TGA Chapter 55

The travel journal left behind by Chu Yilie had an unexpected side effect: Chu Qianli learned how to call people by their nicknames. She found the charm of using nicknames fascinating and spent days repeating them, much to the annoyance of Tan Muxing.

Tan Muxing couldn’t understand her obsession with nicknames. At first, his face would turn beet red, and he felt utterly embarrassed. Over time, he grew so accustomed to it that he barely reacted, even responding instinctively.

Sometimes, when the two were quietly doing homework, this little game would suddenly begin.

Chu Qianli was struggling with math functions. Propping her chin on her hand, she glanced around and caught sight of her deskmate. For no particular reason, she blurted out, “Star.”

“What is it?” Tan Muxing instinctively looked up.

Chu Qianli tilted her head and stared at him for a moment before lowering her head to continue working on her problems, leaving Tan Muxing baffled.

Not long after, Chu Qianli put down her pen and said again, “Star.”

“What is it this time?” Tan Muxing looked curious. “Do you need something?”

“Not really. Just calling you. Hehe.”

“…”

Chu Qianli used to only call him “Star” when she had something to say. Now, she would call him “Star” for no reason at all, as if she had discovered a new form of entertainment.

Tan Muxing strongly suspected that she enjoyed messing with his emotions. Since calling him by his nickname in public made him flustered, she only intensified her efforts, reveling in it until he developed an immunity. Now, he simply accepted that “Star” was a name meant for him.

This new nickname trend even spread to the five-member Magic Card Girls squad.

As seniors in high school, their time at school was endlessly extended. Not only did they have to attend classes and review during the day, but they also had evening self-study sessions in groups. They usually weren’t dismissed until late at night. Except for Qiu Qingkong, the rest of the group hadn’t chosen to study abroad, so they gathered together to tackle their mountain of homework.

Qiu Qingkong, holding a TOEFL vocabulary book, sat nearby memorizing words. Hearing Tan Muxing’s nickname, she protested, “Hey, I don’t even get this treatment! Just call me Xiaoke.”

Chu Qianli tested the waters: “Qingqing?”

Qiu Qingkong froze on the spot. “That sounds so tacky.”

“Kongkong?”

Qiu Qingkong stiffened, her scalp tingling. She groaned, “Forget it, I take it back. Don’t call me that. It sounds like Tang Sanzang calling Sun Wukong.”

Tan Muxing said, “…See? I told you not to envy it.”

He Shichen, who was flipping through a book, glanced up at their chatter and reminded them in a calm tone, “Don’t chat during self-study.”

Qi Yan pushed up her glasses and smiled. “I don’t get this treatment either. Why don’t you call me Yanyan?”

“Ah, this…” Chu Qianli’s gaze wandered as she stammered, “Calling you that feels dangerous.”

Chu Qianli could call Tan Muxing or Qiu Qingkong by their nicknames without issue, but when it came to addressing Qi Yan this way, she felt as though trouble was imminent—like the protagonist of a strong female lead novel was about to flip the script on her.

Qi Yan raised an eyebrow in thought and pointed at He Shichen. “What about calling him Chenchen?”

Chu Qianli replied, “That’s so gross.”

He Shichen deadpanned, “Thanks, I feel thoroughly disgusted.”

Tan Muxing: “…”

For once, Chu Qianli and He Shichen found themselves in rare agreement—they both firmly rejected such cringeworthy nicknames, forming a sibling-like bond at that moment.

During school, Chu Qianli spent her free time studying Red Crystal Tarot and the compass. She used information from her grandfather’s travel journal to gradually understand more about the founder of the Hao Sect. She also delved into a large volume of historical records from the Ming dynasty, as the compass was an antique from that era, making it essential to understand the historical context.

“Star, what major events happened during the Ming dynasty?” Chu Qianli added, “Global ones? Something world-changing?”

Tan Muxing hesitated. “Zheng He’s voyages to the West?”

