Chapter 84: Someone will come from the October wheat field, and pain will guide him to you.
Lei Chi stared at Qing Meizi for a long time and realized he was serious.
“Are you getting deeper and deeper into the money pit?” Lei Chi couldn’t help but say, “You earn more in a year than I do in a lifetime, why are you still so greedy?”
Their relationship wasn’t particularly close. Lei Chi had handled a case for Qing Meizi when he worked at the Hubei branch office, and that’s how they got to know each other. Qing Meizi became very interested when he found out Lei Chi was a werewolf and would always call Lei Chi out for a meal whenever he visited Beijing, asking about the latest happenings in the werewolf association.
Lei Chi had always wanted to introduce Qing Meizi to Bai Xiaoyuan, but Qing Meizi kept bailing, and the two still hadn’t met.
“Money is very useful,” Qing Meizi glanced at the door of the reception room.
Lei Chi got the hint, got up to close the door, and drew the curtains.
“I’ll write you a recommendation letter for Sea Child, but you also need to pay me,” Qing Meizi said. “It’s my first time here, and I’ve heard there are mermaids here? I’d like to see one.”
Lei Chi: “…”
Why does everyone seem to be getting involved with mermaids? He leaned back in his chair, pondered for a moment, and nodded. “Alright, you’re also a rare special human. Is this going to be a gathering of special humans?”
Qing Meizi smiled at him. Although he had no eyebrows and his forehead was covered with strange tattoos, Qing Meizi was extremely handsome, and his smile always had a good effect.
“Actually, I’m not sure if I still count as a special human,” Qing Meizi said.
He looked serious, still smiling but with the teasing look in his eyes fading. Lei Chi immediately sat up straight: Qing Meizi was talking business.
“What do you mean?”
Qing Meizi pointed to his forehead.
“I was born with these tattoos, and as I grew up, I gradually learned about my abilities. I was revered as a divine person only because of my one-time prophecy ability,” he shrugged, “but what if my prophecy ability is gone? Do I still count as special?”
Lei Chi tensed up, “What happened?”
“It’s not an accident,” Qing Meizi slowly sipped his tea. “I’ve never told anyone about this. It was about ten years ago, I can’t remember exactly. I was living near Jiwusi Temple, and one night I heard something over there. When I went to check it out, I ended up saving a young sentinel.”
The boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old. When Qing Meizi found him, he was lying on the ground next to Jiwusi Temple, with his head facing Luquan, as if trying to crawl towards it but already semi-conscious.
Qing Meizi held a lantern in his mouth and carried the boy on his back to Jiwusi Temple. Halfway there, the boy suddenly woke up and started struggling and screaming in terror on his back.
The boy’s movements were so wild that Qing Meizi lost control, and they both fell to the ground, breaking the lantern and plunging them into darkness.
In the dim light, Qing Meizi took off his monk’s robe and draped it over the boy, deciding to sit with him on the spot. Although Jiwusi Temple was not far, Qing Meizi didn’t have the strength to drag this muscular young man any further.
He didn’t know the boy’s name until the boy, grabbing Qing Meizi’s hand, started rambling incoherently, making him realize the boy was a sentinel.
“He said his ‘sea area’ hurt, and mentioned something about a lion being trapped. He also asked me to save his parents,” Qing Meizi frowned, recalling. “How could I save them? Unlike sentinels or werewolves like you, apart from my prophecy ability and the tattoos on my forehead, I’m just a powerless monk… sorry, a fake monk.”
Lei Chi was stunned: it was Xie Zijing from the Luquan incident!
“Things got worse from there.”
The sentinel couldn’t even speak after a while, clutching his head and rolling on the ground. He fell into a semi-coma, with his heartbeat and breathing slowing down.
Qing Meizi wanted to rush back to Jiwusi Temple for help but feared wasting time. He knew the sentinel’s “sea area” had suffered a severe blow, and when the mental world of sentinels or guides is destroyed, they usually die. Qing Meizi, having no other options, knelt down and placed the sentinel’s head on his lap.
He saw the delirious sentinel cry and heard faint murmurs: “Dad… Mom…”
Qing Meizi’s heart pounded violently; he could hear each beat resounding in his chest.
Something must have happened at Luquan. But he couldn’t go there now, and he didn’t dare to look.
Would this young sentinel die? Or go insane?
It might have been just a few minutes, but to Qing Meizi, it felt like an eternity. The voices of his ancestors echoed in his mind, and a booming sound filled the sky. He knelt on the warm, dark ground, with all the sounds urging him to make a decision.
