A Dark Fantasy Epic of Lost Souls, Forbidden Magic

第1話 Treasure, and hidden secrets

　　Chapter 1 Personal Experience

　　It is said that children's eyes are the clearest, so children can often see things that adults cannot see.

　　I don’t know if other people are the same as I was when I was a child, but since I grew up, I have basically not seen anything excessive.

　　Of course, there was only one exception, I remember it was in 1997, when I was in the second grade of junior high school. One winter day, I finished my evening self-study and returned to the staff quarters at almost ten o'clock.

　　It's very cold and there's no one in the yard at this time.

　　Our family compound has four buildings from south to north, with more than 140 families living in it, all from the same unit. My family lives in the building at the deepest end of the compound. Every time I go home, I have to pass by the first three buildings.

　　When I was walking past the third building that day, I heard a noise in the stairwell, and I looked back, only to see an old lady moving bicycles one by one in the building.

　　There are many people living in the yard, many bicycles, and the parking shed is in disrepair and occupied by some large pieces of garbage from some households. There is no difference between leaving the bicycles in the yard and leaving them in the open air. So people usually leave their bicycles at the entrance of the building.

　　At this time, it depends on the quality of the person. If it is placed well, it can leave a way for everyone to go up and down the stairs. If people are lazy, it is easy to block the entrance to the staircase.

　　At this time, many elderly people cannot bear to see this, so they take advantage of the evening exercise time to tidy up the messy bicycles to leave a passage for people to easily enter and exit.

　　This grandma is the "bicycle manager" of his building.

　　When I looked back, she had just moved the last bicycle. She looked up, saw me, smiled at me, and turned to go upstairs.

　　There was nothing unusual about this incident, so I naturally didn't take it seriously and went back home.

　　The next day at lunch, grandma took a few bites and seemed to remember something. She looked up and said to my mom, "Mrs. Li from the second floor of the building opposite passed away the night before yesterday. I heard it was cancer. After all, she and your dad have been colleagues for most of their lives. Come with me after dinner to show our regards. We are neighbors..."

　　The Old Lady Li that grandma mentioned is the old lady who moved the bicycle.

　　Careful people should have discovered, from grandma's words, that Old Mrs. Li died the night before yesterday, but I saw her last night.

　　I immediately told her what I saw last night about Old Lady Li and asked her if she remembered it wrongly.

　　Grandma said it was impossible, she heard the news of Mrs. Li's death yesterday afternoon. My mother also scolded me for talking nonsense and told me not to tell anyone about it.

　　Actually, I didn’t think there was anything wrong. After all, I was still young at that time and didn’t really understand these things.

　　It was not until much later that I slowly realized that what I saw that day was probably the ghost of Old Lady Li. We met on the day after she died.

　　Whenever this happens, adults tend to think that children are talking nonsense. In fact, although many things cannot be explained, they find them impossible when they hear children talk about them.

　　There are many strange things in this world, not only happening to humans, but also to some animals.

　　My cousin's grandmother had a cat. This cat was a stray cat. A few years ago, the old lady saw it in the yard and felt sorry for it, so she fed it a sausage. This feeding was not a big deal, but the cat became attached to the old lady and followed her home.

　　The old lady's husband passed away early, and she was used to living alone. She felt uneasy when there were too many people around. She would not let her children visit her unless it was necessary.

　　Seeing that the cat was so well-behaved, I couldn't bear to drive it out, so I took a basin of hot water and gave the kitten a bath, which was considered as allowing it to officially move in.

　　From then on, the old lady lived with the cat for 9 years, which means that the cat must be at least 10 years old.

　　The old lady lived on the first floor and usually left a crack in the kitchen window to let the old cat come and go freely. The old cat was also very sensible and stayed with the old lady at home during the day, and would go out to play at night after the old lady fell asleep, and would always come back before the old lady got up in the morning.

　　A strange thing happened in that year. One day, the old lady was sitting on the sofa with nothing to do. She said to the old cat lying beside her: "You are lucky to have met me. You don't have to go through the trash cans and wander around for 9 years. I have fed you for 9 years, but I have never seen you catch a mouse. I am afraid that you can't catch any mouse now, right?"

　　After that, the old lady naturally forgot that people talk to cats, what is the purpose? It's just loneliness and boredom.

　　The next day, the old lady got up, washed up, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, she was surprised to see five mice neatly arranged on the stove, and the old cat was quietly sleeping beside them.

　　By the time the old lady came to her senses and took a closer look, the cat had already died and its body was stiff.

　　From then on, every time we went to see the old lady, as long as she remembered, she would always tell us: "People say that cats are treacherous ministers. Domestic cats always die outside before they die, not at home. I don't think that's right. Look at Mimi (the old cat's name), it is willing to die at home, which shows that it really likes this home. Alas, if I hadn't said that to it that day, it wouldn't have risked its life to catch mice. Who would have known that a cat, such a small beast, would also have self-respect, which is better than many people! It was also my fault! If I hadn't said that to it, it might have lived another year or two..."

　　In addition to these, I think there is one more thing that everyone has encountered, but you can’t explain it no matter how hard you try, and that is dream.

　　I was weak when I was a child and often caught fever and colds. I would get pneumonia every one or two years.

　　Whenever I have a high fever, I always have the same dream. I dream that I become very small and run wildly in the living room of my house, with a glass bead like the one used in checkers rolling behind me and crushing towards me.

　　Once or twice, it's fine, and you may not remember it. But eight or ten times, it's the same. From childhood to adulthood, I have lived for 28 years, and every time I have a high fever, I have this dream.

　　"Hey, old bastard, you didn't take your medicine today?" My deskmate Liu Yunlong looked at me in confusion and asked seriously. I was lying on the desk with a distracted look, waiting for the bell to ring.

　　For this kind of question that was just for no reason, I chose to remain silent, which was already giving him face.

　　"I see your face is pale and your forehead is black. Did you have a nightmare at night or did you see something you shouldn't have seen this morning?" Liu Yunlong continued to provoke me when he saw that I ignored him.

　　"Do I need to report to you what I dreamed about, brother?" I felt like scolding him.

　　If he didn't get it right, I wouldn't be so angry. But this guy guessed it right just by guessing it.

　　I couldn't help but think about what happened last night and this morning.

　　In my dream, I opened my eyes in the middle of the night and saw a large coffin in the middle of the bedroom. Black smoke came out from nowhere and was constantly sucked into the gaps in the coffin. From time to time, there was a strange "dong dong" sound coming from the coffin.

　　I was in such an environment, unable to move or shout. I could only lie on the bed and stare at the coffin with my eyes wide open. I could not wake up until I was exhausted. It was really weird.

　　My name is Wang Ziqi, and I am a senior high school student. My school has been ranked last in the city for decades. The Education Bureau does not give us any enrollment quotas. We are the last high school class, and after graduation, the school will only teach junior high school students.

　　From the school to the teachers and us, to put it bluntly, we are all just trying to get by. If we can hold on for another month and the college entrance examination is over, we will all be relieved.

　　For us, a group of abandoned children, how can the college entrance examination be stressful? No one would believe it! Those who failed to get into high school and had poor academic performance were assigned to this school. Now, for us, getting into college is like trying to figure out the rules of the lottery. It is pure nonsense!

　　However, we still have to do the last bit of homework. We still have to go to class. For three years, our head teacher has given us face and let us play however we want. At the end of the day, of course we have to give our teacher some face, and let's part ways in peace.

　　When I rushed out of the house in the morning, there were only five minutes left before class.

　　In fact, the straight-line distance between my home and the school is less than 200 meters, and the school is just north of our family compound. But there is a municipal hospital between my home and the school.

　　If I usually take the normal route to school, entering from the front door and exiting from the back door of the municipal hospital, it will take me ten minutes to walk to school. But if I climb over the wall from the staff quarters to the municipal hospital, the back door of the hospital is over there, and in less than two minutes, I can be standing at the school gate.

　　Seeing that the only consequence of taking the right path is being late, I might have to climb over the wall today.

　　After making up my mind, I took advantage of the adults doing morning exercises in the yard not paying attention and quickly slipped to the base of the wall. I first threw my schoolbag over the wall, then stepped on the garbage and debris piled at the base of the wall, easily climbed over the wall, and jumped into the territory of the municipal hospital.

　　On this side of the wall is the backyard of the city hospital morgue. My house is separated from the city hospital morgue by only a wall. It's quite creepy to say, but I've lived there for almost twenty years and played under the wall every day, so I'm used to it. Although I've never been to the morgue and seen a dead body, I'm not like many people who get scared when they hear the word "morgue".

　　When I was about to climb out from the backyard of the morgue again, I saw a light coming from inside the house through the back window of the morgue.

　　I followed the light and saw that the front door was open.

　　They say that morgues are all big refrigerators filled with dead people. I've never seen what a big refrigerator looks like, so let me take a look today! I knew there were people there, so I wasn't afraid, so I moved to the back window and looked inside.

　　Although the front door was open, the room was still very dark. All I could see was a wall of large cupboard doors that were one meter square. There was also a plank bed in the middle of the room, and a well-dressed person was lying on the bed...

　　Suddenly, I started sweating. There was a person lying in the morgue. I could tell what he was just by using my toes. After all, as a teenager, when I saw an unrelated dead person, I felt fear quickly.

　　I was about to turn around and run away, when suddenly a wrinkled and pale face appeared from the window of the morgue, staring blankly at me.

　　Chapter 2: Peeping

　　"Ah!" I couldn't help but scream loudly, my legs went weak and I fell to the ground.

　　When I looked more closely, I realized that the face belonged to the old man who was the janitor of the morgue. I passed by the hospital every day on my way to school, and I often saw him sitting at the door of the morgue with a small stool, carefully watching every passerby, with a strange look on his face as if he was worried about something.

　　"What are you doing here so early in the morning, little kid?" the old man asked.

　　"I... I'm from the next yard, I climbed over the wall and was in a hurry to go to school." I couldn't find any good excuse, so I could only tell the truth.

　　"Why not turn it over here? Isn't the baby afraid of having nightmares in the middle of the night?" said the old man as he opened the back door of the morgue.

　　"Come here, walk this way, don't be late for school. I won't let you do that next time!" The old man waved at me.

　　I found myself still sitting on the ground, so I quickly stood up, patted my butt, and walked towards the house. I took a step, but I didn't dare to move. There was a dead person lying inside! Did I have to walk past him?

　　"Are you scared? If you are scared, don't jump in." The old man saw what I was thinking, put his hands behind his back, and said to me sarcastically.

　　"Who's scared? It's no big deal." I responded instinctively out of the impulse of a young man. But I regretted it right after I said it. If I leave, there's a dead person lying in the room; if I don't leave, I've already said it, and it would be so embarrassing to climb over the wall and get out!

　　The broken red-painted wooden door of the morgue looked like a bloody mouth, as if it was waiting for me to walk in so as to swallow me up and trap me inside forever.

　　But when he saw the old man with a wicked smile on his face, a ruthless spirit of not admitting defeat emerged from the bottom of his heart, and he took a step towards the door.

　　I deliberately avoided looking at the weird old man so that he would think I was very courageous.

　　But in fact, all my attention had long been on the body. When I walked past the body, I didn't dare to take my eyes off him, for fear that he would suddenly raise his hand and grab me.

　　It was not until I walked out of the front door of the morgue that I hurriedly took two steps at a time and rushed to the open space in front of the door. When I saw people passing by the hospital outside that morning, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

　　I'd better hurry to school. Not only did I fail to take the shortcut today, but I also encountered such a thing. The more I think about it, the more depressed I feel.

　　I looked back and saw that weird old man still standing at the front door of the morgue with his hands behind his back, smiling at me. But I always felt that his smile was uncomfortable, with only one corner of his mouth raised. It made me feel like I was falling into an ice hole, cold. Maybe it was because he had been with the dead for too long.

　　I spent the first class in a trance. Sometimes I felt as if the corpse in the morgue was standing behind me. Sometimes I wondered if he would crawl out of the coffin in my dreams at night...

　　"See, I was right, wasn't I? What did you dream about? Tell me and I'll help you interpret it." Seeing the reminiscing look on my face, Liu Yunlong knew that even if he didn't guess it right, he was not far off.

　　This guy, after reading "The Interpretation of Dreams by Zhou Gong" at home, came here to pretend to be a demi-god. I don't want to pay any attention to him.

　　"Liu Yunlong." The head teacher had actually noticed that he had been talking nonsense to me with his head tilted. "Which articles did you review today? Tell me."

　　"Today we are reviewing articles from the six chapters of the Analects to Zhuangzi's Happy Journey." Liu Yunlong immediately stood up and answered.

　　I was speechless. This guy's memory is really amazing. He was talking nonsense with me for a long time, but he could still answer it. The head teacher didn't seem to expect it either. He was stunned for three seconds and said, "Good answer! You stand at the back."

　　I was amused. Liu Yunlong was completely dumbfounded: "Teacher, I got it right!"

　　The head teacher narrowed his eyes at him and said calmly, "I know. I didn't punish you for answering the question. I punished you for talking just now. We should distinguish between rewards and punishments. I have praised you for answering the question. Now go to the back and stand in the corner as punishment."

　　Liu Yunlong was speechless. He walked away from me obediently, but he didn't forget to give me a hard push as revenge for my gloating.

　　I turned my head and looked at his resentful eyes. It was so refreshing. Haha, you cursed me so early in the morning! You deserved it!

　　"And Wang Ziqi, stand at the back too," the head teacher said before turning back to write on the blackboard.

　　Liu Yunlong stood next to me, covering his mouth and laughing non-stop until the get out of class was over.

　　"Tell me quickly, what did you dream about?" After school, Liu Yunlong kept chasing me. I had to find out whether his judgment of physiognomy and dreams was correct, so that I could do a deeper study.

　　I really don't want to bother with him. Are people a little bit mentally abnormal before the college entrance examination?

　　To be honest, I really didn't want to go through the city hospital to go home again. On the one hand, what happened in the morning really made me feel uncomfortable, and on the other hand, the evil smile of the old man who was in charge of the morgue made me even more uncomfortable.

　　But after all, if I don't go through the municipal hospital, it will take twice as long to get home. Besides, Liu happened to be traveling with me, and having someone next to me, it should feel much better.

　　When we passed the morgue gate, Liu Yunlong suddenly stopped and pulled me aside and whispered, "Look, what's inside that door?"

　　I looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that the door of the morgue was not closed. Through the foot-wide gap, I saw several figures swaying inside, and a man in a police uniform standing behind the door and talking on the phone.

　　The policeman turned around, saw us looking over here, and closed the gate.

　　"What a rare thing! Let's go and find a place to climb up and take a look!" Liu Yunlong instantly became excited.

　　"What do you think of such a high wall?" It seemed that he really wanted to climb up and take a look, but I couldn't muster the slightest interest.

　　"Isn't there a broken cart in the corner over there? You can stand on it and take a look. Your head can just stick out." Liu Yunlong observed the terrain early in the morning and walked towards there.

　　Walking to the broken cart, I said impatiently: "If you want to see it, come on, I'm in a hurry to go home for dinner!"

　　"Don't worry, I'm just here to try something new. I have to find something exciting to do after reviewing every day! Let's change the routine, right? Okay, I'll treat you to a popsicle later." Liu Yunlong teased me while crawling.

　　Oh, I'm so depressed. The nightmare at night and what happened in the morning are already distressing enough, and here there is an old man who wants to make trouble for no reason. What kind of world is this~

　　"I say, have you finished watching it? Are you addicted to it? When you're done, let's go home and have dinner!" This guy has been lying on the wall for almost half a minute, not moving at all. I'm really getting impatient.

　　Liu Yunlong seemed not to hear me and clung to the wall tightly. He didn't react even when I pulled his trouser legs.

　　I started to wonder what on earth this guy was seeing. It was like he was being frozen.

　　Driven by curiosity, I also climbed onto the broken cart, and did not forget to warn him: "Boy, if you dare to play dumb and deceive me, just wait!"

　　I stood up and looked inside the morgue yard. Wow, there were people. To be more precise, there were two living people and one dead person. The two living people were wearing police uniforms, with their backs to us, one standing and the other squatting. The one standing was the one who closed the door and made a phone call, and the one squatting...

　　Let me first talk about the dead people I saw.

　　The body was lying flat on the ground, with the upper body naked and the lower body wearing a very ordinary pair of green Jiefang trousers and a pair of Jiefang shoes. Nowadays, almost no one in the city wears like this. He must have come from the countryside or belonged to the lowest social class in the city.

　　All these were nothing. What made me feel sick to my stomach was that there was a large gash about 30 to 40 centimeters long in the corpse's abdomen, almost reaching the throat. The entire abdominal and chest cavities were exposed.

　　The squatting policewoman (she was actually a woman! I later guessed that she should be a forensic doctor) was holding the skin on one side of the corpse's abdomen in her left hand, and holding a large ball of gauze that had been soaked red with blood in her right hand, and she was constantly wiping the abdominal cavity.

　　On her right hand side, there were two large red basins. One of them should be water, and the other was filled with pieces of something that looked like meat. Upon closer inspection, there were intestines, hearts, and all kinds of internal organs...

　　I almost vomited! I wonder if the female medical examiner is going to stuff it back into his mouth or throw it away?

　　The corpse was lying on the ground with its head tilted towards our direction.

　　His eyes were not closed yet, and his bloodshot eyeballs were turned up, as if he was staring at me. And his head was shaking back and forth as the female forensic doctor wiped it, which was extremely weird.

　　Now, Liu and I had the same expression. Our stomachs reacted violently after the strong visual impact.

　　But neither of us had the intention of turning our heads away. We both stared at this shocking scene, not knowing what to do.

　　I don't know where Liu was looking, but I felt that the corpse's eyes were always looking at me, captivating my heart. I felt like I was being held still. I wanted to move but couldn't, and my hairs on my body stood up.

　　"Why are you here again, kid? What are you doing?" A low shout came from behind us.

　　Oh, I am so grateful for this voice! It appeared just in time. Although I was startled, it interrupted this terrifying stare-in.

　　I suddenly felt that I could move, so I quickly took the opportunity to look away and turned my head. The wrinkled, pale-faced old gatekeeper was standing behind us with an angry look on his face.

　　"Hurry up and get down! What's so good about this!" the strange old man said, and he came to grab my right wrist. I was in a trance and did not resist at all, so I let him grab it.

　　At this moment, a burning sensation rushed out from my wrist from the inside to the outside. Instinctively, I wanted to pull my arm back, and the strange old man seemed to be burned as well. He quickly let go of my hand and his wrist bounced away.

　　"Huh?" The strange old man first looked at his hand, then immediately shifted his gaze to my wrist.

　　"This... this is...!" The strange old man stared at my wrist, and stood there, mumbling something over and over again. His eyes never left my wrist.

　　All this actually happened within a few seconds. Although Liu Yunlong and I had our eyes drawn out, our minds and vision had been doubly stimulated, so we were still a little dazed. We didn't care about the old man grabbing me, bouncing away, the expression on his face after he saw my wrist, and the words he kept repeating.

　　Seeing the strange old man standing there in a daze, I winked at Liu Yunlong, jumped off the broken cart, and ran back the way I came.

　　After running quite far, the strange old man finally reacted and chased us while shouting: "Wait a minute, baby, I have something to ask you..."

　　Are you kidding? Only the devil is waiting for you! If you don’t leave now, when will you leave? Run away quickly. It’s better than being caught and scolded. If things go wrong, the school and parents will be notified.

　　Chapter 3 Hospital Night Talk

　　We ran all the way to the next intersection before we stopped and leaned against a big tree on the side of the road to rest.

　　Liu Yunlong must have thought of the shocking scene just now. He took a few breaths and vomited with a "wow".

　　When I saw him vomiting, I couldn't hold it in either, so we both held onto a big tree and vomited one after another, attracting passers-by to look at us.

　　Fortunately, it was already noon and we had just finished school and hadn't eaten yet. After we vomited a few times, there was nothing left in our stomachs to vomit.

　　Liu Yunlong panted and said, "Oh my God! I really saved money on lunch today. How can you still eat after seeing that? Such a big bowl, full of intestines and stomach. Ugh..."

　　I wiped my mouth and cursed him: "Don't say it, it's not enough for you to feel disgusted in your heart, you have to say it out loud! Don't mention this to me again, or I will never forgive you! It's all your fault. It's more meaningful for you to peek into the women's bathhouse than to peek into the morgue. Poor lunch at home, rice and braised pork, how can I eat it!"

　　"Ugh..." Speaking of meat, we started a new round of fertilizing the trees.

　　I didn't eat meat for three days. I couldn't bear to see it. I would vomit if I saw it. I guess Liu Yunlong wouldn't be any better.

　　During these three days, I didn't pass through the municipal hospital on my way to and from school.

　　On the one hand, the weird old man guarding the door already knew me, and I was afraid that he would drag me to talk about what happened that day again; on the other hand, after seeing two dead bodies in the morgue in one day, my understanding of the morgue changed completely.

　　I began to fear that place and always wanted to avoid it. Even in the staff quarters, I stayed away from the wall that separated the quarters from the pension and never passed by it again.

　　But nightmares are inevitable. The eyes of that corpse always appear in my mind from time to time. I have had nightmares for five consecutive days this month, and they were all nightmares.

　　It was the fourth day after the morgue incident and also our last day of classes before the college entrance examination.

　　After today, we can study at home for the remaining 20 days without coming to school. The admission tickets and other documents have been issued, so we can just go and take the exam.

　　After school, as I and a few classmates walked out of the school gate, a hand put its hand on my left shoulder.

　　I looked back and saw that what I feared had come true. The weird old man from the morgue had even come to the school gate. A hand was on my shoulder, looking at me with a serious expression.

　　I really don't know what he wants to do. Logically, we would be dead if we just leaned on the wall and watched. They didn't lose anything, so why would they come looking for us?

　　"Kid, let me ask you something." The old man looked at me fiercely, with an irresistible majesty.

　　I glanced at Liu Yunlong, who was among the classmates. He winked at me twice in a pitiful way, then left me behind and ran away. What an ungrateful guy!

　　"Don't worry, baby. I'm not here to settle accounts with you. I just want to ask you: were the three dots on your right wrist present at birth, or were they the result of an injury?" After asking this, the old man stared at me, waiting for an answer, and seemed a little nervous.

　　There are three very regular round marks on my right wrist. In fact, the skin is darker than other parts of the body and arranged in a triangle. The big one is as big as a cherry, and the two small ones are about the same size, but also as big as pomegranate seeds.

　　I also asked my mother, and she said that it was something I had since birth, which is commonly known as a birthmark.

　　"Why are you asking this?" I looked at the old man warily. My first thought was that this old man might be trying to find a relative. Am I not my mother's biological child?

　　"Were you born in the year of Renxu, the month of Gengxu, and the day of Yichou?" Seeing that I refused to answer him, the old man asked again.

　　"Who needs years and even more months?" I was completely confused.

　　"Oh, I asked you if you were born on October 9, 1982?" The old man reacted. I didn't understand the calculation and arrangement of the lunar calendar at all.

　　"I was born in 1982. What's the matter? If you have something, please tell me quickly!" I started to get a little impatient.

　　"Is it October 9th? So the one on your wrist is not a scar but a birthmark?" After hearing what I said, the old man's eyes began to light up and he asked again the part that I didn't answer him.

　　"Yes! Are you okay? I'm waiting to go home for dinner!" I began to believe my initial judgment and was thinking about how to put it when I got home and asked my mother whether I was her biological child.

　　"It's really... it's you! Haha, I finally found it. The correspondence between the twenty-eight constellations is exactly the same..." After hearing my answer, the old man was a little excited, and happily pulled me to look, muttering to himself.

　　"If you're okay, I'll leave!" All I can think about now is how to get my mother back home.

　　"Well, come see me tomorrow night at ten o'clock. I have something to tell you. You often climb over the wall, so you should know where I live." The old man saw that I was trying to break free from him and leave, so he didn't stop me and let go of my hand.

　　Who are you? You want to tell me something? Besides, you want me to go to the morgue at 10 o'clock in the evening? I have nothing better to do!

　　The old man probably saw the disdain in my eyes. He seemed not to worry that I would not come. He turned around and walked away, saying as he walked: "Do you want to know why you dreamed of a smoking coffin in your bedroom? Come tomorrow night and I will tell you. This is very important to you."

　　I was even more puzzled. I had only told Liu Yunlong about my dream about the coffin. Could it be that this guy was collaborating with the enemy and committing treason?

　　That shouldn't be the case. Would he do something that has no benefit? I don't believe it.

　　Thinking about it carefully, I only told Liu that I dreamed of a coffin. As for whether the coffin was in the bedroom or the living room, or whether it was smoking, I never told him. How did this old man know?

　　When I wanted to ask the old man, he had already walked away. I didn't want to go to the morgue to look for him at this time. I had no choice but to walk home with a lot of questions in my mind.

　　I spent the whole day reviewing at home the next day, but I couldn't figure out how the old man knew my dream.

　　By 9:30 in the evening, I really couldn't hold it in any longer. If I didn't ask the old man what was going on, I would be worried all the time and wouldn't be able to concentrate on reviewing my lessons for the next twenty days.

　　But going to the morgue at this time is really scary.

　　I called Liu Yunlong and asked him to go out with me in the evening, eat some popsicles and chat, just to relax.

　　Who sold me out in the daytime? Even if I want to ask the old man, I will drag him along. Doesn't he like to go to the morgue? This time I will let him go in and have a good look.

　　Liu Yunlong and I live very close to each other. My home is to the west of the municipal hospital, and his home is to the east of the municipal hospital.

　　Ten minutes later, we met in front of the municipal hospital. We bought two popsicles and ate them while walking inside the hospital, talking about post-graduation topics along the way.

　　We are actually very confused. It is extremely difficult to get into an undergraduate program at a school like this. Children from the city are unwilling to go to a junior college, and our families have no money or power. No one knows what to do in the future.

　　As I was talking, I walked to the back door of the city hospital. I stood in front of the morgue yard and refused to move. I was struggling mentally: should I go in or not?

　　Liu Yunlong saw me staring at the morgue and began to realize that something was wrong. "Haven't you seen enough that day? Are you planning to steal a body and take it home to continue looking at it tonight?"

　　"Accompany me to meet someone." I stared at him, my eyes full of coercion.

　　"Damn it! Are there dead or alive people? I thought you were so kind? You come out in the middle of the night to treat me to popsicles, I guess it's a Hongmen Banquet! I won't go, I won't go even if you kill me! I won't go even if I can't kill you!" After Liu Yunlong figured out my intentions, he turned his face against me.

　　"I'm not going into the morgue. Just accompany me to find the old man who looks after the morgue. You see, he lives in the bungalow next to the morgue." I further seduced him.

　　"I won't go either! Why go? To get scolded?" Liu Yunlong's position was quite firm.

　　I had no choice but to say, "How about this, I'll go in and talk to the old man. You wait outside for a while. If I call you, remember to go in and help me!"

　　"Fuck, a fight?" This guy got interested. "How could you have the heart to kill a man in his sixties or seventies?" Liu Yunlong looked at me with contempt.

　　"Wai Ri~ (Henan dialect, a not very friendly interjection), did I say I was going to hit him? I'm just being safe, just in case! You wait for me here, and if I don't come out in five minutes, you call me outside." After saying that, regardless of whether he was willing or not, I walked towards the small bungalow on the north side of the morgue.

　　When I reached the door of the bungalow, I heard footsteps behind me. I knew without looking that Liu Yunlong was following me.

　　"Forget it, I'll just follow you so you can have a helper if anything happens." This guy sounded very loyal. In fact, if he were left alone at the dark door of the morgue, he would rather follow me, at least there would be someone next to him.

　　We pushed open the wooden door of the bungalow and walked in.

　　The room was quite clean, completely different from what I had imagined. It was a rectangle with a bed and a large old-fashioned wardrobe on the left, and a stove on the right.

　　There was a square table placed against the wall in the middle of the room, on which sat a deity whose name I could not remember. This deity was wearing a white robe with a blossoming plum blossom painted on the corner of the robe. He was slender, with his hands behind his back and a white cloud under his feet. He was not as fierce and evil as Zhong Kui or Guan Erye, but rather had a bit of an immortal air. He looked quite like the poet Li Bai in the textbook.

　　In the incense burner in front of the statue were three recently lit sandalwood sticks. There were two armchairs on both sides of the table. The strange old man was sitting on the armchair on the left, looking at us with a smile.

　　What surprised both of us the most was that it was mid-June and the weather was hot, but the old man was actually wearing a brand new Tang suit-style long-sleeved jacket. On the front of the jacket was embroidered a green-faced, fang-toothed yaksha, staring at us.

　　"You're here." The old man greeted them.

　　"Since you are here, please follow the rules here. When you enter the door, pay your respects to our night master first. Three bows will be enough." said the old man.

　　Chapter 4 After the College Entrance Examination

　　We were a little confused, so we looked at each other and decided to just bow. It wouldn't cost us anything. So we bowed three times neatly.

　　"Haha, okay, kid, help me bring the tea from the stove." The old man said to me.

　　What's this? It seems that the old man called us here to have fun in the middle of the night. He bowed and served tea and water. Although my husband was unwilling, China's 5,000-year-old fine traditional culture told me: respect the old and love the young, what's the big deal about serving a teacup?

　　I walked to the stove and immediately saw the teacup the old man asked me to hold. It was the standard large covered tea bowl popular in the Qing Dynasty. There was also a tea tray underneath. The teacup was all white, and there was nothing special or new about it. I took the teacup and handed it to the old man with my left hand.

　　"Didn't your family teach you that it's polite to use both hands?" The old man was a little unhappy and didn't extend his hand to take the tea.

　　Well, I quickly added my right hand and toasted the old man with both hands. I began to regret coming here, I hadn't gotten to the point in such a long time.

　　"Haha, good! Not bad!" The old man saw that I changed to using both hands to put the tea in front of him quite respectfully, and he happily took it and drank it all in one gulp.

　　"If you have any questions, just ask!" The old man obviously saw our impatience and asked proactively.

　　"..." I was a little depressed. What did I want to ask? Don't you know everything? Why are you asking me? Do you want me to ask you if I am my mother's biological child?

　　"It's about dreams, right?" Seeing that I didn't say anything, the old man began to ask himself questions and answer them. "The coffin you dreamed of is called the Soul-Eating Golden Coffin. Don't worry, it's not scary. As the saying goes, dreaming of a coffin means promotion and wealth, which is a good thing. But this golden coffin is a little different from other coffins. It doesn't contain a dead person, but your things, your abilities and responsibilities."

　　"Then how did you know that I would have this dream?" Since I entered the room, I finally couldn't help but ask the first question, which is also the question I wanted to ask the most.

　　"Haha," the old man smiled mysteriously and rolled up his right sleeve. "Look!"

　　I saw that the old man had a triangular mark on his right wrist that was almost the same as mine, except that the sizes of the three circles were slightly different, and the direction of the triangle was also different from mine.

　　"This is..." I was confused.

　　"You old bastard, he has the same birthmark as you! Could you be his biological child?" Liu Yunlong came over to take a look, and immediately remembered the same mark on my wrist, and said to me sarcastically.

　　"Haha!" I was about to scold him, but the old man laughed first and said to Liu Yunlong, "Kid, do you have a birthmark? How about your dad? Is your birthmark the same as your dad's? Besides, I'm old enough to be your grandfather."

　　Liu Yunlong was obviously stumped by the question, but he still muttered in a low voice, "Maybe it's inherited from the previous generation!"

　　The old man finished laughing, turned to me and said, "As for what this birthmark is? There is no explanation. It's useless for you to know now. You will find it out slowly in the future. In short, don't be afraid of the golden coffin. It is destined for you and you can't avoid it even if you want to. Well, you can go. We will meet again someday. I have to make up the God of Joy who will be cremated tomorrow. If you are interested, you can come and see it, but please be respectful."

　　We both stumbled out of the morgue yard and walked to the hospital gate.

　　"Is this all you want me to go out with you so late at night?" Liu Yunlong obviously felt cheated.

　　"But it's strange that you and that old man have the same birthmark. You two really have no relationship at all?" Liu Yunlong helped me analyze.

　　“I don’t know if there is any connection, but one thing is certain, anyone with these three birthmarks on their right wrist will dream of the coffin!” I thought this was obviously what the old man meant when he showed me his birthmark.

　　"Then what does this mean? Does it mean that you will have the same fate?" Liu Yunlong thought seriously, holding his chin.

　　"Fuck, go away, same fate? You want me to go to the same hospital and morgue as him in the future?!" The thing I was worried about was pointed out. I was a little frustrated.

　　"In short, none of you are normal people. What's wrong with you? Now it seems that it's mostly mental." Liu Yunlong made his closing statement.

　　"I'm afraid it's not that simple. I'll have to check it out after the exam. I don't want to be associated with demons, ghosts, or gods." I didn't take his words as sarcasm. I know whether I have a mental disorder or not.

　　"You can think about it, but it depends on whether the monsters are willing to do it. Besides, aren't these 20 days a holiday for self-study? Can't you check it? Anyway, with your grades, if you check it these few days, you might be able to pass the Chinese test!" This guy can't sleep well if he doesn't argue with me.

　　My mind was full of things, and I was too lazy to pay attention to him. I looked at my watch and it was almost eleven o'clock, so we quickly dispersed and went home.

　　Although I went to see the old man today to solve the doubts in my heart, who knew that the old man answered my old questions and threw me two new questions. Why do we have the same birthmark? What does the golden coffin in the dream indicate?

　　Actually, what Liu Yunlong said is quite right. My grades are among the worst in the class. It doesn't matter how I spend these twenty days. It will have almost no impact on my grades. Maybe I can look through some old books to find what I'm interested in and what I want to know. Maybe I can really answer a few more questions in Chinese.

　　I even fantasized that during these twenty days, I could discover the secret of the golden coffin and help me get high scores in the exam.

　　Three days later, my dream of a long life was declared bankrupt. Whether in the library or on the Internet, all I could find about dreaming about coffins were nothing more than some language about getting promoted or getting rich, without any substantive content.

　　When searching for people with three moles, the most searched person is Zhizunbao from "A Chinese Odyssey". Besides, he has three moles on the soles of his feet, while mine are on my wrists. I can't ask Stephen Chow if he has any, right?

　　I even borrowed Liu Yunlong's "The Interpretation of Dreams by Zhou Gong" and planned to study it in detail, but after reading it for ten minutes, I gave up. It was all classical Chinese and I couldn't understand it at all. I don't know how this kid read it.

　　The impulse and enthusiasm of young people come and go quickly. After the college entrance examination, I forgot all about it. I spent the whole day with a group of classmates and friends, either playing games in Internet cafes or going swimming and eating at night markets.

　　Anyway, what the future path will be like is not something we should consider at this moment, but rather a headache for parents.

　　The college entrance examination scores that we were most reluctant to see were finally released in early August, and I failed without any suspense.

　　It happened that at this time I discovered that my father had a serious liver disease. He had no medical insurance, and in order to be able to pay the high medical expenses, I chose to attend a computer training class and learn some design software, so that I would have a skill in the future.

　　As for Liu Yunlong, his score was nearly 100 points higher than mine, but what’s the use? I was only 150 points away from the college entrance line.

　　Just one week after I started the computer class, Liu Yunlong told me that his father used his connections to send him to a military unit in Shaanxi for training, where he stayed for two years.

　　We were classmates in elementary school, junior high school and high school, and have been together since childhood. It is a bit hard to bear to separate now, but for us, the most carefree first eighteen years of our lives have passed.

　　In the next few decades, we will no longer live on our own, but will have to take on the responsibility of living and soon form our own family. In this case, any obstacles that may hinder our future life must be cleared away.

　　People always have to earn money to eat, and those who have to leave will always leave. Just like time, it can never be brought back.

　　After Liu Yunlong left, my design class was coming to an end. In order to help me find a job, my mother asked someone to make a fake diploma for me from a local university. When she gave it to me, I saw that she was embarrassed. My father was lying on the bed with a helpless look on his face.

　　They all thought that I could have studied for a few more years, but they didn't expect that this sudden change would push me from my warm home to the cruel world outside, making me face the pressure of life so early.

　　In fact, I don't care. I feel annoyed in the morning, so what's wrong with going out to work and earn money early? As long as I work hard, I can always make a name for myself.

　　Soon after, I found my first job, in a store that specializes in selling digital products, where I was responsible for designing some promotional materials. I was paid 800 yuan a month, and my working hours were from 8 am to 7 pm, 11 hours a day, with no breaks except for a 45-minute lunch break.

　　Fortunately, it is close to home. My boss was very nice to me. When he learned that I was a "freshly graduated college student", he specifically told me not to rush, that it would take some time to get started on the job, and gave me plenty of time.

　　I loved drawing when I was a child. Although I couldn’t produce any decent works, it was helpful for designing posters, both in terms of color and composition.

　　I worked very hard, and after a year my salary increased to 1,200 yuan per month. During this period, I occasionally wrote to Liu Yunlong. He recharged himself in the army, and with perseverance, he was admitted to a military university.

　　Two years passed in a blink of an eye. During this year, my father's liver problem became more and more serious. He passed away before he could see his son get married and start a family.

　　On the day of the funeral, it was also the first time I came to the morgue of the Municipal Hospital since that night talk. The gatekeeper had been replaced by a middle-aged man in his fifties. I asked him about the whereabouts of the strange old man, and he said he didn't know either, as his predecessor had passed away when he arrived.

　　In the past two years, I have rarely dreamed, and I have never dreamed of the golden coffin again. I think this is probably just a joke, a small episode in life.

　　I was in a very low mood after my father passed away, but fortunately the company organized a corporate development training trip to Taihang Mountains soon after.

　　Although I didn't want to go, my mother said let's go, it's a good opportunity for us to have some fun and change our mood. After all, the people who left have left, but we still have to go on with our lives. We can't be sad every day.

　　Chapter 5 Nightmare in the Mountains

　　The expansion camp our company followed was located deep in the Taihang Mountains. I heard their people say that this place was great, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and it was a paradise on earth.

　　After comparison, I realized that it was because they were not strong enough and could not squeeze into the several large bases outside, so they had to come to this remote mountain valley. Moreover, their cost was low, and the company could save money, so why not?

　　The bus drove on the mountain road for nearly 7 hours, making everyone in the car dizzy, before we finally arrived at our destination - a small village called Banyan, which had only more than 50 households.

　　The village is located in a valley sandwiched between three large mountains. It is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. A small river flows through the entrance of the village, which is truly a beautiful sight.

　　On the first day, we had free time. We got up at 6am and took the bus. It took two hours on the highway and seven hours on the mountain road. When we arrived, it was almost dark. Everyone in the car was exhausted. Who could move?

　　After eating, we went back to our respective dormitories to lie down. Before disbanding, the leader said that someone had just died in the village a few days ago, and the village was in the process of handling the funeral, so we should not look over there at night, as the local custom did not like outsiders to see such things.

　　No one cares about him, who would have the time to watch that kind of thing?

　　Because I went to bed too early, I couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night, so I had no choice but to open my eyes and sit up.

　　When I got up and took a look, I saw that there was a large bunk bed in our room that could accommodate ten people, and except for me, there was no one else on the other beds.

　　Looking towards the innermost part of the room, there was a large coffin placed on the empty space near the corner.

　　I was startled and was about to scream, but then I thought, could this be the golden coffin the old man talked about? It seems to be a dream, and if it is a dream, there is no need to be afraid. Besides, the old man also said that this coffin will only benefit me and not harm me.

　　So I decided to study the coffin carefully. I got out of bed trembling and moved towards the corner of the room. Although I knew it was a dream, everything felt so real.

　　When I walked in, I found that it was completely black, with rust all over the surface, and a few flashes of light in between. But I could no longer remember whether it was the coffin in my dream two years ago.

　　Finally approaching the coffin, I hesitated for a moment, then slowly stretched out my right hand to touch it. It felt cold, so it must not be made of wood.

　　I took out the key from my trouser pocket and scraped against a little glitter on the corner of the coffin lid. It didn't matter that the scrape fell off, and a palm-sized piece of rust fell off, revealing the true appearance of the coffin.

　　The golden color is revealed behind the fallen rust stains. Although I don’t know whether this metal is gold, my preconceived idea tells me that this is really a golden coffin!

　　I started to think wildly, how much could such a large golden coffin sell for! If this wasn't a dream, I would be very rich...

　　From the time I saw it until now, nothing has happened, except that this coffin appeared in a place where it shouldn't be, everything else is so normal.

　　I became bolder. Since it was the golden coffin in my dream, it must not contain a dead person, but something good. I remembered what the old man said, it seemed to be something useful to me.

　　So I decided to open the coffin and take a look.

　　I walked to the door and tried to turn on the light, but I couldn't find the cord. Could it be that I didn't put the cord in in my dream?

　　There was no other way, I could only use the moonlight to see what was going on. Fortunately, the moon was round and bright tonight. When it shone into the house, the ground was white, and the visibility was pretty good.

　　I walked to one side of the coffin, supported the lid with both hands, and pushed hard with my feet to push the lid to the other side.

　　Ten seconds later, I slumped down on the edge of the bed. This lid was too heavy! I used all my strength, but it didn't move at all.

　　Is it because of the gold? But I am in a dream, and dreams must follow the law of gravity, right?

　　Ancient people were really stupid. They didn't even know how to use a pulley or something to save effort when opening it...

　　I just sat here complaining, but I didn't realize that a coffin is not a clothing box that can be opened and closed every day. Once the coffin is closed, there is no reason to open it again. It is disposable.

　　Suddenly, an idea struck me. I remembered reading somewhere before that there are many kinds of coffin lids, some are snapped on directly, and some have a slide groove and are pushed in. Could it be that this coffin has a groove? I can't push it sideways because it's stuck, so I have to push it forward and backward?

　　So I walked to one end of the coffin and pushed forward slowly. When I had used just half of my strength, the coffin lid began to move forward. It seemed that I was right. This was a coffin lid with a slide.

　　In fact, I am still afraid in my heart, because no one knows what is inside.

　　I pushed very slowly, and after pushing the coffin board about ten centimeters thick, a gap about the width of a finger finally appeared inside the coffin. I slowly moved closer and looked inside. It was pitch black and I couldn't see anything.

　　I turned around and groped around in the room, trying to find a flashlight. As I expected, there was nothing but the bed, quilt, mattress, and pillow.

　　I had no choice but to go back to the coffin and try to push the gap wider. But the further I pushed, the harder it would take. When I pushed it to a point where a person's head could just fit in, I had no more strength. I had no choice but to hold onto the coffin and take a few breaths.

　　I was gasping for breath while leaning against the open coffin when suddenly a pale hand stretched out from inside and grabbed my left wrist!

　　"Ouch!" I was gasping for breath and was completely unprepared. I was really scared and quickly retreated.

　　But this hand held me so tightly that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull it out. My wrist was so painful that it felt like it was about to break.

　　There was no other way. It seemed that I couldn't pull one hand away, so I had to use my right hand to pry open the fingers. As soon as I pried them open, another hand stretched out from the gap in the coffin and grabbed my right wrist again.

　　I thought to myself, it's over, I can't escape today, both hands are grabbed. The weird old man also said that there is something good for me inside, could it be this pair of dead hands that want to crush my wrists?

　　I was at a loss of what to do when the hand holding my right wrist suddenly emitted white smoke, accompanied by a sizzling sound, and my wrist also felt a burning sensation. I heard a strange cry from inside the coffin, and the two hands holding me loosened and retracted at the same time.

　　I quickly took two steps back, touched my painful left wrist, stared at the crack of the coffin, and didn't dare to move forward. In my mind, I cursed that this disgusting dream would end quickly.

　　A black thing slowly emerged from the crack of the coffin. I opened my eyes wide and my heart was in my throat.

　　This is a human head, first the hair, then the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, until the whole face emerged from the coffin.

　　It was a man's face, very ordinary, but his face was pale and his eyes were dull, as if he had been ill for a long time. It was hard to tell his actual age.

　　I was extremely nervous and didn't know whether he was a human or a ghost, but since he came out of the coffin, the possibility of him being a ghost was greater.

　　Fortunately, I only pushed the coffin open a crack just enough for my head to stick out. The face inside seemed to have noticed this, and after sticking its head out, it stayed still, and had no intention of coming out. We just stared at each other.

　　I don’t know how long it took, maybe just a few seconds, but every second of this situation was unbearable for me. This face suddenly opened its mouth and spoke: “You…you are not Master Zhang?”

　　"..." As soon as he spoke, my nervousness was reduced a lot.

　　"Where is Master Zhang? Where is Master Zhang?" That face was even more surprised than mine.

　　"I don't know this Master Zhang you're talking about. This is my dream. Please go away." I couldn't wait for him to leave.

　　"Your dream? Then this golden coffin isn't Master Zhang's?" He looked shocked.

　　"I don't know who it belongs to, but at least you can see that I'm the only one here." Such conversations can indeed help ease the atmosphere.

　　The face poked its head out to look at the coffin, heaved a long sigh, and said, "Well, I'm sorry to scare you. This is definitely not Master Zhang's golden coffin. They all say that Master Zhang's golden coffin is golden, but this one is all rusty..."

　　I was furious. It's not my fault. Does it mean that I have to clean coffins every day just because I dream?

　　After the face finished speaking, it retreated without a word. In an instant, a puff of black smoke floated out of the coffin and gradually dissipated in the house.

　　I stood there in a daze for a long while. What should I do? Go over and cover it? I didn't dare, but I couldn't wake up from this damn dream. There was nothing I could do.

　　Eh? Isn't it said that if you pinch yourself hard in a dream, you will wake up?

　　I quickly raised my right hand and pinched my cheek hard, the pain made me grit my teeth. When I opened my eyes, I was still standing there. Three meters in front of me was the big coffin that I had pushed open a crack.

　　What should I do? Can't I go back?

　　Chapter 6 Goodbye Old Man

　　I started to get nervous again. If I couldn't wake up, would I have to keep dreaming like this? Wouldn't I become a vegetable in the real world?

　　I walked to the door and wanted to open it to see what was behind it, but I was afraid that there might be something scary behind it. I hesitated for a long time in front of the door, and then I made up my mind to open it. It was already at this point, so I had no choice but to open it.

　　I closed my eyes and yanked the door open.

　　There was no movement for a long time. I slowly opened my eyes and was stunned.

　　Outside the door was supposed to be our small playground for expansion. Just now when I came over to turn on the light, I could see the moon and the mountain from the window. What is it now? Outside the door was a large room with a corridor, ten beds, and a large coffin with a push-open opening in the innermost corner.

　　I looked back again, yes, they were exactly the same! I started sweating, what should I do?

　　Yes, there was a window. I quickly walked to the side, opened the window, and jumped out without looking. It was only on the first floor, so I wasn’t afraid of falling.

　　I jumped out and looked up: it was still a big room with ten beds and a coffin.

　　The floor in the room was still illuminated by the moonlight, but I didn't know where the light came from.

　　Although I was scared at this time, I calmed down and began to think about why I was trapped in the dream.

　　Did I move something? What caused the dream to stop and freeze here? Looking at the coffin, it was the only thing I moved. Was it because I pushed it open that caused the current situation? If I close it again, maybe everything will return to normal.

　　But I really don’t want to get close to that coffin again. Who knows what will jump out of it?

　　I sat on the bed and thought for a long time. There was no other way but to go over and push the coffin lid back up. I walked around from the other corner of the room to the other side, trying to stay away from the black gap. After gathering my breath, I pushed the coffin lid back with force.

　　After a "click" sound, the coffin became tightly closed again.

　　At this moment, there was suddenly light outside the window, which became brighter and brighter, so bright that I couldn't open my eyes.

　　When I got used to the light, I opened my eyes and saw that it was daybreak. I was still lying in bed, and my colleagues beside me had already started to get up. Thank God, I finally got out.

　　I supported myself with both hands on the bed and tried to sit up. Suddenly, I felt pain in my left wrist. I lifted it up and saw a circle of blood. Could it be that the person in the coffin scratched me? Was this a dream?

　　The next day, we started the expansion training. The first thing we did was to build team spirit. We built some shelves with wooden boards on an open space. The projects included trust backfall, life and death electric grid, etc. The names sounded impressive, but in fact, they were just like playing games.

　　I don't like this kind of thing, not because I'm not sociable or have no team spirit, but to do this kind of thing you need to consciously instill some ideas in advance, so that you can get twice the result with half the effort and achieve the desired effect. Doing it right away is like a child playing a game, forgetting it after it's done, which is meaningless.

　　After lunch, I ran away when the instructor wasn't paying attention. It's better to go out and have fun by myself than to fool around.

　　When I came to the river at the entrance of the village, I saw a man sitting on a rock fishing from a distance. Since he had his back to me and was wearing a sun hat, I couldn't tell his actual age. Anyway, I had nothing to do, so I went over to see what he had done.

　　After I sat down next to him, I saw that this man was only about 30 years old. Although he was sitting, it was obvious that he was very tall and strong. His eyes were staring at the float on the water.

　　People who fish are most afraid of being disturbed. I didn't say anything, just sat next to him, watching the small bridge and flowing water, surrounded by mountains, and enjoying the rare leisure time.

　　"Uncle Master, I've been waiting for you for two days." I was just about to lie down on the big stone slab under my butt to take a nap when the man spoke.

　　I turned around and looked around, but no one was there.

　　"Uncle master, don't look anymore, I'm calling you," the middle-aged man turned his head and looked at me and said.

　　"Me? Your uncle?" I pointed at my nose and asked. A man in his thirties calling a young man in his early twenties "uncle", there is nothing more ridiculous than this. What's more, I have never worshipped anyone as my master, so where did my master come from?

　　"Yes, Grandpa told me to wait for you here the day before yesterday."

　　"Your grandfather?" I was getting more and more confused. What does this all connect?

　　"Let's go and see Grandpa." The middle-aged man stood up, put away his fishing gear, and was about to leave. It seemed that he was here just to wait for me, not to fish.

　　"Wait!" I hurriedly called out to him, "Do you know who I am? You call me Uncle Master. Besides, I don't know who you are. I don't even know your grandfather."

　　"Haha, I don't know who you are. But what grandpa said must be right. Come with me, and you will understand everything after you meet grandpa." The middle-aged man saw that I was unwilling to follow him, so he turned back and tried to pull me.

　　I quickly moved to the side, trying to avoid his big hand. Who knew he seemed to have practiced Kung Fu, and when he saw me dodging, he suddenly flipped his hand, and before I could stand firm, he had already grabbed my right shoulder.

　　I wanted to break free, but this man, nearly 1.9 meters tall and weighing over 200 pounds, held me down so tightly that I couldn't get away.

　　"Hey! If you don't let go, I'll call for help! You're calling kidnapping, don't you know that?" I had no choice but to threaten him with words. The middle-aged man smiled and held me and walked towards the other side of the river.

　　"Hey! Hey!" I didn't know his name, so I could only yell at him, "Don't pull me anymore. I'll go with you, okay? Look, my shoes are wet. Even if the river is shallow, you can't drag me across like this!"

　　I wanted to yell, but then I thought, I am a grown man after all, and it would be embarrassing to yell kidnapping and robbery. Besides, it was the middle of the morning, and he wouldn't do anything excessive.

　　But the middle-aged man seemed to have heard nothing and waded across the river with me in his arms. I felt like a chicken being strangled by the neck and waiting to be slaughtered.

　　I was pushed up the mountain by the middle-aged man and stopped in front of a small house halfway up the hill. Looking back, the village was on the hillside across the river. My colleagues had just finished their meal and were chatting in groups of three or five in the open space of the village playground.

　　Seeing that there were people around, I wasn't so worried anymore. After all, it would be absolutely fine if I shouted here so that they could hear me. Let's see what this big guy was up to.

