Katzenanhänger 2

Kapitel 7

Second: Where is Zhong Sheng's friend now? Is it possible to find him?

To get this answer, I even gave Zhong Sheng some old Moutai liquor that my dad had treasured at home, a gift from someone else, and several rare stamps that my dad had bought at a high price. But Zhong Sheng refused my gifts, telling me that he would keep the person's whereabouts a secret for life. (Lai Bao also secretly ran back to his hometown and stole an old book with some historical value from his maternal grandfather's house and gave it to him.) Later, I was lucky that he didn't say thank you and accept the gifts without saying a word, because I only found out after I got home that my dad had reported the theft because he thought the stamps had been stolen. When I got home, the police were collecting evidence at my house.

Because... I pried open the cabinet where my dad kept his stamps, and I stole my dad's key to open the small safe inside.

Third: Did the Qing Dynasty rulers ever attempt to destroy the dragon vein of the Han people in the Central Plains?

I asked Zhong Sheng about this, and I also did some research myself. I found quite a few records of anti-Qing organizations trying to find the location of the Qing Dynasty's dragon vein and then destroying it, but I didn't find any official record of the Qing Dynasty taking such action. There are many unofficial histories that can't be considered orthodox historical records claiming that the Qing rulers did similar things, but the rulers referred to are not the emperor, but some ministers who proposed it and carried it out privately without the emperor's reply. Zhong Sheng, however, firmly believes that even without very clear records, he has historical artifacts and documents as evidence, and he is 100% convinced. I asked him why, but he didn't answer.

Fourth: Does that book really record the exact locations of all the precious ancient tombs and some treasures in Chinese history?

Zhong Sheng's statement is that it's definitely not all of them, but there are definitely some places that people today simply can't find, or rather, the difference between the real and the fake. For example, modern archaeology might discover an ancient tomb, and based on the artifacts unearthed and the style of the tomb, it's deduced that the location is the tomb of an emperor from a certain dynasty. But in reality, that emperor wasn't buried there. No matter how advanced modern technology is, there's no way to use DNA to confirm whether it's actually that emperor, right? I agree with Zhong Sheng on this point. If there really were a book that recorded all of them, I think writing it would take at least a hundred years, or even longer, just to collect the data, and the financial resources would be equivalent to at least ten years of the fiscal expenditure of a developed country today.

Fifth: Where exactly are Lao Fu's father and the others?

After filtering everything I knew through my brain, I even wondered if the disappearances of Lao Fu's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather might have nothing to do with this book. But it was definitely not a coincidence. The probability of such a coincidence was not low, but absolutely nonexistent. I thought that if it really had nothing to do with that book, then it must be a bizarre story.

Sixth: What is the existence of that organization?

This organization is documented in the most detailed notes later on, and writing it down here would be a repetition, so I will omit it.

Notes on Disguise, Part 5: Family History

After Lai Bao went back to his hometown in Northeast China to celebrate his father's birthday, he took a month-long leave. From the day Lai Bao left City C, I started to feel bored. After all, living with someone for too long, regardless of whether that person is human or animal, male or female, involves a certain kind of emotion—an emotion difficult to express. Imagine having someone working overtime with you, allowing you to verbally abuse them during the workday, and then, after work, setting a trap to get them to treat you to dinner. After dinner, you can go home together and freely humiliate them in various ways. How wonderful it is to see your happiness built on their suffering…

It seems that Lao Fu and Mi Dou's relationship isn't progressing well. If it were, Lao Fu wouldn't follow me home every day after work, down a few bottles of beer, then take out his phone, look at the photos of Mi Dou he secretly took, and sing: "A Lin Daiyu fell from the sky..." looking completely dazed. After singing, he would call Mi Dou, ask her what was wrong, hang up, and then come to my computer, grab a small stool, sit behind me, and mutter to himself. He's completely schizophrenic.

Zhong Sheng kept in touch with us, inviting me, Lao Fu, and Mi Dou to his house every now and then to chat and joke around. I've always been very curious, so I would pester this old rascal Zhong Sheng to tell me about some strange and unusual things he knew. Zhong Sheng told me a lot of these kinds of stories, but the one that left a deep impression on me was the story about disguise.

I knew about the term "disguise" entirely from martial arts novels. It usually involves covering one's face with a specially made mask, making the person's face look exactly like someone else's. Then, one can use that person's identity to do things like gathering intelligence, assassination, or other shady activities. I first learned about it once when I was eating at Zhong Sheng's house and watching TV. A martial arts drama was airing, and I casually asked Zhong Sheng, "Teacher Zhong, do you think this whole 'disguise' thing is real or fake?"

