The origin of the safety buckle
The news of Sun Man's failed suicide attempt, like a stone thrown into a lake, stirred up ripples within the Feng Group.
Officially, the company issued a statement saying that Director Sun has been suspended from his duties due to excessive mental stress caused by long-term high-intensity work.
But behind the scenes, all sorts of speculations and rumors, like vines, grew wildly in every corner of the office.
Some say that Director Sun offended the new president's special assistant and was driven to a dead end.
Some say she chose the wrong side in the power struggle and became a victim.
Some even pointed the finger at Feng Jinhong, saying he was "cleaning house."
The atmosphere in the CEO's office, however, returned to a rare calm.
It seems that the storms and turmoil outside have nothing to do with this place.
The metaphysics tutoring class continues as usual, starting promptly at 3 PM every day.
However, after the incident with Sun Man, Yu Jinli's attitude towards learning improved considerably.
She no longer saw it as just a job, but truly realized that she was in a dangerous game. Every improvement in her abilities could become a lifeline at some crucial moment in the future.
Feng Jinxuan remains the most difficult "problem student".
He will use the most rigorous scientific logic to question the most profound Eastern philosophy.
He even had his assistant, Wang, buy a small "quantum magnetic field detector" in an attempt to use scientific methods to quantify the "qi" that Gu Yanzhi mentioned.
His earnestness made Yu Jinli wonder if he was trying to use the opportunity of studying metaphysics to win a Nobel Prize in Physics.
That day, the tutoring session focused on identifying various protective amulets.
Gu Yanzhi took out several antique-looking treasures from his treasure chest.
There are antique bronze mirrors, talismans drawn with cinnabar, and a string of seemingly ordinary bodhi seeds.
“…The core of a true protective artifact lies not in the preciousness of its material, but in the ‘qi’ it contains and the ‘spiritual power’ infused into it by the maker,” Gu Yanzhi concluded. “An ordinary wooden carving imbued with the virtue of a master may have a far greater protective effect than a piece of imperial green jade that has not been consecrated.”
His words made Yu Jinli subconsciously glance at the huge, glittering jade koi fish statue on the headboard of her bed, which exuded an aura of wealth.
So... that thing is only expensive and has no other uses?
I feel like I've been cheated.
Just as she was secretly grumbling to herself, Gu Yanzhi's gaze suddenly fell on Feng Jinxuan's neck.
Feng Jinxuan was wearing a casual shirt with the collar slightly open today, and the jade pendant with a safety buckle, which he always wore close to his body and strung on a red string, was faintly visible.
For a moment, Gu Yanzhi's expression turned somewhat serious.
“President Feng,” he said solemnly, looking at the jade pendant, “could you please take off this safety buckle around your neck so I can take a look?”
A hint of wariness flashed in Feng Jinxuan's eyes.
This jade pendant was a keepsake from his mother and the only personal item he owned that had been with him for over twenty years.
He rarely shows himself to others.
But seeing Gu Yanzhi's genuinely serious expression, he hesitated for a moment before taking the jade pendant he had worn since childhood off his neck and handing it to him.
Gu Yanzhi held the jade pendant in his palm and examined it carefully.
Yu Jinli also curiously went over to join in.
It was a very ordinary safety buckle, with a warm and smooth jade texture. The color was not top-grade, and there were even some minor wear marks on the edges from years of wearing.
However, in Gu Yanzhi's eyes, this seemingly ordinary jade pendant contained a hidden secret.
"Good stuff," he exclaimed sincerely.
“President Feng, this safety amulet of yours is made of top-grade Kunlun warm jade, which has the effect of calming the mind and warding off evil spirits.” He explained to the two of them as he looked at it. “What’s even more remarkable is that someone used an ancient method that has been lost to inscribe a ‘Nine Revolutions Soul Protection Mantra’ on it.”
He pointed to the fine, almost invisible lines on the surface of the jade pendant, as delicate as hair.
