Chapter 213: Chapter 182: Modern Methods

Zheng Xuan suspects Sang Que because for the past half month, he and other colleagues have been pursuing the Golden Child cases nationwide, yet they still haven’t found the original statues of the Golden Child and the Southern Ocean woman related to them.

Just coincidentally, the day before yesterday when Sang Que returned, last night the Golden Child statues nationwide shattered, and those playing with Golden Child, some died and others were injured, many of whom they hadn’t expected.

This caused a huge uproar in the institute; they were ordered to find out what happened as soon as possible and must find the person who destroyed the Golden Child.

Sang Que had previously handled the Xujiawan Village incident and had also met Zhang Qinggang at a scrap collection station; both incidents were related to the Golden Child. Sang Que also had a mysterious Daoist master who left her a talisman book.

Maybe, besides the talisman book, there’s something else?

With a probing intent, Zheng Xuan let Sang Que sit with him on a nearby bench for a chat; he could reveal some information to Sang Que appropriately.

If Sang Que indeed had the ability to destroy the Golden Child, the institute would definitely seek to put her to good use.

“The Golden Child incident had quite an impact. The Golden Child’s roots are in the Southern Ocean, and when it spread to the country a few years ago, it was quite hidden, so it was initially overlooked. Last night, with so many sudden deaths, we did a tally and found there were nearly ten thousand people in the country playing with Golden Child, among whom more than a thousand should be the most devout ones.”

Sang Que calculated using the Heart Lamp formula; indeed, more than a thousand devout believers could let the Golden Child reach the fourth-level ghost rank in the country.

Zheng Xuan took out a cigarette pack, intending to smoke, but upon looking at Sang Que, put it back and continued, “The Southern Ocean woman spread the Golden Child mostly in third- and fourth-tier small cities. Our institute is understaffed, making it impossible to cover each small city for an investigation.”

The institute? Sang Que keenly observed this term and made a mental note.

Zheng Xuan was observing her, and she was secretly observing Zheng Xuan, wanting to see if he could detect the curse on her.

Apparently, he couldn’t.

Sang Que didn’t want to beat around the bush and directly asked, “How do you generally deal with entities like the Golden Child?”

Zheng Xuan sighed, “Actually, it’s not like I’m afraid to let you know, but for entities like the Golden Child whose roots are elsewhere, the country has no way to completely deal with them.”

“The common method is to set up keyword blocks online to stop related information from spreading, hold lectures, release news convincing the public not to believe in superstitions, have experts explain that the Golden Child is a scam, and use scientific methods to analyze the reasons behind its supposed phenomena.”

“Like magic, poisoning, hallucinations?” Sang Que asked.

Zheng Xuan nodded, “Exactly. These could be handled by local community workers and are considered the most effective methods.”

Sang Que understood now; it’s still about making people disbelieve in the Golden Child, so it can’t absorb incense fire’s wishing power and will gradually be forgotten.

“Can’t it be directly exterminated with force?” Sang Que asked again.

Zheng Xuan smiled wryly, “If only it were that easy, which is why the sudden death of so many last night drew so much attention from the institute. They need to find this person capable of directly eliminating the Golden Child; such a talent must be utilized.”

Sang Que lamented inside; she hadn’t destroyed the Golden Child directly, only temporarily imprisoned it.

From Zheng Xuan’s words, it was clear that modern times indeed lack the capability to imprison ghost-level entities.

“Sang Que, let me ask you directly, are you the one who destroyed the Golden Child?”

Zheng Xuan stared intently at Sang Que. Sang Que took a deep breath, possessing a knack for playing dumb.

“I wish it were me. I’ve encountered supernatural incidents and know how terrifying they can be. If I had such abilities, I could protect my mom and friends.”

Zheng Xuan looked at Sang Que for a moment, beginning to waver. Could it really not be her?

Zheng Xuan recalled the eyeless child seen during the Zhang Qinggang incident and the ghost child seen by Zheng Wujun during the Xujiawan Village Skywell Building incident.

That must have been the true form of the Golden Child. At that time, Sang Que relied on the Divine Soldier Talisman left by her mysterious master to temporarily repel the ghost child.

During the Zhang Qinggang scrap station incident, it must have been because he arrived in time that the Southern Ocean woman escaped with the ghost child, and Sang Que and the others were lucky not to get killed.

Thinking this way, Zheng Xuan felt it made sense; Sang Que is just a high school student, may not have a strong psychological endurance, and after facing the Southern Ocean woman and ghost child, she could still calmly get up early for a run.

If it were me, I’d have applied for a month of paid leave with the institute and seen a few psychologists.

Zheng Xuan withdrew his gaze, “It’s good it’s not you. It’s best you never encounter such things in your life. Perhaps something happened in the Southern Ocean; our reach doesn’t extend there. The Golden Child is part of Southern Ocean’s folk culture, so long as Southern Ocean people believe in it, more Golden Children will emerge.”

