TGA Chapter 87

Tan Muxing panicked and said, “Uncle Jin, no, this is hers…”

Jin Xiaoyuan stopped him with a swift motion and offered his advice, “What do you mean ‘no’? It’s fine, I’ll teach you. Hiding this kind of thing requires skill. I always plan ahead, so today, I’ll share some tips with you…”

Tan Muxing still wanted to explain, but Jin Xiaoyuan continued talking non-stop. Feeling a sense of helplessness, he muttered weakly, “…But no matter how skilled you are, an amateur can never challenge a professional.”

Jin Xiaoyuan was eagerly sharing tricks for stashing away secret savings, but when Tan Muxing thought about the little master’s fortune-telling abilities, he felt these strategies were completely useless for him. Why would he even try to compete with a diviner in finding things? Was he afraid he wouldn’t be crushed badly enough?

Noticing Tan Muxing’s resigned attitude, Jin Xiaoyuan warned him, “Don’t take this lightly. The days ahead are still long!”

Tan Muxing had been trying to refuse, but this sentence suddenly struck a chord in him. He was stunned and murmured, “The days are still long…”

Jin Xiaoyuan wasn’t aware of their relationship, nor did he know about Chu Qianli’s situation.

“Of course! If you don’t take this seriously now, you’ll regret it later!”

Tan Muxing stared blankly for a few seconds. Instead of becoming anxious, his gaze softened, and he said in a gentle voice, “That’s actually pretty nice.”

As long as the days ahead were still long, nothing else really mattered. The worst thing would be if even regret became a luxury.

“What’s so good about regret? Sigh, you’re just young!” Jin Xiaoyuan didn’t understand why Tan Muxing suddenly looked so longing. With a helpless tone, he said, “Forget it, forget it. You’ll understand when you reach my age.”

Tan Muxing remained silent.

Jin Xiaoyuan confirmed the account and took the lead in the raw stone transaction.

After finishing their business at the auction house, Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing finally had time to explore G City and enjoy the joy of traveling.

At night, the city’s skyscrapers stood in rows, lighting up like stars, creating a dazzling and bustling metropolis that never sleeps.

In the buffet restaurant, Jin Xiaoyuan led the two to their seats. He pulled open the napkin on the table and urged eagerly, “You guys go ahead and get your food first. The view here is great!”

Hearing this, Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing got up to get their food. They headed to the buffet area, which had a wide variety of ingredients, and began selecting the dishes they were interested in.

Before returning to their seats, they also took a moment to admire the night view.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Qianli overlooked the city skyline and the sea, sighing in amazement, “This view is even more spectacular than the night scene in the capital. It’s like an artificial starry sky.”

By the harbor, the water shimmered under the city lights, and cruise ships of various shapes, illuminated brightly, sailed through the waves, forming a radiant river of stars.

Above them, the vast sky was dotted with twinkling stars, while below, the city lights stretched endlessly, glowing in countless colors.

Tan Muxing stood beside Chu Qianli, gazing into the distance with her. “But the stars in the village are still brighter,” he remarked.

Chu Qianli nodded proudly, “Of course! The stars in our village are the best!”

Tan Muxing chuckled, “Let’s go back again sometime.”

Chu Qianli was momentarily stunned. “You’d still want to go? You’ve been there before, and there’s really nothing fun in our village.”

“It’s alright. It’d be nice to visit Sister Wang Ping again,” Tan Muxing said gently. “Next time, we can bring Qiu Qingkong along. She complained last time that we didn’t take her. We can plan for the next holiday.”

“You’re planning that far ahead?” Chu Qianli asked, surprised.

Tan Muxing replied, “We need to schedule the time in advance.”

Chu Qianli remained silent for a few seconds before smiling brightly. “Alright! But I bet Xiao Ke will make a fuss in the village. She might regret coming as soon as she arrives.”

Laughing and chatting, the two finished getting their food and returned to their table to join Jin Xiaoyuan. They enjoyed a pleasant meal together in the buffet restaurant.

During dinner, Tan Muxing went to get something, briefly leaving the table.

Chu Qianli glanced around and, seeing that Tan Muxing had walked away, immediately and sneakily placed a new untouched plate of food on his side of the table—secretly adding more “feeding supplies” for her big white bear.