Qing Meizi lowered his head, looking into the sentinel’s tightly shut, tearful eyes, and placed his palm on the boy’s sweaty forehead.
The dark blue lines on the young monk’s forehead began to emit a faint golden glow.
He opened his mouth, singing a long chant like a song.
The wind stopped. The wind blew again. Heavy rain poured. The rain stopped. A fierce wind drove an invisible beast from the snowy mountains, roaming the land until it passed by Qing Meizi and the sentinel. God laid a kiss on his child’s head, gently caressing his eyes.
When Qing Meizi opened his eyes, he was drenched in sweat. The sentinel on his lap had fallen into a long, peaceful sleep, free from nightmares.
“I gave that child my one and only prophecy,” Qing Meizi said. “Everything I say in prophecy will come true. I don’t know if it’s prophecy or foresight; I just instinctively knew that once I prophesy, it will inevitably happen in the future.”
Lei Chi was completely stunned. Qing Meizi sacrificed his only prophecy chance to save Xie Zijing, a prophecy that he had always used for his own death and the birth of new life.
“What did you prophesy?”
“The wind and sunlight flow over the earth, the grass seeds thrive, and the bronze deer shines. Someone will come from the October wheat field, and pain will guide him to you,” Qing Meizi scratched his chin. “In short, I prophesied that he would find love and happiness, someone to understand and comfort his pain, and he would have the ability to complete someone’s life.”
Xie Weiran stopped the car at the crisis office, looking at Xie Zijing and then at Qin Ge.
“I’ll get off first,” she said, immediately opening the door. “Take your time.”
Xie Zijing wanted to talk to Qin Ge, but Qin Ge followed Xie Weiran out. He sat in the car for a moment before reluctantly getting out too.
The crisis office was busier than usual, with everyone bustling around. Xie Zijing found out that Quan Nu was arriving tonight.
Instinctively, he looked for Qin Ge. Qin Ge and Xie Weiran were talking to a dark-skinned boy. Xie Zijing couldn’t help but focus on the strange scars on the boy’s face and neck.
Was that Sea Child?
As he was lost in thought, the door of the reception room beside him opened. Lei Chi walked out with a young man with a bald head.
“Alright, now I finally understand why you’re so driven to make money,” Lei Chi said.
“I have to travel to every place I can and let everyone know that Qing Meizi is a special human who can make big money,” the young man smiled. “The more famous I am, the less likely that unknown child who will be born somewhere will be treated as a monster. I’ve at least succeeded halfway, haven’t I?”
As he spoke, he took out a stack of business cards from his bag. “Do me a favor and distribute these when you get back to headquarters and meet your leaders.”
The young man handed a card to someone passing by and also gave one to Xie Zijing. Xie Zijing looked closely at the card, which listed numerous titles like “Rare Special Human Protection Foundation,” “Eastern Tarot Research Association,” and “Top 10 Original Stores on Ma Yunbao.” The other side of the card had three flamboyant characters: Qing Meizi.
Xie Zijing felt a stir in his heart and quickly looked up. Qing Meizi had already recognized him and stood in front of him with a look of pleasant surprise.
“Hello,” the young man smiled and shook his hand. “How have you been?”
Xie Zijing held his hand tightly, “I’ve been… quite well.”
Qing Meizi observed him carefully, like an old friend reunited after a long time. Xie Zijing felt a bit shy. “I don’t know if you remember, but ten years ago at Luquan and Jiwusi Temple, you found an unconscious person. That person was me. You brought me to the western office, didn’t you?”
Qing Meizi smiled, “I remember you. But you were too heavy for me to carry all the way. They found you after coming to my place.”
Xie Zijing said, “Anyway, thank you for saving me.”
Qing Meizi replied, “It was a small matter, don’t mention it. I’m glad you’re doing well.”
He happily patted Xie Zijing on the shoulder and then turned to Lei Chi, “He’s much more handsome now. Does he have a partner?”
“Yes,” Lei Chi answered.
Qing Meizi seemed a bit disappointed, “Oh well… I’ll head back to the hotel to rest. Call me when Quan Nu arrives tonight.”
He didn’t tell Xie Zijing what he had done for a stranger. Before leaving, he gave Lei Chi a look, signaling him not to spill the beans. Lei Chi waved goodbye and then turned to Xie Zijing, stunned for a moment before sighing deeply.
“Lei Chi, I need to remind you of something,” Xie Zijing said. “You should get Qing Meizi to record a video greeting for Bai Xiaoyuan.”
Lei Chi immediately turned to chase after him.
When Quan Nu Leo arrived at the coast, Xie Zijing and Xiaohai had been waiting for a long time.
