Chapter 44: Fellow Practitioners

After a cup of tea and a round of decent pastries, the host finally appeared.

It was a middle-aged woman, her face etched with obvious grief, who spoke.

“I’ve invited you all here today, and I presume the introducer has already explained my family’s situation. My mother recently passed away, too suddenly to leave any final words for her juniors…”

As she spoke, the woman covered her face.

“Please accept our condolences,” someone among the invited guests offered.

“With us here, you can rest assured,” another added.

The speakers were all men seated closer to the front.

“Please excuse my display,” the woman continued. “My mother didn’t live with us children; she preferred to stay in this old house. When she passed, it was late at night, and by the time we arrived, we didn’t even get to see her one last time. As her children, we ask for nothing else. Today is the seventh day since her passing, and we just wish to see our mother again, to ask if there’s anything unfinished she needs to convey. This way, she can rest in peace, and we, her children, can find closure. There will be a generous reward once this is accomplished.”

The phone in Qin Qing’s hand vibrated.

Qin Qing lowered her gaze and saw it was a note from Yang Sang.

[Yang Sang: How dignified. Not a word about finding anything, only about mother-daughter affection.]

She silenced her phone, ignoring him.

The phone vibrated again.

[Yang Sang: Boss, today is the old lady’s seventh day. Do you think she might be in this courtyard right now?]

Another vibrate.

[Yang Sang: Boss, I’m a little scared.]

Qin Qing shot him a glare.

Yang Sang stopped messaging, merely inching his chair closer to Qin Qing.

Qin Qing: “…”

She regretted bringing this guy.

Ignoring her embarrassing employee, she looked ahead, observing the lady’s System Panel.

The more she looked, the deeper her frown became.

She looked around the room. Besides the invited guests, there were only service staff standing on the periphery. Other than that, there seemed to be no one else.

Her elbow was tugged.

Yang Sang quietly asked, “Boss, is there a problem? You’re not looking for the old lady, are you?”

Qin Qing snapped back to reality, realizing that her “fellow practitioners” had already begun to display their skills.

“Don’t overthink it. There’s nothing left.”

Yang Sang didn’t speak, merely moved his chair even closer to her.

Qin Qing stopped looking at him, worried she might roll her eyes.

The elaborate displays of the other practitioners were dazzling.

Someone offered a piece of joss paper to the woman: “Madam, you can write your questions on this paper. After nightfall, I will burn the paper to ashes. After the ritual, when your mother returns tonight, she will leave the answers on the ashes, which will resolve the doubts in your heart.”

Another said: “If your mother still has unburnt clothing in this world, you can wrap a few eggs with unwashed clothing you have worn and your mother’s clothes, then steam both the clothes and the eggs. After I perform a secret method to peel them, your answers will appear on the egg yolks.”

Yet another offered: “Tonight, I will sit in the hall. When the old lady’s spirit returns, I will arrange for her to temporarily inhabit my body for a short while, allowing you to converse freely with her.”

The woman nodded at each of them.

Qin Qing, however, found it somewhat grating. She understood why Chen Daguang had spoken to her in such an unrefined, roundabout way when they first met. If the “masters” he had encountered before all spoke like these people, it was no wonder.

Yet, it seemed that no one here, except for her, showed any discomfort with these people’s anachronistic phrasing.

Seeing that these people intended to wait here all night for the old lady’s spirit to return, Qin Qing was displeased.

How were they going to wait? Just sit in the courtyard?

Her purpose for coming had been achieved; she had no intention of staying long.

She looked towards Gao Yang, who was talking to her grandmother.

Qin Qing walked over, with Yang Sang following closely behind, as if afraid of being abandoned.

She greeted Gao Yang: “I can’t solve the problem here, so I won’t disturb you further. I’m leaving now. Just wanted to let you know.”

Gao Yang quickly said, “But it hasn’t even started yet.”

Qin Qing: “Increasing the time won’t decrease the difficulty of solving the problem.”

Gao Yang was about to say more but was stopped by her grandmother, Granny Shun.

“Excuse us, please make yourselves at home.”

Qin Qing nodded.

Gao Yang had said her grandmother could tell fortunes, but Qin Qing didn’t see that in her Skill bar. Her Skill was only in funeral services, similar to Gao Yang’s, but with higher proficiency compared to the younger Gao Yang. There was, however, a barely passing “sensing” in her Talent Slot, though Qin Qing wasn’t sure what its function was.

The commotion here drew the attention of the woman seated at the head of the table.

She stood up and asked loudly, “I seem to have heard someone say they’re leaving.”

Everyone in the courtyard turned their gaze back to Qin Qing.

The woman walked over: “I suppose my hospitality was lacking.”

