Intangible Cultural Heritage
As these words were spoken, the scenery around Chen Ling gradually shattered and collapsed.
Around those apricot-red eye corners, the scene returned to reality. Chen Ling looked at 【Yao Qing】's briefly bewildered eyes, and after a long moment, slowly stood up.
"It's really him," Chen Ling said.
Using these eyes, Chen Ling had pried into a corner of 【Yao Qing】's "life's 【The Script】." There was no method of proof more direct and convenient than this. Even if someone could casually alter their appearance or the cognition of others, a person's life experiences would not lie.
Although he had been "prying" for a long time just now, in reality, it had passed in the blink of an eye. The only flaw was... this pupil art seemed to consume a bit too much 【Spiritual Power】.
Even just prying into an 【Ordinary Person】 with no 【Spiritual Power】 whatsoever, and only a single corner of his "【The Script】" at that, Chen Ling had consumed a considerable amount of 【Spiritual Power】. If he used this pupil art on a 【Divine Path Possessor】, the consumption would probably be even greater. But this also meant that the upper limit of this pupil art was far higher than Chen Ling had imagined.
Theoretically speaking, as long as he had enough 【Spiritual Power】 to supply it, in the future he might even be able to read an entire person's complete "【The Script】" in a single glance. With one look, he could see through the past and future of any 【The Role】. No 【The Role】 would have any secrets before him.
Of course... this was currently still just Chen Ling's imagination. If he truly reached that stage, he could fully be called a conceptual "【Theatre God】".
"Sister Zhiwei, I don't think this guy is reliable." 【Yao Qing】 glared at Chen Ling and said aggressively, "Look at his eyes, he's obviously not a good person! And he's holding a 【Bone-Stripping Knife】 like some perverted serial killer... I don't object to you finding a boyfriend, but you can't put yourself in danger!"
"He's not my boyfriend." 【Su Zhiwei】 said helplessly, "He's just here as a guest today."
Hearing this, 【Yao Qing】 froze. He sized Chen Ling up once more, then looked at 【Yang Xiao】 standing in the back, and let out a long sigh of relief...
That made sense! Sister Zhiwei shouldn't like this kind of perverted, violent man.
The gloom on 【Yao Qing】's face instantly dissipated. He picked up the square gift box from the side, carefully brushed off the dust on the surface, and handed it to 【Su Zhiwei】. A brilliant smile blossomed on the youth's face:
"Sister Zhiwei! I brought you a gift!"
【Su Zhiwei】 took the gift box and smiled slightly. "There was no need for such formality."
"I couldn't do that. Sister Zhiwei, you're a grand scientist now. It's rare for you to return to 【Gusu】, so we definitely have to be a little grand." 【Yao Qing】 said with a grin.
"Sister Zhiwei, my 【Grandmother】 says my skills are already very high now, and I'll be able to take over soon. I spent several months embroidering this piece. It's an absolute treasure, the kind you could put straight up for auction! How about I find a place to mount it for you?"
Seeing 【Yao Qing】 preparing to open the door and enter the house, 【Su Zhiwei】 was taken aback and immediately reached out to grab him.
"【Yao Qing】, we can't go inside right now."
"Why not?" 【Yao Qing】 looked at her in confusion, only then noticing the hiking backpack on her back. "Sister Zhiwei, didn't you just get back? Where are you going again?"
【Su Zhiwei】 opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer for a moment. After all, Chen Ling had only said they needed to flee for their lives; they hadn't actually decided where to go...
"Anywhere is fine." Chen Ling suddenly spoke up. "As long as it's far away from here, safe, and a place where we can temporarily settle down."
Hearing these words, 【Yao Qing】 sharply sensed that something was wrong and immediately asked:
"Sister Zhiwei, did something happen?"
"【Yao Qing】, I'll explain it to you when we have time." Hearing the urgency in Chen Ling's tone, 【Su Zhiwei】 immediately spoke up, "You go back first. Don't come here for a while, understand?"
With that, 【Su Zhiwei】 gave Chen Ling a slight nod, and the group immediately headed toward the street outside.
【Yao Qing】 was stunned for a moment before hurriedly chasing after them. "Sister Zhiwei, if you're looking for a safe place, why not come to our house! Our house is absolutely safe, and we have plenty of empty rooms. Settling down definitely won't be a problem... My 【Grandmother】 hasn't seen you in a long time either, she really misses you."
【Su Zhiwei】 froze, seriously considering the offer. Then she looked at Chen Ling, seemingly seeking his opinion.
"Where is your house?" Chen Ling asked.
"Quite far. About seventy or eighty kilometers from here? It's basically on the other side of 【Gusu】."
"Seventy or eighty kilometers..."
Chen Ling thought seriously. This distance was undoubtedly outside the 【Sky Wolf】's hunting range, but it wasn't completely leaving 【Gusu】 either. This meant that while settling down 【Yang Xiao】 and the others, he could secretly change his appearance, return here to monitor the situation, and confirm 【Nie Yu】's movements. It was the perfect golden distance he had envisioned.
"That works." Chen Ling immediately nodded.
Although 【Su Zhiwei】 didn't understand the situation, she still trusted Chen Ling. She then turned her head and said to 【Yao Qing】:
"Then let's go pay a visit to 【Elder Xiao】..."
"Alright!" Hearing that 【Su Zhiwei】 was willing to return with him, 【Yao Qing】's eyes instantly lit up. He was as excited as a child. "My car is parked right at the entrance! Follow me!"
【Yao Qing】 rushed off like a gust of wind toward the other side of the street, saying he would go open the doors and turn on the air conditioning first. Looking at the youth's retreating figure, 【Yang Xiao】 asked doubtfully:
"Doctor Su, this 【Elder Xiao】 you mentioned is..."
"Have you heard of 【Su Embroidery】?" 【Su Zhiwei】 explained as they walked. "One of the Four Great Embroideries, the historical heritage of 【Gusu】, and also a national Intangible Cultural Heritage...
【Yao Qing】's 【Grandmother】 is this generation's inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage. Their family manages an entire intangible cultural heritage museum and holds a quite prominent status in cultural circles."
【Su Zhiwei】 paused for a moment and added,
"However, 【Elder Xiao】 is already getting on in years... Barring any accidents, 【Yao Qing】 will be the next generation's inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage."
"Intangible cultural heritage inheritor..." Chen Ling looked at the figure of the youth skipping away. The scene he had just witnessed surfaced in his mind, and he fell into deep thought.
【Su Zhiwei】 looked down at the exquisite gift box in her hands. After a moment of hesitation, she opened one corner of it.
Inside the box was a meticulously mounted hanging scroll. The 【Picture Frame】 was entirely black, seemingly crafted from expensive wood.
Within the frame, countless delicate silk threads intertwined with one another. The vibrant colors resembled spreading ink, outlining a natural and vivid picture... There were the grayish-white cottages of Jiangnan, the gurgling flowing river, the misty rain of Jiangnan as fine as needles, and the emerald willows swaying gently in the wind along the banks.
In the corner of the 【Su Embroidery】 scroll, two lines of neat, clear text were inscribed:
August 9, 2024, Gifted by 【Yao Qing】 to Sister Zhiwei:
——《【Red Dust】》.