old man and sneered, "The sect is declining generation after generation. Since you expelled me, the most talented one, I'll see if your bunch of useless disciples can hold the sect up!"

"Our sect's affairs are none of your business, outsider." The old man's voice remained calm. "Besides, your talent isn't exceptional. Any random passerby could be stronger than you." He pointed at Shen Chang'an. "Like him, for example."

Shen Chang'an: ???

Wait, what does your master-disciple feud have to do with me, an innocent worker?

"Who is he?" The yellow-robed Daoist didn't even bother to look at Shen Chang'an, furious that the old man was comparing a random passerby to him. "Can he control the wind and rain, summon soldiers from beans, or summon spirits?"

"Even if he can't do anything, he's still better than you if he learns a little." The old man, despite his age, was quite good at provoking people. "You've been learning for so many years, can you control the wind and rain, summon soldiers from beans, or summon spirits?"

"Can you?" The yellow-robed Daoist retorted.

"I can't, so I keep a low profile." The old man lifted his eyelids slightly. "Since you can't do anything, why are you wandering around outside, afraid that people won't know you can't do these things?"

"You don't need to use these words to provoke me." The yellow-robed Daoist calmed down after his initial anger. "In the entire metaphysics world, who can summon spirits? You're using this to mock me, or are you mocking everyone else?"

"They don't like to show off, so what am I mocking them for?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "Besides, no one else has been caught for publicly promoting feudal superstition."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

This pair of master and disciple, who had turned against each other, were truly merciless when it came to stabbing each other in the back.

"Even so, there's no need for you to use this kind of trash to compare with me." The yellow-robed Daoist looked at Shen Chang'an with disdain, "But then again, you even treat those useless disciples as treasures, so it's no wonder you think this mediocre talent is good."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

That's going too far, he can at least summon a god yeah?