Zhong Sheng said that ancient Chinese disguise could be described as a rather mysterious makeup technique. The earliest documented records of makeup in China can be traced back to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties before the Common Era. At that time, makeup was not the exclusive domain of women; it was primarily used during ancient sacrificial rites. People would apply something resembling oil paint to their faces, bodies, and especially their limbs, to represent their physical proximity to the gods and thus achieve communication. The ruling class also used this method to display their status and position. Makeup was most commonly used by shamans and nobles. Some slaves also wore makeup, but only when they were offered as sacrifices. People at that time believed that offering unadorned sacrifices to the gods was a great disrespect, and the gods would punish them.

Later, makeup began to evolve into a decorative art form, especially during the Tang Dynasty. However, there is no definitive written record about the practice of disguise. The closest one we can find is that some ethnic groups, known as barbarians, used to paint their faces and bodies with colorful substances during battles to boost morale and intimidate the enemy.

“But disguise isn’t entirely nonexistent.” Zhong Sheng said, then told the nanny to tidy up the table and led us upstairs. Mi Dou showed much more interest in these matters than Lao Fu and I. Lao Fu, apart from the matter of that book, didn’t care much about anything else. So as soon as we entered Zhong Sheng’s study, he started looking through some materials on the bookshelf and went to a corner of the study to read. Mi Dou and I sat opposite Zhong Sheng’s desk, drinking tea and listening to Zhong Sheng continue.

Zhong Sheng once saw such a record in the family genealogy of a Shandong merchant (the genealogy here refers to something similar to a family tree, but it is different from a family tree. It is used to record important events in the family. In principle, a family tree is a very serious thing in the family and cannot be used to record other things. However, in some family genealogies, if any major events occur after each generation, they will be recorded accordingly). This Shandong merchant family surnamed Xin all ran restaurants, that is, they were in the food business. According to the records in the genealogy, they were a big family in the area at that time, and they also produced several famous chefs with a good reputation. In today's terms, those people could be considered gourmets.

The family records state that Xin Feng, an ancestor of the Xin family during the late Ming Dynasty, once acquired a piece of jade, known in the trade as a "jue," which is like a round jade ring with a missing piece. China has a special connection to jade throughout history, a kind of jade worship. This "jue" was quite precious. After acquiring it, Xin Feng added it to his family's collection. However, not long after, the friend who had given it to Xin Feng took it back, claiming it wasn't actually a "jue," but rather a piece of jade that had been accidentally broken and reshaped into a "jue." Xin Feng thought, "You gave it to me, and you want it back? That's unreasonable!" He wouldn't let go, and when his friend failed to get the jade, he left in anger. A few days later, the friend came to the Xin family again, but it was as if the matter of wanting the jade had never happened. Xin Feng couldn't help but question the friend, who was surprised and said that he had gone to the capital a few days ago and had not come to the Xin family. Xin Feng found it strange, how could he mistake his friend for someone else? But the friend insisted that he had not come.

Chapter 21 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 21 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

Xin Feng, seeing that his friend didn't mention the jade again, let it go. However, the next day, the friend came again demanding the jade. Xin Feng was furious, took the jade back, and threw it back at his friend. He also sent a servant with a white note, torn in two, to his friend, signifying that they were severing ties. Upon receiving the note, the friend rushed over, claiming he didn't know what was going on, crying foul, and even finding many people to testify that he had been in the upper bunk that day and hadn't been to Xin's house. Several of the witnesses were respected elders in the area. Xin Feng thought carefully; those respected elders wouldn't help his friend fabricate a story. But he couldn't understand what was happening; the person standing before him was clearly his friend of twenty years.

As Xin Feng was about to retire for the night, he had just stepped out of his study when a dark figure leaped down from the roof. Startled, Xin Feng was about to call his servants to catch the thief when the figure suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, thanking Xin Feng for his great kindness and promising to repay him for the rest of his life. Confused, Xin Feng asked why he had done him such a favor. The figure explained that he was the one who had impersonated Xin Feng's friend several times before. The jade pendant was a family heirloom, and his late father had repeatedly instructed him to retrieve it. He had finally found the pendant with Xin Feng and had come to demand its return. He couldn't think of a good way to get it back, and he didn't have enough money to redeem it. Even if he did have the money, Xin Feng wouldn't let go of such a precious item.

