Katzenanhänger 2

Kapitel 5

As with my previous notes, I habitually organized this experience and then listed out my questions one by one.

First: Is the origin of the book obtained by the Fu family ancestors true?

After thinking about this question, I called Lao Fu over to my house again and tentatively asked him. Lao Fu immediately became furious, swearing it was definitely true and that he hadn't lied to us a single word. I said, "What I really meant was, did his great-grandfather hide anything? Or, after this story was passed down, did his grandfather or father discover something and conceal it to prevent Lao Fu from finding clues and investigating further? Did Lao Fu's father and grandfather actually discover clues long ago but also realize the danger?" Lao Fu didn't answer; he just kept smoking.

Second: Why are there only four ingredients?

I previously wrote nearly 10,000 words of speculation on this issue, but they were all refuted one by one. I'll keep you in suspense for now, and I'll describe it in detail later in the story.

Third: Lao Fu's great-grandfather, grandfather, and his own father all disappeared when his son was around ten years old.

I asked Lao Fu how old he was when his father disappeared. Lao Fu said he was seventeen. During the first year of his father's disappearance, his mother told him that his father had gone abroad to do business with foreigners. Lao Fu believed her at the time, but after six months, when his father stopped calling or writing, Lao Fu knew something was wrong. Lao Fu also said he wasn't sure if his grandfather disappeared when his father was seventeen, because his father only said it was when he was around ten, and his father didn't know exactly when his great-grandfather disappeared. After talking with Lao Fu, I went to his house to find his mother. She said she knew as much as Lao Fu did, and that she hadn't told him about his father at the time because she was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle the shock during his adolescence and might go astray. (I recalled Lai Bao's words; it seemed that Lao Fu became somewhat like a street thug around that time, so his mother's worries weren't unfounded.)

Fourth: What exactly is recorded in that book?

Chapter 14 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 14 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

First of all, I absolutely do not believe in the idea of immortality, at least from my perspective. After all, humans are biological beings, and no living thing on Earth can live forever without decaying. Even plants that grow for over a hundred years will eventually wither; I believe this is a cyclical law. I carefully perused the book that day, and upon closer inspection, I discovered that most of the things recorded in it, although written in different languages from various eras, and even some not in Chinese characters, almost all shared a common thread: they went to two extremes. Either the information was so mundane that it couldn't be found in some historical records, or it was extremely shocking. For example, two pages in the book mentioned that at the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, there was also the Chen Dynasty in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After the death of Emperor Xuan of Chen, the penultimate emperor of the Chen Dynasty, his son Shubao ascended the throne (known as...). Emperor Chen Houzhu (also known as Emperor Chen Houzhu) neglected state affairs after ascending the throne, spending his days indulging in pleasure and food, showing no concern whatsoever about the Sui Dynasty's eventual conquest of Chen. Later, angered Emperor Wen of Sui by speaking disrespectfully to him, the emperor launched a campaign against Chen. This account is identical to historical records. However, the book then claims that when Sui troops stormed the Chen palace, they found Emperor Chen Houzhu and his concubines in a well. Contrary to historical accounts, they were not taken prisoner, but rather killed by falling rocks. Furthermore, the captured Emperor Chen Houzhu was not his actual brother, but rather his twin brother. I was astonished by this. Emperor Chen Houzhu having a twin brother is unheard of! The book also mentions that all this information was copied from a book called *Hou Chen Ya Yu*. I immediately searched everywhere and consulted many people, but no one had ever heard of such a book. Could this be a clue from that book? Or perhaps the Later Chen rulers didn't actually have twin brothers; it was all fabricated to lure people into searching for something like the "Later Chen Cliff Sayings," or perhaps to guide them to find something else—the so-called secret of immortality? I'll tentatively believe in the existence of immortality for now. If such a secret truly exists in the book, then perhaps each of these records contains a hidden word, phrase, or even a sentence, which, when combined in a certain order, could constitute the true method for achieving immortality?