"This spell can forcibly protect a wisp of the wearer's soul from dissipation when the wearer is in mortal danger. It can be said to be... a second life."
He looked at Feng Jinxuan, his eyes becoming somewhat meaningful.
"President Feng, the reason you were able to withstand the 'Seven Fiends Soul Lock' for so many years without suffering a premature exhaustion and mental breakdown like other victims is largely thanks to this safety amulet."
Feng Jinxuan remained silent.
He simply stared at the jade pendant he had worn since childhood, a pendant he had grown accustomed to, and fell into deep thought.
A vague childhood memory, almost forgotten, quietly surfaced in my mind like a scene from an old movie.
He recalled that when he was about five or six years old, he was always very weak and would often have high fevers and nightmares for no reason.
The mother was deeply worried about this and consulted many famous doctors and prayed to gods and Buddhas, but her condition did not improve.
Until one day, an old Taoist priest who traveled around happened to pass by the Feng family.
As if grasping at the last straw, the mother knelt on the prayer mat and pleaded fervently with the Taoist priest.
He could no longer remember what the Taoist priest looked like.
All I remember is that he had a pair of very gentle and bright eyes, like the stars in the sky.
I remember he had a pair of very warm, very dry hands.
Those hands gently patted his head.
Then, the old Taoist priest hung the safety buckle around his neck and told him that he must never take it off under any circumstances.
From then on, he rarely got sick again.
"The 'Nine Revolutions Soul Protection Mantra' on this talisman is ancient in technique and pure in spirit, carrying a sense of... the tranquil and inactive state of mind of Taoism."
Gu Yanzhi's voice pulled him back from his distant memories.
Gu Yanzhi carefully examined the barely perceptible runes on the jade pendant, his tone carrying a hint of admiration and confusion.
"This technique does not belong to any of the mainstream schools of Xuanmen today; rather, it seems to be... an ancient tradition that has long been lost."
He returned the safety buckle to Feng Jinxuan, his gaze becoming somewhat solemn.
"President Feng, the person who could carve such a protective talisman for you is no ordinary person." He added meaningfully, "Perhaps the key to unlocking the mystery surrounding you does not lie in the Shadow Devouring Sect, but in your own past. Think carefully about whether you had any special encounters or events when you were a child."
Feng Jinxuan took the jade pendant, which still carried the warmth of Gu Yanzhi's fingertips, and put it back around his neck.
The jade pendant pressed against the skin of my chest, sending a familiar, warm sensation through me.
For the first time, he felt that this small jade pendant was so heavy.
Yu Jinli, standing to the side, listened with a sense of confusion, but she roughly understood what was going on.
It turns out that the boss was hiding so many secrets she didn't know.
Looking at the man's cold, hard profile and his unfathomable eyes that were now staring blankly out the window, she suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable heartache.
This seemingly omnipotent man is actually quite pitiful.
After the tutoring session ended, Gu Yanzhi got up to say goodbye.
Feng Jinxuan personally escorted him to the elevator, and the two exchanged a few more words in hushed tones.
Yu Jinli sat alone in her office, lost in thought.
She picked up her phone, unlocked it, and opened the familiar video app.
She found the homepage of "Chase" and clicked on his last video.
Watching the video of the man who moved nimbly through the abandoned factory, a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into her head.
Feng Jinxuan... was he once like Chase, a sunny, confident, and fearless person?
When exactly did he put on that cold armor, that aloof demeanor?
As she was lost in thought, Feng Jinxuan returned from outside.
He saw the video on her screen and paused almost imperceptibly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked to his desk.
"Still watching this pointless stuff?" His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
“This is called spiritual nourishment, you wouldn’t understand,” Yu Jinli retorted instinctively.
The man didn't speak again, and the office fell silent once more.
Only in the video, the howling wind and the man's agile figure silently tell the story of a flamboyant and free past.
Yu Jinli watched the video, while Feng Jinxuan looked at the documents.
Neither of them spoke again, but a strange atmosphere, no longer so tense, quietly flowed in the air.
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