The people receiving Quan Nu and those accompanying him to find the mermaids were not the same group. Xie Weiran had been chatting with Xie Zijing all night, almost telling him everything about Xiaohai’s bed-wetting phase.
“Are you two long-lost siblings or something?” Zhang Qian took a drag on her cigarette, “How can you talk so much?”
Xiaohai was sitting by the sea, throwing stones, gazing at Whale Guard Rock in the distance. Tonight, they wouldn’t see the silver backs of the mermaids; Xiaohai had to call out the leader.
Xiaohai was reluctant. Zhang Qian had been persuading him, saying it was a good thing. If the mermaid leader could recommend him, getting into school would be a sure thing. Xiaohai remained silent. Lei Chi and Qin Ge had told him a lot about the talent planning bureau, which had piqued his interest in studying. “But I’ve known him for so long and never asked him for anything. I feel bad doing this now; he might think I’m trying to use him,” Xiaohai confided to Zhang Qian.
Zhang Qian had never met the mermaid leader, and hearing her son talk like this made her a bit uneasy.
A few cars drove up, and everyone turned to see a blonde, blue-eyed young man getting out of one of the cars.
Zhang Qian and Xie Weiran were stunned, staring blankly at the approaching Quan Nu.
His golden hair was soft and lustrous, almost shimmering with moisture. His nearly perfect face bore no expression as he gazed out to sea, his pupils reflecting the dark sea and scattered stars.
“No time to waste, the speedboat is ready. You should set off now,” Qin Ge emerged from a car holding a stack of files. “Lei Chi and I have some things to handle.”
Xie Zijing hesitated for a moment, intending to go to Qin Ge, but Lei Chi stopped him, “Xie Zijing, you go with Quan Nu.”
Xie Zijing, left with no choice, turned back. Qing Meizi, Quan Nu, Sea Child, and Xie Weiran all boarded a speedboat together. Quan Nu was interested in both Sea Child and Qing Meizi, but he was more intrigued by the quiet Sea Child than the talkative Qing Meizi. “May I touch your gills?” he asked Sea Child in flawless Chinese.
Sea Child nodded.
Qing Meizi eagerly chimed in, “You can touch my tattoos too.”
Xie Weiran stared blankly at Quan Nu, her hair tousled by the sea breeze. Quan Nu glanced at her, reached out to tame her wild hair, and smiled at her.
Sea Child had to grab Xie Weiran’s arm to keep her from losing control in her excitement.
Two speedboats departed one after the other, heading towards Whale Guard Rock.
Zhang Qian lit another cigarette under a tree, watching Lei Chi and Qin Ge review files under the car’s headlights. Would her child become someone like them in the future? The thought filled her with hope and happiness.
“Have you found the suspect?” Qin Ge looked at the youth in the file, “A guide?”
“The night the fishing boat caught fire, he was the one watching the speedboat—a temp worker. We checked his ID and ticket purchase records, and he traveled all the way from the eastern coastline to here, almost perfectly overlapping with the locations of the homicides.”
Lei Chi turned to another page: “And most importantly, among the seven victims, there was a clean-background white-collar worker we couldn’t figure out why she was targeted. After identifying this suspect, we found the connection.”
The paper showed a screenshot of a news report: “Love at First Sight: Devoted Young Man Searches for His Beloved.”
“He posted a lot on Weibo and forums looking for a girl he fell in love with at first sight in a square,” Lei Chi said. “After comparison, that girl turned out to be the murdered white-collar worker.”
The speedboat arrived at Whale Guard Rock, and everyone disembarked onto the large stone.
Quan Nu turned to Sea Child: “You’re responsible for summoning the mermaid, right?”
Xiaohai hesitated for a moment: “I will call him, but I’m not sure if he will come out to meet me.”
Quan Nu smiled and patted his shoulder: “It’s okay, let’s give it a try first.”
Xie Weiran and her colleague were filming the scene, reminding each other not to focus the camera too much on Quan Nu.
Xiaohai took off his shirt, hesitated when he was about to take off his pants, and finally jumped into the water shirtless.
“He has gills on his ribs too!” Quan Nu was amazed. “There are similar special creatures in the U.S. We call them water beasts. Water beasts can’t talk…”
Xiaohai dived into the water, unable to hear Quan Nu’s voice anymore, but various underwater sounds flooded his ears. He swam away until he entered the mermaids’ sea area.
He didn’t see any scouts, but logically, they should be hidden in the depths where he couldn’t see them.
Suspended in the water, Xiaohai’s gills constantly fluttered, another respiratory system operating within his body.
