Chapter 31: Bullying

Even members of the Taoist Sect speak of the “Tao.”

The “Tao” of the Taoist Sect is formless and nameless. The Tao Te Ching says: “Standing alone and unchanging, it circulates everywhere without tiring, and can be the mother of all things under heaven.”

{T/N: Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese book by Laozi that teaches living in harmony with the natural way (Tao). It’s a key text in Daoism, focusing on simplicity, balance, and non-forceful action.}

Therefore, the Taoist Sect emphasizes conforming to the natural order and governing by non-action, what is called “Tao follows nature.”

Members of the Taoist Sect are more spontaneous and unrestrained than others.

They are the least likely to force things.

Qin Qing is not in the Taoist Sect; she merely borrowed a set of clothes from the Mystic Sect. With so many Mystic Sects in the world, why did Yang Sang subconsciously assume she was from the Taoist Sect?

She asked, “Is it because I set up a stall at Baiyun Temple?”

“No. Did I guess wrong? I’ve met some Taoist priests before, and I just feel that you are very much like them.”

“Like? How so?” Qin Qing was puzzled.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, which is why I said it’s a feeling.”

Then let’s not dwell on it.

After a night of rest, Qin Qing personally went to handle the remaining order from yesterday.

The family lived in a well-known high-end residential area in the city. When Qin Qing arrived, she was repeatedly verified at the guardhouse before being allowed in. The live-in housekeeper came to receive her at the gate and led her through many twists and turns to the house.

After Zheng Yi proactively sought help to find cats, and the number of requests increased, Yang Sang and Han Jun generally wouldn’t visit clients’ homes in person for orders, let alone the owners’ homes. They would bring the cats to Qin Qing’s location, and she would take her compass to work after checking the System Panel.

This particular order was due to the female owner’s strong request for a meeting at home. Since yesterday was a no-show, Qin Qing agreed.

With the troublesome “devil client” from yesterday in mind, Qin Qing secretly wondered if this family wanted to give her a “show of force” to assert their dominance.

However, she met a very naive and kind female owner.

“I thought, Master, you must not have had breakfast coming out so early, so it’s convenient to eat first at home before working. And since the cat went missing from home, it’s also convenient for you to investigate clues at the scene of the disappearance. I’ve told my family not to even sweep the living room floor these past two days, just to avoid destroying the scene.”

This was truly not a reason an ordinary person would think of. This lady probably thought she had hired a Black Cat Detective.

The female owner was in high spirits, clearly thinking her idea was excellent.

Qin Qing gave a dry laugh: “I’m different from other cat detectives. I’m a geomancer, I rely on calculations, not clues.”

“Ah… I see… Then let’s eat first.”

Qin Qing: “No need, let’s find the cat. The summer temperature is high, and pet cats are more prone to dehydration if they are outside for too long.”

So, the whole family stopped eating and sat in a row on the sofa, staring at Qin Qing as she “performed her magic.”

The male owner of the house was a tall and strong man, estimated to be over 1.9 meters tall. Even under his loose polo shirt, it was not difficult to spot his powerful muscles. He looked a bit fierce. But before he sat down, he was busy in the kitchen and was still wearing an apron.

There was also a child. The female owner introduced her son as eight years old, but he looked much taller than an average eight-year-old, at least 1.4 meters. The child was well-built and as strong as his father. The father and son sat together, looking like copy-pasted versions of each other.

Their cat was not difficult to find; it was on the rooftop of their building.

The kitten went out from the balcony and couldn’t return the same way. Instead, it climbed to the top floor along the special decorative lines and eaves on the exterior of the building.

“No wonder we searched through all the surveillance footage and didn’t see it; it turns out it didn’t even go through the stairwell,” the female owner regretted. “The door to the rooftop is locked year-round. We thought if it ran out, it would run downwards, and we never thought to open the door and look up there. If it weren’t for you, Master, this little guy would have died on the rooftop and no one would have known.”

The little guy had been trapped on the rooftop for three days. It was dirty all over, had drunk some dirty water, and seemed a bit listless, but otherwise looked okay. Qin Qing also helped check the kitten’s health value; it hadn’t dropped much and could recover.

“Don’t worry, it’s just hungry, nothing else is wrong.”

The family thanked her repeatedly.

The child named Ming Youqian cried and hugged the kitten, refusing to let go, even holding the cat’s food bowl in his hands. He kept whispering to the kitten.

“Youqian and the kitten have a very good relationship. The two little ones sleep together at night. This cat was also a stray kitten he picked up outside and raised,” the female owner said, her eyes reddening as she watched her son and the recovered cat. Her husband silently comforted her by putting his arm around her shoulder.

