I Don't Know

What kind of place is Hengyin?

I believe that after all this time, you should have a basic impression and a vague understanding of it.

It boasts beautiful scenery and is a place of outstanding people.

It is a place where many talented people have emerged and the local people are simple and honest.

Calling it the Little Gotham of the East wouldn't be an exaggeration. Ten years ago, this place was a crime Dadu of soft drugs, and even the top performers of the Madness Butterfly Sect had to bow down to it.

In such a chaotic and sinful city, there are naturally many unsolved mysteries, and countless Spirit Calamity arise from them. Whether they are natural disasters or man-made calamities, they will eventually become case files, which, after preliminary investigations by intelligence agents, end up in Ye Bei's hands.

Xue Ming the case file and looked out the window at the gloomy, rainy sky, which was gradually clearing up as the dark clouds dispersed.

"Brother, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Ye Bei was busy in the warehouse, organizing equipment.

He grabbed a set of Jiji·Spirit Clothes and tossed them to Xue Ming.

"Put it on, then go find Old Chen to get your gear. He'll tell you what to do." After saying this, Brother Bei patted Xue Ming on the shoulder, grabbed his cat, and ran out. "I'm off! You go ahead with your work, I'll do mine. Call me if anything comes up, I'll settle your wages later. You're too kind to thank me! Hero!"

Xue Ming didn't ask any more questions. He sent text messages to his sister and Xiao Qi to let them know he was safe. Before the tea had even cooled down, he rushed to the paper craft shop.

The food festival in the university town was unusually lively. Although it was summer vacation, due to the lockdowns in various places, students had difficulty returning home, and many students did not go back.

Xue Ming left his umbrella by the door of the paper craft shop. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard frequent strange noises coming from inside.

"Stop!" Chen Fugui, the fake foreigner, immediately stood up from behind the counter in the main room, his expression panicked. "No, no, no, no, don't come in!"

Xue Ming pulled back the halfway leg that had stepped across the threshold. He was full of doubt and confusion. The gods and Bodhisattva statue be drawn by some powerful force and all looked at him.

After Boss Chen covered all the deities in the room with black cloth, he then led Jiang Xueming in.

Chen Fugui: "How come you're just like Ye Bei?"

Jiang Xueming didn't understand, perhaps it was related to the Taowu, or to the spirit of Ming De.

His soul power was mixed with the BOSS's will. If all the anti-spirit attack items in Boss Chen's room were effective and useful, then that was indeed the case.

After all, the Taowu is a ferocious beast.

--If Brother Ye Bei is the Chang Ghost of Qiongqi, then when he enters this room, he will also receive this inexplicable "attention," right?

"My spirit has some inexplicable connection with the Taowu," Jiang Xueming explained. "I'm sorry, Boss Chen, for causing you trouble."

"No trouble at all." Chen Fugui politely went to the inner room to prepare tea, just as courteous as Ye Bei. "You've really made something of yourself. Did Xiao Bei send you over?"

Jiang Xueming put down his backpack and saw that Chen Fugui had taken off his glasses and was dressed in a black mandarin jacket. He felt a strange sense of familiarity—this blond, blue-eyed American looked exactly like Teacher Ke.

"Yes, Brother Ye Bei said he wanted my help to deal with the Spirit Calamity, but I don't know what's going on yet."

"The Spirit Calamity in the Human World and those in the underworld are vastly different." Chen Fugui kept rummaging under the counter, as if he had a bad memory. After a while, he finally pulled out half a box of mung bean cakes and placed it on the small table as a snack. "Then let me ask you first, how much combat experience do you have in the underground world, in the railway system?"

Jiang Xueming choked up.

He didn't know where to begin.

This is just too complicated to explain.

Seeing Xiao Jiang's embarrassed expression, Chen Fugui didn't know what to say for a moment and frowned in confusion.

"Haven't you ever been in a fight?"

Jiang Xueming: "I've been in a lot of fights."

Chen Fugui: "Have you ever killed any monsters?"

Jiang Xueming: "I've killed them."

Chen Fugui: "How many have you killed? Surely not just a few?"

Jiang Xueming did a quick mental calculation--

--If we include vampire units in the Disaster Beast category.

"Seven hundred and seventy-one."

Chen Fugui spat out a mouthful of hot tea, which conveniently cleaned the peeling paint from the Buddha statue, making it easier to repaint and renovate it.

"Seven hundred?"