Of course, I was very excited when I finally learned the secret of this book, although I don't know if it was true or not. But that's a story for another time, and I will record it in detail in my later notes.

I should also mention the story of Yang Zhan burying his wife. I later saw it in the M City newspaper. Because I had important business to attend to at the time, I didn't immediately investigate. The newspaper reported that a fortune teller told a farmer that his wife would have an affair and that he needed to bury her in the ground overnight on a full moon night. Before burying her, a talisman should be placed on her forehead. The next morning, when he retrieved his wife, she would be faithful to him for life. After the police arrested the fortune teller, they charged him with instigating murder. The fortune teller claimed he was drunk that day and talked nonsense, never expecting that damned bastard to believe him. It's both laughable and pathetic. When I investigated further later, the farmer had already been punished by law and gone to see his wife. I went to find the fortune teller, only to learn that he had accidentally fallen in prison, hitting his head hard on a flower bed, and died instantly. I think this is probably best described as retribution.

Notes on the Fourth Chapter: The First Chapter of the Heavenly Secretary: Old Fu's Spring

After the Yangzhan incident, Lao Fu started to frequent bookstores, but he rarely went to any particular bookstore except the one Yangzhan used to love. He would go there almost every day with a teacup and spend the whole day there. Later, he even said that he was getting tired of reading and wanted a change of pace, so he donated a TV to the bookstore and also bought them a DVD player. Lai Bao and I felt that we had never seen Lao Fu, who was usually very stingy, be so generous. We suspected something was wrong, so we secretly went to the bookstore. When we got off work, we happened to run into a taxi driver shift change. The afternoon shift was being replaced by the night shift, so it was hard to get a taxi. We finally found a girl driving a taxi. We told her the destination, and she said that she happened to be going there to change shifts as well. So we took a ride there.

When we arrived at the location, Lai Bao and I paid the fare, jumped out of the car, and prepared to walk towards the bookstore. Just as we reached the bookstore, we saw Lao Fu standing at the entrance, dressed casually. His pose was obviously staged. Lai Bao and I were about to give him a piece of our mind when we saw Lao Fu smile at us. We were wondering what he was smiling about when Lao Fu said loudly, "Just finished your shift? Tired?"

Lai Bao and I then realized that Lao Fu's smile wasn't for us, so we turned around. As soon as we turned around, we saw the female taxi driver who had brought us here earlier. After the female driver went into the bookstore, Lao Fu was serving her tea and helping her with her clothes, acting like a damn lackey. Lai Bao and I immediately understood why this bastard was so willing to do that; he was here to pick up women.

After we entered the bookstore, the female driver went into the book storage room to change clothes. Lai Bao and I grabbed Lao Fu and said, "Brother Fu, your taste is really bad! You can find tons of this kind of stuff on ChunX Road in C City."

Old Fu glared at us, pulled us outside, and said, "You don't know anything. This is called a roundabout tactic. This girl's mother is the auntie in this bookstore. I think she's definitely hiding something from us, so I'm trying to get close to her."

Lai Bao nodded and said, "That's right. If you put in a little more effort, her mom will become your mom too. Once you're all family, your mom will agree to anything you say, right?" Old Fu nodded quickly after hearing Lai Bao's words, praising Lai Bao for being smart. Lai Bao and I both held back our laughter. This kind of lie, do you think you were in junior high and high school, pestering a girl every day and insisting that you were getting her tutored in hygiene?

When the girl came out, it was obvious at a glance that she had tidied herself up a bit and put on some light makeup. I glanced at her and then looked down. Lai Bao seemed to be talking to himself at that moment, saying, "She looks pretty good like this." I quickly looked up and glanced at the girl again. Although she was very pretty, she didn't really impress me, but Lai Bao stared at her for a long time...

