Chapter 39: Divine Powers

Qin Qing instructed Qin Fanghao, “I’ll go take a look. Don’t give the family a definitive answer yet. If we can solve it, then we’ll collect payment.”

Qin Fanghao’s eyes brightened slightly.

Qin Qing found it amusing, “What, are you afraid I won’t take the case?”

He nodded.

Lou Xinyue stood up, “Boss, I don’t have much to do this afternoon. Can I go with you?”

Qin Qing was surprised. Which finance manager actively requests to go on an outdoor assignment?

Lou Xinyue said, “I hate scumbags who deceive young girls more than anything. I want to see it.”

Qin Fanghao raised his hand, “I want to go too. I can also film some material to make a negative publicity case.”

Zheng Yi, who had just returned from helping Qin Qing retrieve a package, only heard half of the conversation and asked, “Where are you going?”

Lou Xinyue replied, “To beat up a scumbag.”

Zheng Yi didn’t ask for the full story and simply said, “Count me in.”

Chen Daguang’s daughter, Chen Moqing, was also there and raised a hand, “I’d like to observe and learn.”

Qin Qing: “…”

She said, “It’s not necessarily a swindler yet.”

Lou Xinyue said, “Based on my years of experience watching social news, it’s highly likely. A prospective university student, not prioritizing her studies, is desperate to marry an older man. The blame must be on this man. Age aside, a good man would definitely not let his girlfriend get married at this juncture. And even less so let her fall out with her family.”

Chen Moqing, who would be in her final year of high school after the break, commented with great empathy, “After my college entrance exam, I’d only want to have fun. How great it would be not to be controlled by my parents. Why would I tie myself down again?” She thought for a moment and added, “If I were really preparing to get married, it might not be because I was cursed, but most likely because I was deceived by a scumbag.”

Zheng Yi stated, “Men who engage in moral blackmail and mental manipulation are all jerks. Hit every one you see.”

The men and boys in the office remained silent.

Qin Qing hadn’t expected her female employees to be so agitated just by hearing the background story.

“You can go, but control yourselves. Don’t act impulsively.”

Five girls, just enough for one car.

Lu Yang weakly raised her hand, “Senior, I also want to go see the scumbag get beaten.”

“There’s no more room in the car.”

“I can drive myself. With two cars, we’ll have more space.”

Qin Qing refused, “No, Fanghao is gone, so there’s no one at the front desk. You have a good image, so you can fill in as a temporary receptionist for half a day.”

Lu Yang looked aggrieved, with puppy dog eyes.

“I can protect you.”

“No need. We’re not going to fight.”

Qin Qing led a group of female warriors out the door, then remembered something and turned back.

This client’s purpose was clear: they wanted to remove a curse. This was different from previous clients who had concrete, practical demands.

The client wanted to fight the occult with the occult, and magic with magic.

So, she couldn’t be as straightforward as before, just doing a simple calculation.

It was time for the charlatan’s performance.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Qing instructed Zheng Yi, “Give me the package you just helped me get.”

Zheng Yi responded and went to get it. Qin Qing herself strolled around the reception room. She spotted a tea tray on the table used for small snacks.

That tea tray was bought by Qin Fanghao, and its aesthetic appeal was undeniable. It was said to be high-temperature porcelain, with a smooth, flat surface and a beautiful celadon color. Tapping its edge gently produced a buzzing, resonant echo.

Qin Qing tidied up the roughly ten-inch round tray, picked it up, put it in a bag, and slung it over her shoulder.

Zheng Yi brought the package over and helped Qin Qing open the box.

Qin Qing reached in and grabbed a handful of something, also putting it into the bag.

The others didn’t see clearly what it was, only that it was a stack of yellow paper.

The client had arranged to meet in Xiba District.

Oh, it seemed the police station here hadn’t been checked in yet.

If the order didn’t go smoothly and they ended up in the station, she wondered if Chen Deyu and Lin Feng could bail them out.

Upon arriving at the scene, the rented apartment of the cursed couple, Qin Qing realized she had overthought things. The person suspected of casting the curse was very humble.

He kept expressing his mutual love with his girlfriend and pleaded with both parents to let their daughter marry him.

A young girl named Feng Qing, who had come to pick up Qin Qing, quickly introduced the situation in the room and the identities of each person.

The situation in the room was already very tense. The more humble the man was, the angrier the girl’s parents became, and in their anger, they cursed everything. In contrast to this attitude, Feng Huan felt her boyfriend was being wronged even more and became more resentful towards her parents.

She cried out, “What right do you have to control me? You were never there when I needed someone to control me. Now I’m an adult, and you’re trying to assert your presence.”

“Have you ever attended one of my parent-teacher conferences? When it rained, all my classmates had their parents pick them up. Where were you then? You said I had good habits, always carrying an umbrella, but do you know how many times I got drenched to learn that?

“Since I can remember, you were never by my side when I was sick. When I finally called, you always told me to save money. Wasn’t I saving enough? You never gave me the things I wanted. My classmates gave me a Barbie doll, and when you saw it, you confiscated it, saying it affected my studies…”

She cried loudly, as if to release years of pent-up grievances.

