Chapter 14: Truly Enviable (and Hair-Raising) Talent!

Chapter 14: Truly an Enviable (Hair-Ripping) Talent!

“What does it mean to be a Wall-Facer of Great Xia? Could you explain it in detail? Some things must remain confidential,” Chu Xuan couldn’t help but ask as the door closed once again.

“A Wall-Facer, actually, is a special set of Daoist methods, incantations, and sacrificial rites. The term itself is just a front, designed to draw attention away from the real secret.”

“Essentially, Great Xia’s method of secrecy relies on certain unique talents and specialized Daoist techniques. For example, sacrificing to Haotian—under Haotian’s witness, a pact is sealed.”

“Ning Fan’s talent is the ability to communicate with the natural world and, when developed to a certain extent, even to commune with Haotian, establishing a connection through sacrifice. Of course, Haotian here refers to the world itself, not some consciousness or personified entity.”

“Haotian embodies utmost impartiality and righteousness, supreme power and strength, absolute objectivity and fairness, omnipotence and omniscience. The only thing that fits these definitions is the Earth itself,” Chu Xuan nodded.

“Exactly. Haotian is another name for the Dao. Once Haotian gains consciousness or thoughts, it ceases to be Haotian—it becomes a diminished version,” Xiong Yan explained.

“Ning Fan’s gift is the ability to perform sacrifices to all natural beings and even Haotian! Back in the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, he would have been the chief shaman of his tribe, directly communicating with the deity, able to summon wind and rain, change the heavens and earth without royal decree.”

“Therefore, after focusing on developing Ning Fan’s talent, Great Xia advanced his abilities further. Ning Fan then developed a specialized sacrificial method to Haotian, suited to the characteristics of the new era.”

“At that time, different levels of secrecy corresponded to different tiers of sacrificial rites, and offerings were made under Haotian’s witness to ensure confidentiality.”

“So, anyone attempting to spy on Great Xia’s secrets would have to face a part of Haotian directly, naturally yielding no results.”

“Of course, Haotian is not casually accessible, and the offerings are extraordinarily precious—sometimes, the offering is directly the nation’s fortune.”

“Later, Ning Fan developed a simplified sacrificial method. This time, the offerings were no longer made to Haotian itself, but to Mount Tai, the Yellow River, the Yangtze, and even secondary rivers like the Jing, Wei, Dongting Lake, and Wushan Mountains.”

“Then, he created a version for the common folk—sacrifices were no longer grand mountains or rivers, but everyday items like potatoes, bananas, or rice.”

“At this stage, the entire secrecy process was relatively perfected. Top-tier secrets crucial to national fate were always offered to Haotian with sacrifices to aid in protection.”

“Secondary secrets were offered to Mount Tai—if Mount Tai stands firm, the secret remains safe; if the Yangtze flows unceasing, the secret does not leak; as long as the North China Plain continues to yield harvests, secrets stay secure.”

“As for ordinary secrets, a growing potato would suffice—if the potato remains healthy, the secret is well-kept. If the potato fails, the culprit is immediately caught. Swinelets could serve the same purpose.”

“So, at that time, different levels of sacrificial rites directly determined the degree and duration of secrecy, even used to outwit enemies?” Chu Xuan inquired.

Xiong Yan nodded.

“Do you still remember these rites?”

“I remember them, but I can’t use them now. I’m not the right type of talent to communicate with Haotian. In fact, not to mention Haotian, I can’t even commune with Mount Tai, the Yangtze, or the Yellow River.”

“Ning Fan, right? I recall he served in the military.”

*Knock. Knock.*

“Enter!”

“Junior officer Ning Fan, reporting to Colonel Chu and Director!”

See? Here he is.

...

“I think I’ve awakened my talent,” Jiang Ju said uncertainly.

As the only female among the four senior professors, Jiang Ju had held an even higher scientific rank than Xiong Yan in her previous life—she was the deputy director of the Institute of Extraordinary Studies, truly a prominent figure.

Speculation about Jiang Ju’s talent had never ceased, but until her rebirth, Xiong Yan had no idea what her gift was.

“Tell me,” Xiong Yan said with a smile.

“The day before yesterday, while reading a review article in the library, some information suddenly appeared in my mind—details about the flaws in the review,” Jiang Ju explained.

“That review was about the latest version of lithium batteries. After reading it, I instantly knew three defects described within. Then, a method to improve these three flaws appeared in my mind.”

She scratched her head nervously. “But science relies on evidence. I haven’t verified it yet. I haven’t actually taken this new lithium battery to the lab for testing or examined it personally. So, I don’t know if I was daydreaming or if I truly awakened my talent.”

“Later, to pass the time, I read an English issue of Nature. Although much of it was hard to understand, after finishing a cutting-edge paper, the flaws in that article appeared automatically in my mind again—but this time, no improvements came to me.”

“I suspect it may be related to my knowledge; perhaps the more I know, the more improvement methods I can conceive.”

“And then, I started losing my hair!!!!”

“I graduated from university at twenty and went straight into a doctoral program. I’m only twenty-four now and will graduate with a PhD next year. How could I be losing hair at such a young age?”

“I suspect this is the price I pay—such a cruel and heavy toll, losing my hair!”

“If I could, I’d really stop using this talent!”

A truly hair-ripping, no—envy-inducing talent!

This gift is perfectly suited for researchers!

“Don’t worry. Losing hair now is because you’re still a mere mortal. When you achieve transcendence and gain true extraordinary power, the cost of using your talent will no longer be hair but your internal extraordinary energy.”

“Moreover, with the virtual realm descending and countless heavenly materials and treasures, even if you do go bald one day, your hair will grow back.”

“As for now, Chu Xuan, arrange for her to conduct experiments as soon as possible to verify whether it’s genuine.”

“Understood!”

“Jiang Ju, from today on, your task is to study diligently and cultivate seriously. You will have top experts guiding you academically. As for the extraordinary arts, our institute is the most advanced place in the country.”

One record after another, one arrangement after another, soon it was ten o’clock at night.

Xiong Yan stretched and went to sleep.

One must take care of oneself in old age.

Chu Xuan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He was about to visit certain places to report and suggest strengthening the security here...

As expected, tonight would be another sleepless night.

(End of Chapter)