After paying the fee, she asked, “Master, since you are a geomancer, can you tell fortunes for people?”

“Actually, that’s what I do for people.”

“Then please, Master, tell our Youqian’s fortune,” the female owner called Ming Youqian.

The child obediently moved to Qin Qing’s front, still holding the cat, with tears hanging on his chubby cheeks.

“The child is still young, and there are countless variables in the future. How he walks his path in the future depends on how you, as parents, and he himself grasp it, not on what a geomancer says,” Qin Qing refused.

During her time setting up stalls, she had encountered many requests to tell children’s fortunes, mostly about whether the child could get into their ideal school or become prominent. If not, how to change their fate.

“No, that’s not it,” the female owner pulled Qin Qing aside and whispered, “I feel that our Youqian has become much more introverted these past two years, and he doesn’t like to talk. When he comes home, he just plays with the cat. He wasn’t like this before; he was very lively and active when he was little.” She lowered her voice even further, “Master, do you think this child might have encountered something unclean?”

It was hard to keep up with this mother’s train of thought.

Qin Qing still called Ming Youqian to her, opened his System Panel, and looked carefully.

Unexpectedly, she did find something.

“Master, how is it?” the female owner asked.

The child’s father took the opportunity to say he would go bathe the kitten, wanting to take the child away.

Qin Qing stopped them. She sat down. Ming Youqian was even taller than her at this moment.

Holding his soft, chubby hand, she asked, “Hello, Youqian.”

Ming Youqian looked at his father, who was holding his shoulder, and stroked the cat’s fur: “Hello, Master.”

“Does Youqian have anything he particularly likes?”

“Ultraman,” he answered without thinking.

“Is that so? Why?” Qin Qing prompted.

“Because Ultraman can defeat troublesome monsters.” As he spoke of this, his eyes lit up; he truly yearned for it.

Qin Qing continued to ask, “So, has Youqian ever encountered a monster?”

“No.”

“What about bad people, like monsters, or children?”

He thought for a moment, then shook his head: “No, none of those either.”

Qin Qing sighed.

She turned to the child’s parents: “Just as you suspected, something did happen that caused the child’s personality change. But it’s not something unclean; it’s man-made. I think it’s probably related to school bullying.”

The female owner immediately retorted, “Impossible, my son would never bully others. Master, you can’t assume he likes violence just because he likes Ultraman. My Youqian is especially kind; you can tell by how he treats the kitten. I’ve taught him since he was little to get along peacefully with other children, not to fight with others, and that classmates should help each other…”

As the female owner spoke, her husband, Mr. Ming, furrowed his brows. When he didn’t smile, he looked even fiercer, as if he could erupt and hit someone at any moment.

Qin Qing stopped the female owner’s self-justification: “I’m not saying he bullies others. The actual situation might be the opposite of what you’re guessing.”

“You’re saying my son is being bullied by others? What kind of joke is that? That’s even more impossible, okay?” Mr. Ming’s rough voice rose sharply, “Haven’t you seen my son’s height? He’s a head taller than kids his age. Who would dare to bully him?”

The female owner added, “My husband is right, Teacher, you’re probably really mistaken this time. We give Youqian enough pocket money, so he definitely won’t feel embarrassed or inferior in front of his classmates and become a target for bullying. My husband and I are busy with work, so we don’t have much parent-child time, but we have a very good relationship, and he tells us everything. He’s never said he was bullied.”

Qin Qing listened quietly until they finished, then raised an eyebrow: “Actually, your statements have already clarified the problem. Youqian is a kind child, with a lot of pocket money, and not much parental attention. Isn’t that clearly a good target for bullying?”

Mr. Ming looked thoughtful.

He asked Ming Youqian, who was listening to their conversation, “At school, does anyone bully you?”

The child shook his head.

Mr. Ming breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Qin Qing with an unfriendly gaze.

He retorted, “Does the teacher still insist on her opinion? Or do you think the child would lie?”

The female owner said, “Youqian is a good child, he wouldn’t lie.”

Ming Youqian nodded, corroborating his parents’ thoughts.

Listening to the child’s answer, Qin Qing sighed again.

She spoke softly, changing her approach: “Youqian, at school, do classmates take your pocket money or snacks?”

The child’s answer was still: “No.”

Both parents looked at Qin Qing, their expressions indicating, “Did you hear that?”

Immediately after, they heard the child say, “Some classmates ask me to lend them money and give them snacks, so I give it to them.”

Mr. and Mrs. Ming also clearly sensed something was wrong.

Qin Qing continued to guide: “Then how many snacks did they ask for? How much money did those people borrow, and did they ever return it?”