Her parents stood there, stunned.

Feng Qing watched them, silently shedding tears as well.

Qin Qing sighed.

She could pretty much understand the situation.

This family was a microcosm of an era.

It wasn’t anyone’s individual fault.

She believed that if these parents were given another chance, even knowing it would turn out this way, even knowing their daughter would become estranged from them, they would most likely still choose to work outside their hometown. They had no other choice.

But for Feng Huan, the lack of family affection was also a fact.

As she grew up and gained some autonomy, she would desperately try to compensate for this void from other sources.

For someone in her situation, different people have different ways of compensating.

Some people, when financially able, will go on a shopping spree, buying many seemingly necessary but actually useless things. That’s to appease the childhood self who longed for things they couldn’t have.

Some people will overeat, not putting down their chopsticks until they’re too full to eat anymore. They need to have food nearby at all times, feeling secure even if they don’t eat. If they miss even a bite or two of a meal, they feel anxious until they eat more to fill the void. These people might think they’re foodies, but they’re not.

More people choose to start their own small families early, seeking the emotional support they once lacked from their partners and children.

Feng Huan belonged to the last type. This man just happened to cross her path; if it wasn’t him, it would have been someone else.

Perhaps her parents were not wrong.

Feng Huan was indeed under a spell, but not a metaphysical one.

It was the spell cast by poverty and hardship on those struggling to move forward.

When the two sides met, Feng Huan’s boyfriend didn’t take Qin Qing and her group seriously.

Feng Huan, however, was full of hostility towards Qin Qing. Her parents asked Qin Qing, “Master, can you break it?”

Qin Qing honestly replied, “I’m not a curse master, I’m not good at that, so I can’t tell if it is.”

The couple looked a little disappointed.

Qin Qing said, “I am a fate master. I specialize in fortune-telling. I can help you with a reading.”

“Good, good, good.” The couple eagerly pulled their daughter over.

Feng Huan’s hatred for her parents reached new heights, and she looked at her cousin, Feng Qing, with the eyes of an enemy.

She said to the latter, “What did I do wrong? I just fell in love with someone, and you want to harm me with feudal superstition. My parents don’t understand, but don’t you understand either? What you’re doing to me now, how is it any different from what the ‘Little Reunion Daughter-in-Law’ suffered?”

Feng Qing replied, “Sister, I never meant to harm you.”

Feng Huan retorted, “The ‘Little Reunion Daughter-in-Law’s’ mother-in-law also cried to others about her grievances, but she was the executioner.”

The scene was chaotic.

Lou Xinyue couldn’t help but want to speak, but Qin Qing held her back.

Qin Qing said, “Everyone’s emotions are a bit high right now. I suggest you all calm down. I’ll leave after I’m done with my business, and you can talk slowly afterward.” She interrupted Feng Huan, who was about to speak, and took control of the situation, “I’m not going to tell your fortune, I’m not going to harm you.”

Feng Huan opened her mouth, then closed it.

Qin Qing said, “Before I officially start working, let’s chat for a couple of minutes. You said this is someone you like. Alright, let me ask you, in your mind, in a simple sentence, what kind of person is he?”

Feng Huan looked at her suspiciously, but still said, “He’s sincere, and all his attention is on me.”

She stubbornly added, “I like the human brilliance in him, not the superficial things piled up with money.”

“Sincere? All his attention is on you?” Qin Qing almost couldn’t help but laugh. She pressed on, “If this man isn’t who you imagine him to be, would you still like him?”

Feng Huan fell silent, not answering immediately.

The man beside her glared at Qin Qing, “Baby, don’t listen to her nonsense.”

Feng Huan became resolute, as if she had found her backbone, and rejected Qin Qing, “You don’t need to sow discord in our relationship. I know what kind of person he is better than you do.”

Qin Qing heard the answer in her words; this case should not be difficult to win today.

She smiled at the couple in the corner, who looked like star-crossed lovers, and fixed her gaze on Feng Huan, “You know better than me? That’s not necessarily true.”

She looked around, her gaze sweeping over Feng Huan’s relatives one by one, and said, “No one can keep a secret from a fate master. I’ll help you figure out what kind of person this man is, and as for the result, you can judge for yourselves.”

Qin Qing reached back, and her cloth bag was handed to her by her employees.

She pulled out a candle from the bag, “Sister Lou, please help me light it.”

The plate Qin Qing had borrowed from the studio’s reception room was placed in the center of the only table in the room.

As soon as the plate appeared, the attention of everyone in the room was drawn to it. They wondered what the tea tray had to do with the current situation.

The candle was lit and placed beside the plate.

Qin Qing slowly continued to pull things out of her bag. It was a stack of yellow paper the size of a banknote. No, on closer inspection, it was—Talisman Paper.

Picking up two sheets, Qin Qing formed a sword-finger gesture with her right hand, holding the two sheets between her fingers, and asked Feng Huan, “What’s your boyfriend’s name, and where is he from?”

Feng Huan asked cautiously, “What are you going to do?”

