Chapter 107: Wufang

With Shi Jiang as a comparison, Qin Qing couldn’t just blatantly slack off anymore.

She decided to get some actual work done.

So she nodded earnestly at Shi Jiang.

“Yes, even though I’m gossiping with you, I’m actually collecting important project intelligence from these trivial matters.”

Shi Jiang asked, “Have you discovered anything?”

Qin Qing avoided Shi Jiang’s gaze, cleared her throat, and said, “Do you see General Manager He at table number three?”

“He Luo from Luoshen Technology?”

“That’s him.”

Shi Jiang glanced over, “Aside from not being very active, I don’t see any other issues. You didn’t mention him in your gossip earlier.”

Qin Qing defended herself, “That’s because the gossip about the other bosses is just for laughs, but General Manager He’s gossip has substance.”

Shi Jiang’s eyes sparkled, “Is there some new technology we can leverage?”

“Uh, no, not exactly.”

Qin Qing stopped teasing and explained, “He Luo has been investing in a Brain-Computer Interface research project for the company for the past ten years. This project originated from a charity event the company held for autistic children. In He Luo’s vision, if this technology succeeds, it could not only reduce the high costs of current mind-typing and speech devices but also achieve millisecond-level delay in thought transmission. Furthermore, it could provide epilepsy warnings and use neurofeedback training to adjust brain rhythms for autism treatment.”

Shi Jiang said, “I don’t really understand, but it sounds like a good thing.”

Qin Qing shook her head, “Good things require sacrifice. Over the past decade, this project has burned through a lot of Luoshen Technology’s funds and achieved some technical breakthroughs, but not enough to develop a mature product that could generate revenue. The shareholders have been pressuring He Luo to shut down the project for years, but he resisted and continued funding the lab. However, not long ago, the project leader became disheartened and left, unwilling to waste any more time. With no one to lead the experiment, He Luo had to compromise and decided to sell the current technological achievements to an institution that makes prosthetics.”

Shi Jiang commented, “Cutting losses in time isn’t wrong.”

Qin Qing replied, “…Would I have told you all this if it were just that simple?”

In fact, He Luo’s decision to sell was made after careful consideration. But the path of scientific exploration is like a battlefield, where success often comes at a great cost. The institution that took over the technology didn’t use it well and soon went bankrupt, passing the package to another successor. Five years later, this company launched a product that gained national and international acclaim.

Qin Qing could see all this from He Luo’s prediction logs because he had already made the decision to sell. At the time of his decision, the brain-computer technology he had been advocating for was just one step away from maturity. He Luo fell at the threshold, where he never reached the doorway filled with flowers, applause, and the fulfillment of dreams, a catalyst for an era. Three years later, when he visited the company, he discovered that the core technology of the product was derived from Luoshen Technology’s original research. By then, it was too late for regrets.

If it were just that, it would be fine. It’s just a business decision by a businessman. If one path doesn’t work, another might. As long as it doesn’t affect the overall direction, Qin Qing wouldn’t choose to intervene. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to manage it all.

But the problem was that after the company acquired the technology and developed a product, they rested on their laurels and continued to invest in the experimental project for technological upgrades. Another three years passed, and America’s Neuralink launched a patented product that dominated the international market and imposed a technology blockade on China, making domestic purchases expensive.

He Luo’s efforts were swept away by the tides of the times.

Qin Qing looked at Shi Jiang, “If I report this to higher-ups and have the government provide economic support…”

Shi Jiang didn’t speak, but her eyes clearly expressed her thoughts.

She thought Qin Qing was overthinking it.

Qin Qing decided to give it a try anyway. She called Zhang Yao and explained everything.

To ensure clarity, she even drafted a script before making the call.

Zhang Yao said, “Qin Qing, do you know why the ownership of Imitation Tang Brocade and anti-fall chips was quickly acquired?”

“Because they’re related to national defense?”

“It’s because they’ve already demonstrated their value,” Zhang Yao’s words were thought-provoking. “Qin Qing, there are countless experimental projects with potential for success in the country…”

Qin Qing grasped a bit of the meaning.

Still, she said, “If this technology succeeds, it could support the development of a zero-gravity space brain-control system and provide strong infrastructure support for various brain science research.”

Zhang Yao fell silent.

The tip of Qin Qing’s pen bled ink onto the draft paper as she stared at the black dot, “I understand.”

She capped the pen, the red pen spinning gracefully between her slender fingers like a nimble dancer.

In the distance, fingers tapped rhythmically on a table, providing accompaniment for the dancer.

Five minutes later, the red dancer exited the stage… with a click, standing still on the table.

Qin Qing sprang up from the sofa’s indentation, “I have a way!”

Shi Jiang hurriedly followed her out.

“Aren’t we staying here?”

“There’s nothing more to dig up here. We’ll continue tracking when the next meeting starts.”

“At least let me grab an umbrella; it’s raining outside.”

Qin Qing shielded her bangs as she dashed into the rain, dialing a number on her phone.

Shi Jiang caught up, a black multi-bone umbrella unfurling above her head to shield her from the bothersome drizzle.

The call connected, and Qin Qing spoke, “Wuyong, I’m in Beifu right now, and I need your help with something…”

–

The spring rain made Beifu sticky.

A grayish-blue mist rose from the moat outside the imperial city, and the rain slanted into the water’s surface.

He Luo gazed out through the car window, watching the neon lights on the street blur into rosy halos through the rain.

The driver suddenly hit the brakes, causing He Luo to jolt and look away, “What’s going on?”

The driver stammered, pointing ahead, “G-General Manager He, th-th-there…”

He Luo looked over and saw an unexpected figure.

The reason it was unexpected was that the person’s attire was completely out of place with the surroundings.

Three meters from the car, a slender figure stood in the middle of the crosswalk.

It was a Daoist Nun in a Green Robe and Cloth Shoes.

Yes, a Female Daoist priest.

She held a black multi-bone umbrella, and the coarse cloth bag slung over her shoulder was soaked with rain, yet in the car’s headlights, the bag’s embroidered Eight Trigrams pattern was still visible.

The sudden scene captivated He Luo.

The Female Daoist priest seemed to sense the gaze from the car and abruptly turned her head, looking directly in He Luo’s direction.

For some reason, He Luo was startled, goosebumps rising on his forearms.

The Female Daoist priest shook the bamboo staff in her hand, causing the brass bell on it to jingle.

Even though He Luo was in the car, with soundproof glass sealed tight, it seemed as if he could hear the bell’s crisp chime, like a clear note slicing through chaos.

The rain blurred his vision, the windshield wipers sweeping back and forth to clear the chaotic water droplets.

He Luo wanted to take a closer look, but the Female Daoist priest was nowhere to be seen.

The driver stammered again, “G-General Manager He, she’s g-g-gone.”

The driver was a tall guy, about six feet tall, who could probably take on four or five people in a fight.

But faced with such sudden traditional elements, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

He Luo said in a deep voice, “The light’s green, drive.”

Hearing the boss’s displeasure, the driver dared not say more and stepped on the accelerator, the car gliding forward.

He Luo’s destination was a noodle shop by the moat.

This noodle shop had been open for over a decade, serving flavors from his hometown. Whenever he was in Beifu, he would visit if he had the chance.

Tonight, he had arranged to meet with the head of a tech company specializing in prosthetics. If the conversation went well, he would likely sign the agreement to transfer the brain-computer research technology.

This project was like a child he had nurtured with great care, but now, he couldn’t protect it and had to sell it himself…

He didn’t let the driver follow him and didn’t take an umbrella. He pushed open the fogged glass door of “Lao Chen Ji.”

There weren’t many people inside. He ordered a bowl of his usual noodles and sat by the street-facing window.

While waiting for his noodles, he took off his glasses to wipe them, unsure if the droplets on the lenses were rain or mist.

Putting his glasses back on, He Luo thought he was seeing things when he saw the Female Daoist priest again!

Outside the glass window, a black umbrella slanted over, rain droplets stringing down the umbrella ribs like a curtain. Under the umbrella, the Female Daoist priest’s cloth shoes splashed through puddles, the hem of her green robe stained with mud, moving like the folds of withered lotus leaves.

His gaze followed the figure as she reached out with her bamboo staff to push open the creaking shop door.

At this moment, besides the owner, He Luo was the only customer in the shop.

The Female Daoist priest entered and headed straight for He Luo.

She stood in front of his table.

Only then did He Luo see her face clearly, around twenty years old, with brows like distant mountains and eyes like deep pools reflecting the moon, her chin sharp as if drawn with a fine brush.

“I am Wufang, a wandering Daoist. Esteemed one, would you be kind enough to offer a bowl of vegetarian noodles?”