At this point, the jade pendant was no longer important to Xin Feng. What mattered was why this person was so convincingly impersonating his friend. The person then honestly told Xin Feng that his ancestors had a unique secret method that could change one's appearance. However, it required long-term observation of the person to be disguised. Then, after the person was asleep or at another inconvenient time, a mold would be used to cover the person's face to imprint the shape of their face, and then the material would be used to create the disguise.

Xin Feng also recorded in his family records that the man, because Xin Feng had been kind to him, revealed part of the production method to Xin Feng in order to satisfy Xin Feng's curiosity. Many of the materials were unheard of, and their names could not be found in any books. However, the man said that these names were all slashes, or nicknames, and were not convenient to reveal. Only people whose ancestors had been in that line of work knew them. The most difficult material to obtain was human skin, real human skin, and it had to be the skin of a person who had been burned or who had died within five hours. Moreover, it could not be the skin of the face, but the skin of the back of the person, so that the product would be durable.

That person never appeared again after that night. Xin Feng also promised not to reveal the matter, but recorded it in his family history.

Notes on Disguise, Part 5: The Mysterious Case at the Crematorium

After Zhong Sheng finished telling me about this, I asked to see the family genealogy. Zhong Sheng said that the genealogy had long been bought by a collector from Taiwan. It turned out that a friend of his had accidentally acquired it from a street vendor in a small town. Generally speaking, things like family genealogies are not very valuable unless they belong to a famous person, so no one pays much attention to them unless they have a special hobby, such as that collector from Taiwan.

I took a sip of tea and asked Zhong Sheng, "Do you really believe that such a thing happened?"

Zhong Sheng nodded and said, "You know, to verify something from the past, two conditions must be met. First, it must be recorded in ancient documents, and second, there must be physical evidence. But the existence of physical evidence is the most important. Most of what is recorded in ancient documents is based on the recorder's own understanding and some subjective thoughts. For example, many ancient documents record seeing gods descending to earth, but that doesn't mean that gods really exist. I believe this more because family genealogies are very important in the minds of Chinese people. They don't record things that didn't happen. They are mostly recorded using factual methods, with very little falsehood. Moreover, family genealogies are passed down within families and don't easily circulate in the market."

On the way home, Mi Dou said while driving, "I think there must be a lot of people who can achieve this level of skill now, right? Look at the makeup artists in those movies. They can make a scar or a mole on your face so realistically that you can't tell it's fake no matter how close you get. And in those movies, they can make men look like women and women look like men. With a little effort, most people can't tell the difference."

Old Fu dropped me off at home and then took Mi Dou back. I got out of the car and went inside. I had just turned on the bath water when the phone rang. I answered the phone and it was Chen Zhong calling. Chen Zhong said he was exhausted these past few days and wanted me to go out for drinks with him to relax. Before I could refuse, Chen Zhong said we could just come to my house. He said it was uncomfortable to sit or stand in a restaurant.

Chen Zhong, born in the 1970s, always likes to tell me and Lai Bao that he has no generation gap with us. He likes to hang out with people a few years younger than him and doesn't like to hang out with people his own age and talk about boring and meaningless things all day. He lives like a porcelain doll.

After Chen Chong came to my house, he inevitably said these things again. I knew what he meant was that he actually didn't have many friends because he had a strange temper and was stubborn. He insisted on doing whatever he thought he should do. As soon as Chen Chong came in this time, I noticed that something was wrong with his aura. He had a stubborn air about him.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Chong finally spoke up: "Recently, I encountered a case that was clearly within our jurisdiction, but they wouldn't let us get involved. I was the one who went to the crime scene."

In Chen Zhong's jurisdiction, there was a crematorium. One morning, the crematorium reported that three bodies were missing. Then they called to say that one of their employees had died. They had found him lively and energetic just a few minutes earlier. A few minutes later, the employee said he was going in to get some hot water. Another employee at the crematorium also said he was going in to get some hot water a while later. They found the first employee lying dead on the table with a large steel pipe stuck in his back.

Chen Zhong and his colleagues rushed to the scene. As soon as they arrived, Chen Zhong noticed something was wrong. He then discovered that there was no significant bleeding from the spot where the steel pipe had been inserted into the deceased employee's back. It was as if the pipe had been inserted into a puppet. Apart from a small amount of blood near the steel pipe and the back, there were no other signs of bleeding. Subsequently, the criminal police arrived at the scene, and Chen Zhong was reassured that he had been demoted from being in charge of the case to assisting in the case.