Jiang Xueming: "Seven hundred and seventy-one. If we're going to include the minions of the Madness Butterfly Sect as calamity beasts, we'll have to add a little more."

"Show me your forehead." Chen Fugui grabbed a rag, wiped the tea stains off the Buddha statue, and immediately sat back down in his chair, staring at Xue Ming with a lewd look in his eyes.

Jiang Xueming took off his hat, revealing his bald head.

"No scars?" Chen Fugui exclaimed in amazement. "You're not some kind of celestial being descended to earth. If the leaders of Tian Shu knew about your KPIs, they'd be sending you to work in the armed forces the very next day."

Then Fugui stared at the bald head.

"So, Master is the Victorious Fighting Buddha? Journey to the West only has eighty-one tribulations; your exploits could fill nine episodes."

Jiang Xueming pursed his lips, remaining rather modest. "No, no, no, it's not that exaggerated, not as exaggerated as you think, Mr. Chen."

"Don't call me 'sir,' it's too formal," Chen Fugui said with a grin.

Jiang Xueming: "What should we call him?"

Chen Fugui: "I think you know who I am. I'm your brother Beizi's golden partner, Batman's Old Afu, and his arsenal."

Jiang Xueming: "Are you a gunsmith too?"

Chen Fugui: "What gunsmith?"

Jiang Xueming: "It's alright now."

Chen Fugui shook his head smugly and said, "Just call me Brother Chen, and your little sister can call me that too. Don't keep calling me 'Uncle, Uncle,' it's kind of scary. Who knows, one day I might go bald because you guys kept calling me that."

Jiang Xueming was still thinking about the Spirit Calamity files and was feeling anxious.

If there were monstrous beasts, shouldn't they be dealt with immediately? But Mr. Chen didn't seem to be in any hurry at all.

"Brother Chen, it's me."

"Don't rush, don't rush," Chen Fugui said, pressing Xue Ming's shoulder. "We usually operate at night. There's no use in rushing."

Jiang Xueming sat back down. "Oh."

Fu Gui glanced at his watch and explained to Xue Ming, "After 1 a. m., preferably around 9 p. m., even ordinary people without clairvoyance can see some special spirits. In feudal superstition, these are called 'ghosts'—now we call them spirits or Spirit Calamity. If you go early, they won't want to see you if the weather is bad and the sun is shining brightly."

Jiang Xueming was surprised. "Is that so?"

Chen Fugui refilled Xue Ming's tea. "So, it's still early, why don't you chat with me for a while?"

The two friends, one big and one small, sat down. The two chairs faced the door. Chen Fugui lit a cigarette and started talking to Xue Ming about the past.

"That girl who came with you last time, are you two done together?"

"Are you done? What do you mean?"

"So, are you together or not?"

"Together. What exactly does that mean?"

Jiang Xueming didn't understand. Brother Fugui was different from Teacher Ke. Apart from his appearance, this fake foreigner was just like a native Beijinger, and it was very difficult to have a conversation with him.

"Ugh!" Chen Fugui said with a look of disgust, "It's just that you love her, she loves you, aren't you two as sweet as Mixue Ice Cream? Can't you even understand something this simple? Otherwise, I'd really ask you if you've kissed or slept together? Sigh!"

Jiang Xueming answered seriously, "We didn't sleep together, but we kissed frequently."

"When should I prepare the money for your wedding?" Chen Fugui asked with a smile.

Jiang Xueming thought for a moment and said, "Next year, maybe. We don't have any wedding plans yet."

"That is, 2026, which is pretty good," Chen Fugui sighed.

"Brother Chen, is there any special significance to this year?"

"No, don't be superstitious."

"Then why is it good?"

"No reason why. I just think you two are a perfect match. You're a handsome couple, one upright and kind, the other a criminal. A perfect match."

Jiang Xueming suddenly felt that this conversation was going to be a bit awkward, and then he remembered the station's excellent matching system, which seemed to make sense.

"Brother Chen, I met someone in the underworld who looks exactly like you."

Before he could finish speaking, Fugui immediately raised his hand.

Jiang Xueming understood immediately. "Can't I ask about this?"

Brother Chen dropped his jovial tone and suddenly became very serious.

"Is his name Wood Plark?"

Jiang Xueming also became nervous. "Yes."