One of the “fellow practitioners” she passed said, “Madam, don’t mind her. How could a little girl like her solve this? It’s understandable for her to feel intimidated seeing so many seniors here.”

Another added, “I know this one. She’s been a bit famous online recently, but it’s just marketing tricks, finding cats and dogs, that’s all. A serious scene like this, invoking spirits, she’d probably be scared stiff just hearing about it. It shows self-awareness to withdraw voluntarily.”

“Exactly! We possess genuine skills passed down from our ancestors, not something any little brat who had a few soft articles written about them can compare to.”

These people seemed to harbor considerable animosity towards Qin Qing.

Knowing her online fame and being able to connect it to her in person, she was probably more than just a marketing gimmick in their eyes, as they claimed.

It turned out that so many people had been following her without her even realizing it.

This was quite new to her.

Following her meant at least being interested in her, perhaps even knowing about some of the important cases she had handled.

So, were they treating her as a competitor?

Were they trying to assert their dominance by verbally disparaging her now?

In the arena of fame and fortune, for thousands of years, the tactics truly remained uninspired.

It was already dark, and Qin Qing had no desire to linger or get entangled with them.

She merely glanced at the people who had spoken, scoffed, gave them a disdainful look, and prepared to turn and leave.

But her reaction seemed to make someone jump up in anger. A tall, mustachioed man, at least two heads taller than her and estimated to be 1.9 meters, blocked her path: “Little girl, what do you mean?”

“Move aside,” Qin Qing said coldly.

“You, a wet-behind-the-ears little girl, want to make a living in this business. Seeing so many seniors here, it’s their courtesy that they didn’t make you bow down. You should at least be sensible and know what respect means.”

Qin Qing: “I’ll say it again, move aside!”

“You throw a tantrum and then want to leave? Fine, kneel down and apologize.”

Absolutely ridiculous!

Pulling back the angry Yang Sang who wanted to step forward, Qin Qing looked at the man in front of her with pity. Holding a Signature Pen, she sneered and jabbed the Signature Pen into the palm of the man’s hand that was blocking her.

“Aargh…”

The man cried out in pain, instantly recoiled his hand, and fell backward.

He twitched a few times as he hit the ground.

After he stopped twitching, he clutched his hand, breathing heavily.

Qin Qing took a step forward, and he recoiled further.

“You…”

The people who had been shouting earlier also retreated a few steps away from her.

“You… what kind of spell did you use?”

Qin Qing tilted her head: “I warned him to move aside. A good dog doesn’t block the way.”

Qin Qing wanted to laugh. What spell? It wasn’t just a simple Signature Pen, though.

This was a self-defense anti-wolf device her coach gave her, a privately modified version with a built-in current. It was stronger than anything available on the market, even stronger than police-issued stun guns, capable of instantly incapacitating someone.

Strictly speaking, it was contraband.

But for something that could save her life… a few minor flaws were harmless.

“You… how can you curse people?” someone yelled from a distance.

Qin Qing: “What kind of logic is that? Only you are allowed to bark? It’s my fault for hitting a dog that blocked my way?”

The person was about to say something more when Granny Shun, who had been in the corner, stood up and rapped her cane: “Enough!”

Indeed, no one spoke again.

Granny Shun: “These people were invited by my Gao family. If you have any opinions, direct them at me, an old woman.”

The group of big men looked sheepish, not even daring to glance at Granny Shun.

The middle-aged woman, as the host, belatedly came forward to manage the situation: “What is all this? All guests are welcome, let’s not hurt anyone’s feelings.”

No one paid attention to her.

Granny Shun said to Qin Qing, “Little girl, you may leave.”

Qin Qing changed her mind; she didn’t leave.

Instead, she walked further in.

The man who had been electrocuted was helped up by others and sat on a chair.

Qin Qing walked over.

The man: “What do you want?”

Qin Qing smiled, looked around, and said, “I didn’t intend to get involved here, but it doesn’t seem very cost-effective to leave empty-handed after coming all this way.”

She found an empty chair and sat down, saying, “How about this: I’ll do a divination here and provide you with some clues.”

“First come, first served.”

The people in the courtyard looked at each other. Suddenly, a female voice said, “I’ll take it. How much?”

It was the woman with the briefcase.

Yang Sang finally came in handy, opening the QR code for payment and facing the woman.

Qin Qing caught a glimpse.

Ten thousand?

This guy was really audacious.

Yang Sang puffed out his chest, his expression unchanged, and said to the woman, “My boss’s divination fee is very expensive. You’re getting a bargain today.”

The woman didn’t haggle and paid readily.

Qin Qing gestured for her to step aside.

The woman: “No need, just say it directly.”

Qin Qing raised an eyebrow.

