Open a Detective Agency Together

A long string of titles set off a figure who looked professional to the core.

But in Lin Xiaosu's eyes, he was nothing more than an embroidered pillowcase.

Yet different perspectives and different heights naturally led to completely different opinions.

Madam Sun quickly went through all the materials, delight lighting up her face. "Now this is what you call a teacher. If Director Zhou can really bring him in, I can introduce several more people to you."

"Then it's a deal. I'll message him right away."

The message was sent, and a reply soon came from the other side: "Sure!"

From beginning to resolution, the whole disturbance in that office took only half an hour.

Old Zhou and Madam Sun both thought this was a twist known only to the two of them.

But they were wrong.

Lin Xiaosu had not only heard their entire conversation; he had also seen the chat on the phone.

And Miao Ruolan?

She appeared to be practicing Horse Stance ten meters away, but her expression had changed, shifting along with the conversation inside...

Class ended, and the children dispersed. Miao Ruolan walked into Old Zhou's office and gave a shy smile. "Director Zhou, I've thought it over. I still don't think I'm suited for this job. Thank you for thinking highly of me, but I think I'll quit starting tomorrow. There are some things at home..."

Old Zhou was overjoyed inside, but he still had to put on a hesitant expression...

After exchanging a few polite words, he went with the flow. "You've taught fifteen classes here. As we agreed before, fifty yuan per class comes to a total of seven hundred and fifty yuan. Take it."

Miao Ruolan accepted half a month's wages: seven hundred and fifty yuan.

The pay was very low, yet even with such low pay, she still could not handle the job.

Miao Ruolan tilted her face toward the sky and gently let out a breath.

She stepped lightly out through the Gate of the combat gym, even greeting the security guard uncle before leaving.

Outside, two students took the initiative to greet her as well. She patted their heads, her face full of warmth. Only after the two children boarded the bus did the warm smile vanish from Miao Ruolan's face. She sighed soundlessly, then turned and walked toward her little electric scooter...

By the scooter, a man stepped out from behind a tree and smiled faintly. "Ruolan, I'm Lin Xiaosu, Li Diandian's classmate and neighbor."

Miao Ruolan stopped and looked him over. A smile slowly appeared on her face. "I know you. Diandian always talks about you in front of me. What brings you here?"

"I came specifically to find you."

"Has Diandian come back?"

"No. She won't be back anytime soon..."

Lin Xiaosu repeated what he had told his second aunt the previous night. Miao Ruolan fell silent for a long while, then smiled softly. "That's wonderful. She's the one best suited to join the national combat team. She's finally found the road that suits her most."

Lin Xiaosu said, "Yes, she's found the road that suits her best. What about you? Where is your road?"

Miao Ruolan's eyes shifted lightly. "What? Are you worried I'll starve to death?"

When her eyes moved like that, Lin Xiaosu suddenly realized how lively they were. With one light turn, they seemed capable of making people forget the plainness of her appearance.

"How could that be? If an expert like you could starve to death, then this society would be terrifying!"

Miao Ruolan fixed her gaze on his face, deep in Longing...

"I was inside just now! Others might not be able to see how strong you are, but I can!" His voice was very low.

Miao Ruolan gently exhaled. "I actually saw you."

"You didn't just see me. You also heard Old Zhou's conversation with Madam Sun." Lin Xiaosu said, "Your six senses are beyond ordinary people's too. That's the power of Ancient Martial Arts, isn't it?"

"Ancient Martial Arts have boundless power. I've only scratched the surface. The most fatal thing is that this era has no room for Ancient Martial Arts."

"No. This era embraces all things. There are no skills it cannot accommodate, only placements that are out of place!" Lin Xiaosu said. "I came to find you today because I want to work with you on something."

"Doing what?"

"I want to open a detective agency. I can't do it alone, so I want to find a partner."

Miao Ruolan was startled. "A detective agency? What does that do? Private detective work?"

"Yes."

"Is that permitted? I thought only foreign countries allowed it."

"The regulations have changed. Daxia allows it, but not many people are willing to do it. Or rather, not many people have the ability to do it." Lin Xiaosu said, "But we can!"

Miao Ruolan's heart stirred...

She had a body full of skills, but no platform for them.

Her situation was actually more difficult than Li Diandian's.

Li Diandian specialized in External Combat Arts. People could see it and feel it, and the country even had combat sports programs. Her road was actually broad. Even if Li Diandian was a little too reckless and had courted death a few too many times, she could still return to a small county town, open a combat gym, and teach people how to fight.

Modern combat sports appealed to students' parents.

It loosened the muscles and strengthened the body, after all.

But what about Miao Ruolan? Ancient Martial Arts were highly unusual. They were incredibly difficult to learn and fundamentally not something children whose goal was simply physical exercise could study.

The children could not endure that hardship.

And even if the children could endure it, their parents would not agree. Everyone only believed what their eyes could see. Who would believe in the vague, indescribable true qi within the body?