“With so many people watching, what can I do? Since you trust him so much, I don’t even need to calculate. With his name and origin, I can ask the local deity to help me investigate his situation. Since you are determined to marry him, it’s always good to know more. Even for a job, you do a background check, let alone for a partner.”

The man scoffed at Qin Qing, “Putting on an act.”

Qin Qing ignored him and only asked Feng Huan, “How about it? Do you dare to check?”

Feng Huan said, “What’s there to be afraid of? His name is Lang Wei, and he’s from the neighboring city, in Huanggua Village, Liumian County.”

“Good, this surname is uncommon, and with the birthplace, there definitely won’t be any other people with the same name.”

Everyone stared at her.

Qin Qing, with her sword-fingers holding the Talisman Paper, slightly narrowed her eyes and chanted:

“Merciful Earth God, hear my plea.

Here is a virtuous lady, about to marry a good man.

I pray you examine, the esteemed Mr. Lang;

From Liumian, born in Huanggua Village.

May his kin find peace and comfort.

Fate Master Qin Qing, awaits the public announcement.

Praise be to your compassion, thanks again and again.”

Qin Qing heard Lang Wei whispering to Feng Huan, “Putting on airs, saying a few words no one understands and thinking he’s amazing.”

Feng Huan didn’t reply to him, but instead looked at Qin Qing.

After Qin Qing finished chanting, she flipped her wrist, lit the Talisman Paper with the candle, and then dropped it into the celadon tea tray.

Then, she made no further movements.

Feng’s parents looked slightly disappointed, and the people from her own studio also held their breath.

Lang Wei scoffed, “That’s it?”

Qin Qing, looking calm and composed, said, “What’s the rush? Doesn’t the Earth God need time to look up information?”

The Talisman Paper slowly burned to ashes in the tray.

The quality is good.

These talismans were prop talismans Qin Qing bought online, specifically for filming, at 50 cents a piece. When she bought them, she asked customer service about their flammability. The customer service replied, “They’re guaranteed to burn, dear, and absolutely realistic, they won’t disturb the actor’s performance during the ritual. If they work well, come again next time.”

It seemed the customer service hadn’t lied.

Essential props for a charlatan.

Qin Qing waited a little longer.

She gently blew on the ashes in the tea tray, and the black ashes, which should have flown into the air due to the force of the wind, defied the laws of physics.

Qin Qing just blew so gently. The fine talisman ashes slowly swirled in the center of the tea tray, spinning faster and faster, until they formed a small black tornado.

Not to mention the other people who were staring intently, even Qin Qing, who was trying this trick for the first time, was a bit surprised; this special effect was too cool.

Now, no one would doubt that she was a fake charlatan.

This tea tray was a temporary System Panel function implant she had bound. Because the tea tray itself didn’t have a display screen, if she wanted to display something from the System Panel, she needed an external medium, such as ink, or fine sand…

The talisman ashes were just a prop Qin Qing chose that fit the charlatan persona.

It seemed that every time a bound item took effect, there would be a swirling special effect, like the wildly spinning needle on a compass.

It’s just that the needle was fixed, affecting the System Panel’s performance. This time, a different prop was used, and the special effect looked more advanced.

This special effect was much better than many special effects in current film and television works, and it was a real-life demonstration.

The small tornado slowly stopped.

As if the force controlling it suddenly disappeared, the ashes scattered in the air but did not fall outside the tea tray. Instead, they gradually formed lines of readable text inside the tea tray.

Name: Lang Wei

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Born in Huanggua Village, Liumian County, Shanyu City.

Age 3: Parents divorced.

Age 13: Expelled from Liumian Middle School for theft.

Age 16: First son born.

Age 18: Imprisoned for theft and labor reform for 3 years.

Age 25: Married.

Age 27: Second son born.

Age 30: Third daughter born.

Age 32: Divorced. Second son and third daughter raised by ex-wife, salary card managed by ex-wife.

Qin Qing pretended to glance at it, then told Feng Huan, “That’s quite something. His eldest son is the same age as you, what a coincidence.”

Feng Huan first stared blankly at the tea tray, then screamed like a madwoman.

She clawed and kicked at Lang Wei, who seemed to be so scared by the tea tray that he was stunned and forgot to resist.

Instead, it was Feng Huan’s parents who had to break up the fight.

Qin Qing quietly retreated.

She instructed Qin Fanghao, “Protect our tea tray, don’t let them break it.”

She then winked at Lou Xinyue, “Remember to collect the money.”

As for herself, she pulled the youngest, Chen Moqing, out, “Don’t look, don’t look. What’s so good about a fight? Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire.”

Chen Moqing’s curiosity was bursting, “Boss, boss, that just now…” She demonstrated a blowing motion, her eyes sparkling, “Was that really the Earth God you invited? Did he come into the room just now, and is he still here? Where was he standing?”

Qin Qing said, “Don’t be naive. The Earth God is a civil servant with a proper position, he’s busy. How could he personally come to every scene? I just sent him a message, and after he checked the information, he replied to me.”

Chen Moqing clenched her fists, the baby fat on her face jiggling with the movement, super cute.

Then she heard her say admiringly, “That’s still so cool, Boss is amazing!”

Thank you, I appreciate the compliment.