　　The middle-aged man finally let go of my shoulder in front of the house and shouted into the house: "Grandpa, I've invited my uncle to come to you!"

　　"Zhang Shan, I've told you many times that inviting someone has to be sincere. You just force them up here without telling me the reason. Can that be considered an invitation?" said an old voice in the room.

　　"I told my grandfather that he wanted to be invited, but he refused to go with me, and there was nothing I could do." The middle-aged man named Zhang Shan explained, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.

　　After that, he turned to me and whispered, "My grandfather's name is Zhang Shixun, and everyone in the village calls him Master Zhang. I'm telling you!"

　　"You idiot, cough~ You said the same thing as if you didn't say anything!" The old man came out of the house while coughing. He smiled at me and said, "My dear disciple, you are finally here! It's been years since we last met, right?"

　　It turned out to be the old man who was the janitor of the city hospital morgue! No wonder I felt that his voice sounded familiar when I heard his first words just now, as if I had heard it somewhere before.

　　"You..." I pointed at the old man rudely, not knowing what to say.

　　"Haha, this is my home and I am from this village." The old man looked at me with a smile, but he still had a gloomy feeling.

　　"You forgot, I said we would meet again. Cough cough~" The old man coughed twice vigorously. The middle-aged man named Zhang Shan hurriedly moved out an armchair from the house, and after the old man sat down, he stood behind him with his head down.

　　"Wait!" I finally came to my senses. "Who is your apprentice?"

　　"Haha, it's you!" I understood why this big man named Zhang Shan called me "Uncle Master": he called the old man "Grandpa", and according to the old man, even if I was his apprentice, I was of the same generation as his father. So he naturally called me "Uncle Master".

　　"When did I take you as my master? Don't say that!" I was a little unhappy. Even if you are older, why would you insist on taking me as your apprentice just after meeting me? You are not a celebrity.

　　"Haha, two years ago, have you forgotten?"

　　“…”

　　"When you came to see me that night, did you pay homage to the ancestors?"

　　“…”

　　"Did you offer me tea?"

　　“…”

　　Good god! It turns out the old man had set a trap and had been waiting for me here!

　　"What a joke! You tricked me into worshipping you!" I said angrily.

　　"If I didn't lie to you, would you be willing to worship me?" The old man smiled evilly. I finally understood the meaning of his evil smile.

　　I was extremely depressed at this time. If I didn't admit it, I did do all these things. If I admitted it, did I really have to worship him as my master? God knows what he does.

　　"I know you have a lot of questions to ask me. I'm free today, so I'll start from the beginning. Zhang Shan, move two more chairs out and you sit here and listen. Ahem..." After taking two sips of the tea that Zhang Shan brought to him, old man Zhang started talking to himself without caring whether I was willing to sit down and listen to him or not.

　　Chapter 7: Poor People (Part 1)

　　"Where should I start? Let's start with the birthmark on our wrists. If I say too much, I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it for a while. This birthmark has a name, it's called the "Wuwei Seal."

　　The three circles represent the Heavenly Path, which is the largest circle on your wrist; the Ghost Path, which is the middle circle; and the Human Path, which is the smallest circle. Since the Ghost Path is Yin and the Earth Path is Yin, it is in line with the saying of the three paths of Heaven, Earth and Human Path. However, the marks on your wrist representing the Earth and Human Path are almost the same size, which is very rare.

　　People who have this seal of inaction on their right wrists like us are usually called seal-holders...

　　"Wait, it's you, don't take me with you. Besides, did I say I was going to practice Taoism?" I interrupted Old Man Zhang's narration without any hesitation. He hadn't even said a few words and he had already lumped me into the same category with him. I don't want to be a charlatan.

　　"Haha, listen to me, okay? It's not something you can just say and forget about." Old man Zhang didn't care about my offense at all. I curled my lips without commenting, really too lazy to argue with him.

　　"The Seal Holder is not a religion or sect. I just mentioned the word "Tao", but I meant the road, not the Taoist "Tao". Although the Seal Holder is born, there are many people who have the Seal of Inaction but do not know how to make it work and benefit the people, and live a life of mediocrity...

　　"Stop, there are so many people here, why did you choose me?" I didn't want to listen anymore, so I stood up. I was already very angry about being deceived into becoming a disciple, and this old man Zhang was telling lies again. I am just an ordinary person, and I don't have the ability to hold any seals. I admit that it is difficult for me to believe these things.

　　"Well... If I'm not mistaken, you are a rare genius that only appears once in a century!" Old man Zhang obviously didn't expect that I would get impatient so quickly, and he left without saying goodbye.

　　"Well, I have a few questions. If you can answer them to my satisfaction, I might continue to listen." I was sure that the old man was talking nonsense. What was this once-in-a-century event? I didn't even discover it myself, but he did?

　　As payment for his deceiving me, I will give him a severe blow.

　　"First, can I make money with the Wuwei Seal?" I began to challenge Old Man Zhang.

　　"No." Old man Zhang answered simply.

　　"Okay, secondly, can the Wuwei Seal bring people back to life and heal the wounded?"

　　"...No, the laws of nature are cyclical, and we cannot go against their will."

　　"Third, will possessing the Seal of Inaction be helpful to my current career?"

　　“…No. But from another perspective, you can help many other people…” Old man Zhang began to feel guilty.

　　"Well, in other words, having the seal of inaction is actually of no benefit to me. It's not that I don't have love, but don't you think that the responsibility of helping the poor and needy should not and has no reason to fall on the shoulders of ordinary people like me? Besides, I am a person who has received formal national education. It's probably difficult for me to believe in your gods and monsters." I smiled and looked at Old Man Zhang. I turned around and prepared to go down the mountain.

　　"Are you going to spend your life meaninglessly like this?" Old man Zhang was a little excited and raised his voice and shouted behind me.

　　I turned my head and looked at him: "At least I have a formal job now and my own ideals in life. What qualifications do you have to teach me a lesson? What do you expect me to do in the future? Go to the morgue like you? Be with corpses all day? Is this the so-called life? The so-called meaning? Is this what you can bring to me?" At this moment, my heart was filled with the pleasure of revenge.

　　"How can you talk to Grandpa like that!" Zhang Shan stood up angrily. To be honest, I was afraid that he would hit me, and I was ready to run away.

　　Although I didn't have the heart to reject an old man in this way, what he said and what he did to me were really unacceptable to me.

　　"Go find whoever you need to find. Isn't your grandson right next to you? Tell him!" I ignored their gloomy faces and turned to walk down the mountain. I only heard Zhang Shan shouting from behind: "Hey! Stop!" Old man Zhang shouted: "Zhang Shan, come back, don't be rude! Ahem...

　　Zhang Shan wanted to stop me, but was stopped by the old man.

　　Looking at my back as I walked down the mountain, Old Man Zhang murmured, "Both humans and ghosts are running, the heart is as still as water, and the nature is as stubborn as stone. It is indeed so! The twenty-eight constellations are ghosts, and Jiazi is the metal of the sea. What a good life! Alas, I really don't know whether your existence is a blessing or a curse?"

　　As I walked down the mountain, I became angrier and angrier. What good fortune or bad fortune, what giftedness, all bullshit! Was it my destiny that I could not go to college? Was it my destiny that my father died early? Was it my destiny that I should serve others?

　　I recall the year when my father was first diagnosed with liver problems. An old blind fortune teller bumped into my father on the road. After he was helped up by my father, he insisted on feeling his palm. He said that my father was kind-hearted and had a great fortune, and that his life span would not be less than 90. What happened? He still had to go, didn't he?

　　Superstitious! Ignorant! I cursed in my heart. How could I believe the nonsense of such an old charlatan and even worship him as my master without knowing what was going on? If I tell others about this, I'll be laughed to death!

　　In my mind, Old Man Zhang was already a liar. He spoke in a high-sounding manner, but who knew what he was thinking in his heart to cheat me out of my money. As for why he knew my dream and why he had the same birthmark as me, I thought it was just a clever trick.

　　After dinner, we gathered in the playground of the dormitory, built a bonfire, and had a bonfire party. Since we were located on the edge of the village, we were not afraid of disturbing the villagers' normal life. Everyone was singing and dancing to their heart's content.

　　I was still alone in my bedroom, lying on the bed. This overly lively scene was really not suitable for me. When I was bored, I heard someone knocking on the door.

　　I got out of bed and opened the door, only to see the big guy Zhang Shan standing outside. When he saw it was me, Zhang Shan skipped the greeting part and the first thing he said was: "Grandpa is sick!"

　　"Fell sick?" I hadn't reacted yet and repeated his words subconsciously.

　　"Hmph! It's all because of you that I got mad at you!" Zhang Shan was a little angry when he saw that I had no reaction.

　　"Come on, how does this bother me?" I have already determined that the grandfather and grandson are scammers. It seems that this time they have turned to extortion instead of money.

　　"If you hadn't said such harsh words this afternoon, would grandpa have gotten so angry that he was bewildered by the phlegm?" Zhang Shan became more and more excited as he spoke, and was ready to hit someone.

　　I looked at his mountain-like bulk blocking the door. I couldn't beat him, so I would have to spend a lot of money to avoid disaster.

　　"Here, this is 350 yuan. I'll pay for your grandfather's medical expenses. That's all I have. You can do whatever you want with it." I took out my wallet from my trouser pocket and handed the remaining money to Zhang Shan. Anyway, in a small mountain village like this, you can't spend money even if you have it. Our food, accommodation and transportation are all paid by the company. It doesn't matter to me whether I have money these days.

　　However, I really don't feel any guilt towards this "scammer" I identified. I gave him money just to stop them from bothering me. I even thought about whether I should go down the mountain and call the police after the expansion is over tomorrow so that they can be arrested.

　　"I don't want your money!" Zhang Shan's eyes went straight past the banknotes waving in front of his face and stared at me.

　　"No?" I was also stunned. You came to me late at night, just to extort money from me?

　　"If you don't want money, what do you want?"

　　"I need you to do me a favor. Grandpa said that if you do me this favor, it's up to you what to do in the future. We will never bother you again! Even the matter of becoming your disciple can be canceled." Zhang Shan stated the conditions as if he was reciting lines. I knew that it must be old man Zhang who asked him to say this.

　　"What a joke!" I leaned against the door frame, looking at him with disdain while laughing. "My affairs are not yours to decide, and now it's as if I'm begging you to agree. Tell the old man that he tricked me into becoming his disciple, and it doesn't count at all!"

　　"Grandpa also said that if you don't agree with anything I say, I can solve it in my own way." Zhang Shan also followed my example, leaning against the door frame on the other side, looking at me with a sly smile on his face.

　　I remembered the time he carried me up the mountain at noon. "There are so many people here, I don't know if you dare!" To be honest, I was still worried that he would hit me.

　　"I may not be able to take you away with so many people around, but I can at least beat you up and keep you out of bed for three to five days. As for me, at most I will just be scolded by the village party secretary and punished to clean the toilet for a month. It's your choice whether to go or not!"

　　Who says big guys are strong and simple-minded? This guy is the best criticism of this saying! At this moment, I was speechless.

　　I walked in front with my head down, and Zhang Shan followed me closely two steps behind. After we walked out of the development base, I stopped and turned to ask Zhang Shan: "Where are you going?"

　　"Zhao Youde's house at the west end of the village!" This guy got two sheep from somewhere and held the rope in his hand.

　　Chapter 8: Poor People (Part 2)

　　"Please! How do I know who Zhao Youde is? Where is his home?" It was so difficult to talk to this guy.

　　"Look! It's the yard with lights on by the river in front." Zhang Shanchao raised his chin, pointing me in the direction.

　　The two of us were walking in the dark village.

　　The people in the mountains had few entertainment activities at night, and almost every family turned off the lights and went to bed at 12:00. This also made Zhao Youde's house, the only one with lights on, particularly conspicuous.

　　When I was almost at the door of Zhao Youde's house, I noticed that there was a white gauze hanging on the gate, a two-meter-high white flag erected on the corner of the wall, and two large white lanterns flickering, which was particularly creepy at night.

　　It seemed that someone in his family had died. An elderly man led a young man who was about my age. When they saw us approaching, they immediately stood up from the corner where they were squatting and came to greet us.

　　"Shan Zi, where is Master Zhang? Hey? What are you doing?" The elderly man was puzzled when he saw Zhang Shan walking towards him with an unfamiliar young man, holding two sheep in his hands.

　　"I'm sorry, Uncle Zhao. Grandpa happened to be ill today. Grandpa said that it seems that the thing you asked me to do cannot be done. Tomorrow is the seventh day, and Second Uncle must be sent away before midnight tonight. This is the sheep you sent a few days ago, and Grandpa asked me to return it to you. Also, Grandpa said that the matter was not done, and I failed your trust, so he asked me to bring our old sheep as well, as a little compensation to Second Aunt."

　　While Zhang Shan was speaking, a haggard-looking village woman walked out of the yard.

　　After listening to Zhang Shan's words, he sighed and said, "Forget it, Shanzi, how can we blame Master Zhao? If we want to blame someone, we should blame Youde for his bad luck. We, mother and daughter, have cheap lives. If we can't find the money, don't look for it. Let it go with Youde."

　　"Yes, Shanzi, we the living should not trouble the dead. Just do your best, and you should take the sheep back. Master Zhao has contributed a lot to the surrounding villages for decades, and everyone remembers his kindness. What's the big deal? Besides, Master Zhao is sick now, and eating more meat can help him replenish his body." The elderly man also said.

　　"Hey?" Zhang Shan also sighed. "We'll talk about this later. The most important thing tonight is to call back Second Uncle's nightmare and send him to where he should go. Otherwise, it will be troublesome after midnight. I can do what's happening tonight."

　　I watched their one-on-one conversation coldly. I sneered in my heart. They are really good actors. It's amazing that they are willing to spend so much money. I want to see what they are up to.

　　"Oh, in that case, let's go into the yard quickly! Who is this?" The elderly man was about to lead us into the yard, but when he saw me next to Zhang Shan, he stopped and asked.

　　"This is my uncle, grandpa's apprentice." When Zhang Shan introduced me, he emphasized the word "apprentice".

　　"Master Zhang has finally found an apprentice? That's good, that's good. With you here, we have nothing to worry about. Just let us know if you need anything!" When the elderly man heard that I was old man Zhang's apprentice, he immediately showed me respect.

　　When we arrived at the yard, we saw a temporary mourning hall built with white cloth and wooden stakes on the open space in the yard. In the middle of the hall was a wooden bed, on which lay a person covered with white cloth.

　　No need to ask, this is the deceased Zhao Youde.

　　There were about ten people in the yard at this moment, all with gloomy expressions. I was not afraid of the crowds, and looked from the corpse to the offering table in the mourning hall.

　　"Ah! This is it!" When I saw the deceased's portrait, I shook uncontrollably and pointed at the photo and shouted. "This person... This person I..."

　　"Hush! Don't talk, do you want to be beaten to death?" Zhang Shan immediately shouted at me in a low voice. The Zhao family members looked at me curiously.

　　The person in the photo, the deceased Zhao Youde, is exactly the person who crawled out of the coffin in my dream yesterday!!!

　　"Uncle Zhao, according to the rules, your family members should step aside." Zhang Shan said to the elderly man.

　　"Okay, just let me know if you need any help!" The older man said, and then he asked everyone in the yard to go into the side room, close the door, and draw the curtains tightly.

　　At this time, there were only Zhang Shan and I left in the yard.

　　"Why are you shouting! Let their family know that it's you who caused the trouble! If I can't kill you, I will beat you half-crippled!" When Zhang Shan saw that all the Zhao family members had entered the house, he immediately turned hostile and yelled at me in a low voice.

　　"Me? Why me again? I say, what does this have to do with me?" I was staring at the photo when I heard Zhang Shan scolding me. I replied with a feeling of grievance.

　　"Did you dream about this person last night?" Zhang Shan asked.

　　“…”

　　"Did you push the coffin lid open to let him out?" Zhang Shan asked again.

　　“…”

　　"Did you tell him to leave?" Zhang Shan asked me three questions in a row, leaving me speechless. How could he know my dream so clearly?

　　"How do you know?" I asked this nonsense after holding it in for a long time.

　　"I don't know, but grandpa knows it all. That man floated away very far yesterday, and grandpa chased him for six nights before he was pulled back. But you, you pushed open the coffin lid and let him go, and now he ran away and we can't even find him. I'm here tonight to summon him back. You were the one who let him go, so it's naturally your responsibility to bring him back." Zhang Shan said as he took off the backpack that was slung across his body.

　　"I...I..." I didn't know what to say.

　　"But I don't know how to find it. How can you let me find it?"

　　Ever since I saw the photo of Zhao Youde, my opinion of Zhang Shan and his grandson has been shaken. Now I can say that I have no opinion at all and don’t know how to explain this phenomenon scientifically.

　　"You don't have to move, just stand here, I'll do the rest."

　　Zhang Shan took out the things in his bag one by one and placed them on the ground in front of us. They were nothing more than incense, candles, candlesticks and other things commonly used by Taoist priests and charlatans.

　　While displaying the items, Zhang Shan briefly explained the situation of this family.

　　The dead man was called Zhao Youde, and the woman who was talking at the door just now was his wife.

　　Zhao Youde was born with mild polio and could not do heavy work. His wife had to plant the one acre and two mu of land at home. The grain harvested at the end of the year was barely enough for the family of three to eat next year, and there was nothing left. His family had to rely on the village to organize the grain planting every year. Each family had to plant two handfuls of grain, which was enough to sustain the next spring planting.

　　In the past few years, the child was still young, and although life was tight for our family of three, we were still able to get by.

　　Last year, when the child turned six and was about to go to primary school, the couple began to worry. Their home was in the mountains, and the child had to go to primary school in Dashiqiao Township at the foot of the mountain. It took nearly ten hours to walk back and forth on the mountain road.

　　It is definitely not realistic to go home every day. But if I live in a boarding house, the 200 yuan a month boarding fee is undoubtedly a heavy burden for this family.

　　The couple was so worried about this that they couldn't sleep every day. If they didn't let their children go to school, they would definitely have no future. They couldn't let their children live a miserable life like themselves, guarding a small piece of land.

　　The child also has an uncle, the older man mentioned earlier, named Zhao Youcai. Although his family is better off, they have two children, one of whom is still in high school. The money he earns in a year is just enough to cover the expenses of the two children, and there is almost nothing left at home.

　　Zhao Youde searched all his relatives and friends and only managed to borrow more than 300 yuan, but this amount of money was only enough for the child's living expenses for one and a half months.

　　There was no other way, so Zhao Youde followed the village tractor to the township whenever he had time, hoping to see if there was any way to make money. He looked for a handicraft like weaving that didn't require much physical effort, hoping to subsidize his children's tuition.

　　That day, Zhao Youde was limping around in the village market when he glanced sideways and saw a large black sign hanging at the entrance of a dark alley with four big words written on it in white chalk: "Buying blood at a high price."

　　Who doesn’t have blood? Can blood be sold for money?

　　Zhao Youde was like a drowning man who saw a life-saving straw, and he walked towards the big black sign with great effort.

　　An hour later, Zhao Youde walked out of the alley with a pale face. 600 ml of fresh blood was drawn from him, and in return he received only a pitiful 80 yuan.

　　The boss who collected black blood told him that if he wanted to sell it, he should come back in two weeks and eat more to replenish his body. If the blood was good, he would get another 5 yuan.

　　From then on, Zhao Youde went down the mountain to the village once every two weeks and brought back 80 yuan. He told his wife that this was the hard work fee given by the people who set up and dismantled the sheds for the opera performers at the village temple fair. His wife didn't care.

　　Because of selling blood, Zhao Youde, who was not plump to begin with, became even thinner. He also caught a cold and had a fever twice and had to stay in bed for half a month without any improvement.

　　It happened that the city’s rural medical project reached Banyan Village at the beginning of this year, and Zhao Youde’s wife tricked Zhao Youde into taking a physical examination.

　　The examination shocked everyone. Zhao Youde was diagnosed with AIDS, and it was already in the middle and late stages.

　　His wife was not happy about it and said that he had found a strange woman outside and she insisted on divorcing her and would not listen to anyone's advice.

　　Zhao Youde had no choice but to show everyone the needle hole in his arm. Then everyone knew that he sold blood to save money for his daughter's tuition. Zhao Youde's wife cried bitterly after hearing this. The family was forced into a desperate situation.

　　Soon, after discussion among the villagers, they decided to pool money to treat Zhao Youde. They also hoped that Zhao Youde would give them the money he had earned from selling blood, and together with the money, they could stabilize his condition as soon as possible.

　　But no one could have imagined that Zhao Youde refused all donations, secretly hid the 2,000 yuan that he had earned with his life, told no one, and refused any form of treatment.

　　He said he wanted to save his money for his daughter's schooling and no one was allowed to touch it.

　　Just six days ago, Zhao Youde, who was lying on the hospital bed, knew that he might not survive. While no one was in the room, he bit his finger and wrote down the place where he hid his money on the inside of the white quilt he was covering himself with, and then he took his last breath with tears in his eyes.

　　There is a custom in many places in Henan that after a person dies, everything he wore, used, bedding, and covered with when he died must be burned.

　　What’s more, Zhao Youde was suffering from AIDS. After cleaning up his body and belongings, his quilt and other used items were taken to the yard in front of the house and burned.

　　No one looked at what was written under the quilt. No one even wanted to touch his things, so they just picked them up with bamboo poles and burned them outside.

　　The day after Zhao Youde's death, everyone remembered that he had hidden 2,000 yuan, which was left for his daughter's tuition.

　　They searched everywhere in the house but couldn't find it. They had no choice but to go find Master Zhao, the weird old man Zhao Shixun, and ask him to find the place where the money was hidden.

　　A day later, Old Man Zhao told them that the location where the money was hidden was written on Zhao Youde's quilt. Everyone hurried back to dig out the pile of things that had been burnt to ashes. Fortunately, it was drizzling that day, and no one wanted to touch Zhao Youde's things. They just threw them there, and the quilt was not completely burned.

　　After careful examination, only the words "money is here" were found on the quilt, and nothing else was found. At this point, the whereabouts of the 2,000 yuan was completely lost.

　　Chapter 9: Forced to do business

　　After hearing this, I knew that things had come to this point, but I was still a little confused, so I asked Zhang Shan: "Then why did you ask me to come? Can I get the 2,000 yuan back if I come?"

　　"I'm afraid you won't get the money, but you can solve Zhao Youde's nightmare." Zhang Shan said to me while lighting the candle on the ground.

　　"What is a nightmare?"

　　"A person is divided into two parts: the heart is the soul and the brain is the nightmare."

　　"don't know."

　　"That is to say, everyone has two sides, one good and the other evil. The good side is usually in people's hearts. We call it the soul; and the evil side is hidden in your brain. It is called a nightmare. Ghost is the general term for souls and nightmares in the world. The evil ghost we commonly call is a nightmare." Zhang Shan squatted on the ground, fiddling with the yellow mounting paper in his hand, and patiently explained to me.

　　"I understand this. It's what people usually say: people have two sides. The nightmare you mentioned refers to the nightmare you have when you have a nightmare?" I finally understood a little.

　　"Yes!" Zhang Shan stood up, shaking a wine gourd, and asked me, "Do you know why people dream?"

　　"I'm tired and need to rest."

　　"Rest for what?"

　　"Rest your brain!"

　　"If you dream at night, does that mean your brain is resting?"

　　“…”

　　"Your explanation is actually not scientific and does not make sense."

　　Zhang Shan went on to say, "The sun is yang, the moon is yin, and yin and yang intersect, yet maintain a balance, so that all things in the world exist. All things also reproduce and thrive according to this law. For humans, the soul is good, and good is yang, so during the day it can control the human body to carry out various labor activities; and at night, when yin and yang alternate, nightmares are evil and yin, and they have to come out to move. But because for the vast majority of people, their hearts are kind, so the soul can suppress nightmares and make the body functions enter a period of fatigue. The nightmare can only move in the brain and does not have enough power to control the human body. This is why people dream, because the nightmare is moving, so we also call it a nightmare."

　　Zhang Shan actually said that my scientific explanation is unscientific, and I was very unconvinced.

　　"So according to you, everyone is kind? Because everyone needs to sleep. Then why are there so many murderers, robbers, and thieves? They can also be considered kind...because nightmares have taken over in their bodies?" As I was speaking, I suddenly thought of something and said it out loud involuntarily.

　　Zhang Shan looked at me with a smile, picked up a piece of yellow paper, and said, "Yes, you are very smart, and Grandpa didn't make a mistake about you. As you said, everyone has two sides, and everyone has an evil side in their heart. It's just that it is usually suppressed by kindness and morality and cannot be released. But if a bad person has a conflict with his neighbor, and gets angrier and angrier when he gets home, and then he sees a fruit knife on his table; or if a drug addict is huddled in a remote corner in the middle of the night because of a drug addiction attack, and someone happens to walk in front of him, what do you think will happen?"

　　I smiled bitterly. I knew what the result would be without having to think about it.

　　Zhang Shan seemed to see what I was thinking. He put the yellow paper in his hand on the seal of inaction on my right wrist and continued, "In fact, many people do bad things under the cover of night. The night can certainly cover up the evil. But in the final analysis, the real darkness is in your heart. That is the nightmare. Many people may not really want to do what they do, but it is the nightmare buried deep in their minds that directs them to do so."

　　I stood there in a daze, thinking, and didn't notice Zhang Shan's actions at the moment. "But people don't just have nightmares, most of the time we have good dreams." I murmured.

　　Zhang Shan looked at me and said, "This is a question of human nature. If you are an upright and kind person, you work hard, go to bed early and get up early every day, don't stay up late, and help others. Occasional evil thoughts are just a flash for you, and the nightmare is always suppressed by the soul. Then it's just a nightmare at most. On the contrary, if a person is idle all day, thinking about random things, and his mind is full of sinful thoughts, what will they dream about at night? This is what the saying goes, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." When this situation reaches a peak and has hindered his normal life rhythm, all these thoughts will break through the obstacles overnight and occupy his brain, then this person is equivalent to being controlled by the nightmare. So, don't have those sinful thoughts."

　　"Oh..." Although I can refute everything Zhang Shan said from a scientific point of view, I think in my heart that what he said seems to be right. Maybe it is not scientifically tenable, but in terms of moral concepts, every word is accurate.

　　"Does that person also have nightmares after death? Oh! What are you doing? You're burning me to death!!!"

　　I suddenly thought of Zhao Youde, and was about to ask Zhang Shan about what happened tonight, but at this time Zhang Shan took out a box of melted wax in his right hand, and quickly put the box together with the round box on the outside of it onto the Wuwei Seal on my right arm.

　　Although there was a layer of yellow mounting paper between them, the scalding wax still burned me and made me grimace.

　　"Don't move, bear with it!" Zhang Shan's left hand pinched my forearm so tightly that I couldn't pull it back even if I wanted to.

　　"Do people have souls after they die?" Zhang Shan asked me, ignoring my painful expression and looking at the wax box on my wrist.

　　"That's superstition!" I squeezed out these words from between my teeth.

　　"No matter what the theory is, I just said that people have souls and nightmares. Since there is a soul after death, there will naturally be nightmares." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he took away the wax box and poured out the wax block in the middle that had already cooled and formed.

　　I blew on my scalded right wrist and looked at the freshly made "handmade wax" in Zhang Shan's hand.

　　This wax stick cannot actually be measured as a root, because it is very short, only about 1 cm thick, and can only be counted as a piece.

　　The diameter is slightly larger than the Wuwei Seal on my wrist and is about the size of a medicine bottle cap.

　　The strangest thing is that this wax has two colors. The unimportant areas around it are white, while the shape in the middle is exactly the same as my Wuwei Seal, and it is bright red.

　　It was obvious that Zhang Shan had just put wax on my hand in order to make this imprint. The wax itself was still somewhat transparent, and under the light I could vaguely see that it seemed that not only was there a bright red mark on the surface, but the entire middle of the wax was red, forming a wax core.

　　Although it is only one finger thick, I really don't understand how Zhang Shan did it. He only made a print, but the whole piece is covered from top to bottom.

　　"You only have about half an hour. Grandpa said that he hopes you can lock Zhao Youde's nightmare in the golden coffin, but I tell you, you must not only try your best to lock him in the golden coffin, otherwise once it's past midnight, we will be in big trouble." Zhang Shan said as he squatted down and put the candle on the ground and lit it.

　　"What if we can't keep him?" I asked.

　　"Then it will run away and endanger many people. I just said that nightmares are evil thoughts. As long as one is a human being, he or she will have seven emotions and six desires, and he or she will definitely have nightmares. When a person just dies, his or her soul will always stay near the corpse, and the nightmare will go back to the moment he or she was born, re-screening his or her life memories, eliminating the good parts and only remembering the evil thoughts and actions. On the sixth day after a person's death, the nightmare will jump out of the memory. At this time, the soul will be reintegrated into the human world and enter reincarnation; and the nightmare will be put into the golden coffin by the seal keeper and sealed forever." Zhang Shan shook the wine gourd again. I was afraid that he would launch a surprise attack without saying hello, so I stared at the hand that was shaking the gourd.

　　"But if the nightmare is not put into the golden coffin before the seventh day, it will be very difficult to catch it. Moreover, it has accepted the nightmare of this person's evil thoughts throughout his life. Guess what it will do?" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he handed the wine gourd to me.

　　"What?" I instinctively took a step back.

　　"Open it and take a sip." Zhang Shan shook the thing in his hand.

　　"Why? Why don't you drink?" I took another step back.

　　Zhang Shan shook his right hand and said, "I am not the seal holder. It is useless to drink it. I can't catch him."

　　Of course I can't drink it. Although Zhang Shan has told me so many things about good and evil, who knows whether he is good or evil?

　　Besides, we are strangers. How can I drink what he handed over to me? What era is this? Eating food from a stranger, even if he stripped me naked, I don’t even know! I will definitely not drink it!

　　Zhang Shan seemed to have noticed my intention to escape. Before I could put my thoughts into action, he took the lead and flashed in front of me in an instant, grabbed my neck with his left hand, and held the wine gourd in his right hand to pour it into my mouth.

　　The only thing I could do at this time was to grit my teeth and not let the wine gourd go into my mouth no matter what.

　　"Humph, if you don't take care of what you did, who will?" Zhang Shan said coldly. After that, he suddenly tightened his left hand around my neck.

　　"Ah!" The sharp pain spread throughout my body in an instant, and I couldn't help but open my mouth and scream.

　　Then, something hard was inserted into my mouth and reached my throat. A stream of water came out, and the spicy taste directly washed over my throat.

　　This should be a kind of wine, but it also has a strong smell of medicine. I was choked and kept spraying out of my mouth and nostrils, tears were streaming, and my ears were buzzing.

　　I usually like to drink a little wine, but this is the first time I drink like this.

　　Chapter 10: The Nightmare of the Soul is Hard to Identify

　　"Cough cough..." As soon as Zhang Shan let go of me, I immediately bent over and hunched in place, touching my neck and coughing continuously.

　　This feeling is so painful! (If you want to try it, you can buy a bottle of Erguotou, the kind with 56 degrees, and hold a mouthful of Erguotou in your mouth at home, and then take a big breath with your mouth, sucking in the air and the alcohol together. That kind of taste is simply a torture! Of course, I don't think there will be any fools who try this. For your safety, please do not imitate.)

　　I was still half squatting there coughing violently, when I heard Zhang Shan say, "Nightmare will continue to absorb evil thoughts as memory progresses. Yesterday, Zhao Youde's nightmare had agreed to cooperate with Grandpa, but he didn't expect you to let him go. Today is the sixth day of the first seven days, and the nightmare has absorbed all of Zhao Youde's evil thoughts in his life. It will be difficult to get him to cooperate again. So you have to take good care of your seal wax. Before it goes out, you must put Zhao Youde's nightmare in your golden coffin. And no matter what he says, don't believe it, nightmares won't tell the truth...

　　Zhang Shan's voice gradually faded away from me. Although I could still feel myself coughing violently, I couldn't hear it, and I couldn't even feel the pain I was feeling at the moment. I thought I was about to fall asleep.

　　"This bastard, it turns out that they fed me drugs. I wonder what they are going to do with me? Are they going to take out my organs and sell them?" This was the last thought that came to my mind before my mind became completely blurred.

　　When I opened my eyes again, I was still standing there, but the Zhang Shan in front of me really scared me.

　　This guy's originally quiet face was covered with thick and dense beard, which extended all the way down to his chest.

　　There were horns on the top of his head, sticking up high, and his skin had become dark. A closer look revealed that it was dirty with oil and dust, which was disgusting! A pair of bloodshot glasses stared at me.

　　That’s right! I quickly touched my lower back and luckily, both kidneys were still there. I breathed a sigh of relief.

　　No! Is there something wrong?

　　I looked around and finally understood: Although Zhang Shan in front of me had become like a demon, he would not move. It was not that his body was not moving, but that he was as if still, even his breathing had stopped.

　　"What's going on here?" I muttered in confusion.

　　"In your heart, Zhang Shan is like this." A voice sounded familiar from the left.

　　I looked in the direction of the voice. "Zhao Youde!" I already knew this unfortunate man.

　　Zhao Youde was seen standing in his own mourning hall, holding onto the wooden bed in the middle, but his body was no longer on the bed.

　　"You...you...don't come over here! Are you a human or a ghost?" In fact, I knew the answer very well, but fear made me incoherent.

　　"Don't be afraid. This is your dream. You are still the seal holder. We ghosts can't do anything to you." Zhao Youde stood in place with a miserable face.

　　"Oh~ So that's how it is!" I tried to look less nervous. "Then what were you doing in my dream?"

　　Zhao Youde sighed and said, "It's not that I want to come into your dream, it's that we ghosts have nowhere to hide in your dream."

　　Oh, so that's how it is. It seems my dreams are quite powerful! But then I thought again, if I dream about ghosts every day, it wouldn't be a good thing.

　　"Oh, right!" I remembered something else and shouted to Zhao Youde, "Didn't you hide 2,000 yuan for your Niuniu's tuition? Tell me quickly so I can tell them later. You're dead anyway..."

　　I was very happy in my heart. Since Old Man Zhang had abilities similar to mine and he couldn't get the answer, I ran into Zhao Youde as soon as I took action. It seemed that I had to do the job. It was really a piece of cake!

　　When I mentioned that he was dead, I suddenly stopped talking. It seemed a bit impolite to tell a dead person that he was dead, but there was nothing wrong with that. I didn't know how to put it.

　　"Alas," Zhao Youde sighed again, feeling like he was about to cry (if ghosts could cry, of course), and replied to me: "I don't know where it is hidden!"

　　"You don't know either?" I was dumbfounded. I never expected him to answer me with this sentence.

　　"You hid the money, but you don't know who will know about it!" I was anxious.

　　"At that time, in order to save the money for Niu Niu, I refused treatment, which was actually the same as suicide! Suicide is an evil thought, and it's not something I have," Zhao Youde said in annoyance.

　　Oh~ I understand, the one in front of me is Zhao Youde's soul, all good thoughts, evil thoughts have been taken away by the nightmare. It seems that if we want to find out where the 2,000 yuan is hidden, we have to find the nightmare.

　　"Then how did they know you wrote the address where you hid the money on the quilt?" I was still a little confused.

　　"Tell them where the money is so that they can pay Niu Niu's tuition. This is a good thought. I told Master Zhang this," Zhao Youde explained.

　　"Then who did I dream about last night?" I continued to ask.

　　"It was me. I was just about to find Master Zhang to tell him about this."

　　"Then what are you doing here now?" I always felt a little awkward, but I couldn't tell what was wrong, so I asked Zhao Youde randomly.

　　"Waiting for you and the other me is the nightmare. When he comes, I will help you deal with him. He was beaten up by Master Zhang yesterday, and I can't find him anywhere in my memory. I'm afraid something might happen, so I stayed here to see if I can help you." When Zhao Youde mentioned his other self, his face was full of hatred.

　　"You help me? How do I collect it?" I really didn't know how to deal with this nightmare, and Zhang Shan sent it to me in a daze.

　　"Use your golden coffin! Open the lid, and when he comes I will force him in." Zhao Youde seemed confident.

　　"My golden coffin? Where is my golden coffin?" I turned my head and looked around.

　　"Isn't it right at the gate of the courtyard?" Zhao Youde pointed towards the gate.

　　I looked back and sure enough, it was standing outside the gate, still gray and covered in rust.

　　I'm so embarrassed, I can't even find my own things. At least you should tell me where you are every time you go out!

　　I walked over and pushed the coffin lid open about two feet. I shouted to Zhao Youde, "Is this okay?"

　　"Okay, come here and stand next to me, so that I don't get hurt." Zhao Youde in the mourning hall motioned for me to come over quickly.

　　Although it was in my dream, the person standing next to me was a ghost after all, so I still cared a lot. I stood about two meters away from Zhao Youde, a little bit behind him.

　　Time passed by minute by minute, and only a very thin bit of the sealing wax in front of the "devil" Zhang Shan in the open space in the middle was left. I estimated that it can burn for three minutes at most before it will go out.

　　Feeling a little uneasy, he couldn't help but ask Zhao Youde: "Will that guy come?"

　　"Don't worry, the golden coffin absorbs bad air and evil thoughts. As long as the lid of the golden coffin is opened, all the ownerless nightmares nearby will be attracted here." Zhao Youde replied without turning his head.

　　I kept silent. This mess was really giving me a headache.

　　"Look! Here he comes!" Zhao Youde suddenly pointed at the main road outside the door and whispered to me, "Remember, no matter what he says or does, don't believe him or pay attention to him. Nightmare won't tell the truth."

　　"Yeah." To be honest, I was very nervous. This was the first time I saw Soul and Nightmare meet each other. Who knew what they were going to do.

　　Under the dim light, I saw a thin figure limping towards me from a distance. He moved very quickly and it seemed that he was walking very fast.

　　When he was almost at the gate of the courtyard, he obviously noticed the golden coffin placed there. He was stunned for a moment, then slowed down his pace and walked into the courtyard.

　　Another Zhao Youde!

　　I have always wondered in my heart that since the soul is exactly the same as the person in his previous life, what should the nightmare be like? Now I know that they are indistinguishable from each other, just like a pair of twin brothers.

　　It's just that one represents the good side of human beings, while the other represents evil.

　　Zhao Youde, who came in from outside, stopped in the courtyard and pointed at Zhao Youde beside me and shouted, "I'm so stupid! I actually believed what you said! Niuniu's mother didn't go to the Cliff to send her child away. You know I'm worried about them. I'd rather not stay at the funeral hall to go and see what's going on. What on earth do you want to do?!"

　　"Hehe..." Zhao Youde in front of me laughed crookedly: "If I don't get you out of the way, how can I guard the mourning hall so that the golden coffin can take you in?"

　　"You...you!" Zhao Youde, who was standing in the yard, was still pointing at us, shaking with anger. He was speechless.

　　"Alright! If you have anything to say, wait until you get into the golden coffin! Ahahahaha!" Zhao Youde beside him waved his left hand. I suddenly felt a whirlwind rising in the mourning hall, moving around the mourning hall.

　　Zhao Youde in the courtyard seemed to suddenly understand something and rushed into the mourning hall.

　　But every time he was about to step in, he was blocked back by the whirlwind.

　　"You can't hold on for much longer! The wind created by your burning evil thoughts will eventually consume you!" Seeing that he could not enter the mourning hall, Zhao Youde outside gave up and stood there shouting inside.

　　"Hehe, don't worry about it. You should think more about yourself!" Zhao Youde next to me smiled even uglier.

　　The wax seal of "Devil" Zhang Shanqian on the open space in the yard finally burned out. The flame jumped a few times but finally went out.

　　"You are not Zhao Youde's soul! You are a nightmare!" I finally realized what was wrong and shouted to Zhao Youde who was beside me.

　　After listening to Zhang Shan say so much tonight, I vaguely felt that what I dreamed about last night was probably a nightmare, but Zhao Youde next to me just now told me that he was a ghost, and I always felt something was wrong.

　　Logically speaking, the nightmare will be automatically taken into the golden coffin, while the soul will always be beside the corpse, protected by the mourning hall, and generally will not be affected.

　　Now this nightmare is guarding the mourning hall and not allowing any souls to enter, which just confirms my guess.

　　It seems that the one who emerged from my golden coffin yesterday was indeed a nightmare, that is, Zhao Youde beside me. But when he saw that Old Man Zhang was not around and I didn't know how to do anything, he took the opportunity to slip away.

　　Moreover, he just said that he only knew the location where the money was hidden was written on the quilt, but he didn't know what was written on it. This is indeed a bit hard to understand.

　　Now it seems that there is only one possibility, that he deliberately refused to tell me.

　　I was still in a daze when changes occurred outside the mourning hall as the wax seal went out.

　　The entire space seemed to shrink and rotate rapidly, like a crumpled piece of paper, and the center was the golden coffin that had been pushed open. Along with all this, Zhao Youde's soul outside the mourning hall was slowly sucked towards the golden coffin.

　　"As the keeper of the seal, you support evil thoughts. You will be punished!" Blurred, I saw Zhao Youde's soul cursing at me.

　　"I...I..., stop it!" I didn't know what to do, so I could only shout to Zhao Youde beside me.

　　"Hey, the sealing wax has gone out, you should go back." Zhao Youde turned around and looked at me with such an evil smile on his face.

　　I was about to say something else when my throat suddenly felt the same burning and stinging feeling I had when Zhang Shan poured wine into my mouth, and I started coughing violently again.

　　My consciousness gradually faded. With one last glance, I saw Zhao Youde's soul finally enter the mourning hall.

　　Chapter 11: Disaster

　　"How is it? How is it?" Zhang Shan kept shaking my shoulders.

　　I woke up and the guy's beard was gone, his skin was white, and the horns on his head were gone. A pair of big eyes were staring at me.

　　"Cough, cough!" My throat still felt uncomfortable, so I coughed twice and was about to tell him the situation.

　　"Ah-ah!!!" A desperate howl suddenly rang out from the mourning hall, which frightened both of us.

　　There should be no one else in this yard except the two of us! Zhang Shan also stopped shaking me, and we both looked towards the mourning hall at the same time.

　　The white sheet covering Zhao Youde's body was blown to the ground by the wind. Zhao Youde was lying there straight, and the scream came from his mouth. I could clearly feel Zhang Shan's hand holding my shoulder trembling.

　　The screams continued, breaking the silence of the village. We both stayed where we were, not knowing what to do.

　　After about a minute, the screaming finally stopped.

　　"What did you do?" Zhang Shan asked me tremblingly, staring at Zhao Youde's body.

　　"I didn't do anything!" I felt my voice was a little out of tune, and I didn't know if it was because I was choked by the wine or because I was scared.

　　"Let's go and take a look!" Zhang Shan pulled me and was about to go into the mourning hall.

　　"Let go of me, damn it! I'm not going over there! If you want to go, go by yourself!" I tried to break free, but it was all in vain.

　　We walked into the mourning hall and came to Zhao Youde's body.

　　Zhao Youde, who had originally closed his eyes, now opened his eyes wide, stared upwards, and stretched his mouth to its limit.

　　This expression is nothing special, but when it appears on the face of a person who has been dead for six days, it is indescribably strange.

　　Zhang Shan let me go and slowly approached Zhao Youde. He stretched out a hand, as if trying to close his eyes. I stood at the feet of the corpse, not daring to move.

　　"Oh my god!" Zhang Shan suddenly yelled, and stumbled back to a pillar in the mourning hall. I heard him yelling, and sat down on the ground directly.

　　Zhao Youde's body sat up straight without the support of his arms, his eyes rolling stiffly.

　　When he turned to me, Zhao Youde raised his right hand and pointed at me, "You will suffer retribution!" Several words popped out from between his teeth. After saying that, he kept this posture and there was no more movement.

　　After a while, Zhang Shan saw that Zhao Youde really stopped moving, so he quickly came over and pulled me out of the mourning hall while I was lying on the ground.

　　"Phew—I'm so scared!" Zhang Shan let out a long sigh and asked me, "What happened? Did you get rid of Zhao Youde's nightmare?"

　　My eyes were dull as I looked at Zhao Youde who was pointing here, and my mind was filled with what had just happened.

　　"What was collected might be the soul..." I said tremblingly.

　　"What?! You took the soul!!!" Zhang Shan immediately jumped up and pointed at me.

　　"Oh my god! The corpse is resurrecting!!!" At this moment, someone in the side room where the Zhao family lived suddenly shouted, and then the door was pushed open. More than a dozen people from the Zhao family, big and small, ran out of the yard, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

　　"It's over...you're finished...what should I do?" Zhang Shan also sat down on the ground dejectedly.

　　I sat helplessly in Old Man Zhang's house halfway up the mountain. The village chief and the village party secretary stood in front of Old Man Zhang's bed, while Zhang Shan sat directly on the doorstep with his face facing outward.

　　The open space in front of the house was filled with angry Zhao family members and some villagers. They had been shouting all night, demanding that the village chief hand me over and bury me with Zhao Youde.

　　For the people living in the mountains, not being able to rest in peace after death, and even having to sit up instead of lying down, is simply as unacceptable as having their ancestral graves dug up.

　　In their opinion, this was a curse and the whole village was doomed to suffer. Naturally, they came to find me, the culprit, to hold me accountable.

　　"Master Zhang, is there really no solution?" asked the village chief with a frown.

　　As a village chief, what he fears most is this kind of conflict between villagers and outsiders. If he helps his own people, in most cases, illegal situations will occur, and he cannot break the law knowingly; if he helps outsiders, he will forget about carrying out his work in the village in the future.

　　The villagers don’t care whether you break the law or not, as long as you can help them, you are a good village chief.

　　Fortunately, Zhang Shan took me away before the Zhao family came back. When people quietly returned, they found that Zhao Youde's body was still sitting there, pointing forward.

　　We both disappeared long ago.

　　So the Zhao family gathered some villagers, including the village chief and the party secretary, and went to the old house halfway up the mountain on the other side of the river.

　　When they found me here, their emotions got out of control, and several of them rushed over with hoes and shovels. Fortunately, Zhang Shan was tall and strong, and he blocked them outside the house. That's why I was not beaten to death.

　　At this time, the village chief and the party secretary came in to negotiate with old man Zhang on behalf of the villagers. In fact, they were discussing how to help me escape.

　　"Ah, I didn't expect this to happen. It seems I really underestimated Zhao Youde." Old man Zhang lay on the bed, looking extremely haggard. "I'm not afraid if the nightmare escapes, but if the soul is taken away, there's really nothing I can do."

　　"It doesn't matter whether his soul is there or not, or whether the nightmare has been taken away or not. It's all a matter of your words. They believe whatever you say. The most important thing right now is to see how to turn Zhao Youde around. We can also give an explanation to the Zhao family. We can't just let him be buried sitting down, can we?" The village party secretary was able to see the situation more clearly and gave everyone advice.

　　"It's useless. This is the corpse-supporting curse. His waist muscles and bones are as hard as a rock. Even if you are the Monkey King, you can't move them." Old man Zhang closed his eyes and said, "It must be burned. Leaving it will cause trouble. There is no other way."

　　"Burning it is not a big problem, but how can we explain it to the Zhao family? Without an explanation, they will definitely not let us burn it." The village chief said worriedly.

　　"Well, you guys go out for a while, I'll talk to this kid alone, maybe there's a solution." Old man Zhang was still lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

　　It seemed that Old Man Zhang had a lot of prestige in the village. Not only did the villagers outside not dare to rush in, even the village chief and the village party secretary turned around and walked out without saying a word after hearing his instructions.

　　They walked out of the old house, and Zhang Shan, who was already standing outside the door, gently closed it.

　　At this time, there were only Old Man Zhang and I in the room.

　　"Child, come and sit here. Tell me in detail what happened from the day before yesterday to now." Old man Zhang opened his eyes, waved at me and said.

　　I obediently walked over and sat down beside Old Man Zhang's bed, and recounted to him verbatim my dream from the day before yesterday, as well as a series of events that happened last night.

　　"You said that Zhao Youde in your dream the night before turned into black smoke?" After listening to my story, Old Man Zhang raised a doubt.

　　Seeing me nod, Old Man Zhang sighed and said, "That is a nightmare, with a black aura."

　　"You also have a golden coffin. Why didn't you use it to directly collect Zhao Youde's nightmare?" I also had a few confusions lingering in my mind, and I couldn't help but ask.

　　"You want to know now? Haha," said old man Zhang with a smile.

　　"There are three reasons. First, after a person dies, the spirit of the soul is often stronger than the nightmare in the early stage, so most of the time we don't need to do anything. The soul will suppress the nightmare until it is broken up and no longer exists.

　　Secondly, in order to find out where Zhao Youde hid the money, I need to pull out the nightmare instead of rushing to collect it. Although the nightmare deceived you, the soul does not know where the money is. This is a question of memory selection, and I cannot explain it to you;

　　Thirdly, because Zhao Youde's soul was never within the protection range of the mourning hall, I did not dare to activate the golden coffin rashly, for fear that the soul might be taken in. I did not expect that I would still fall into Zhao Youde's nightmare. "

　　"What about the corpse-carrying curse?" This is what I am most worried about. It is a curse cast on me!

　　"The corpse-raising curse means that before the soul or nightmare disappears and is collected, it will risk being shattered and raise the corpse, point it at the person who has a grudge against it, and use the curse inside the corpse to urge the corpse to seek revenge on that person in the future." Old man Zhang explained patiently.

　　My back went numb when I heard this. Doesn't this mean that I'm about to be followed by a zombie?

　　Old man Zhang looked at my pale face and comforted me, "Don't worry about that. Just whip the body with jujube branches dipped in salt water for three days and three nights, and then burn it, and you will be safe. I will hand it over to the village chief. As for the Zhao family..."

　　As soon as Old Man Zhang changed the subject, my heart, which had just been relieved, began to rise again.

　　"This is a matter between people. I can't do anything about it."

　　I was getting anxious when I heard this. This old man had abandoned me after all! He forced me to do things for them, and when they caused trouble, he didn't come to clean up the mess.

　　Chapter 12 Vanishes into thin air

　　"However, if you are willing to give an explanation to Zhao Youde's wife and daughter, there may be a chance for the situation to improve." The old man knew exactly what I was thinking, and before I could lose my temper, he put forward his idea.

　　"Explain? How to explain?" I was stunned, not knowing what the old man meant.

　　"How did Zhao Youde die?" the old man guided me.

　　"AIDS……"

　　“Why did you get AIDS?”

　　"I earned it by selling my blood..."

　　“Why sell blood?”

　　"For his daughter...Oh! I understand. You mean that I should be responsible for the tuition of Zhao Youde's daughter?" I finally understood what the old man meant.

　　Of course I agreed. Giving out 200 yuan a month is much better than being beaten to death.

　　What's more, this is a good thing. It can be regarded as my repayment for Zhao Youde. No matter whether his soul knows about it in the future or whether he minds it or not, at least it is a comfort to me in my heart.

　　Seeing that I agreed, Old Man Zhang called in Zhao Youde’s elder brother Zhao Youcai.

　　The two sides began a round of negotiations.

　　Finally, Zhao Youcai, on behalf of the Zhao family, put forward a condition, that is, I would be responsible for all expenses of Zhao Youde Niuniu's nine-year compulsory education from the first grade of elementary school to junior high school graduation, totaling 21,600 yuan, which could be paid in one lump sum or in monthly payments.

　　From then on, the Zhao family no longer pursued the matter of Zhao Youde's "corpse resurrection", and Zhao Youde's body was left to old man Zhang to deal with.

　　After both parties confirmed that they were acceptable, the village head and the village party secretary were called in, and the agreement was signed on the spot, with both parties signing and placing their fingerprints on it.