Zheng Xuan stood up, “I also have to thank you for giving the Talisman Collection your master left to Granny Xu. She can now replicate the lost Divine Soldier Talismans; it’s unknown whether you’d consider handing it over to our institute. It would count as a contribution, and during your college entrance exams, we could give you extra points.”

Sang Que’s eyes lit up, this time not pretending—it truly brightened.

“Of course, I can. My master left it to let more people learn.”

The great Yan Daozi, even after death, brought her so many benefits, like extra points for the college entrance exam. She felt a bit guilty and thought she should have buried Yan Daozi’s ashes, set up a gravestone, and paid respects during festivals.

“Alright, I have to go back and write a report, and I might need to go with my colleagues to the Southern Ocean for an investigation. Remember what I said: stay away from supernatural events. Don’t try to deal with unclean things using the skills your master taught you. A Taoist Disciple needs at least 20 or 30 years of practice on the mountain to gain some power. Reality isn’t a novel, and you’re not necessarily the protagonist.”

Sang Que nodded, “I understand, don’t worry, Mr. Zheng.”

“Okay, I’m leaving now. If you need anything, find Granny Xu. Also, please visit her more often if you can.”

Zheng Xuan left; he still had to find Jiang Zao and Xu Yichao to ask questions. He didn’t completely believe everything Sang Que said.

However, Jiang Zao really didn’t know anything, and Xu Yichao knew but dared not speak. His paperman little girl wouldn’t let him speak, and Sang Que had a strong deterrent effect on the paperman little girl.

Sang Que watched Zheng Xuan leave, standing there recalling whether she left any flaws last night.

After thinking for a while, she suddenly felt annoyed and decided not to think about it anymore.

Since her biological mother could use the Witch Lady’s power to help her hide her identity in the Deceit Dynasty, perhaps there were similar abilities in the modern world. Unless she confessed voluntarily, it would not be so easy for the authorities to notice.

She wasn’t really afraid of being discovered. With her current abilities, even if she attracted attention from above, she was capable of protecting herself and her mother, and had the qualifications to negotiate with them.

But she still hadn’t decided whether to protect the modern world by exiling ghosts to the Deceit Dynasty. The responsibility was too great, and she couldn’t bear it.

The Deceit Dynasty had Xia Chan, Kou Yushan, Yu Da, He Buning, Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, He Shouhui’s family, and countless people striving to survive.

But now, it seemed she had no choice but to take the Golden Child imprisoned in the copper mirror to the Deceit Dynasty.

At the very least, the Deceit Dynasty had places like the Evil Ghost Bureau and the Yin Walking General from the Nine Netherworld, Sixth Layer, which could suppress the Golden Child.

However, unexpected incidents like the Yin Child also existed, escaping from the Evil Ghost Bureau and slaughtering a city, causing over ten thousand deaths.

So frustrating!

Sang Que put her headphones back on, sped up her run, and vented her emotions.

After her morning run, Sang Que bought breakfast and went home, discussing the Golden Child matter with her mom. Her mom said she couldn’t make the decision for her, but she would firmly support her regardless of what decision she made.

After breakfast, Sang Que took some cash with her from home, knowing she would face some financial losses in the next four days and needed to be careful.

After contacting Jiang Zao for supplies, Sang Que went out.

Sang Wan also changed into outdoor clothes, took the Great General for a walk. Since having the Great General, Sang Wan was no longer a homebody, her life became more regular, and her physical fitness improved a lot.

Before even leaving the community, Sang Wan saw Xu Shufen returning from square dancing. She slowed her pace and greeted from a distance.

“Aunt Xu, Little Que just left, did you see her?”

Xu Shufen, holding a dancing fan, smiled and said, “I saw her, the child has lost quite a bit of weight after not seeing each other for half a month. Her chin is so sharp, is acting so hard?”

“It is quite tiring, that’s why she came back in a huff, wanting to rest for a couple of days.”

“She’s still growing, so she should rest. Don’t order takeout today, I’ll stew some ribs and make a couple of dishes, come to my house to eat.”

“Alright, then Little Que and I won’t be polite.”

Sang Wan chatted with Xu Shufen, and beside them, the Great General suddenly moved his ears and dashed wildly, pulling Sang Wan aside.

“Ah!”

Sang Wan, caught off guard, was pulled down by the Great General’s leash. Luckily, although Xu Shufen was old, she was still agile and managed to drag Sang Wan back.

Before they could speak,

Bang!

A beer bottle fell from upstairs, landing exactly where Sang Wan had just been standing and smashed into pieces, shattering into debris.

Sang Wan’s eyes widened in shock. Xu Shufen immediately put on the reading glasses hanging around her neck, squinting as she looked upstairs.

A dark shadow flashed by quickly.

Xu Shufen said gravely to Sang Wan, “Has your family recently provoked something unclean?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep