Chapter 1008 Not doing business properly
In the holographic projection, the earth vein network regained its emerald vitality, and the light spots representing the "Xuantang Monitoring Station" were like dazzling star chains. "The real power is not in guns and capital." He held up a piece of candy engraved with the Diamond Sutra, "but in this sweetness - sweetness can dispel evil, sweetness can communicate with the gods, and sweetness is the last mercy of the earth."
As the setting sun gilded the new locust tree, Qi Tongwei sat on the doorstep, watching Xingye and his friends build a miniature city with night-scented mushroom candy. In the sound of the children's laughter, he seemed to hear his mother's "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" and see his father's back looking up at the starry sky. The astronomical telescope at the monitoring station in the distance was still aimed at the North Star. The dragon and phoenix totems flowed in the twilight, and together with the fluorescence of the candy and the children's lanterns, they weaved a light network to protect the world.
He opened a brand new "Notes on the Geographical Veins" and wrote on the title page: "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, and the black sugar can suppress demons and ask about the vicissitudes of life. To subdue demons in this world, it is not about peach wood swords and Bagua mirrors, but about guarding the sweetness in your heart and the light in your eyes, so that every inch of land can play the music of freedom." The mountain breeze blew past, and the new locust trees rustled, as if the heaven and earth were responding in unison.
The alarm sound from the distant monitoring station came near and far, just like the off-tune ending of my mother's humming of "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix" when I was a child.
"Professor Qi, the ground vein monitoring point in Sumatra has lost contact." Lin Xia pushed the door open, and a holographic projection unfolded on the ground. On the ground vein network of the Southeast Asian plate, a large area was being swallowed by a strange ink color. The screen switched to satellite images, and a giant sugar factory of a multinational group stood in the middle of the tropical rainforest. The purple smoke from the chimney condensed into a hideous beast in the air.
Three days later, Qi Tongwei set foot on Sumatra with a specially made Xuantang box. The hot and humid air with the smell of humus hit us in the face. In the rainforest that should have been lush and green, the bark of the trees was covered with spider-web-like cracks and black mucus was oozing out. The local guide pointed to the factory in the distance and said with fear in his voice: "Since that thing was built, I can always hear the earth crying at night."
Outside the sugar factory, fully armed guards blocked the way. Qi Tongwei took out a piece of black sugar engraved with the Huangting Sutra calmly. The sugar reflected colorful light in the sun. The guards' eyes suddenly became blurred and their guns fell to the ground with a clang. Passing through the factory area filled with pungent sweetness, he finally saw the mastermind behind the scenes - the chief scientist of an energy giant, who was injecting ground vein pollutants into the giant sugar boiling pot.
"You are drinking poison to quench your thirst!" Qi Tongwei shouted, and the bronze phoenix flute in his hand made a clear sound. The other party laughed grimly and activated the hidden mechanism. Countless sugar cubes with fangs gushed out from the pipe. The surface of these contaminated "evil sugars" was covered with spells, and the ground cracked instantly wherever they went.
At the critical moment, Qi Tongwei opened the black sugar box, and twelve sugar blocks engraved with different scriptures floated in the air, forming the Taoist nine-character mantra formation. The golden light released by the sugar blocks collided violently with the purple light of the evil sugar, and the air was filled with a crisp sound like glass breaking. When the sugar blocks engraved with the Diamond Sutra emitted a dazzling strong light, the entire factory trembled violently, the pollutant pipes burst one after another, and the black liquid turned into harmless white mist the moment it came into contact with the night-scented mushroom icing.
However, the crisis was not over. The roar from deep in the earth veins hurt the eardrums. A giant glutton formed by the condensation of polluted energy broke out of the ground. Every breath it took caused a strong wind, and all the vegetation died wherever it passed. Qi Tongwei bit his fingertips and dripped blood on the phoenix flute. The ancient totem flowed on the flute body, and at the same time, he threw the special "demon-suppressing candy" into the air. These candies were a fusion of the thousand-year-old black ice of Longhu Mountain and the snow lotus of Tianshan Mountain. They exploded into countless light spots in the air, forming a golden chain to bind the monster.
The battle lasted until dawn. When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Qi Tongwei used up his last bit of strength and injected the night-scented mushroom icing, which was full of earth energy, into the mouth of the glutton. The monster whimpered like a child, and its huge body gradually dissipated, turning into sweet rain that nourished the land. In the ruins of the factory, the polluted trees, moistened by the icing, actually sprouted new green buds.
After the news spread, a global "Xuan Tang Protection" movement was launched. The workshops in Dongjiang Village worked day and night to produce special candies with different energies: "Zixue Candy" to heal pain, "Bixia Candy" to purify pollution, and "Xuanji Candy" to connect the earth veins. Children pasted their own drawings of dragons and phoenixes on the candy boxes, and each graffiti became a talisman to protect the earth veins.
On the island of Sumatra, Qi Tongwei led the locals to build an ecological sugar factory. No chemical additives are used here, and each piece of candy is purified by the energy of the earth veins. The wrapping paper is printed with the childish handwriting of children: "Sweetness is the language of the earth and a weapon against darkness." When the first batch of "Xuan Yi" brand candy was sold around the world, the black area representing pollution on the map of the monitoring station was receding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
On a full-moon night, Qi Tongwei stood under the new locust tree, looking at the starry sky. Xingye ran over, holding the newly developed "Star Track Candy" in his hand, with a Milky Way-like light band sealed in the candy. "Grandpa, this candy can hear the stars talking!" The child's eyes sparkled, just like himself who looked around curiously in the laboratory many years ago.
He opened the Earth Vein Notes again and wrote on the new title page: "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, Xuan Yi saves the world and asks about vicissitudes.
"Qi Tongwei! Don't you recognize my old classmate?" The rough shout startled the night owls from the treetops. Li Mahua leaned against the modified off-road vehicle, his big gold chain dazzled people, and half of the dragon and phoenix tattoo was exposed on the collar of his floral shirt - it was surprisingly similar to the earth vein totem. Behind him followed two strong men wearing sunglasses, their leather boots crushing the locust leaves on the ground.
Qi Tongwei closed his notebook, and the night-scented mushroom frosting trembled slightly at his fingertips. The skinny boy who always secretly drew comics in class 20 years ago now exuded a pungent cigar smell. "I heard that you are a great philanthropist now?" Li Mahua shook his diamond-studded mobile phone, and the transfer record of overseas casinos popped up on the screen, "Borrow 3 million for emergency, brother, I have a small problem in the sugar factory in Southeast Asia."
Liang Lu's grip on the teacup suddenly tightened, and the edge of the cup hit the stone table with a crisp sound. The scene of the pollution crisis in Sumatra three years ago flashed before Qi Tongwei's eyes: the rainforest corroded by black slime, and the evil spirits crawling out of the sugar pot. He stared at the factory logo faintly visible on the other's sleeve. It was the branch of the multinational group that had tried to destroy the earth vein.
"I still have some photos of you hiding comic books in college." Li Mahua threw out the yellowed Polaroid camera. In the picture, the young Qi Tongwei was stuffing "Dragon Ball" into the lab report book. "How about... I send these to the media? Let's see how the great hero who saved the earth was not doing his job properly back then?"