　　The Zhao family’s guarantor is the village chief, and my guarantor is Old Man Zhang.

　　Old man Zhang even explained to the villagers the reason for the "resurrection of the corpse", saying it was a natural phenomenon and there was no need to panic. Only then did the villagers disperse.

　　At this point, the "corpse fraud incident" finally disappeared, and I can move freely.

　　After returning to the camp, my colleagues asked me about what happened last night. I didn't say a word, but told them in detail how Zhao Youde's daughter couldn't afford to go to school and how Zhao Youde sold blood to earn money for his daughter's tuition.

　　Unexpectedly, after the company leader learned about it, he took the initiative to contact the village chief and organized employees to donate money to Zhao Youde's family.

　　That night, the company leader knocked on the door of Zhao Youde's house with nearly 10,000 yuan donated by everyone.

　　Of course I won't count this money on myself. I have a problem and I'm a bit stubborn. It's my business and no one should help me.

　　On the morning of the third day, the two-day outdoor activity ended and we were about to go down the mountain and return to the city.

　　I came to the old house on the other side of the river on purpose and said goodbye to Old Man Zhang before leaving, as a way of thanking him for his help.

　　Old man Zhang held my hand and said, "Child, there are many ups and downs in life. This one is nothing. There are more difficult ones to come. As long as you can truly master your abilities and use them in the right way, in the future..."

　　"No!" I firmly interrupted his advice. "This ability does not belong to me, and I don't plan to use it again in the future. I only used it once, and it caused such a big disaster. I really am not cut out for this, so please stop trying to persuade me. Besides, there are more than one seal holder, so let others do this! I would rather be an ordinary person."

　　"Haha, you have your opinion, which is a good thing."

　　Old man Zhang was surprisingly not angry. "Since I met you two years ago, I knew you would be extraordinary in the future. We are destined to be together, and the master-disciple relationship is just empty talk. I don't have many days left, so I'll give you a few words in the end, and I hope you'll remember them forever:

　　The hundred sons of Na Yin are the gold in the sea, and the two paths run side by side to control all the souls.

　　What is destined to happen will eventually come true, and the magic sword should not be directed at good people.

　　There is a golden incense three feet above the forehead, which can help you without any action or seal.

　　Mortals can manage the affairs of heaven and earth, but the right path in the world is vicissitudes.

　　You go!" After saying that, Old Man Zhang closed his eyes and didn't look at me anymore.

　　Before getting on the car, I repeatedly reminded Zhang Shan, who came to see me off, to make sure Zhao Youde's body was burned cleanly.

　　It's not that I'm cruel, but he's now a ghost and a nightmare, and those who should leave have been taken away, and those who should be taken away have run away. Only a shell is left, and it's cursed. I don't want to be torn apart by a zombie when I walk on the road at night just a few days after returning to the city.

　　If the reason wasn't so absurd, I really wanted to take two days off and stay to watch it burn before leaving.

　　Under Zhang Shan's impatient gaze, the car finally started and slowly drove down the mountain.

　　Lying in the last row of the bus, my mind was filled with thoughts: What had happened in the past two days could not be refuted from a scientific point of view.

　　Are there really ghosts in this world? Or is this all a dream?

　　Looking at the written agreement signed by my brother Zhao Youde and I, I have to accept this reality - ghosts are in everyone's heart, mind, and even actions.

　　Just as Old Man Zhang said, if everyone is kind and upright, their souls will be strong and can always suppress nightmares. The devil in the mind will never come out.

　　In short, no matter where you are from, do not go near a funeral out of curiosity. Remember!

　　But this kind of life of fear came back to me two months later.

　　City corpse search

　　Chapter 1: Meeting Zhang Shan Again

　　A few days after returning to the city, I had a big fight with my mother.

　　I feel like she is still educating me in the same old way she did ten years ago, telling me all day long that so-and-so has helped us, and we should remember that. If someone asks for help, we should run away quickly, and we should be grateful and repay the kindness…

　　I really couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but complain, and then I was rudely asked to leave the house by my mother.

　　There was no other choice but to stay at my colleague's house for a few days, and wait until my mother had calmed down before thinking about going back.

　　I still stick to the daily routine of going to and from work, but the difference is that my previous routine has changed from home to company to my colleague's home to company.

　　In order not to affect the normal and happy life of our colleague's couple, I took the initiative to choose to go home later every day to leave them more private space.

　　During these boring days, I became crazy about drinking and had a glass almost with every meal.

　　I found that white wine is really a good thing. After taking a sip, your stomach will immediately feel hot. As long as you can suppress this first sensation, the heat will soon reach your limbs and bones, and you will feel indescribably good. It's like having just finished a sauna, and your whole body is lazy. After drinking two ounces, all your worries will disappear.

　　As for low wages, little money, being scolded and quarreled, these are not a big deal. Anyway, it will be the same whether you worry or not, so why should we worry?

　　A philosopher once said it well: Life is like being raped. If you can't resist, you might as well learn to enjoy it! After eating half a catty, go back to bed comfortably, and don't have to have that annoying dream. The next day you will feel comfortable all day!

　　My girlfriend and I met during this period.

　　That night I was drinking alone at a night market on the street. I vaguely remember that I had finished two 200g bottles of Erguotou and three bottles of beer. I was in a particularly good mood and felt invincible. Then I heard a man and a woman arguing behind me.

　　The man said, "Girl, I'm a legitimate operator, I use the meter, it's twelve dollars from the train station to here, not much more."

　　"Just give it up!" The girl said, "From the train station to here, it's only nine yuan, ten yuan at most. Ten yuan is good enough for me. You should be satisfied!"

　　"Girl, we have to be reasonable. It's clearly twelve yuan on my display, but you insist on giving me ten yuan. This is unacceptable." The taxi driver relied on the evidence he had and insisted that the girl pay the remaining two yuan.

　　"Don't be so shameless. You tampered with the meter, do you think I don't know? Don't be a beggar and complain that the steamed bun is dry!"

　　"Poof!" After hearing the last sentence, I burst into tears. It was really spicy.

　　"Hey, how can you talk like that, girl? Why didn't your family educate you well and just let you go?" When the taxi driver heard the girl swearing, he became unhappy and was about to grab the girl's arm.

　　I didn't want to get involved in this matter, but the two of them started fighting behind me, and I felt a little uncomfortable.

　　"All right, let go! How dare you, a grown man, bully a girl?" I was so drunk that my tongue was swollen. I stood up shakily and spoke to the taxi driver incoherently.

　　"Who are you? What's bothering you?" Seeing that he was a drunk, the taxi driver did not dare to go too far and took the initiative to let go. They often saw drunks when driving at night, and drunk people dared to do anything.

　　"Isn't it just two dollars? I'll give it to you!" I felt proud when I saw the taxi driver looked depressed.

　　What I hate most about drinking is talking nonsense.

　　"Hey! Who the hell are you calling grandpa?" The driver, who had originally retracted his arrogance, regained his momentum when he heard me say that he wanted to take advantage of him.

　　"Damn it, I call you grandpa." I was completely drunk and followed him into the trap.

　　"Pfft!" The girl next to her covered her mouth and laughed.

　　The guests at the tables next to us also stopped eating and drinking and looked at us in surprise. I also heard someone at the table next to us say, "It's rare that someone who stepped forward to settle the matter took the initiative to call someone grandpa."

　　Hey! This time I was so embarrassed! I had already drunk quite a bit of alcohol, so I got really angry. I turned around, picked up a beer bottle from the table, and smashed it at the taxi behind the driver.

　　"Snap!" With a crisp sound, the taxi windshield cracked.

　　Miraculously, the glass beer bottle was intact and rolled back to the ground after falling.

　　I was just marveling at the quality of the beer bottles when I heard the girl behind me yell, “Watch out!”

　　Another "bang!" and the beer bottle finally broke. A small piece remained in the taxi driver's hand, and my head cracked.

　　It didn't hurt at all, but I passed out anyway.

　　I had a dream that I was holding a golden sword, wearing black gold armor, and commanding thousands of troops to fight against ghosts in hell.

　　The soldiers who were killed stood up again, turned into zombies, and rushed towards us. The soldiers around me fell one after another, and finally, I was the only one left.

　　The golden sword has been stained with blood and turned bright red. Millions of ghost soldiers surrounded me. I watched as my former subordinates became enemies and slowly approached.

　　I gave up resistance, closed my eyes, and waited for the fatal blow.

　　Suddenly, a deep voice came from far away and approached. I opened my eyes and found that millions of ghosts were leaning down and worshiping me. I looked up and saw a black coffin floating above my head. At this time, the lid of the black coffin was opened, and a golden light shone brightly. I was sucked into the black coffin. The inside of the coffin was like a bottomless abyss. I kept falling down, and kept falling...

　　I finally fell on a bed.

　　"Ah!" I touched my head which was tightly wrapped in gauze and felt a burning pain coming from above.

　　"Don't move! Be careful of the wound!" A girl's voice sounded in my ears.

　　I opened my eyes and saw a delicate face in front of the bed, with big eyes, a high nose, slightly upturned mouth corners and two lovely dimples. I was confused. "Who are you?" I asked puzzled.

　　"Pfft~" The delicate face covered her mouth and laughed because of my amusement. "It seems that you drank a lot! Last night you smashed someone's taxi to help me, have you forgotten?"

　　"Oh~ I have some impression. He didn't ask you for money for the glass, right?" I tried to recall.

　　"How dare he ask for money? He knocked you unconscious and drove away." The girl's emotions began to fluctuate after hearing my question. "I'm talking to you! I've never seen such a foolish hero saving a beautiful girl! Not only did he fail to save the beautiful girl, but he almost lost his life! You even need a beautiful girl to serve you!"

　　"I'm so sorry, but... well, you can barely be considered a beauty!" Although I had a splitting headache, I was not willing to give in. I had lost face last night, and I couldn't lose face again.

　　"How boring! So petty! Never mind! Anyway I still want to thank you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ni Qian!" The girl generously extended her little hand to me.

　　"...Wang Ziqi."

　　From then on, I would find various reasons to invite Ni Qian to dinner, movies, and parks every now and then.

　　She always agreed to come to me without hesitation, and then she would arrive slowly every time while I was waiting anxiously. It seems that beautiful women need to be waited for.

　　I always wondered why she liked me so much, and why she would always come to meet me. But every time I asked her, she would just smile and keep silent.

　　Eighteen days after I ran away from home, my mother and I finally made peace through the patient mediation of my two aunts.

　　The next day at noon, I found a restaurant and, accompanied by two "mediators", I calmly had lunch with my mother and announced my official return.

　　But I had one condition: I could choose to eat at home instead of living there every day. I was getting older and needed my own space. As for where to live? I just told them to rent a house with my colleagues, and to go to bed early and get up early, and not to do anything illegal.

　　My life returned to normal, still going to work and going to bed early and getting up early. In addition, I added one more thing: eating two meals with Ni Qian every week, going shopping, and watching a movie.

　　Two months later, on a Saturday, I left home and prepared to rush to the city center to watch a movie with Ni Qian. When I reached the entrance of the city hospital, a big hand suddenly touched my shoulder.

　　Recently, I don't know why, but I hate it most when someone suddenly pats me from behind. This frightening feeling makes me particularly uncomfortable.

　　I even looked up the most effective "finger-bending method" on the Internet to defend against this move. When someone reaches out and taps you on the shoulder from behind, you don't need to turn around. In the first moment, the hand on the other side of the tapped shoulder quickly inserts from the front of your body, grabs the other person's little finger, and then pushes back or rotates it, which can instantly reverse the situation and turn defense into offense.

　　After asking a few colleagues to try it out, I found that this method is quite feasible and has worked every time.

　　The moment the big hand rested on my shoulder, I moved and immediately grabbed the other person's little finger and twisted it back.

　　I tried to bend it, but it didn't budge. Then I realized that the other person's little finger was very thick, even thicker than my thumb. What a big hand!

　　As far as I can remember, I have only seen one person with hands this big. He lifted me like a chicken.

　　I wisely loosened my finger and turned around. As I expected, Zhang Shan was looking at me happily from behind.

　　Chapter 2 Only Three Days Left

　　"What a rare guest! What brings you here?" I was still very happy to see Zhang Shan, even though he had given me a lot of trouble on the mountain. But he was so straightforward and said what he meant. Compared to the many intrigues in today's society, his transparency was particularly rare.

　　"I've come to you for refuge, uncle-master!" This guy still kept calling him uncle-master.

　　"Delei, can you please stop calling me like that? You are almost ten years older than me. If you call me like that every day, it would be uncomfortable for me as well." I felt a headache when I heard him call me uncle-master.

　　"What did you say just now? You come to me for help? Where is your grandfather?" Only then did I realize what he meant by his words.

　　Zhang Shan is an orphan who was picked up by Old Man Zhang at the gate of their county hospital thirty years ago. Because Old Man Zhang never married, he took the orphan back to the mountain and raised him as his own grandson. He named him Zhang Shan.

　　These are what Old Man Zhang told me before I went down the mountain.

　　"Grandpa is gone." When mentioning old man Zhang, Zhang Shan's expression became noticeably gloomy.

　　"Gone?" I didn't understand what "gone" meant for a moment.

　　"A few days ago, grandpa had just recovered from his illness, and he insisted on going out to move around. Ten days later, grandpa called me to the main room and told me that he was going up the mountain to find himself a Feng Shui treasure land, and he would never come back. Before leaving, grandpa also said that I was in my thirties and should come to the city to see the world and make a living for myself, instead of staying in the mountains all the time, facing the earth and the sky. By the way, I came to protect you..." Zhang Shan felt more and more uncomfortable as he spoke, and his voice choked up at the end, and he couldn't continue.

　　I felt sad after hearing this. It seemed that Old Man Zhang knew that his life was coming to an end and he planned to live out his days alone in the mountains. He also didn't want anyone to worry about him anymore.

　　"Huh? Protect me?" After hearing the last part, I found something wrong again.

　　Zhang Shan wiped his tears and said embarrassedly: "I'm telling you the truth. The body of Zhao Youde, who was cursed with the corpse, ran away."

　　"Run away? How did he run away? Wasn't he burned?" When I heard that, my head started buzzing.

　　"Originally, I was planning to burn it. My grandfather told me to smoke it with jujube branches dipped in salt water for three days and three nights before burning it. I was afraid of problems, so I smoked it myself for the first three days and two nights. On the third night, I couldn't hold on any longer, so I called three young men from the village to take turns smoking it for me. I thought it would be okay if I just watched from the side. I didn't expect that I was so sleepy that I fell asleep early in the morning. Those naughty kids saw me fall asleep and ran away before midnight. When I woke up at dawn, there was no trace of Zhao Youde's body..." Zhang Shan's voice became smaller and smaller as he spoke. He was afraid that I would lose my temper.

　　The more I listened, the heavier my heart felt, and the more confused my mind became.

　　This is the end. The corpse has been cursed and will definitely come after me!

　　Old man Zhang said that the corpse cursed by the corpse-supporting curse is as strong as iron and steel, and has infinite strength. And it will not stop until it achieves its goal, and must tear the culprit into pieces before the curse is lifted.

　　I am less than 1.8 meters tall and weigh about 120 to 130 kilograms, but it is still not enough to fill its teeth. Being watched by such a half-human, half-ghost walking corpse in the dark every day, I would be scared to death if I am not killed.

　　How did I end up in such a situation!

　　"It's over... it's over..." I was completely at a loss and could only stand by leaning against the wall.

　　"But don't worry, we still have plenty of time." Zhang Shan saw that I was in a state of dismay and comforted me, "Grandpa said that the corpse-supporting curse has been used with jujube tree branches for three days and two nights. In terms of strength alone, it is no different from that of an ordinary person now."

　　"Oh? That's good! That's good!" I felt like I was in hell and suddenly found the road to heaven.

　　"But..." Zhang Shan hesitated to speak.

　　"But what?" I couldn't stand the slightest blow at this moment. I jumped up and grabbed Zhang Shan's arm, asking with my eyes wide open.

　　"But it also knows this very well. It is in urgent need of a large amount of Yin energy to replenish itself. It will not rush to kill you. It will hide first and wait until 81 days later when its strength is fully restored. It will then come looking for you again." Zhang Shan explained.

　　"Ninety-nine eighty-one days..." I counted the days until I came down the mountain. "Three days left?!"

　　"kindness……"

　　"Then what were you doing before? Why did you tell me only now!" I yelled at Zhang Shan.

　　"We spent two months searching the mountain. We searched every hilltop and cave within a ten-kilometer radius. There was no trace of it. Grandpa said it might have followed your scent all the way here. It should be hiding in a very dark place in the city, waiting to open the final barrier."

　　"Then what are you waiting for? Go find it!!!" I was getting a little crazy. It will come out in three days, which is no different from me having only three days left to live.

　　"Yeah, don't worry, I'm here to find you." Zhang Shan has gotten used to being yelled at by me again and again.

　　"Damn, you're not in a hurry, but it turns out he's after me, not you! What's the point of you looking for me? I don't have any strength or a gun. Do you expect me to help you with my face?!"

　　"But you are the seal holder!" Zhang Shan stared at me solemnly and said.

　　"I..." I was stunned. I really had forgotten about this a long time ago. "Are you saying that I can subdue the corpse-supporting curse?"

　　"No, even grandpa is not sure, let alone you. But before grandpa left, he asked me to give you the "Dream Record". It contains various methods of stimulating abilities compiled by seal holders of successive dynasties over thousands of years. You just need to learn from it..." Zhang Shan said, taking out a booklet wrapped in oil paper from his backpack.

　　I snatched it away and tore open the oil paper. I saw the three words "Zhemenglu" written in vigorous and powerful cursive script in the middle of the yellow thread-bound book cover.

　　When I opened it, every page was covered with tiny handwritten characters. The pages were slightly yellowed, and it was obvious that it was quite old.

　　I flipped through the book aimlessly and asked, "If I just practice according to what's written in this book, can I find a way to deal with the Corpse-supporting Curse?"

　　"Maybe. Even if not, you still have a way out." Zhang Shan didn't say too much.

　　"Why don't you learn?"

　　"I don't have the seal of inaction." Zhang Shan waved his arm at me. "I can only look at the first few pages, which are still somewhat useful."

　　"How long will it take me to learn this?"

　　I looked at the small words everywhere. I felt unsure. I have been afraid of reading books full of words since I was a child.

　　"Not to mention learning, let alone mastering it. Just memorizing it all will take one or two years," Zhang Shan replied.

　　"... Zhang Shan."

　　"kindness?"

　　"Do you want me to die with you? You clearly know that there are only three days left, yet you still took out this damn book. Do you have any solution? If you do, tell me! If not, get out!"

　　I finally got angry. How could this guy come to save me? It was obvious that he was just waiting to collect my body.

　　"Why don't you wait for me to finish speaking! I just took out the book and you snatched it away. I've never seen you so impatient!" Zhang Shan was also a little impatient, and took the book away again.

　　"Grandpa said that the 'Record of Horrifying Dreams' itself is not worth much. But some of the methods in it are vicious and cruel, and against the harmony of nature. You must first swear to not practice these things before I can officially hand it over to you." Zhang Shan said to me with a serious face.

　　"Okay, okay, okay! I swear that I will never practice those vicious kung fu. You know, I don't want to be a seal holder. Give me the book quickly!" I said decisively.

　　In fact, I don't take it seriously. The book is in my hand and my eyes are on me. You, Zhang Shan, don't know whether I have read it or practiced it. As long as I can save my life first, I can worry about other things later.

　　"How to practice? Where to start?" After officially taking over "Dream Record", I couldn't wait to ask Zhang Shan.

　　"You can read the book when you get home tonight. Now we have to figure out one thing: has the corpse-supporting curse already sneaked into the city? If so, it will be much easier to find it. If not, it looks like I really have to collect your body." Zhang Shan said solemnly.

　　"Then how can I know if it is coming?" I found that I didn't even have the ability to analyze and judge at this time.

　　"Who knows?"

　　"You!..." I just felt better and this guy came to annoy me again.

　　"I mean, only the ghost knows, so we are going to ask the ghost tonight." Zhang Shan said seriously.

　　"Ask about the ghost? Where is the ghost?" I was skeptical.

　　"The place where ghosts gather the most is called a ghost market. As long as we find the location of the ghost market in Zhengzhou City, we may be able to find out the whereabouts of the corpse-supporting curse."

　　"Where is the ghost collection?"

　　"Have you got two dollars?"

　　"Yes, what for?"

　　"Go, buy a map of Zhengzhou and let's look for it together."

　　“…”

　　We bought a map of Zhengzhou at a nearby newsstand, and then sat in front of the flower bed of the Municipal Hospital with the map spread out.

　　Zhang Shan was measuring something while patiently explaining to me, "Guiji is different from what you city people call the city center. It must be the most central location of the city, and it is also the intersection of the yin and yang veins of the city. I remember telling you that ghosts are a general term for souls and nightmares. So no matter whether it is a soul or a nightmare, they will gather near Guiji after nightfall, and through these two major veins of the city, they will harmonize their own yin and yang..."

　　"Do ghosts also have yang energy?" I asked in confusion.

　　"Everything has yin and yang. Extreme yin or extreme yang is only relative, not absolute. Ghosts are no exception. You see, I have marked the approximate locations of the four major mysterious gates in Zhengzhou. If I guess correctly, the ghost gathering should be here." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he pressed his finger on the middle of a path along the river.

　　Chapter 3 The Book of Dreams

　　"Beizhakou?!" Although this is a place name in old Zhengzhou and there is no mark on the map, I am very familiar with it.

　　According to historical records, in 1927, when General Feng Yuxiang was in charge of Henan, construction of the Bishagang Highway began in the northwest of Zhengzhou. It started from the north gate of Zhengzhou Station on the Beijing-Hankou Railway in the east and ended at the southwest corner of Bishagang in the west. It was 2.5 kilometers long and 9 meters wide. The road surface was paved and flattened with a mixture of gravel and cement.

　　In order to protect the road surface, side roads were set up for cattle and horse vehicles to drive on the dirt roads on both sides of the highway. This was the first highway built by Feng's garrison in Zhengzhou.

　　Afterwards, Bishagang Highway became a flat road leading to the railway station in the west of Zhengzhou.

　　To get from the west to the old city and the railway station, you have to cross the railway level crossing set up by the Beijing-Hankou Railway at the west entrance of Erdao Street. To ensure safety, the railway department installed guardrails at the crossing. When the train passes, the guardrails will be lowered and the crossing will be closed.

　　In the old days, the local municipal government thought of sluices and ship locks, and as the name suggests, they called the crossing a gate. Because it was located on the north side of the railway station, over time, it became customary to call a large area near the railway crossing the North Gate, the one to the west the West Gate (west of the north entrance of Tiegongli today), and the Railway Cultural Palace crossing the South Gate, which has been called this name for more than 50 years.

　　When the streets were reorganized in 1979, Erdao Street at Beizhakou was extended to the east side of the railway crossing of the North Station marshalling yard (now closed).

　　In order to preserve a place name with the imprint of the railway and respect the habits of the people, the West Gate to the west of Tiegongli was extended to the bridgehead of Beijing-Guangzhou North Road. Because it is located north of Tiegongli, it was renamed Beizhakou Street, which is still used today. (The above information is excerpted from: "Zhengzhou City Annals")

　　In the past decade, with the evolution of history, Beizhakou has now become a gathering place for all kinds of pets such as flowers, birds, fish, insects, cats and dogs.

　　After listening to my general description, Zhang Shan nodded and said, "Now we can basically conclude that Beizhakou is the place where the ghost market in Zhengzhou is located. The smell of cats and dogs is also an important reason that attracts them here!"

　　"So what should we do?" I still didn't know what to do next.

　　"It's five minutes to seven now. Go home quickly and memorize the first chapter of The Dream Record from beginning to end. I don't ask you to understand much, just memorize it all. It might be useful tonight. I'm going to hurry up and get some equipment. We'll meet here at 12 o'clock tonight and go to Beizhakou to fight in the ghost market!"

　　After giving the order, Zhang Shan stood up and turned away. He took just two steps and then stepped back, spreading his huge hand towards me: "Give me 200 yuan!"

　　“…What?”

　　"You don't have to spend money to buy things? Besides, I haven't eaten for a whole day waiting for you!"

　　“…”

　　I hurried back home and called Ni Qian first. I lied to her that some relatives had come to my hometown and I had to stay at home to entertain them for the next two days, and I would come out to accompany her the day after tomorrow.

　　Listening to the complaints on the other end of the phone, I could only smile bitterly. I decided to wait until I was alive again to tell her in detail. If I told her about this, she would definitely think I was crazy.

　　I had no appetite to eat, so I simply locked myself in the room and started reading "The Dream Record".

　　I originally thought that The Dream Record was full of difficult-to-understand classical Chinese, but it is not the case. For people of my generation, it has obviously reached a certain level of vernacular Chinese.

　　If the book didn't describe ghosts and monsters, I would have regarded it as a popular science book. The current edition should be the result of continuous editing and renovation by the seal holders.

　　Since most of the methods and props introduced in the book can only be used effectively by people who possess the Wuwei Seal, for others, it is no different from a pile of waste paper.

　　It is precisely because of this that the Dream Record should never be afraid of being stolen by others, allowing it to be passed down to this day.

　　It is impossible to verify who was the first person to discover and propose the word "Zhemeng".

　　The earliest seal holder mentioned in the book was a doctor in the Han Dynasty named Zhang Zeru, also known by the courtesy name Qiaosheng. The book describes him as "solemn as the wind under a pine tree, high and slow. His white clothes are like plum blossoms in the snow, bitterly cold in vain."

　　This reminded me of the statue placed in Old Man Zhang’s house. It should be him.

　　Zhang Zeru discovered his own abilities and the unique group of seal holders. He collected and compiled a small part of it, which is now the first chapter of "Dream Record" in my hand - Theory of Good and Evil.

　　After reading it carefully, I realized that the "Record of Dreams" is not about how the seal holder can catch evil spirits and punish evil spirits through dreams. Instead, it is about how to understand some information about the target person through dream interpretation, so as to eliminate the filth lurking in people.

　　As for the golden coffin, it is a magical tool that every seal holder must have.

　　Although it is invisible and intangible in reality, it is connected to the Wuwei Seal. When the seal holder activates the Wuwei Seal, the golden coffin opens at the same time, locking the subdued nightmare into the coffin, so that it will never get out.

　　The most important part of the theory of good and evil is how the person holding the seal can, while being conscious, use the seal of inaction to step into the mysterious gate and directly come into contact with ghosts.

　　Of course, there are quite a few that I don’t quite understand. Some names, such as Difu, Huangpi, Yanzi, etc., no matter how hard I try, I still have no idea what they mean.

　　Time passed by minute by minute. Although the Good and Evil Theory is the shortest chapter in the book, it not only covers the origin of the seal holder and the seal of inaction, but also includes many basic skills such as dream induction, wax rubbing, and entering the mysterious gate, as well as the production and use of magic tools. It has at least 7,000 to 8,000 words. How can it be easy for Zhang Shan to memorize it?

　　There is no other way. In order to survive, I have to memorize as much as I can!

　　Fortunately, the book is written in vernacular Chinese, and the content is mostly line by line, telling you how to do this and how to do that, so it is relatively easy to remember.

　　I skipped the long section at the beginning about the history of the Wuwei Seal and its bearer. By 11:30, I had read the book three times and memorized most of the content.

　　I went to the kitchen and stuffed some food in my hand. I looked at the Dream Record in my hand and thought I should leave it at home. After all, Mr. Zhang has been hiding it for a lifetime. No one knows what will happen tonight. I can't let it be destroyed in my hands.

　　Everyone in my family had already gone to bed. I first took out a switchblade from the drawer and put it in my pocket. Then I turned off the lights, tiptoed to the door, gently opened it and walked out.

　　Zhang Shan had obviously returned a long time ago, and was lying on a bench beside the flower bed in front of the hospital, with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. The backpack on the ground beneath him was bulging, and I wondered what he had bought.

　　Hearing someone approaching, Zhang Shan opened his eyes and saw that it was me, and quickly sat up. He asked me, "What do you remember?"

　　"Almost. After reading it several times, I can remember most of it. Is it really useful to remember this?" I still don't understand why I have to remember this.

　　"Oh, it's hard for you, just leave it to fate! I don't know if it will work or not, just take it one step at a time, it never hurts to know more!" Zhang Shan looked up at the sky, stood up and said, "Let's go! It's past midnight, and we have a lot of miles to go tonight. Don't delay any longer."

　　"Walk? Why not take a taxi? There are plenty of empty taxis here!" I asked puzzled.

　　"I want to tell you something my grandfather told me. Do you think the driver will be interested?" Zhang Shan turned his head and looked at me sideways.

　　"Oh, let's go." I followed him reluctantly. I should have changed into a pair of sneakers earlier. The leather shoes I'm wearing now are very uncomfortable to walk in.

　　"Although I'm not a seal holder, I've learned a lot from wandering around with my grandfather since I was a child. It can be said that if you were by my side, with your natural conditions, I would be half a seal holder. This is also the main reason why I want you to go with me tonight. Together, with your talent and my ability, we won't end up dead on the streets." Zhang Shan said to me as he walked.

　　I was silent, not knowing what to say.

　　Ever since I learned that Zhao Youde’s body was missing, I have been worried about it all the time.

　　The reason why Zhang Shan said this was partly to comfort me.

　　Even Old Man Zhang couldn't deal with the Corpse-raising Curse. What can we, two ordinary people, a young boy who only has the Seal of Inaction but can do about nothing else, do?

　　In fact, before I left the house, I had already read through the "Record of Dreams", hoping to find a way to break the corpse-supporting curse. But contrary to my expectations, there was no introduction to the corpse-supporting curse in the book.

　　It can be seen that the person holding the seal has no way to deal with this kind of monster.

　　Zhang Shan beside me also noticed my emotion, sighed, stopped and looked at me, and said word by word: "When I was young, the children in the village always scolded me for being picked up and having no father or mother.

　　I always ignored them at that time, thinking that if I avoided them for a long time, they would stop talking to me. But the more I avoided them, the more they chased me and scolded me, and in the end, they just threw stones at me from behind.

　　Every time this happened, I would run home crying and tell my grandfather.

　　My grandfather told me that I couldn't avoid it. If I hid, they would look down on me for the rest of my life. Since it had already happened, I had to face it bravely. If they hit me again, I would hit them back.

　　Then I went back that day and beat them all up one by one. From then on, they never dared to mess with me again.

　　So, uncle-master, it’s your business and it’s yours.

　　If you don't have confidence in yourself, you will never be able to hide. Even if you can escape this time, what about next time? What about the next time? You don't want to hide for the rest of your life, right?

　　If you want to hide, you can, just tell me now, we don't need to waste so much time, just run as far as you can. But you have to know that it is not a human, and its speed of finding you is always faster than your speed of hiding. "

　　Chapter 4: The Four Mysterious Gates

　　I was shocked when I heard what Zhang Shan said.

　　Yes, although his words were simple, escaping is not a solution, and I don’t even have the qualifications to escape.

　　Since stretching my neck is a knife, shrinking my neck is also a knife, I take the initiative to face it, maybe I can have a chance to fight back. If I don't even have the courage to face it directly, I will collapse before the enemy arrives.

　　It's always like this. The principles that are easy to understand in normal times can only be truly understood when they are needed and someone else has to tell you about them.

　　I took a deep breath. Zhang Shan was right. I only had two choices now. Either I cheer up and fight until my last breath, at least I had tried my best. Or I wait to die here.

　　Do I have any other choice?

　　"I understand, but I think this is too cruel to Zhao Youde. I let his nightmare go, locked up his soul, and now I have to destroy his body..." I finally took another step forward.

　　Now that you have decided to face it calmly, don't think about those useless things anymore.

　　"I don't think you need to feel any psychological burden about this. When a person dies, it's like a light goes out. Zhao Youde, who was cursed with the corpse, is now a walking corpse. From a medical point of view, he only has one breath and one thought left. He has no emotions or memories, only one thought, which is to kill you.

　　I believe Zhao Youde is not a bad person by nature, but at the last moment, you and he were both deceived, which led to the current situation. "Zhang Shan was quite happy to see that my mind was clear again.

　　"No matter what, I caused the bad consequences. I don't hate Zhao Youde. If I have the ability, I will definitely try my best to do something for him." I looked up at the sky. This poor man ended up like this after his death. It was really not what I wanted.

　　"Destroying the corpse-supporting curse will be the best help to him. Let's go quickly, every minute and every second is precious to us. The earlier we find the corpse-supporting curse, the more hope we will have." Zhang Shan said as he took out something from his bag that should be a compass. I have only seen this thing on TV.

　　I saw him turn around and gesture a few times, then he strode towards the west. I could only hurriedly follow him.

　　"Can I ask you a question?" We walked for a long time without anyone speaking, and the atmosphere was tense. I hoped to find some topics to relax myself a little.

　　"Go ahead!" Zhang Shan always answers every question.

　　"What do the so-called four major mysterious gates you marked on the map mean?" After buying the map in the evening, Zhang Shan measured several times and drew a circle at Zijingshan Park in Zhengzhou City, Zhengzhou Daily News Agency on Longhai Road, Zhengfang Machinery and a place in the south, saying that they were the four major mysterious gates in Zhengzhou City.

　　I was puzzled at the time, and now I asked it casually as a way of making small talk.

　　"The so-called Xuanmen is the place where Yin and Yang rotate. I have said that everything has Yin and Yang. A city is like a big magnet, it has both Yin and Yang.

　　The difference is that with the flow of people, the yin and yang of the city will change. For example, in the morning, people go out to work in the east. At this time, the yang energy in the east will be strong, while that in the city will be weak. In order to maintain the balance of yin and yang, the East Xuanmen will play its role, allowing the yin and yang to flow between each other to achieve the balance of the entire city. Xuanmen is invisible and intangible. To put it bluntly, it is just a channel to regulate yin and yang, and it is also a barrier to block yin and yang. Every city has its own unique Xuanmen. Not all are the same. "Zhang Shan said as he walked.

　　"Then according to what you said, although Xuanmen is the regulator of the city, it actually has no impact on our lives at all."

　　"Not necessarily. Every time the Xuanmen opens and yin and yang meet, some people with yin or yang constitutions who happen to pass by here may have some minor accidents, such as fainting suddenly, or being distracted and causing a car accident, falling, getting lost, etc. As long as you pay attention to the news frequently, you will find that some sudden events in the city often happen near the Xuanmen. But as long as people are careful to keep themselves healthy, they will generally not be affected."

　　This reminds me of two things from my childhood. Now it seems that they are both related to Xuanmen.

　　I was weak when I was young, so I was more yin. One weekend in my third year of junior high school, I went to Zijingshan Park with my classmates.

　　Zijing Mountain is the location of the East Xuan Gate of Zhengzhou City. In fact, there is nothing fun in Zijing Mountain Park, but in those days, if you didn't want to spend money, you had to go to the park to play. Everyone got together just to play around and take a few photos.

　　During my high school years, we went to parks almost every week, such as People's Park, Zijingshan Park, Bishagang Park, and Greentown Plaza. As long as we were not staying at home, it was fine.

　　After a stroll around the park, we found it boring, so we left early and planned to discuss what to do next. However, when we felt our pockets, we found they were empty and we didn't have enough money for dinner. We had no choice but to go home.

　　I didn't want to go home so early, so I rode my bike to the Xinhua Bookstore, 500 meters north, to read some books.

　　In fact, standing at the entrance of Zijingshan Park, you can see the big sign on the roof of Xinhua Bookstore on Huayuan Road from a distance. It is only a distance of 300 to 500 meters. Logically speaking, with such a clear goal, the chance of taking the wrong road is almost zero.

　　But the problem happened. The further I walked, the more strange it felt. The big sign of Xinhua Bookstore was right in front of me, but no matter how hard I pedaled, I could never get there.

　　More than ten minutes later, I stopped and the Xinhua Bookstore sign was still in front of me, yes!

　　It was only a distance of 500 meters, but it took less than ten minutes to ride a bicycle. This is obviously unacceptable.

　　When I turned my attention from the sign in the distance to the surrounding streets, I realized that this was not the Huayuan Road running north-south, but the Jinshui Road running east-west. I was almost out of the city.

　　I looked up for the Xinhua Bookstore sign again, but couldn't find it.

　　In fact, even today, citizens still get lost in Zijing Mountain, and many of them are Zhengzhou natives who have lived here for most of their lives.

　　The second incident happened a year later, also about getting lost, and it was related to Xixuanmen where Zhengzhou Daily was located. But this time it was even more weird.

　　My aunt's house is at an intersection west of Zhengzhou Daily. Just turn south and you'll get there.

　　I have been walking this road since I was a kid, and I should never have taken the wrong road. Moreover, the road here is flat, wide, and less crowded, unlike Zijingshan Park, where there are many forks and overpasses. If I were to take the wrong road without paying attention, it would be understandable.

　　I remember it was noon one day, I rode my bike to deliver some local specialties brought from my old family to my aunt on behalf of my mother.

　　The reason why I remember getting lost this time is that I had just bought a new Casio watch. When I left home, I checked the time and it was one o'clock. If nothing unexpected happened, I would be able to reach my aunt's house in 30 minutes.

　　Nothing happened along the way, and there were few pedestrians on the road at noon, so I rode very fast. When I passed the Zhengzhou Daily News Agency, I looked at my watch and it was 1:25.

　　As long as I turn south at the next intersection, I will be there in less than five minutes.

　　Many times, strange things come to you quietly.

　　After I turned south at the next intersection and rode forward for nearly 20 minutes, the asphalt road under my feet suddenly turned into a gravel road. In front of me was an endless wheat field.

　　I was very confused. My aunt's house was not very remote, so how could there be such a large wheat field in the city?

　　Under such circumstances, I naturally didn't dare to go forward. After looking around, all I could see was green wheat and a small forest.

　　Fortunately, it was noon, and I wasn't that scared. I had no choice but to turn around and ride back.

　　Forty minutes later, we finally saw the Zhengzhou Daily building again.

　　But I just couldn't understand why it took me 20 minutes to get to the field, but it took me 40 minutes to get back the same way. The way back was twice as long as the way there.

　　To this day, I still can't figure out whether these two incidents of getting lost were due to me not paying attention and taking the wrong path or whether I encountered something inexplicable.

　　But I can only tell you that I was absolutely conscious at that time.

　　As for the Xinhua Bookstore sign that always appeared in my sight and the time I came and went, I could only keep it in my heart. If this kind of thing was said as if it were true, I would be ridiculed by everyone.

　　Chapter 5: Night Road Along the River

　　There is a very famous stinking ditch in Zhengzhou City, called Jinshui River.

　　Legend has it that 2,500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a famous politician named Zichan in the State of Zheng (now Guancheng District, Zhengzhou) in the area of ​​Zhengzhou today. During his 26 years in power, he worked hard to govern the country, was honest and incorruptible, and did one good thing after another for the people.

　　When he died, the great thinker Confucius said with tears in his eyes: "Zichan is a blessing left to us by the ancient times."

　　At that time, in order to commemorate Zichan, the common people took out their gold and silver jewelry for his funeral, but Zichan's children refused to accept them.

　　The people then threw their gold and silver jewellery into the river, and the river began to glow golden because of the brilliant light of the jewellery, and hence it was named Jinshui River.

　　Although the ancient Jinshui River has such a beautiful legend, due to problems with its management efforts, the Jinshui River has never exuded the same glory as its name since liberation.

　　Yanhe Road, as the name suggests, is a road built along the Jinshui River from Dashiqiao to the Medical College.

　　Don’t underestimate this short section of road. It is here that China’s two major arteries, the Longhai Line and the Beijing-Guangzhou Line, intersect at the railway bridge along the river road and go in different directions.

　　The railway bridge is the North Gate.

　　At this time, Zhang Shan and I had already reached the riverside intersection of Dashiqiao. As long as we followed the winding riverside path ahead, we would reach the North Gate in less than ten minutes.

　　"Chew this leaf into pieces and eat it." Zhang Shan took out a plant about two inches tall from his bag. There were only two maple-leaf-shaped leaves on the thin stem.

　　The strangest thing is that this plant is purple all over, and the veins on the two leaves are light green, which looks very delicate.

　　"What is this?" I took the grass and smelled it first. It actually gave off a slight fishy smell.

　　"Judge grass. It is said that it is born from resentment. This kind of grass grows near many homeless souls who died unjustly. I heard from the old people in the mountains that as long as the judge sees this grass, they will know that an unjust case has occurred nearby, and they will look for the wronged soul and send it to reincarnation. Later, this was known to mortals, and many detectives used it to investigate cases." Zhang Shan said as he kept rummaging through his backpack and took out one thing after another.

　　"Why do you want me to eat this? What's the use of eating it? Did you bring this from the mountains?" I still didn't understand what this Judge's Grass had to do with me. I'm not a judge.

　　"Where there are people, there is Judge Grass, but this kind of thing usually grows in dark places and ordinary people can't find it. This Judge Grass itself is an extremely cold thing. If ordinary people eat it, they will catch a cold and have a fever at the least, or even suffer from chills and physical weakness at the worst, and they may die immediately. But if a seal holder like you who has insufficient skills eats it, hehe, you will be able to see some rare things that you can't see normally."

　　After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he looked at me with a grin, and his expression clearly said, "Little guy, do you dare to eat it?"

　　"Seeing things that you can't normally see...you mean...ghosts?" I finally realized it and shuddered uncontrollably.

　　Although I have seen Zhao Youde's ghost and nightmare, it was in my dream after all. I have a certain psychological advantage and am not that scared.

　　I won’t go to see a ghost now while I am conscious!

　　"Damn, don't even think about it! No way! I won't eat it!" I was almost fooled by this guy, I was very angry.

　　Zhang Shan didn't seem to be worried at all that I wouldn't eat, and he didn't continue to look through his bag. He crossed his arms and looked at me, saying lazily, "That's fine. Since you don't care about your life, why should I care? Only you can see this ghost. It doesn't matter if you don't want to eat. I'm going to go back to sleep and wait for you to collect your body the day after tomorrow."

　　After saying that, he pretended to stretch and looked like he was about to turn around and leave.

　　"No! Can't I just eat it?" I should have thought of it earlier. As long as Zhang Shan used this fatal move, there would be no need to worry about me not being obedient.

　　I plucked off two leaves of the Judge's Grass and put them in front of my nose to smell them. It still had that fishy smell, but it was very light and barely acceptable. I don't know where this guy got it from. I closed my eyes and put the leaves into my mouth. Zhang Shan next to me reminded me cheerfully: "Remember to chew it thoroughly before swallowing!"

　　When the leaves of Judge's Grass were put into the mouth, they did not have the fishy smell as before, but instead had a slightly cool smell.

　　Following Zhang Shan's instructions, I kept chewing the two leaves in my mouth over and over again. The more I chewed, the stronger the cool feeling became. It was not the coolness of mint, but it felt like holding a lot of ice cubes in my mouth, chilling.

　　After chewing for dozens of times, the air I exhaled was already obviously covered with white mist, and my lips began to feel numb from the cold.

　　"Okay, swallow it!" Zhang Shan looked at my expression and reminded me at the right time.

　　I couldn't wait to swallow the leaf residue mixed with saliva in one gulp.

　　The cold feeling slid down the esophagus into the stomach and quickly radiated to every blood vessel and every pore in the body. I couldn't help but shiver.

　　I later found out that the dark place where this grass grows that Zhang Shan mentioned is the sewers and under the manhole covers in the city. No wonder the fishy smell made me feel sick for a long time.

　　"I'll give you this too. I bought it in the past. It's not a valuable thing, but it's sharp. My grandfather said that it was stained with the blood of sin. Maybe it will be of unexpected use in your hands." Zhang Shan said, and stuffed me an exquisite dagger with a sheath.

　　I looked at the dagger in my hand in the light of the street lamp. The dark brown leather sheath was nothing special. It was hard and had no words or patterns on it, but the stitching was quite neat.

　　I tried it and the dagger came out of the sheath without much force. There was no reflection in the dim light and I had no idea what color or material it was made of. However, the faint green glow on the blade was particularly conspicuous. I scraped the blade with my thumb and it was exceptionally sharp.

　　"Let's go. It's actually useless to prepare so much. No one knows what will happen. We just have to act according to circumstances!" Zhang Shan put the bag on his shoulder and strode into the darkness along the riverside road.

　　The riverside road is a small path with low terrain. On one side is the Jinshui River, and on the other side is a dirt slope several meters high.

　　Although there are a lot of people coming and going during the day, there are no street lights, so at night people would rather take a detour via Jinshui Road or the city center than take this dark road. What's more, the road surface is not very good and is full of potholes.

　　In the past, cyclists often fell down or even fell into the river because of the uneven road surface. At this time of night, there were almost no pedestrians or vehicles.

　　Since I ate the Judge Grass, I felt the air around me suddenly get colder. On a clear and windless night, there was always a cool breeze blowing on the back of my neck from time to time.

　　We had walked several hundred meters along the road. I could only see Zhang Shan's dark back from behind. I felt a little uneasy, as if something was following me and watching me, but I didn't dare to look back. I had no choice but to move forward.

　　"Listen, there is a sound!" I paused and said, pulling Zhang Shan's sleeve.

　　There are always vague sounds around me. Suddenly they ring in my ears, but before I can hear them clearly, they disappear in a flash and run to somewhere on the other side of the river. I can never catch their exact location.

　　Zhang Shan pricked up his ears, trying to listen, and looked at me with strange eyes. After a while, he said, "You can indeed hear or see some things after eating the Judge Grass, but as long as it does not affect our actions and goals, ignore them." Then he continued to move forward.

　　The noises finally disappeared when we entered the tunnel under the first railway bridge. My back was already soaked with sweat.

　　The culvert became even darker, and the only moonlight was blocked, and the feeling of being watched from behind became stronger.

　　I had no choice but to quicken my pace, and I went forward and grabbed Zhang Shan's backpack strap, and I also found an excuse for myself: "Let me hold you, my eyesight is not good at night, and I can't see clearly."

　　Zhang Shan paused and said nothing.

　　The culvert for the train was not very deep, only about twenty or thirty meters. I had just pulled him along for two steps when we were almost at the entrance.

　　At this moment, Zhang Shan suddenly turned around and walked to the left. Since I was pulling his backpack strap, I naturally followed him and took a step to the left.

　　In that split second, I realized something was wrong and immediately let go of Zhang Shan's hand.

　　Before we set out on this road, Zhang Shan told us that we should stay away from the river when walking at night, so we walked along the foot of the slope on the left. The same thing happened after we entered the culvert, with a wall on the left and a river on the right.

　　If Zhang Shan turns left, there are only two possibilities: he can either pass through the wall or hit it.

　　Of course Zhang Shan couldn’t go through the wall. The moment I let go of my hand, I hit the wall with a “bang”.

　　I remember correctly, there was indeed a solid wall on the left. I felt my nose was crooked, tears flowed out uncontrollably, and there was a faint smell of blood in my mouth.

　　I quickly checked with my tongue, and fortunately, the tooth was not knocked out.

　　But a thought immediately made me forget the pain. Could it be that Zhang Shan really went through the wall?

　　Right on the wall in front of me, Zhang Shan walked in and disappeared!

　　What would have happened to me if I hadn't let go? I stood here, holding my nose and staring at the wall, not knowing what to do.

　　"Hey, what are you doing there?" A familiar voice sounded in the distance.

　　Chapter 6 Railway Line

　　I turned my head and saw Zhang Shan standing outside the culvert with his arms folded, looking at me in the moonlight.

　　Before I could figure out how he suddenly ran there again, I saw a man wearing a white baseball cap, a dark Mao suit, and a pair of hiking shoes that were almost out of their original color standing on the side of the road in front of him to the right.

　　Judging from the curvature of his spine and the shape of his clothes, he should be an old man.

　　Behind him was a tattered bicycle leaning against the wall, and in front of him was a piece of white cloth on the ground, on which were neatly placed twenty or thirty black balls, as big as fists, round and it was impossible to tell what they were.

　　Judging from their attire, they look more like the people who set up stalls during the day.

　　Since the man wearing the baseball cap was standing in front of Zhang Shan, the two were very close to each other. Zhang Shan could touch the man in front of him if he just raised his arm slightly.

　　In my opinion, he and Zhang Shan must know each other. Even if they don't know each other, at least they have communicated before Zhang Shan called me. Otherwise, two people who don't know each other would not look at me in this way.

　　"How did you get out?" I asked Zhang Shan as I walked towards them.

　　I really couldn't figure out how he turned left into the wall and suddenly appeared in front of me, because the series of actions just now, from grabbing the backpack strap, to the sudden turn, to me realizing the problem and letting go and hitting the wall, until Zhang Shan called me, only happened in four or five seconds.

　　In these four or five seconds, Zhang Shan wanted to run quietly to the culvert entrance more than ten meters away. Even if I closed my eyes, it would be difficult for him not to be discovered. After all, running makes noise, which is also the most strange thing about me.

　　"How did you get out? Just walk out!" Zhang Shan looked at me and thought my question was very boring.

　　"I was asking, how did you get through the wall and come here?" I corrected the question.

　　"I'm not a Maoshan Taoist priest, so how can I walk through walls?" Zhang Shan said, and seemed to have thought of something, and asked me to explain the situation in more detail.

　　I helplessly told him again how I dragged him, and how I turned left and hit the wall until I heard him calling me outside.

　　The man wearing a baseball cap next to us raised his head and looked at us with interest. I also looked at his face. In the moonlight, his face was full of wrinkles and white beard. He was indeed an old man.

　　But his eyes were always hidden in the shadow of the brim of his hat, and no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see them.

　　After listening to my story, Zhang Shan held his head and thought for a long time, then said, "I did hear you say this, but I didn't feel you pulling me at all. I walked out of the culvert and found that I didn't hear your footsteps, so I turned back to look for you, and I saw you standing there facing the wall, touching your nose. In short, I'm afraid it wasn't me you were holding just now."

　　"If it's not you? Then who could it be?" I was also confused.

　　"It doesn't matter what it is." The old man next to me laughed and said to me in his hoarse voice.

　　"Think about it, what else can go through a wall? Luckily, your kid let go quickly, otherwise, if half of your body had gone in, you would never have gotten out in your life!"

　　The old man's words made me break out in a cold sweat. Could it be that the person I was pulling just now was not Zhang Shan?

　　If I had reacted a little slower and not let go... I dare not think about it anymore. I was holding onto something I didn't know what it was and almost walked into the gates of hell!

　　"Ahem..." The old man in the baseball cap coughed twice and said to me, "Baby, do you have a cigarette? Give me one."

　　"Oh..." I was still immersed in the deep fear just now. I mechanically reached into my trouser pocket, took out a cigarette and handed it forward.

　　"I don't smoke." Zhang Shan said simply.

　　At this time, the old man had already taken out a cigarette from the box, lit it up and started smoking.

　　I was just about to tell Zhang Shan that it was not for you, but I found that Zhang Shan's face suddenly became extremely ugly.

　　Zhang Shan raised his right hand, pointed to the old man in front of him, and asked me, "Here..."

　　"Don't you know each other? Can't you see..." I stopped talking.

　　Because Zhang Shan was shaking his head at me and said word by word: "There are only two of us here!"

　　"Ah!" I quickly took a step back and looked at the old man in front of me with fear.

　　I seemed to see a faint smoke emanating from around him.

　　"Haha, you're a tough kid. I can't just take your cigarettes for nothing, so I'll give you something to play with."

　　As the old man was talking, he squatted down and put out the cigarette butt on the ground with his hand. He then picked up a black ball from the "stall" in front of him and put it in my hand.