They would pay enormous tutoring fees and watch their children train through the freezing days of winter and the scorching days of summer, only to end up practicing not a damn thing. Never mind whether they could bear seeing their children suffer—the key was that they would feel as though they had thrown piles of money into the Blackwater River without even a bubble rising...

So Miao Ruolan's road was extraordinarily, extraordinarily narrow.

All signs showed that if she relied on this to make a living, she would most likely starve to death.

What had happened today was proof enough.

And now, Lin Xiaosu had extended an invitation to her...

"I don't know anything about this line of work. I might not be able to do it." Though Miao Ruolan was excited inside, she was an honest person.

"I do!" Lin Xiaosu said.

"Then I... what can I help you with?"

"What you can do is extremely important. In the detective business, it's inevitable that we'll offend people. If someone comes knocking one day to smash my head and overturn our operation, you can step forward and protect our detective agency!"

Miao Ruolan burst out laughing. "Nonsense. How could there be so many situations that need fighting?"

"When there's no fighting, you can handle the finances, watch the shop, and take cases."

The smile disappeared from Miao Ruolan's face. Even her lively eyes no longer seemed lively. She quietly looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"I've always been serious!"

Two little flowers seemed to slowly bloom in Miao Ruolan's eyes. "Then, boss, how much are you planning to pay me?"

"How much can you accept?"

"Two thousand... fifteen hundred would work too! A month!" Miao Ruolan said.

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "Your demands really are low. But unfortunately, even at such low wages, I won't agree!"

Miao Ruolan did not quite understand...

Lin Xiaosu said, "I already said it before: we're partners. So I'm not your boss. We're both shareholders, with equal rights. We split the earnings equally, and split the rent and utilities equally too."

Miao Ruolan understood. "That won't do, it really won't. I don't understand this business at all. I can't do much..."

"You can help me fight! If there's ever a need..."

"Even if I fight, my help isn't worth much. You saw it just now. I'm only worth fifty yuan a class..."

"That's because Old Zhou has eyes but fails to recognize Mount Tai!"

"Anyway... anyway... I can't take advantage of you!"

"Then can you let me take a little advantage of you?"

The moment Lin Xiaosu's last sentence came out, the conversation abruptly ground to a halt...

Miao Ruolan's lips parted halfway, but not a sound came out.

Lin Xiaosu's eyes shifted, and inside he cursed, Fuck!

Did I say something wrong? Did it create some ambiguity?

"Forget it, I'll be frank with you!" Lin Xiaosu chose his words carefully. "I'm... ahem... interested in Ancient Martial Arts. If possible, I mean, if possible..."

Miao Ruolan's heart seemed to suddenly fall from the clouds back to the ground. "You want to learn Ancient Martial Arts?"

"Ahem... I know the old saying goes that methods should not be lightly passed on. But this is modern society. Many things have been overturned. If no one learns such a miraculous method, then in the words of the ancients, it would be a pearl covered in dust. That would be a great pity too."

Miao Ruolan smiled...

Her smile was infinitely pure...

Lin Xiaosu could not decipher her smile, but he could tell it was definitely not mockery.

Miao Ruolan said, "This is modern society, and many things really have been overturned. You'd never imagine it, but my father once had a crazy idea. He wanted to put our Miao Family's 'Rejuvenation Technique' online for everyone to cultivate."

Lin Xiaosu gaped. "Why?"

"It started with something that happened five years ago..."

Five years ago? No, the beginning of the matter was ten years ago.

Ten years ago, there was a young man obsessed with Ancient Martial Arts. He found her father and begged him to teach him martial arts.

What could her father say?

He had always dreamed of passing down this inherited cultivation method. In modern society, few people learned martial arts. Now that someone had finally appeared, he was overjoyed and accepted the young man as his disciple on the spot, teaching him with great care.

But after training for a full five years, the young man had stubbornly failed to cultivate a damn thing.

Gradually, the young man became impatient.

In the end, he actually fell out with her father and went everywhere telling people that her father was a fraud. He claimed her father had deceived him for five whole years, cheated him out of more than a thousand yuan in holiday gifts, and even swindled four old hens from him.

Her father flew into a rage. He personally went to the man's home, returned all the holiday gifts and four big hens, then went home amid the villagers' mocking laughter and sat in the courtyard smoking all night.

Early the next morning, the old man found Miao Ruolan, who was still in university, and asked her with reddened eyes, "Girl, should we put the 'Rejuvenation Technique' online?"

Miao Ruolan had not understood at all then. "Dad, why?"

The old man said, "I refuse to believe that there isn't a single person in all Daxia who can master it! As long as an outsider succeeds in learning it, our Miao Family won't be frauds!"

Living among the villagers, the old man cared deeply about his reputation. Bearing the title of fraud was something he truly could not endure.

So in truth, he dreamed of having someone come learn the "Rejuvenation Technique."

What method should not be lightly passed on? He wanted to pass it on—he simply could not find anyone to teach...

Therefore, Lin Xiaosu wanting to learn the Miao Family's "Rejuvenation Technique" was not a problem at all in this new era...

Lin Xiaosu grinned. "So does that mean I can go home with you right now and pay respects to my martial arts master?"