“Good point. I’ll look into international history from that time.”

“Is this for the new social studies assignment?”

“No, it’s for the social studies assignment given by my grandfather and the founder of the Hao Sect.”

“…That sounds like a ghost story.” Tan Muxing glanced at her hard at work and asked, “It seems like you’ve been focusing on the travel journal lately?”

Chu Qianli nodded. “Yes. From my calculations, I’ll be busy with something else in a while, so I won’t have the energy for this.”

She could only foresee that an old acquaintance would visit her in the future, but she wasn’t sure what would happen specifically. All she could do now was seize the time to focus on her studies and metaphysical research.

Tan Muxing was puzzled by her words but had grown used to his deskmate’s predictions, finding them unsurprising.

Sure enough, not long after, an old acquaintance came to visit. He Jianping invited Tan Muxing and Chu Qianli to meet him at a teahouse.

Initially, Tan Muxing declined, citing the pressures of senior year. However, He Jianping was unusually insistent this time and refused to explain over the phone, insisting they meet in person for a detailed discussion.

In the teahouse, the three reunited after a long time, exchanging lively pleasantries. He Jianping scanned Tan Muxing from head to toe in surprise and asked, “Muxing, you seem to have lost some weight. The young master here hasn’t changed a bit, though.”

Tan Muxing hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no.”

“Is it because of the stress of senior year? You’ve been studying too hard?”

Chu Qianli chimed in, “Exactly, Uncle He. Do you have any friends who run schools? Maybe they could help me transfer—I can’t handle this studying anymore.”

He Jianping laughed heartily. “Oh, I do, but those schools wouldn’t meet your standards. Everyone’s aiming for top universities!”

After catching up, they finally moved on to the main topic.

He Jianping had someone bring snacks and fruit while he brewed tea for the two of them. He began, “Here’s the thing. I’ve always been interested in the I Ching and have consulted many masters over the years. Recently, someone asked me to inquire about something…”

True masters in this field in China were usually reclusive and avoided public advertising. They only took on cases through introductions or referrals to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Chu Qianli quickly caught on and asked knowingly, “Uncle He, what is it about?”

“This time, it’s a bit different. I don’t know the exact details yet. Apparently, the other side has a screening process. They aren’t just relying on me to find a master…” He Jianping sighed. “I know that consulting a master is usually a one-on-one thing. But now they’ve reached out to several people and are still unsure who’s the right fit. That’s why I thought it would be better to meet with the young master and explain everything clearly.”

Tan Muxing was taken aback. “Several people?”

“Yes, at first, they tried contacting Qian Sect, but Qianmen hasn’t been taking on major cases in the past couple of years. So now, they’re looking for a few from the south and a few from the north to conduct another round of selection.”

Chu Qianli clicked her tongue. “Not explaining the details and still conducting a selection process? That’s quite the extravagance!”

“That’s true…” He Jianping looked conflicted as he explained, “But the payment is substantial. Maybe that’s why they’re being cautious.”

“How much is it?”

He Jianping spread his fingers and raised five fingers.

Chu Qianli raised an eyebrow. “Five million?”

“Five billion,” He Jianping corrected. “And it’s not some shady matter. They assured me it’s a philanthropic and virtuous project.”

People in this field avoided earning ill-gotten gains. For example, calculating life-and-death matters for someone like Boss Zhang was taboo. If the payment was high and the work was for a good cause, it was an incredibly rare opportunity—no wonder they felt confident enough to screen for a master.

Chu Qianli’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you serious? How much tax would that require?”

Tan Muxing calculated. “If it’s considered personal income, you’d need to pay around 2.2 billion in taxes.”

Chu Qianli clutched her chest, took a deep breath, and said with trembling voice, “Oh my, I haven’t even earned the money, and I’m already heartbroken over the tax bill.”

He Jianping: “…Why are you so sensitive to taxes these days?”