After the girl came out, Lao Fu reverted to his servile self, showering her with attention and constantly asking what she wanted to eat that night. That's when I heard the girl's name clearly: Mi Dou. What a strange name! I whispered to Lai Bao, who glared at me and said, "Do you think the names of you, me, and Lao Fu are normal?"

Mi Dou asked Lao Fu if Lai Bao and I were his friends. Only then did Lao Fu remember to introduce us. After introducing us, he put Lai Bao and me aside and continued to sit at the table chatting with Mi Dou about all sorts of things. At this time, Mi Dou's mother came over and said that she had to go home for a while, asking Mi Dou to stay at the store. After Mi Dou's mother left, Mi Dou said to Lao Fu with regret, "Brother Fu, we can't go out for hot pot tonight. I have to stay at the store."

Old Fu laughed and said, "It's okay, we can just eat at the restaurant, okay? I'll call and have them deliver over. It's a restaurant owned by one of my buddies, a really close friend. All it takes is one phone call!" After saying that, Old Fu started making a call. Lai Bao and I both sighed at the same time. These days, there are really quite a few men who would rather die for their wives than live for their wives.

After finishing his call, Lao Fu seemed to remember something and pulled Lai Bao and me aside to tell us that he was starting to make some progress on the book. Lao Fu said he had spent a lot of time on the book over the past two months, not only searching for books to read and enriching his own knowledge, but also paying people specializing in the field to help him. After working on it for so long, he had finally figured out some of the main points. First of all, the book starts from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the content is very strange. Each paragraph seems to have no connection to the previous one. The previous paragraph might be about feng shui, and the following paragraph might directly... The conversation turned to military matters. Following the Eastern Han Dynasty came the Three Kingdoms period, which spanned a rather long period. Then came the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the writing on the records started to become strange, even interspersed with foreign characters. However, the records were similar to those before, disorganized and containing all sorts of things. Some even recorded what they ate that day, felt unwell, went to see a doctor, received medication, and recounted what they did. It felt like a diary or notebook filled with entries from countless people.

Of course, we all noticed that the dates deduced from the text and content of this book are quite wide. For example, it starts with the Eastern Han Dynasty and should then be followed by the Western Han Dynasty, not directly jumping to the Three Kingdoms period. Some of the dates are even more exaggerated, skipping several dynasties. At this point, we also had great doubts about the authenticity of this book. How many years have passed from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present? Moreover, at that time, bamboo slips were basically used, and if there was paper, it was hemp paper, which was extremely rare. After all, many people at that time believed that paper was not easy to preserve. Bamboo slips unearthed during archaeological excavations are well preserved, but maps and other things drawn on hemp paper are basically crushed into dust or ash. This book is so well preserved, which makes people doubt its authenticity.

Later, Lai Bao saw on TV that some ancient books were made from animal hides and soaked in special chemicals. He asked Lao Fu if he had taken it to be appraised. Lao Fu shook his head and said, "No, I've kept that book in a bank safe. I'm thinking of preserving it as well as possible. Who knows, if I go bankrupt one day, I'll rely on this priceless treasure to make a fortune again."

When Lai Bao said that, I agreed. Didn't Lao Fu's ancestors always mention things related to medicine? Maybe there's some secret hidden in the pages of this book. We should have it appraised. I also told Lao Fu that he didn't need to take the whole book, since many parts of it were starting to peel off. He could just take a small piece and have it appraised somewhere.

As we were talking, Mi Dou came over and placed a cup of tea in front of me and Lai Bao, saying, "What are you two talking about? You seem to be having a great time. What are you planning to test? DNA? I have a classmate who works at a hospital; maybe he can help."

Lai Bao quickly added, "Old Fu used to know a woman who recently told him she had given birth to his child. He doesn't know if it's true or not, so he wants to find a place to get a DNA test to see if the child is his biological offspring."