Jin Xiaoyuan noticed her little trick and commented, “Hey, Muxing finally managed to lose weight!”

Chu Qianli retorted, “I’m just showing care for a starving wild polar bear.”

Jin Xiaoyuan patted his own stomach, suddenly feeling the woes of middle age. He sighed, “Sigh, you young people… You stuff us with food all the time, then complain that we’re fat and unwanted. My wife says I’m stuck with her now, but who’s the one cooking up feasts every day and then scolding me for high cholesterol?”

Chu Qianli disagreed, “Stars aren’t fat, and he won’t be unwanted.”

Jin Xiaoyuan teased, “Then you take him.”

“I…” Chu Qianli hesitated for a few seconds. Her eyelashes quivered before she smiled and said, “I can’t afford to.”

“Uncle Jin, you misunderstood. We’re just classmates. Yesterday, I was just joking with you,” Chu Qianli had helped smooth things over at the hotel entrance, using some clever wording. But now that she was more familiar with Jin Xiaoyuan, she no longer concealed the truth.

Jin Xiaoyuan smirked, “Well, whether it’s a joke or not is another matter. Right now, you’re classmates, but who knows about the future?”

Jin Xiaoyuan wasn’t naive. If they were joking about this kind of thing, there was a good chance it wasn’t just a joke. He immediately gave them a knowing look, deciding not to expose the young people’s antics.

Chu Qianli shook her head. “There won’t be a future.”

Jin Xiaoyuan was surprised. “Why not? Is there something wrong with Muxing?”

“He’s great, really great,” Chu Qianli said helplessly, “but I’m not qualified.”

“That’s not how you should think about it. His family is indeed impressive, but they seem pretty open-minded…”

“This isn’t about that,” Chu Qianli interrupted, shaking her head again.

Jin Xiaoyuan was puzzled. “Then why?”

Chu Qianli asked calmly, “Uncle Jin, you used to be a debt collector, right? Why did you stop doing that?”

Jin Xiaoyuan didn’t understand the sudden change in topic but answered, “That was just a business when I was younger. Now that I have a family to take care of, who would still do that? My family would go crazy…”

“Exactly. You knew that doing that meant you weren’t qualified anymore,” Chu Qianli smiled. “I’m on the same path—I’m still working on earning my qualifications.”

Right now, she didn’t dare to think about the future. She didn’t even have the courage to make a promise about it.

She knew very well—she wasn’t worthy yet.

Jin Xiaoyuan didn’t quite understand. Chu Qianli still had a lighthearted and cheerful smile, but beneath the laughter, there was a deeper emotion hidden away.

Just then, Tan Muxing returned with a bowl of seafood soup. He placed it in front of Chu Qianli and then noticed the new plate of food on his side of the table. Puzzled, he asked, “Was this dish here before?”

Chu Qianli feigned innocence. “Of course.”

“I don’t remember taking it. It doesn’t feel like mine.”

Chu Qianli quickly served him food. “You must have eaten too little and your memory is failing. You need to eat more to prevent memory loss. These days, young people are losing their hair—maybe Alzheimer’s is next.”

Tan Muxing: “?”

The three of them dined together in the restaurant, enjoying G City’s spectacular night view.

The next day, Jin Xiaoyuan saw them off. Chu Qianli and her group returned to the capital with the little Arcana stone, while Jin Xiaoyuan continued to oversee the subsequent transactions and payments.

In a high-rise research lab, Shi Zhuoqu led his team in extracting Sample No. 1134. Using specialized tools, they removed the outer stone shell, revealing a vivid, blood-red crystal. They carefully ground down some of the material to obtain a small sample of red powder.

A researcher took a tiny bit of the red powder and skillfully ignited it with a flame. After conducting a series of tests, he nodded at Shi Zhuoqu, confirming that the sample was authentic.

“We will proceed with the recovery of these materials and report to our superiors shortly,” the researcher said as they took custody of the sample stone.

After successfully submitting the sample, Shi Zhuoqu took the elevator to the upper-floor office. He knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside.

By the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Lin sat in the executive chair. He casually set his tablet aside and got straight to the point, “Zhuoqu, how’s the person I asked you to investigate?”