A moment ago, Chu Qianli had criticized the client’s extravagance. But upon hearing the payment amount, she immediately changed her tune, stating firmly, “If they can afford to pay this much, it makes sense for them to be cautious. They definitely have the right to pick a master.”

“No, no, no,” Chu Qianli added, “From now on, I’m no longer a master. I’m just a metaphysical data analyst desperately in need of work. Let them tell me their requirements directly and solve the unemployment problem of this poor student!”

Tan Muxing quietly reminded her, “You’re still in your senior year…”

Chu Qianli replied righteously, “Not everyone is as talented as you. If you put a Tsinghua or Peking University acceptance letter and five billion in front of most people, I bet they’d choose the five billion.”

Tan Muxing: “I’m not talented.”

Chu Qianli: “I mean ‘talented’ as in ‘wealth’ (财) and ‘abundant wealth’ (亿). You’re wealthy and abundant.”

“…”

He Jianping listened to their banter and noticed Chu Qianli didn’t seem opposed to the idea. He tentatively asked, “In that case, no matter what happens, how about I sign the young master up for now? The follow-up interviews and evaluations are up to them. We’ll just take it one step at a time?”

Chu Qianli hastily thanked him. “Yes, yes, thank you, Uncle He!”

“It’s nothing, nothing. I’m just making the connection. It’ll still depend on the young master’s skills.” He Jianping then asked, “By the way, do you have a résumé? I need to submit one to them.”

Chu Qianli: “?”

Having roamed the martial world for so long, Chu Qianli was being asked for a résumé for the first time. She was dumbfounded and asked, “Do I really need that?”

Tan Muxing sighed, “Uncle Jianping, we’re still high school students.”

He Jianping smacked his forehead as realization dawned on him. “Ah, Little Master is so skilled that I forgot she’s never had a job. Well, we’ll need to prepare one soon. The other side requires it; they want to know what kind of divination techniques the Little Master specializes in, what projects she’s worked on before, her professional experience, and her lineage in the field…”

Chu Qianli was stunned. “That strict?”

Tan Muxing: “This sounds just like applying for a job.”

“It is pretty much like a job application, maybe even stricter than most companies. I heard they prefer someone with civil engineering experience. Oh, and is Little Master a party member? Apparently, party members get priority.”

Chu Qianli rubbed her forehead in frustration. “High school party members are extremely rare.”

Tan Muxing quipped, “No, it’s not about being a high school party member. Requiring a master to be a party member—aren’t they just making things difficult?”

How is this any different from asking fresh graduates to have three years of work experience?

“On the bright side, even though we’re not party members, we have a faith advantage over Taoists!” Chu Qianli quickly slumped again, troubled. “Wait, but lineage is also an issue. I can’t just put down my grandfather’s school, can I?”

Even though Chu Qianli held the headmaster’s compass, she wasn’t sure if she was considered part of the Hao Sect. Mainly, her grandfather had never clarified whether he belonged to Hao Sect.

He Jianping offered a suggestion, “You don’t have to write just Little Master’s résumé. You can create a group résumé. If it doesn’t work, use Muxing’s. His family has some ties with Qianshan. They originally wanted someone from the Qian Sect, so we can cater to their preferences.”

Chu Qianli was surprised. “Is that allowed?”

Tan Muxing’s expression turned complicated. “…But I don’t believe in any of this. I can’t even do divination.”

“Ah, résumés don’t care about that. Just write whatever seems relevant. Make it look impressive!”

He Jianping, a seasoned veteran, slapped his thigh and came up with a story on the spot. “You grew up at the foot of Qianshan, deeply familiar with the organizational structure of the Qian Sect. Immersed in their environment from a young age, you’re skilled at communicating with practitioners of divination, hardworking, resilient, and stress-tolerant. Isn’t that easy to write up?”

Tan Muxing: “?”

A graduate without experience forcing a connection to a prestigious company. A skeptic with no metaphysical experience forcing a link to the Qian Sect.