Free Web NovelChapter 110: Chapter 109: Gu Shouyu
"These case files..."
Fu Juemin’s gaze swept over the dark filing cabinets that filled the room, finally landing on the young man. "Did you organize all of these by yourself?"
"What if I did?"
The young man stepped out from behind the beechwood desk, deliberately using his body to block the wooden door behind him. "You still haven’t explained who you people are."
As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward the door behind him, and his tense shoulders betrayed his inner nervousness and unease.
Fu Juemin pretended not to notice his strange behavior. He casually picked up an old, yellowed book from the corner of the desk and shook his head. "Many of these ancient books must be the only copies in existence, yet they’re just left here to be water-damaged and eaten by insects..."
"Do you have any idea how many ancient texts are in here? Do you know how much work it is for one person to move them all, to air them out and repair them one by one? To go through every single one of them?.."
The young man suddenly grew agitated. He forcefully pushed up his slipping glasses and sneered, "How many sunny days do you think Shenghai gets in a month this season? It’s easy for you to talk!"
"You need money?"
Fu Juemin set down the old book, his gaze calm.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed the young man’s face. He stiffened his neck and said nothing.
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs doesn’t provide a dedicated budget?"
Fu Juemin glanced around. "This so-called research institute... don’t tell me you’re the only one here?"
"You should take that question to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs!"
The young man resentfully straightened the scattered ancient texts on his desk. "Ever since I took over Jigu Garden, the only thing the Xin Republic’s Government sent was a plaque. Money? I haven’t seen a single cent."
"Then how do you make a living?"
Fu Juemin shook his head. "Surely you can’t be getting by just by occasionally selling stories to third-rate paranormal tabloids."
"I..."
The young man was at a loss for words. He turned his face away. "What... What’s it to you?"
Fu Juemin tapped his knuckles lightly on the desk. "I will fund the renovation of this place and hire people to take care of your daily needs. I’ll also pay you a monthly salary. Whatever you need for your research, just ask."
He paused briefly before continuing, "The conditions are: you work for me, and I get the right to access all the materials here at any time."
The young man’s tidying motions froze mid-air. He turned his head and sized up Fu Juemin with a strange look.
Fu Juemin couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him. He gave a casual wave of his hand, and Big Cat, who was standing beside him, knew exactly what he meant.
As if by magic, Big Cat produced a bulging money pouch and threw it on the table with a THUD. The mouth of the bag fell open, revealing shiny silver coins and glittering Gold Yuan Banknotes.
This was a move that had never failed Fu Juemin.
The young man was clearly taken aback. He stared at Fu Juemin and asked in a solemn tone, "Who exactly are you?"
"Like I said, I was referred by Miss Zhou of the Wenjin Newspaper Office."
Fu Juemin reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, took out two items, and placed them gently on the desk. "Like you," he said slowly, "I’m someone who is very interested in these sorts of things."
On the table, Fu Juemin had placed an Ancient Jade with the Character of Dislike and a piece of what looked like worn leather.
It was both a lure and a test.
As expected, the young man was drawn in. He quickly wiped his hands on his sweater and carefully picked up the two items.
He fished a tattered magnifying glass out of one of his pockets and began to examine the two objects from every angle, rubbing and studying them.
"This jade has the aura of a Demon... no, wait, it seems to be an Alien Species... a Water Anomaly..."
"Alien Species?"
Fu Juemin caught those two words, his expression shifting slightly. Before he could ask, he saw the young man dash over to a chemistry lab bench in the corner, still holding the two items.
He spent a long time studying them under an old microscope he must have scrounged from somewhere before slowly walking back.
"Were you serious about what you said earlier?"
The young man pushed the two items back toward Fu Juemin, his expression turning solemn.
Fu Juemin glanced at the money pouch on the table and smiled without a word.
The young man seemed to realize his question was foolish and rephrased it. "To work for you... what, specifically, would I be doing?"
Fu Juemin picked up the Ancient Jade with the Character of Dislike and said lightly, "Help me search for, and find ways to deal with, strange objects like this."
The young man lowered his head in thought for a moment. "I need to discuss this with someone," he said.
With that, he turned and quickly disappeared through the wooden door behind him.
Soon, sounds came from within the room.
"I’m a person, I need to eat! Am I supposed to starve to death in this place and wait for my corpse to rot before anyone finds me?"
"He’s right, I really can’t manage it all on my own. So many books have already rotted away... I want to copy them, but I can’t even afford ink anymore."
"...The cabinet on the south side already collapsed once last year! I want to install an electric lamp, and I need to fix your umbrella... I need money!"
"Yinyin... Yinyin, listen to me!"
It sounded like two people were arguing in the room, punctuated by the loud crash of things like a washbasin or a thermos hitting the floor. But strangely, from outside, only the young man’s voice could be heard.