Upon hearing Lai Bao's words, Lao Fu immediately became anxious. He stood up and loudly rebuked Lai Bao, but halfway through his rebuke, he turned to Mi Dou and said, "Don't believe me. I've always been a person of integrity and haven't even had my first love yet. My heart is as pure as a snowflake falling from the sky."

Lai Bao and I felt nauseous at those words. I then said, "You haven't had your first love yet? Then who are you calling Fang or Jie all the time?" Lao Fu immediately became furious: "Those are the nicknames of my aunts and other female relatives. They all passed away a long time ago. I'm just remembering them." Lai Bao and I burst into laughter, and Mi Dou covered her mouth and laughed desperately. When Lao Fu saw Mi Dou laughing, his tense expression relaxed, and he began to tell Mi Dou about the book.

When I saw Lao Fu start talking about the book, I thought to myself, "You bastard, I asked you to talk about this book before, but you refused no matter what, saying only someone with the surname Fu could know." Lao Fu was halfway through his story when a customer came in to buy a book, and Mi Dou quickly went over to greet him. I asked Lao Fu, "Didn't you say only someone with the surname Fu could know?" Lao Fu said, "You and Lai Bao aren't the same, you don't have the surname Fu. I've already told you both. I treat you like brothers, you know? I told Mi Dou because she'll have to take her husband's surname sooner or later. Fu Mi Shi, what do you know?"

Now I completely believe and understand that Old Fu's time has come...

Chapter 15 of "Strange Tales of Tangdun"

Chapter 15 of "Strange Tales of Tangdun"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

When the hot pot was served, Lai Bao and I were really surprised. Looking at the metal lettering on it, we knew it was a fairly famous hot pot restaurant in City C. The nearest branch was at least seven or eight blocks away; Lao Fu was really going all out. When we started eating, Lai Bao suggested drinking, but Lao Fu surprisingly said he never drank because alcohol makes you feel warmer, and that makes your brain less sharp. He said this very seriously, but then Mi Dou said she wanted some beer because driving all day was too tiring. Lao Fu quickly changed his tune, saying, "You can drink a little alcohol; it's good for your health." Hearing this made me want to jump up and whip him into a mascot from the Asian Games.

After having a few drinks, Dou started talking more. We learned that Dou had graduated from a prestigious university with a degree in psychology. The year she graduated, her father died in a car accident. As a result, Dou and her mother received a small amount of insurance compensation from the insurance company. In addition, Dou's father had also purchased some personal accident insurance. The mother and son discussed it and decided to open a bookstore. Dou's mother used to work at Xinhua Bookstore. Dou didn't want to look for a job. Although her major was novel and very useful in modern society, Dou hated working for others. She wasn't qualified to open a psychological clinic. Besides, she had just started to enjoy driving, so she decided to drive a taxi for others. She thought that after a few years, she could save some money and buy a taxi to run her own business.

When I heard that Midou was studying psychology, I told her about the Zhang Aimin incident I had encountered before, asking her to help analyze it. Midou analyzed it for a long time but couldn't come up with any clues. She just said that there are similar cases of illness, but they are all acquired, unlike Zhang Aimin, who seemed to be born with a liking for imitating others.

Lai Bao, Mi Dou, and I were chatting about this for a while when we realized that Lao Fu couldn't get a word in edgewise, so we quickly changed the subject to the book. Lao Fu said, "I've been thinking about what you guys were saying. I think it's necessary to take that book somewhere to get it appraised to see what era it's from, what the material is made of, and whether it's been processed in any way."

Mi Dou hadn't finished listening to the story about the book, so Lao Fu continued talking about it. After we finished eating hot pot, it was almost 10 p.m. by the time the restaurant came to pack up, Mi Dou said it was getting late and she needed to go home and rest early because she had to pick up the car early the next morning. The driver who usually drove the morning bus couldn't come because of something, so she would have to cover for the whole day, which would definitely be tiring.

