"If you're worried about small problems in your daily studies or work, this kind of 'anti-Mercury retrograde' card is a very good choice. You can keep it with your student card or transport pass. It's very convenient to carry around with you and it can help to calm your emotions, reducing the negative effects of the Mercury retrograde. Other than that, during the period of Mercury retrograde, you must make sure to get the electrical appliances and devices at home checked regularly. Once you see signs of damage, you must remember to take care of it promptly. Keep your spirits up. Even though Mercury retrograde brings some trouble to our lives, it is also a chance for us to reflect on ourselves…"

Outside the display window, Yu Lanchuan watched a certain someone who was under a faint light, her hair—and it was even a wig—down and a Mona Lisa half-smile on her face. In only ten minutes, she had hoodwinked three batches of customers. She was proficient in her job and didn't even reuse the same sales pitch. She sold colourful cards costing twenty cents each for fifteen yuan, and had even sold a stack of them.

Evidently, "Mercury retrograde" was now the number one killer among the current day young people. The related expenses should be included in the list of items covered by medical insurance.

When Yu Lanchuan heard the bunch of children call her "Teacher Meng-Meng^[1]," he already had goosebumps all over. So when he heard "Teacher Meng-Meng" spout her floaty and mystical charlatan nonsense, he really could not bear to watch anymore. He regretted not snapping a photo of her that morning with the soup spoon dangling out of her mouth; he could parade it through the streets.

He knocked a few times on the shop door, cutting off Gan Qing. His face stiff as a board, he walked in, changing the atmosphere in the shop from that of the song Starlight to that of the news program Focus Report.

The teenagers all turned their heads to look at him. One young girl even clutched the "anti-Mercury retrograde" card she had just bought tightly. Perhaps she wanted to stick it on Director Yu's forehead.

"Something has come up." Yu Lanchuan coldly knocked on the counter. "What time do you close?"

Gan Qing's smile did not change an iota. "My apologies, sir. During the period of Mercury retrograde, I have more customers to take care of. Everyone here has made an appointment. If there is a need, may I ask that you inform me two days in advance?"

"You may not," Yu Lanchuan rejected her ruthlessly. He glanced at those "anti-Mercury retrograde" cards, then drew close to Gan Qing's ear and whispered, "I'm going to call the Price Control Bureau."

Gan Qing, "..."

Bastard!

Ten minutes later, Gan Qing put her silver tongue to full use and deceived all her customers into leaving. She sprawled crookedly on the counter and regained her usual tone. "Little Master Yu, I'm just running a small business here. Don't be like this."

Yu Lanchuan's eyes swept past the price tags on the nonsense on her counter. "I think what you're running is a sham business."

Gan Qing sighed, feeling that she was getting a taste of this alliance leader's prowess. By using just one phone, he could survive through the ages and unite the jianghu. "For what matter do I have the honour of being blessed by your presence?"

"Yesterday night, did you see Yan Hao use Nie Ke's phone to send messages?"

Gan Qing thought a while, then said uncertainly, "I might have. At that time, he was holding a phone and tapping on it for a bit. I don't know whose phone it was."

The veins at Yu Lanchuan's temples started pounding. "Then, why didn't you say anything yesterday?"

Gan Qing was bewildered. "...You didn't ask."

Yu Lanchuan said, "Come with me."

"Huh?"

"Yesterday, you were clearly the one who acted first but halfway through, you walked away as though it had nothing to do with you. You can think again if you want to throw this mess to me and let me shoulder the blame." Yu Lanchuan gritted his teeth and wanted to pull her out from behind the counter.

But before his hand could touch her, he felt a sudden chill on his wrist. He didn't know what it was—it was a kind of feeling that made one's hair stand on end. Yu Lanchuan subconsciously moved his wrist up. His reaction was already extremely quick but he still did not manage to dodge. Two fingers tapped on his meridian point; at the same time, Gan Qing blew on his neck. A faint ache radiated from his wrist... and along with it, sticking close to that feeling, was something even scarier.

If she had used more strength or if she had a knife between her fingers…

Yu Lanchuan's reason for practising the Seven Secret Arts of Han Jiang back then was very chuuni but throughout the years, he had not had many opportunities to put the skills to use. He had never once experienced pitting himself against a single hand, a single finger, in a single, mysterious second.

In actual fact, the so-called "four ounces moves a thousand pounds" martial arts might have existed in ancient times but no one had seen it in modern times. Based on Yu Lanchuan's shallow understanding from practising the sword for fifteen years, it was probably not very realistic. Even Granduncle might not be capable of that. On top of that, Gan Qing was not a large and burly person. The stature was there for all to see, the limit of her strength and her ability to fight back obvious to the eye. There was no way she could be super strong.

But in that one second, Yu Lanchuan felt that the person before his eyes seemed to have shattered into numerous tiny specks of dust, circling around him without sparing any spots—his throat, wrists, chest, temples—and, at the same time, sending him a warning. It was like there were countless tiny deadly blades on them.