The Female Daoist priest bowed, her hair held up by a jade hairpin shaped like a bamboo twig. As she moved, the half-leaf on the hairpin trembled, as if ready to transform into a green butterfly and fly away.

Normally, He Luo wouldn’t pay attention to such people.

But today, facing the Female Daoist priest, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. This Daoist, who called herself Wufang, exuded an aura that unmistakably marked her as someone truly beyond worldly concerns.

Daoist Master Wufang sat across from He Luo, quietly watching the rain without engaging in conversation.

Their noodles were served simultaneously.

The vegetarian noodles were plain, steam rising in gentle wisps from the hot bowl.

Daoist Master Wufang ate slowly, winding each noodle around her chopsticks three times, as if unraveling a complex hexagram. He Luo noticed three Kangxi Coins strung on a red cord around her wrist, jingling softly as she ladled soup.

Sitting across from her, He Luo found a surprising calmness within himself.

He quietly savored the time it took to finish a bowl of noodles.

As the last noodle slipped down his throat, He Luo put down his chopsticks and looked up.

He realized that at some point, Daoist Master Wufang had already finished her meal and was sitting quietly, watching him.

Daoist Master Wufang smiled gently.

When she spoke, her voice was like the clear, melting snow of early spring.

“You are a kind person, and today I have enjoyed your offering of a meal. I would like to repay you with a divination in exchange for the noodles.”

Before He Luo could respond, Wufang raised her hand and lightly brushed her teacup.

The teacup tipped over, and the amber tea spread across the white and gray marble tabletop, forming patterns that seemed almost like characters.

He Luo was certain he wasn’t seeing things.

Daoist Master Wufang waved her right hand over the tea patterns… As the sleeve of her green robe passed, clusters of warm white light emerged from the tea.

He Luo’s eyes widened.

Wufang reached out, delicately pinching a cluster of light between her fingers. She examined it, then looked at He Luo and said, “The celestial star between your brows is imprisoned.”

“What does that mean?”

Daoist Master Wufang gestured for him to look at the tea patterns on the table.

He Luo couldn’t make sense of it.

Wufang spoke slowly, “Kan represents water, Qian represents heaven.” The copper coins on her wrist trembled slightly, “The Heaven Water Lawsuit Hexagram indicates obstacles in your affairs. A trapped dragon yearns to soar through the clouds but is imprisoned in the abyss.”

He Luo had no idea how things had come to this; he only heard himself asking, “I am ignorant. Daoist Master, please speak plainly.”

Wufang poured He Luo another cup of tea.

After observing it, she said, “According to the hexagram, are you meeting someone tonight?”

He Luo pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

Wufang continued, “You should not go. The decision you make tonight will lead to lifelong regret.”

He Luo remained silent, staring intently at the two pools of tea as if trying to discern a flower within them.

Wufang chuckled and asked, “Do you not believe me?”

She removed the red string from her hand and tossed out three Kangxi Coins.

The coins spun on the table.

Wufang said, “You relieved my troubles, and I see that you face difficulties today. I must repay you.”

The coins fell, all aligning to the lower left.

Wufang continued, “The matter you wish to accomplish is on the verge of success, just one step away. But if you don’t change your decision today, years of good fortune will slip through your fingers. I know your predicament. Today, you are a trapped dragon, and I will show you a path. The rain clouds that will help you soar are in the southwest, in a dried-up marsh.”

“Could you be more specific, Daoist Master?”

Wufang calculated several times with her fingers.

“You should have crossed paths with a fool who burned his writings as offerings three years ago.”

In a flash, He Luo felt he was about to grasp something from his memory.

Three years ago… burning writings…

He remembered!

Three years ago, he attended an industry conference.

During a panel discussion, a PhD shared his research but was met with ridicule and scorn.

The doctor expressed disappointment with his peers, stormed out, and burned his own thesis on the spot.

Could this person lead the brain-machine experiment?

He Luo was lost in thought, and when he snapped back to reality, the figure in the green robe was gone.

Looking around in a panic, he saw Daoist Master Wufang had already walked outside, umbrella in hand.

The evening breeze caught the hem of the Daoist Master’s robe, making a rustling sound.

He Luo stood up and leaned out the window.

He had so many questions left to ask, but the Daoist Master’s steps did not falter, and she was about to disappear into the crowd.

He Luo shouted, “Daoist Master, where might I find you for future gratitude?”

The Daoist Master did not turn back, only waved a hand in acknowledgment.

“Jinyun Mountain, Baiyun Temple.”