Sea Child stepped onto the shallow seabed. He picked up a spiral shell from the water, walked to a sea stone, and began to knock.
The rhythmic sound resonated through the water, creating unseen ripples that spread layer by layer outward.
He knocked for a full five minutes, then threw down the shell and began swimming back. Before resurfacing, he glanced back. In the dark sea, a faint silver light flashed, like a long, scaly tail illuminated by starlight.
“Did he come?” Quan Nu asked eagerly.
“Yes.” Sea Child leaped onto the rock, dripping wet.
About ten meters from Whale Guard Rock, the mermaid leader emerged from the water.
He was very cautious, swimming back and forth at a distance. His dark green hair seemed almost black, contrasting with his cold, pale face.
“Xiaohai,” he called out, “who are these people?”
“They’re here to see you!” Xiaohai shouted. “This one is Quan Nu! Do you remember? From the books.”
The words “Quan Nu” clearly piqued the mermaid leader’s interest. He carefully swam closer, observing Quan Nu.
“This is Mr. Leo,” Xiaohai spoke to him, half-kneeling on the rock. “He came specifically to find you.”
The mermaid leader swayed his tail in the water and finally approached slowly.
Xie Weiran moved closer, capturing both Quan Nu and the mermaid leader with the camera.
The mermaid leader examined Quan Nu thoroughly: “You are really reborn in hot springs?”
Quan Nu: “Yes.”
Mermaid leader: “Are there mermaids in other seas?”
Quan Nu: “Yes, almost all suitable marine habitats worldwide have different kinds of mermaids. Some have been recognized as special humans.”
“Being recognized as a special human is meaningless,” the mermaid leader said. “You really have no memories after rebirth?”
“No, we only lose parts of the memories we shouldn’t have.”
The mermaid leader looked puzzled.
“Quan Nu’s individual lifespan is too short. Twenty or thirty years are not enough for research or achievements,” Quan Nu explained. “But Quan Nu as a whole, as long as the Yellowstone hot springs don’t dry up, has an infinite lifespan. After rebirth, we forget only emotions and useless memories, but the knowledge and skills we’ve learned are completely retained. It’s our survival instinct.”
“…That’s fascinating.” The mermaid leader looked at Xiaohai with great interest. “This is very different from what the books say.”
Xiaohai nodded, listening intently to the conversation between the two. No one interrupted them; the two beings, separated by vast distances and differences, excitedly exchanged their similarities and differences.
Xie Zijing remained alert, occasionally glancing absentmindedly at the lights on the shore.
The two cameras ran out of power one after the other. During the battery change, Quan Nu and the mermaid leader paused their conversation. Quan Nu noticed the mermaid leader glancing at Xiaohai after every few words and wanted to include Xiaohai in the conversation. He said, “You can also write a recommendation letter for Xiaohai. Qing Meizi and I have already agreed. With the three of us recommending him, his chances of being admitted to the Talent Planning Bureau will be much higher.”
The mermaid leader was taken aback.
Qing Meizi seized the opportunity to explain the Talent Planning Bureau to him.
The mermaid leader swayed his tail, smiling: “Xiaohai, come over, I want to talk to you alone.”
Xiaohai walked to the other side of Whale Guard Rock.
“Where is the Talent Planning Bureau?” the mermaid leader asked.
“In Beijing,” Xiaohai replied. “I’ll come back during vacations.”
“It’s very dry there.” The mermaid leader looked at him from the water. “Can you handle it? You need to swim in the sea to regain your spirit.”
“It’s not too far from the sea; I can go once a week,” Xiaohai looked down at the mermaid leader’s hand, noticing faint scale marks on the back of his hand where he had touched. “Or maybe I won’t be able to go. I’m afraid I can’t pass their exams.”
“You will pass,” the leader said gently. “They certainly want to accept more special humans.”
“…I don’t know what to research,” Xiaohai frowned. “There are so many marine creatures. What if they ask me? What if I answer wrong?”
“Research yourself,” the mermaid leader patted the back of his hand. “And research me.”
Xiaohai gazed into his dark green eyes, his gills suddenly fluttering rapidly.
“Can I kiss your palm?” he asked softly.
“No,” the leader refused. “That’s the ceremony my people use to swear eternal loyalty to me. You’re not a mermaid.”
“I want to be a mermaid,” the boy stubbornly held his hand, firm yet pleading. “I want to be your mermaid.”
He kissed the leader’s palm. The moment his lips touched the cold, smooth skin, something tightly gripped Sea Child’s heart, making his breathing and heartbeat quicken.
The mermaid leader withdrew his hand, his gaze toward Sea Child subtly changed. Looking down at his palm, he clenched the kiss that still held human warmth in his hand and then dived back into the sea.