Chen Zhong has always had a strong spirit of exploration when it comes to these kinds of cases. It shouldn't be called a spirit of exploration, but rather a kind of professional sensitivity stemming from his police career. If it weren't for his family's opposition, Chen Zhong would have become a criminal investigator long ago.

When the forensic doctor arrived at the scene, he discovered something very strange: the employee's time of death was only one day prior. This was illogical, because the employee was still discussing the missing body with the crematorium staff when they reported it missing. How could he have died so suddenly, and how could his time of death be only one day prior? However, the forensic doctor's judgment was never wrong. After the autopsy, it was confirmed that the person had indeed died a day prior, and the cause of death was external impact leading to internal organ rupture and massive bleeding—meaning he died in a car accident.

The entire crematorium was in an uproar. All sorts of rumors started circulating. Some said the employee's spirit was restless and, after being hit by a car, continued to attach itself to the corpse and returned to work until finally being discovered by the Black and White Impermanence and dragged back. Others said he came back to find a replacement, but eventually realized his mistake and went to the underworld peacefully, and so on...

Chen Zhong dismissed these rumors with a laugh. He never believed in ghosts or gods. His first thought was that the deceased employee and the missing body must be closely related. Sure enough, the three missing bodies were found. One of them had died in a car accident the day before, and the other two had died of illness. The police eventually conducted an autopsy and found that the so-called deceased employee had been "cosmetically altered" all over his body. The technique was so professional that it was completely undetectable to the naked eye. They speculated that this so-called deceased employee was one of the missing bodies. After DNA testing, the speculation was confirmed. Now, the "deceased" employee, Li Qiang, became the prime suspect. Moreover, Li Qiang was a makeup artist at the crematorium who specialized in applying makeup to corpses, and his skills were quite excellent. Many families of the deceased specifically requested Li Qiang to apply makeup to their bodies.

As Chen Chong spoke, I listened intently. Chen Chong stroked his chin and continued, "After questioning the crematorium staff, I discovered some clues. You could call them clues. The three missing bodies share a common characteristic: they all had no major external injuries, meaning the bodies were intact. Although the person in the car accident was hit by a car, it wasn't very noticeable from the outside, especially after makeup was applied. They were all male, around 27 years old, of similar height and build, all indoor workers, and had been dead for no more than a day. To put it bluntly, they were all relatively fresh."

When Chen Zhong said it was "relatively fresh," I was just biting into a piece of braised duck and almost spat it out. I put the duck down, wiped my mouth with a tissue, and said, "That's all? Nothing else?"

Chen nodded and said, "That's all we've found for now. After all, the biggest suspect right now is Li Qiang. We can't find him now, so he's probably on the run, but the reason is unknown. First of all, there's no murder involved in this case, at most it's corpse theft. And what would he do with these corpses? Also, if he's stealing corpses, why would he make them look like himself? He wouldn't be that stupid. No matter how convincing your disguise is, an autopsy will reveal everything. Li Qiang handles corpses every day, he couldn't possibly not know that."

I shook my head. Chen Chong leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and said, "Li Qiang's family has also inquired, and they haven't seen any unusual behavior from him recently. He still goes to work and comes home every day, and works overtime when he needs to. The rest of the time, he either goes out to play billiards with his friends. Apart from billiards, he doesn't seem to have any other hobbies. He doesn't smoke or drink, and he doesn't gamble. He also has no criminal record... You could say he has nothing, he's a clean slate, a blank sheet of paper. The neighbors have also been asked around, and he's well-liked."

I chimed in, saying, "That's exactly the kind of people who commit crimes. You can't see into someone's heart. Even a dragon has nine sons, each different from the last, let alone a human being."

Notes on Disguise, Part 5: The Reappearance of the Longevity Talisman

Chapter 22 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 22 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

After Chen Chong left, I took a shower while thinking about what he had told me. I think there were probably some things he hadn't said. Although he had many questions, the biggest one he didn't voice was: how could someone who applies makeup to a corpse make another corpse look exactly like them? Even the most skilled makeup artist couldn't do that. Chen Chong didn't explain in detail how they discovered it, or how they found out how Li Qiang applied makeup to that corpse. He didn't explain any of this, but these are all classified information, and it's already quite generous of him to have told me so much.

The next day at noon, I was eating in the company cafeteria. I had just finished my soup and was about to call Lai Bao to ask when he would be back when a security guard ran into the cafeteria and shouted my name. I stood up, raised my hand, and said, "What is it?" The security guard said that someone had come looking for me at the company gate; it was a woman.

