Chapter 67 Making Inquiries

Old Du gave a flat and decisive reply.

"No way!"

Liao Xiaoqin asked, "Why?"

Old Du explained to us.

"According to historical records, to extract the memories of a Tapir Silkworm, an ancient shaman had to wrap their entire body in silk, perform ancient shamanic rituals facing the silkworm, and then swallow the creature alive. Only then would the deceased's thoughts and memories surface in the shaman's mind. To put it simply, this is quite similar to how female spirit mediums communicate with ghosts. We only have the Tapir Silkworm; we lack the silk, and furthermore, I do not know this ancient shamanic ritual."

I scratched my head.

"Master Du, can we understand it this way: the Tapir Silkworm is the cassette player, the silk is the magnetic tape, and the ancient shamanic ritual is the play button?"

Old Du chuckled.

"That's not a bad analogy. That's pretty much what it means."

I asked, "Does anyone still know this ancient shamanic ritual?"

Old Du replied, "Of course! My thirteenth grand-aunt knew it!"

I hurriedly asked, "Where is she now?"

Hearing this, Old Du stared at me speechlessly and remained silent.

I wondered what his silence meant.

"Brains are a wonderful thing; you really should bring one when you go out! Could her grand-aunt possibly still be alive today?" Liao Xiaoqin cast a look of utter exasperation at me, then turned back to Old Du with a smile, asking, "Master Du, does your thirteenth grand-aunt have any successors?"

Old Du let out a long sigh.

"She did have a disciple, but that person went down to the Nanyang region many years ago, and we lost touch long ago. In all likelihood, they are no longer in this world."

Liao Xiaoqin's eyes were filled with profound disappointment.

"Alright, we understand. Thank you for your trouble, Master Du!"

"Take this mobile phone as your appraisal fee. I've already pre-paid two years of service for it."

She pulled out a brand-new Ericsson mobile phone.

At the sight of this, Old Du was dumbfounded.

"This, this, this... isn't your organization a bit too extravagant?"

In the mid-1990s, landline phones had not yet been fully popularized. For young people in major cities to own a pager was already considered quite trendy, while a mobile phone was the ultimate symbol of status and prestige.

Liao Xiaoqin's expression turned solemn.

"Comrade Old Du, the phone isn't given for free. We still have a task to entrust to you!"

Old Du asked, "What task?"

Liao Xiaoqin coughed twice.

"First, our organization has no experience in raising this kind of Tapir Silkworm. We are entrusting you to raise it, and you must ensure it does not die under your care."

"Second, this matter is of great significance. There is a chance that bad actors might secretly come asking about it. If anyone else approaches you to inquire about the Tapir Silkworm, you must find a way to stall them and immediately use this phone to call this number. Just introduce yourself as Old Du from Xinge Town, and do not delay even for a moment!"

She took out a piece of paper, wrote down a phone number, and handed it to Old Du.

Old Du took the slip of paper, immediately stood up, and replied with the utmost solemnity,

"Please rest assured, leaders!"

Liao Xiaoqin patted him on the shoulder like a big boss and nodded.

The two turned and left. When they reached the entrance of the silkworm farm, Liao Xiaoqin asked me, "Do you know how I managed to find your brother?"

I nodded.

"I know."

The Golden Silkworm Molt was forged from the golden silk spun by the Tapir Silkworm.

According to Old Du, aside from its ability to cure all kinds of ailments, it also recorded a wealth of ancient information.

Since my brother was able to secretly take the Golden Silkworm Molt and shake off everyone else two years ago, it meant he understood even better than Liao Xiaoqin that the molt could carry ancient information. Besides taking the Golden Silkworm Molt, there was a high probability he had also taken the Tapir Silkworm out of the tomb.

If he wanted to unlock the secrets recorded on the Golden Silkworm Molt, he would most likely bring it along with the Tapir Silkworm to find Old Du.

After all, Old Du was the only person in the country with knowledge of this ancient shamanic art.

Once my brother came looking for Old Du and Liao Xiaoqin received the notification, she would rush over immediately.