Chen Fugui: "Does he have a butterfly tattoo on his neck?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Chen Fugui: "Does he often make this expression? Does he look much more handsome than me?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Chen Fugui: "Am I handsome now?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Chen Fugui: "Then why did he get married, but I didn't?"

Jiang Xueming pondered for a moment, "Is it possible, Brother Chen, if you maintain this aloof and cold demeanor, fair-skinned and beautiful female college students will immediately come in and ask for your WeChat?"

"That won't do!" Fugui regained his composure, grinning broadly. "No way! It'll kill me! I can't hold it in! I absolutely can't hold it in—"

Two girls, both looking timid, entered from the old Changsha stinky tofu stall in the side alley. They were students working part-time while studying. When they saw Xue Ming, they walked towards the door and asked him a question.

"--Hey bro, can I have your WeChat ID? Are you and the boss acquaintances? I've never seen you before."

Fu Gui roared angrily, "Get out! Get out of my territory! You shameless jerk!"

Putting that aside, Xue Ming went on to ask about other things.

Returning from Niflheim, he had many questions and many things waiting to be answered.

The station's confidentiality classification system has always been very strict, unlike [Tian Shu] who is so approachable. Ming De would never reveal a word about things he shouldn't know. Perhaps Brother Chen from [Tian Shu] can give him the answer. Let's start by talking about the appearances of Teacher Ke and Brother Chen.

"Brother Chen, what exactly is your relationship with Teacher Ke?"

Fu Gui immediately retorted, "You're calling him 'teacher'?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes, he helped me a lot. He also taught me a lot."

Chen Fugui looked at Jiang Xueming's overflowing backpack and suddenly unzipped it. On the outside were six bottles of chocolate milk, and inside were other things, mostly a small refrigerator containing rabies vaccines and Universal Elixir.

Fugui seemed to have developed a competitive spirit, and he acted all smug and arrogant.

"Then you have to call me teacher."

Jiang Xueming: "Okay."

Fu Gui clasped his hands together and began to discuss serious matters.

Do you know about a place called Shambhala?

"I heard Professor Victor mention it—" Jiang Xueming recalled this matter. During their journey in Niflheim, the staff officer of the Heaven's Ladder had visited this place. "—It is a very, very large, very, very deep giant cavity, almost like another small Earth. There is a sun there, with sunrise and sunset, with seas and land, and another world."

"I'm not from the surface world," Chen Fugui frankly admitted. "Do you believe me?"

Jiang Xueming thought that there were also many people born in the underground world.

"Believe."

Chen Fugui continued, "I come from Shambhala, do you believe me?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes. I believe you."

Chen Fugui continued, "I come from the continent southwest of Shambhala, which is a series of scattered islands, next to a large country called Amitlan."

Jiang Xueming didn't initially notice anything amiss, but the topic kept veerging further and further off track.

Fugui started talking and Xue Ming for a long time.

"I possess a Soul Power, and its name is [Heartbreaker] -- it can change my physical body, like the Shapeshifter in X-Men. I can grow old or young, I can become a woman or a man. Initially, my name was Oroz Zorro."

Jiang Xueming: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute."

There's a lot of information here.

-- Chen Fugui spoke succinctly, and finally lowered his head, laughing like an elder or younger person rambling on and on to fool a child.

Do you still believe it now?

Jiang Xueming let out a breath, calmed herself down, and thought about it carefully again.

"Believe."

Fu Gui then continued, "Shambhala has its own ecological environment and geographical features, as well as its own cultural traditions, but it lags behind the rest of the world by hundreds of years. If you were to travel there now, it would still be in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution."

The fortune teller made a gesture with his hands, as if taking a picture.

"That's where I met Wood Plark. At that time, I hadn't yet become his. I was an agent for Amitlan, tasked with special operations, disrupting the political situation of another country, using my superb disguise skills to assassinate high-ranking officials, to assassinate ministers in Lennon's kingdom. Wood Plark's hometown was there; he came from Lennon. He shattered my will and turned me into him—into his shadow warrior. From then on, we went our separate ways, causing trouble in that little world."

These stories felt unfamiliar to Jiang Xueming.

--Because this history does not exist on Earth, it is a "Travels of Frege" completely independent of human civilization, a civilization of subterranean peoples.

Brother Chen continued.

"He later disappeared. I couldn't find him, so I started traveling, going further and further afield. I set off from Dongdu Port in Shambhala and took a boat to Great Xia, a place that is very similar to ancient China. There were also many Qi cultivators there. I stayed there for over 140 years. Speaking of this, do you know Luo Ping'an?"