A woman? My first thought was that it might be Mi Dou, so I wiped my mouth and followed the security guard out. When I got to the door, I saw a woman in business attire sitting on the sofa by the door, looking through the company's promotional materials. The security guard walked up to the woman and said, "Are you looking for him?" His tone was extremely... I can't quite describe it.

When the woman looked up, I realized why the security guard spoke that way. Usually, when someone comes to the company looking for someone, they call first. If they don't know the phone number, they can only register at the entrance, and then the security guard will call the person. There's never a situation where the security guard goes up to look for someone himself.

This woman was very beautiful; describing her as stunningly beautiful would be an exaggeration. She had an oval face, and every part of her face looked meticulously groomed. I glanced at her from the head down briefly, not daring to look any longer, afraid someone would slap me... But unfortunately, she was wearing light makeup. I've never really liked women who wear makeup; it's just too much to hide. If I wore makeup on the street, my chances of getting noticed would increase by at least 5%...

After the woman stood up, she extended her hand to me: "Hello, I'm from Tianya Detective Agency, my surname is Shi."

I extended my hand and shook it. The moment I shook hands, I felt that Ms. Shi's hand was unusually cold, even a bit chilling to the bone. I nodded and said, "I am Tang Dun. Hello, what can I do for you?"

A detective agency? Isn't that just like a detective agency? They handle things like catching adulterers and financial disputes.

The woman looked around and smiled, saying, "The environment here isn't very good for talking. Can we go outside and find somewhere else?"

I shook my head to indicate that I was at work and couldn't leave early, or I'd be in big trouble. Ms. Shi handed me a business card, told me to call her after get off work, said goodbye, and left. Back in my office, I examined the business card closely. The woman's name was a bit unusual—Shi Ping'er. I then searched for the company online, but couldn't find anything. It seemed to be a small, relatively unknown investigative firm. But why would an investigative firm contact me?

That's fine too. I'll have someone to keep me company after get off work, and she's a pretty woman who looks good too. I probably won't have to pay for the meal. I'm not that much of a gentleman, though. With that thought, I turned on my computer and continued the work I hadn't finished in the morning.

After get off work, I took the bus home directly and didn't remember anything about it. This is why I often say I'm immune to beautiful women. Once it's in my mind, I can't remember that person at all. Lao Fu said that Lai Bao and I both have this problem. Lai Bao and I said: This is just aesthetic fatigue!

As soon as I got home, I saw Shi Ping'er standing at the door smiling at me. I was startled and asked, "How did you know I lived here?"

Shi Ping'er said, "This is what I do. It's very easy for me to find out where you live."

I shook my head, opened the door, and said, "You know you're breaking the law, right?" After opening the door, I gestured for them to come in and sit down, saying, "Come in and sit down. I live alone. My brother went back to his hometown. This place is nice; I don't like being outside."

As Shi Ping'er changed her shoes, she said, "I think I know more about the law than you do."

After Shi Ping'er entered the room and sat down, she handed me a file folder and gently pointed to it, saying, "Mr. Tang, I'd like to inquire about the photos inside. You can take a look first." I picked up the file folder, thinking, surely it's not like someone has a crush on me and hired someone to take pictures of me secretly? Why not just say it directly? I'm always a straightforward person.

I opened the file folder and took out the photo. When I saw the photo, I was stunned. The photo showed a person holding a piece of paper with a strange pattern drawn on it. This pattern was all too familiar to me. It was a talisman, the very same talisman that Yang Zhan and Wang Qiang had found in Lao Fu's book of celestial beings. Although I was surprised, I was also wondering who this woman was and how she knew about this. Since she could find me, she must have also contacted Lao Fu.

Could this woman be someone from the organization Zhong Sheng mentioned? Or perhaps someone hired by that organization? I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat; I knew all along that this matter wouldn't end so easily.

I then put the photo down and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know Zhang Fu, and I don't understand why you came to find me."

Shi Ping'er smiled, and I sensed that my expression was definitely not right, so I made an excuse to go into the kitchen to pour her some tea. After I went into the kitchen, I heard Shi Ping'er say outside, "Mr. Tang, you don't need to hide anything. The question you just asked has already given away the fact that you've seen this thing before."

I casually replied, "Why?"

I regretted it as soon as I said it, and then I heard Shi Ping'er laugh: "See, if you really didn't know, you wouldn't be asking me now. You said you didn't know what kind of talisman it was, how did you know it was a talisman?"