We helped Mi Dou close the shop, then got into Lao Fu's car. After Lao Fu took Mi Dou home, he kept telling her to take care of herself. After Mi Dou went upstairs, he didn't leave. He sat in the car and saw the light in Mi Dou's bedroom turn on. He quickly made a phone call and told her to get some rest. He added a really disgusting sentence at the end: "Remember to dream about me tonight."

Notes on the Heavenly Book, Chapter Two: The Man Who Switched the Heavenly Book

After Lai Bao and I got home, Lao Fu insisted on sitting at our house for a while. Once inside, Lao Fu told us to go with him to an exhibition the next day. He said that an archaeological expert he had previously helped find said there was an exhibition at the C City Museum these days. Although the exhibits wouldn't be of much help to Lao Fu, many experts in the field would be there, and we might find some clues.

Lai Bao and I didn't agree because we had to work during the day, and besides, neither of us was familiar with this kind of thing, so we wouldn't be of much help. Lao Fu said that in that case, he could only see if he could ask Mi Dou to go along.

The next afternoon, during lunch, Lao Fu called to say that if we had time, we could meet up because there was new progress on the book. However, judging from his tone, it didn't seem to be good news. Lao Fu sounded very upset. I said that I had to work in the afternoon, and if he had time, he could come to the company to find me and Lai Bao. Lao Fu agreed on the phone and told us not to go anywhere else in the afternoon. He said he would come over around 2 or 3 pm.

Around 3 p.m., Lao Fu arrived at the company and went straight into the smoking room. Before Lai Bao and I could even sit down, Lao Fu slammed the book heavily on the table. I immediately sensed something was wrong. This guy used to treat this like a treasure, so why was he so angry today? Lai Bao quickly picked up the book, gently patted it, and said, "What happened? Why are you so angry?"

Old Fu pointed at the book with his finger and smoked, saying, "I went there today. That brother of mine who does archaeology took me to see several experts. After they examined the book one by one, he told me some really great news."

"What good news?" I asked. Old Fu snorted and said, "Five experts have examined it and concluded that it's a fake. It looks like it has historical value, but the one I have is fake, and the information inside is worthless. They said that if you take it to the market, someone who doesn't know its value might give it a few hundred yuan at most, while someone who does will buy it by weight!"

Lai Bao and I were taken aback. Lai Bao asked him first, "Didn't you say this book was quite valuable?"

Old Fu tilted his head and said, "I've been fooled! It's just a lousy book!" Old Fu took a deep drag on his cigarette, stood up, pointed at the book, and said, "Do you even know what's written in this?"

Lai Bao and I shook our heads at the same time. Old Fu continued, "Experts say that if this book were written in modern language, it would be something like the Nine Yin White Bone Claw Five-Day Instant Mastery Technique!"

I burst out laughing. It was just a tiny thing, yet Lao Fu had been carrying it around like a treasure, hoping to use it to start a business if he ever went bankrupt. Lao Fu said, "If I had known, I would have sold it to that grandson who said it was worth millions."

Lai Bao held the book without saying a word, just flipping through it for a long time. Then, as if talking to himself, he looked up and asked Lao Fu, "Lao Fu, but that's not right. If it's a forgery, could your great-grandfather's generation have forged things to this extent?"

Old Fu said, "I've already brought this up. The experts said that in the past, when people forged famous paintings, those fakes were so well-known that only the most expert could tell the difference, let alone a tattered book like this."

Lai Bao flipped through the book for a while, then suddenly stood up and said, "No, Lao Fu, this isn't the one you used to have!"

I quickly asked, "Why?" Lao Fu also came over, and Lai Bao pointed to the last page of the book and said, "The last time I read your book, I was drinking coffee and spilled a little bit inside. I was afraid you would scold me, so I didn't dare to tell you. Now you see, the stain on this page is gone, and although the page is yellowed, the yellow color is very unnatural. Don't you think so?"