Was she planning to make her purchased information public?

Since the client said so, she would naturally do as the client wished.

Qin Qing asked the woman, “Do you know what this lady’s purpose is for inviting us all here tonight?”

The woman didn’t hide anything and stated directly, “To inquire about a spirit, to ask about the whereabouts of an important item.”

Qin Qing held up a finger and waved it in front of her, smiling, “No.”

Everyone looked at her, including the lady.

Qin Qing said, “Looking for an item is false; looking for a person is true.”

The lady’s gaze was fixed on Qin Qing.

Qin Qing: “This lady knows the whereabouts of that item; it’s in the hands of the person she’s looking for. She just doesn’t know where that person is right now.”

Someone interjected: “Nonsense! If she were looking for a person, why wouldn’t the lady tell us directly? Why beat around the bush about looking for an item? You’re just making things up.”

The person speaking was pulled by someone nearby, who gestured for him to look at the lady’s expression.

The lady’s face no longer held the constant sorrow it had before; she looked at Qin Qing seriously.

Immediately, someone volunteered: “I’m better at finding people. I just need to tie several silk threads representing different colors and directions to the lady’s hand, place her hand in a basin of water, and after I perform the spell, the floating silk thread will indicate the location of the person sought…”

Another said: “I also have a method…”

Qin Qing whispered a few words to the woman who had paid.

Then she said, “That’s roughly the situation. As for the rest, you decide for yourself.”

After that, she intended to leave.

The woman directly picked up her briefcase and bid farewell to the host: “I apologize, I cannot help with your family’s matter.”

At this moment, a man who had never appeared before walked out of the house.

The lady called out, “Big brother.”

The man gestured to her to calm down.

“Two esteemed experts, please stay.”

The man’s face held a humble smile: “Since you two can uncover my family’s deepest troubles, please help me. As long as it’s done, compensation is not an issue.”

After speaking, he even started to bow, but Qin Qing stopped him.

Judging solely by his demeanor, one would think he was a humble person, but that was not the case.

Qin Qing said, “Sir, you don’t have to do this. I can only divine this much; as for more, I cannot do it. You can inquire around; my studio’s medium for finding people is blood relation and emotion. The person you are looking for has no direct blood relation to you, and you have no compassion for them…”

Qin Qing’s path was blocked by two men in black.

The man said, “Solutions are always thought up by people. If the expert stays here a bit longer, they’ll surely figure something out.”

Yang Sang: “Are you trying to illegally detain us?”

The man: “I merely admire the expert’s talent and am quite hospitable. I wish to keep the expert at my humble abode for more exchange.”

Qin Qing was already very impatient.

“This is getting boring.”

The man was confident: “No one would turn down money.”

Qin Qing directly dialed a number on her phone.

A very familiar number.

Half an hour later, the entire group of people in the small courtyard was taken to the police station for questioning by the police who had arrived.

That’s right, Qin Qing called the police. Again.

The reason for the call: illegal assembly.

A group of strange people were still being questioned by the police.

As for Qin Qing, she had already very skillfully signed her statement and was preparing to leave.

What a joke. In today’s law-abiding society, some people still wanted to play the triad game.

Didn’t he know that anti-gang slogans were plastered everywhere?

As Qin Qing, who had been awarded “Outstanding Citizen” twice by the Provincial Department, she naturally didn’t need to be repeatedly questioned.

She waited in the lobby for Yang Sang to come out.

Then she saw a tall figure in uniform carrying an aluminum lunchbox walk in from outside the lobby.

Qin Qing excitedly called out, “Officer Chen.”

How could she forget? This was Jiangnan District, which was Chen Deyu’s territory.

Chen Deyu paused his eating, surprised to see Qin Qing there.

“What happened?”

Qin Qing briefly explained the situation.

Chen Deyu nodded: “That’s how it should be. If you have trouble, find the police. Don’t be intimidated by their tactics. Your current training isn’t useful in real combat; don’t be foolish and go in alone.”

“Oh,” Qin Qing replied distractedly, her eyes darting towards Chen Deyu’s lunchbox.

It smelled surprisingly good.

She hadn’t had dinner yet, by the way.

Qin Qing asked, “Captain Chen, is your cafeteria food good?”

Chen Deyu belatedly realized, giving Qin Qing a speechless look.

“Alright, alright, let’s go, I’ll treat you to the cafeteria.”

There wasn’t much food left in the cafeteria, but there was a window where they were cooking mini hot pots, and the smell was particularly fragrant.

Qin Qing picked a pile of ingredients and asked someone to cook them for her, while she stood by, drooling.

Such a fragrant soup base, in her experience, must be a high-Skill rated existence. However, the person cooking the hot pot for her had empty Skill and Talent Slots on their System Panel.