But in Fu Juemin’s Yao Ling Perception, the scene behind the door was even stranger—the disheveled young man was chattering nonstop to a battered Oil Paper Umbrella standing in the corner of the room.
"Young Master."
"Hm?"
Fu Juemin turned his head to meet Big Cat’s calm gaze. "In this room..."
Big Cat pointed to the room from which the argument was coming. "There is only one living person."
"I know."
Fu Juemin nonchalantly picked up a yellowed old photograph in front of him. It seemed to show the skeleton of some large animal, but it was too blurry to make out clearly.
He casually put the photo down and asked, a little surprised, "You don’t find this strange at all?"
Big Cat shook his head. "I’ve encountered them a few times over the years.
They’re like flies. They can’t get close enough to harm you, but they’re annoying. Yet they’re also Undying... I didn’t know the Young Master was interested in this sort of thing."
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but chuckle, but a flash of understanding crossed his mind. ’So it seems that even Tongxuan Realm Martial Artists don’t have any particularly good solutions for beings of the Ghost Race.’
"What could they possibly want from me?! In this world, you’re the only one who would care about someone like me!"
The argument in the room came to an abrupt halt with the young man’s final shout.
The young man slammed the door open and stormed out. His eyes were red-rimmed, as if he had been crying.
He strode up to Fu Juemin with a look of grim determination.
"Let’s have a formal introduction..."
He took a deep breath and extended a hand to Fu Juemin. "The thirty-eighth Director of the Celestial Observation Bureau of the former dynasty’s Astronomical Bureau, the current head of Jigu Garden, and the director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Special-Level Folklore Research Institute...
Gu Shouyu."
Fu Juemin was slightly stunned by the long string of titles the young man announced. But he quickly smiled and extended his own hand. "Fu Lingjun."
* * *
「Ten minutes later.」
The two were sitting across from each other at a beechwood desk that had been hastily cleared off. Big Cat and Kitty stood beside them like door gods, staring coldly and expressionlessly at the strange wooden door not far away.
"Is that part about the Astronomical Bureau real?"
Fu Lingjun was the first to break the slightly awkward silence.
"Of course."
The young man named Gu Shouyu nodded immediately. "The Astronomical Bureau has monitored the world’s anomalies and calculated the National Fortune since ancient times... I have an official Token. Wait, let me see where I put it..."
"That’s all right."
Seeing him actually about to get up and search, Fu Lingjun quickly raised a hand to stop him. "I believe you. Why don’t we start with you telling me what you know about these things?"
He gestured at the filing cabinets piled high as walls on all sides.
Unexpectedly, Gu Shouyu asked back with a serious expression, "That’s a question I should be asking you.
How much do you know about... these things?
Knowing that will help me understand how much value I can provide to you."
Fu Lingjun was a bit surprised. It seemed this young man named Gu Shouyu was merely eccentric, not stupid. On the contrary, he was quicker than most people to correctly assess his own position.
Fu Lingjun thought for a moment, then told him about his encounters with the Black-Scaled Snake Demon, the Merciful Rat Demon, as well as the water monkey and the Painted Ghost.
Gu Shouyu listened intently, occasionally taking notes.
"So, you’ve encountered one being of the Ghost Race, two of the Demon Species, and one suspected Alien Species."
This was the second time Fu Lingjun had heard these terms from him. His expression flickered. "Is this your system of classification for them?"
"It was created by our predecessors. And to be precise, it’s not just a classification of type..."
Gu Shouyu said seriously, "There are many different types, like the ones I’ve labeled on the filing cabinets..."
He pointed to the surrounding wooden cabinets. "The varieties are numerous, almost impossible to count.
What I was just talking about is, to a greater extent, a classification of grade."
"Grade?"
Fu Lingjun blinked.
"Correct."
Gu Shouyu thought for a moment and explained, "It’s like the difference between a rabbit, a wolf, and a lion... Do you understand?"
Fu Lingjun’s eyes glinted. After a moment of silence, he said, "Elaborate."
Gu Shouyu nodded. He was about to explain, but the words on the tip of his tongue changed as he was about to speak.
"Why don’t I just take you to see them one by one? Combined with your own personal experiences, it will give you a chance to verify and compare..."
"You know where to find them?"
Fu Lingjun’s eyes lit up.
"Of course."
Gu Shouyu closed his notebook. "I’m familiar with most of the malevolent spirits and demonic anomalies in the Shenghai area.
Some were recorded by my predecessors, and others... I dug up and discovered myself."
"That’s even better."
Upon hearing this, Fu Lingjun stood up directly, straightened his suit, and beamed. "There’s no time to waste. Let’s set out right now."