I went to get the book, but Lao Fu snatched it away. After looking at it for a while, Lao Fu said, "Yeah! Why is the book different from before?"

Lai Bao said, "I suspect... this book has been switched."

Old Fu said, "Impossible. After I showed it to you last time, I kept it in my hand and then put it in the bank. That can't be right."

Lai Bao sneered and said, "You still haven't let go? Where did you take the book today? Are you a pig-brain?"

Old Fu said, "Impossible! Those are all experts, their titles are terrifying, how could they... impossible, I think it's unlikely."

Lai Bao slammed his fist on the table: "Don't believe the experts like that. I can't think of any other explanation. I think we should start with the guy who suggested you go to that exhibition. Because it takes time to forge a book, that guy must have had his eye on your book before, and then he spent time figuring out how to forge a copy. Then he kindly introduced you to the exhibition, and then your book was switched... It's that simple."

After listening to Lai Bao's words, I thought they made sense. This is the way to look at it. After all, if someone hadn't been eyeing this book for a long time, it's unlikely that someone would have made a fake copy before and carried it with them all the time, and then happened to see Lao Fu's genuine copy and swapped it with it.

After discussing it, the three of us decided to go directly to Lao Fu's archaeology friend. Lao Fu said that his friend's surname was Wang, and his name was Wang Qiang. He was a senior classmate we met in college. He originally studied Chinese literature but always loved delving into history. According to Lao Fu, Wang Qiang was a living history textbook to him back then. Later, a teacher suggested that Wang Qiang switch majors to history, but Wang Qiang didn't succeed. This matter became a worry for Wang Qiang. After graduating from college, Wang Qiang used connections to get a job at the Cultural Bureau in City C, where he spent his days buried in books and studying ancient artifacts.

Old Fu first called Wang Qiang, saying he had troubled him recently and wanted to treat him to a meal. After hanging up, Old Fu said to us, "Something's not right. Wang Qiang sounded a bit flustered. It seems this kid really has something going on. What if he runs away? We'd better hurry up and go to his house to confront him. If all else fails, we'll call the police!"

Lai Bao and I agreed, and we asked Lao Fu to drive over first. Lai Bao and I would come over right away after we completed the leave application process.

When Lai Bao and I arrived at Wang Qiang's place, we found that he lived in the Petroleum Community. We got out of the taxi and went inside, but were stopped by the security guard. We quickly called Lao Fu, who said that Wang Qiang was still knocking on the door. He put his ear to the door and heard a sound inside, so he guessed that Wang Qiang was still inside. He told us to hurry up and that the more people we had, the more help we would have, and we wouldn't be at a disadvantage even if a fight broke out.

Lai Bao and I quickly told the security guard that we were going up to find Wang Qiang. The guard said no, this community can't be entered casually. Workers who deliver bottled water must have an access pass, otherwise they can't enter at all. We had to get one too. Lai Bao got angry immediately, so I quickly stopped him and pleaded with the security guard: "Brother, look, this is an oil community, isn't it? It's an oil sales community. I'm actually from the same system as you. Please let us in."

The security guard glared at me: "Which system are you from?"

I said with a grin, "I'm a Golden Dragon Fish... I also tinker with oil."

The security guard, oblivious to humor, refused to let us in. We had no choice but to get temporary access passes, and each of us left 20 yuan as a deposit, saying we could exchange the passes for cash when we left. We also left our ID cards with the passes.

Chapter 16 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 16 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

When we went upstairs, we found Wang Qiang's door open, but there was no one at the door. We guessed Lao Fu had already gone inside, but there was no sound from inside. When we went in, we saw a person lying on the ground, face down. Lao Fu was standing next to him, staring blankly at the person on the ground. When we got closer, we saw that the person on the ground was foaming at the mouth. Lai Bao squatted down and touched the person's nose, then his expression changed and he said to me, "This person seems to be dead." Then Lai Bao and I stared at Lao Fu at the same time. We called Lao Fu a few times before he came back to his senses. Lao Fu quickly said that when he came in, he found this scene. I asked, "Who opened the door for you?" Lao Fu said that he was actually angry and kicked the door open. Who knew that the door was actually closed properly, and he just kicked it open. When he came in, he saw Wang Qiang lying there, and he was stunned.