　　"Throw it away quickly! Don't accept the things they give you!" Zhang Shan seemed to suddenly see the black ball in my hand, and took a mad step forward, intending to snatch it and throw it into the river.

　　But the black ball seemed to be stuck to my hand. Zhang Shan snatched the ball away and dragged me along with him.

　　He tried several times, and finally gave up when I felt my arm was about to be broken.

　　"You're asking for your life! How dare you make a deal with a ghost!" Zhang Shan panted and pointed at my nose and cursed.

　　After he stopped, I immediately looked for the old man, but he had disappeared long ago, along with the broken bicycle and the "goods" on the ground.

　　Looking at the object in my hand again, it is black, very hard, a bit heavy, and feels cool to the touch. It feels a bit like glass or marble.

　　When the ball turned around and the back of the ball was facing us, I was so scared that my hands trembled. There was an eye on it, with upper and lower eyelids, pupils, whites of the eyes, and even eyelashes.

　　But the surface of the sphere is smooth, so this eye appears to be inside the sphere, and this part of the sphere is transparent, so what's inside can be seen.

　　If I saw it at any other time, I would think it was a nice glass work of art. But in this case, when it was forced upon me by a weird old man who was setting up a street stall late at night, I would not dare to accept it no matter what.

　　When I was about to throw the glass eyeball into the river, Zhang Shan stopped me and said, "Forget it, keep it. Since I can't take it away, it's useless even if you throw it away. Things that are traded with ghosts cannot be thrown away."

　　He stood there in a daze for a while, then continued walking forward.

　　We both tacitly agreed not to say a word to the old man.

　　But this time I refused to go behind no matter what. What happened just now was too scary. I don’t want to be caught by anything. Zhang Shan, this thick-skinned guy, doesn’t know about it yet.

　　Moreover, since we got out of the culvert, those sounds that were sometimes far away and sometimes near appeared again. Although they were quite creepy, they had no substantial impact after all, so I no longer paid attention to them.

　　Finally, when we reached the third and final culvert, Zhang Shan stopped me and asked, "After this culvert, the North Gate should be in front of us, right? Take a closer look, is there anything suspicious?"

　　I tried to open my eyes wide and looked ahead. I saw closed shops and darkened windows.

　　Although there were street lights in the distance, under the dim light, there was no one on the road, not even a ghost, and there was nothing unusual.

　　Seeing me shaking my head, Zhang Shan seemed quite surprised and said, "That shouldn't be the case. You ate the Judge Grass, and besides the ghost just now, didn't you see anyone else?

　　I was just about to say that I really didn't, when a song started to sing: "Who is knocking on my window, who is plucking the strings of the piano, that part..."

　　The source of the sound was right above our heads, on the railway above the culvert.

　　Zhang Shan also stopped and looked upwards.

　　"Can you hear it?" I asked Zhang Shan excitedly.

　　Since I started on this road, I have been constantly encountering, seeing, and hearing strange things, which made me feel a little unbalanced. This time, he finally heard it, and I was no longer the only one feeling this fear, which made me feel much better.

　　Zhang Shan didn't answer me. He paused for a moment, then jumped directly onto the slope and walked up. It seemed that he also knew where the sound came from.

　　So we didn't bother to go through the culvert first, but climbed towards the railway line which was about 10 meters high.

　　When I climbed to the side of the railway track, I was stunned.

　　There were people scattered all over the railway line, at least in my opinion, they all looked like human beings, walking back and forth along the railway.

　　The singing came from a woman in a green dress, diagonally opposite us, in the middle of the railway bridge just above the river.

　　"Did you see it?" I stared at the woman's position, pulled Zhang Shan's sleeve, and asked him in a low voice.

　　The woman was still singing, but Zhang Shan just stared in that direction without blinking, ignoring what I said.

　　I was looking at Zhang Shan strangely, when he suddenly took a step forward and walked towards the woman.

　　"What are you doing? Don't go over there! It's dangerous!" I hurriedly called Zhang Shan in a low voice.

　　But Zhang Shan acted as if he didn't hear anything and had already walked several meters away.

　　The woman opposite not only did not stop singing, but also kept waving at Zhang Shan, motioning Zhang Shan to come over.

　　Suddenly, a strong light shone from a distance. I turned my head and saw a huge lamp getting closer and closer.

　　Oh my god! It's a train!

　　Looking at Zhang Shan again, his left foot had already stepped into the track and was almost ten meters away from me.

　　I no longer cared about that woman and ran towards him while shouting Zhang Shan loudly.

　　But Zhang Shan seemed to be unable to hear or see the lights of the locomotive.

　　Chapter 7: Corpse at the Bottom of the River

　　The train came so fast that in just two or three seconds it had advanced several hundred meters.

　　This should not be an ordinary train. I guess it is either an EMU or a high-speed train.

　　In less than three seconds, he would definitely hit Zhang Shan.

　　By this time, I had already run to Zhang Shan's side, not caring about our position. As long as I could pull him off the railway, I had no time to think about the consequences.

　　Zhang Shan was tall and strong, so ordinary pulling would not work. So I just hugged him around the waist, then fell backwards, using our momentum to pull him back.

　　But I still forgot one thing. Zhang Shan had already walked to the opposite side of the woman, which meant that he had reached the center of the railway bridge.

　　As I fell backwards, Zhang Shan was pulled back by inertia, but with his height of nearly 1.9 meters, the guardrail on the railway bridge next to him was of no use at all.

　　There was only a dull thud, and as I fell backwards, the back of my head hit the guardrail.

　　The impact made me see stars for a moment, and after a moment of confusion, I finally let go of my hands.

　　Without my support, the guardrail just made a symbolic impact and failed to stop Zhang Shan, who fell directly into the river under the bridge.

　　Ignoring my headache, I quickly looked down through the gap in the iron railings.

　　Zhang Shan fell headfirst. If he had fallen into the river, there would still be hope. If he had fallen on the road along the river, I would have waited to collect his body.

　　Before I could see what was happening below, the train roared past me.

　　This was definitely a high-speed train. The strong flow of air hurt my face and eardrums. I even felt like I was going to be sucked away by it, so I could only hold on to the guardrail tightly. If I let go, the only outcome would be being sucked away and hitting the train, and finally being bounced off, and I would definitely die.

　　Five seconds later, the train finally left me and headed forward with a strong wind.

　　After a long while, I let go of the guardrail and lay down beside the roadbed, gasping for breath.

　　Although it was only five seconds, every second was so hard for me. It took away not only the wind, but also the strength of my whole body.

　　While I was catching my breath, I glanced sideways toward the railway. The woman was still standing there, and when the wind died down, I finally saw her face.

　　Under her fair skin was a gorgeous and delicate face. Although she didn't look very young, at least over 30 years old, she had all the charm that a girl should have.

　　Who is he? Why is he singing here so late at night? How could he make Zhang Shan so upset?

　　Zhang Shan? That’s right! I just remembered Zhang Shan and could no longer care about studying this woman. I struggled to get up and looked under the bridge.

　　After a while, when I gradually saw the darkness under the bridge clearly, I found a large black object floating on the river not far ahead. It must be Zhang Shan.

　　I stood up quickly, holding onto the guardrail and moving towards the bridge head. Before I got off the bridge, I looked back and the woman was gone.

　　I got off the railway line, walked from the left side of the road to the right side, climbed over the guardrail, and jumped into the river.

　　The water in the Jinshui River is actually not very deep. The water level in front of the north gate is considered relatively high, only a little over one meter, just reaching my ribs.

　　By now I had recovered some strength and slowly paddled towards the floating Zhang Shan.

　　When I got closer, I realized that Zhang Shan was floating face down on the water. He must have been unable to breathe in this position, especially since he had fallen headfirst.

　　After so many minutes, I really didn't dare to hold out any hope as to whether he was still alive.

　　When I was about to grab Zhang Shan's right foot, he suddenly moved, raised his upper body violently, gasped for breath, and cursed loudly: "Damn it, I'm suffocating!"

　　Seeing me looking at him in panic, Zhang Shan wiped the water off his face and asked, "Where is this? How did we get in?...Oh my God, why is it so smelly!"

　　In fact, the Jinshui River has long become stagnant water due to repeated failures in regulation and the habit of residents along the river of dumping domestic waste into the river, causing the river water to stink.

　　This is also the reason why many people do not walk along the river. The stench along the way is unbearable.

　　If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Shan's life or death was uncertain, I would not come down to save him even if you kill me.

　　Before I could answer, Zhang Shan had already discovered where we were. To my surprise, he did not ask me what happened just now, but hurriedly said to me: "Go ashore quickly, walk at night, and never wade in the water! Quick! Quick!"

　　After saying that, he swam towards the shore. By the time I realized what was happening, he had already reached the riverbank, holding onto the guardrail with one hand and waving at me with the other, signaling me to hurry over.

　　I was about to move over, but I felt something under the river grabbing my ankles, and I couldn't move a step.

　　I didn't call Zhang Shan to help. Instead, I squatted down and reached towards my ankles, trying to untie the restraints.

　　Due to the water level in the river, if I wanted to squat down and touch my feet, my entire head would inevitably be immersed in the water. Seeing Zhang Shan so nervous, I didn't know what to say. I took a deep breath, then squatted down and touched my ankles.

　　But when I touched it, my whole body started shaking involuntarily, because I felt a pair of hands coming from nowhere, grabbing my ankles tightly underwater.

　　I wanted to scream, but then I realized I was in water. When I opened my mouth, all the air was out, and I drank several mouthfuls of dirty water.

　　Seeing that he could no longer hold it in, he quickly stood up and coughed loudly.

　　"Come and help! There are hands grabbing me in the river, I can't walk!" After coughing a few times, I immediately called for help from Zhang Shan.

　　"What did you say?" Zhang Shan heard it and immediately swam towards me from the shore.

　　Coming in front of me, Zhang Shan took a deep breath and dived down.

　　In less than two seconds, he popped up and exclaimed, "Oh my God! It's a human hand!"

　　"Nonsense! Think of a solution quickly!" I was grabbed by a pair of hands at the bottom of the river, unable to move, and my spirit was on the verge of collapse. He still had time to distinguish the truthfulness of my words.

　　"Don't worry, I'll go take a look." After saying this, Zhang Shan dived again.

　　After I waited anxiously for nearly twenty minutes, he floated up again and said with a sullen face, "There is a dead body in the water, and it is holding you."

　　"Ah~" My whole body went stiff. I had touched a pair of hands before, and before I could think about it further, Zhang Shan confirmed that there was indeed a body holding me underwater, and I completely collapsed.

　　My legs were becoming weaker and weaker. Zhang Shan immediately supported me and said sternly, "Stand up straight! Do you want to be choked to death?"

　　"How could there be... a dead body... in this river!" I muttered to myself, trembling.

　　"Although the riverbed has hardened, these hands are sticking out from under the riverbed. I just roughly touched it and there are continuous gaps around your feet, as if someone deliberately cut off a piece and filled it in. If I guess correctly, after the person under the water died, he was cast into a cement block the same size as the riverbed gap, and then placed here. You happened to step on it today, so it grabbed you and wouldn't let go. This should be a very evil soul-soothing technique. It's hard to say what its purpose is. I'm afraid we can only know by asking the person involved." Zhang Shan's analysis was very comprehensive.

　　"Don't say so much... think of a way... to get me out first!" If I wasn't so scared at the moment, I would have scolded him long ago. I was standing in the cold water, being held by the hands of a dead body under the water, and he was still analyzing the case one by one.

　　"There is no other way. I have to dig you out with the corpse, and then find a way to pry open the hand that is holding you." Zhang Shan thought for a moment and said helplessly.

　　"Is this... okay? Didn't you say... it was a whole piece of cement?" I was so frightened that I slowly began to regain my ability to judge things. I no longer had a brain short circuit when something happened.

　　"It should be fine. First, the water has great buoyancy, and the poured corpse doesn't take up a very large area, so it won't be too heavy. Second, they may have been pressed for time when they placed it, and they didn't have time to repair the gap, so it should be able to move. Wait, I'll try again. If I slap you later, try squatting in the water, and use your hands to support the riverbed to see if you can lift the cement block out." After saying that, Zhang Shan dived into the water for the third time.

　　This time it took at least half a minute, and Zhang Shan still didn't float up.

　　I was waiting with a bit of a trepidation when I felt a hand pulling my thigh.

　　After hesitating for a moment, I took a deep breath and squatted into the water.

　　As the water was very dirty, I didn't dare to open my eyes. It would be pitch black underwater anyway, so I might as well not open my eyes.

　　After I squatted down, I supported myself on the riverbed with my hands, bent my legs slightly, and then used my hands as support, exerting force on my hips and waist to lift myself up.

　　The riverbed was covered with some slippery stuff that was disgusting and difficult to gain control of. I tried twice but failed.

　　At this time, the air I had accumulated was almost exhausted. I had no choice but to stand up again and float to the surface.

　　Zhang Shan also stood up.

　　We both took a few breaths, and Zhang Shan said, "It seems that it is indeed difficult to use force, but I have another way. You have to bear with it for a while, later..."

　　"Okay! Okay! You can say whatever you want, as long as you can get me out quickly, I will call you uncle-master." I urged him impatiently before he could finish.

　　"Okay then, just bear with it!" Zhang Shan said, then walked behind me, spread his legs to avoid the area of ​​the concrete block under my feet, put his arms around my waist, and began to gather his energy.

　　Looking at his movements, I finally understood that this guy was trying to pull onions out of dry land!

　　Chapter 8: Lifting the Stones to Shore

　　"Hey, you wait...ah!" I just opened my mouth when my waist was tightly clamped, and then a strong force pulled me upwards, and the air between my chest and abdomen was squeezed out in an instant.

　　The embrace around my waist and the hands holding me underwater made me feel extremely painful. I couldn't even breathe, let alone talk.

　　Just when I felt my head was about to explode, the ground beneath my feet loosened, and something weighing at least a hundred pounds was slowly lifted up along with the hand that was grabbing me.

　　"Ah!!!" Zhang Shan let out a loud roar, and the cement block was pulled out of the riverbed as a whole.

　　Zhang Shan held me and took a step to the side, then let go of my hands. We both gasped for breath, but one was tired and the other was holding his breath.

　　After resting for a while, Zhang Shan said, "Okay, it will be easy as long as we get it out. I'll go ashore and pull you up, and then it will be much easier to deal with those hands."

　　I thought about it and decided that this was the only way. So I stood up and tried to move around to check if anything had been broken by this guy.

　　When I moved my feet, I suddenly found that the tightness around my ankles was gone. I tried to move them and they worked! I was overjoyed and quickly jumped off the "cement".

　　Zhang Shan was also surprised when he saw my action, and asked me hurriedly: "Did your leg get broken?"

　　I don't know why it happened, but I can only guess that his hands loosened after the cement block was removed.

　　Zhang Shan tilted his head and thought for a while, then said, "Let's get this thing ashore first."

　　"Do we still want to move it up there?" I heard the boss was unhappy. It had already been half the night and we hadn't found out any information about the corpse-supporting curse, and we still had to move this broken "cement block".

　　"There's a person in there anyway. Don't think it let you go because you're lucky. It's very likely that it caught you just to get us to rescue it. We can't give up halfway now. If you don't finish what you're doing, we might not be able to get ashore tonight.

　　No matter from which perspective, we can't just leave it here now, it's not morally justifiable." Zhang Shan said to me seriously.

　　After being scolded by him, I naturally had nothing to say.

　　We discussed the details. Zhang Shan had a rope in his bag, so we tied it to both ends of the cement block. Then we climbed to the road and pulled the cement block up with the rope.

　　After we climbed out of the river and onto the riverside road again, we found that our bodies were covered in black mud, which was oily, sticky, and smelled extremely bad, but after so long, we were almost used to it. We had no choice but to find a place to take a thorough bath after we were done.

　　We didn't care about all that at the moment, so we worked together to lift the piece of cement to the shore and placed it upright on the side of the road.

　　I observed it closely and found that the hands were sticking out from the cement, slightly above the middle, where a person's forearm should be. The ten fingers were slightly bent, and although they had been soaked in water for a long time, they were intact for some reason. The blue-gray color and long nails looked particularly scary.

　　The whole piece of cement was only about one person tall and in a long strip. On the top, you could see a lot of black, wiry things in clumps, which I thought were hair.

　　Zhang Shan went around to the back and motioned for me to go over and take a look.

　　I turned around and took a look. Although I was mentally prepared, my heart still started beating rapidly.

　　All I could see clearly behind was the outline of a person, from the back of the head to the shoulders, back, and waist, all of which were clearly visible.

　　Apparently, when the cement was poured after the man died, because he was lying on his back, the cement could not cover it, and it naturally exposed after it dried. However, due to being soaked in water for a long time and the gaps were not sealed, some of the exposed parts had already rotted, and the flesh and bones were exposed outside, which was extremely horrible and disgusting.

　　"Who on earth is so cruel and merciless? I didn't expect that there are still people in the city who use this kind of evil soul-soothing technique to make people suffer so much after death!" Zhang Shan looked for a long time, sighed, and said angrily while holding the cement block.

　　Although I was more afraid than angry, such a cruel method did make me feel sad for the victims.

　　Thinking in my mind, I also followed Zhang Shan's example and supported my hands on the concrete blocks.

　　"Thank you!" A voice sounded in my ear the moment my hand placed on the cement block.

　　"Ah!" I was startled and quickly retracted my hand and looked back, but there was nothing behind me.

　　"What's wrong? What happened?" Zhang Shan saw me suddenly jump up and looked around nervously.

　　"That woman...the one who sang on the railway line!" I walked around the concrete block but couldn't find anything suspicious.

　　But the voice just now really sounded right next to my ears, as if it was behind me.

　　"What woman? By the way, you haven't told me what happened just now." Zhang Shan finally remembered to ask me about this coding matter.

　　I told him a brief account of how the singing woman had seduced him onto the railway line, how he had nearly been hit by a speeding train, and how I had finally thrown him off the bridge.

　　After listening to this, Zhang Shan said bitterly: "Hmph! Don't let me catch this woman. If she falls into my hands, I will make her suffer eternal damnation! She almost killed me, this bastard..." After saying that, he slapped the cement block to show his anger.

　　Since the cement block was lying flat in the water, we both stood it up after we fished it out. It was already top-heavy and couldn't stand steadily, and after Zhang Shan pushed it, its balance was instantly destroyed and it fell towards me.

　　I was feeling uneasy, and when I found out it was too late to hide, so I had no choice but to reach out and hold the thing. Fortunately, it had a fulcrum on the ground, and it was just tilted towards me, so it didn't take much effort to hold it up.

　　"Don't be afraid!" I heard it again this time, it was that woman's voice!

　　I turned my head and saw, sure enough, the woman in the green dress was standing behind me, staring at me.

　　I quickly straightened the cement block, hid behind the cement block next to Zhang Shan, poked my head out, and shouted at her: "You...you don't come over here! Are you a human or a ghost?"

　　The woman smiled at me, but her smile looked so miserable and helpless. "Don't be afraid, you are my benefactors, I won't do anything to you. Isn't it me you are holding? Why are you asking me?"

　　Only then did I realize that I was holding onto the cement block with both hands, my face still pressed against it, looking at the woman. I screamed, pushed back with both hands.

　　Because I used too much force, I sat down on the ground. With a "boom", the concrete block also fell down under my force and fell on the road.

　　"What are you doing?" Zhang Shan, who was standing beside me, asked me in surprise.

　　"This... this block of cement... is... that woman!" I said tremblingly, pointing to a pile of rubble in front of me.

　　Because there was a person inside the cement when it was poured, and probably for ease of carrying, it was not made very thick. When I pushed it again, the upper part of the cement block completely shattered when it fell, and the body inside was finally revealed.

　　Judging from the body shape alone, this should be the body of an adult woman.

　　Due to the high degree of decay, and the cement splashing away with flesh and skin when it broke apart, all we can see is a skeleton with flesh attached, and we cannot judge the age and appearance of the deceased at all.

　　"What did you say? You said this is the singing woman?" Zhang Shan looked at the corpse on the ground and moved closer to take a look.

　　I sat on the ground, and my thoughts gradually became clearer. It seemed that this woman was indeed sealed in cement, so that her soul could not leave. Even if I, the seal holder, ate the judge grass and did not touch the cement, I still could not sense her existence. It can be seen that this method of calming the soul is really powerful.

　　But she was clearly standing on the railway bridge and singing just now, how do you explain this?

　　The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. So many bizarre things happened in one night. It was really hard for an ordinary person like me who had lived for more than 20 years to accept it.

　　Gradually, I found something on the ground in front of me. Looking carefully, it was a pair of snow-white bare feet. Following the pair of small feet upwards, I saw a green dress, which was particularly eye-catching in the dark night.

　　The woman slowly squatted down until her eye level was level with mine as I sat on the ground, and just hugged her knees and looked at me.

　　Our faces were only about thirty centimeters apart. It would be a lie to say that I wasn't afraid, but at this moment it wasn't that I didn't want to move, but that I didn't dare to move.

　　I already knew for sure that she was a ghost, but what I didn't know was how he would react if I got up and ran away, so it was better to just stay still and leave it to fate!

　　After staring at each other for a long time, the woman finally spoke: "Don't be afraid. I almost got your friend killed tonight, but that was not my intention."

　　"The bones are all broken! I can't see anything. I think we should leave quickly, otherwise if someone finds us with a corpse, it will be hard to explain." Zhang Shan squatted there and looked for a long time, but couldn't figure out what was going on. He stood up helplessly and said to me.

　　I quickly made a gesture to Zhang Shan to keep quiet and pointed in front of me, indicating that the woman was right there and he should not talk nonsense.

　　The woman saw my expression, smiled, smoothed her hair, and said, "It doesn't matter. That body means nothing to me now. If you don't break it, I can't be free."

　　Chapter 9: Visiting an Expert

　　"You... who made you like this?" I saw that this woman really had no ill intentions and my fear gradually disappeared, so I bravely asked her.

　　"I don't want to talk about this anymore." The woman said, standing up. "But just because I don't want to pursue the matter doesn't mean I've let him go. Anyway, I want to thank you again for saving me. As for this pile of bones, you don't have to worry about it. Someone will come to take care of it tomorrow morning."

　　At this time, I saw Zhang Shan's mouth behind the woman, and he said to me, "Ask her about the corpse-supporting curse."

　　"Wait a minute!" I saw the woman turning around and trying to leave, so I quickly called out to her. "Have you heard of the corpse-supporting curse?"

　　The woman turned back, looking reminiscing. After a moment, she told me, "I'm sorry, I've never heard of the corpse-supporting curse. But if you want to know, you can ask Master Qian. Go north along the railway line above your head. There is an abandoned small courtyard 200 meters after crossing the bridge. Master Qian lives there. Maybe he has what you want to know."

　　"Well, if you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving. Too much contact between ghosts and humans is not good for either of us." Seeing that I had nothing else to say, the woman prepared to leave.

　　"Where are you going? By the way, what's your name?" I didn't know what to say, so I just threw out this nonsensical question.

　　"Go where I should go. If you can see me again in the future, just remember my name is Gao Yuan." After the woman said this, she smiled sweetly, turned around, and her back slowly disappeared into the air.

　　"Takahara... oh what are you doing!?"

　　I was just thinking about the meaning of the woman's last words when Zhang Shan suddenly slapped me on the head from behind, causing me to stumble forward.

　　"You little brat, have you been bewitched by a ghost? Why are you asking for someone's name? How does that bother you? Do you know that you only have half of your life left, and you still have the mind to do this?" Zhang Shan looked a little disappointed.

　　"I asked, but they didn't know what I could do. But she said someone over there knows. Do you want to go ask?" I quickly pointed to the north side of the railway bridge and changed the subject to prevent him from taking advantage of the situation.

　　"What do you think? Are you waiting to die if I don't ask?" Zhang Shan glared at me sideways, obviously seeing through my trick of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west.

　　But he didn't know what the woman had said to me, and he was too embarrassed to continue blaming me.

　　In order to prevent this large amount of rubble from obstructing passers-by and to show respect for the dead, at Zhang Shan's insistence, the two of us spent several more minutes piling the broken cement blocks and bones in a more conspicuous place on the side of the road.

　　As long as someone takes a look here tomorrow, they will find out what's going on and notify the police, and the rest of the task will be theirs.

　　As for whether the suspect will be caught, that is none of our business. Besides, the deceased has said that he does not intend to pursue the matter. I can't take care of myself, so why should I rush to take over this matter?

　　Besides, it's not our responsibility.

　　After stacking the gravel, we climbed up the railway line along the slope and walked to the other side of the bridge. This time we were much more careful and walked as close to the edge as possible. I didn't want to experience the feeling of a level 12 typhoon again.

　　There were still people coming and going on the railway line, but they all just lowered their heads and walked their own way. Zhang Shan really couldn't see any of them, so I could only stay as far away from them as possible.

　　After crossing the bridge and walking north for about 200 meters, we found a house with lights on next to the railway. Looking at the clock, it was already 2 o'clock in the morning, and there were still people not resting.

　　When I got closer, I found that it was a small courtyard with the gate facing the railway. The yard, which was less than ten square meters, was littered with discarded mineral water, cola and beer bottles.

　　There was only a small hut in the yard, without even a door. Inside the hut, an old man who looked like a scavenger was conscientiously tying up a large pile of flattened cardboard boxes.

　　I glanced at Zhang Shan, feeling extremely confused. Could this be the Master Qian that Gao Yuan mentioned?

　　Zhang Shan was much more direct than I was. He walked into the yard without saying a word, stepping on the plastic bottles and making them crackle.

　　He walked up to the old man who was collecting rubbish and asked loudly, "Hello, are you Master Qian?"

　　Strangely enough, even though Zhang Shan made such a big noise, the old man seemed not to hear it and continued to sort his pile of broken cardboard boxes leisurely.

　　Zhang Shan got a little angry, and turned to me and said, "That woman must have lied to you, right? In order to get away, she lied to us that there was a master here, but it turned out to be this deaf and dumb old garbage collector?"

　　He always believed that Gao Yuan was deliberately trying to kill him, and later he was quite unhappy that I let her go without saying anything. Now he encountered this old man who picked up rubbish again, and Zhang Shan's patience was a little close to the limit.

　　I kept an eye on the old man's every move.

　　I found that when he was tying the pile of cardboard boxes, the nylon straw in his hand broke twice, and each time he used two strands of nylon straw to tie it.

　　Everyone knows how hard nylon grass is. Ordinary people may break their hands by it, and they may not be able to pull it off by force alone.

　　The old man looked to be at least sixty years old, and the cardboard box was not a sharp object, so it was impossible for him to cut the nylon straw. The strangest thing was that I didn't even see the old man exert any strength, but the two double nylon straws broke out of thin air.

　　I think even if Zhang Shan wanted to do this, his hands would be hurt. This old man is definitely not ordinary!

　　Zhang Shan was annoyed when he saw that the old man and I ignored him. Naturally, he got angry at the old man and turned around to pull him.

　　"Be careful!" Just as Zhang Shan's hand touched the old man's shoulder, I found that the newly replaced nylon straw in the old man's hand broke for the third time.

　　The blade in his hand whipped towards Zhang Shan's right face with a strong wind. I quickly reminded Zhang Shan to avoid it.

　　With a "slap", before I could finish my words, Zhang Shan was hit hard in the face by the nylon straw, and a red mark appeared on his right cheek instantly.

　　Seeing this scene, my guess was basically confirmed. Although I don't know whether this scavenger old man is Master Qian, his skills and strength are definitely beyond the scope of what ordinary people can understand. He can actually use something as light as nylon grass, which is almost weightless, to slap Zhang Shan in the face.

　　Zhang Shan was stunned for two seconds. He probably realized that this was definitely not a coincidence, but a deliberate attempt by the old man.

　　The rage that this guy had been holding back finally exploded. He didn't care about respecting the elderly and loving the young anymore. Relying on his height and strength, he shouted at the old man: "Great! Old man, I didn't realize you were a martial artist. Come on! Let's have a fight!" As he said that, he reached out to grab the old man's wrist.

　　I hurried to run into the yard to stop them, but as I took a step, I felt a large black shadow flying over my head and then falling to the ground behind me.

　　Looking inside the house at this time, only the old man was left. He knew who had flown out without asking.

　　The old man finally put down the nylon straw in his hand and slowly turned around.

　　He had a high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, a goatee, and a dark complexion, which made him look a bit like someone from the Middle East. His clothes were all dirty, and you couldn't tell their original color.

　　If he hadn't shown off his skill just now, walking in the crowd, I would never have been able to tell that he was any different from other scavengers.

　　"You have good eyesight, kid. You can tell the strength of my hand in just two or three glances." The old man finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, as if he had a mouthful of phlegm in his mouth. After hearing it, I felt my throat was uncomfortable.

　　"You two let my cash cow go. It would have been fine if I didn't go after you, but you dared to come after me. Tell me, what do you want to do?" The old man said as he walked towards me with his hands behind his back.

　　"You said Gao Yuan is your cash cow?" I was very confused. How could a dead person help him make money?

　　"Hmph! Don't pick up useless things." The old man pressed forward step by step, and I retreated step by step.

　　Zhang Shan behind me also climbed up. It seemed that he knew from the previous fight that he was no match for this skinny old man, so he simply stood outside the yard and left me alone here.

　　"Uncle Qian...Oh no, senior!" I was already certain that this old man was the Master Qian that Gao Yuan mentioned.

　　"Don't worry, old man. It's not our intention to let her go. We just came across her by chance. We came to you just to inquire about the whereabouts of a corpse-supporting curse. As for the other things, we really have no intention of offending you." I explained to the old man as I retreated, using the most friendly words possible.

　　"Corpse Curse?" After hearing these three words, the old man stopped and asked, "Who among you holds the seal?"

　　"He is!" Zhang Shan outside the yard pointed at me across the low wall.

　　Before I could react, the old man had already rushed forward, pinched my right hand with his index and middle fingers, and lifted it up. At the same time, I also saw three red dots on his wrist.

　　Chapter 10: Friend or Foe

　　"Well, it is indeed the Wuwei Seal. Who is your master?!" After seeing the mark on my wrist, the old man immediately let go of my hand, walked further and asked me.

　　"Taihang Mountains in northern Henan, Zhang Shixun!" Before I could say anything, Zhang Shan outside the yard replied first.

　　"Zhang Shixun! So Zhang Shixun was cursed by the corpse? Haha! It's retribution! I've long said that it's not our ability to use souls to do good, but he just wouldn't listen. Now that he's been cursed by the corpse, I'm afraid that half of his life's work will be wasted. Haha, it's retribution!"

　　When the old man heard Old Man Zhang's name, he suddenly became excited.

　　Zhang Shan, who was outside the courtyard wall, was unhappy and said, "Who told you that my grandfather was cursed with corpses?"

　　"Not Zhang Shixun? Then who is it? Could it be you?" The old man stopped laughing after hearing Zhang Shan's words, and looked me up and down.

　　"He's a friend of ours!" Seeing the old man's unfriendly look, Zhang Shan quickly continued the conversation.

　　"Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Only the seal holder can enter the dream to exorcise nightmares. Even if mortals want to be cursed with corpses, they don't have that ability! Do you think we, the seal holders, are cats and dogs, everywhere on the streets?" Old man Qian immediately exposed Zhang Shan's lie.

　　"It was me who was cursed with the corpse. I hope that you will show me a way out for the sake of our friendship. I will remember your kindness!"

　　When I heard what old man Qian said, I was already half discouraged. Even old man Zhang had to sacrifice half of his life's skills to fight against the Corpse-Assisting Curse. So how could a young man like me who knows nothing have a chance to survive?

　　So I didn't care about my face anymore and had to lower myself to beg the old man Qian in front of me, hoping that there might be a glimmer of hope.

　　"Hmph! Why should I save you? If I save you, you will take over Zhang Shixun's job in the future and continue to go against me?" The old man was very good at settling accounts.

　　But there was always a leeway in his words. And I caught it very accurately. "Strictly speaking, I am not Mr. Zhang's apprentice, because I was deceived by him and became his apprentice without knowing what was going on. Before I left the mountain this time, Mr. Zhang said that if I didn't want to, I could deny this master-disciple relationship. So you don't have to worry at all. As long as you save me this time, I will only be grateful to you in the future. How could I be your enemy?"

　　"Oh?" Old Man Qian was quite surprised and said, "When did Zhang Shixun learn to play dirty tricks? So you haven't become my disciple yet. What if I tell you where the corpse-supporting curse is, but I have other conditions?"

　　"Senior, why don't you tell me about it?" I have finally grabbed a life-saving straw, so naturally I don't want to let it go easily.

　　"I want you to be my apprentice!" Old Man Qian said and looked at me, waiting for my answer.

　　"Don't agree to him!" Zhang Shan shouted at me outside the wall.

　　At this moment, I was really in a dilemma. I didn't want to be the seal holder. Just the series of events tonight have made us so embarrassed.

　　What's more, I am timid and there is no way I can do such a thing.But if I don't agree to him, it is still unknown

　　whether I can survive until the day after tomorrow .

　　I thought about it for a long while, and with an attitude of giving it a try, I looked up at Old Man Qian and said, "Senior, please understand. It is precisely because I don't want to set foot in this world of yin and yang that I don't acknowledge the master-disciple relationship with Mr. Zhang. To be honest, I'm not the material for a seal holder, and I just want to live my life in peace. If you think the price of saving me can only be offset by taking you as your master, then I can only say sorry to you. It's not that I can't, but that I don't want to. As the saying goes, a forced melon is not sweet. You don't plan to accept a mediocre person who has no interest in this as your apprentice, right? But I still hope that you can show me a clear way because I'm still young. I will repay you with gratitude!" After that, I stared at Old Man Qian, waiting for his reaction.

　　Old man Qian didn't say anything, just stared at my glasses, as if he wanted to tell the truth from my eyes. I naturally didn't dare to slack off, and stared at him without blinking.

　　After a while, old man Qian sighed and said, "You are still young, but you are so stubborn. Even if you lose your life, I won't make it difficult for you. You will never get the chance again. Just promise me one thing and I will tell you where the corpse-supporting curse is. As for how to break it, you can figure it out by yourselves."

　　"Please tell me, senior!" I was already quite satisfied with this effect, and hurriedly asked old man Qian about the conditions.

　　"I haven't thought about it yet. Come back to me when you can come back alive! The Corpse-Fu Curse likes the dark side. As long as it follows you to Zhengzhou, it will hide under a very dark place to cover up its special smell and will not be discovered by those capable people. As for the rest, you can take care of yourselves!" After saying this, Old Man Qian turned around and was about to go into the house.

　　Zhang Shan got anxious when he heard this, and shouted outside the courtyard wall: "Please explain it clearly, it's as if you didn't tell us anything. How can we know where the extremely dark place is?"

　　The old man turned around and said, "If you don't want to be my disciple, that's all I can say. If you kneel down and kowtow three times now, I might even help you."

　　The temptation was actually quite great. It took me a lot of effort to resist the urge to agree to his request. My heart was trembling when I thought about having to deal with these ghosts and nightmares for the next few decades.

　　I bowed to old man Qian and said, "That's all I have to say, senior. I am very grateful. If I am able to come back again, I will abide by our promise and visit you again." After saying that, I turned around and walked out of the yard.

　　All I heard was the cold snort of old man Qian behind me: "What a donkey temper!"

　　I left the hospital, winked at Zhang Shan, and we walked forward one after the other along the way we came.

　　I had walked less than ten meters when I heard the hoarse voice of old man Qian in the courtyard behind me, mumbling: "At the end of Meishan, millions of loyal souls fought in the south and the north, and their blood stained the white sand."

　　Zhang Shan snorted coldly after hearing this and said, "This old man is crazy. He does things in a weird way and talks nonsense. I think he must be practicing some evil magic!"

　　I turned around and said to Zhang Shan, "I think he is reminding us on purpose."

　　"Is he so kind?" Zhang Shanshai asked.

　　"At the end of Meishan, millions of loyal souls fought north and south, and their blood stained the white sand..." I repeated these words over and over in my mouth, but I still couldn't get the point.

　　Zhengzhou is located in a plain, with flat land. There are no mountains there. There is only Mang Mountain by the Yellow River, but it is not in the city.

　　"In my opinion, he is deliberately misleading you so that we will go in the wrong direction. If we want to talk about the most yin place, it must be the cemetery. We just need to go and check them out one by one and we will know." Zhang Shan thought he had grasped the key point.

　　"Brother, this is in the city, and the cemeteries are full of buried ashes. It's not like you in the mountains where you bury the dead. How much negative energy can there be? Besides, he just said that the corpse-supporting curse is hidden underground. We can't just take a shovel and dig aimlessly in the cemetery, right? There are so many cemeteries in Zhengzhou. Even if we start looking now, one day may not be enough." I immediately refuted Zhang Shan's point of view.

　　"Anyway, in our mountain, where people are buried, there is naturally a lot of yin energy." Zhang Shan did not give up and still insisted on his opinion.

　　"The place where the body is buried..." When I heard her say this, something suddenly flashed through my mind, but it quickly disappeared before I could catch it.

　　"Uncle-master, how about I go and beg that old man Qian again?" Zhang Shan felt quite reluctant when he saw me frowning. What's more, there was only one day left before the corpse-supporting curse was fully restored. If he wanted to control him, he would only have hope in the last twenty hours or so.

　　"Okay! Just stay here. If you go back, you two will start fighting again in just a few words. I've finally seen how violent your temper is." I hurried to stop him.

　　In fact, we all know that even if we go back and ask old man Qian, it will be useless. As long as I refuse to worship him as my master, nothing I say will be of any use. I can't beat him in a fight, so what else can I do?

　　"The most urgent thing right now is to wash off this stinky mud on our bodies!" I picked at the mud on my clothes, which had been dried by the wind. When I took them off, there was still some sticky stuff hanging on them. It was so disgusting.

　　After walking for a while, I finally returned to the main road. I couldn't wait to run to the roadside and hail a taxi. I planned to find a hotel, take a shower and stay there, and then analyze it carefully.

　　As soon as the taxi door opened, the driver immediately smelled the stench on us and pushed me out from the passenger seat, cursing, "Did you two fall into the manure pit? It stinks! I just washed the seat covers, get out! I won't let you go no matter how much money you give me!" After that, he closed the car door and drove away.

　　Zhang Shan and I smiled bitterly at each other. With the way we looked and smelled, we wouldn't be allowed into a hotel bathhouse, let alone a taxi. We should find a place to wash first.

　　At this time, I remembered that there was a park not far to the west where I had played since I was a child. The small lake in the park was crystal clear and there was a water purification device for visitors to drink. It seemed that we had no choice but to go there to wash, so we walked west.

　　"Where are you going?" Zhang Shan quickly caught up with me and asked.

　　"Bishagang Park, let's go take a shower first!" As soon as I answered him, a light suddenly lit up my mind.

　　Chapter 11: Bishagang (1)

　　Yes! Could the old man be talking about Bishagang Park? I suddenly remembered that when I was a kid, I went to Bishagang Park to play. The stone tablet about the history of the park said:

　　On June 1, 1927, Feng Yuxiang and the Northern Expeditionary Army successfully joined forces in Zhengzhou. Feng Yuxiang was appointed Chairman of the Henan Provincial Government. Afterwards, Feng Yuxiang led the National Revolutionary Army to continue the eastward expedition, moving to Shandong and Hebei, and recovering Beijing and Tianjin.

　　The Eastern Expedition was victorious and the war was temporarily relieved. In the spring of 1928, in order to bury the officers and soldiers who died in the previous battles, Feng Yuxiang allocated 200,000 yuan and instructed the transportation commander Xu Xiangyun to build a cemetery for the fallen soldiers of the Northern Expedition.

　　The predecessor of Bishagang Park was the cemetery for soldiers killed in the Northern Expedition built by General Feng Yuxiang.

　　Logically speaking, Bishagang Park does meet the requirements of being an extremely yin place in Zhengzhou.

　　Moreover, in order to actively prepare for war after the liberation, air-raid shelters were dug everywhere in the west and south of Zhengzhou, and most of them were connected to each other, covering almost half of Zhengzhou.

　　Bishagang is located at the junction of the west and south of Zhengzhou. Its status as a park is more conducive to the construction of air-raid shelters underneath, and the underground pipeline network is intricate.

　　There are several entrances and exits to the air-raid shelter in the park. Could it be that the Corpse-Helping Curse is hiding here?

　　But I really can't understand the Meishan and Baisha mentioned in the old man's words. Could it be that Bishagang was once called Baishagang?

　　I quickly told Zhang Shan my conclusion.

　　Zhang Shan listened, thought for a long time, and said: "It seems that this old man is really reminding us. Don't think about it for now. We have to go there anyway. When we get there, we can find the park annals and read them. Let's go!"

　　So we set off immediately and walked quickly towards Bishagang Park.

　　Back on the road, I felt much safer. Not only were there bright street lights, but there was also a car passing by from time to time, and I had never thought the noise of the engine was so pleasant.

　　Occasionally, one or two passers-by would walk slowly on the sidewalk.

　　After observing for a while, I found something was wrong. We were both smelly and covered in black oil. Just now, a girl walked past us without hiding or looking up.

　　Thinking more deeply, after all, it was around three o'clock in the morning, and it was inappropriate for a young girl to walk alone on the road, even if it was a main road.

　　I carefully observed the three or five people within a few hundred meters and found that everyone was walking slowly with their heads down, without any intention of rushing home at night.

　　I thought about it for a long time and finally understood that they were probably not people, but lonely souls wandering in the city late at night.

　　To confirm my idea, I pointed to an old man walking towards us in front of me and showed him to Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan was still invisible and walked in front of us. The old man didn't show any intention of hiding at all. Instead, I quickly dodged to the side, and saw the old man and Zhang Shan passing each other.

　　To be precise, the old man passed through Zhang Shan's body.

　　I was standing there with my mouth wide open in amazement. Zhang Shan motioned me to ignore it and hurry on my way.

　　Ten minutes later, we arrived at the north gate of Bishagang Park.

　　It was late at night and the park gates had long been closed, prohibiting visitors from entering.

　　Some things about Bishagang gradually became clear in my mind. In the 1980s, parks in Zhengzhou closed early, and basically no visitors were allowed to enter at 10 o'clock.

　　The only exception is Bishagang Park, which closes at 8:30 p.m. every night. In the summer, when it gets dark early, the closing time is only extended to 9 p.m.

　　At that time, the park management office received many complaints from citizens. Many citizens living nearby would come to the park after dinner, bringing their elderly and children with them, to digest their food and take a walk.

　　But often, they would be driven out by people from the park management with loudspeakers before they could stay for long.

　　In the past decade, with repeated requests from the public, parks have closed later and later. Some parks have simply stopped closing and are open to visitors 24 hours a day.

　　Bishagang Park has also changed its closing time from 8:30 to 11:00.

　　The reason given by the park management is that since the park was formerly the cemetery of revolutionary martyrs of the Northern Expedition, there are some important documents and cultural relics that need to be protected, so it is necessary to close the park every day.

　　Although this is the official statement, the public does not think so.

　　Some people think that Bishagang Park is too gloomy and will have an adverse effect on people visiting the park at night. Others believe that this is the hub of the entire Zhengzhou underground fortifications, and the regular closure of the park is for the storage of some strategic materials and the renovation of fortifications.

　　In short, there are all kinds of opinions, and everyone just treats it as a topic of conversation after dinner. No one has the time to delve into this issue.

　　However, as the closing time of the park has been repeatedly postponed in recent years, some strange things have indeed occurred in Bishagang.

　　Although these things were not reported in the newspapers, when the residents nearby mentioned this place, everyone could tell two or three stories. Later, the stories became more and more exaggerated, and everyone forgot the original true version.

　　When I was a child, I was a loyal listener of these stories. Whenever I came to my grandma's house, I would hear some rumors about Bishagang from the uncles, aunts, grandparents who played mahjong in the compound.

　　Of course, some of them are false, and some are even things that happened in other places, but they were pinned on Bishagang.

　　After listening to it more, I can judge which ones are true and which ones are false.

　　But there are indeed two or three things that I heard from at least ten people, and the versions are almost the same. These are the only things that are worth believing and discussing.

　　The first incident happened in the late 1980s. At that time, Bishagang Park was still closed at 8:30. One day in early autumn, a young man asked his girlfriend to visit the park.

　　It gets dark early in October, and although it is a little chilly, it is rare that there are not so many people. The two can hug and kiss without worry, and do things that they are embarrassed to do in public on ordinary days.

　　The young man came very early that day, just after dark, around six o'clock.

　　At this time, the social atmosphere had just become more relaxed, and there were many intimate couples hugging each other in the park.

　　So the young man was afraid that it would be too late and he would not be able to occupy a favorable position, so he did not make the appointment with the girl at the park gate, but in a small woods on the left after entering the gate. There were several benches in the middle of the woods for tourists to rest when they were tired.

　　The young man thought that as long as he arrived early and occupied a chair, when the girl came later, they would have a place to sit.

　　So he entered the park gate and headed straight for the grove. When he got there, he saw that there was no one sitting on a bench outside.

　　So the young man went to the deepest part of the woods, found a bench to sit down, and waited for his girlfriend with peace of mind.

　　The location of this bench was particularly good. At that time, the park wall was still made of bricks and was not transparent. This bench was almost at the corner of the wall. The other two benches slightly outside were at least 20 meters away from here. Moreover, the light here was dim, so you didn't have to worry about being seen. It was a perfect place for a date.

　　The more the boy thought about it, the more beautiful it became. He wished he could pounce on the girl and bite her as soon as she came.

　　Everyone knows that when a girl is in a relationship, it is normal for her to be late for a date.

　　The young man waited and waited, and after more than half an hour, the girl still didn't come, and he became a little impatient.

　　But if I go and wait at the door, I’m afraid that when I come back a while later, my seat will be taken by someone else.

　　I had no choice but to take out a cigarette and smoke it to relieve my boredom, otherwise the girl would come and I wouldn't have a chance to smoke.

　　The young man took a cigarette and put it between his lips. He searched through his pockets but couldn't find a lighter.

　　This guy was really desperate for a cigarette and had no light. So he looked up and looked around to see if there was anyone smoking so he could borrow a light.

　　When he looked for him, he actually saw someone. A man in black was leaning against a wall about ten meters away with his back to him, smoking.

　　The young man hurried over and said to the man from a distance of one meter: "Brother, can you lend me a light, please?" The man said "oh" and threw a black object back to him.

　　He took it and saw that it was a box of matches, but it felt damp and he didn't know if it could be lit. He tried to light four or five matches before he finally managed to light one. With a "whoosh", the match instantly emitted a green flame, which scared the boy.

　　After lighting a cigarette, the young man wanted to return the matches to the man, thinking that it would be fine for him to use a match on a normal day, but it’s windy in this autumn, and the box is damp, so isn’t it hard for him to use it?

　　The man waved his hand generously, indicating that he didn't want it, and then walked aside.

　　Back on the bench, the young man looked at the matchbox, but it was too dim to see clearly. So he just put it in his pocket. He didn't bring any lighter with him today, and he might need it later when he wanted to smoke. Although it was damp and difficult to light, it was better than asking others for a lighter every time.

　　After taking a few puffs, I always felt that the taste of today's cigarettes was not right. Could it be that I bought fake cigarettes?

　　So the young man held the cigarette in his hand and looked at it carefully. He saw that the cigarette butt that was burning was actually a green flame, completely different from the usual red flame.

　　The young man was so scared that he dropped his cigarette immediately and looked up to find the man. He vaguely saw the man walking into the deepest corner of the woods.

　　The young man followed immediately, wanting to see what was going on, because it was a dead end with no way to go. If he needed to relieve himself, there was a free public toilet less than 100 meters away, and the lights in the public toilet were particularly conspicuous at night. There was no need to solve it here.

　　When the young man reached the dead end between the woods and the park wall, he found that the man was nowhere to be found. He had simply disappeared into thin air.

　　Chapter 12: Bishagang (2)

　　The boy was so scared that he didn't even wait for the girl and ran back home. He told everyone he met that he had seen a ghost in the park, but no one believed him. The boy was so angry that he overturned the table, smashed things, locked himself in the room, and didn't allow anyone to come in.

　　A month passed like this, and seeing that his condition had not improved, his family had no choice but to call a car from the mental hospital to send him in.

　　While he was tidying up the coat he had been wearing for a month, the box of matches fell out.

　　The young man's grandfather was an old revolutionary. He recognized the origin of the matches at a glance. They were produced by a matches factory in Henan Province during the warlord period. With the invasion of the Japanese in 1937, the match factory went bankrupt within two years of the war.

　　When the young man’s grandfather was young, he used this brand of matches every day.

　　Now everyone understood. It seemed that the young man really had run into something he shouldn't have run into. Believing his words, the young man stopped getting angry, but from then on he refused to step into the gate of Bishagang Park.

　　And most of the time, my brain is always not enough, as if I am a little stupid.

　　Every time they finished telling the story, the adults would always say that there was something wrong with the matches of the man in black. The young man used his matches to light a cigarette, and with every puff, a little bit of his spiritual energy was sucked away, which led to his current brain dysfunction.

　　Regardless of whether there is something wrong with the matches or not, I at least believe in the authenticity of this story.

　　Because the young man lived in the compound of my grandmother's house at that time, many people had heard his stories about the man in black. Everyone also knew that he later became insane because of this incident. At that time, he smashed things almost every night, and the whole compound could hear it.

　　He smashed everything in his house that was valuable. Naturally, his girlfriend left him.

　　His family felt embarrassed about the daily noise, so they moved to a more remote place in the west. A few years later, I heard that things were getting better. His family found a job for him, hired him as a driver, and let him drive an excavator for a construction company.

　　The second story happened in the early 1990s, when the first generation of us born in the 1980s started to make a fuss.

　　In those years, there were 10-year-old children everywhere. There were 10 to 20 of them in my grandmother's compound alone. In every group of children, there were always two or three who were particularly troublesome.

　　No matter how much other children love to play, they dare not disobey adults, and their space for activities is limited to that large compound.

　　Without the permission of adults, they would never dare to go out. But there were three or five children in my grandma's yard. They took advantage of the fact that Bishagang Park was across the road. As soon as the holiday came, they would rush into the park in the morning. When they were hungry at noon, they would go home to eat, and then run back in again. No matter how the adults scolded or beat them, they would not listen.

　　As time went by, the adults in their family stopped emphasizing this matter. Since spanking is useless, just play if you want.

　　Anyway, the park is close to home. I just told the children to be careful when crossing the road.

　　I heard about this from my uncle after I entered middle school.

　　As you enter the north gate of the park, there is a small forest to the left. As I mentioned in my previous story, it is a place where couples talk about love.

　　There is not much to play for the children. What they are more interested in is the small hill to the right after the entrance of the park, which is about 20 to 30 meters high.

　　At that time, the park had not yet been renovated to the earthen hill, and there were no well-maintained paths on the hill for visitors to climb up and down like there are today. There were weeds and rocks more than one meter tall everywhere. There was also a small bunker on the top of the hill.

　　Although it may seem dirty and messy to adults, and there may even be snakes there, it is a paradise for children to play.

　　A group of children around ten years old climbed up and down this slope every day, playing war games, picking foxtail grass, and chewing sweet roots, and they never got tired of it.

　　The bunker on the top of the mountain has undoubtedly become the most sacred place in the hearts of children.

　　Fortunately, this stone bunker has been sunk several dozen centimeters into the soil due to its age, blocking the stone door of the bunker tightly.

　　In fact, even if there was no blockage, it would be impossible to open the thick stone door without three or five adults.

　　Moreover, the bunker was more than three meters high and slippery on the outside. Apart from two lookout holes, there was nothing else.