Waiting by the stump for the hare!

Liao Xiaoqin let out a soft breath.

"What do you suppose is recorded in the information on the Golden Silkworm Molt?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"The clues regarding the Golden Silkworm Molt have always been the ultimate guarded secret of the Old Skin Gate, and it is closely tied to ancient shamanism. In ancient times, shamans were physicians. I suspect it most likely records the mental imprints of some ancient supreme shaman, and it very well might contain earth-shattering, ancient medical arts capable of subverting modern science."

"You and your brother are alike—both clever and absolute bastards!"

"Saying that is going a bit too far."

"Too far? Your brother undoubtedly peeked into the secrets of the Golden Silkworm Molt before even descending into the tomb of the Marquis of Guo, yet he didn't even tell his teammates, choosing instead to take it and run away alone. Such a completely untrustworthy scoundrel—what is he if not a bastard?"

"Perhaps... he wants to use ancient medical arts to save the world?"

"Do you take him for Ultraman? What if he ends up destroying the world instead?!"

"......"

The two of us fell silent, walking slowly along the path.

The notion that the Golden Silkworm Molt could preserve ancient memories was simply too worldview-shattering.

I would much rather believe it was merely a legend.

Regardless, this wasn't something for me to worry about; I just hoped my brother would indeed come looking for Old Du one day.

Upon reaching the main road, the two of us hailed a cab back to the city.

Liao Xiaoqin handed me a bank card.

"There are two hundred thousand on this card. It's... the hardship allowance given by the higher-ups... for setting up this scheme. I have to leave for a while. Wait for my further instructions."

I asked, "Where are you going?"

Liao Xiaoqin closed her eyes, rubbed the bridge between her eyebrows, leaned her head back against the seat, and replied irrelevantly,

"As for people, it only takes a year to learn how to speak, but a lifetime to learn how to keep quiet."

I "......"

It was already night by the time we reached the city.

After getting out of the car, Liao Xiaoqin didn't say another word, her figure vanishing into the boundless night.

Seeing that she was gone, I quickly hurried over to a small grocery store.

"Boss, I need to make a long-distance call!"

At the silkworm farm, I had noticed that the contact number Liao Xiaoqin left for Old Du wasn't a mobile number, but a landline. Judging by the area code, it should be Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, and I had memorized it specifically.

Moreover, I hadn't seen her making any money lately, yet she casually handed out two hundred thousand in hardship money. She had even slipped up earlier and called it "provided by the superiors," only to hurriedly correct herself right after realizing her mistake.

She was a woman wrapped in mystery!

I strongly suspected that Liao Xiaoqin had some kind of mysterious organization backing her up.

Let's see if I can fish out any information!

The phone rang a few times with a series of beeps.

A male voice came from the other end.

"Lei hou!"

"Hello, someone asked me to call this number."

"Who told you to call?"

"Last name Liao, her name is Xiaoqin."

"Sorry, you've dialed the wrong number!"

The person on the other end was extremely vigilant and hung up immediately.

When I called back again, the line was already busy and couldn't get through.

For a long-distance call lasting just over ten seconds, the shopkeeper charged me five yuan.

I was deeply disappointed, guessing that the mobile number Liao Xiaoqin had set up for Old Du was probably pre-registered with her superiors. Only when called using Old Du's specific number could the other party verify the caller's identity and be willing to communicate.

Just as I turned around, ready to head back to the hotel, I glanced back and saw Liao Xiaoqin standing behind me with her hands behind her back. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was wreathed in a smiling expression, and she even tilted her head slightly, making a cute peace sign at me.

"Mr. Meng, lei hou ah, what are you up to?"

"Buying a bottle of mineral water."

Liao Xiaoqin suddenly whipped a stick out from behind her back, her pretty face turning frosty and stern.

"Buying mineral water, huh!"

"Daring to snoop around about me, are you!"

"I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

"......"

She recited each sentence fiercely, and the stick in her hand whipped toward me like a torrential downpour and howling wind, coming at me in a wild frenzy!