Parasitismus-Eve

Kapitel 12

"With your excellent planning skills, why don't you consider making this a full-time job? Is oracle bone script really that interesting?" Xu Xu asked. Actually, it was similar to her initial self-talk; she couldn't stand the sound of digging graves with each shovel.

"Of course, oracle bones are fascinating. To be honest, I'm also curious why I'm interested in these bones. It's probably hereditary. You know, my ancestors were all involved in oracle bone studies." Sun Jing pointed to the sky.

"But they are all pure oracle bone scholars, unlike me, who both forges and cheats. I can't really say which is a hobby and which is a profession, but does it matter?"

"It doesn't matter," Xu Xu said somewhat dejectedly. "Many people say I'm talented, but I always mess things up. I think you're the talented one."

"You only receive encouragement when you're still young," Sun Jing replied.

"cut."

"However, you are indeed talented, no one doubts that. For example, although I devised a plan based on Ouyang Wenlan's personality weaknesses to borrow all his donated items for a birthday charity exhibition, you were the only one capable of carrying it out. You could easily ignite that desire for fame within him, and then step in to borrow back those donated oracle bone artifacts."

As Sun Jing spoke, he held a stark white skull in his hand, examining it for a while, from the curvature of the skull to the size and distance between the two eye sockets. Instead of throwing it back into the pit, he placed it aside.

"This one is close enough, keep it as a backup. Hopefully we can find something more suitable." He said, turning to look at Xu Xu.

Xu Xu didn't dare to look at the head; she was stiff and looked extremely uncomfortable.

Sun Jing found it strange. The excavation had been going on for quite a while now, and from the beginning, Xu Xu was talking to himself, but later he consciously talked to him. Logically, Xu Xu's fear should have eased, so why was he still like this?

While this line of work doesn't necessarily involve constantly facing death, a lot of courage and nerves are essential. Truly skilled con artists, no matter how turbulent their inner world, maintain a perfectly composed expression on their face. Xu Xu's current behavior is definitely not normal.

It seems that his insistence on having Xu Xu come along to dig for bones tonight was indeed the right decision.

If a person is in a normal state, they will naturally keep their secrets well. To uncover a secret, you need to be in an abnormal state and use abnormal methods.

Usually, when someone behaves abnormally, it's because they have a guilty conscience. But there's a crazy old woman on the street who says she's seen a ghost. The "ghost" she saw is now standing in a mass grave, trembling with fear at the sight of human bones. Is she afraid of ghosts?

"Interesting," Sun Jing thought to himself. He patted the top of the skull and couldn't help but smile.

"Do you know the secret to overcoming your fear?" Sun Jing asked.

"What?"

"If you keep running away, the pressure will only increase. The first thing you need to do to overcome fear is to stop running. Are you afraid of ghosts?"

"Tch." Xu Xu snorted.

But after a moment she whispered, "A little."

Do you believe in ghosts? Or have you actually seen one?

This time, however, Xu Xu did not answer.

"Do you think Han Shang will become a ghost after she dies? Her death wasn't very graceful; people who die like that often become vengeful ghosts."

Xu Xu looked up at Sun Jing, but he was facing away from her, digging in the soil with a shovel, as if those words were just casual conversation.

"She...I..."

"You've been afraid ever since that day. Is it because Han Shang's spirit is following you? How did it feel to see her head smashed open? Did a ghost emerge from inside?"

Sun Jing spoke slowly, his tone growing increasingly sinister in the graveyard. He turned to face Xu Xu, holding a freshly unearthed skull in his palm, shielding it from view, making it look like his own head.

Finally, I've found a suitable head. I must look terrifying like this. Sun Jing thought to himself as he slowly moved the skull away from his eyes.

What was that sound?

His view had been blocked by the stark white back of his skull, but now he was astonished to find that it was slowly disappearing.

Sun Jing couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.

"No way," he muttered, his gaze drifting downwards.

Xu Xu lay on the ground, already unconscious.

Sun Jing was stunned for a moment, then squatted down and pinched her philtrum hard, but there was no reaction.

Looking at Xu Xu's face, he felt that perhaps he had done something wrong.

"Don't be too heavy." Sun Jing sighed and picked her up in his arms.

It was so light and captivating, and then, body heat came through.