Jiang Xueming immediately said, "He is my waiter's teacher, and his teacher's teacher."

"Ah," Chen Fugui nodded in approval, "Yes, he's not dead yet?"

Jiang Xueming remembered that there was such a person in Blackstone's camp. "No, he had white hair and a youthful face, and was very dignified. I saw this VIP at the harvest season ceremony."

Chen Fugui: "I changed my name, and that's how I got Chen Fugui. I help him do business and make money, and he is responsible for seeking the Tao. I make him rich and provide him with wealth, methods, land, and companions, and he protects my safety and safeguards my physical and mental health. We each get what we need."

Jiang Xueming: "Truly amazing!"

Chen Fugui continued.

"About 140 years ago, my senior brother Ping An and I discovered that Shambhala was actually a hollow cave deep underground. My long life was like a sudden awakening, ending this dream. Following the winding cave, we found the mine tunnel of the Eurasian Continental Bridge, which was built by workers hired by Ming De. My senior brother Ping An and I left Shambhala together."

"After we reached the surface, Ping An and I were both sick for a very long time. We had a hard time adapting to the sunlight and the viruses on the surface. But Wood Plark found me and said our mission wasn't over yet. That's when I found out that the guy had already run off outside."

Until this moment--

Chen Fugui took a book out of his pocket and handed it to Xue Ming.

"I can't say anything more. You know I'm from the Philosopher Foundation, right?"

Xue Ming went to look at the book title in detail. It was called "Unveiling the Coffin and Setting Off." The thick pages were definitely bulletproof, and it was a very, very long story.

He put the books away and continued asking Brother Chen about the matter.

"I can't ask about what happened next, right?"

"Yes." Chen Fugui nodded. "My name in the Philosopher Foundation is Adams Vihar. That's all I can say. Including the giants, the Runes, and what you saw in the Niflheim Trench—I can't tell you about those things for now. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, just ask me—"

"I can only say, I don't know."

Jiang Xueming pondered for a moment--

"Does Brother Ye Bei know about your situation?"

Chen Fugui clapped his hands.

"Hey! He's such a naive and innocent guy! Otherwise, how could we have become such a perfect couple?"

After this long chat, Jiang Xueming roughly understood the position of [Tian Shu] in the mortal world, as well as the relationship between Teacher Fugui and Teacher Ke.

However, there is still one thing that remains unclear.

"Teacher Chen, your soul power prevents you from aging, so how does Teacher Ke survive?"

"Have you seen his divine might?" Fu Gui asked immediately. "It was a sacred beast that reeked of sheep's stench, Baphomet mythical Baphomet."

Jiang Xueming: "I heard Teacher Ke mention it; it's the goat demon from the <Witches' Sabbath>."

"Wood Plark is more like he's possessed by a demon," Fu Gui explained. "According to Western mysticism, he signed a contract with Baphomet, during which Baphomet would grant him divine power and ensure his immortality—and as an aside, this guy wouldn't die even if he were thrown into a meat grinder on Saturday, the Sabbath; he has a great demon protecting him."

Jiang Xueming was very curious. "What kind of contract did Teacher Ke sign?"

"Perhaps like Ming De," Fugui said wistfully. "These monsters and immortals are all adapting to modern society in their own ways. Baphomet Baphomet's original intention was to [absorb knowledge]. It wanted to use Plark's body to observe human society and human civilization. Maybe in a few hundred years, it will use a shell to go public and ascend to become a higher-level mechanical life form? Who knows?"

"Teacher Ke is indeed very knowledgeable; he seems to know a little about everything." Jiang Xueming finished his last cup of tea, and seeing that it was getting dark, he brought up the important matter of the Spirit Calamity: "Professor Chen, Brother Ye Bei asked me to come and collect equipment. Is it the Tian Shu's weaponry?"

Upon hearing this, Brother Fugui immediately drew the curtain of the paper-craft shop.

He then pulled the lever switch in front of the door, and the containers on both sides immediately flipped over, transforming from images of gods and Buddhas into long guns and short cannons.

This time, Jiang Xueming couldn't stop smiling.

Chen Fugui said with a smile.

"Have you never fought such a costly battle before? In the Human World, Spirit Calamity often occur in densely populated urban areas with extremely high population density, making them highly dangerous. The organization won't skimp on this kind of expense."