Qin Qing stayed by the side, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Auntie, is this soup base something you prepared? It smells so good.”

The auntie smiled, “How could it be? It’s Officer Meng’s leftover ingredients that he stir-fried in the cafeteria earlier.”

Officer Meng? Who was this divine being?

The auntie said, “Officer Meng is amazing. Back then, to catch criminals, he opened a ‘maocai’ (Sichuan boiled dish) stall in places where criminals frequently appeared, to make it easier to stake out. His maocai was so fragrant, it did much better business than the legitimate stalls next to him. That criminal also loved his cooking and often patronized his business. Over time, they became familiar, and that person told Officer Meng everything. That person didn’t even realize what was happening until he was arrested.”

This story had been told countless times, with animated expressions and fluent delivery.

Qin Qing cooperatively made sounds of astonishment.

And this matter was indeed worth marveling at; it was too dramatic.

Such a good cook, no, a good stakeout officer, she really wanted to meet him.

Chen Deyu returned with milk tea for Qin Qing and found her chatting happily with the auntie.

He also commented, “Old Meng’s cooking is indeed good. Many people in the team like it, but unfortunately, I can’t eat spicy food. I heard he recently switched to making jianbing for his stakeouts…”

Qin Qing blinked, wanting to know where.

Chen Deyu: “Until the case is solved, it’s classified.”

Alright.

Qin Qing carried a full bowl of food and followed Chen Deyu to find a seat.

“Next time I come to the bureau, if Officer Meng is here, please introduce me. Such a… versatile officer, I must pay my respects.” It would be even better if she could befriend him.

Eating hot pot was incredibly satisfying, fragrant and spicy.

When Qin Qing arrived, there were hardly any meat dishes left; her bowl was mostly vegetables, with a few slices of skinless pork belly and a few meatballs.

But even so, it was so fragrant it could make her swallow her tongue. She wished she could use the soup base to soak rice and eat it.

Many hot pot broths make vegetables tasteless, only tasting of oil. But this one was different; there wasn’t much oil, but even lightly blanched vegetables were full of flavor.

Qin Qing ate so much she couldn’t even speak.

Only when she was almost finished eating did Chen Deyu ask, “What’s going on with that family you mentioned today? Do you want our team to take over?”

“Oh, not yet.”

Qin Qing briefly explained the situation.

It was essentially just a disgusting family trying to take advantage of someone’s misfortune.

The deceased old lady’s cause of death was excessive grief.

Not long ago, her younger daughter’s family had an accident, and her daughter, son-in-law, and eldest grandson died, leaving behind a young grandson who was still in kindergarten.

The old lady had four children in total, and today, her eldest son and eldest daughter were present in the courtyard.

In fact, the old lady and her deceased husband had already built up a family business for their children. Unfortunately, after the domineering eldest son and eldest daughter took over, the business went downhill, and now only a seemingly impressive facade remained.

This facade urgently needed a large sum of money for repairs and salvation.

And coincidentally, there was such a sum of money available right now.

It was the inheritance left by their youngest sister, whom they had squeezed out of the family business.

The old lady’s youngest daughter and son-in-law both had unique vision. Starting from scratch with limited capital, their family assets were no less than the family business of her maiden home.

Now that they had passed away, they left behind only a crying young son. This child’s grandparents had passed away early.

It was truly like a child carrying gold bricks through a bustling market.

The old lady knew her time was short and also understood the ambitious nature of her two elder children. So, she decided to appoint her youngest son, who had the best relationship with her youngest daughter, as the guardian to manage the assets until her young grandson came of age.

She even gave her family heirloom to her unfortunate young grandson before her death.

To prevent the child’s maternal uncle and aunt from fighting for guardianship, she even sent the child away and hid him, fearing the child would be easily deceived.

This was how today’s events came about.

Chen Deyu almost choked when she heard this: “No, I understand their motive, but their method of finding people is just too…”

She didn’t know how to describe it.

Qin Qing was drinking milk tea, with crispy boba added, which was particularly satisfying to chew.

She said, “You can’t judge others with the mindset of an excellent police officer. If their heads were clear, their family business wouldn’t have been ruined.”

Chen Deyu actually felt she had a point.

Then she saw Qin Qing’s action of drinking milk tea pause, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Qing: “I always feel like I’ve forgotten something.”

Chen Deyu shrugged it off: “It’s okay, only unimportant things get forgotten.”

Qin Qing: “You’re right.”

She cast aside that fleeting thought and stopped thinking about it. Instead, she became interested in asking Chen Deyu about the talented Officer Meng.

This was more interesting.

In the Police Station lobby, Yang Sang, who had been squatting for a long time, was overcome with sadness.

He had such a big boss.