Liu Sheng came back to her senses, seeing Tao Da’s face, beaming with joy, blooming like a radiant chrysanthemum.
Her heart sank.
"Wait, what did I agree to?"
"...You agreed to let him be your matchmaker for a thousand-mile marriage line."
"So all his rambling about his tragic love story was just a prelude to this?"
"Yes, and we fell for it."
"Ah? Wait, ah?"
"Um... Mr. Tao Da, how much does this matchmaking cost?" Liu Sheng quickly asked the question she cared about most.
Being short on money, she didn't want to hand it over without knowing.
"Hehe, don't worry, no success, no charge." Tao Da showed an understanding expression, "Don't worry, my wife and I both succeeded, and you will definitely find your own marriage!"
"You're not young anymore, and it's time for you to get married in Tang Country. I'll go back and quickly sort out a list to find some honest-looking, honest-natured, and non-troublemaking young talents for you." Tao Da rubbed his hands, as if he couldn't wait to be Liu Sheng's matchmaker—no, match-elder.
Liu Sheng's fists tightened a bit as she listened.
"After the young lady gets married, if you need to investigate whether your partner is loyal, you can come back to me, and I'll give you a 20% discount then." Tao Da said, mysteriously winking at Liu Sheng, hinting at something unknown.
"...Didn't you say you were going to introduce me to honest men who wouldn't mess around? Why would I still need to investigate loyalty?"
Although Liu Sheng wasn't interested in that, she was very interested in the logical loophole in Tao Da's words.
"Being honest at the time doesn't mean being honest later," Tao Da said with the air of an experienced person, his gaze seeming to say, "Young lady, you are still too naive."
Tao Da still wanted to lecture her, but Tao Tao interrupted: "This young lady, the purification is complete. Please come over here."
Liu Sheng, who had just found an excuse to escape, quickly got up and walked to the workbench, standing to Tao Tao's left.
"You don't need to pay attention to him. My brother's few businesses aren't very successful, but he loves to fuss. Just ignore him," Tao Tao whispered to Liu Sheng, directly undermining her brother.
Liu Sheng deeply agreed.
"First, take a look at this." Tao Tao placed the small bear on the display stand.
Liu Sheng looked at the silly and Cute little bear, which was exactly the same as before, its button eyes reflecting a bewildered light. She couldn't help but become even more curious about the art of purification.
Fortunately, she had kept the world's threads focused on it, so she should have learned a lot and could try it when she got back.
Even more miraculously, she had been worried that the potion would make the little bear wet, but now it looked surprisingly dry.
This way, Xiao Shu wouldn't get her clothes wet when she hugged it...
Wait, where is Ling Xiaoshu?
Liu Sheng suddenly realized.
She looked around and didn't see her.
Wait, this isn't right!
Liu Sheng used to forget her from time to time, but whenever she remembered, Xiao Shu would always be waiting obediently by her side, waiting for Liu Sheng to remember her.
How long ago did she disappear? Liu Sheng tried hard to recall.
It seems... it was after getting out of the cloud sedan?
"I checked the historical records, and it was at that time that the individual Ling Xiaoshu disappeared from my records." The world also came out to help recall.
"Moreover, it seems to have disappeared on its own. The rules on her body prevent me from tracking her either."
Oh no! Liu Sheng cursed inwardly.
What if Ling Xiaoshu was wandering around Chang'an on her own, not understanding anything, and someone found out she wasn't human?
So, with a sense of urgency, Liu Sheng urged Tao Tao to dismantle the formation: "Is it ready? If so, I'll take it."
"Wait." Tao Tao had something to say, "There's something very important I need to tell you about this weird objects."
Seeing Tao Tao's serious expression, Liu Sheng had to temporarily suppress her anxiety: "Miss Tao, please speak freely."
"This weird objects should have an owner. You know this, right?" Tao Tao picked up the little bear and held it in front of Liu Sheng, asking.
Liu Sheng nodded, which was why she needed to purify it.
Even a purified weird objects, as long as it is in an activated state, is no different from a normal weird objects to anyone other than its owner; it is equally dangerous and corrosive.
Tao Tao didn't care how Liu Sheng got the item; customers bringing owned weird objects for purification and analysis were not uncommon.
She just continued, "Then do you know that it was once modified?"
Liu Sheng was shocked. Can weird objects be modified?
Tao Tao saw Liu Sheng's already round eyes widen a bit more and knew that she didn't know herself.
"This weird objects should have passed through at least two hands after purification. The first person who handled it modified it and left something behind."
"Left what?" Liu Sheng frowned, knowing this was no small matter.
"You should know what kind of weird objects this is, right?"
"I know, tracking, monitoring, thereby creating mental pressure and even hallucinations, achieving a certain degree of control."
Liu Sheng had some experience with weird objects analysis. Although she hadn't used the world to analyze it at the time due to urgency and had just contained it, she could still analyze a thing or two on her own.
Tao Tao also didn't expect Liu Sheng to be able to describe it so accurately; for a moment, she even forgot the words she had prepared.
Tao Da listened from the side. Although he couldn't tell right from wrong at his level, judging by his sister's expression, Liu Sheng's words were mostly correct. He finally understood why Liu Sheng was unwilling to accept his discounted package.
"...Yes. But you might not know that besides the owner being able to monitor through this item, there is another person who can monitor and lock onto the target through it." Tao Tao came back to her senses and said with a solemn expression.
"You mean, the person who modified it?" Liu Sheng's heart was suspended high.
"Yes." Tao Tao gave a definitive answer.
This answer also made Liu Sheng's heart sink heavily, and a chilling sensation rose from her spine upwards.
There was another pair of eyes, hidden in the dark, watching her.
"How did you figure that out?" Liu Sheng looked at Tao Tao seriously and asked, "I've never heard of modifying weird objects."
"There's an article published in 'cultivation theory' thirty-four years ago that you can read." Tao Tao didn't say much more.
Thirty-four years ago was too long ago for Liu Sheng; she had no means of obtaining it. Even the libraries of Little Green Garden and Qinghe Weaving Institute didn't have 'cultivation theory' from more than ten years ago.
"Who is the author?"
"Ling Fu."
A familiar name was spoken from Tao Tao's mouth.
...
Liu Sheng walked down to the second floor, carrying the little bear weird objects that had completely severed its ties with the past, her expression somewhat dazed.
An indescribable unease was stirring, as if an invisible net was meticulously weaving around her, and no matter how she struggled, it seemed futile.
"Forget it, overthinking won't help. Why not let the world tell your fortune?"
"Insufficient information." The world rejected the suggestion.
"You said you could calculate for the imperial examination, but you can't calculate this now?"
"Deduction requires a clear target, but you don't even know what the problem is right now." The world said mercilessly.
Liu Sheng indeed had many things she couldn't figure out, and she didn't even know how to ask the world.
It was like walking in a mist, fumbling blindly, while various strange things emerged from the fog, but they couldn't be pieced together to form a complete weird objects.
She could only take one step at a time.
The most urgent task now, of course, was to find Ling Xiaoshu quickly.
Thinking this, Liu Sheng hurried past two young women who were entering the shop.
The two were still discussing what color their nail polish should be, clamoring to have the meticulous Great Master Tao Tao do it.