24 The Sentient Bolete (2nd Update)

They had only just investigated Yun Ran from top to bottom, clearing away most of their suspicions about her. Now, this girl had popped up again, effortlessly erasing a death mark that even the experts at the Bureau found troublesome. A neglected, notorious socialite hanger-on possessing profound mystical skills—this was certainly interesting.

"Yun Ran, hah, I'd like to see exactly who you are!"

The subject of these musings, Yun Ran, was sitting on the cable car, sneezing several times in a row.

Song Qi looked at her with concern. "Did you catch a cold? I'll have someone bring some medicine right away."

As the lead teacher, looking after students was his duty; as an ordinary person hoping to curry favor with a master, Song Qi was even more attentive. He didn't believe in the habit of "clutching at Buddha's feet" only in times of crisis; he knew that building a good relationship with a master now would make it easier to seek her help when trouble arose later.

"It's nothing. I suppose someone is just talking about me."

Upon reaching the summit, not only was the air fresh, but it was also a prime spot for geomancy. For someone like her, rooted in the mystical arts, this was an excellent location.

"Everyone, tidy up, then head to the hotel to check in. We’ll be staying at the summit tonight, and we can watch the sunrise tomorrow morning."

Yun Ran noticed many people on the peak had brought tents, while others were simply resting under the eaves of various buildings. Some had even occupied the central area of the visitor center's restrooms, clearly waiting for the morning sunrise. Compared to them, the "budget trip" organized by the elite school felt like luxury. What they called a budget trip was merely a significant reduction from their usual standard of living. After all, Secretary Zhang had paid the school a fee of 100,000 yuan, which was why Yun Ran never truly considered this a charitable budget excursion. It was simply a matter of the disconnect between different socioeconomic perceptions.

As Yun Ran wallowed in self-pity, feeling how wretched her situation was, the Ginseng Fruit chimed in: [Others are poor because they truly lack resources, but you are poor because you are lazy. You deserve it!]

"You don't understand. My path is one of following my heart and acting according to my nature!"

As night fell, the wind picked up—the perfect time for skulking about! Yun Ran took her two small paper dolls to the heart of the geomantic sanctuary, found a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate. The paper dolls mimicked her posture. It wasn't until the sun gradually rose and a touch of golden light fell upon her and the dolls that Yun Ran ended her night of meditation. Seeing a faint glow emanating from the paper dolls, she bit her finger and dabbed eyes and mouths onto them. Immediately, two youthful voices rang in her ears.

"Thank you, Master!"
"Thank you, Master!"

Seeing people approaching, Yun Ran waved her hand, and the two paper dolls instantly jumped into her bag.

"Oh, look, some people are even earlier than us."

The group approaching consisted of young men and women—two men and three women—likely college students out for a trip.

"The sun is coming out! Quick, turn on the camera, it’s beautiful!"

People continued to arrive. Yun Ran’s location was the best spot for viewing the sunrise. If not for the treacherous terrain, many would have pitched their tents right there just to catch the first second of the dawn.

After watching the sunrise, Yun Ran returned to the hotel. Suddenly, the little chubby boy rushed out and dragged her toward a corner, startling the lead teacher and the other students who were returning for breakfast.

"Zhu Shijia! What is the rush so early in the morning?"
"Teacher, I have something to tell Yun Ran!"

But they had already run off, leaving the others to stare at each other in confusion.
"Since when are Zhu Shijia and Yun Ran so close?"
"Who knows? It’s weird."
"I heard Zhu Shijia asked Yun Ran for a fortune-telling session..."
"Really?"

At this moment, Yun Ran looked at him speechlessly. "Little fatty, what are you doing?"

The fair and round Zhu Shijia was flushed from running; it looked as though he had been searching for her for quite a while. Gasping for air, he said with a hint of joy, "My sister... she..."

Yun Ran didn't rush him. She waited for him to catch his breath before he continued, "My sister is fine now."

"So fast?"

From yesterday afternoon until now, it had been a mere 16 hours. The efficiency of the wealthy was truly something.

"My eldest aunt's family used a private jet, arriving in the Southwest by 5:00 PM yesterday. By evening, they had found the mountainous area with the spirits you mentioned. My eldest uncle used his connections to invite some highly respected local elders, and they helped us find the small temple where the spirit resided. It was a 'Jianshouqing' mushroom that had attained sentience that had formed a contract with my sister. She had been trying to find more and better wild delicacies for the new restaurant and was taken advantage of. My uncle offered the spirit many things before it finally dissolved the contract. You really are a godsend! My grandfather said he will definitely reward you generously later, please don't be modest!"

Even ordinary Jianshouqing mushrooms could poison people; one that had attained sentience was even more toxic. Having been bound for so long, even with the contract broken, the eldest Miss Zhu would likely need time to recover. But this was the best possible outcome, and Yun Ran had no intention of intervening further.

"I take money to resolve disasters; we are even. No thanks needed."

Yun Ran didn't believe the head of the Zhu family wanted to thank her solely for this matter. It was just a tactic for a person in power to cultivate connections; she had no interest in that. Her path was not for money or fame, but to follow her heart, her nature, and destiny.

Watching Yun Ran walk away, the little fatty opened his mouth but swallowed his words. He felt a bit slighted; he had never been ignored like this before.

After breakfast, Yun Ran felt refreshed. She took her phone and snapped plenty of photos, checking off all the sights on the summit until she was satisfied. No one could tell she hadn't slept at all, having meditated until dawn.

When they finally descended the mountain that afternoon and returned to the hotel, she saw Song Ye in plain clothes waiting in the lobby.

"Yun Ran."
"Oh, Captain Song, why are you here?"
"I came specifically to find you."
"Second Uncle!"

Song Qi, the lead teacher, had just finished some handover tasks when he saw his uncle, who had recently been transferred back to the Haicheng Public Security Bureau, standing there. His expression tensed immediately; generally, whenever his uncle appeared, nothing good followed.