　　So the adults didn't worry too much about the children playing around the bunker because they could neither climb up nor get into it.

　　The adults later heard from the children what happened below. The children’s stories were all exactly the same, so they all thought they were more credible.

　　One afternoon, the crazy kids in my grandma's yard were playing a war game on a small dirt hill in the park. One side defended the hilltop while the other side attacked, using weapons like pebbles, sand, branches, etc. Toy guns were quite expensive at that time, and most people were reluctant to buy them for their children.

　　The children were having fun playing when they heard someone calling them from inside the bunker.

　　Children of that age didn’t know what fear was, especially in broad daylight. When they heard the shouting, they stopped “fighting”, gathered around, and looked inside through the lookout holes in the bunker.

　　But it was too dark inside and I couldn't see anything.

　　The children’s biggest wish at that time was to be able to play inside the bunker, so they asked the person inside how he got in.

　　The man did not answer, but told the children that he was very hungry and asked them to help find something to eat. Then he threw something golden out of the lookout hole.

　　The children scrambled to grab it, and finally the strongest child got it. When he opened his hand, he saw that it was a bullet.

　　The children were really excited. In those days, what boys wanted most was a gun and bullets. Although there were no guns now, they were real bullets after all, and everyone wanted them. So they begged the people in the bunker to throw some more out.

　　The man in the bunker was very smart. He knew that he had aroused the desires of the children outside, so he said that he would give another bullet to whoever brought him food, but he warned them not to tell anyone, because if anyone did, he would never give them bullets again.

　　After hearing this, the children no longer cared about the war and ran back home and took out the leftovers from lunch. Some took two steamed buns, some took a bowl of noodles, and some took sesame cakes.

　　The child who had grabbed the bullet earlier was naturally unwilling to fall behind, and even brought out half a bottle of wine from home.

　　Although he had one bullet, he also wanted to exchange it for another one. By then, even though everyone had one, he would still be the object of envy because he had two.

　　When the children brought all the food and handed it into the lookout hole of the bunker one by one, the man inside did not break his promise. He fired a bullet at each of the children and once again reminded the children not to tell anyone else, and asked them to come back tomorrow with food.

　　The child who got another bullet was naturally very happy.

　　In fact, some adults in the family found that the leftover food from lunch was gone after get off work that night. When they asked the children, they all insisted that they had eaten it because they were hungry. However, the children could not answer where the plates and bowls of the food had gone.

　　Since they couldn't get anything out of him, the families just let it go. After all, a plate or a bowl was worth very little, so they just considered it broken. The next day, the children still brought food to the bunker to give to the man, and each of them received a bullet as a reward.

　　By the third day, some families had already noticed that something was wrong. It was normal for the children to eat when they were hungry after playing every afternoon, but the problem was that after each meal, the plates and bowls containing the food disappeared.

　　When asked, the children refused to say anything. Some attentive parents noticed the bullet in the child's hand and asked where it came from. The child said he picked it up on the hill in the park.

　　As expected, the matter would be discovered. At noon on the third day, a naughty child wanted to open the bullet in his hand to see what it looked like, so he took a brick and hit it.

　　After a few hits, the bullet was detonated and hit the ground and bounced back. Fortunately, the child was lucky. The bullet hit his shoulder and flew into the sky. Although his skin was torn, it was only a superficial injury after all.

　　This caused a big stir, and even the local police station came. After questioning, they were shocked to find that there were more than 50 bullets in the hands of a dozen children. This was considered a big case at the time.

　　The parents also panicked and asked about the origin of the bullet. Finally, the children could not withstand the psychological attack and confessed that it was given by someone in the bunker on the hill of the park.

　　The police station became alert, thinking that this should be a wanted fugitive hiding there. Due to food shortage, they thought of using this method to exchange food for the children.

　　Considering that the other side might have weapons and a large amount of ammunition, and were guarding a bunker that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, the armed police force was immediately mobilized and surrounded the bunker on the hill in the middle of the night when there were few people around.

　　Since the two lookout holes of the bunker were opened at a small angle to each other and basically faced one general direction, the armed police arrived in front of the bunker without much effort.

　　He first launched a psychological attack by shouting, but seeing no response, he threw a tear gas bomb into the room through the observation hole.

　　After smoke billowed for a long time and the tear gas bombs had all burned out, there was no movement from inside, so the officer ordered the rocks and soil blocking the stone gate of the bunker to be removed, and he found ten strong soldiers, who took a lot of effort to pull the stone gate open.

　　After the stone door was opened and the light was shone, everyone was dumbfounded. The bunker was only three or four square meters in size and there was nothing inside. All kinds of food that the children had handed in over the past few days, as well as plates and bowls, were neatly arranged.

　　At that time, some people said that the suspect might have heard the news and ran away early.

　　But this bunker only has one door and two holes, and the observation hole is only slightly larger than the diameter of a red mud brick. An ordinary adult can't even stretch out a whole arm. How can a person climb out?

　　What's more, this stone door has been buried all the time, and it took ten soldiers to barely open it this time. It is impossible for one person to push the stone door open.

　　Chapter 13: Bishagang (3)

　　The children were lying, right? But the food and wine were neatly arranged inside. If there was no one inside, it was hard to explain how these things could be arranged so neatly from bottom to top through a hole that was too narrow to fit an arm.

　　But the army leaders didn't believe it and immediately ordered that this person must be found even if they had to dig three feet into the ground.

　　So they sent a few soldiers with engineering shovels to dig down into the bunker.

　　After digging less than a meter, I actually found something: a human thigh bone.

　　They continued digging, and slowly a whole skeleton was dug out.

　　There was also a small wooden box under the skeleton, which was filled with Hanyang-made bullets, the same kind that the children were holding.

　　Finally, after identification by professionals, it was found that the bullets collected from the children and the box of bullets dug out were produced in the same batch.

　　The bullet box, which was supposed to be filled with 1,500 rounds, did not have enough, only 1,446 rounds, 54 rounds short, and all the bullets in the children's hands, including the one that went off accidentally, were exactly 54 rounds.

　　The story ends here. The troops arrived that night and withdrew that same night. Before leaving, they filled up the bunker and blocked the stone gate again.

　　As for who the corpse is and whether the 54 bullets in the children's hands are the ones missing from the box, we may have to ask the corpse to find out.

　　The bunker still stands on the small hill in the northwest corner of Bishagang Park. Friends who are interested can go and have a look, but if someone inside calls you, don't accept it.

　　The third story is also the most bizarre one, and it happens to be related to the air-raid shelter in the park.

　　I remember this incident quite clearly because it caused quite a stir at the time and was reported in the newspapers.

　　That was in 1994, less than two years after the bullet incident. A group of young people living in the Bishagang area heard from the older generation that there were many underground fortifications in the west and south of Zhengzhou, so they suddenly had the idea of ​​taking a risk by entering the air-raid shelter in the park.

　　So they prepared ropes, flashlights, compasses, food, water and some self-defense supplies, and on a Sunday, they carefully avoided the inspection of the park management office staff, pried open the door of an air-raid shelter behind the park management office, and went in.

　　There were seven people in total who went in at that time. Not long after they left, two of them stopped leaving. One of them was the only girl in the team, and the other was his boyfriend.

　　The girl was scared and cried and wanted to go back and not play anymore. The crowd had no choice but to let her boyfriend go out with her first, while the rest of the people continued to move forward.

　　After walking for a while, they came to the first fork in the road at the air-raid shelter. They estimated that they had already walked out of the Bishagang Park. They were all very excited and wanted to see where the air-raid shelter in front of them led to.

　　After marking the path, the remaining five of them split into two groups and took two different forks in the road. The three of them were quite lucky and found another exit not long after they started walking.

　　After discussing it, they decided to stop here first and start exploring from here next time, so they pried open the door of this exit and climbed out.

　　But the other team of two was not so lucky.

　　It was not until the evening that in a residential compound on Ruhe Road, several kilometers south of Bishagang Park, people who were out for a walk at night heard a cry for help from behind the door of the air-raid shelter in the compound. They quickly called the police from the police station and the neighborhood committee, and only then did they find the two boys when they opened the door.

　　They were already unconscious at the time. After being sent to the hospital, it was determined that their brains were stimulated in some way, which caused this condition. They went home and recuperated for a long time before they recovered.

　　But when their family asked them about that day, they had no memory of it at all, as if that day had been stolen from their lives and left a blank.

　　In fact, the matter was not over yet. No one could have imagined that the parents of the boy and girl who left first went to the homes of the young people who had gone to the air-raid shelter with them the day before and said that they had not returned for a day and a night.

　　Now everyone panicked and quickly called the police and organized to search for people in the air-raid shelter.

　　At that time, it seemed that several hundred people were dispatched, and they spent several days searching the air-raid shelters in the west and south of Zhengzhou. But they still couldn't find the man and woman, so they had no choice but to treat them as missing persons.

　　When my father heard about this, he posted: "A few hundred people wanted to search Zhengzhou's air-raid shelters thoroughly in just a few days? That's because they haven't been inside! Zhengzhou's air-raid shelters have been dug continuously for nearly 30 years. How many more than 100,000 people were mobilized? At best, they only searched one-fifth of the outer area."

　　From then on, I was fascinated by air-raid shelters and hoped that one day I could experience it in person, but in the end I was too timid and only thought about it once.

　　There was no child at that time who didn't like "Tunnel Warfare". In our hearts, "Land Mine Warfare" and "Tunnel Warfare" were not movies of the same level.

　　After all, not everyone can see landmines, but tunnels are around us.

　　At that time, every time I finished watching "Tunnel Warfare", I had a desire to find a tunnel to drill.

　　Unfortunately, my home is in the north of Zhengzhou, not part of the original old city, so there are naturally no air-raid shelters or tunnels nearby.

　　Having said that, it was not until four months later, on the anniversary of the September 18th Incident, that the entire city sounded the alarm and inspected air-raid fortifications in order not to forget the national humiliation. All air-raid shelter doors had to be opened and new locks and keys were replaced.

　　In the staff quarters of a state-owned cotton mill, when the neighborhood committee opened the door of the air-raid shelter, two dehydrated bodies were found leaning against the door. The person who opened the door was so frightened that he immediately ran to report to the police station.

　　After the police station arrived, they examined the backpacks, pocket items and clothes of the deceased and determined that the two people were the man and woman who had disappeared a few months ago.

　　But according to the other five people, they turned back within three minutes of walking, and the road was straight to the air-raid shelter entrance of Bishagang Park, without any forks. It is hard to understand how the two of them managed to get to the National Cotton Mill several kilometers away.

　　The police station also sent someone to enter the entrance of the air-raid shelter to verify the accuracy of the evidence provided by others.

　　The people who went down came back and reported that it indeed took more than ten minutes to reach the first fork in the road. Not to mention three minutes, even if they walked for ten minutes and turned back, there was no reason why they would go wrong.

　　But the boy and girl's families did not accept this statement at all. They believed that their children must have been murdered, which led to their tragic deaths at the entrance of the tunnel, and strongly demanded an autopsy.

　　In fact, when the body was first found, the girl’s careful family members noticed that a piece of the girl’s right little finger was missing. They searched the nearby area but couldn’t find it, so they had to give up.

　　When they performed an autopsy, they found that the girl's missing finger was actually in the boy's stomach.

　　Moreover, both of them had not had water or food for a long time, which eventually led to dehydration and starvation.

　　But when their bodies were found, the boy's backpack was full of food and water, untouched.

　　In the end, the matter was left unresolved. The families of the girl and the boy did not continue to petition. Don’t ask me why. There are some things that ordinary people are better off not knowing.

　　As for the news that appeared on TV and in newspapers, it said that young people went on an adventure and mistakenly entered an air-raid shelter and got lost. We hope that young people will cherish their lives, make rational use of their after-school and spare time, and not ignore the advice of others and spontaneously engage in some adventure activities without sufficient professional knowledge and equipment.

　　In fact, now it seems that we can't blame the relevant departments for not telling the truth, but some things are hard to explain and can't be explained clearly. It's not appropriate to talk about it outside when the department hasn't figured it out yet.

　　Too much explanation will be counterproductive. The people do have the habit of blindly listening and following.

　　My thoughts came back to me, and Zhang Shan and I looked around to see if there was anyone around, so we climbed over the iron fence next to the gate.

　　Thanks to the good work done by Zhengzhou in the wall demolition and greening project in recent years, if it were a few years ago, the red brick wall of Bishagang would have been four or five meters high, and we would have had no choice.

　　After entering the park, we walked around to the gate, where there was a stone tablet engraved with the origin of the park.

　　The first sentence reads: Bishagang was originally named Baishagang, and is the end of Meishan extending from southwest to northeast. The area is filled with wind and sand all year round, forming undulating sand dunes..."

　　"Here it is! Old man Qian is kind-hearted!" Zhang Shan rubbed his hands excitedly. "Where is the entrance to the air-raid shelter?"

　　Chapter 14 Determining the Position

　　Because my grandma's house is right opposite the north gate of Bishagang, whenever I came to my grandma's house when I was a child, I would visit Bishagang Park.

　　But in the past two years, due to work, the number of visits to my grandma's house has decreased. Secondly, I have grown up and the park no longer has any special attraction for me.

　　All in all, this is my first time entering Bishagang Park in three or four years.

　　As far as I can remember, there are three entrances and exits to the air-raid shelters in Bishagang Park, but I also know that there are far more than that, but many of them are hidden.

　　Among the three entrances and exits, the most famous one is the tunnel behind the park management office that has no exit.

　　However, after the young man died tragically in the cave, the park management, in order to strengthen management, demolished the wall next to the cave entrance, pushed it outward four or five meters and rebuilt it.

　　In this way, the entrance to the cave was moved to the courtyard of the park management office, and ordinary tourists could no longer get close to it.

　　The other cave entrance is not far away, just inside the courtyard of the Northern Expedition Martyrs Memorial Hall, 100 meters west of the park management office. You need to buy a ticket to enter the memorial hall. There are some really valuable historical materials and cultural relics in it, so there are people guarding it day and night.

　　If we want to enter the air-raid shelter without being discovered, we can only rely on the last entrance and exit.

　　This entrance is located in the middle of a small artificial lake in the southwest corner of the park. The lake is not big, only about four or five hundred square meters, and the water is quite shallow. Although I have never gone down there, I doubt that it would even reach my waist.

　　When I first went there to play, I was very curious. Why dig an air-raid shelter in the middle of the artificial lake? Aren’t they afraid that water will flow back into it?

　　It was only much later that I realized that the lake was not built first and the bomb shelter was built later. Instead, the plan was to build a small lake here, but after planning, it was found that there was an entrance to the bomb shelter in the middle of the lake. For some reason, the entrance was not filled up, but raised, becoming a scene in the lake.

　　I told Zhang Shan what I thought, and Zhang Shan agreed to enter from here. He said, "It seems that this is the only entrance that no one usually approaches, after all, there is a lake blocking it. I think if the Corpse-Assisting Curse really sneaked in here, it would definitely choose that entrance. We just need to go over and see if the lock on the air-raid shelter door is intact, and we will immediately know whether the Corpse-Assisting Curse is really hiding underneath."

　　After saying that, we both immediately ran to the southwest corner of the park.

　　Soon, we arrived at the artificial lake. Looking at the dark hole in the middle of the lake, my heart started beating rapidly.

　　If, as Zhang Shan said, Fu Shi Zhu crossed the river, opened the iron gate and hid underground, then we must follow him down. Who knows what will happen after we go down?

　　Thinking about the final fate of those young people who entered the air-raid shelter, it is indeed chilling.

　　If the lock on the door is intact, it proves that the Corpse-Fushou Curse has never been here.

　　Although we don’t have to go down, the clues will end here. From the day after tomorrow, we will be in a passive situation. Maybe one day when I am walking on the road, a monster will suddenly jump out from the side of the road and snap my neck...

　　I really don’t dare to think about it anymore.

　　Zhang Shan didn't notice my conflicting feelings. Looking at the lake, he was actually happy and smiled at me, "Let's go. I think the water is quite clear. It's just right for us to take a bath."

　　I gave him a wry smile and slowly walked down into the lake.

　　The lake water is cold late at night, stimulating every nerve in my body.

　　The lake was shallower than I thought, barely covering the middle of my thighs. I guess it was because of the huge civil air defense project below that they couldn't let too much water in for safety reasons to prevent collapse or leakage in the future.

　　The closer I got to the door, the more nervous I became. I hoped the lock was good, but at the same time I also hoped it was broken. It was such a contradiction. Finally, two minutes later, we washed the dirt off our bodies and moved to the side of the air-raid shelter. Seeing that I didn't dare to move forward, Zhang Shan rushed forward to see if the lock was intact.

　　Three seconds later, Zhang Shan turned his face back with a livid look and said only four words: "The lock is good." After that, he sat on the ground like a deflated ball. He murmured, "It shouldn't be like this~ I searched the mountain for more than a month and didn't find this guy. He shouldn't be here..."

　　I don’t know whether I should be happy or sad. Although I don’t have to go down to this horrible air-raid shelter, do I have to live in fear every day from now on?

　　I even began to regret not taking Old Man Qian as my master earlier. I was afraid that even if I went back now with a thick face, it would be another matter whether Old Man Qian was willing to do so or not, because I no longer had any capital, and the only bit of backbone I could rely on was about to be lost.

　　When I thought about this, I finally realized that I had nothing left. Maybe every time I could survive one more day, I would have to thank God for giving me the greatest favor. I was unwilling to accept this! I was furious and walked forward and stomped hard on the iron door.

　　After a loud bang, the iron door fell to one side with my kick. But it was not the locked side, but the side of the iron door connected to the hole wall with a rotating door hinge welded on it. I was very surprised. When did I become so strong? The iron door that was welded so solid could be opened by my kick.

　　Zhang Shan also sat nearby, looking puzzled. After a moment, he stood up, walked to the iron gate, and squatted down to check for a moment. Then he burst into laughter, turned around and walked towards me, scaring me so much that I quickly stepped back.

　　"Haha! I said it was impossible. We were so stupid that we only thought of the locked side. We didn't expect that guy to break the door hinge. I saw that although this is a new seal, it was definitely not broken by your kick just now. It was obviously pulled open by brute force. Who do you think it was? Haha! Brother, you are saved this time! Hahahaha!"

　　I'm not as excited as he is. I haven't even seen the shadow of the corpse-supporting curse yet. Looking at his happy expression, it seems that he has already defeated the opponent. This guy was so proud that he even forgot to call me uncle and just called me brother.

　　"Who's there?" Just when Zhang Shan was feeling happy, he heard someone shouting and a few chaotic lights in the distance. Apparently, we made too much noise just now, and the people from the park management office heard us and followed the sound to find us. "Let's go!" While I was still staring at the flashlight, Zhang Shan had already quietly fixed the iron gate that I had kicked down, and dragged me to the other side of the lake.

　　Two minutes later, we were standing at the wall outside the west gate of the park. "Why didn't you go in directly just now?" I was very curious why Zhang Shan pulled me out again.

　　"We don't have any weapons. We can't just go in in the dark. If you don't want to live, I do." Zhang Shan shrugged at me.

　　"Didn't you bring a flashlight with you at night?" I clearly remember seeing this in his bag.

　　"Uncle, a flashlight that costs eight yuan doesn't seem to have a waterproof function, right?" Zhang Shan said as he took out a green plastic flashlight from his bag and threw it to me. I caught the flashlight and realized that we were both soaked in the Jinshui River, and his bag was no exception.

　　“Now that we have found the location of the Corpse-Holding Curse, don’t worry. Find a place to wash up and have a good sleep. Prepare all the equipment tomorrow and we will go down to catch zombies!” Since Zhang Shan knew that the Corpse-Holding Curse was here, he looked a lot more relaxed. He didn’t seem to be worried at all about the fierce battle that was likely to take place tomorrow night.

　　"Then aren't you afraid that it will run away overnight?" I was still a little worried.

　　"My uncle-master, that thing is a stubborn one and can't even speak. Do you expect it to be as smart as you? Let me put it this way, the Corpse-Helping Curse is actually no different from a wild beast. The only difference is that it walks upright. Besides, even if it could think, it would be afraid that you would not come. How could it avoid you? Ah~~~~" Zhang Shan had already started yawning.

　　I thought so too. It was a mule or a horse anyway, so there was no need to take it out for a walk. We could only wait until tomorrow night. We immediately found a hotel nearby and booked a room to stay.

　　Chapter 15 Pre-War Preparations

　　When we were checking in at the lobby, the girl at the front desk still stared at us strangely.

　　Since we had just taken a bath in the artificial lake, we were still wet all over. The silt in the Jinshui River, which was as thick as broth, was not so easy to wash off. Although the stench was much less, there were still black and white spots on our clothes.

　　Under the torment of these strange looks, I finally completed the accommodation procedures and led Zhang Shan to the elevator as if escaping.

　　Just as the elevator door was about to close, I saw the girl staring at me, picked up the phone next to her and said, "Housekeeping department on the sixth floor, a gay couple just went upstairs, please be careful to receive them..."

　　Facing the contemptuous gaze of the lady in the housekeeping department, I opened the door with a "shy" look on my face.

　　Zhang Shan seemed to know nothing and just looked at me happily. I didn't plan to tell him about this. After all, children who grew up in the mountains are pure, so it's better not to corrupt him.

　　We then took a comfortable hot bath. What surprised me most was that there was a small washing machine in the guest room.

　　This solved my urgent problem. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money for tomorrow. I could buy clothes but not equipment, and I could buy equipment but not clothes. We couldn't go out for a whole day while stinking.

　　With this washing machine, I can at least hold out until I get out from underground, of course, provided I survive...

　　Hey! Don't think about these unlucky things.

　　By the time all the clothes were washed, it was already dawn.

　　Zhang Shan didn't know how to use the washing machine, so he had already fallen asleep on the bed. After I put the last piece of clothing on the TV, I called the front desk again and asked them to call us at 11:30 noon to wake us up, as we had to check out before 12 o'clock.

　　Maybe it’s a psychological effect, but I always feel that the tone of the girl at the front desk is a bit weird.

　　But I had no choice but to explain. My cell phone was also reimbursed at Jinshui River. If I didn't let them wake us up in advance, we would have to pay an extra day's room fee after 12 o'clock. Under the current financial constraints, this would undoubtedly make the situation worse.

　　After the call, I couldn’t hold on any longer, my head tilted, I fell on the bed and fell asleep.

　　This time, I had another dream. I dreamed that Zhao Youde’s corpse was baring its fangs and claws in front of me.

　　But I didn't take it seriously at all. I made a sword gesture with my index and middle fingers of my right hand and waved it lightly. The golden coffin was opened and Zhao Youde was put into the coffin in an instant. I laughed up to the sky...

　　Soon I dreamed of the female ghost again. She was standing on the railway line and singing sadly. Just as I was about to approach her, a speeding train came roaring and smashed her into pieces...

　　Then I was in darkness again, and I could only hear Zhang Shan laughing wildly behind me. I turned around, only to find him standing in front of me naked...

　　The moment Zhang Shan pushed me down, I finally woke up in shock, and the phone on the bedside table rang at the right moment.

　　"Hello, Mr. Wang. As you instructed, we are here to inform you that check-out will be in half an hour." Although I was still confused, I could tell that the person on the other end of the line was no longer the girl who checked me in last night, so there was less embarrassment.

　　"Is it time to go?" After I hung up the phone, Zhang Shan rubbed his eyes and sat up. I looked around and found that none of the clothes were dry, but there was nothing I could do. It seemed that only the human body could dry them.

　　At the Sichuan snack bar next to the hotel, we each had a big bowl of noodles with soybean paste, and then took bus 83 to the second-hand market on Dongfeng Road.

　　Forget about taking a taxi. I only had 300 yuan left in my pocket. Zhang Shan came to see me without a penny. I don't know how he got on the long-distance bus.

　　Everyone in Zhengzhou knows that if you want to buy rare gadgets, the Electronic Building on Dongfeng Road is definitely the first choice.

　　I remember when I was in high school, I often came here to buy pirated discs. At that time, in addition to pirated discs, there were also the latest technology eavesdropping devices and various cheating pens.

　　At that time, digital cameras were just getting started and were far from being as popular as they are now.

　　But in the Electronics Building, a merchant had already put two baskets outside for sale, each one costing 200 yuan, and you could pick any you wanted, just like potatoes.

　　I don't know when the price of IT products started to drop, but I remember that I bought my first computer in 1997. When I moved it here in 2000 to sell it, the words of a boss touched me deeply. I decided that from then on, I would never sell my old computer here even if I had to burn or smash it!

　　At that time, the boss looked at my host and said, "Brother, do you have enough benches at home to sit on? If not, I suggest you move it back home. Maybe it can still be used for another two years. You bring it to me, and it can be used for meals. I don't know what to do with it..."

　　After a tour on the fifth floor, we decided to spend 180 yuan to buy two miners' helmets and mining lamps.

　　The whole set of equipment is expensive because of the big battery attached to the back. The boss said that it can be used for three days without any problem after fully charged.

　　After leaving the battery with the boss to charge, we went out to continue shopping. To be honest, I really didn't know what to buy.

　　Walking to a shop selling adventure equipment, Zhang Shan looked at a machete about a foot long and was unable to move no matter what.

　　I knew Zhang Shan liked this knife, but when I asked the boss, he wanted 150 yuan. Unfortunately, I only had 120 yuan left on me, and I had to leave some money for the trip home and dinner.

　　"Brother, it seems that you are a connoisseur of goods. This knife is the best in this batch. You see, I haven't even bothered to sharpen it since I purchased it." The boss, who is also a young man, was selling it to us while showing it to us.

　　"Eighty!" I thought about it. Zhang Shan gave me his dagger. He really needed a weapon.

　　"Brother, are you kidding me? This knife of mine is made of top-quality materials. I've been here for several years, and I've never sold it at this price. If you really want it, I won't give you a second price, one hundred and twenty." Seeing that the deal was going to be successful, the boss lowered the price on his own initiative.

　　"Eighty!" I didn't even bother to listen to her nonsense.

　　"Brother, those who buy machetes are all travellers. Let's be friends. Where did you go this time? Tell me. As long as I haven't been there, I'll give you this knife for 110 yuan. How about it?" The boss was very good at doing business and took the initiative to give us a way out.

　　"Eighty!" I am a stubborn person.

　　"Okay, I think you should go somewhere else. Let me tell you the truth, I bought this knife for 90 yuan. It costs 100 yuan. You can take it if you want. If you don't want it, don't try to fool me here." The boss started to get angry. He probably had never seen someone so stubborn and persistent. There was no nonsense. I just kept the same price, and it would be repeated endlessly.

　　The point is that I really am not in the mood to talk nonsense with him.

　　He didn't pay any attention to him at all and just pulled Zhang Shan, who was already staring at him, away.

　　Just as I walked five meters out, I heard the boss behind me shouting, "Brother, come back! I admire you. Ninety! Do you want ninety?"

　　I was about to turn around and continue walking, but Zhang Shan pulled me, his eyes full of pleading. Forget it! It's just ten dollars. When have I ever been so serious about ten dollars?

　　While the boss was asking his waiter to sharpen the knife, he said to me in Kaifeng dialect: "Hey, brother, you are too stubborn, aren't you? I have never seen you bargain like this. We are buyers and sellers. I sell for comfort and you buy for peace of mind. Your bargaining method only works with me. If it works at other people's shops..."

　　Listening to his nonsense, I just smiled. He probably hadn't come to Zhengzhou when I was browsing the second-hand market. I knew the tricks involved long ago.

　　He bought this knife for fifty dollars, even if I was wrong.

　　Before leaving, the boss kept asking Zhang Shan: "Brother, which mountain are you going to climb this time? Tell me about it, so we can go there and have fun later."

　　Zhang Shan turned his head and bared his teeth at him, blurting out two words: "Yinshan." After that, we left our confused boss behind and walked away.

　　On the way back, I looked at the things in the plastic bag and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Three hundred yuan was enough to disguise us as miners with machetes. I just don't know what the outcome of the miners vs. zombies will be. It won't be worse than plants, right?

　　At five o'clock in the afternoon, we returned to the west gate of Bishagang Park, ate something casually, and bought ten sesame cakes and four bottles of mineral water, and asked Zhang Shan to carry them all.

　　This is what I insisted on requesting. What if I am stuck in there for a few days, I will have to rely on these things to survive.

　　The two of us just sat on the bench beside the artificial lake, bored, not talking, both staring blankly at the dark entrance of the air-raid shelter.

　　The tourists passing by looked at us curiously. They didn't understand what two grown men were trying to do by sitting there with such bitter and resentful looks on their faces, looking at the lake.

　　We finally made it until dark. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, we slowly waded down the lake to the air-raid shelter. Zhang Shan quickly lifted the door, waited for me to go in, then stepped back and carefully closed the door. We then entered the air-raid shelter.

　　After putting on the miner's hats, we activated the switches on our waists, and two strong rays of light shot out from above our heads, instantly illuminating the space of dozens of meters around us.

　　Zhang Shan held his newly bought machete in his hand and said to me in a serious tone: "From now on, you must obey me in everything. I will lead the way in front, and you must follow me closely. Don't panic if any special situation occurs. Come and carry this pancake..."

　　I simply took Zhang Shan's backpack, stuffed everything I could into it, slung it across my body, and then pulled out the dagger Zhang Shan gave me.

　　After everything was ready, we walked deeper into the air-raid shelter.

　　Chapter 16: The Road to Beheading

　　The tunnel we are currently in can only be considered the entrance to the air-raid shelter. It is no more than two meters high and can only allow two people to walk side by side. The top is arched and the slope inside the tunnel is not very steep.

　　On the sides and overhead are large, moss-covered blue-gray stone bricks.

　　This kind of stone bricks is quite different from those used to build houses outside. They all have rounded corners, and there is a big gap between each two bricks, but they are tightly covered with yellow mud.

　　As we continued to move forward and downward, the air in the cave became increasingly humid, and the musty smell continued to irritate my nasal mucosa.

　　After walking less than 200 meters, Zhang Shan stopped, turned around and fumbled in the bag I was carrying for a long time, then took out a matchbox-sized box, opened it, and inside was a white paste.

　　Zhang Shan directly scooped out some and rubbed it on the edges of my nostrils, and then rubbed some on himself.

　　After a few seconds, I felt much clearer, and the painful feeling of being stimulated by the musty smell gradually disappeared. But I am sure this is not the cooling oil, because I don't feel the cooling feeling of mint at all.

　　The corridor was very long, and our shadows were projected obliquely onto the wall behind us by the light. As we walked, it seemed as if we were dancing a mysterious dance.

　　It was eerily quiet all around us; the only sound we could hear was our heavy breathing, rising and falling.

　　After walking for about three minutes, the slope under our feet suddenly stopped and we finally arrived at the underground floor of the air-raid shelter.

　　Looking around, wherever the light reached, there were blue-gray stone bricks in the distance, and on some walls, you could still barely see the slogans that had been painted.

　　But as time went by, these once inspiring slogans also faded away with time. This is a rectangular hall that can accommodate at least 2,000 people.

　　There are some benches scattered around the hall, which should be used for people who need special care to rest when the air-raid shelter is put into use.

　　I counted and found that there were eight lights on the ceiling of the hall, but we couldn't find where the switches were. I guess all the lights should be turned on at the same time.

　　In this hall, the first fork in the road appeared.

　　The entrance to the corridor we came from was in the middle of the hall, and at both ends of the hall, there was a hole leading to opposite directions. The door frames of the holes were painted white, and under the illumination of the mining lamp, they were particularly easy to recognize.

　　"What should we do? Which way should we go?" Zhang Shan was at a loss and turned to ask me.

　　I was thinking back to what my father had told me about air-raid shelters: "In general cities, air-raid shelters only have one floor, and they are dug relatively shallowly. But Zhengzhou is different, because Zhengzhou is located on a major railway transportation artery and has great strategic significance. Therefore, Zhengzhou's air-raid shelters are generally divided into two floors. The upper floor is 20 to 30 meters underground, and its main function is to guide and divert traffic, as well as temporarily accommodate people. The second underground floor is truly safe and reliable, and can store strategic materials and personnel. It is 60 to 8 meters underground, and there are multiple protective measures between the first and second floors, which can effectively prevent the infiltration of biological and chemical weapons. Even if a nuclear weapon explodes overhead, it will definitely not affect the people on the second underground floor..."

　　"Let's explore it first." I think that if Fu Shi Zhu wanted to hide, he would definitely hide in a deeper part of the air-raid shelter so that he could recover slowly.

　　As long as we find the passage to the second underground floor, we will be close to finding that guy.

　　I gestured to Zhang Shan to go to the hole on the left side of the hall.

　　Zhang Shan was exploring the way ahead, while I was always paying attention to what was behind me.

　　Although the Corpse Curse is unlikely to hide near the door, you must always be careful in this dark environment. It is very likely that it will launch a fatal attack the moment you let your guard down.

　　After entering the cave, our speed slowed down significantly. This corridor was much smaller than the one leading to the entrance. It was only wide enough for two people to squeeze through sideways, and its height was only slightly higher than Zhang Shan.

　　Moreover, Zhang Shan was a tall and strong man, and he blocked the road ahead so tightly that I couldn’t even see a gap.

　　I even doubt if he would be able to turn around if the situation arose.

　　This road seemed to have no end. There were no ups and downs, and no turns. It just stretched straight underground.

　　My cell phone was damaged after being soaked in the river yesterday and cannot be turned on. Zhang Shan didn't wear a watch, so I don't know how long he had been walking. It could have been only five minutes, or it could have been half an hour.

　　In short, in this dark and extremely quiet environment, your sense of time is completely lost.

　　Zhang Shan suddenly stopped, and because I was paying attention to the situation behind me, I bumped into him.

　　Zhang Shan twisted his neck with difficulty. Because of the light above his head, he couldn't look directly at me. He looked at the long corridor behind me and said, "This is a dead end."

　　"Impossible!" I immediately realized, how could there be a dead end in the air-raid shelter?

　　Even if there is no exit ahead, there should at least be a larger area for accommodating personnel or storing supplies.

　　It is absolutely unreasonable for such a long corridor to disappear while you are walking on it, unless they gave up at this point.

　　Seeing that I didn't believe him, Zhang Shan turned sideways and tried to press his back against the wall of the corridor, leaving a one-foot-wide gap for me to see for myself.

　　As the light shone, I could clearly see that five meters ahead there was a neatly laid layer of blue bricks, and the road was really cut off here.

　　Zhang Shan also felt something was wrong, so he walked to the end and used his machete to knock here and there to see if there was any blockage. But all he heard was the sound of "pop, pop" hitting, proving that the bricks were indeed solid.

　　"Let's go back and take another route." Zhang Shan took the initiative to say.

　　There is really no need to delve into this strange thing right after we come in. After all, our purpose is to destroy the corpse-supporting curse. We are not here for adventure or treasure hunting. Time is the most precious thing.

　　There was no choice but to turn back.

　　Zhang Shan wanted to switch places with me and he wanted to walk in front, but I refused. On the one hand, we were now on the way back, and as long as we were careful, there shouldn't be any danger. On the other hand, this corridor was too narrow, and it was not easy for us to switch places.

　　As we were walking, Zhang Shan grabbed me and whispered, "Listen, what's that sound?"

　　I hurriedly stopped and pricked up my ears to listen, but I heard nothing. Zhang Shan was a little embarrassed and even said that he was a little nervous and told me not to be afraid.

　　As I took another step forward, I heard the sound too, a faint "guh" coming from deep in front of us. If you're not paying attention, it's easy to be drowned out by the footsteps.

　　I immediately signaled Zhang Shan to lighten his steps. The sound was constant, a "gu" sound every time we took a step, sometimes louder and sometimes softer, but as we slowly approached, it became clearer and clearer.

　　Fortunately, the searchlight above our heads can shine very far. This special high-intensity light is obviously not comparable to ordinary household light bulbs. So we don’t have to worry about something approaching quickly without being noticed.

　　When about twenty meters away from the source of the sound, the sound stopped abruptly.

　　We stood there and waited for about half a minute, but didn't hear any more sound, so we could only move forward at a slower pace.

　　After walking just five steps, the sharp-eyed Zhang Shan patted me on the shoulder and said, "Look, there's a black ball on the ground in front of you."

　　I followed the direction of his finger and found that in the middle of the corridor ten meters ahead of us, there was a black mass as big as a fist, lying on the ground motionless.

　　I was very surprised. Although this black thing was not very conspicuous on the green stone bricks, the corridor was so wide after all. It was impossible that we didn't notice it when we walked in just now.

　　Unless this thing could move and followed us all the way in.

　　Zhang Shan then pushed me against the wall and squeezed through from the other side. He held the machete tightly in his hand and walked towards the black mass.

　　Walking up to the thing, Zhang Shan slowly squatted down. I couldn't wait to move closer to see what it was, but he was so big that I couldn't see anything.

　　Suddenly, a "quack" sound came clearly into my ears.

　　Then Zhang Shan turned around with a grin, raised his hand flat with his palm facing upward, and said to me while holding the mass: "I was wondering what it was, it turned out to be a toad! It's just that in this small path, the sound has changed its tone, and it doesn't sound the same anymore."

　　Seeing that there was indeed a toad in Zhang Shan’s palm, I put down my guard and moved forward.

　　Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was indeed a very special toad. Under our light, it was a dark blue with a glow all over its body.

　　As far as I can remember, I have never seen any frog of this color.

　　Due to the strong light, it half-closed its eyes and lay there obediently. Its bulging belly alone was the size of an ordinary fist.

　　The most bizarre thing is its belly, which is round and bulging, and has a certain degree of transparency. I can even see something flowing under the thin belly.

　　I just put my face close to see what's inside its transparent belly, when the little toad, which had its eyes half closed, suddenly opened its eyes and looked straight at me.

　　Because the distance was very close, I was also stunned by it.

　　The little toad opened its mouth, and with a "gulp" sound, a light purple smoke rushed out of its mouth and sprayed all over my face.

　　When Zhang Shan saw this, he immediately raised his hand and threw the "toad" behind him and was about to pinch my nose.

　　Unfortunately, it was all too late. When it was spewing out smoke, I was just inhaling. In just a moment, a small half of the smoke was sucked in.

　　By the time I reacted, my throat had already started to feel numb, and the tingling sensation quickly spread throughout my body.

　　In less than three seconds, my limbs began to go limp. Before Zhang Shan could even reach out, I slowly collapsed to the ground.

　　At the last second, I tilted my head to one side and saw the little toad lying on the ground in front of me. Its belly was deflated...

　　Chapter 17 Forty Years Ago

　　I was woken up by a loud noise while half asleep. I opened my eyes and was surrounded by endless darkness.

　　I stretched my hand out in front of me and waved it, but unfortunately I couldn't see anything.

　　"Zhang Shan? Zhang Shan!" I shouted in panic, but there was no answer.

　　Only then did he remember that he had brought a lighted bag with him, and he quickly reached around his waist to turn on the switch.

　　But when I touched it, my whole body felt cold. The battery hanging on my belt and the miner's lamp on my head were both gone!

　　I sat on the ground dejectedly. Without the light, I could hardly move. I didn't know where Zhang Shan had gone. At this moment, I couldn't even walk out, let alone find the corpse-supporting curse.

　　"Chairman Mao taught us that educated youth must devote themselves to the vast rural areas and develop the spirit of not fearing hardship and not fearing..." The voice that woke me up sounded behind me again.

　　I quickly looked back and found that there was a small bright spot as big as a soybean in the darkness. The sound came from that direction.

　　I must still be in this cut-off corridor. The place with light should be the hall leading to the air-raid shelter.

　　Did someone notice us coming down and mobilize people to search for us? Or did Zhang Shan go to get reinforcements?

　　As soon as I thought of someone being there, I immediately became energized, turned over and got up, and walked towards the small light spot the size of a soybean.

　　As the small light spot gradually grew larger, the sound I heard became clearer and clearer. Sometimes it was Chairman Mao's poems, and sometimes it was "On the Golden Mountain in Beijing". Although the timbre of these sounds was loud, they were not three-dimensional. I could tell that they were played by a loud speaker.

　　Finally, the glowing cave was getting closer and closer, and the scene outside was becoming clearer and clearer, and I couldn't help but run.

　　When I was still a few hundred meters away from the cave entrance, I slowed down my pace because I could clearly see the scene in the hall. The lights outside were brightly on. It was the hall that Zhang Shan and I entered when we just came down. But what was happening at this moment was something I could never have imagined.

　　There were many white curtains hanging in the hall, and white iron beds were neatly arranged, leaving only a few aisles for people to walk through. Many people were coming and going in the aisles, but their steps were very hurried.

　　Some of the girls were wearing white coats that reached down to their knees. Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were actually nurses, moving between the iron beds.

　　Almost half of the beds were occupied, and I could vaguely see a few with white hair, probably wrapped in gauze.

　　Among the people walking back and forth, those who were not wearing white coats were all wearing work clothes of the same style and material. Although the colors were different, some were blue, some were khaki, and some were black and gray. There were no particularly bright colors.

　　Most of the men wore old-fashioned military caps, and almost all of them had a red band on their arms and a shiny object hanging on their chests.

　　Now I finally understand what those shiny things on the chest are - Chairman Mao badges!

　　"This... this is..." I was completely confused. The emotionless woman's voice coming from the loud speaker in the corner of the hall was still roaring in the same tone, but I could hear nothing.

　　This scene in front of me is something I have only seen in movies or TV series. This is what it looked like forty years ago!

　　I was staring at the bright red words "Long Live Chairman Mao" on the wall. I had seen these words when I first entered the cave, but the paint had fallen off a lot and I could barely see the traces of the words. A woman's voice sounded behind me: "Which unit are you from?!"

　　I quickly turned around and saw a young nurse with two pigtails and wearing glasses standing five meters away, looking me up and down with a vigilant look on her face.

　　I looked around and realized that within a ten-meter radius of the cave entrance, there was no one walking around and no beds were placed. I was undoubtedly very conspicuous standing here.

　　"I...I..." I looked at the young nurse nervously, not knowing how to explain it, not to mention that I couldn't explain it clearly.

　　"Tell me! Did you just come out of Channel No. 1?" The young nurse stepped closer, pointed at the hole behind me, and asked sternly.

　　I looked back in the direction of her finger, and saw a few large characters written on the edge of the hole painted with white paint: "Channel No. 1, no outsiders allowed in or out!"

　　"Which unit are you from? If you don't tell me, I will notify the security team!" The young nurse saw that I was obviously nervous and her tone became more severe.

　　"I... I'm from the National Cotton Mill!" I saw that if I didn't speak, she would shout. Fortunately, the air-raid shelter was very busy at that time and no one noticed us, so I quickly started to fight back.

　　"National Cotton Factory..." The nurse looked at me in my jeans and seemed to believe me. "Are you from the maintenance workshop?"

　　"Yes! Yes! The maintenance workshop!" I quickly answered her.

　　"You are from the National Cotton Mill..." The young nurse had just asked another difficult question. I heard someone behind us shouting, "Xiao Hu, come and help! Two more wounded have been sent down. If you still have time to gossip, be careful or I will tell your team leader!"

　　The young nurse turned around and stuck out her tongue at the person who called her, then immediately turned around, put on a serious expression, and said to me in a commanding tone: "You! Do you see that bench? Sit there honestly! I'll come back to interrogate you when I'm done with my work! Look at what you look like! Long hair, and shabby clothes. If the disciplinary inspection team sees you, they will definitely skin you alive!" After that, she hurried over to help take care of the wounded.

　　I sat down on the bench behind me in a daze, watching everything happening in front of me, trying to make sense of it.

　　Zhang Shan and I came here to look for the Corpse-Assisting Curse. I didn't expect that the first road we took would end in a dead end. On our way back, we ran into a toad. The damn toad burped and knocked me unconscious. I woke up like this. It was too weird.

　　I once heard my father talk about some things about that era. Due to excessive worship of the leader, a group of young people emerged who were afraid of chaos in the world and waved the leader's banner. In the name of "rebels destroying the four olds", they wreaked havoc everywhere and openly disrupted social order.

　　Otherwise, judging from the attire of these people, the country is in a period of peace at this time, so how could there be so many wounded?

　　I was thinking deeply when suddenly someone came up to me and patted me hard on the shoulder.

　　When I looked up, it was the young nurse named Hu.

　　He looked at me coldly and said, "Don't desert. We are a revolutionary team. Your kind of thinking is unacceptable. You are fickle and changeable. Putting all your energy into the people's war is the most effective way to strengthen one's will..."

　　I listened to her talking a lot of nonsense and felt both angry and amused.

　　After she had finally finished speaking, I pointed to the hole we had just exited and asked, "What is this passage number one used for? Why is there a dead end in there?"

　　"Ah! You really went in?" The young nurse's face was immediately filled with surprise.

　　"You must not go out and say anything! This is a serious violation of discipline! When we came down, the military leaders repeatedly told us that Channel 1 was not completed and the inside was not reinforced. There was a possibility of landslides at any time, and no one was allowed to go in. They also asked us to send people to guard it around the clock. If it weren't for the chaos up there today and everyone going to help, you wouldn't be able to get in even if you wanted to."

　　After hearing what she said, I was 90% unconvinced. I just got out and wondered whether there was reinforcement inside or not. How could I not know?

　　Besides, even if a dead-end road is going to collapse, there is no need to send people to guard it. It is obviously an exaggeration. There is definitely something strange about this No. 1 passage!

　　At this time, the emotionless loud speaker sounded again: "Attention to the people in the air-raid shelter, attention to the people in the air-raid shelter, except for medical staff and the injured and sick, please leave quickly, please leave quickly. Return to your respective posts, return to your respective posts."

　　Chapter 18 So That's It

　　"You'd better leave quickly, otherwise you will be in trouble if your leader finds out you're not here!" The young nurse said this and ran away without paying any attention to me.

　　I had no choice but to follow the crowd into the corridor I came in from and walk up.

　　Finally I returned to the ground. The afternoon sun felt particularly comfortable on my body, but I did not feel the slightest joy. This unknown era was like a barrier that suddenly appeared, separating Zhang Shan and me and disrupting our entire plan.

　　I don't even know if I'm in a dream or if I've really gone back in time.

　　The people who came out of the air-raid shelter scattered everywhere. I was walking aimlessly alone and didn't attract much attention.

　　After walking for a while, I found myself at the north gate of Bishagang Park.

　　From a distance I saw an old-fashioned door that I had never seen before, closed tightly, with a group of people standing guard inside the door as if on alert.

　　I didn't dare go over there, for fear of being asked about it again, so I turned around and climbed up the small hill next to it that had a bunker on top.

　　These days, the small hill should be considered a commanding height. Go up and observe the surrounding situation, and maybe you can discover something.

　　Halfway through the walk, I could already see the top of the small bunker on the hilltop, but suddenly a sound from above stopped me.

　　"Captain Chen, please be merciful and forgive me this time! I promise I will never do it again!" A man's sobbing and begging voice could be heard faintly.

　　I quickly crawled in the grass. Fortunately, the grass on the hill was very tall at that time, so I was not afraid of being discovered after I lay down.

　　Following the sound, I slowly crawled forward.

　　At this time, a lazy voice said, "Chen Yougui, we are also relatives, but what you are doing is clearly undermining socialism! How can I explain this to the higher-ups?"

　　The crying voice immediately followed up, "Captain Chen, if you don't tell anyone this time, no one will know. Please be kind! I have seven brothers and sisters in my family, and the food rations we get every month are not enough to eat. The whole family is waiting for me to exchange this box of things for some food to save their lives! If you really think it's inappropriate, then when I come back with the food, I will accept any beating or punishment!"

　　"Chen Yougui! You know what the current situation is. If I let you go and you admit your mistake when you come back, your family will survive, but what about us brothers? Arresting and criticizing you is the lightest punishment. You stole a whole box of bullets! It's not unfair to sentence you a reactionary spy! Do you plan to bury us with you?" The lazy voice suddenly became stern.

　　"This..." The man named Chen Yougui obviously did not realize the seriousness of the matter before. After hearing what Captain Chen said, he was suddenly speechless.

　　"Hey, it's not impossible for us to help you, but this high-risk thing must have a high reward. You are in charge of the militia company's material warehouse. We will pretend that we don't know about the box of bullets you stole today. But tomorrow you can get each of us a small pistol and some more bullets. What do you think?"

　　I was already very close to them at this time. Through the bushes, I could vaguely see three people with their backs to me, standing in a semicircle facing the bunker on the top of the mountain. The person talking in the middle seemed to be Captain Chen.

　　Because I was looking up from below, due to the angle, I could see that there was another person surrounded by them. He was half as tall as them, with only the top of his head showing. I couldn't tell whether he was squatting or sitting in front of the bunker.

　　At this time, the man spoke: "Captain Chen... you also know that the bullets are not counted, but the guns are counted. If you take out several guns at once, you will definitely be discovered."

　　"Oh? So you don't want to?" Captain Chen pretended to be surprised. "Then don't blame us brothers for being mean. If you hand you and this box back, the three of us can at least be recognized as advanced. Erpi, Sun Sheng'er, help your eldest brother down first."

　　As he spoke, Captain Chen called on the two people beside him to catch the man.

　　"Hey, stop right there! Do you still want to run?"

　　I was just about to move forward a little to get a clearer look when suddenly there was chaos on the top of the mountain. Chen Yougui, who had only his head exposed, somehow escaped from their encirclement and ran towards me.

　　I didn't dare move. At this speed, they would find me in less than three seconds.

　　Just when I was at a loss of what to do, I heard a muffled "bang". When I looked up, I saw Chen Yougui looking straight ahead and slowly falling down. Behind him, Captain Chen was holding a shovel in both hands.

　　Everyone was stunned. No one expected things to turn out like this. After a long while, one person said timidly, "Boss...you didn't kill anyone, did you?"

　　"Nonsense! Can someone be killed with just this one blow? Try hitting me and see!" The other person next to Captain Chen said this, and immediately squatted next to Chen Yougui to check.

　　Captain Chen still stood there, expressionless on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.

　　"Damn...it's really dead! What...what should I do?" Three seconds later, the man who was investigating the situation sat down next to Sun Yougui, muttering to himself.

　　"Boss, this... this has nothing to do with us, right?" The man standing next to Captain Chen was also anxious.

　　"Alright! Shut the fuck up! Look at you guys! The fight is so fierce now, won't a few of them die one day? Look how scared you two are by such a trivial matter! Remember, no one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today. If anyone dares to tell anyone, don't blame me, Chen, for making your family live in peace from now on! Erpi, drag him here!" Captain Chen finally spoke and threatened the two men harshly.

　　"Oh..." The man sitting next to Chen Yougui, Erpi, stood up hurriedly, stepped over the prone Chen Yougui, put his hands under his armpits, and lifted Chen Yougui up. The other man, who should be called Sun Sheng, also came over and picked up the two legs dragging on the ground. The two of them carried Chen Yougui to the bunker.

　　When they reached the bunker, the two men had just put Chen Yougui down with his back against the bunker when Captain Chen said, "Dig a hole in the bunker and bury him quickly while no one is around at noon!"

　　I saw that they had all circled around the bunker, and took the opportunity to get closer, almost climbing to the top of the slope.

　　I finally saw that the thick stone door of the bunker was open, and there were bursts of noise coming from inside, which must be that they were digging a pit inside. Chen Yougui was leaning against the bunker, blood was slowly flowing out of his nose and mouth, and it seemed that he was beyond saving.

　　When I saw this scene, I seemed to remember something, but it was too vague to make any sense.

　　Less than three minutes later, Captain Chen left the bunker, lit a cigarette in front of the door, and said casually: "This is deep enough, bury it quickly! And bury the box of bullets together! Then wipe your butt clean, don't let anyone see it at a glance."

