Chu Miaoyi had a delicate personality and was quick-witted. She and Lin Xue complemented each other—one excelling in literary pursuits and the other in martial prowess.
“Come on, Miaoyi, even Shui Miao, who’s so capable, didn’t figure it out. You’ve never trained at all, so how did you know?” Lin Xue seemed unconvinced. She poured herself a drink, grabbed a spicy crawfish, and began peeling it.
Shui Miao glanced at Lin Xue and then at the confident Chu Miaoyi, smiling slightly. “It’s possible that those not directly involved see things more clearly.”
“Hehe, what I said isn’t necessarily right either.”
Chu Miaoyi smiled modestly.
After drinking two cups of wine, her face turned slightly red, and her reserved smile looked especially enchanting.
“Oh come on, just speak up. Even if you’re wrong, you won’t be punished with more drinks. What are you afraid of?” Lin Xue placed the peeled crawfish tail in front of Shui Miao, who waved it off. Lin Xue then placed it in Chu Miaoyi’s bowl and grabbed another crawfish for herself. “Waiter, bring us two more plates of braised crawfish!”
“…”
Chu Miaoyi picked up the crawfish tail with her chopsticks and passed it back to Lin Xue. Putting down her chopsticks, she finally spoke. “What the camera captures is an image, which can never be exactly the same as what our eyes see. After cultivation, people may see things that ordinary people cannot, possibly due to spiritual energy altering brain nerves. Both Lin Jie and I have taken the pills you gave us, Shui Miao, so we can see some things too. From my observations, I think it’s because the degree to which our brain nerves have been altered differs, so what we see isn’t the same. Let’s assume the nervous system has four levels: high, medium, low, and beginner. Because of the pills, Lin Jie and I are at the low level. Since many people saw the hurricane, it proves they entered the beginner level for some reason and could see the hurricane too.”
“What reason could that be?”
Shui Miao nodded, thinking Chu Miaoyi’s analysis made sense.
“I suspect it’s because of you—you infected everyone,” Chu Miaoyi said with a confident smile. “I once studied hypnosis. On the surface, hypnosis affects people through words and actions, but real experts use their minds. I think cultivators are all experts at hypnosis. Just standing there, they can influence people nearby. In Feng Shui, this is called magnetic field induction. Like a magnet, a powerful one will always influence smaller, weaker ones.”
“Magnetic field, mental power…”
Shui Miao stroked his chin, looking at the crawfish on the plate. He muttered, “Or think of a magnetic field as a radar. A low-power radar can only detect a small area, while a powerful one can control a large area. Therefore, everything I do might be monitored by a stronger cultivator. To change this, I must enhance my mental cultivation, strengthen my magnetic field, catch up to that powerful person, and only then can I truly reverse the situation!”
Shui Miao used radar as a metaphor for his current situation and decided to focus on cultivating his mental power.
“…”
Hearing Shui Miao’s words, Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi exchanged glances. Not knowing exactly what he was thinking, they hesitated to speak.
“Hehe, I’ve figured it out. Let’s eat.”
Shui Miao suddenly felt enlightened. “Oh, by the way, are you two brave enough to catch a big corrupt official?”
“A big corrupt official!?”
Lin Xue immediately became interested. “Tell me, what’s the situation?”
Chu Miaoyi chimed in, “No matter how big the corrupt official is, as long as we have evidence, we won’t be afraid.”
“So far, I only know where the dirty money is. As for evidence, I think it won’t be a big problem.” Shui Miao shared the information the female ghost had told him. Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi were very excited after hearing it. After discussing and planning, a big scheme emerged.
※※※
That night, Shui Miao, Lin Xue, and Chu Miaoyi, dressed in plain clothes, arrived at Nangang Village.
Nangang Village was large, but since most villagers worked elsewhere, the village was mostly dark, with few lights visible. Following a dirt road south, they parked their minivan on a piece of wasteland. The three of them stealthily got out and crept toward the river.
Under the moonlight, Shui Miao spotted a large peach tree in the distance. With his spiritual senses, he detected an elderly couple in their fifties watching TV in a villa. Because of the sultry weather, two large Tibetan Mastiffs were lying on the ground in the yard, panting with their tongues out. The largest Tibetan Mastiff was tied to a broken boat.
The old man was truly hiding in plain sight, setting up a den for the Tibetan Mastiff on the boat.
The big iron gate was open, and the Tibetan Mastiffs were chained. At the slightest sound, they would bark, alerting the old man.
“Shui Miao, what should we do now?”
Lin Xue was impatient, eager to turn on her flashlight and search for the boxes full of gold bars.
Shui Miao put a finger to his lips. “Shh, be quiet. There are three large Tibetan Mastiffs in there, each as big as a calf. We must deal with them first before thinking about the boxes.”
“Damn, they’re so rich…”
Lin Xue swallowed hard. She had always wanted a Tibetan Mastiff but couldn’t afford one.
“So, Shui Miao, do you have a plan?” Chu Miaoyi asked in a low voice.
Shui Miao closed his eyes. “Let me try communicating with them using my mental power first.”
As he spoke, Shui Miao focused his mind…
Dogs have instincts, but Shui Miao didn’t know the temperaments of these three Tibetan Mastiffs.
Soon, Shui Miao’s mental power extended outward, connecting with the Tibetan Mastiffs’ minds and beginning to communicate.
“Who is it?”
“Old Huang, don’t bark. Our wife is pregnant and sleeping on the boat. Be careful not to disturb the fetus. Besides that turtle demon, who else could it be?”
“No, the aura is different. This isn’t the turtle demon’s aura.”
“Let me smell…”
After Shui Miao’s mental power entered the Tibetan Mastiffs’ minds in the yard, they immediately became alert.
The Tibetan Mastiffs growled softly, surprisingly able to communicate like humans.
“Hehe, no need to smell. I’m an immortal here to ask for your help.” Shui Miao’s thoughts flickered, transmitting his words into the Tibetan Mastiffs’ minds.
“Immortal? What’s that? Help us with what? Where are you? Show yourself!”
“Hmph! I bet you don’t have good intentions. At this late hour, are you trying to steal from our master!?”
“What! Trying to steal! I’ll tear you apart!”
“Come out! Show yourself!!”
Inside the yard, the two Tibetan Mastiffs stood up, staring toward the gate.
“Good dogs, you’re indeed loyal. But your loyal master isn’t a good person, and you’ll be implicated too, facing imminent death?” Shui Miao sighed inwardly, realizing these Tibetan Mastiffs were indeed extraordinary, with high intelligence.
“Old Hei, why can’t I understand what this guy is saying?”
“What’s the big deal? You seem to want to kill us.”
“Hmph! Want to kill us? Come on then, I’ll bite you into bone dust.”
The two Tibetan Mastiffs could only understand simple human speech. Complex or abstract words were beyond their comprehension, so they misinterpreted Shui Miao’s meaning, growling fiercely with bared teeth.
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