“I’ve been looking into Jin Xiaoyuan recently. He matches the characteristics Abner described, but he truly has nothing to do with mysticism,” Shi Zhuoqu replied. “I’ll continue to observe for a while.”

“You Chinese people love keeping things hidden, not revealing your strengths. It does make investigations difficult,” Lin commented. “Abner gave me an idea—he believes that powerful psychics, like himself, would undoubtedly be interested in the mystical relics within mineral veins.”

Shi Zhuoqu hesitated. “You mean…”

“Isn’t it possible to gather all the Chinese mystics together and identify the most powerful ones among them to join the New Era Project?”

Shi Zhuoqu responded, “It’s possible, but it would be a massive undertaking, and…”

Not to mention that mystics had wildly different personalities and thought processes compared to ordinary people. Communication wouldn’t necessarily go smoothly.

“If they like money, we’ll give them money. If they like relics, we’ll give them relics,” Lin said calmly. “If they want to be remembered in history, we’ll work with them to create a new era.”

“This is just a preliminary plan. You can add more details,” Lin said, handing the tablet on his desk to Shi Zhuoqu.

Shi Zhuoqu quickly took it and scanned through the contents. The document listed many well-known mysticism sects, with the Qian Sect of Qian Mountain at the very top. The information was also categorized by different branches of Chinese mysticism, from Liu Ren to Mei Hua divination. Even some independent, highly experienced mystics were included, such as Mei Ruqing.

It was clear that Lin was determined to gather all the top experts.

“Since there are so many people involved, we need to communicate properly. This list surely has some omissions—many powerful individuals are hidden among ordinary people and not on the list. You’ll have to find them,” Lin instructed.

Shi Zhuoqu nodded. “Understood.”

—

Back in the imperial capital, after returning from G City, Chu Qianli began studying the Red Crystal Tarot. Having no schoolwork during the summer after her college entrance exam, she spent her time diving into mysticism and thinking about how to spend money.

She wanted to buy something with her own earnings, but after Tan Muxing’s reminder, she hesitated and started secretly observing He Shichen.

In the living room, He Shichen was originally browsing financial news on his laptop. When he noticed Chu Qianli repeatedly stealing glances at him, he impatiently asked, “What do you want now?”

Chu Qianli smiled sweetly. “Brother, here’s the thing. I’m an adult now, and I might need a means of transportation when I start college…”

“You want me to buy you a car? Have you even learned to drive?” He Shichen instantly understood her simple-minded schemes. The moment she wiggled her metaphorical tail, he knew she was up to something.

Chu Qianli frantically waved her hands. “No, no, how could I ask you to buy it for me? That would be way too much!”

He Shichen: “?”

Faced with her rare display of sensibility, He Shichen frowned in suspicion and said coldly, “Are you possessed? Can you just talk normally?”

She was someone who once brought home a golden armillary sphere—did she really understand what “too much” meant? This was truly unbelievable.

Chu Qianli wasn’t upset by his sarcasm. She put on a pitiful expression and said, “This is what I was thinking. I’ll buy the vehicle myself, but I can’t really save money for maintenance and upkeep. Still, I do need a way to get around in college. So, brother, could you…”

“Help you maintain the car?” He Shichen finished her sentence for her. He was well aware of her spending habits—car maintenance was a fixed yearly expense, but her bank balance was anything but stable.

“Yes, exactly!”

“Fine.”

Since it was a vehicle for college, He Shichen agreed without hesitation. He casually asked, “Do you even know how to drive yet?”

Chu Qianli’s eyes darted around guiltily. “Uh, I think the one I bought doesn’t require me to drive it myself…”

“You bought a sports car just to show off, but you’re going to have the family driver drive it for you?” He Shichen sneered. “Fine, let me see what ridiculous thing you bought this time.”

He simply didn’t believe she could buy an inexpensive car.

Chu Qianli hesitated for a long time before finally pulling up a picture.

He Shichen had underestimated her.

After staring at the photo for a few seconds and recalling her justification for needing a vehicle, he finally spoke, utterly incredulous.

“Chu Qianli, are you planning to fly to college!?”

She was attending a local university, yet she had the audacity to claim she needed this as a means of transportation?

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.