I turned around, ran to the door, and closed it. Then I asked Lai Bao and Lao Fu what to do. This is a serious matter, someone has died! Lao Fu was just about to light a cigarette, muttering to himself as he lit the lighter, "Luckily Mi Dou didn't come with us." Before he could even light it, Lai Bao grabbed the lighter from him: "We don't know how Wang Qiang died. Judging from the looks of it, it seems like he was poisoned, but we don't know if it was murder or suicide. Leaving so many of your things in this house is bad for you, and bad for us."

At that moment, I felt parched and really wanted a cigarette. I felt like I was being scratched by a cat. After thinking for a long time, I said, "We have to call the police. After all, we didn't kill the person. The police will find out the truth. If we just leave like this, the police will still find out about us. We'll have no way to explain ourselves."

Lai Bao nodded: "Yes, countless eyes saw us come in, we have to call the police." After saying that, Lai Bao picked up his phone and dialed the police. Then the three of us sat on the sofa waiting for the police to arrive. I sat there without daring to move because Lai Bao said that moving around might mess up the scene. Lao Fu was even more nervous than me, sweating profusely. Lai Bao sat on the sofa staring at Wang Qiang's body. After a while, Lai Bao suddenly squatted down and gently touched Wang Qiang's hand. Lao Fu scolded him: "Are you still playing around? What's fun about a dead body?"

Lai Bao didn't turn around: "Do you think he has something in his hand?"

We followed Lai Bao's hand and looked in that direction. Just then, we heard police sirens downstairs. We knew the police had arrived. Lai Bao quickly wrapped his hand in his sleeve and opened Wang Qiang's hand. He then took something out and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. After putting it in, he seemed to think it was inappropriate, so he took it out again and folded it into his wallet. I saw a look of surprise on Lai Bao's face when he opened the note. Before I could ask anything, the police knocked on the door. I quickly went to open it and saw two policemen. They asked, "Who called the police?" Lai Bao stood up and said, "Me!"

At this moment, the police saw the person lying inside the house and immediately started shouting into their walkie-talkies...

Notes on the Fourth Chapter: The Heavenly Secretary, Section 3: The Other Two People

Around 3 a.m., the three of us finally got out of the police station. If we hadn't called Liu Zhong, we probably wouldn't have gotten out so quickly. The first thing Liu Zhong said to us as we sat down in a small bar outside the station was, "I think this is too sci-fi. Last time you two encountered a weirdo, and this time, you've run into a dead man."

Lai Bao then told Liu Zhong the whole story. Liu Zhong nodded and said, "I just heard them say that Wang Qiang died of poisoning, but it seems like there are some mixed poisons and a lot of them. The results won't be available until tomorrow. Don't wander around these next few days. Be available whenever we call..." Liu Zhong paused for a moment and then asked us in a low voice, "That book you mentioned earlier... is it real or fake?"

I said, "Would we lie to you at a time like this? Brother, people have died, you can't joke about something like this."

Although Lao Fu mentioned the book at the police station, he didn't say anything about what had been found in it before, or the book's history. He only said it was an antique passed down in his family, which he gave to Wang Qiang for appraisal. It turned out it had been switched, and he guessed that Wang Qiang was probably behind it. Then the three of us went to find Wang Qiang, only to discover that he had already "ascended to immortality" at home...