　　Erpi's voice rang out in the bunker: "Boss, I heard him say that this box of bullets can be exchanged for a lot of food! Isn't it a waste to bury it?"

　　Captain Chen did not reply immediately, but took a deep puff of his cigarette, and when he exhaled, he said, "It's nothing to lose a box of bullets. But Chen Yougui suddenly disappeared, and the higher-ups must conduct a thorough investigation of the material warehouse. We are carrying such a large box, and we can't use it for a while, so we might as well spend it. Let's bury them all! Accompanying this starving ghost, we three brothers will do him justice."

　　When I heard the words "starving ghost", I couldn't help but say "hmm".

　　Because I finally remembered that the legend about the children exchanging food for bullets was actually true, and the "person" in the bunker seemed to be Chen Yougui without a doubt!

　　The reason why he didn't eat the food he exchanged for was because of a belief he had before he died that he should leave it for his family first.

　　This poor man still cared so much about his family even after his death, which made me feel very uncomfortable.

　　"Who?" Although my voice was soft, it reached the ears of Captain Chen who was smoking outside in the quiet afternoon. After asking, he immediately threw away his cigarette and walked over here.

　　Although the weeds were tall, the rockery in the park was too small to hide a person. As long as he got within three meters, I would be exposed.

　　So without waiting for Captain Chen to come closer, I immediately made a decision: run!

　　He had just taken two steps when I stopped hiding and got up and ran down the mountain.

　　The three of them accidentally killed someone, and if the higher-ups knew about this, they would be charged with a serious crime. So when they saw me stand up, they realized there was someone nearby, and they didn't care about what they were doing, and chased after me desperately.

　　In just a moment, I ran down the rockery. I wanted to run out of the park, but I thought there were people guarding the gate, and they might be in the same group. I would be courting death if I rushed over. Who would trust a stranger who came from nowhere?

　　I had no choice but to run deeper into the park. Fortunately, there were almost no people in the middle of the park. I was running alone, and the three of them were chasing me from behind, so there was no hindrance. But for me, although there was no one around, I didn't worry about being intercepted, but it was also not conducive to getting rid of them, because the target was too obvious.

　　Chapter 19 Mysterious Girl

　　Soon, we ran to the southwest corner of the park, near the "air-raid shelter hospital". I suddenly had an idea and went in again.

　　When they entered the hall on the first floor of the air-raid shelter, although there were a lot fewer people than when they walked out just now, there were still at least a hundred people, some lying down or sitting, and nurses in white were walking around among them, which made the three of them dizzy for a while after they came in.

　　In order not to attract attention, I deliberately slowed down before entering the hall, pretending to have nothing to do, and walked towards the right side of the hall, towards another hole opposite to "Passage No. 1".

　　I heard hurried footsteps behind me, and I knew that Captain Zhang and his three companions had caught up with me. I quickly dodged and hid behind an empty bed.

　　When I turned around, I saw the three of them entering the hall. They were obviously confused by so many people and couldn't find me for a while.

　　But soon, under the order of Captain Zhang, Erpi and Sun Sheng dispersed separately, and the three of them guarded the three aisles between the beds, started a carpet search, and slowly advanced here.

　　I was about to turn around and sneak into the corridor behind me when a small hand grabbed my arm.

　　"Hey! Why are you back again? Are you deliberately being lazy?" I looked up and saw that it was the young nurse who had just questioned me.

　　"Boss, that kid is here!" Sun Sheng, who was closest to me, followed the voice of the young nurse and was the first to discover me. He quickly called Captain Chen and the others to come closer to me.

　　I thought to myself that I was done for. This time I was going to be badly harmed by this young nurse. If I were caught by the three of them, I might not even make it to night.

　　Just as I was at a loss, a scream suddenly came from the "Aisle No. 1". The sound was extremely shrill, obviously a desperate cry of someone before death. It immediately attracted the attention of more than a hundred people in the hall, and even Captain Chen and his men who were walking towards me couldn't help but look back.

　　I was no exception. Everyone wanted to know what had happened after hearing such a terrible scream.

　　Looking across the crowd, I saw a man running out of Channel One in tattered clothes, covered in blood. His hands were waving aimlessly in the air, as if he was trying to grab something, and he kept uttering incoherent words.

　　"Channel 1 is haunted!" Someone shouted, and the people who were in a daze were in an uproar. Even the seriously injured patients lying on the beds struggled to get up.

　　Captain Chen and the others turned around to look for me. I had already lowered my body and followed the chaotic flow of people towards the cave entrance behind me.

　　"Bang!" With a small sound, all the lights in the air-raid shelter went out at this moment. Suddenly, the shouts of the nurses increased by eight degrees, and people became more confused.

　　Although this hall is not big, without light, it is not easy to find the corridor leading to the exit.

　　Instead, I felt much more relieved. At least in this situation, it would be extremely difficult for Captain Zhang and the others to find me. Besides, I had already memorized the location of the exit corridor. As long as I didn't move and waited patiently for a while, it would not be a problem to escape from here relying on my memory.

　　But the scream that followed instantly shattered everyone's psychological defenses.

　　In the darkness, the situation suddenly became tense, as if something was moving quickly around, and the strong wind filled the entire space. The desperate screams before death came one after another.

　　In this situation of visual loss, the fear is particularly intense. People surrounded by darkness are like headless flies. Although they have already lost their way in the chaos, they are unwilling to sit and wait for death. They bump into and trample on each other, and the scene is extremely chaotic.

　　How could I dare to move? I just huddled against the wall, my eyes wide open, but I could see nothing.

　　I don't know how long it took. The screams gradually became less frequent, and after waiting for a while, there was finally no sound. The air-raid shelter returned to the state it was when Zhang Shan and I first entered.

　　I still hid at the foot of the wall, not daring to move at all. The air-raid shelter was terribly quiet at this time. I pricked up my ears and listened carefully, and found that there was a rapid panting sound beside me, as if there was phlegm stuck in my throat, which was extremely uncomfortable.

　　"Who is it?" I turned around and asked in a low voice. As soon as I finished speaking, the panting quickly disappeared.

　　"Damn it! I've been waiting for it for a long time. Why did you wake up at this time?" I was startled by a familiar voice in my ears. It was Zhang Shan.

　　"Zhang Shan!" I shouted excitedly.

　　"Shh!" A hand reached out and blocked my mouth. "Keep your voice down, there's something nearby!" Zhang Shan was actually right behind me.

　　"Corpse-supporting curse!?" I pushed Zhang Shan's hand away and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

　　"It's still unclear. After you were knocked unconscious by the toad, I just carried you in here and then I found something there." After Zhang Shan's hand was pushed away, he took the opportunity to grab my shoulder and said.

　　I was really confused. Was it a dream or reality? I couldn't tell. If it was a dream, then when did I wake up? If it was reality, what happened just now couldn't be connected with the current environment at all.

　　"That guy is gone, turn on the light." Zhang Shan patted me and took his hand away.

　　Then, a beam of strong light lit up behind me. I felt something hard against my waist, and when I touched it, I found it was the battery of my mining lamp.

　　My heart became even more confused.

　　"Let's go!" Zhang Shan stood up.

　　"Where to go?" I suddenly jumped from one thing to another, unable to connect my thoughts in a short period of time.

　　"Take another path! No matter what happened just now, if you can't find the corpse-supporting curse today, you'll be dead!" After saying that, Zhang Shan walked towards the cave entrance beside him.

　　My mind is in a state of confusion now. What just happened is about to blow my brain apart. I can only follow Zhang Shan while thinking. Before entering the cave, I remembered the mysterious "Passage No. 1".

　　When I turned around, it had already disappeared into the endless darkness and could not be found.

　　The passage here was extremely smooth, and within five minutes, we came to another three-way intersection. But the entrances to the passages were clearly marked, with the corridors on both sides leading to two larger resettlement areas, and the one in the middle leading directly to the second underground floor.

　　Without hesitation, we continued to advance deeper along the middle passage.

　　After walking for about ten minutes, I discovered a new problem. Although this corridor was marked as leading to the second underground floor, after walking for nearly one kilometer, the corridor still extended straight forward without any downward tilt.

　　I was about to tell Zhang Shan, but when I moved forward I vaguely heard Zhang Shan mumbling something.

　　"Hey, what did you say?" I quickly patted Zhang Shan on the back.

　　"Don't worry~ I got it, I can just go with you!" Zhang Shan was still talking in a daze, but this sentence was a little louder and reached my ears.

　　I was even more confused and wanted to look forward, but Zhang Shan's huge body blocked the entire passage. No matter how I pulled, he seemed to have no feeling and didn't even turn his head.

　　At this time, I gradually realized the seriousness of the problem. Ignoring Zhang Shan's reaction, I pushed him aside and looked forward.

　　When I saw this, I gasped. Just two or three meters in front of us, there was a girl wearing jeans, a red top, and short yellow hair. She was emitting bursts of black energy. She was facing us, backing away, and hooking her finger at Zhang Shan.

　　The girl had a strange expression on her face. The corners of her mouth tilted slightly, revealing a set of white teeth. There was not a trace of white in her dark eye sockets, and there was no reflection at all under the strong light.

　　Although I still have no idea about what happened just now, which should have happened in the 1960s, I can be sure that judging from the girl's dress, she would never look like she did forty years ago.

　　Besides, before us, it was impossible for anyone to have nothing better to do than to come down to this dark place, let alone a girl who was dressed so fashionably.

　　Looking at Zhang Shan's expression at this time, he was obviously confused by her. His eyes were staring straight ahead, his lips slightly open, and his saliva had already overflowed from the corners of his mouth, but he didn't even bother to wipe it off.

　　"Who are you!?" I shouted at the girl behind Zhang Shan.

　　The girl ignored my questioning, just winked at me mischievously and continued to guide Zhang Shan forward.

　　In the blink of an eye, I suddenly felt dizzy, and my thoughts seemed to stop for a moment. The girl's mysterious smile seemed to have great magic. An irresistible force suddenly rose up in my heart, and I couldn't help but want to follow her.

　　My thoughts were being devoured bit by bit, but I had no way to break free from this bondage.

　　Finally, just when I was about to lose consciousness, I suddenly felt a burning sensation coming from my right wrist, which quickly spread throughout my body.

　　It was this unbearable burning sensation that pulled my thoughts back. In the darkness, it seemed that my entire right arm was burning, and the flames even filled the space within five meters around it.

　　"Ah!!!!" The first sound I heard after I woke up was the girl's scream that was about to burst my eardrums. I immediately felt relaxed all over.

　　As she screamed, the girl quickly retreated into the darkness and disappeared in front of us in an instant. At the same time, the space around her was constantly distorting and changing.

　　Chapter 20 Enclosed Space

　　After more than ten seconds, the shaking finally stopped. I found Zhang Shan standing facing the wall, with one hand already inserted into the stone brick. I quickly helped him pull it out.

　　Zhang Shan sat down on the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for breath.

　　"How are you?" I could clearly see that Zhang Shan's back was already soaked with sweat, which showed how much he struggled when his consciousness was controlled.

　　Zhang Shan waved his hand and didn't say anything. After a long while, when he had almost rested, he took out a rectangular piece of gum-like thing from the inner pocket of his coat. It was black and the specific color could not be seen under the light. He asked me for a lighter, lit it, and kept roasting the thing.

　　Soon, the "chewing gum" began to burn violently, and the resulting white smoke gradually surrounded us, staying there for a while before gradually dissipating.

　　Zhang Shan took out a bottle of mineral water he had bought earlier from his backpack, unscrewed the cap, raised his head and drank it all, panted for a few times, and stood up again. He turned his head and said to me: "Damn it, there has been no war since the liberation of Zhengzhou! This air-raid shelter is too weird, how can there be so many unclean things! I didn't take any precautions in this regard, and I almost fell into their trap!"

　　I was still in a daze when Zhang Shan took out his compass and calculated our current position. After a moment, he turned around and asked me seriously, "How long have we been walking along this road?"

　　"About ten minutes." I didn't understand what he meant, so I answered honestly.

　　"Are you sure there are no forks or secret doors?"

　　"You're asking me about the route you're taking? At least you've been walking straight without turning." I've been numbed by the constant shock since I came in, so I replied calmly.

　　"That shouldn't be the case..." Zhang Shan's expression became even uglier. "When I entered this passage, I calculated the direction and orientation. Now it seems that we have deviated nearly three miles to the west."

　　"What did you say? That's impossible. It's a straight passage with no angle at all. How could it be off by so much?"

　　Of course I didn't believe it, three li is 1,500 meters. For safety reasons, we walked very slowly. In ten minutes, let alone taking a detour, even if we walked straight, we couldn't walk that far.

　　After I said that, I looked back, wanting to refute Zhang Shan's statement.

　　But when I turned around, I was stunned - a few meters behind me was a blue-gray brick wall, and the way I came was long gone.

　　I was completely dumbfounded. Could it be that we came through the wall?

　　Zhang Shan reacted faster than I did. He quickly turned around and looked forward. Under the light, an inexplicable scene appeared in our eyes - five meters in front of us, there was a blue-gray brick wall, blocking our way.

　　The two of us were trapped in this enclosed passage that was about ten meters long!

　　"This...how is this possible!" I muttered.

　　It would make sense if the road ahead was blocked, but it doesn't make sense that even the road we came from is nowhere to be found.

　　Zhang Shan didn't believe it, so he walked straight to the front and knocked here and there with a machete, hoping to find some useful clues.

　　After a while, he came back to me, sat down, leaned against the wall and said helplessly: "This is fucking weird, could it be that we are pangolins and dug a hole to get here?"

　　I could only smile bitterly, this joke was really quite unremarkable. The fact that the road has led us to this point is truly unprecedented and will never be repeated.

　　There are two walls blocking us in the middle. Could they be built by a ghost?

　　"Ghostly..." I kept thinking about these three words, and I always felt that there seemed to be more accurate alternative words in my mind, but I couldn't think of them. But then another thing appeared in my memory:

　　That was when I was very young. One year, my uncle's mother was seriously ill, and she hoped to see her son again before she died. So she sent a telegram to Zhengzhou, saying that she was eager for him to come home and see her again.

　　In those days, many families didn't even have telephones, let alone taxis.

　　Fortunately, my uncle’s hometown is not far away, less than 200 kilometers away from Zhengzhou.

　　It was a coincidence that my uncle had just bought a new Honda 125 motorcycle at that time.

　　The telegram was sent in the afternoon. After receiving it, the family decided that my uncle would ride a motorcycle back to his hometown first, and then my aunt and her brothers and sisters would take the bus back early the next morning.

　　My uncle first calculated the amount of gasoline he would need for the journey, took a small gas can to fill it with spare oil, and then set off alone.

　　The roads in that era were not easy to travel on, but even if you drove at a constant speed of 60 kilometers per hour, you could reach your destination in more than three hours.

　　Fortunately, my uncle is not the kind of person who would ignore everything when he is in a hurry. He set off at 5:30 and drove at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour all the way. He drove faster when the road was good and slower when the road conditions were bad, always ensuring safety first and arriving home at 9 o'clock at the latest.

　　It was late summer and it got dark relatively late. Before the sun set, my uncle had already traveled more than half the distance. There were no street lights on the country roads after dark, so he had to run as much as possible while it was still light.

　　In fact, it only took about ten to twenty minutes for the sun to set. After dark, my uncle turned on the car lights, slowed down appropriately, and continued to drive home.

　　Anyone who has traveled at night knows that, especially in the countryside, if there is no moon, it is as dark as ink, and even with the headlights you can't see what is happening more than a few dozen meters away.

　　There was no moonlight that night, and when my uncle passed through the last county town, he was only about 20 kilometers away from home. Although the road was difficult to walk, it took more than half an hour.

　　But it took my uncle almost an hour to walk this 20-odd-kilometer road, and he still hadn't seen the entrance to the village where his home was.

　　After running for more than ten minutes, the last bit of spare oil was almost used up. My uncle finally saw the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, and a huge shell was hanging under the tree.

　　It was used by the village to convene meetings in the past. Now with the advent of radio, it is no longer used. However, as a symbol and sign of the village’s history, it is protected by everyone.

　　Although it was only a quarter after ten, it was already past the time when the villagers went to bed.

　　My uncle stopped under a tree. He didn't dare to rush into the village directly, for fear of seeing the last thing he wanted to happen.

　　Lighting a cigarette, he tried to look towards the village two miles away.

　　If there are no lights on in the village, it means that everything is fine at least tonight; if there are lights on in the village, it is very likely that a mourning hall is being set up overnight.

　　There was still endless darkness ahead, and no matter how hard my uncle tried, he could not see any light ahead.

　　He felt relieved, thinking that there would be no problem tonight. So he started the motorcycle again and drove towards the village two miles away.

　　But after walking just three hundred meters, my uncle was stunned, because on the side of the road ahead was the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, and there was a shell hanging under it, swaying in the wind in the dark night.

　　The uncle was a little confused. He looked back and saw that it was pitch black a few meters behind him. He shook his head, wondering if he was too distracted and saw it wrong.

　　He looked carefully again, and after confirming that it was indeed the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, he continued to move forward.

　　After walking another three hundred meters, cold sweat broke out on my uncle's back. On the side of the road, there was still a big locust tree and a shell tied to the tree.

　　Chapter 21: Real or Illusion?

　　It seemed that he had really hit something this time. My uncle didn't dare to stop again. He didn't care how long the gas in the tank could run. He rushed forward at full speed, hoping to escape from this strange place by riding the motorcycle.

　　Twenty minutes later, the motorcycle finally announced that its fuel tank was empty and stopped.

　　My uncle slowly raised his head and looked forward. Just where the car lights were about to fail to reach, a reflective shell casing was swinging on a tree branch in the dark.

　　He got off the motorcycle and pushed it, and walked closer. It was still the big locust tree at the entrance of the village. Under the light of the car lights, the branches and twigs looked particularly hideous.

　　"Hey! Is anyone there?" My uncle finally couldn't stand this horrible scene anymore and shouted into the darkness. He hoped so much that someone could hear his shouting and find this place.

　　But the pitch-black night sucked everything in, and even the shouts seemed unable to penetrate this endless barrier.

　　Even until his uncle's voice became hoarse, he still didn't hear any response.

　　After sitting back in the car and resting for a while, my uncle decided that he had to get out of here no matter what. Waiting like this was obviously not a solution.

　　He even suspected that if he didn't find a way to get out, the sunrise would never come, and he would most likely be trapped in this mysterious space until he starved to death.

　　Thinking of this, my uncle turned on the car lights and took out a spare flashlight from under the seat.

　　Since the road looped endlessly, he decided to go down to the side of the road and cross horizontally on the ridge of the field, perhaps he could leave here.

　　There were corn fields more than a meter tall on both sides of the road. My uncle identified the direction and went deep into the fields with only money and a flashlight.

　　The cornfield rustled in the wind, and it seemed as if something was approaching from all directions. Although my uncle was very scared, he had no choice because this was the only way to escape from here.

　　After walking a few hundred meters, he vaguely saw a faint light ahead, and my uncle heaved a sigh of relief. He quickened his pace and trotted towards the light.

　　As they got closer and closer to the beam of light, my uncle started shouting loudly to attract the attention of the people over there.

　　Finally, after pushing aside the last bunch of corn stalks blocking his way, he saw the scene before him, but sat down on the ground dejectedly.

　　In front of my uncle, there was also a country road, but the shining object in the middle of the road was the headlight of his motorcycle.

　　After passing through a cornfield, he returned to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.

　　My uncle completely broke down. He started cursing, from the period before liberation to family planning, from previous village heads to the people around him.

　　The more he cursed, the more he felt at ease, as if only this could drive away the fear that was rising in his heart. Finally, after cursing to the end, my uncle roared wildly and angrily smashed the flashlight in his hand at the shell hanging under the tree in front of him.

　　A loud "bang" instantly broke the silence of the country road and spread far away.

　　My uncle was gasping for breath and looking at the shell casing that was shaking continuously after being hit, but he vaguely noticed that in the distance behind the big locust tree, twinkling lights were gradually lighting up.

　　It's the village! That's my home village! After confirming it, my uncle ran towards the village desperately. Two minutes later, he finally saw the first house at the entrance of the village.

　　When he returned home, my uncle realized that his whole body was soaked with sweat, his legs were as soft as noodles, and he could not stand up again after sitting down.

　　After a while, his family who had been waiting for him at the village entrance came back, pushing the motorcycle that had been abandoned in the road.

　　Talking about what happened just now, his family members said that they had sent three people to wait for him at the big locust tree at the entrance of the village. In order to help him find the way, they also pulled an electric wire and hung a 200-watt light bulb under the tree, which was always on.

　　This motorcycle was actually found on the roadside just over a hundred meters away from the village entrance.

　　When asked how he passed the big locust tree without seeing the three people waiting for him, both sides insisted that they definitely did not see each other. It was not until the uncle finished telling the story that everyone gasped and sighed.

　　When they came to their senses, everyone remembered the old lady next door and hurriedly carried the uncle over to visit her.

　　What surprised everyone even more was that the old lady, who had passed away just after nightfall, now had a rosy complexion again, and even her pulse and heartbeat were responding weakly.

　　After such a night of trouble, the old lady miraculously recovered two days later.

　　When asked about what happened that night, the old lady just said that after dark, she suddenly felt strong again, so she got up from bed and walked to the village entrance, wanting to wait for her eldest son in person.

　　The old lady was anxious. She waited and waited for her son but he didn't come. Gradually, she felt a little sleepy. She wanted to sleep but was afraid that she would miss her son's return, so she picked up some big tree forks from the side of the road and placed them horizontally in the middle of the road.

　　I thought that I would lie here for a while. If my son came back, he would definitely find the branch in the middle of the road. As long as I stopped, I would wake up and see my son.

　　After all this was done, the old lady leaned against a large rock on the side of the road and fell asleep.

　　After sleeping for a while, the old lady seemed to feel someone pulling her in a daze. She opened her eyes and found two men standing in front of her, dressed in black clothes and black pants from head to toe. Their faces were hidden in the shadow of the brims of their hats, and her features could not be seen.

　　Without waiting for the old lady to say anything, the two men in black carried her away. The old lady naturally didn't want to go, and she struggled desperately, not knowing where she got the strength from.

　　Just as the three of them were quarreling, a loud metal collision sound suddenly came from their ears.

　　The two men in black seemed to be extremely afraid of the sound. They let go of the old lady with both hands, covered their ears, and slowly crawled underground.

　　The old lady was wondering, but found that the tree branch she had placed in the middle of the road had been moved away at some point, and a figure in front of her was running towards the village. It looked like her eldest son.

　　The old lady was so happy that she forgot what had just happened and ran back home with her son. As soon as she entered the gate of her house, she felt dizzy and passed out. When she woke up, she looked like this.

　　But everyone who was at home that day knew that the old lady stopped breathing as soon as it got dark. There were dozens of people guarding inside and outside the yard. It was impossible for the old lady to run out of the village on her own at night.

　　Everyone who heard about these two things thought that it was God's will. The old lady missed her son so much that she waited at the entrance of the village. Although she accidentally blocked her son's way, her son accidentally threw the flashlight and actually pulled his mother's soul back.

　　Every time my uncle talked about this, he would tell me and my brother, “Although I don’t believe in ghosts, I was really scared when I was trapped by ghosts…

　　"By the way, have we hit a ghost wall?" I finally remembered the word, stopped reminiscing, turned around and shouted to Zhang Shan. Zhang Shan's shoulders shook when he heard me say this, and he looked up and said, "Looking at the current situation, the possibility of a ghost wall is indeed very high!"

　　"That means what we are seeing now are all illusions?" I thought thoughtfully.

　　"Obviously, you don't think we can really walk through walls, do you?" Zhang Shan stood up and looked at the wall behind us.

　　"It doesn't matter how we got here. The problem is how to leave. Since it's an illusion, there must be some place that is different from what we see. Let's look for it." As I said that, I started looking around.

　　"It's useless~" Zhang Shan was able to stretch in this small space.

　　"What do you mean?" I stopped and looked at Zhang Shan in confusion.

　　"First of all, there is a question you need to figure out. Does the illusion only affect vision or does it occupy people's minds and thus affect vision?" After stretching, Zhang Shan did not put down his hands, but pointed at his head and asked me.

　　"It should be... not just visual, right?" I really haven't thought about this question.

　　"That's it." Zhang Shan continued, "At least it has influenced part of your thinking. I'm not a scholar, so I don't use those words, but I think that what you see with your own eyes, even if it's all illusion, but deep in your mind you believe that it's real, so what you see and touch is naturally real."

　　"This... this is idealism." I didn't understand what Zhang Shan meant. "But we both know that this place is absolutely illusory!"

　　"But your brain and eyes tell you that this place is real." Zhang Shan said leisurely.

　　"Oh my! I feel dizzy. You've said so much, but is there any way to leave here?" Even if I wasn't driven crazy by this enclosed space, I was almost driven crazy by this guy.

　　"As for the solution, I don't have it but you do." Zhang Shan gave me a mysterious smile, turned away, and hummed a little tune leisurely.

　　Chapter 22: Enemies

　　Crazy! This guy has gone crazy!

　　I shook my head and simply ignored him, digging here and there with the dagger, trying to figure out the answer to this confined space by myself.

　　Zhang Shan kept making sarcastic remarks in my ear. When he got tired of talking, he would sing the previous verse. When he got tired of singing, he would continue talking.

　　"That's enough!" After 20 minutes, I finally couldn't stand this guy's sarcasm anymore. I threw the things in my hand to the ground, pointed at Zhang Shan and shouted: "In this situation, if you don't want to help, you can think of a solution, right? Why sit there and make sarcastic remarks?"

　　"What are you thinking of? If I hadn't met a jinx like you, I would still be fishing for loaches and frogs in the mountains! How could I be in this situation now?" Zhang Shan glanced at me and actually said such a sentence.

　　"Great! You finally told me the truth!" I was so angry that I was shaking. "Remember, I didn't invite you here. If you don't want to, you can leave. No one can stop you!" I couldn't stand this guy any more.

　　"Leave? How? Tell me. I shouldn't have told you these things. By tomorrow night, it will just be reported in the Zhengzhou news that an unidentified male body was found on the street and the cause of death is unknown. It really doesn't bother me at all." Zhang Shan still said it lightly.

　　"Humph, don't you forget? If you hadn't forced me to deal with that Zhao Youde, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Now you're trying to deny all responsibility. You're still a man!" I was almost amused by this shameless guy.

　　"Speaking of this, I didn't want to hurt you too much. Now that you mentioned it, you can't blame me. Think about it carefully. Since you appeared, you first made my grandfather bedridden, and then caused Zhao Youde's soul to fly away, and he couldn't rest in peace after death. What a pitiful person, he ended up like this. Now we are in this desperate situation again. With so many things, could you have been spared that time? I really doubt whether your father was killed by you back then..." Zhang Shan spoke louder and louder, and more and more proudly. He completely ignored my increasingly dark face.

　　"Shut up!" When he mentioned my father, he finally touched my deepest pain point. I threw everything at Zhang Shan and punched him in the face.

　　Anger made me forget one thing: Zhang Shan and I are simply not in the same league. Hitting him is like hitting a rock with an egg.

　　Sure enough, my fist stopped ten centimeters away from Zhang Shan's face. It was held tightly by his big hand and could not move forward even a little bit.

　　"Huh, hit me? I think you got kicked in the head by a donkey?" Zhang Shan was still squatting against the wall, with one corner of his mouth slightly raised, and he smiled at me.

　　For the first time, I felt that his smile was so evil.

　　Zhang Shan slowly stood up, and every time he stood up, he squeezed my fist harder. In the end, he was standing while I was squatting.

　　"Wow! You're quite courageous. You didn't even make a sound. You're really brave!" Zhang Shan teased me as he looked at my forehead which was sweating due to the severe pain.

　　Although I couldn't pull back my fist, I was still waiting, waiting for Zhang Shan to be distracted at that moment. Enduring the risk of breaking my arm, I forced myself to stand up a little, raised my right foot and kicked towards Zhang Shan's crotch.

　　"You don't know what you can do!" As soon as Zhang Shan stood up, he knew what I wanted to do.

　　He grabbed my ankle with his other hand, then stretched out his leg and swept me underneath, and I fell to the ground with a thud.

　　Before I could react, my right hand was grabbed again and twisted, and I fell face down, with my right hand pinned behind my back by Zhang Shan's knee, unable to move.

　　"Boy, I advise you not to have any evil thoughts and just stay here honestly. If I'm in a good mood, I might let you go. Even if I kill you here, no one will ever know." Zhang Shan warned me coldly from above.

　　"Kill me right now if you have the guts!" My breathing was very difficult because my back was pressed against me, but I still squeezed out these words from between my teeth.

　　"Okay! I'll help you!" Zhang Shan said, and then he concentrated his weight on the knee that was pressing against me. He stretched out one hand, put his arm around my neck, and pulled me back with force.

　　"..." At this time, I could no longer make any sound in my throat. Due to lack of oxygen, my consciousness became increasingly blurred.

　　At the moment when I felt I was about to go into shock, a stream of heat quickly gathered from all over my limbs to my right shoulder, instantly breaking through the twisted joint of Zhang Shan and reaching the palm of my hand.

　　Zhang Shan seemed to feel the heat as well, and he jumped back as if he was burned. Without waiting for him to stand firm, I grabbed a bottle of mineral water that had fallen out of my bag and threw it at Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan dodged it in a panic, but I clearly saw the mineral water bottle instantly sink into the wall, and I heard the sound of it falling to the ground one second later.

　　I stared blankly at the wall that was gradually disappearing, revealing a straight passage ahead, and even forgot to continue settling the score with Zhang Shan.

　　"Hehe." Zhang Shan laughed instead. "I won't argue with you any more. Let's hurry up and leave!"

　　"......You" I seemed to understand a little bit what Zhang Shan meant.

　　"Are you trying to irritate me on purpose?"

　　"The person who holds the seal is immune to all kinds of evil spirits, so there must be ways to break it. But now you need to use some extreme methods to stimulate it." Zhang Shan did not answer me directly, but his face returned to that sunny and bright smile.

　　"Then couldn't you tell me in advance?" I still couldn't let it go.

　　"Tell you in advance? Then can you still be really angry?" Zhang Shan looked at me cheerfully, picked up the machete on the ground and put it on his shoulder.

　　"Let's go! Where are we now? It's almost dawn!"

　　Zhang Shan was still leading the way with a compass in his hand, while I continued to pay attention to any movement that might happen behind me.

　　The corridor slowly extends downwards, seemingly endless.

　　Soon, Zhang Shan stopped and turned to signal me.

　　I moved closer and discovered that we had arrived at a larger shelter hall, which was several times larger than the one we had just descended from, and much taller. To prevent collapse, not only was the ceiling hardened, but there were also dozens of large pillars in the hall that were big enough for two people to hug together to support the weight of the top.

　　When we arrived at the hall, we actually found a place similar to a rostrum, which was more than one meter above the ground, with some tables, chairs and benches scattered on it.

　　"Look over there." Zhang Shan suddenly pulled me and pointed to the right and said in a very low voice.

　　I looked in the direction he pointed and found that in front of a pillar deep inside, there was a black thing curled up on the ground, moving with great amplitude.

　　I looked at it for a long time but couldn't see clearly what that thing was, so I reached around my waist.

　　The miner's lamp switch on the battery has three gears, namely off, normal brightness and super strong. After entering the air-raid shelter, in order to save electricity, we always turned it on at normal brightness. At this time, the black thing could not be seen clearly no matter how hard I looked, so I remembered this function of the miner's lamp and turned it directly to strong light.

　　"What are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Zhang Shan saw the light suddenly turn on and knew that things were going to get bad. He quickly reached out to cover my headlamp.

　　But it was all too late. When the light became brighter, I saw that the black thing under the pillar was actually a person with his back to us. His shoulders were shrugging, and I didn't know what he was doing.

　　Almost at the same time, the squatting man seemed to sense the increased light here. He turned his upper body and looked towards us.

　　What kind of face is this? I'm not even sure if he is still a human being. Most of his hair has fallen out, his white scalp is exposed, his eyeballs are invisible in his white eye sockets, and his face is covered with coin-sized blisters, which are surprisingly translucent under the light.

　　The most disgusting thing was that this man was gnawing on half a bloody rat in his mouth, and the rat bones and his teeth made crunching sounds from time to time.

　　"Zhao Youde!" I finally recognized the person in front of me. He was the corpse-supporting curse we had been looking for with so much difficulty.

　　Chapter 23: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

　　I saw Zhao Youde's corpse open his mouth and spit out a rat. He sniffed it and suddenly turned his head towards us. I felt his white eyeballs staring at me.

　　"Run!" Before Zhang Shan finished his words, Zhao Youde's corpse rushed towards us, shouting, at an extremely fast speed.

　　Zhang Shan pushed me against the wall, but I had already lost my judgment and ability to move. I watched it rush towards me, stretching out its highly rotten and swollen hands, grabbing at me, with a disgusting stench.

　　Zhang Shan shouted loudly, and when the hands were still ten centimeters away from me, he held the knife in both hands and chopped down on the wrists of Zhao Youde's body from top to bottom.

　　With a slight "bang", the hands finally stopped moving forward and moved downward with the knife, but surprisingly, Zhang Shan's powerful knife did not even cut the skin, but only cut off a piece of the already tattered cuff.

　　Zhao Youde's body just paused for a moment, and it seemed to feel the threat from Zhang Shan, so it turned around and stretched out its hands towards Zhang Shan again. It seemed that it decided to deal with the obstacles around it first, and then deal with me.

　　At this time, Zhang Shan was very close to Zhao Youde's body. He probably knew the result long ago. After the first chop, he didn't pause at all and chopped Zhao Youde's head twice more.

　　But apart from the bubbles that had grown from the decaying corpse that burst and splashed on him, Zhao Youde's head was not damaged at all.

　　Seeing this guy coming towards him, Zhang Shan lowered his head, dodged, raised his right leg and kicked Zhao You's body hard in the stomach.

　　This kick was even more powerful. If it was me, I would have been thrown several meters away, with broken bones and tendons. But Zhao Youde's body just shook slightly, and Zhang Shan bounced to my side.

　　"Damn, this thing is as hard as iron!" Zhang Shan said as he quickly moved his ankle that had just been kicked. It seemed that he had twisted it due to excessive force.

　　The corpse-carrying curse didn't pause at all and turned around and pounced on us again.

　　"Get out of the way!" Zhang Shan pushed me to the side and grabbed the hands that Zhao Youde extended to him.

　　"Go...find a way out!" Zhang Shan was obviously trying his best to resist the corpse-supporting curse, and even saying these few words was very strenuous. The corpse's mouth kept spewing out an extremely foul smell, forcing him to turn his head to the side.

　　"Oh..." I came to my senses at this moment and looked around hurriedly. I saw a passage not far behind Fu Shi Zhu, and I didn't know where it led to. I quickly pointed it out to Zhang Shan.

　　"Take off your coat quickly and put it on its head!" Zhang Shan shouted to me when he saw there was a way out.

　　Although I didn't understand his intention, I still took off my coat obediently, approached them from the side with trepidation, and when I saw the right opportunity, I threw my coat on the corpse-carrying curse head.

　　Oddly enough, with this cover, the movement of the corpse-supporting curse suddenly stopped, and it kept spinning in the place with the coat on its head.

　　Zhang Shan also retracted his hand. He tiptoed back and pulled me slowly back towards the corridor.

　　As soon as we entered the crossing, Zhang Shan ran forward. I was puzzled when he turned to me and shouted, "What are you still standing there for? That coat has your scent on it. It can only last half a minute at most. If you don't run, I'll see what you'll do when you take off all your clothes!"

　　I looked back and saw that the corpse-supporting curse had already begun to tear at the coat. It would take less than half a minute, at most ten seconds, for it to catch up. I could no longer care about anything else and turned around to chase Zhang Shan desperately.

　　This section of the corridor is very different from the ones we walked through before. It is not straight. After walking for a few dozen meters, there is a 90-degree turn.

　　This guy Zhang Shan didn't even bother to wait for me, and was always hanging about 20 meters ahead of me.

　　Not long after, I could faintly hear a whooshing sound coming from behind. I didn't dare look back at all, for fear that I would lose the desire to escape if I looked back. I could only lower my head and rush forward.

　　After Zhang Shan disappeared around a turn, a loud "bang" sound came from the front, which scared me and I couldn't help but look back.

　　This sight almost scared me to death, as I saw Fu Shi Zhu was five meters behind me, with his hands stretched out, limping closely behind me.

　　Turning the corner, the corridor seemed to have come to an end. A heavy dark green iron door blocked our way. The "clang" sound was made by Zhang Shan kicking the door hard.

　　His strength was indeed very strong. He could kick a big hole in such a thick iron door with just a few kicks.

　　But the door was even stronger and it didn't open even after being kicked like that.

　　"Is it following you?" Zhang Shan asked me hurriedly when he saw me running towards him.

　　I didn't have the time to pay attention to him. I supported myself on my knees and gasped for breath.

　　The answer appeared two seconds later. The corpse-bearing curse turned the corner, sniffed first, and then slowly approached our position.

　　Zhang Shan took one look at it and ignored it, turned around and continued kicking the door.

　　Fortunately, every time he kicked, the loud noise would cause the Corpse-Carrying Curse to pause for about two seconds, otherwise it would have rushed in front of us long ago.

　　"Damn it! Let's fight!" Zhang Shan gave one final kick, ending his plan to break into the door. He turned around, raised his knife and looked at Zhao Youde's body, which was only a few steps away from us.

　　There is no way. This door is really too heavy. It is quite difficult to open it by brute force alone.

　　The corpse-supporting curse seemed to know what we meant, and suddenly sped up and rushed over. In such a small space, there was no way to avoid it. The pair of hands covered with dead skin and rotten flesh stretched out in front of me in an instant.

　　At this critical moment, Zhang Shan pushed me away with his shoulder, avoided the claws of the corpse-supporting curse, and hit its belly with his machete.

　　With a crisp metallic sound, the machete was unable to cause any harm to the monster and broke.

　　But the force of the Corpse-Assisting Curse was not affected at all, and the remaining half of the blade in Zhang Shan's hand, together with Zhang Shan, slammed into the door with a clang.

　　Zhang Shan failed to hold the knife handle, and when his hands loosened, he was hit in the abdomen by the corpse-supporting curse. Zhang Shan was seriously injured, first his back hit the door, and then the knife handle stabbed him in the stomach.

　　Although the handle of the knife was not sharp, the force was enough to make him suffer a heavy loss.

　　"Fuck your grandma!" Zhang Shan also got angry and spat a mouthful of phlegm mixed with blood on Fu Shi Zhu's face. He raised his leg and kicked him again.

　　"Squeak~" The iron door behind Zhang Shan finally couldn't withstand the continuous and violent impact, and the deformed door face scraped against the door frame and opened backwards.

　　Although Zhang Shan was seriously injured, he had not lost consciousness. Seeing Fu Shi Zhu standing there motionless with blood all over his face, he quickly grabbed me, picked up the broken knife on the ground, and slipped into the iron gate.

　　After coming in, Zhang Shan immediately closed the iron gate. The two of us pressed hard against the door to prevent the corpse-supporting curse from outside from hitting it again.

　　After a long time, there was no movement outside the door. I saw that the lower right corner of the door was deformed by Zhang Shan's kick, revealing a gap about three fingers wide, so I squatted down and looked out with the help of the miner's lamp above my head.

　　There was a white, dirty thing just outside the door, motionless.

　　I looked at it from different angles, up and down, left and right, and finally realized that it should be the sole of an old cloth shoe.

　　I was even more puzzled. The soles of the shoes were facing forward, which meant that the wearer's legs were parallel to the ground, so he should be lying down.

　　After asking Zhang Shan, I learned that when Zhao Youde was buried, he was wearing a pair of flat cloth shoes made by his wife. Later, when he escaped with the corpse, he was naturally wearing the same outfit.

　　Zhang Shan panted for a long time and seemed to be getting better. He squatted down and looked again and again, confirming what I said.

　　But what I can't figure out is how Fu Shi Zhu suddenly ended up lying outside the door? He was standing there motionless when he came in just now. Could it be that he was injured by Zhang Shan?

　　Zhang Shan doesn't think so. Judging from the two fights, the power of the Corpse-Fu Zhu is definitely stronger than his. Although for some unknown reason it can only sense light and cannot see things clearly, it still has a keen sense of smell and a body as hard as iron. We really couldn't think of how to deal with it for a while.

　　After a while, there was indeed no response from outside the door, so Zhang Shan gently opened the door a crack, and we both looked out.

　　Under the light, Zhao Youde's body outside the door was seen sitting straight with his legs stretched out, one hand raised and pointing forward. The movement and angle were exactly the same as when he first sat up on the mountain two months ago!

　　But now this face covered with corpse bubbles looks even more terrifying and weird than before.

　　Zhang Shan got bolder and opened the door a little more, moving closer to see what was going on. When I tried to stop him, he had already slipped through the crack in the door.

　　Chapter 24: Metal Cabinet

　　Under the illumination of two mining lamps, I finally took a close look at this corpse-carrying curse for the first time.

　　It was still wearing the same clothes that Zhao Youde wore when he died. His family was poor and he couldn't even afford a decent set of clothes at the time. An old man in the village couldn't stand it and took out the clothes he was going to wear for his funeral and gave them to Zhao Youde's wife, so that he could look a little more respectable after his death.

　　But now this outfit has changed beyond all recognition. I remember that at that time, in addition to the suit, there was also a tweed jacket on the upper body. But it is gone, leaving only a tattered white shirt, hanging on the body in bits and pieces.

　　The exposed skin was iron-gray, and the blood vessels under the skin were even darker, making them particularly conspicuous. In some places, the skin had already been torn apart, and the cuts were turned outward, even exposing the bones.

　　As we were observing this guy, we gradually heard a small "hissing" sound coming from its face.

　　Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the thick phlegm mixed with blood that Zhang Shan had just spat on the corpse's face was constantly bubbling, and there was even steam coming out.

　　"This little bastard, he wants to boil water with my blood!" Zhang Shan is really heartless. He was injured on one side, and he started making jokes just when he got better on the other side. It reminds me of Liu Yunlong. If they were put together, I would definitely be stunned by them.

　　"Oh no!" I was thinking about it when Zhang Shan suddenly jumped up and rushed into the door.

　　The moment he closed the door, I saw the corpse outside the door shaking all over like a sieve of chaff.

　　"Hurry! Find something to hold the door shut!" Zhang Shan leaned against the door as he came in and shouted at me.

　　I looked around in panic and discovered that the place behind the door was unusually large. The mining lamp could not even reach the edge, and there were many large boxes stacked everywhere in the darkness.

　　There happened to be a large wooden box next to me, about three meters long and one and a half meters high. I ran over and pushed it toward the door.

　　Unexpectedly, the box was so heavy. I struggled for a long time but just managed to push it to the door. Zhang Shan didn't even bother to hold the door. He came up and grabbed the other end of the box and pulled it to the door.

　　"Bang!" As soon as I let go, the door was slammed hard. If it weren't for the box, it would have been smashed open.

　　Zhang Shan took advantage of this gap to pull another large box next to him and put it behind this box.

　　"Bang!" There was another bang, and some of the wooden boards of the box in front of the door had broken. Zhang Shan and I hurriedly pulled two more boxes and lined them up behind the door.

　　"Bang!" This time, the entire door was completely broken.

　　The upper door panel had been separated from the door frame and tilted backwards. Since the wooden box used to block the door was only 1.5 meters high, it could only block the lower half of the more than 2-meter-high iron door, and the box was too heavy, so there was no way we could lift it.

　　Zhang Shan and I stared at the broken iron gate, helpless. Looking at the current situation, if the corpse-supporting curse from outside comes again, we will probably have to surrender.

　　There was silence outside the door again. After enduring an uneasy period of time, Zhang Shan swallowed his saliva, climbed onto the box, and slowly approached the iron gate.

　　"Gone..." Zhang Shan lay on the cracked door and looked for a long time, then turned his head and said to me.

　　"Hurry! Find some more things and block the top first! Hey? What is this?" As he spoke, Zhang Shan took out something from the first wooden box behind the door.

　　I took a closer look and found that it was a military cotton jacket wrapped in a plastic bag, and the air inside had been sucked out, probably to prevent it from getting damp or dirty.

　　Only then did we have time to observe the space behind the door.

　　In just a few dozen meters around us, there were hundreds of boxes of this size, stacked in groups of three and very neatly arranged.

　　A little further away, there were some smaller boxes, and I even saw a row of gasoline barrels deep inside. This turned out to be a huge underground material storage warehouse!

　　I was looking around when I heard a "click" sound behind me, and suddenly the whole space lit up.

　　It turned out that there was a switch on the wall next to the iron gate, and Zhang Shan pushed it up.

　　Looking at it again, I couldn't help but marvel at how huge the area was! A few dozen meters underground, there was actually a warehouse that was almost the size of two football fields.

　　The room was filled with boxes of various sizes. Although we didn't know what was inside, judging from the military cotton-padded jacket we just found, it was nothing more than some daily necessities and war supplies.

　　"Oh my God! We're rich now!" Zhang Shan found a few iron pipes as thick as wrists from somewhere and pushed them against the iron gate to reinforce it. He walked to my side and sighed.

　　"Don't dream. These belong to the country. They are not treasures discovered by us. If you move them out to sell, they will arrest you." I said as I walked to a small wooden box.

　　Because this underground warehouse was extremely hidden, there were no locks on the boxes. The top covers were just placed on top, and I opened them with just one lift.

　　This smaller box was surrounded by some plastic materials, which were supposed to be moisture-proof. In the middle were pairs of Liberation Shoes.

　　Zhang Shan opened several boxes one after another, and apart from the cotton-padded jacket, there were shoes and gloves.

　　"Damn it, why don't we have any weapons? At least give me some food!" Zhang Shan was extremely disappointed and looked around cursing.

　　As we walked, we rummaged through boxes everywhere, hoping to find something useful.

　　Walking to the row of gasoline barrels at the base of the wall, Zhang Shan unscrewed the lid of the barrel in front of him and leaned in to smell it.

　　"It's gasoline!" He said and took out the remaining two bottles of mineral water from the bag I was carrying, handed me one, and indicated that I should empty the bottle and fill it with gasoline after I finished drinking it.

　　I asked him what he was going to do. "Better prepared!" This guy gave me these four big words.

　　He held the gasoline barrel and filled two bottles. He took one bottle on each side and put them in his jacket pocket.

　　"What is that?" I straightened up and found a large metal cabinet in the middle of the row of gasoline barrels.

　　After showing it to Zhang Shan, we walked towards the metal cabinet. My intuition told me that there should be something useful in it.

　　When we got closer, we found a large copper lock on the door of the metal cabinet, which further confirmed our thoughts.

　　Zhang Shan ran to the iron door again, found a steel pipe, and broke the lock in two or three moves. I opened the cabinet door and saw more than a dozen submachine guns more than a foot long.

　　"Ha! It's still the Type 79!" Zhang Shan saw these guns as if he had seen his grandfather. He reached out and picked up one, held it in his hand, pulled the bolt, cocked the gun, and aimed with extremely skilled movements.

　　"Have you used it before?" I was stunned. It was common for mountain people to have a gun when they like to hunt pheasants and rabbits, but most of them are hunting rifles and the like. But this is a submachine gun that fires continuously, and Zhang Shan can actually use it so well.

　　"Hehe, in the early years, the troops often went to the mountains near our village for training. All the soldiers carried this gun. After getting to know them, I played with it every day. If it was any other gun, I would be at a loss."

　　As Zhang Shan spoke, he took out a box of bullets from the lower half of the cabinet, pulled out the magazine, and pushed the bullets inside one by one.

　　My generation has never touched real guns since childhood. In my eyes, it is illegal for civilians to hold guns. And this is obviously a national material warehouse for emergency situations. It is really inappropriate to do this blatantly.

　　But then I thought, my life is almost gone, why should I care about these things? Whether I can get out alive is a question. If I have such a powerful weapon and don't use it, I'd be a fool!

　　Looking at this cabinet full of submachine guns, I have begun to wonder if Zhang Shan should teach me how to use them?

　　"Bang bang bang!" The crisp sound of gunfire suddenly rang out beside me, almost scaring my heart out.

　　Turning around, he saw Zhang Shan holding a submachine gun. Not far in front of him, there were a few crooked bullet holes on a large wooden box, which was smoking.

　　"Hahaha! So cool! After playing for so long, this is my first time shooting with live ammunition!" Zhang Shan held the gun and seemed like a different person, laughing wildly.

　　"Why are you shooting randomly? What if you hurt someone by mistake? Besides, these are the country's property, how can you just smash them like that!" I was scared by him, so naturally I couldn't help but scold him.

　　"How do you know if it works if you don't try? If the corpse-supporting curse comes into play and nothing happens when you pull the trigger, it will be too late to complain!" Zhang Shan hung the submachine gun on his shoulder without hesitation and went to load bullets into the empty magazine.

　　I was too lazy to pay attention to him, and I couldn't help but reach out to take out a gun. After all, it is a man's nature to like guns.

　　The gun was out, but my attention was not on the gun.

　　Because I found that when the gun was taken away, the inner wall of the cabinet that was originally blocked was exposed, and there were two white words on the dark green iron sheet, which read "Number One".

　　I retracted my head and looked around. As far as I could see, there were only wooden boxes and gasoline barrels. There was only one metal cabinet. Why bother to number it?

　　My intuition tells me that this number one is a little weird.

　　So I took down all the guns hanging on this layer, and saw four large white painted characters on the inner wall of the metal cabinet, which were particularly eye-catching - "Aisle No. 1".

　　Chapter 25 Channel 1

　　"Channel One..."

　　…I remember now! The dead-end road I took when I first came down was “Channel 1”. The nurse told me this after I was knocked unconscious by the blue toad.

　　Looking closely, I discovered that the inside of the metal cabinet was actually a door, and the door latch was hung with a copper lock that was larger than the one on the outer cabinet door. These guns were actually hung on this inner door.

　　This "Channel No. 1" is indeed full of weirdness. First, a blue toad jumped out for no reason, and then it sent me to forty years ago. It seemed that something ran out of the darkness and washed the "hospital" at that time with blood. Now there is another entrance and exit here, and it is in the cabinet.

　　It seems that these guns placed outside are all prepared for entering "Channel No. 1". What is this "Channel No. 1" used for?

　　I quickly pulled over Zhang Shan, who was loading bullets, to see what he thought.

　　"Secret exit?" Zhang Shan was holding a gun, his mind was not thinking straight, he looked at me for a long time and blurted out these words. I told him what I had not had time to tell him just now, and he began to think.

　　"According to what you said, this Channel No. 1 is indeed not simple. There is a possibility that when we dug here, we actually dug below the Xuanmen, making this road a path to the underworld." Zhang Shan thought for a long time before coming to a conclusion.

　　"The underworld?" When I heard this word, although I didn't know what it meant, I felt a chill running up from the soles of my feet.

　　"I told you before that Xuanmen is the intersection of yin and yang in the city. To put it bluntly, it is the boundary between yin and yang. The ground is the boundary, the lower part is yin, and the upper part is yang. This passage goes dozens of meters underground and passes through Xuanmen, so that only yin can pass here and not yang. No one can predict what will appear inside." As he said, Zhang Shan stretched out his hand and pressed on the iron gate.

　　"Touch it. Underground fortifications are usually warm in winter and cool in summer, and the temperature is very stable. But this door is icy cold, which means that there is a lot of yin energy behind it."

　　I reached out a hand and pressed it against the iron door. Suddenly, the bone-chilling coldness went straight through my palm to my heart, and I couldn't help but shiver. The temperature of this door was actually around zero degrees!