I realized I couldn't hide it any longer, so I quickly and quietly took out my phone and sent a text message to Lao Fu, telling him that I would call him later and that he shouldn't say anything after answering, just listen. Then I called Lao Fu, and after confirming that the call went through, I turned around and went back to the living room, handed the tea to Shi Ping'er, and then pretended to take out my phone and put it under the coffee table.

I picked up the photo again and pretended to look at it carefully. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a scar-like mark on the thumb of the hand holding the paper in the photo, even though it was from the side. It looked familiar, though I couldn't remember where I had seen it before, but I was sure I had.

While pretending to look at the photos, I asked, "Who hired you?"

Shi Ping'er shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, we have an obligation to keep our clients' information confidential, and these are not within the scope of our discussion."

I smiled and shook my head, saying, "Then I'm sorry, if I don't know who hired you, then what you want to know is not within the scope of our conversation."

Shi Ping'er nodded and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Tang. If you have anything you'd like to tell me, you can call me. You have my business card." Then Shi Ping'er got up and went to the door to change her shoes. I looked at her and said, "You're not a police officer, why should I need to tell you anything I think of?"

Shi Ping'er looked up at me, then looked down again to continue changing her shoes, saying, "I can guarantee you won't tell the police what you know. Goodbye." Then Shi Ping'er went downstairs without looking back, as if she thought I would tell her what I knew sooner or later.

Notes on Disguise, Part 5: The Return of Lai Bao

After Shi Ping'er went downstairs, I closed the door, then went up to the balcony. I saw Shi Ping'er leave the community, get into a taxi, and then come back in, pick up the phone, and say, "Old Fu, you have to reimburse me for such a long call." But all I heard was thunderous snoring on the other end of the line. That bastard actually fell asleep?

I quickly hung up and called back. Lao Fu answered the phone sounded like he hadn't woken up yet and asked me what was wrong? Why did you send me such a strange text message? Then he listened to the phone for a long time and didn't know what I wanted him to hear. Did he want him to listen to how I talk to the girl?

I didn't want to waste any more words, so I told Lao Fu about Shi Ping'er's visit and the contents of the photos. Lao Fu immediately perked up, briefly said he would be at my house right away, and then hung up the phone.

Less than ten minutes later, Lao Fu appeared at my door. As soon as he came in, he asked me what was going on. I said, "I've told you everything I need to say. Now we need to discuss what to do about this. Someone has come to our door about that book."

Old Fu plopped down on the sofa and started smoking. After his third cigarette, he said, "I think we should go see Teacher Zhong and see if he can give us any advice." I slapped him and said, "Are you stupid? Do we really know what kind of person Zhong Sheng is? What if he has ulterior motives? What if he's trying to trap us all?"

Old Fu thought for a moment and said, "That's true, so what do we do now?"

Holding up Shi Ping'er's business card, I said, "Right now, we know absolutely nothing about this woman, let alone her background. It's too much of a hassle. Why don't we take a risk and invite her out to see if we can get anything out of her?"

Old Fu continued to shake his head, and after thinking for a long time, he finally realized a key point: "I'm wondering why she didn't come to me, but instead came to you? Does she think the book is with you? That's impossible. Quite a few people know that I have this book, and they would know if they looked into it a little."

I nodded in agreement with Lao Fu's point of view, which was also what puzzled me. Why did he come to me? After all, I wasn't the owner of that book. I asked Lao Fu where the book was now, and he said it was in the bank and hadn't been taken out since last time. At this moment, a question suddenly occurred to me: "Lao Fu, do you think he's not after the book at all, but after that talisman?"

Old Fu glanced at me and said, "What do you mean?"

I said, "I think maybe Shi Ping'er doesn't know anything about the book at all, only about the talisman. So, some people have heard that the talisman and some other things can make people live forever? Actually, it's just about the method of achieving immortality, not about the book itself?"

Old Fu said, "That's possible, but anyone who knows this method should know it comes from that book, right? Why would it specifically target you?"

Chapter 23 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 23 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

I didn't say anything. I really didn't know how to explain this to Lao Fu. After the Yangzhan incident, Lai Bao and I did use a lot of connections and methods to break the talisman. In other words, everyone who knew us knew we were looking for this thing. We didn't stop until Zhong Sheng told us about the book. Of course, we did all this behind Lao Fu's back. It was Lai Bao who started it. He meant that Lao Fu was an insider and couldn't see many things clearly, but we were outsiders and didn't have our families involved like Lao Fu. So we could analyze and think more calmly than Lao Fu. Our investigation should be much smoother than Lao Fu's.