Needless to say, Lao Fu was the prime suspect. Just imagine, a million-dollar antique book being switched; in a fit of anger, he could very well have done something like that. I discussed Wang Qiang's matter with Liu Chong, and then Liu Chong said he had to go home to sleep, otherwise he'd have to go to work like a panda tomorrow. After Liu Chong left, Lai Bao pulled Lao Fu and me to a corner of the bar to sit down. He then took something from Wang Qiang's hand from his wallet and placed it on the table, but without unfolding it, he asked us first, "Do you know what this is?"

Old Fu and I shook our heads. Old Fu got anxious and reached for the paper. When he unfolded it, his face changed. I took it and saw that the paper had the names of the four medicines written on it. Although they were in traditional characters, we could still make them out. There was also a talisman drawn below it, exactly the same as what we saw in the Yangzhan incident. Old Fu said, "This matter has blown up now, and someone has died."

Lai Bao stroked his chin and said, "I reckon Wang Qiang probably died from eating these things. Just think about it, if you eat these four things mixed together, how could someone not die?"

I nodded in agreement, but how did Wang Qiang know about the four herbs and the talisman? Lao Fu said he had never mentioned these things to Wang Qiang. I was now somewhat glad that Lai Bao had put these papers together earlier. If the police had searched them, although they could have quickly cleared our names, if a more astute officer had dug up the Yangzhan case from last time, compared them, and found that both cases involved the same four herbs and talisman, and that both cases involved me, Lai Bao, and Lao Fu, then we would have been in deep trouble. The police wouldn't think it was such a coincidence. If the police got involved with this book, the trouble would be much greater…

The three of us just sat there dumbfounded, looking at each other, sighing and shaking our heads for about half an hour. Suddenly, Lai Bao asked Lao Fu, "Lao Fu, can you recall what happened when you took the book to the exhibition?"

Old Fu asked, "What do you mean?"

Lai Bao said he just wanted to recall how he got there, where Wang Qiang was, and what happened next. Lao Fu thought for a while and said that Wang Qiang called him at 8:00 am and asked him to meet at the open-air teahouse next to the museum entrance at 8:30 am. When Lao Fu arrived on time, he saw Wang Qiang and several other people already sitting at a table, seemingly waiting for him. There were three people in total, including Wang Qiang: an elderly man wearing a Zhongshan suit who didn't smile much and only nodded slightly when he saw Lao Fu; a middle-aged man wearing an old military-style uniform who was the first to stand up and extend his hand to Lao Fu. According to Wang Qiang's introduction, the elderly man was named Zhong Sheng, the president of a folk antique enthusiasts association, and the middle-aged man was the director in charge of organizing this event at the museum, named Zhou Wensheng. Both of them liked to study ancient documents, but although Zhong Sheng didn't talk much, every sentence he said was almost to the point. Lao Fu immediately felt that Zhong Sheng must be an authoritative figure.

At first, Zhou Wensheng flipped through Lao Fu's book, saying something in surprise as he did so, but his voice was very soft, and Lao Fu couldn't hear him clearly because he was focused on telling Zhong Sheng about the origin of the book.

Lai Bao interrupted Lao Fu: "Did you tell them the whole story of where this book came from?"

Old Fu shook his head and said, "I changed it. I changed the story of my ancestors robbing people to business. I said that when they were doing business, they saved someone. That person left this book to my great-grandfather on his deathbed. I changed everything else based on that. But I didn't mention that my great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my father ran away. I know in my heart that I just went to them to study this book. The other things are my family matters and there is no need to bring them up."

When the old man named Zhong Sheng got his hands on Lao Fu's book and started looking through it, his face turned noticeably pale. That's Lao Fu's exact words. Lao Fu wondered if he had found something in the book. Eventually, the book ended up in Wang Qiang's hands. A while later, when Zhong Sheng asked to see the book again, Wang Qiang gave it to him. Zhong Sheng then concluded that the book was fake. Then several other researchers in this field came over, examined it, and all said it was a forgery. Although it looked very similar, it was definitely a fake. Then Lao Fu took the book and called us. We all know what happened next.