　　"In short, the underworld is not for mortals to walk."

　　Zhang Shan had just come to a conclusion when we heard a loud "bang" behind us. We both turned around and saw something fishy!

　　The corpse-supporting curse finally broke through the door of the supply warehouse and rushed in. It was standing on the wooden box that we had moved behind the door, sniffing everywhere.

　　"Haha! You bastard, you came at the right time. I'm going to kill you today!" Zhang Shan said arrogantly while holding the gun in his hand.

　　Following the sound, Fu Shi Zhu instantly determined our position, jumped off the box and rushed towards us.

　　"Da da da..." Zhang Shan was not polite at all. He fired a volley of bullets, most of which hit Fu Shi Zhu's body and knocked it to the ground.

　　"Hmph, what kind of corpse-supporting curse? When you see this thing, you're bound to..." Zhang Shan raised the gun barrel, but he stopped talking before he could finish his harsh words because the monster got up from the ground again.

　　We were both immediately panicked. What on earth was this guy made of? He wasn't even afraid of a gun!

　　"Keep fighting!" I hid behind Zhang Shan immediately.

　　"There are no more bullets, so I loaded a whole magazine!" Zhang Shan was busy pushing bullets into the magazine while paying attention to the movements in front.

　　The corpse-supporting curse was getting closer and closer.

　　"Damn it! What a piece of shit!" Seeing that the guy was only a dozen meters away from us, Zhang Shan only stuffed a few bullets in a panic, and finally threw the gun away. He reached into his pocket and took out a bottle of gasoline we had just filled, unscrewed the cap, and sprinkled it on the ground in front of him in an arc.

　　"lighter!"

　　When Zhang Shan did this, he didn't even turn his head, but stretched his hands behind his back towards me. I hurriedly took out the lighter from my trouser pocket and handed it to him. After taking it, Zhang Shan immediately squatted down and lit the gasoline on the ground.

　　"Boom!" A wall of fire suddenly appeared in front of us, surrounding me, Zhang Shan and the metal cabinet behind us.

　　The Corpse-Fuzhuo Curse seemed to be very afraid of fire. After the flames rose, it stood outside the fire wall without moving, with its pale eyes staring at us.

　　Without any pause, Zhang Shan picked up the steel pipe on the ground and smashed it against the big copper lock in the metal cabinet. The lock was so big that Zhang Shan couldn't break it open even after hitting it more than ten times.

　　I saw a two-foot-long iron bar in the corner of the metal cabinet and quickly handed it to him.

　　This thing is much more useful than a steel pipe. Zhang Shan inserted the iron bar into the door latch and pressed down hard, and the copper lock fell off.

　　"Hurry up! Run inside!" Zhang Shan kicked the door open and grabbed my collar and pushed me inside.

　　"What on earth are you going to do? Is this road passable?" I stared at Zhang Shan, not knowing what he was up to. He had just said that mortals could not go to the underworld, and in the next instant he was about to force me in.

　　"Damn it, why are you talking so much nonsense! Are you going to die if you don't leave now?" Seeing that the gasoline fire was getting smaller and smaller, Zhang Shan kicked me back in. Before he came in, he did not forget to grab a submachine gun and a box of bullets.

　　This guy kicked me so hard that I was lying on the ground. The cold ground pressed against my face and I shivered. Before I could stand up straight, he picked me up again and urged me, "Run! The fire will soon be out!"

　　We started a new round of desperate running. There was no light in this "No. 1 channel", so we had to turn on the mining lamp.

　　The good thing is that this bottle of gasoline lasted for quite a while. We both ran several hundred meters away and could still see the flames when we looked back.

　　Once you leave the ground and the wall, you won't feel that cold in this "Channel 1". Instead, the wind that comes from nowhere is always whistling in your ears.

　　As I was running, I realized something was wrong. I felt like something was falling off my body, making a rustling sound.

　　I looked down and found that my sleeves had been torn into pieces and were falling down as I ran. I wiped my left arm with my right hand and it was terrible. Not only the sleeve, but also a large piece of skin was pulled down, revealing the muscles and bright red blood vessels underneath, which were throbbing.

　　I was terrified and turned around to ask Zhang Shan for help.

　　I turned around and saw that Zhang Shan was in an even worse condition than me. His clothes were almost all gone, his skin was in pieces, and his right chest was rotten to the ribs. A large area of ​​his scalp and hair was gone, and one of his eyes was hanging out, swinging back and forth as he ran.

　　Seeing me turn around and stop, Zhang Shan, who was covered in festering wounds, also quickly braked and slowly walked towards me.

　　How could I dare to let him get close to me? I pointed at him with my right hand, mumbling something in my throat but unable to utter a single word. But the look of fear on my face was obvious.

　　When the rotten Zhang Shan saw me like this, he didn't say a word. He stretched out his right index finger, put it in his mouth, and bit it off with a snap. Then he held up his severed finger that was bleeding and poked it at me.

　　I tried my best to hide, but there was no way I could dodge Zhang Shan's. Moreover, he advanced while I retreated. I was caught up by him in just two steps and poked his finger into my forehead.

　　Chapter 26: Road to the Netherworld

　　I closed my eyes and thought to myself, it’s over. It looks like I’m going to die here today. It’s a good thing I don’t feel anything even though it’s rotten like this. Otherwise, the pain alone would be enough to kill me…

　　Wait, it doesn't hurt? That shouldn't be the case. Who would believe that such a large wound doesn't hurt?

　　I opened my eyes again and saw Zhang Shan standing in front of me, with a red dot as thick as a finger between his eyebrows.

　　"You're a seal holder, but you can still have this kind of low-level illusion. If you tell others about it, they'll laugh their heads off!" Zhang Shan scolded me in all seriousness.

　　I noticed there was a stain of blood on his right index finger, but it was not broken, so I felt relieved.

　　I didn't have time to say anything, and this wasn't the time to ask questions. We paused for a moment and then ran forward again.

　　Water droplets gradually seeped out of the walls in the passage, and when the light shone on them, they looked blue.

　　"Wait!" Zhang Shan suddenly called me. At this time, the seeping water had already gathered into a pool in the middle of the circular corridor.

　　He squatted down, scooped up a pool of water, and slowly stood up again.

　　I leaned forward to observe, and found that the blue ink was surprisingly cohesive, like mercury, constantly crowding together and changing shape.

　　In less than half a minute, the handful of blue ink in Zhang Shan's hand slowly solidified into a fixed shape, a bit like a frog.

　　"What is it, a Dream Toad!" Zhang Shan screamed, threw away the thing in his hand, pointed forward and shouted at me: "Hurry up, rush out of this road, otherwise we will both stay here today!"

　　I had already recognized this thing as the toad that had sprayed smoke at me in the corridor early in the morning, but I didn't think it was scary. After hearing Zhang Shan talk about it in such a serious way, I didn't really take it seriously.

　　"Quack~Quack~" sporadic calls began to be heard in the corridor.

　　When Zhang Shan saw these things, he was more nervous than when he encountered the corpse-supporting curse. He grabbed me and ran forward madly again.

　　Along the way, we stepped on countless blue toads. Once they were stepped on, they were like burst balloons, releasing a puff of purple smoke and then dissipating.

　　Fortunately, we kept moving forward, and the purple smoke was left behind before it could dissipate.

　　Finally, after passing a wrist-thick vent above his head, the blue in the tunnel began to decrease. After running a few dozen steps, the toads completely disappeared.

　　"Phew! That was close!" Zhang Shan let out a long breath and sat down on the ground.

　　"Are those toads scary?" I finally had some free time, so I quickly asked him.

　　"You've been sprayed before, don't you know?" Zhang Shan panted and squinted at me. "One is nothing, at most it will make you unconscious for a while, but thousands of them, how long can you be unconscious? Before you wake up, you'll probably starve to death."

　　"Starved to death..." This word sounded familiar, but before I could think about it, Zhang Shan continued, "This time, the dream toads are the guardians of Xuanmen. The smoke they spewed out is not just as simple as causing people to fall into a coma. What you see and encounter in a coma are all real things that have happened. There used to be many psychics who kept such things at home to explore past events and find the truth. But what happened in the coma was real, causing many people to die in it due to accidents. And it's very difficult to keep them, and later, fewer and fewer people used them..."

　　"So magical?" After listening to Zhang Shan's explanation, I became quite interested in this little thing.

　　"God? I just said that these things are the guardians of Xuanmen. Passing through them is equivalent to passing through Xuanmen, which means that we are no longer in the world of the living, but in the underworld." Zhang Shan deliberately dragged out the last two words, giving me goosebumps.

　　"No...no way? What should I do now?" I quickly turned around and looked. The dark corridor still extended straight forward, and I didn't notice any difference from before.

　　"The road to the underworld is one that can never be returned. We must retreat immediately." Zhang Shan rested enough and stood up, supporting his knees.

　　"Go back. We still have to fight the Corpse Curse. We are mortals here. After a while, many things will be attracted by our scent, and you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

　　"Can you take me with you?" A slightly nervous voice sounded behind me.

　　"Who!" I turned around immediately and saw Zhang Shan taking the lead, standing in front of me and raising the submachine gun in his hand.

　　A figure came closer from the dark corridor. It turned out to be a handsome boy, no more than 18 years old, wearing a blue plush coat, old jeans and a pair of half-new white sneakers. If he were outside, he would look like a typical college student.

　　"Are you a human or a ghost?" I hid behind Zhang Shan and started speaking my own lines.

　　"Apart from the two of us, are there any other living things here?" Without waiting for the boy to answer, Zhang Shan blocked me back.

　　"Please, take me away! I've been locked up here for fifteen years, and I've been guarding the door every day, waiting for kind people to take me out." The boy felt like he was about to cry and wanted to move forward, but when he saw Zhang Shan's vigilant eyes and the black muzzle of the gun, he retreated.

　　"A kind-hearted person? Humph, I'm not. Don't flatter me. You're already dead, you should stay here. Why would you go back to the world of the living? Would I let you out to hurt others?" Zhang Shan said coldly to the boy without any mercy.

　　"I didn't die a violent death. I have the right to go back!" The boy straightened up and shouted to us.

　　"I'm sorry, I'm not the judge, and he is not the King of Hell. We have no say in this matter." After Zhang Shan said this, he pulled me back.

　　"I'm not lying to you. Not only will I not hurt anyone when I go out, I can also save people. Please help me!" The boy no longer cared about Zhang Shan's expression and walked towards us quickly.

　　"Bang!" A gunshot sounded, and the boy was shot in the left chest, revealing a black spot. In an instant, the black spot spread rapidly, and in just a few seconds, a palm-sized area was burned. The boy looked very painful, but he bit his lips and did not make a sound.

　　"If you think you can beat the Palm Seal Man, just come over." Zhang Shan raised the gun barrel and looked at the ghost in front of him with contempt.

　　The boy's expression turned even uglier, and he asked us cautiously, "Are you... the seal holder?"

　　Zhang Shan pointed his chin at the boy's left chest and said, "What do you think? How could an ordinary submachine gun hurt you like this?"

　　I was quite confused. I didn't see this guy asking me for anything, but the submachine gun could even kill ghosts. It was obviously not an ability from me, the seal holder.

　　The boy lowered his head, thought for a moment, and as if he had made up his mind, he looked up at us and said, "If I can't leave here today, I would rather die in your hands!" After that, without waiting for Zhang Shan to express his opinion, he slowly walked towards us.

　　Zhang Shan didn't bother to be polite with him at all. He raised his hand and shot the boy's left leg again. Similarly, the bullet spread quickly after hitting him. But the boy just frowned and didn't stop.

　　"Hopeless!" Zhang Shan said these four words, raised the gun to his eyes, and aimed at the boy's heart. "Since you want this, I will grant your wish!"

　　Chapter 27: The Trouble Again

　　"Bang!" After the sound, the boy stood there and looked at us in a daze. Zhang Shan's gun was pointed diagonally upwards, and the shot did not hit any part of his body because I had deflected the barrel.

　　"What are you doing!" Zhang Shan turned his head and scolded me in a low voice.

　　"How could you have the heart to do that?" For the first time, I felt deeply dissatisfied with what Zhang Shan had done.

　　"Remember! Don't talk about feelings with ghosts, they don't have feelings!" Zhang Shan was probably afraid that the boy would see that we had a disagreement and give him an opportunity to take advantage of us, so he spoke to me in a low voice without moving his mouth.

　　I knew what he meant, but since I had decided to get to the bottom of this matter, I wasn't afraid that the boy would figure it out. So I raised my voice, stared at Zhang Shan and said, "Although I still don't know what's going on, since he's willing to give up everything, can't you give him a chance to explain? Yes! We are the seal holders, but should the seal holders kill innocent people? Although you did this, no one can say anything to you, and there is no law to restrict you. But as a human being, a flesh-and-blood person, you should always put human emotions first! Instead of having this kind of double standards. If you were facing a living person, would you still do this?" I said all this in one breath and looked at Zhang Shan without blinking.

　　Zhang Shan's eyes were glaring at me more and more fiercely. Just when I felt like he was about to explode, he suddenly withdrew his momentum. He turned around and said to the boy, "I'll give you three minutes. If you can convince me, maybe your request can be met. If not, please retreat consciously and don't make it difficult for me." After that, he sat on the ground, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

　　"Okay! I'm willing to give it a try." The boy's desire to get out obviously prevailed. He continued, "I want to go out and save someone. She's my girlfriend!"

　　"That's it? That's all?" Zhang Shan squeezed out these words without even opening his eyes. "If that's all, we'll leave. Sorry, your reasons are not enough to convince me."

　　"My girlfriend is dead too. We both died in this air-raid shelter!" the boy added hastily.

　　Zhang Shan opened his eyes, stood up, looked at the boy and said, "What does this have to do with me? Let's go." He pulled me and was about to turn around.

　　"Without the two of us, you won't be able to get out of this air-raid shelter! And without me, if my girlfriend meets you, she will only hurt you, not help you!" The boy followed closely and said from behind.

　　"Don't threaten me! This is what I've been least afraid of since I was a child!" Zhang Shan suddenly turned around, pointed the barrel of the gun at the boy's forehead, and yelled at him.

　　"Wait, you said you and your girlfriend died here together?" I pushed away Zhang Shan's gun barrel and asked the boy. After getting his affirmative answer, I asked again: "Is your girlfriend wearing the same style of red coat as you and has short yellow hair?"

　　"Have you seen her? How is she? Did she cause you any trouble?" When the boy heard the news about the girl, he immediately became excited and was about to pounce on me. Fortunately, the submachine gun in Zhang Shan's hand stopped him.

　　"You two are the couple who starved to death in the air-raid shelter fifteen years ago, right?" I finally grasped the point and was quite excited.

　　The boy lowered his head and fell silent. Judging from his expression, it seemed that he was trying hard to recall something.

　　Just when Zhang Shan was about to lose his patience, the boy finally spoke: "Yes, it's been fifteen years. I have been guarding here for fifteen years, and I have never blamed her..."

　　"I don't understand, why don't you go find him yourself, why do you have to find someone to take you out?" I was indeed a little confused.

　　"Because he doesn't belong here. The underworld is full of wandering ghosts. With his ability, he can't get past the Dream Toad. If I'm not mistaken, he was either tricked in or forcibly sent in." Zhang Shan answered for him.

　　The boy did not deny it. Zhang Shan was about to continue speaking when he heard a low roar from deep in the tunnel. The sound did not sound like that of a human, but it was not that of a wild animal like a wolf, tiger or leopard. It sounded uncomfortable, but it made my heart skip a beat.

　　"Let's go, we've been here for too long, something is following the scent." Zhang Shan seemed quite nervous, pulling me to go back. But I looked at the boy's pleading expression and refused to move.

　　"I'm really fucking impressed by you!" Zhang Shan saw that he couldn't move me, so he cursed, "You can't even protect yourself, and yet you want to take on this mess. Are you mentally ill?"

　　"Take him away." I didn't look at Zhang Shan, but my tone was very firm.

　　"You... yes! You can take the child by yourself. I'll wait for you in front. But let's make it clear in advance that if anything happens later, you can't blame me." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he turned around and walked back the way he came.

　　I was stunned, not because Zhang Shan didn't care about this matter, but after he left, I was worried. It's easy to say to take this boy away, but how to take him? I don't know how to do it!

　　The boy seemed to see my difficulty, and walked up to me and said, "I'll hide in your pocket, okay?"

　　"Oh...okay!" I tried hard to hide the embarrassment of knowing nothing.

　　Seeing that I agreed, the boy slowly turned into a ball of white smoke and went into my left trouser pocket. I suddenly felt something in my trouser pocket bulge out, and when I took it out, I saw that it was a round glass bead with eyes, but it was two sizes smaller than the one the old man forced into my pocket yesterday.

　　I stared at my eyeball in a daze, and heard another creepy roar from deep within. I didn't dare to think about it anymore, so I quickly put the eyeball back into my pocket and turned around to chase Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan was already waiting under the ventilation vent. A few dozen meters ahead, he could occasionally hear the sound of frogs.

　　"Hurry up and get ready. When we came here just now, the Dream-Returning Toads had already been released. This time you have to run in one breath and don't gasp for breath. This section is very long, you have to hold it in until you get through!" Zhang Shan didn't ask me about the result, but gave instructions with a serious expression.

　　"Hmm!" I didn't say much and immediately began to adjust my breathing.

　　"Are you ready? Let's go!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he took a deep breath and took the lead to rush forward.

　　Purple smoke had already filled the tunnel, and toads were still being crushed under our feet, spraying new ones. After running for dozens of meters, the pressure in my chest suddenly increased. I was feeling uncomfortable when I heard a series of clanging noises in front of me. Before I could react, I stepped on something hard and smooth. This time, I lost my balance in an instant and fell forward.

　　My chin hit the ground hard, and I couldn't help but gasp in pain. I swallowed a lot of purple smoke, and in less than a second, I lost all my strength. I lay on the ground, and I tried to open my eyes, and found that there were several bullets scattered in front of my face.

　　"Damn it, this guy Zhang Shan killed me..." As soon as this thought came to my mind, I fainted again.

　　Chapter 28 Adventure in the Cave

　　"Master, what are we doing here?" In the darkness, I heard a childish boy's voice.

　　"You are sick, and the master brought you here to find medicine! After taking the medicine, Ah Xi's illness will be cured." An old voice replied.

　　I looked up and saw two figures, one big and one small, holding torches, walking towards me.

　　I wanted to stand up, but I didn't expect that my right foot was sprained when I fell just now. When I exerted force, I felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground again.

　　"Who is it?" The two people in front heard the sound, stopped immediately, and looked towards me vigilantly.

　　"Don't... don't shoot! I just came in to play!" After saying that, I started to wonder if my brain was broken, as I could have come up with something like this.

　　The two people holding torches heard my reply and slowly came closer. It turned out to be a big man and a small child. The child was only about ten years old, but he was very strong and sturdy, with dark skin. He looked a bit like Zhang Shan. But his face was unnaturally pale, and there was no trace of blood on his lips. The adult's age was hard to tell, but he was definitely fifty years old. He had a goatee and wore a pair of old-fashioned glasses.

　　I knew this was caused by the smoke of the "Returning Dream Toad" and was anxious to find out the current year. Unfortunately, both of them were dressed in shorts and coarse cloth, without any signs of the times.

　　As I watched them, they were also watching me. After a moment, the child spoke: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

　　"Haha, this kid grew up in the mountains and has rarely seen strangers. Don't blame him." Before I could reply, the old man rushed to the rescue. Seeing that I was still half squatting on the ground, he asked me, "Are you injured? Do you need our help?"

　　"No...it's okay, I just sprained my ankle, it's no big deal!" I felt a little embarrassed by the old man's politeness.

　　"Since everything is fine, we won't stay here for long. The air in the cave is humid. Young man, let's say goodbye here and be careful when you go down the mountain." After the old man said this, he pulled the child past me and walked deeper into the mountain.

　　"Go down the mountain..." I was just chewing on the old man's words when I noticed they were walking past me. I quickly turned around and shouted, "The road ahead is the underworld. Mortals are not allowed to walk around randomly! Oh?"

　　In fact, I realized something was wrong halfway through my words. In the air-raid shelter before, wherever Zhang Shan and I went, whether it was the ground or the walls, they were all laid with neatly laid blue-gray stone bricks.

　　At this moment, I looked up and found that the surroundings were all irregular stones. Only the ground under my feet was slightly flat, but it was just small stones. How could this place be a bomb shelter? It looked more like a cave.

　　The two heard the shouting and turned to look at me. The child pulled the old man's arm and asked, "Master, what is the underworld that man is talking about? Isn't this the cave behind our village?"

　　The old man was thoughtful for a moment, then said to me: "Young man, I know it's strange for you to come here. This Shanjia Village is surrounded by mountains and no outsiders are seen for many years. But since you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. How about this, if you trust me and your disciple, come with us to do something, and when we return to the village after the work is done, I will try to help you leave, how about that?"

　　I couldn't help but smile bitterly. It wasn't that I didn't want to say it, it was that I simply couldn't explain it clearly. I couldn't say that I was sent here because I smoked Blue Toad's cigarettes. Isn't this too ridiculous?

　　However, given the current situation, following the two of them seems to be the only and best option.

　　Seeing that I agreed, the old man smiled, turned around, led his apprentice, and continued to walk forward. I hadn't figured out the current situation yet, and didn't want to say anything more. I moved my sprained ankle, limped, and followed them.

　　After walking about 500 steps forward and turning a corner, the view in front of me suddenly became brighter. The cave exit was about 100 meters ahead. I had been moving in the dark for a long time and couldn't adapt to it all of a sudden, so I quickly closed my eyes.

　　When I gradually adapted to the light and slowly opened my eyes, I was stunned by the scene in front of me.

　　The entrance to the cave was actually on a cliff. On the right side of the cave entrance was a small waterfall, cascading down from the top of the mountain and falling directly into the abyss on the left. There was no way to go outside the cave entrance, but 20 or 30 meters ahead, across the mountain stream, there was a platform protruding from the mountainside, covering an area of ​​more than a thousand square meters.

　　Between the cave and the platform, there was a very simple cable bridge, and some of the wooden boards on it were already rotten.

　　The child shouted happily, left us, walked across the chain bridge, and ran towards the open area on the other side of the mountain stream.

　　The old man turned around to look at the injury on my foot and massaged it a few times. Then I walked again, and I felt the pain miraculously relieved a lot.

　　I walked onto the bridge with the old man. The iron rope swayed constantly, and the wooden planks on top creaked as if they were in conflict. The old man didn't care, and said to me with a smile: "This child's nickname is Ah Xi, and he is from the village at the foot of the mountain. His grandfather sent him to the mountain to learn medicine from me. Because this place is close to the top of the mountain, it gathers the spiritual energy of the mountain and absorbs the essence of the sun and the moon. Although there are no rare and precious herbs, it can cultivate various medicinal materials, so it is named Baicaoping. Usually, we are afraid that children will come in and destroy it, so it can be regarded as a forbidden area in the village. Except for the pharmacist, ordinary people are not allowed to enter..."

　　The old man was introducing it bit by bit in front of me, but I was scared to death. It was my first time walking on such a high cable bridge, and my legs couldn't help shaking and trembling all over.

　　Coupled with the severe shaking, I was basically holding on to the iron chain and moving forward at a snail's pace.

　　I finally stepped onto the lawn and took a breath. Looking around, it was covered with lush green grass, and various unnamed flowers were blooming in it. The little boy was chasing an oversized butterfly.

　　Looking back, the waterfall cascades down from the rope bridge and falls into the depths. The mountain stream is shrouded in clouds and mist, giving it a sense of a paradise.

　　After the old man crossed the bridge, he no longer paid any attention to me and walked straight along the edge of the cliff. After a few steps, he squatted down to look around, I don't know what he was looking for.

　　It was not until the fourth time that the old man squatted down that he seemed to have found what he was looking for, and stretched out his hands to work on it. I hurried over to see if the old man needed help, and I also wanted to know what he was looking for.

　　When he was still a few steps away, the old man stood up, holding a shiny object in his hand, looking quite excited. I looked closely and saw that it was a small silver-white snake.

　　To call it a snake is really giving it a bit of an exaggeration. At best, it is no bigger than an eel, but its color is rather special.

　　The old man pinched the snake's head, unable to hold back his excitement, and said to me, "You haven't seen this kind of snake, have you? It's called Yin Liuzi. It's non-toxic, but it's extremely fast. Most people can't catch up with it. To catch it, you must use the liver of an old hen that has just laid eggs, soak it in medicinal wine for a month, and stir-fry it with nine special medicinal herbs to attract it. This guy will follow the smell to find the chicken liver and swallow it in one gulp. But snakes can't eat cooked food. After the chicken liver is swallowed into the mouth, it is difficult to digest and will get stuck. Then the effect of the medicinal wine will gradually take effect and slowly evaporate into its body. Then this guy will be like drunk and unable to move for three days."

　　The old man pointed to me as he spoke, and sure enough, there was a small hard bulge seven inches above the snake's body. It should be the fried chicken liver.

　　Chapter 29: Blood Relics (1)

　　The old man took out a small knife, beckoned Ah Xi over, and then used the knife to take out the snake gallbladder and let him swallow it alive. Then he put the snake carcass into the small bamboo basket at his waist.

　　After eating the snake gall, Ah Xi jumped away again.

　　After finding the snake, the old man seemed to be in a particularly good mood. Seeing that I was still confused, he became very talkative and continued, "This silver slipper is cautious and suspicious by nature, and likes to live in the highest places. Usually, he never leaves the top of the mountain more than 500 steps. In order to catch this guy, I first spent a month preparing chicken livers and then spread bait for nine months before I caught this one. Fortunately, God opened his eyes and finally left this kid a way out."

　　"Then what is the use of this snake gall? Is this child... sick?" I couldn't help but ask the old man.

　　"Alas..." the old man sighed. "Have you ever heard of relic blood?"

　　I shook my head blankly, without any impression of these three words in my mind.

　　"The blood flowing in this child's body is relic blood. It is a very rare blood. At least he is the only one I have ever seen with it. Relic blood is pure and yang. Having this blood not only makes one's body strong, but also immune to all diseases. It can be said that there is no harm in it.

　　But the child's grandfather was a pure yin person. The child had been following him since he was young, and the yin energy in his body was increasing day by day. This couldn't be blamed on his grandfather, as he only discovered the child's abnormality by chance.

　　Until one day, the child had a nosebleed for no reason. After taking his pulse, his grandfather realized that the situation was not good. If this continued, the child would eventually be devoured by the Yin Qi, and the pure Yang relic blood would not be able to regenerate, which means that the child would lose the ability to produce blood. "

　　"Leukemia?!" I was shocked and couldn't help but say in a low voice.

　　The old man didn't notice what I said, but continued, "This silver gall is the savior of the relic blood. Eating one is just a tonic for ordinary people at best, but for those who have the relic blood, it is undoubtedly a second heart."

　　"Will he get better after eating snake gall?" I felt emotional as I watched Ah Xi running carefree in the distance.

　　“If it had been discovered a year earlier, perhaps this one snake gall would have been enough. Now it seems that one snake gall can only keep him alive for another ten years. By then, we will have to find a bigger, fresh snake gall to continue to survive. The difficulty lies in the fact that this silver gall takes a hundred years to form, and a small one is so hard to find, let alone a bigger one? The next ten years can still be made, but the child is twelve years old this year. Whether he can survive until thirty-two is a hurdle.” The old man’s expression revealed infinite sadness.

　　When Ah Xi got tired of running, the old man picked a lot of herbs, and then we stepped onto the rope bridge and walked back.

　　Although I was very anxious to go back, the current situation was very different from the dream. I secretly tried various methods, but not only could I not wake up, I was also grimacing in pain. It seemed that without any special circumstances to trigger it, there was basically no hope.

　　This section of the cave is not long, but it is winding and there are no signs of human intervention, so it should have been formed naturally.

　　After walking around several bends, we finally emerged from the mountain.

　　Standing at the entrance of the cave, at my feet was the Shanjia Village that the old man had mentioned. It was just dusk and smoke was rising from the roofs of every household. The smell of food finally reminded me of the word "hungry". I had been underground with Zhang Shan for most of the night and had not even had a chance to drink a sip of water, let alone eat.

　　I don’t even know if I still have the sesame seed buns I bought before going in.

　　But I still wonder, can I feel hungry even in my dreams?

　　The old man lived in the first courtyard below the cave. It was a bit of an exaggeration to call it a courtyard. The crooked bamboo poles surrounded an open space of about 100 square meters. A house made of a mixture of thatch and mud tiles was in the middle of the open space. Only the bamboo combs of herbs drying in front of the house indicated the identity of the owner.

　　After entering the house, the old man had no intention of cooking. Instead, he went straight to the stove and scooped out three bowls of noodle paste from the big iron pot, the contents of which could not even be seen. He brought it to the table and started eating with Ah Xi with garlic.

　　Although I was hungry, I still hesitated when I saw the bowl of paste that could be molded into shapes.

　　The old man saw my embarrassment, he stood up, walked to the stove again, and came back with a bowl of something hard that he pushed in front of me.

　　I looked carefully and found that it was half a bowl of braised pork.

　　Ah Xi stopped eating and looked at the bowl in front of me, his throat moving constantly, obviously swallowing saliva. But the old man knocked his head with chopsticks and told him not to look anymore, so Ah Xi had to lower his head and continue eating his own bowl.

　　Seeing this, my nose suddenly felt sore, and I picked up the bowl of "noodle soup" and ate it greedily, while the braised pork in front of me was not touched at all.

　　Maybe because I was really hungry, this bowl of noodles tasted much better than I imagined.

　　After dinner, Ah Xi was locked in the room and went to sleep. Mountain people usually don't allow children to go out to play at night. I was sitting at the table, bored, when the old man came over with a cup of steaming tea and sat down across the table.

　　The old man pushed the teacup in front of me, looked me in the eyes, and said seriously: "Baicaoping is a dead end, and you suddenly appeared in the cave. I think you should know how you got here. If you need any help, just tell me. I can tell from the dinner that you are a kind-hearted young man. Don't worry, I will help you as long as I can do it!"

　　"I..." I was a little confused and didn't know what to say. After thinking for a while, I asked the old man, "Have you heard of the corpse-supporting curse?"

　　"Haha, I knew you were no ordinary person." The old man smiled knowingly. "First the underworld, then the corpse-supporting curse. Let me see your wrist."

　　I pulled open my long-sleeved T-shirt, revealing the mark of inaction.

　　"Sure enough, if he is not the one who holds the seal, how could he know these things?" The old man looked as if he had known this long ago.

　　"Could it be that you..." I didn't expect the old man to know so much.

　　"I'm not." The old man motioned for me to take a sip of tea, and then said, "The identity of the seal holder is mysterious. If the other party does not take the initiative or accidentally reveal it to you, remember not to ask."

　　"Oh..." I was so disappointed that I didn't know what to say. I just picked up the teacup and drank it silently.

　　The tea was dark red in color and had a salty taste. It wasn't really tasty, but since it was brought to me, I was too embarrassed to say anything and could only sip it.

　　"Do you want to know how to break the corpse-supporting curse?" Seeing that I remained silent, the old man gave me a strong dose of medicine.

　　“You know?!” When I heard this, my whole body trembled. I grabbed the old man’s arm and looked at him eagerly, as if someone walking on the road at night saw a bright light in the distance.

　　"Haha, the Corpse-Holding Curse is as hard as iron and steel and is invulnerable to swords and spears. It will not stop until it achieves its goal. Although I don't know how you provoked it, it is indeed not easy to break it. But there is one thing that is the nemesis of the Corpse-Holding Curse." The old man let me hold him and said with a smile on his face.

　　Chapter 30: Survival with Broken Arm

　　"What is it?" I was so eager to know that my heart was in my throat.

　　The old man put away his smile and did not answer me. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed to the inner room.

　　"A Xi? Can he break the corpse-carrying curse?" I couldn't believe it.

　　"He has something unique that can reduce the power of the corpse-supporting curse." The old man stared at me and said word by word.

　　"You mean... the blood of the relic?" I finally understood what the old man meant. But then I started to worry. I couldn't take the blood of a stranger just to save my life, could I? Besides, who knows how much blood of the relic is needed to subdue the monster. If it's too much, wouldn't it cost Ah Xi's life?

　　"You don't have to worry about that, because even if we give it to you, you can't take it away." The old man said, handing over a mirror.

　　"What for?" I took the mirror in confusion, not understanding the old man's intention.

　　"Look at yourself, is there anything different?" The old man pointed at the mirror and motioned me to take a look.

　　Looking at myself in the mirror, I have thick eyebrows and a big nose. Apart from the stubble and dark circles under my eyes due to looking a little haggard these past two days, there is nothing else...

　　Wait! My eyes...why are they gray?!

　　The pupils, which should have been black, now exuded a lifeless gray and turbid color.

　　"Do you know why?" The old man saw that I found something strange and continued, "Because you are not complete. What is here is only your soul. Your body is not here."

　　My body is not here? I am confused. How did I get here? Where was I before I got here?

　　All memories began to become blurry.

　　"You have stayed here for too long, you must leave as soon as possible. Although I don't know what exactly you encountered, the blood of the relics is the only way to break the corpse-supporting curse. After you go back, go to Taihang Mountains in northern Henan and find this child's grandfather. Maybe he has a way." The old man kept telling me.

　　"Go...how to go? Where to?" It would have been fine if the old man hadn't reminded me, but at this moment I was becoming more and more confused.

　　"Go where you should go, drink your tea, and get on the road." The old man's tone became gentle and slow, making people feel drowsy.

　　My eyelids have started to fight each other.

　　"Remember, this child's grandfather is Zhang Shixun. Only he can save you..." Before the old man finished speaking, I fell asleep on the table.

　　Zhang Shixun... Such a familiar name... Zhang Shan... Old Man Zhang! The kid named Ah Xi is indeed Zhang Shan. No wonder they look so similar.

　　A musty smell gradually took over my nasal cavity.

　　I suddenly opened my eyes. Where was I? It seemed like I was in a cabinet. I looked around and realized that I was sitting against the wall at the entrance of "Aisle 1". On the left was the dark underworld, and on the right were large wooden boxes with lights on the top.

　　But many of the boxes seemed to have been damaged and were broken, and the cotton jackets and cotton shoes were scattered everywhere.

　　From time to time, there was a crackling sound coming from the far corner. On the dim ceiling, red light kept flashing, as if something was burning.

　　I stood up and just as I was walking around a pillar with the help of the box, I saw a large wooden box burning fiercely in the opposite corner, with the flames reaching the top of the cave.

　　There was a person in front of the fire with his back to me, but I couldn't see who it was.

　　"Zhang Shan?" I called out and was about to walk over when the man turned around.

　　Corpse-carrying curse!

　　Zhao Youde's body was basically unrecognizable from its original appearance. Only wisps of his clothes were left hanging on his body, revealing his purple-black skin.

　　It sniffed the air and then sauntered towards me.

　　What should I do?! I was stunned. Zhang Shan was not here, and I had no weapons. It was over! It was completely over!

　　“Ahhhhhhhh…” Just as I was about to turn around and run away, I heard Zhang Shan’s shout. A figure flew out from the fire and rushed straight towards the corpse-supporting curse.

　　Zhang Shan rolled into a ball while holding the Corpse-Assisting Curse, but the monster didn't bother with him at all. It just turned over and threw Zhang Shan out. Then it stood up again and approached me.

　　Zhang Shan reacted quickly as well. He twisted his body while lying on the ground and hugged Fu Shi Zhu's left leg with both hands.

　　Fu Shi Zhu was still staring at me, and continued to walk towards me, dragging Zhang Shan on the ground.

　　"Quick! Go get some gasoline! This guy is afraid of fire!" Zhang Shan shouted at me when he saw that he couldn't stop it at all.

　　"Oh...oh!" I reacted and turned around and ran back. I remember that there was a row of gasoline cylinders against the wall at "Channel 1".

　　I ran to the wall and tried to move it, but it was too heavy. The tube was more than one meter high and it took two people to reach it. Let alone moving it, even moving it was a problem for me.

　　"It's too heavy, I can't move it!" I turned around and shouted to the back.

　　As soon as I turned around, a completely unrecognizable face was right in front of me, and the white eyeballs were dull.

　　Just as I was about to scream, Fu Shi Zhu raised his hands and grabbed my neck.

　　In an instant, a feeling of blood flow being blocked came from the brain.

　　Zhang Shan climbed up and reached out to pry open the corpse's fingers.

　　Lack of oxygen was slowly taking its toll on me. Judging from the power of the Corpse Curse, it would be easy for it to break my neck.

　　Now they want to abandon simplicity and pursue complexity, letting me slowly suffocate to death, and it is obviously intentional.

　　What a vicious curse!

　　Zhang Shan worked on my neck for a long time but couldn't pry it open with even one finger.

　　Helplessly, he jumped aside, pulled out the broken knife that had been on his waist, held the knife in his left hand, and raised his right arm at the same time.

　　"Fuck your grandma!"

　　Zhang Shan shouted loudly and chopped his right arm with the knife.

　　Before I could see clearly, a strong stream of blood with body temperature spurted towards me and the corpse-supporting curse.

　　I felt the pressure in my throat gradually decreasing. I tried to twist it a little, and the fingers of Fu Shi Zhu actually loosened a little and were no longer as hard as iron.

　　I couldn't care about anything at the moment. I summoned the remaining strength in my body and slowly pried open the corpse-supporting curse that was strangling my hands.

　　"Pah", I fell to the ground, breathing in the air in big gulps. Blood splattered all over my face, and my eyes were blurred, so I couldn't see anything.

　　"Zhang Shan! Zhang Shan!" I shouted anxiously while wiping my eyes with my hands.

　　"Stand up quickly!" As soon as I wiped my eyes, I saw Zhang Shan standing in front of me like an iron tower, with a frown on his face.

　　His right arm was missing from the elbow down, and the smooth wound was still bleeding. He looked like a god of war on the battlefield.

　　I don’t know what mood I am in at the moment.

　　Zhang Shan saw me staring at him in a daze, and he stretched out his left hand to lift me up. I quickly stood up straight, not daring to let him exert more force.

　　He pulled over the barrel of gasoline in front of the corpse-supporting curse, and red liquid came out of the barrel, gurgling and spreading rapidly towards us.

　　Chapter 31 It's all over

　　The corpse-supporting curse seemed to have been cast into place, and it was still standing in the same position as when it was strangling my neck.

　　"Stand back!" Zhang Shan gave another brief command. I knew he was gritting his teeth and persevering, and every word he said took a lot of energy.

　　I stepped on something soft. When I looked down, I saw that it was Zhang Shan's half-broken arm.

　　I quickly picked it up and held it in my arms.

　　After retreating about ten steps, Zhang Shan waited for the leaking gasoline to slowly reach him, raised the half-broken knife in his hand, and chopped at the ground.

　　There was a sharp sound of metal hitting the ground, and the broken knife drew a spark on the bluestone brick, and the gasoline was instantly ignited.

　　"Boom!" In less than two seconds, the front was instantly engulfed in a sea of ​​fire. Zhao Youde's body, the corpse-supporting curse, was at the center of the flames and also burned violently.

　　"Run!" Zhang Shan threw away the broken knife, pulled me and turned to run towards the iron gate we came from.

　　After running a few steps, the gasoline barrels behind us exploded one after another, and the flames and air waves rushed towards us.

　　Just as I ran into the passage inside the iron gate, flames filled the entire warehouse and I was even knocked to the ground.

　　How could we dare to stay in such a situation? We continued to rush forward for a long distance before we stopped.

　　"It's over! That guy is finished!" Zhang Shan leaned against the wall and said this, then fell straight down. I wanted to catch him, but I couldn't.

　　He quickly turned on the mining lamp above his head and squatted down to check Zhang Shan's injuries.

　　Apart from his broken forearm, there were basically no other wounds, but it was this wound that caused him to lose excessive blood and faint.

　　I didn't dare to waste any more time, and hurriedly took off my T-shirt, tore it into two pieces, and tied them around the wound on my upper arm and the broken arm to prevent more blood from flowing out.

　　Although I don’t fully understand the first aid measures, I still know the most basic way to stop the bleeding from the wound.

　　Zhang Shan had fallen into a coma and didn't even know I was patting his face.

　　I tried to help Zhang Shan up, but he was completely helpless and his weight of over 200 pounds was too much for me to bear.

　　Two minutes later, I was sweating all over and sat next to Zhang Shan.

　　An urge to cry suddenly came into my mind. I couldn't help it and sobbed quietly.

　　Zhang Shan always said that he would use my ability and his experience to break the corpse-supporting curse. But from beginning to end, not only did I not help him, but I also got into trouble and stepped on landmines one after another.

　　Now that I think about it, he was the one who came to my rescue and eliminated danger every time.

　　Zhang Shan actually has no need to care about this matter. Even if I died suddenly, it would not be traced back to them. Who would believe in such a resurrection from the dead?

　　Zhang Shan not only strictly followed his grandfather's orders to protect me, but if he didn't think so, he wouldn't always be able to take action at the first time to help me through the difficulties.

　　In his opinion, cherishing every life is the creed of life, and it should be adhered to throughout one's life.

　　Zhang Shan had long known that what was left on his body was the relic blood, which was the only way to suppress the corpse-supporting curse.

　　In the underworld, he bit his finger and tapped my forehead to break the illusion; and when he met the boy, he used the submachine gun that could shoot ghosts, but I didn't care about these at the time.

　　If I knew about this situation, I might have discovered some clues from the beginning. No wonder he always doesn't care, and can talk freely and even joke no matter how dangerous the situation is.

　　Because Zhang Shan knew that as long as he was by my side, I would be safe.

　　Although dangers appeared frequently, he was always waiting for the opportunity to deliver a sure and fatal blow to the corpse-supporting curse.

　　In the end, at the most critical moment, Zhang Shan cut off his arm to get blood, and miraculously resolved the deadlock.

　　With such chivalry and selfless spirit, what else can I do?

　　Brother, if I don’t get you out alive, I will die here with you!

　　If I don't reconnect your broken arm, I will cut off one of my own arms as compensation to you!

　　It's not that I don't want to accept your kindness, but this favor is too great! How can I bear it?

　　I wiped away my tears and stood up again.

　　Since I can't carry it, I will pull you out even if I pull!

　　I thought about running out to call for help first, and then come together to rescue Zhang Shan. This might save some time.

　　Although the corpse curse has been removed, but thinking of the girl trapped in the wall, the dream toad and the "No. 1 passage" leading to the underworld, I suppressed this tempting idea.

　　What's more, I'm really worried about leaving Zhang Shan here alone.

　　No matter what! If we want to leave, we leave together. If we want to stay, we stay together! We live and die together, and we advance and retreat together!

　　After giving up this idea, I let Zhang Shan lie flat on the ground, grabbed his coat collar with both hands, and moved back step by step.

　　This winding road has really caused me a lot of trouble.

　　Every time we came to a turn, because the space was narrow and at a 90-degree right angle, I had to help Zhang Shan sit up first, then lift him under the arms and drag him backwards before we could barely get through.

　　I don’t know how long it took, but we finally got out of the last bend and returned to the lobby on the second underground floor.

　　The clothes on Zhang Shan's back had been torn from being dragged for so long. Looking at his skin scraped by the ground, I felt like someone was squeezing me hard, and even breathing was difficult.

　　I suddenly remembered that there was a podium in the middle of the hall, and there were a lot of sundries on it. Maybe I could find something useful. Not only would I not have to drag Zhang Shan anymore, I could also save energy and even time and get back to the ground earlier.

　　Thinking of this, I helped Zhang Shan up and sat him against the wall. I tightened the bandage around his wound and ran to the podium, looking for anything that might be useful.

　　But these old tables, chairs and benches were used for meetings decades ago. Apart from the long tables and long benches, there are almost no suitable ones.

　　Finally, when I turned to the last corner, I found a single-seat wooden chair with a backrest. Next to the chair, there was a large plate of wires as thick as an index finger.

　　I tested the sturdiness of the chair and found that this old-fashioned furniture from decades ago was indeed durable and still fits tightly together.

　　I carried the chair and the electric wire back to Zhang Shan. I took out the dagger he gave me and cut it into two pieces about three meters long. I inserted them into the gaps in the back of the chair and tied a knot. I would use it as the rope when I pulled him later.

　　I cut the remaining wire into several pieces of equal length so that I could fix it on the chair to prevent it from falling.

　　Everything was ready, except for the last and most difficult step - putting Zhang Shan on the chair.

　　Time is life, I dare not rest, I just took a few deep breaths and held my breath. I put my hands under Zhang Shan's armpits, intending to lift him up and put him on the chair.

　　It was too heavy! I just lifted it a little bit, and then I couldn't go up anymore. I held on for about five seconds. I finally gave up on this plan.

　　Time passed by minute by minute, and Zhang Shan's life was gradually weakening, but I was anxious and there was nothing I could do.

　　I opened his eyelids, but actually I couldn't understand anything. However, under the strong light of the mining lamp, his pupils showed almost no reaction, which made me feel disappointed.

　　I even thought about dragging him out the old way, but after a calculation, I immediately gave up the idea. We are now in the middle of the second underground floor, still far from the exit.

　　If it is dragged all the way like this, I am afraid that even the bones on Zhang Shan's back will be worn away.

　　Chapter 32 I'm Leaving

　　Feeling at a loss, I looked down and saw Zhang Shan lying on his side with his legs half bent, as if he was sitting on a bench.

　　That's right! Since you can't stand it up, why not turn the chair down?

　　I quickly put the chair down, with its two sides pressed against Zhang Shan's back and buttocks respectively.

　　I brought another wire and tied his left side to the chair. Then I laid him flat, grabbed the backrest and lifted it up, and Zhang Shan stood up along with the chair.

　　Straighten it, fix the other side, and you’re finally done!

　　I then stuffed his broken arm into the wire used to fix it and fastened it. Then I went around the back of the chair and wrapped the two wires that had been prepared beforehand around his shoulders.

　　I pulled back, and the two front legs of the chair left the ground. I managed to keep my balance, holding onto the back of the chair and moving backwards.

　　Although it is still very strenuous, especially when encountering the gaps between the floor tiles, I occasionally need to stop and move it. But it is still incomparable to the previous hard pulling.

　　Moreover, this would cause almost no harm to Zhang Shan, and I felt much better.

　　This time the speed was obviously much faster. In less than two minutes, we left the hall and walked along the corridor to the upper floor.

　　Going uphill requires a lot more effort than walking on a flat road.

　　But since I made this "dry land sled chair", my spirits have recovered a lot, and I am full of confidence to leave here. I can barely bear the extra effort.

　　Before long, we returned to the fork in the road. The two holes on both sides led to two other shelters and other passages respectively.

　　As long as I climb a little further along the opposite passage, I can return to the first floor, where it is flat. It won't be long before I reach the shelter room I just came in from. I can go up along the corridor and soon return to the ground.

　　I have mastered the tricks of pulling this chair. At my current speed, I believe it will take less than 20 minutes to complete this journey.

　　Thinking of this, I felt full of strength all over my body, dragging Zhang Shan and continuing to climb up.

　　With my heavy breathing, I finally finished this uphill road. After putting Zhang Shan's chair flat, I looked back.

　　This... In the dark space, wherever the light reaches, there is a hall, dozens of pillars, and a protruding platform in the middle, on which a lot of miscellaneous items are vaguely piled.

　　I panicked. Did I take the wrong road? Or was there a hall here and I forgot about it when I passed by?

　　After loosening the rope and walking to the platform in the middle, I was stunned.

　　This is definitely the hall I just walked into! Because I stacked some tables and chairs in the same place, and for some that I can remember, even the angles of placement are exactly the same.

　　I couldn't believe it, so I ran to a corner and searched the ground carefully.

　　After a while, I felt a chill down my spine. On the ground in front of me, there were some rubber residues left over from cutting the wires.

　　Did it go around and come back again?

　　No matter what, you must find the exit, and it is always right to go up.

　　I returned to the entrance of the corridor, picked up the rope, and pulled Zhang Shan through the hall. This time I looked carefully, confirmed that this was the correct exit, and climbed up again.

　　There is a long slope leading to three forks in the road in different directions. You can never go wrong by taking the middle one!

　　For a few minutes, I sat in front of the podium dejectedly. Looking at the tables, chairs and benches piled on it, a feeling of despair suddenly swept over me.

　　Thinking back to when I was first locked in the confined space, Zhang Shan deliberately angered me, which triggered something in my body, allowing me to break through the mental barrier and return to the original path. Can I repeat it now?

　　I stood up and tried to get angry, picking up things on the platform and smashing them around while cursing.

　　All this was of no avail, there was no sign of the space being broken.

　　Looking at Zhang Shan sitting there unconscious, I had no choice.

　　Even if I die of exhaustion, I can't stop! I rested for a while, and secretly made a decision in my heart to go back and drag Zhang Shan and continue to move forward. Even if I die of exhaustion in this endless cycle, I can't just sit there and wait for death.

　　"Crack!" One of the chair's back legs finally broke due to the long-term friction and dragging.

　　Zhang Shan, who was tied to a chair, fell to one side.

　　I was afraid of bumping into him, so I stretched out one leg in a hurry to block the collapsed road.

　　The back of the chair, with Zhang Shan's weight of more than 200 pounds, hit my foot. I felt an instant burning pain and it felt like my toes were about to break.

　　"Who! Who is it? Can you give me a chance to live?" I shouted heart-wrenchingly into the darkness.

　　There was no response.

　　"It's a ghost wall." The boy's voice sounded. After a moment, I felt the glass eyeball in my trouser pocket disappear. When I looked up again, the boy in blue clothes was standing in front of me with his back to me.

　　The boy jumped onto the platform and looked around the hall.

　　"Ye Zi, is that you?" he called gently.

　　"Who are you?" After a moment, a girl's voice with a boyish tone came from the corner.

　　I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl in red clothes and blonde hair slowly walking out from the darkness and staring at him on the stage.

　　It was indeed her! The girl who lured Zhang Shan and I into a closed space.

　　"Ye Zi, it's me! I'm Li Jian!" The boy never expected that the girl didn't recognize him, and he immediately became excited.

　　"Li Jian..." The girl held her chin up and pretended to be thinking. "...Oh~ I remember now, you are the one who pursued me fifteen years ago!"

　　The boy named Li Jian stood there in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.

　　The boy was silent for a long time and said, "Ye Zi, come with me! Let's leave here. I don't blame you for what happened before." His voice was obviously a little dry.

　　"Leave? Why should we leave? It's so much fun here, I want these two guys to stay and keep me company!"

　　"Just let them go. Isn't it good for me to accompany you?" The boy said patiently and humbly.

　　"You? Why do you care about me?" The girl didn't give him any face at all.

　　"Ye Zi, how can you say that? Fifteen years ago, you wanted to take Passage No. 1. If I hadn't pushed you away in the end, you wouldn't have been locked up in there for so long." The boy was a little angry. The girl had obviously forgotten about him a long time ago.

　　"Don't worry, I won't accept your favor! I wanted to go downstairs to play anyway, and I would have gone even if you hadn't pushed me away. It's good enough that you didn't ruin my business. By the way, speaking of fifteen years ago, I still want to ask you, why did you bite off my finger?" The girl said, raising her right hand, and her little finger was indeed shorter.

　　"That's because...that's because..." The boy was stunned by the question and didn't know what to say in embarrassment.

　　"Speak up! Aren't you always right?" the girl pressed on.

　　"That's because... you were already dead at that time. I heard from a fortune teller that... if you bite off a piece of your partner's little finger and eat it before you die... you two will still be together in your next life..." The boy's voice was as thin as a mosquito.

　　"Ha!" The girl laughed towards the sky.