On Whale Guard Rock, Xie Weiran was explaining the meaning of the kiss to Quan Nu and Qing Meizi: “When a mermaid kisses a human’s palm, it’s like saying hello. Like this, ‘Hello!'”
Qing Meizi: “No, just now it was Sea Child who kissed the mermaid leader’s palm.”
Xie Weiran: “Uh… then, that should also mean a greeting.”
Qing Meizi: “Then why did the leader leave?”
Xie Weiran and Quan Nu: “?!”
They quickly turned around and indeed saw the silver tail disappearing into the sea.
“Xiaohai!” Xie Weiran was anxious. “What did you say to the leader? Did you make him angry?”
Just as Xiaohai was about to respond, a song suddenly emanated from a solitary rock in the distance.
The leader sat on the sea rock, starlight falling on his hair and tail. The sea seemed to be stirred with silver light, mermaids’ bare backs and silver tails undulating and leaping on the dark sea surface.
It was a clear, high-pitched song, the language unfamiliar but the rhythm lively.
Xie Weiran and her colleague immediately raised their cameras to film the singing mermaid.
“We haven’t had records of mermaid singing for a very long time.” She whispered excitedly, “Mermaid songs are wonderful, they can stir up winds and waves, and also soothe sorrow.”
Quan Nu: “This song is very joyful. He must be happy now.”
Sea Child stood at the edge of Whale Guard Rock, gazing at the distant mermaid. He couldn’t understand the words of the song, but it seemed as if the entire world was dominated by the melody. Endless illusions descended from the stars, passing through people’s fingertips and hair, even the sea breeze became soft.
The fish in the deep sea were also stirred, and the distant fishing boat’s horn had stopped.
In the vast universe, it seemed that only this place was in turmoil. The bright stars were burning fireballs, falling one by one, creating colorful waves in the sea. The waves swept over the land, the air filled with moist mist, making tears sweet.
Xie Zijin stared blankly at the vision before him. He seemed to have seen such a scene somewhere before: burning stars descending from the dark sky, falling on high mountains, igniting flames.
The moment he realized everything was familiar, his heart started beating faster within his ribcage.
He remembered.
It was a bright, warm morning. Birds passed by his window, their wing shadows falling on him and Qin Ge. They were tightly cuddled together, their naked skin still warm and sweaty. At the most intense and excited moment, it seemed he had stepped into Qin Ge’s “sea area.” It was a series of mountains, half burning, half lush and green.
“…What is that?” Xie Zijin told Qin Ge everything he saw, “Your ‘sea area’? Why is it burning? It doesn’t look good.”
He remembered Qin Ge had once said that his “sea area” might not be very normal either. Worry and fear made him hold the person in his arms tighter.
“When I was very young, my parents took me to the mountains for my birthday. I loved that place, and after that, every year on my birthday, our family would take time to hike and camp there.” Qin Ge curled up in his arms, “But then we stopped going. After that, the ‘sea area’ often looked like this.”
“So what should we do?” Xie Zijin asked anxiously, “Your mentor, Zhang Xiao, didn’t say anything?”
“He saw it. But he told me it didn’t matter, everyone has more or less fears in their ‘sea area,’ and it’s enough to adapt to it.”
Xie Zijin looked at him: “Have you adapted now?”
“Yes.” Qin Ge said, “Sometimes I dream of entering the ‘sea area’ again. Strangely, I’m not afraid anymore. Sometimes I even think the celestial fire is beautiful. Because after it burns out, the mountain remains the same, and the trees will regrow overnight, nothing changes.”
Xie Zijin, whose “sea area” was quite abnormal, didn’t understand Qin Ge’s slightly abnormal “sea area.”
“Why aren’t you afraid anymore?”
“…Because of you.”
Xie Zijin rubbed his chin against Qin Ge’s hair: “Really?”
He heard his guide’s muffled voice with a hint of laughter, kissing his chest as he answered: Yes.
This was not recorded in the journal. As this morning came back to his mind, it was like a blizzard whipped up in his “sea area,” snowflakes swirling and intertwining, filling his “sea area” with more and more events.
Not just memories returned, but stronger emotions as well.
He finally fully understood the meaning behind the words his past self wrote in the journal. He understood each sentence and the meaning behind every sentence.
“I have to go back.” Xie Zijin suddenly told Xie Weiran, “I’ll have Lei Chi bring the speedboat back, it won’t take long!”
He turned and jumped onto the speedboat, started it, and immediately turned the wheel, heading towards the land and Qin Ge amidst the mermaid’s song.
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