She did not confront other people and her strength could not be detected at all. It was just like a fatal gust of wind that could slip through the tiniest crack and lightly take away her opponent's life. When the opponent's life was gone, naturally they would have no more strength.

It was different from all the schools of martial arts Yu Lanchuan had seen up to now. Rather than to call it martial arts, perhaps it should be called the art of killing.

This… What kind of skill was this?

After the founding of the nation, why was there still this kind of disharmonious skill?

Gan Qing hid behind her wig. She smiled at him and used her high-pitched "charlatan" voice to speak. "Oh my, sir, please speak nicely. Why are you using your hands and legs? You gave me such a fright."

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

He fell silent for a while and quietly took out his phone.

Gan Qing became proper again in just one second. "Okay, okay, okay, all right. Go on, what do you want me to do?"

Just like that, Gan Qing left work half a day early and was dragged onboard the pirate ship by the alliance leader.

"Peaceful Mind Clinic…" Gan Qing looked down at the address Yu Lanchuan had sent her, then looked up again at the rundown shop front in front of her. She sighed, feeling that Yu Lanchuan was treating her like a follower he could order around.

Just as she was pacing around, two middle-aged people came out of Peaceful Mind Clinic. One of them, a woman, told the man beside her, "...It works. Listen to me, our child's results in the midterms improved quite a lot compared to the previous term."

The man asked rather hesitantly, "This… If our child takes this, will it have any side effects?"

"No," the woman said. "I heard other people say that in the U.S., the students in the top schools and the Silicon Valley elites all take this. It basically works the same way as coffee. It's not easy to buy it in our country. This Doctor Zhao is helping us buy it."

The man asked, "What did you say the name of this medicine was again?"

"Intelligence Pill!"

Intelligence Pill? Gan Qing walked out of the shadows. Doctor Zhao?

She opened a group shopping app on her phone. This Peaceful Mind Clinic that might or might not have an official business license had quite a number of listings for group purchases of in-person programs. In the listing, the doctor explaining the effectiveness of the treatments was called Zhao Hongxiang. Gan Qing thought for a while, then joined the group purchase for one of the programs. At the same time, she took a screenshot of the page and sent it to Yu Lanchuan, getting him to cover the expense.

She made a call and asked. The appointment list for Saturday afternoon was not yet full, she could still make an appointment.

The group purchase was for a program called Hypnosis Experience. The introduction hyped it up extravagantly, saying that it was a type of "group psychological consultation" and that it could guide the clients into a state of hypnosis where they could relax their bodies and minds, release the pressure from daily life, detox their body and maintain their youthful looks.

Gan Qing had always been heartless so naturally, she had no need to seek consultation for "issues of the heart." It was her first time and she was like a village bumpkin who had just entered the city. She messaged Yu Lanchuan a question, a little worried. This thing isn't like the Soul Absorption Technique in the past, is it?

Yu Lanchuan might have been shocked by her ignorance. It was a long while before he replied to her with six dots.

The clinic had a reception counter for receiving and registering patients. Other than Gan Qing, there were three others who had bought the same program.

"The hypnosis room is still being prepared. Everyone, please wait here for a while." The receptionist was a young and beautiful lady with a sweet smile, and looked completely out of place in the rundown clinic. "Before we begin, Doctor Zhao asked me to tell everyone that not all of you will be able to smoothly enter a state of hypnosis. There will be some of you who are unable to relax and can't easily follow the prompts. Later, if you find that you have this type of characteristic, please don't be disappointed. Our program can still help you relax your mind to a certain degree. If you are satisfied, you can buy our long-term package. It is more tailored to individual needs compared to our group package."

Listening to her, Gan Qing was delighted. So it turned out that Peaceful Mind Clinic was in the same trade as her. Even the way they hoodwinked their clients were just different words used to the same effect—as long you believed in it, it was effective.

The hypnosis room was modified from a bedroom. Inside, the curtains were closed and the only illumination was the dim light from aromatherapy candles. Small speakers were placed in the corners of the room, transmitting from all directions a soft music that made a person feel sleepy. This trick was also quite similar to Star Dreams. Right in the middle of the hypnosis room were a few soft recliners. On a weary afternoon, surrounded by white noise and a scent that helped with sleep, there was likely no need for any prompting for someone to sleep like the dead.

The wily-looking Doctor Zhao sat before a bookshelf. The receptionist was smiling brightly and passing out blankets to everyone, explaining the points they should take note of. Gan Qing took the chance to ask, "Excuse me, where is the washroom?"

She wandered out of the room and took the chance while the only two employees in the clinic were busy to quickly slip behind the reception counter. Under the counter was a stack of medicine for unknown purposes, still in their packaging. Gan Qing glanced at them but did not recognise them. She quickly snapped a few photos and sent them to Yu Lanchuan. Then, she took the registration book on the counter. The book was for the entire current year. Gan Qing's fingers flipped non-stop from the front to the back, like she was counting the pages. Her eyesight was extremely good; the second the name "Xiang Xiaoman" flashed past, she quickly caught it and stopped at that page.