How long has it been since I've been this close to a woman? Oh, not too long, just a few days ago, at his bedroom door, those two minutes of almost uncontrollable passion.

Sun Jing tightened his grip on his hands.

Her long hair cascaded down, fluttering in the night breeze, carrying a faint fragrance.

This book is dedicated to the masters of suspense.

Six Destinies

The sun is shining brightly.

“That noon, I wanted to get there early and grab something to eat near the Majestic Theatre,” Xu Xu said.

“I’d like to find an opportunity to meet Han Shang around the time of the premiere and get to know her better. There’s no reason to spend so much money on academic research. Besides, her research should be on acting, not on oracle bone script, which is completely unrelated.” Sun Jing looked at her with some worry, her brows slightly furrowed.

“I didn’t expect to run into her on the way, but I recognized her when I saw her standing there. I was just about to go up and say hello when I saw… I saw…” Xu Xu’s face turned pale.

"Did you see the flowerpot fall and hit her?"

"Hmm." Xu Xu clenched her teeth, and beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead. Her previous judgment was probably somewhat wrong.

"Anything else?"

"And...I'll close my eyes...close my eyes..."

"You closed your eyes and were afraid to look? What about when you opened them again?" Xu Xu's lips trembled, and her temples throbbed. She suddenly covered her head with her hands and squatted down.

Sun Jing sighed and bent down to gently pat her shoulder.

"Never mind, never mind, don't think about it anymore. I'm sorry."

This is the third time.

Ever since she was scared unconscious by Sun Jing at the mass grave, every time Xu Xu tries to recall the scene on the small street that day, a huge fear is released from some black hole in her body, and then she gets a headache so bad that she can't think about it anymore.

Sun Jing was certain that Xu Xu had indeed fainted that night. He knew that some professionally trained people could intentionally induce unconsciousness, but he believed Xu Xu wasn't that kind of person. Therefore, he felt that perhaps he shouldn't test her; asking Xu Xu directly earlier would have yielded a completely different result. Sun Jing gently shook his head. He had used a seemingly safer approach, which wasn't wrong. People must know how to defend themselves, especially when approaching danger. Defense is to avoid harm. But harm is balanced; it will always fall on one side—either oneself or someone else.

Pedestrians all looked this way, but fortunately there weren't many people on this road.

A few minutes later, he slowly caught his breath and stood up, his face still a little pale.

This is on the way to Ouyang Wenlan's residence. The weather is lovely, the sunshine is bright and warm, and just strolling along the sidewalk is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. Sun Jing has just received proof that there are always corners in a person's heart that are beyond the influence of external circumstances.

Xu Xu glanced at Sun Jing. She now understood that many of Sun Jing's words and actions over the past few days were tests, which represented suspicion.

Being suspected was a terrible feeling, and the suspicion coming from Sun Jing made her even more depressed. But Xu Xu also understood why Sun Jing would do this; if they were in each other's shoes, she would be just as wary. It was all because she had kept quiet about what happened on the street, yet Sun Jing knew she was there.

What exactly did she see at the scene? Sun Jing couldn't help but ponder this question. Recalling Xu Xu's reactions when this topic was brought up before, she realized she had always avoided the question. This avoidance seemed almost unconscious; under what circumstances would someone do this?

Fear is the most likely explanation; memories that are too terrifying make people unwilling to recall them, which is a spontaneous psychological protection. Alternatively, they may be too absurd, leading people to believe that no one would believe them if they were told about them.

Each lost in their own thoughts, neither of them spoke again.

Ouyang Wenlan's house was not far from the intersection. They stopped at the red light, and Sun Jing cleared his throat and said, "Feeling listless? We'll have to rely on you to charm this old man later."

He took a small red bag out of his pocket and handed it to Xu Xu.

"What is this?" He slowly opened the bag.

"For warding off evil, go to Jing'an Temple this morning to get a consecrated Guanyin amulet. I've noticed you seem a bit uneasy."

"Tch, such a small favor." Xu Xu tossed the items into her handbag with a dismissive look.

Sun Jing smiled.

"Close your eyes."

"What?" Sun Jing didn't hear clearly.

"I told you to close your eyes."

Sun Jing closed his eyes.

She gently took his hand and led him forward.