“I gave them all my snacks and pocket money. They never gave me snacks, and they never returned the money. But it’s okay, if I don’t have snacks, I can run home faster to eat after school.” The child smiled innocently and magnanimously.

Qin Qing said, “Since them ‘taking’ your snacks makes you hungry, you can choose not to give them, and keep them for yourself.”

“No, if I don’t give it to them, they’ll cause trouble.” The child said, troubled, “They’ll throw bugs and dirty things on my clothes, they’ll throw my books and homework everywhere and hide them, and they’ll block the door when I need to go to the restroom so I can’t go. They throw rocks at me, and they also make sure no one partners with me in PE class, craft class, and practical classes…”

Mr. Ming clenched his fists, making a crunching sound: “They’ve bullied you like this, why don’t you fight back or resist? You’re so big, it’s not like you can’t beat them!”

Ming Youqian was confused: “But you and Mom always told me not to fight with people, and to get along peacefully with classmates.”

Mr. Ming’s veins on his forehead pulsed with anger; “Getting along peacefully is for classmates, not for those who bully you.”

“Is this bullying? But they’re small, skinny, and don’t have money. They’re weak.” Small eyes, big confusion.

Mr. Ming stood up, pacing around the room like an enraged trapped beast.

Mr. Ming’s irritable personality was not suitable for communicating with the child, so Qin Qing continued: “Yes, this is bullying. If it makes you hurt, makes you unhappy, makes you uncomfortable, makes you troubled for a long time, then it’s bullying.”

His mother pulled him over and hugged him: “Silly child, why didn’t you tell Mom and Dad about these things?”

Ming Youqian lowered his head and whispered, “It’s no use.”

“Of course it’s useful! Mom and Dad are always on Qianqian’s side.”

“But…” the child said, “Every time you drop me off at school, your last instruction is always for me to get along well with my classmates at school and not to fight.” He thought for a moment and added, “It’s the same when we video call, you always say that before hanging up.”

His mother opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but said nothing, just held the child tighter.

Qin Qing: “So, do you understand now? Your education has made his perception of himself and the facts skewed. His kindness, his strong body, his obedience to your words. These have become his shackles and constraints. But those things have indeed caused him long-term suffering…”

She believed that at this point, the two parents should already know the crux of the problem and how to handle it in the future, so she said no more.

Ming Youqian was a child who made people feel sorry for him. He was kind, honest, and warm. Even after experiencing those dark things, he didn’t even think those people were bad.

Before leaving, the child ran back to his room and brought an Ultraman figurine to Qin Qing. He gestured for her to bend down and whispered in her ear: “You are an Ultraman.”

Qin Qing smiled knowingly and patted his chubby little face: “You will be too.”

His mother saw her off, saying, “We never thought it would turn out this way. When his father was little, his family was poor and he was bullied a lot. Later, when he was bullied too much, he fought back hard and became a bad kid in the eyes of parents and teachers. We didn’t want our child to go through either of those two extremes he experienced, so we… never thought…” Her words were full of regret.

Qin Qing also felt a sense of melancholy. Often, the more one tries to accomplish something or achieve a result, the more one overexerts oneself, and things backfire.

So, just go with the flow, and do your best.

Just like the consulting company she planned to open, it was originally because too many people came to her for help, and she couldn’t solve all their problems by herself, even if she ran herself ragged.

Qin Qing didn’t want to be tied down by these tasks, otherwise, she would have gone to work for someone else long ago.

But with the System Panel, human suffering was right before her eyes, and she couldn’t completely ignore it.

So, within the capabilities allowed by the System Panel, she would help wherever she could. At least it was more than she could do alone.

She didn’t know what kind of impact this team would have once it started operating, or if the results would be counterproductive, like the education of Ming Youqian’s parents.

At any rate, it was a glimmer of hope that desperate and confused people could grasp.

Qin Qing asked Han Jun: “How’s your progress?”

“The license has been issued, and taxes are almost done. The office renovation has started. That place was already pretty well decorated, so it just needs a slight refresh. It won’t take long. As you instructed, we’re using environmentally friendly materials, so we can open for business in a week at most.” Han Jun was enthusiastic, “Teacher Qin, could you check for a recent auspicious date? I’m thinking of organizing an opening ceremony.”

“Auspicious date?”

“Yes, at my previous company, whenever we did anything big, we’d specifically hire someone to calculate it. Our current unit has a business advantage, so we won’t spend that unnecessary money outside. I’ve never seen anyone calculate more accurately than you.”

Qin Qing: “…”

The problem is, she wouldn’t know how to pick an auspicious day either.