She saw the note there: Xiang Xiaoman; female; 36 years-old; ten consultations (medicine cost paid).

Medicine cost?

Gan Qing frowned. Even though she did not know how proper psychology consultations were conducted, she was familiar with the "integrity of the profession of charlatans." Selling charms and encouraging clients to take naps belonged to the category of harmless immoral acts, but to prescribe medicine carelessly… This was crossing the line.

"Nie Ke found this kind of 'doctor' for Xiang Xiaoman?" Yu Lanchuan looked at the photos Gan Qing sent him. "This person is simply a jianghu swindler who sells energy pills, and even smuggles controlled medicine."

Yu Yan furtively said to him over the phone, "You can report the clinic for conducting illegal business but Xiang Xiaoman getting medical treatment there does not prove that Nie Ke was consciously abusing her. Nie Ke could also say that he was tricked. Phone scams can still deceive highly-educated people every other day. Accidentally buying something fake when buying something for one's wife isn't against the law."

Right then, there was a call on Yu Lanchuan's phone.

"Wait a minute, I'll call you back later." Yu Lanchuan hung up on Yu Yan and picked up the other call. It was a colleague from his company's business partner who frequently played sports with Yu Lanchuan and worked closely with the company where Nie Ke was working. Everyone was in the same circle; if one wanted to find out something, there was nothing that couldn't be unearthed.

"There was a period of time when I went to his company to conduct a round of due diligence," the "sports" friend said. "This man gave me a very deep impression. They have a Finance manager who likes to gossip. When we were eating together, eight out of ten gossip topics were related to him… This man doesn't have a very good image. He's always hanging around the young ladies and is serial-dating who knows how many women. Someone had even once made a fuss at his workplace and told him to be more careful next time not to call the wrong name."

Yu Lanchuan asked, "Do you know that he's already married?"

"I know. Word has it that the reason why he could get a Yanning household registration back then was entirely because of his old father-in-law. His house and car were also mainly paid for by that side of the family. Otherwise, he would be a house loan slave like you. Where would he find the money to indulge?"

A few holes were poked open in Yu Lanchuan's heart.

"You know how it is, old people can't be relied on for one's entire life. I heard that after his father-in-law retired, his health was constantly not very good and he would be hospitalised every other day. From then on, Nie Ke started to be a bit unrestrained. Later on, the old man passed away. His wife probably did not have any relatives who could be counted on so he had nothing to fear anymore… Ai, I heard that something happened to his wife. What's the situation now?"

Yu Lanchuan brushed off his gossip-loving "sports" friend with just a few words. He got his hands on Nie Ke's resume through a roundabout way and by the time he finished compiling his materials, it was already evening. He went to the sixth floor to look for Old Master Yang's granddaughter, Yang Yifan.

President Yang owned various types of new media companies and had a rich supply of Internet experts. Very quickly, a few online accounts linked to the email address that Nie Ke had used during his university and work days were dug out.

"He's really sloppy," Yang Yifan said. "Look at this, isn't this one of the email addresses that he frequently uses?"

Yang Yifan was showing him a screenshot. Nie Ke had used his own email address to leave a comment that said: Send email, exchange, my wife.

Yu Lanchuan, "Yes, if he isn't using his official company email, this is the account he uses. What do these words mean?"

"It's a porn forum that has a bit of a PUA flavour."

Yu Lanchuan asked, "P… what flavour?"

"PUA, pick-up artist. At the start, they taught those loser men who never leave their homes how to make conversation with women. Later on, they expanded to train them to become scum men who deceive women for money and sex. They study things like how to destroy a woman's mental state and dignity, and how to find chances to take nudes of the other person. In private, those scum men would even take out the nudes to show off and exchange with each other," Yang Yifan said. "For example this one, it means that he wants to use his own wife's nudes to exchange for the other party's 'resources.'"

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

Yang Yifan said, "Ai, did I just corrupt a handsome man's clean and pure spirit? Director Yu, you can forget what I said."

Yu Lanchuan ignored her, "Other than this, is there anything else?"

"Give me a night's time. I'll get someone to infiltrate the scum men's inner circle. If we're lucky, we can get the chat logs from the conversations back then between this kid and other people," President Yang said, unbothered. "It's just a matter of money."

"How much?" Yu Lanchuan, who had just compensated Gan Qing for the cost of the group package, asked. "I-"

"I'll waive it," the tyrannical President Yang Yifan said. "I don't lack money. I'll sponsor this bit for you, purely for my own amusement."

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

If it were not because he still had a house loan, would she get the chance to put on this act of being generous and flaunt her wealth here?

Right at that moment, Yu Lanchuan's phone buzzed. Gan Qing had sent him her location.

Gan Qing sent: I found the miraculous Doctor Zhao's address. After doing such immoral deeds, do you think he'll be afraid of ghosts knocking on his door tonight?

T/N:

[1] Teacher Meng-Meng 梦梦老师 mèng mèng lǎoshī - 'Meng' here means 'dream,' the same 'dream' as the shop name, so this nickname is literally 'Teacher Dream-Dream."