"Don't open your eyes," Xu Xu said.

"It's still a red light." Sun Jing was startled and was slowly led across the intersection step by step through the traffic.

Of course, you can't walk fast with your eyes closed. Walking slowly and stopping frequently, Sun Jing could only feel the wind whistling past in front of and behind him from time to time, and once a car horn suddenly blared in his ear.

At first, he walked quite freely. But the horn startled him, and he gripped it tightly in his hand.

"Lift your foot and get onto the sidewalk."

"Can't you open your eyes yet?"

Xu Xu didn't say anything, but pulled him forward. After working together for a while, their speed increased. When Sun Jing counted to 237 steps, Xu Xu pulled his hand down hard and then let go.

"Alright, we're here."

Sun Jing opened his eyes and saw two black iron doors in front of him. He turned his head to look at Xu Xu and saw her putting the Guanyin jade pendant tied with a red string around her neck, holding the Guanyin in her palm and examining it for a moment before tucking it into the collar of her thin wool sweater.

“It’s fine to hang it outside,” Sun Jing said.

"What kind of wealth do I have? Hanging such cheap things will give me away immediately." As soon as Xu Xu said this, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly begged the Bodhisattva for forgiveness in a low voice.

They rang the doorbell, and after a short while, they heard footsteps inside.

This visit was by appointment, and the introducer was Wen Zhenhe. Sun Jing could have contacted Ouyang Wenlan himself, but since Wen Zhenhe didn't seem to doubt Xu Xu's identity and had even mentioned Mr. Ouyang to them, it was best for him to handle it. This way, he would first introduce the visitor to Ouyang Wenlan, thus unknowingly endorsing their identities with his own credibility.

In Xu Xu's words, "He has to do something. Otherwise, all those glances I gave him would have been for nothing."

There was a small door embedded in the iron gate on the left. This small door was now open, and both Sun Jing and Xu Xu were a little surprised to see who opened it.

It was certainly not the 95-year-old Ouyang Wenlan himself. This was a stout middle-aged man with sparse facial features, resembling someone with Down syndrome. He smacked his lips a few times before speaking.

"Please, come with me." His speech rate and tone were very strange, and he certainly seemed to be mentally challenged.

It was a large courtyard. The man walked ahead, not leading them to the small Western-style building in the center, but instead leading them around the back along a cobblestone path.

The courtyard was arranged in the style of a Suzhou garden, with oddly shaped rocks and artificial hills everywhere, which, together with old trees, created many scenic views. A small canal surrounded the Western-style building, and the cobblestone path they were walking along was roughly along the canal. The clear water in the canal flowed slowly, and the shallow bottom of the canal could be seen at a glance. There were stones covered with moss, which were arranged in a very natural and interesting way.

The stream had formed a small pond in the backyard. A yellow and white cat was squatting by the pond. Hearing footsteps, it pricked up its ears, turned its head to look, then turned back to continue reaching out its paws to catch fish. Diagonally opposite it was a gray cat, also peeking into the water.

Beside the small pond was a grape trellis. The vines hung down all around, like an open thatched cottage. At one end of the trellis sat a hexagonal table inlaid with marble, its style clearly from the Qing Dynasty, with the color and grain of huanghuali wood. Although Sun Jing was not an expert on Ming and Qing furniture, he figured that what Ouyang Wenlan used must be of good quality.

Ouyang Wenlan sat at the table. He wore a light blue Chinese-style top, his head was bald, and he had no beard, only two long white eyebrows that reached the corners of his eyes, making him look like a kind-faced old monk. His face had unusually few wrinkles for his age, with only deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, which were largely concealed by his long eyebrows. He also had very few age spots, and his skin was smooth, without appearing overly aged.

A white cat lay lazily on a hexagonal stool, basking in the sun, its body as plump as the other two. Ouyang Wenlan gently stroked the cat's back with one hand, while sipping tea from a small purple clay cup in the other. On the table were a teapot, an empty cup, and a copper bell. At the foot of the table was a small coal stove, on which a pot of water was warming.

Before Sun Jing and the others could even get close, Ouyang Wenlan turned around and looked over, appearing even more sharp-witted. He didn't stand up, but nodded slightly in greeting and placed the small cup in his hand on the table.