　　"You believe this? I tell you, Li Jian, it's impossible for us to be together. It's impossible when we are alive, and it's impossible after we die. It's impossible in this life, and it's even more impossible in the next life! From now on, don't come to me when you have nothing to do. I get annoyed when I see you. If you were not an honest person, I would not have the heart to hurt you. I would have kicked you out while I was alive!"

　　The boy listened to her, his facial expression kept changing. The girl shut up after she finished speaking, and stood there with her arms folded, as if waiting to see how the boy would end.

　　Chapter 33: Why

　　"Let them go, and forget about the past. I will never look for you again, is that okay?" The boy felt uneasy inside for a long time, and finally he took a deep breath, looked up and said to the girl.

　　"I'm afraid this matter has nothing to do with you. You are a soul and I am a nightmare. We don't get along. Don't meddle in other people's business. I'm going to keep these two people today!" The girl said, and a layer of black air began to emanate from her body.

　　"Do you really have to make things difficult for the person who holds the seal?" Seeing the girl's attitude, the boy stepped in front of me and shouted at her.

　　"The seal bearer?" When the girl heard these three words, a look of fear appeared on her face. But it only flashed for a moment, and then she changed into a more gloomy expression.

　　"I was wondering how you two could suddenly break my plan while fighting. It turns out there is a seal holder. But it seems like you have all the skills but don't know how to use them." The girl said as she walked towards me.

　　"Ye Zi, don't do anything stupid!" the boy warned her.

　　"Reckless? Nightmare has met the man with the seal. Either he dies or I die. If I don't kill him now since this guy can't do anything, do I have to wait for him to take me away in the future?" After the girl said this, she rolled her eyes and looked straight at me.

　　I was caught off guard and was immediately glued to her gaze. Although I knew clearly in my heart that I must not look at her, once I was glued to her, I had no control over it. I couldn't move my eyes away, and I couldn't close them.

　　The girl started blinking at me.

　　I was horrified to find that my heart rate actually started to follow the frequency of his blinking. The faster she blinked, the faster my heart beat, like on a roller coaster.

　　Gradually, the girl's blinking frequency slowed down, and I began to feel the symptoms of hypoxia. Maybe the moment she stopped blinking, that would be the moment I died.

　　"I... stay... and you... send him... out... of the cave." I desperately used my remaining willpower to make a final negotiation with the girl, hoping that she would let Zhang Shan go.

　　"Hmph! Do you have any bargaining chips to negotiate with me?" The girl showed no mercy at all.

　　"Ye Shuang, you want chips, I'll add them to him!" The boy, who had been silent for a long time, spoke word by word as if he had made some important decision.

　　"Liu Jian, doing this will only make me hate you more! You have to think it over carefully." The girl still stared at me and didn't look at the boy, but warned him.

　　"You're right, I'm a soul and you're a nightmare. I can't just watch you kill people and do nothing." The boy's tone was so calm that no one knew what he was thinking.

　　"Don't talk so righteously. I'm afraid you don't have the ability to stop me." The girl didn't seem to take his standing on my side seriously.

　　As she spoke, she slowed her blinking rate down to half. My heart was already beating very slowly.

　　"I'm sorry, Ye Zi, I have no choice." The boy took one last look at the girl and turned into a wisp of white smoke.

　　I noticed that my right hand was suddenly filled with something. It was the boy's glass eyeball.

　　"Hold it tight!" his voice came from inside the glass eyeball.

　　Although the girl kept her eyes on me, she knew clearly what was going to happen. She stopped blinking and opened her eyes wide, wanting to kill me as quickly as possible.

　　But it was too late. Before the boy reached my hands, he quietly told me to concentrate all my strength on my right hand.

　　I squeezed the glass eyeball tightly, and instantly a lot of blue smoke overflowed from the inside out, swirling up along the fingers and palms, and when it reached the Wuwei Seal on the wrist, it gathered into a circle.

　　My heart rate instantly returned to its normal rhythm.

　　"You...you actually..." The girl looked at me with wide eyes, with an expression of disbelief on her face.

　　Although everything was back to normal, I didn't feel anything special. When I saw the girl turn around and try to run, I couldn't help but think: I can't let her go.

　　As soon as this thought came to my mind, the mining lamp above my head suddenly became several times brighter than before, emitting a light similar to that of the sun, and went straight towards the girl.

　　The girl seemed to sense the threat from behind, and as soon as she turned around, she was swallowed up by the light of day.

　　“No!!!!!!!!” In the strong light, the girl shouted in despair.

　　Like lightning, the strong light disappeared in an instant, and there was no trace left where the girl had stood.

　　I looked forward in that direction and saw a bulge on the far wall. When I got closer, I realized that it was the girl's last movement and expression. It had turned into stone and was deeply embedded in the wall. Her desperate eyes were always looking forward.

　　I then remembered the boy and raised my right hand. The glass beads in my hand had already turned gray and were no longer so crystal clear. With a little force, the "glass beads" turned into powder and scattered in front of my feet.

　　"It's over... Everything is over..." The boy appeared beside me again, looking at her on the wall, muttering.

　　I don't know what to say. For me, he destroyed her whom he loved so much with his own hands.

　　"After entering the Fearless Seal, I have no place to live. I have to follow you all the time, but I really can't bear to leave him." The boy reached out and touched the "relief" on the wall.

　　After hearing this, I hurriedly rummaged through my backpack and found the glass eyeball that the smoking old man had given me by the river.

　　"Here's this, see if it helps?" I handed it to the boy.

　　The boy took it casually, looked at the eyeball and smiled bitterly: "One soul and one pupil seal, how can I occupy the magpie's nest..." Before he finished speaking, his face suddenly changed, and he hurriedly stuffed the glass eyeball back into my hand.

　　"Where did you get this?" he asked me in horror.

　　"What's wrong? What's wrong?" I was confused.

　　"I can't explain it clearly, but the things in here are definitely not simple!" the boy said with certainty.

　　"Forget it, I'm not going to touch it anyway." I stuffed the glass eyeball back into my bag and said, "You don't have to follow me. I'm not interested in this. It would make me uncomfortable if you followed me around all day."

　　The boy looked at me with gratitude in his eyes.

　　"But won't you be affected without this glass eye?" I started to worry about him.

　　The boy turned around again, reached out and stroked the face of the "relief", and said gently: "As long as I can be with Ye Zi, I don't care what happens."

　　Gradually, the boy's figure became fainter and fainter.

　　"Go quickly, your friend needs immediate medical attention." The boy said the last sentence and finally disappeared.

　　I looked closely and saw that on the right-hand edge of the "relief", a shining blue stone replaced the severed finger, like a ring, emitting the light of a gem from time to time.

　　I then thought of Zhang Shan, and hurried back to pick up the rope. I kicked off the back leg of the still-standing chair, and pulled Zhang Shan up.

　　Before leaving the hall, I bowed deeply in the direction of the "relief" to thank the boy for saving my life.

　　They finally got together, but it felt a bit forced. But what does it matter? Their bodies and souls no longer exist, and this final combination can be considered a consolation from God.

　　Finally, I returned to the hall on the first floor. Following the corridor I had just taken when I entered the cave, I went up. I gradually saw the light, and it seemed that the night was over.

　　Dragging Zhang Shan, I pushed open the door of the air-raid shelter and stood on the ground again.

　　"Don't move! Put your hands up!" Dozens of black gun muzzles were aimed at me from different directions.

　　Chapter 34: More than 6 million

　　"Call an ambulance quickly! There is a seriously injured person here!" When I saw there were people, I ignored everything and shouted loudly around.

　　Then I was pinned to the ground by several men in uniform.

　　I was sitting in an interrogation room, two policemen were asking the same questions over and over again, but I was thinking about something else.

　　Zhang Shan was taken away by an ambulance, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive. But at least it was useless for me to worry about this matter, it all depended on the hospital and the doctors. What I was worried about was what Master Zhang Shan said in the second dream.

　　Zhang Shan had to eat a silver gall every ten years to ensure his blood-forming function and continue to live. In my dream, I remember he was twelve years old.

　　Zhang Shan is 31 years old this year, which means that he should have eaten the second snake gall before he was 22. So has he eaten the third one now? I don't know either. It seems that we can only wait until he wakes up...

　　Hey! Why think so much? It's hard to say whether you can get over this hurdle.

　　"Are you listening to our questions?" One of the fatter policemen finally lost his patience and shouted at me.

　　"I'm sorry, I won't say anything until I know the specific situation of my friend." I forgot whether it was the seventy-eighth or eighty-seventh time I said this.

　　"We've already told you that the hospital is doing its best to rescue him. Don't you trust what we say? There's no need for us to lie to you about this!" the fat policeman explained. In fact, I have heard this sentence many times.

　　"I'm sorry, but I won't say anything until I know the specifics of my friend's situation."

　　The two policemen looked at me helplessly, whispered for a while, and then the one next to them opened the door and walked out of the interrogation room, leaving the fat policeman alone.

　　"We'll contact the hospital to take photos on the spot and send them over. Are you satisfied?" the fat policeman said helplessly.

　　I have no comment.

　　The interrogation room finally became quiet. The fat policeman knew that I would not say anything before knowing Zhang Shan’s situation, so he consciously chose to keep quiet.

　　About 10 minutes later, the man who had gone out earlier came in with two pieces of paper. He handed them to me first, then walked back to his seat and sat down.

　　These are two faxed black and white photos. Although they are not very clear, you can still see the general situation.

　　The first photo was of Zhang Shan lying on the operating table with a ventilator, his upper body naked. His right arm was obviously connected at the break, and there was no time to bandage and fix it. I could even see the neat row of sutures.

　　The second photo was taken at a much lower angle, at the foot of Zhang Shan. In addition to Zhang Shan, there were also a bunch of instruments beside his headrest, showing that he still had signs of life, although the values ​​were extremely low, but at least this guy was still holding on.

　　The worry that had been hanging in my stomach for a long time finally settled down. My profession is a designer, so I could tell whether these two photos were photoshopped or not.

　　After I breathed a sigh of relief, I found that my whole body was shaking.

　　"Is he okay?" I asked.

　　"At least there's no problem with your arm. Can you tell me now?" The fat policeman saw that I was obviously relaxed, threw a cigarette at me, and motioned for me to control my emotions so that I could explain the problem.

　　After finishing this cigarette, I started talking about the time I went up the mountain three months ago, until I burned the corpse-carrying curse and returned to the ground.

　　I spoke in great detail, even describing what I was thinking sometimes.

　　In fact, deep down I was still afraid of the police, but because I was eager to know Zhang Shan’s situation, I had no choice but to refuse to confess in order to get bargaining chips with them.

　　Now that I feel relieved, I will tell you everything I know, for fear that if I miss even a little, they will find a chance to put the blame on me.

　　It took nearly an hour to listen to my story. The two policemen opposite were stunned for a long time. The one who gave me the photo licked his lips and asked me, "Are you a novelist?"

　　I am speechless.

　　The fat policeman smiled helplessly and said to me, "How can we believe what you said?"

　　I shrugged my shoulders and said, "That can't be helped. I'm telling the truth. Believe it or not, when will you let me out?"

　　"I'm sorry, since this case involves human life, I'm afraid you will have to stay a few more days." The man next to him replied.

　　"I told you! The person who was burned died three months ago!" I became anxious when I heard that they wanted to continue detaining me.

　　"We have searched the burned warehouse and indeed found a body..." The fat policeman paused deliberately when he said this.

　　"What's it like? Has it been burned?" I was actually more concerned about Zhao Youde's body. If the destruction was not as thorough as I imagined, it might still have a chance to stand up. Then our whole night of hard work would have been wasted, and Zhang Shan's blood would naturally have been shed in vain.

　　The fat policeman stared at me for a long time, as if judging whether my behavior was consistent with what he had just said.

　　After noticing any suspicious behavior from me, he said, while gesturing at a length of about two feet: "There is only this much left."

　　This time I really had no worries. My tense body suddenly softened and I leaned back against the chair.

　　"You can check the DNA of the corpse to see if it is infected with AIDS. Then contact Banyan Village and you will know the truth. That monster ran away and everyone in the village knows about it." I still have a good impression of the fat policeman, so I naturally spoke more politely.

　　"Haha, of course I know that. Assuming what you said is true, it takes time to check and verify." The fat policeman said to me with a smile.

　　"That doesn't matter. Just notify me when the results come out." I was anxious to visit Zhang Shan and wanted to get out as soon as possible.

　　"Humph! It's not that simple! You burned down the supply warehouse, and you don't want to talk about this anymore?" The man next to him sneered and said.

　　"Isn't it just paying money? Just tell me how much?" I had already begun to dislike this man, so I said to him rudely.

　　"Tell me a number? Humph, can you afford to pay me a number?" The man still had a fake smile on his face that looked like he deserved a beating.

　　"So what? You want to blackmail me for a few worn-out cotton-padded jackets?" I was too lazy to pay attention to him.

　　"Six million! You burned six million of the country's emergency reserve materials! Pay me one for it!" The man probably couldn't stand my attitude anymore, so he stood up, slammed the table and yelled at me.

　　"What? Six million... million!" I was stunned for a moment. How could it be that much?

　　I looked at the fat policeman, and he nodded at me helplessly, confirming what his colleague said.

　　"You...don't lie to me!" I said weakly to the man.

　　"Two hundred thousand military cotton-padded jackets, one hundred thousand cotton quilts, one hundred thousand cotton hats, and one hundred and fifty thousand pairs of cotton shoes. Each of these things costs at least ten or eight yuan. You can do the math yourself! This does not include the spare gasoline and some other small amounts of supplies." The man finished speaking in one breath, and his anger subsided a lot. He sat back in his seat, lit a cigarette and looked at me.

　　I collapsed in my chair. Six million, even if we sold our company, it wouldn't be worth that much, not to mention I'm not the boss.

　　Chapter 35: Blood Relics (2)

　　The fat policeman seemed to think that his colleague had gone too far, and signaled the man next to him not to speak. He was about to open his mouth when a round box on the ceiling of the room made an inopportune "beep" sound. After hearing this, the two of them stood up helplessly, turned around, opened the door and walked out.

　　I was alone in the interrogation room, with my hands and feet handcuffed to an iron chair fixed to the ground, unable to move.

　　I even started to calculate how many years it would take me to pay off this debt with my monthly salary of 1,200 yuan. Zhang Shan's medical expenses were also an astronomical figure for me.

　　It is definitely unrealistic to ask my mother for money. We are just an ordinary family. It would be good enough if we can fill the small hole of Zhang Shan's hospitalization with all our money. Don't even think about the big hole of 6 million.

　　I was sweating all over as I thought about it. The door of the interrogation room opened again, and this time a young man walked in, who looked only slightly older than me. He was not wearing a uniform, but a suit and leather shoes, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. I don't know what he had put on his hair, but his one-inch-long hair stood up one by one, and he looked quite energetic.

　　"Hello!" The young man gave me a sunny smile. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Song Dongfeng."

　　"I can't afford a lawyer." I was already having a headache counting the money, and here came another person who wanted to make money from me, so naturally I didn't want to bother with him.

　　"Haha, I'm not a lawyer." The young man didn't mind at all and walked towards me with a smile on his face.

　　"Who are you?" I raised my head and looked at him in confusion.

　　"I'm here to help you," the young man replied politely.

　　"Well, he's still a lawyer!" I remember in those TV dramas, when a lawyer takes the initiative to meet his agent, this is always the first sentence he says.

　　The young man stopped talking, took out his hands from his trouser pockets, holding two keys. He walked forward and opened my handcuffs and leg cuffs in no time.

　　“If he were a lawyer, he probably wouldn’t have this ability, right?” The young man smiled brightly at me again.

　　"You are..." I was confused again

　　"Okay, let's get acquainted again. My name is Song Dongfeng!" he said, extending his right hand to me.

　　"Oh..." I subconsciously stretched out my right hand and shook his. I have heard of borrowing the east wind, but I have never heard of sending the east wind.

　　Until now, I still can't figure out this person's intentions. I don't know what he wants to do. If he is a lawyer, he really has no right to open my handcuffs. If he is a policeman, he is in plain clothes.

　　"You must want to know what I do?" The young man seemed to see through my thoughts and continued, "I am here on behalf of the country. And I believe that what you just said is completely true on behalf of the country."

　　“……” When I heard this, I didn’t show the happiness I should have shown.

　　Because I know how outrageous and unbelievable what I said is. I didn't expect the two policemen to believe it when I told them just now. It's strange that they believed it as soon as they heard it!

　　But it is true, and I cannot help but say it.

　　The young man was obviously surprised when he saw my expression. He asked me, "Don't you want to say something?"

　　"Oh... thank the country for me, thank the party and the government for their trust in us." I was still trying to judge his background when I blurted out this sentence absentmindedly.

　　"Haha," the young man laughed heartily and said, "It's okay, just tell me whatever you think. I promise that only the two of us will know what you say. By the way, I also bring you good news. The country will pay for the burned supplies and your friend's medical expenses!"

　　My heart skipped a beat. This guy is really not simple. He is so young, but he can easily agree to a cash guarantee of 6 million. How much power does he have?

　　Seeing that I didn’t say anything, the young man continued, “Of course, there are conditions for doing this. We hope that you will work for the country.”

　　"Me?" I pointed at my nose in disbelief.

　　The young man glanced at my exposed right wrist and said in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, you should belong to a relatively mysterious group of people - the Seal Holders, right?"

　　"What exactly do you do?" I became more and more confused. Does the country also need people like us who promote superstition?

　　I don’t know when it started, but I naturally put myself and old man Zhang Shan into the same category.

　　"I'm with the National Security Investigation Bureau, so I can only tell you this much for now." The young man said as he pulled out a small notebook from his suit's inner pocket. There was nothing on the black leather surface except a large national emblem.

　　"Secret Service?"

　　"Haha, it's not the Bureau of Confidentiality, it's the Bureau of Investigation of Confidential Incidents." The young man had no intention of showing me his notebook. He just flashed it for a second and then put it away. He then said, "The Bureau of Confidentiality is in charge of human affairs, and we are in charge of those non-human affairs."

　　"It's not a human matter..." I finally understood why he expressed complete trust in what I said as soon as he came in, because he was specifically in charge of this kind of thing.

　　"But I don't know anything!" I hesitated.

　　Logically speaking, since I have accepted the huge favor of 6 million, I should not refuse the request, not to mention that I am working for the country. But I shuddered when I thought that once I joined, I would probably have to deal with all kinds of monsters that I couldn't explain for the rest of my life.

　　The young man was about to speak when the phone in his hand suddenly rang. He raised it to check the caller ID, and without avoiding me, he directly pressed the answer button and put it to his ear.

　　"Well, has the situation improved?... What? Why didn't you say so earlier?... No local inventory?... Four hundred aren't enough?... At least two thousand?... Where are the reserves?..." The more he listened, the tighter his brows furrowed, and he glanced at me. "How long can four hundred last?... All right, contact the local military region and send fighter jets to airlift them here immediately, and they must be quick! Try to get there as early as possible! Dispatch a local helicopter and go to the airport immediately to stand by!"

　　After hanging up the phone, the young man's expression eased a little and he said to me, "I'm afraid your friend's condition is not good."

　　"What?! Didn't you say everything was fine?" I jumped up, feeling cheated.

　　"Don't worry, how did your friend's arm get broken?" The young man immediately put his hand on my shoulder, motioning me to calm down.

　　"In order to save me...he cut it off himself." I still feel sad when I recall that scene.

　　"Why did he have to cut off his arm to save you?" the young man asked.

　　"It should be... his blood can suppress that monster!" I remembered Master Zhang Shan's words again.

　　"Yes, that's right. Do you know what your friend's blood type is?"

　　"What blood type?" I was stunned and stopped what I was doing.

　　"He has RH negative blood."

　　"RH negative blood... panda blood?!" I suddenly realized.

　　Chapter 36 A Difficult Choice

　　"Yes, Rh blood type is different from A, B, O, and AB blood types. The latter are more evenly distributed among the population, and the blood sources of several blood types are easy to find. In my country, more than 99% of the population has common blood type, while Rh negative blood type is a rarer blood type, accounting for less than 1% of Rh blood type people. Generally speaking, there is only one Rh negative blood type carrier in every 10,000 people. And because Rh negative blood type is so rare, it is commonly known as panda blood."

　　The young man finished explaining in one breath, and added: "For you who have mastered the Yin, it is the extremely rare relic blood."

　　"So what's the situation now?" To me, blood type is not important. What matters is whether Zhang Shan can be saved.

　　"The local Rh-negative blood stock is less than 400CC, and your friend has lost a lot of blood due to a broken arm. He will need at least 2000CC to survive the night." The young man told the truth.

　　"Then go find it quickly! Why are you still standing here?!" I grabbed his shoulders and shook him continuously.

　　"Calm down! Listen to me!" The young man grabbed my wrist. "Beijing has a large amount of inventory. I have notified the military region to deliver it as quickly as possible."

　　"Oh..." I already understood what he said on the phone. Sending fighter jets over was a bigger favor.

　　"Don't worry, fresh blood will be delivered within an hour. The reason I told you so much just now was just to show my sincerity. The country really hopes that special talents like you will join, including your friends. Therefore, we will spare no effort and cost to save his life." The young man pushed me back on the chair.

　　"Now, can we consider our cooperation?" He smiled his signature smile again.

　　"But... I really don't know anything." First it was six million, and now he's sending a plane to deliver blood thousands of miles away. I really can't find any reason to refuse him again.

　　I believe he really brought me the east wind.

　　"Haha, you are now like a baby who has obtained a huge fortune. How to spend the money is just a matter of time." Song Dongfeng seemed confident.

　　"Then what do you need me to do?" Unable to find a reason to refuse, he had to find out about the job content first.

　　"There are no tasks for the time being, but the state will subsidize your living expenses every month, and when there are special situations that need your handling, there will be an additional bonus."

　　"Oh, right!" I suddenly remembered Zhang Shan's blood and the silver money, and hurriedly explained the situation to Song Dongfeng.

　　"Well... this is indeed a very thorny problem at the moment." Song Dongfeng frowned after hearing this, and continued: "Anyway, there is no special mission at the moment, you can just deal with your own affairs first. Although the Confidential Incident Investigation Bureau is mysterious, its system is very loose, and the higher-ups will not care about what you do in your daily life. I can also help you find out about this unique little snake. Maybe it will have a qualitative leap in the application and development of some clinical medicine. That's more worthwhile than killing a hundred zombies!" At the end, he was also quite excited, and he couldn't wait to investigate Yin Liuzi immediately.

　　"I still want to wait until Zhang Shan's problem is resolved before we sit down and discuss this matter. After all, I can't make the decision for him." I racked my brains and finally came up with this reason.

　　Song Dongfeng was quite straightforward. After hesitating for a moment, he readily agreed. He said that we could talk about joining after we found Yin Liuzi and resolved all the worries. However, he still asked for my phone number and told me to keep the matter strictly confidential.

　　With Song Dongfeng's mediation, I walked out of the police station safely.

　　Of course, checking the confession and signing are indispensable. The policeman who quarreled with me was so angry that his mouth was crooked and his eyes were squinting. The fat policeman didn't care at all. He said goodbye to me warmly and hoped to come to play when he had nothing to do.

　　Are you kidding? Who would have nothing better to do than go to the police station to play?

　　Standing at the door of the police station, the sun was so bright that I couldn't open my eyes. It was almost noon.

　　A cool breeze blew, and he realized that he was extremely dirty. He gave his jacket to Fu Shi Zhu and used the T-shirt inside to stop Zhang Shan's bleeding. Now he was wearing an ordinary vest that the police station found for him. It was at least two sizes too big. He put it on his body at an angle, and two spots of light shone on his chest.

　　I was anxious to visit Zhang Shan. Fortunately, the police station and the hospital where he worked were not far away, so I trotted all the way to the hospital.

　　Song Dongfeng had already told me Zhang Shan's ward number before it came out. After going upstairs, I didn't waste time at the nurse station and rushed directly into the ward.

　　When I opened the door of the ward, I was stunned before I saw Zhang Shan.

　　Good boy! Song Dongfeng really spared no effort to recruit us.

　　This is a single intensive care unit, which is as big as four of my bedrooms. Opposite the bed is a combined home theater, and the TV cabinet below is equipped with DVDs and various game consoles, which can definitely meet the different needs of various patients.

　　Behind the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the room is a balcony of at least six square meters, with two single sofas on it and a huge parasol on the side. In the transparent freezer behind the door, there are all kinds of tea, drinks, snacks and fruits.

　　In the innermost corner, there is even a desk and a top-of-the-line, oversized, fully automatic massage chair.

　　In the middle of the ward was a large bed that was big enough for three people to lie down without feeling crowded. Zhang Shan was lying quietly on it. The screens of various instruments on the bedside kept jumping, but without exception, they all showed that the patient's current vital signs were normal.

　　Maybe it was due to the anesthesia or lack of blood, Zhang Shan was still in a deep sleep. I tiptoed over, afraid to wake him up. When I got closer, I found that his face was still pale, but his right arm was bandaged. Various tubes were inserted into his body, crisscrossing.

　　I felt relieved and walked back to the door quietly, wanting to go to the bathroom to wash my face.

　　When I pushed open the bathroom door, I was even more surprised. This seemingly small bathroom was actually separated into dry and wet areas. It not only provided 24-hour hot water, but also had all kinds of toiletries. It was no less than an ordinary four-star hotel.

　　I simply took off all my clothes and took a nice bath.

　　After taking a shower, I was worried. The pants I was wearing were dirty, smelly, and worn out. I didn't want to wear them again after washing them so clean. Fortunately, there was a phone in the bathroom. I thought about it and called Ni Qian's cell phone.

　　An hour later, Ni Qian pushed open the door of the ward, carrying a bag of newly bought clothes.

　　When I met Ni Qian, I had to explain again. I just said that Zhang Shan was a relative from my hometown, and I took him out to play today. He was accidentally hit by a car and broke his arm, so he was sent to the hospital for observation.

　　Since the intensive care unit is managed by full-time nurses, there is no need for family members to stay with the patient overnight. I went out to have dinner with Ni Qian, and after sending her to the car, I thought it was time to go home and report.

　　As soon as I stepped into the house, I was scolded, saying that I ran out in the middle of the night and had not been home for two days. I didn't even come back to check on him and he didn't answer the phone. I almost called the police.

　　Listening to my mother and grandmother's scolding, I was unusually obedient. Compared to the cold and dark air-raid shelter, it is still warm at home~!

　　Zhang Shan recovered quickly and was able to walk after three days. The surgery on his arm was also very successful. After the doctor examined him, he said that it would not affect his future activities and life.

　　But in my heart, Yin Liuzi's courage is still a knot that I can't untie. I must find time to ask Zhang Shan about it.

　　On the eighth day after I came out of the air-raid shelter, I sneaked into the hospital to visit Zhang Shan after get off work. When I opened the door, this guy was lying on the fully automatic massage chair, enjoying himself with a disgusting expression on his face.

　　"Zhang Shan, I want to ask you something." I said straight to the point.

　　"Speak!" When this guy saw me, he stood up and pulled me to the sofa on the balcony. A set of Kung Fu tea set was placed on the coffee table, and the aroma of Biluochun kept wafting out.

　　What a fucking enjoyment, I cursed in my heart. When he was a little better, I explained Song Dongfeng's background and invitation. I thought he would agree immediately, but I didn't expect that this guy seemed to have a grudge against the higher-ups and firmly disagreed. He also said that the seal holders have always been solitary since ancient times and never had anything to do with the government.

　　During this period, Song Dongfeng also came once. On the surface, Zhang Shan did not do anything excessive. After all, he helped us clean up the mess, so we should still be grateful. But he just avoided talking about it and joined the topic.

　　Now, this guy eats and lives in someone else's house, but he is not willing to work hard to repay them. I really don't know what he is thinking. According to my previous understanding of him, he should not be such a person.

　　"Do you like to eat snake gall?" I asked, pulling my thoughts back.

　　"Why are you asking this?" He looked at me in confusion.

　　"It's nothing. I heard that snake gall is good for the recovery of trauma patients, so I plan to get some for you. I just don't know if you have eaten it before, so it would be a waste if you don't eat it." I said nonsense.

　　"Why spend that money? Am I not doing fine now?" Zhang Shan said, shaking his fist at me.

　　"Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me if you've eaten it before?" I pushed his fist away and said impatiently.

　　"Well... I used to eat it often in the early years and when I was a child. My home is in the mountains and there are many snakes. I haven't eaten it much in recent years." The guy thought for a while and said.

　　My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly asked, "Are you sure you haven't eaten a single snake gallbladder in the past few years?"

　　Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a long time, then said, "Indeed, I have never eaten any. My master used to feed me. In the past few years, I have been running around with my grandfather, and I have only met my master twice. I still remember clearly whether I have eaten any or not."

　　I was sure that Zhang Shan didn't know that he had to eat a silver gall every ten years. I was considering whether to tell him, but this guy continued, "Oh, by the way, I haven't told you about my master yet. He is a man who is well-versed in ancient and modern times. There is no one within a hundred miles of our mountain who doesn't know him. Tomorrow when I have time, I will take you to see what a hermit master is..."

　　Seeing Zhang Shan talking excitedly, I took back my idea.

　　Yes, why should I tell him? Isn't the current situation good enough? If a person knows that he doesn't have much time to live, what's the point?

　　Even if I knew there was hope, I wouldn't be able to bear living in fear every decade.

　　As long as I can manage my time and take him up the mountain once, and follow his master to find the silver, won't that be all? I can also repay his kindness.

　　Maybe his master had already prepared the snake gall and was waiting for him to eat it when he returned.

　　Thinking of this, I smiled and said to Zhang Shan, "Okay, no problem. Let's go up the mountain when you get better. I really want to meet your master. It must be very difficult for him to teach Ah Xi to use such profound words as Bo Gu Tong Jin!"

　　Zhang Shan opened his mouth wide and asked me stupidly, "How do you know my nickname? Who told you? I don't remember anyone telling you."

　　"Hahahaha!" I laughed, picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

　　----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　Off topic:

　　My original plan was to wait for Zhang Shan to get better and then go up the mountain to find his master together. However, an unexpected incident delayed the trip by more than two months.

　　Zhang Shan only has eight short months left. Can he find a bigger silver bullet to save his life?

　　What exactly is holding us back?

　　Will we accept Song Dongfeng's invitation to join the Confidential Incident Investigation Bureau?

　　What bizarre encounters will happen after joining the Investigation Bureau?

　　This is just the beginning of the story.

　　Please continue watching the second part, "The Elevator Mystery".

　　Elevator Mystery

　　Chapter 1: Return of an Old Friend

　　Zhang Shan stayed in the hospital for more than a month before reluctantly leaving.

　　To celebrate his discharge from the hospital, I decided to invite Ni Qian to treat this guy to a big meal in the evening. The location was arranged at the night market snack stall at the north gate of the Provincial Gymnasium.

　　It's not that I'm stingy. For a guy as carefree as Zhang Shan, asking him to sit upright in a high-end restaurant would be nothing less than torture.

　　This guy can stay in the mountains and jungle for ten days or half a month without getting lost. But in the city, he is like a headless fly, unable to move.

　　I called the ward and repeatedly told him which bus to take and which stop to get off at, and I would wait for him there. But such a simple thing seemed like a mystery to Zhang Shan.

　　There was no other way, I could only tell him to wait at the hospital entrance. I would go there after work and bring him with me.

　　The workplace is far from the night market, but also far from the hospital. When I took him to the north gate of the gymnasium, Ni Qian had been standing there waiting for nearly half an hour.

　　"Hello, my name is Ni Qian!" The girl did not blame us for being late, and extended her hand to Zhang Shan politely.

　　"I knew you were my relative, but you haven't told me what the relationship is!" Ni Qian asked us after we sat down and ordered food.

　　"He's my cousin!"

　　"This is my uncle!"

　　We both answered at the same time.

　　"Pfft!" Ni Qian laughed, "The relationship is really complicated. You are someone's uncle? Who is your master? What can you do? And you still teach others."

　　"Hmm..." I coughed dryly to cover up my embarrassment. "Cousins ​​are relatives, while master and apprentice are generations, which cannot be confused. I am a designer, and I can teach Zhang Shan how to design!"

　　"What is a designer?" Zhang Shan was afraid of saying it wrong again, so he pulled me under the table and asked in a low voice.

　　He has a loud voice, so when he speaks in a low voice, it's no different from other people's normal voice. Ni Qian laughed so hard when she heard it.

　　Fortunately, the ordered meals were served one after another, and we started talking while eating.

　　The food here really suited Zhang Shan's taste. He had lamb skewers in his left hand and crayfish in his right hand, and kept drinking beer. He didn't care about the injury on his arm and was very satisfied.

　　During the dinner, what Zhang Shan would do in the future became a topic of discussion.

　　According to my opinion, he should go to the mountain to find his master as soon as possible to solve the problem of snake gallbladder. But Zhang Shan was unwilling to do so and insisted on staying in Zhengzhou for a while.

　　In his opinion, it was a great honor to come to the provincial capital to try one's luck. In their place, being able to take a stroll in the county town at the foot of the mountain, spend money on a meal, and buy some things to bring back was enough to brag about for several days.

　　Although he had been here for more than a month, he was penniless and had nowhere to go except an underground air-raid shelter and a hospital. He refused to go back no matter what, thinking it would be too shameful. He had to stay for another month or two, until he earned some money and bought some things to bring back, that would be called "returning home in glory".

　　I couldn't persuade him, so I had to agree and asked him to promise that as soon as he earned the first sum of money, we would go back to the mountain to see his master and find out the whereabouts of his grandfather.

　　Then, another question surfaced: Where will this guy live from now on?

　　Ni Qian's family lives in another city, and we had previously discussed renting a house together, so that we could experience married life in advance. She suggested that Zhang Shan live with us, renting a two-bedroom apartment and giving the other room to Zhang Shan.

　　I don’t know if Zhang Shan was afraid of being a light bulb or for some other reason, but he refused to do so and insisted on relying on his own abilities. He was completely different from the man who asked me for money when he first came to Zhengzhou.

　　At that time, he looked at me with wide eyes and said seriously: "Of course, I have to use your money to do things for you. It doesn't make sense for me to spend my money to help you, right?"

　　In the end, we tried every possible way, but he still firmly rejected our invitation.

　　I had no choice but to take out a few hundred yuan as living expenses for him to find a job in the next few days. Unexpectedly, this guy smiled mysteriously and showed me an envelope, which contained one thousand yuan.

　　I hurriedly asked him where the money came from. He said it was sent by Song Dongfeng. The guy wanted to give him 10,000 yuan, but Zhang Shan had never seen so much money before, so he was so scared that he said he didn't want anything. He had no choice but to leave a symbolic 1,000 yuan.

　　"I'm just confused. I wanted to help you but you refused. That guy gave you money and you took it? Since you two have such a good relationship, why didn't you agree to him?" I felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.

　　"That's different! You are my uncle, and we are a family. In addition to the corpse-carrying curse, we have also contributed to the stability and unity of the society. Taking his money is the reward we deserve." The guy drank the remaining beer in the bottle in one gulp and said shamelessly.

　　I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

　　After eating, I gave Zhang Shan my cell phone, which was damaged in the river and then repaired. He refused to take it until I told him that I wanted to borrow it for the convenience of contacting him and he could return it to me when he didn't need it anymore. Then he accepted it reluctantly like a treasure. It was obvious that he was still very interested in the cell phone.

　　I have already changed to a new mobile phone, and this old one is of no use and there is no point in putting its residual heat to good use.

　　I wanted to tell Zhang Shan to tell me when he ran out of phone credit so I could top up his account. But when I thought about his attitude, I decided not to tell him. If he couldn't get through, I could just top up his account.

　　I don't think he knows how to use high-tech methods like topping up his phone bill.

　　After coming out of the food stall, Zhang Shan refused to let us help him arrange accommodation. He even said that he would find one and contact me when he was free. Then he ran away as if escaping.

　　The two of us were left standing there, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

　　My life returned to normal, still the boring trilogy of eating, working and sleeping.

　　During that time, Ni Qian, I and an older sister shared a two-bedroom apartment. I would hang out with them when I had nothing to do, and the three of us would cook and play cards together, which was a good way to kill some time. And most of the time I had to go home to stay, so Ni Qian felt more at ease having someone to accompany her at night.

　　As for the Dream Record, I only read it two or three times after I went back, and then put it away. I have no interest in this, so why should I learn it? Besides, I firmly believe that it is better to sharpen your sword before the battle, even if it is not fast.

　　Even if Song Dongfeng really asks me to deal with something in the future, it will not be too late to learn.

　　Besides, I have carefully memorized the first chapter "On Good and Evil", and I have roughly mastered some basic methods, which is enough. Things like stepping on the mysterious door, opening the spiritual eyes, urging inaction, and breaking the illusion are not related to my life at all, just knowing them is enough. I don't want to try them one by one, who knows what I can get out of it?

　　Just like Zhang Shan said, in this world, 99.99% of people are kind by nature, so how could there be so many nightmares to deal with?

　　As material and spiritual life become more and more abundant, the profession of seal bearer will probably come to an end soon.

　　As for the glass eyeball called Tongxi, I studied it for a long time and even tried to hold it tightly with my right hand like I did before. But there was still no reaction.

　　I had no choice but to treat it as a work of art, find a base, and put it on the table in my bedroom. Little did I know that it was this thing that almost led me to a dead end.

　　The weather is getting colder and the smell of winter is getting stronger.

　　One evening, I had just got off work and was about to walk out of the office gate to push my 1998 out-of-print Forever bicycle into the bicycle shed when someone put his arm around my shoulder again.

　　I laughed in my heart, who is so unhappy? It has been a long time since anyone dared to pat my shoulder.

　　In a flash, I used my "finger-bending skills" to grab the other person's two fingers and twist them.

　　"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! Let me go, you bastard." A long-lost voice came from behind.

　　I was shocked, loosened my fingers, turned around, and punched the man in the chest, of course without using much force, and shouted in surprise, "Liu!"

　　Liu Yunlong is back! He was holding the finger I twisted and it hurt, with a look of hatred on his face.

　　Chapter 2: The Fortune Teller

　　"How do you know I work here?" I asked excitedly, putting my arm around Liu Yunlong's shoulders.

　　"Tsk~ If you can't even investigate such a small situation, then my career as a top student in criminal investigation is in vain. Besides, you're not some high-ranking figure." Liu said disdainfully, his tone still as aggressive as ever (meaning that one speaks with a lot of gunpowder and deserves a beating, etc.).

　　"Not leaving?"

　　"What? I'm not trying to steal your wife, so you don't welcome me back?"

　　"Haha! Come on, I'll treat you tonight to welcome you back home!" I didn't care at all. I stopped riding my bike and dragged this guy to find a restaurant nearby.

　　I originally wanted to call Zhang Shan to join in the fun, but one thing is that it has been almost a month since this guy was discharged from the hospital, and there has been no news. He didn't even call me, so I have no idea what his current situation is.

　　Besides, I also want him to get to know Liu Yunlong. These two are both carefree and shameless people, and they will definitely get along well with each other.

　　I called this guy several times, but no one answered or the call went through. I don't know what he's doing.

　　There was no choice but for the two of us to eat.

　　Liu Yunlong had just returned from his studies and was assigned to the Criminal Police Brigade of the Municipal Bureau, where he was specifically responsible for solving various criminal cases.

　　Of course, the newcomers had no experience in handling cases. Usually, they just served tea and water, attended meetings, and listened to how the veterans analyzed the case and found clues. If they were lucky, they could occasionally go to the scene and be responsible for the cleanup work after the case.

　　Looking at his 100-pound, nearly 1.80-meter-tall body, I said sarcastically, "With a body like you that can run away at the slightest gust of wind, you still want to catch criminals? Don't let the eagle peck you in the eye instead of you trying to catch a criminal!"

　　Liu Yunlong was not willing to give in, and immediately fought back: "You know nothing! Don't look at my skinny body, I have a body of tendons. I'm telling you, be honest in Zhengzhou from now on, don't let me get hold of anything, or I'll turn against you."

　　"Come on, you're just a rookie, and you still want to win first-class merit right away? To put it bluntly, you are now the 70-year-old old lady guarding the gate of the family compound."

　　"…How do you mean?"

　　"We can only catch thieves who are over 80 years old."

　　"Damn it! I didn't bring a gun with me today, otherwise."

　　"What else?"

　　"I'll shoot you for ten bucks first! Then I'll shoot you for half an hour!"

　　"Go! Go back and get it! I'm waiting for you here, little brat! I really don't believe you today!"

　　"Just wait! I'm telling you, if you have the guts, don't run away! If I don't come back to settle accounts with you within 20 years, I'm not named Liu!"

　　"Hey! Hey! Come back! Give me back my wallet! I haven't paid yet..."

　　"Hey, are you scared? If you are, just admit your mistake and I will forgive you."

　　"No way. Go get your gun! There's no money in my wallet. I never put money in there."

　　"… Damn, you really don't have a penny? Then why are you kicking your wallet all day long?"

　　"Hey, it's to prevent people like you. Hey? Didn't you go get your gun? Why are you sitting down again?"

　　"I'll go after I finish eating! Executing someone is a physical job, and you can't do it without a full stomach. You should hurry up too, the farewell dinner can't be sloppy! Eat well so you can set off. Here, this plate of stir-fried lamb with green onions, all the green onions are yours!"

　　“Oh my god…”

　　The waiters in the restaurant looked at us with horror.

　　On the third day after having dinner with Liu Yunlong, I followed my mother's instructions and rode my bike to my grandfather's house to deliver some things.

　　When I walked to the underground passage (a very famous place in Zhengzhou, just west of the Dongfanghong Theater and a few dozen meters north of the railway station. Due to the crisscrossing railways above, the area is extremely wide, and the Zhongyuan Road below has to pass under the railways, forming an underground passage hundreds of meters long. It is also the earliest underground passage in Zhengzhou.), in the middle of a row of fortune-telling stalls, a figure that was obviously twice as big as the others attracted my attention.

　　I parked the car in front of this man. In the dark, he wore sunglasses and said in a rough voice without raising his head, "Do you want to know the fate or solve your doubts? The fortune-telling is free. If it doesn't work, I won't charge you a penny!"

　　"I'll slap you!" I slapped the guy on the head.

　　The big man wearing sunglasses was caught off guard, stunned for a moment, and raised his head. When he saw it was me, he immediately made a gesture to silence me, stood up, pulled me to the corner, and took off his sunglasses.

　　If not Zhang Shan, who else could it be?!

　　"Don't let me get caught! I'm still counting on repeat customers!" He turned his back to the wall and spoke to me in a low voice.

　　"Is this what you do every day? You can do anything else with your strength? Why do you have to do these deceptive tricks?" I was so angry when I saw his behavior. He was actually telling fortunes and cheating people out of money.

　　After all, I am his uncle, so I must teach him a lesson today.

　　"What are you talking about? The Book of Changes is a treasure of our Chinese nation, how can you say it is a lie? How can these people compare with me? I have been doing this since I was young, and they can only barely understand a little bit, and they just come out to make a living." As he said this, he pointed to a few "half-immortals" sitting on small benches in the row in front, waiting to tell people's fortunes.

　　"Then why are you wearing sunglasses and pretending to be blind? If that's not cheating, what is that?" I was blocked by this guy, so I had to grab one point and hit him to death.

　　"This is called packaging. Do you understand? Blind people appear mysterious and will not leak the customer's information, so many people trust us. Even if customers know that we are not really blind, they will not care. At least on the surface, sunglasses are a psychological comfort that allows them to say whatever they want." This guy spoke very logically.

　　"Damn, who did you learn this from?" I was so amused that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The fortune teller was actually talking to me about packaging and consumer psychology.

　　But think about it, the industry in the world that has the most thorough research on consumer psychology is probably these fortune tellers. Just by talking, they can make a stranger believe in them and let them do whatever they want. Even the greatest salesman probably can't do it.

　　"Look! It's this Brother Sun." Zhang Shan said, pointing at the skinny middle-aged man sitting next to him.

　　I turned my head and saw that the man was also wearing a pair of black sunglasses. I didn't know if he was really blind or just pretending to be blind. But when I looked over, his face was facing us.

　　I looked at him in a daze, and suddenly the uncle raised the corner of his mouth, smiled at me and nodded as a greeting.

　　I'm totally confused. What kind of people are these?

　　"You did this every day for a month?" I was a little overwhelmed.

　　"Of course not, this job is only for extra money. I work at a construction site unloading cement and sand during the day, and I get 40 yuan a day! Three meals and accommodation included. I get two days off at the end of the month, plus a bonus!" Zhang Shan said proudly. "I've made more money working here for three months than I did in the village in a year of farming!"

　　I calculated it, wow! He makes at least 1,200 yuan a month, not including bonuses and extra income from fortune-telling at night.

　　You know, I, a designer working in an office, only make 1,200!

　　Damn it, this life is unbearable! I even started to consider whether I should follow Zhang Shan.

　　Chapter 3 Feng Shui Doubts

　　"What do you want to talk to me about?" Zhang Shan asked when he saw me standing there with a dazed look on my face without saying anything.

　　"I'm looking for you?... I know where you are!? I'm looking for you!" If this guy hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten it. I quickly pulled him aside and asked, "I'm asking you, why didn't you answer the phone? Where's the phone I gave you?"

　　"The phone you gave me... I don't know how to use it, I just know how to charge it like you told me."

　　This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, knocking me to the ground and foaming at the mouth.

　　"You – don’t – know – how – to – ask – someone?" I stared at him for a long time, and said word by word.

　　"Hehe, that would be so embarrassing. Wouldn't that be the same as telling others that I have never used this thing? My coworkers would laugh at me." Zhang Shan scratched his head and said embarrassedly.

　　Another thunder struck from the sky, and I felt dizzy, my limbs weak, and it seemed that something sweet in my throat wanted to come out.

　　After half an hour, I finally taught Zhang Shan how to make and receive calls and store numbers. As for sending and receiving text messages and other functions, I thought about it and decided to forget it, otherwise I wouldn't even have to go to work tomorrow.

　　I repeatedly told Zhang Shan to call me whenever he was free and to keep in touch. Then I got on my bike again and pedaled towards my grandpa's house.

　　I walked a long way and looked back. Two figures, one big and one small, saw me looking back in the dim tunnel and waved. Passersby riding bicycles nearby showed their concern.

　　The two men seemed to find this too eye-catching, and quickly stopped what they were doing and lowered their faces behind their sunglasses.

　　I didn't know what I felt the whole way. The biggest problem was that Zhang Shan's figure and appearance didn't look like a fortune teller.

　　It's like a very short person. When you first look at him, you definitely wouldn't think he's a basketball player. Without saying anything else, just looking at his body shape, he's not the type!

　　At five o'clock the next morning, I was awakened by the ringing of the phone.

　　"……who?"

　　"Are you my uncle? It's me! Zhang Shan!" There was a commotion over there, which seemed to be the sound of a heavy truck engine. Zhang Shan shouted at the top of his lungs.

　　"Damn it! Are you sick? Calling me so early!" I was immediately woken up by the noisy sound from the other end and was furious.

　　"No way? Uncle Master, we have already had breakfast and started working at this time. You are too sleepy!" Zhang Shan said in an incredulous tone.

　　"...If you have something to say, just say it. If not, I'm going to hang up now." I was completely defeated by this guy. I even lost the desire to fight back.

　　"Uncle master, are you free during the day? I want to ask you for help with something." Zhang Shan was afraid that I would hang up the phone, so he quickly got down to business.

　　"I have to work during the day, let's call you at night after get off work!" After saying that, I hung up the phone, turned off my phone, and continued to fall asleep without caring whether he was willing or not.

　　Is teaching this guy how to use a cell phone a huge failure in my life?

　　I felt drowsy the whole day, and I was a little surprised that Zhang Shan didn't call me again.

　　I finally made it to the end of the workday, swiped my card, walked out of the office, and called Zhang Shan's cell phone.

　　"Hello, who is this?" Zhang Shan's sonorous and powerful voice rang out.

　　I was surprised. This guy worked from 4 or 5 in the morning until the evening, and it was all pure physical work. He actually had the energy to set up a stall. There was no sense of fatigue in his tone. It seems that this job is really not something that ordinary people can do. I'd better just do my design honestly!

　　"I, Wang Ziqi!" I answered him.

　　"Who? Did you call the wrong number? ...Beep...beep...beep...beep..."

　　Before I could continue speaking, the call was hung up.

　　Then I remembered that the guy didn't know my name. But there was a caller ID! I guess he didn't even look at it.

　　Helplessly, I called him again. Before he could say anything, I shouted, "I'm your uncle! Remember, my name is Wang Ziqi!"

　　There was silence for two seconds, then someone said, "Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier?"

　　Did you give me a chance to tell you?

　　"How is it? Uncle-master, are you done with your work? Can you come and see me? I'll treat you to dinner tonight." This was the first time Zhang Shan was so generous.

　　My eyes filled with tears. This child has grown up!

　　We agreed to meet at the fortune-telling stall in the underground passage, so I took the bus straight there.

　　Zhang Shan likes to drink and he can drink. I don't dare ride a bike when I have dinner with him. If I come back, the bike might crash and I'll die. It's safer to ride a car.

　　When I walked to the fortune-telling stall, Zhang Shan was chatting with that "Monkey King".

　　Neither of them wore sunglasses today, and Zhang Shan didn't even bring a bench or his stuff, it seemed he didn't plan to "work overtime".

　　After saying hello to "Sun Wukong", Zhang Shan took me and started to leave.

　　"Uncle master, please accompany me to a place first!" Zhang Shan said as they walked.

　　"Oh? Aren't we going to eat?" I suddenly realized.

　　"Let's eat after we get there! As long as you finish your work first, I'll treat you to whatever you want to eat!" Zhang Shan said generously.

　　"Wait, tell me the situation clearly and I'll make a decision! Don't let this be a Hongmen Banquet where you sell me out and I'll help you count the money!" I broke free from this guy's big hand and stood there without moving.

　　"Nothing. A client came to me yesterday and said that her house had bad feng shui, so she asked me to go and help her take a look today. We'll go have dinner after we're done." Seeing that I was unwilling to leave without explaining things clearly, Zhang Shan had no choice but to confess.

　　"Well, then just go and see. Why do you have to involve me? How about this, I'll find a restaurant to wait for you, and then you can come to me when you're done. How about that?" I knew things wouldn't be that simple, otherwise he wouldn't have to call me so early in the morning, so I said it deliberately.

　　"Ah..." Just as I expected, Zhang Shan was caught off guard. He stood there dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond.

　　"Tell me the truth. How much money did they promise to give you?" I knew that Zhang Shan's first psychological defense line had collapsed, so I took the opportunity to advance.

　　"Five thousand..."

　　I knew it! Otherwise, why would this guy be so eager to help others? It's really the sun rising in the west.

　　"Five thousand yuan just to find a street vendor like you to check the feng shui?" I took drastic measures.

　　Zhang Shan finally broke down and confessed the truth.

　　Not long after I left yesterday, a young woman was wandering around nearby. After looking for a long time, she chose the "Monkey King" next to Zhang Shan and asked for advice on some marital relationship issues.

　　Zhang Shan sat not far away, listening and observing the woman's expression.

　　In his opinion, the woman's eyebrows were blue and her eyes were dull, which was obviously caused by not sleeping well for a long time. But there was another small detail that Zhang Shan caught.

　　Behind this woman's ear, there is a small patch of skin that is noticeably darker than the rest of the skin. This is a typical sign of being hung by a nightmare.

　　The Dream Record says: A dull forehead and empty eyes are symptoms of insomnia. If you can be at ease, you can be a dream stopper...

　　Although Zhang Shan did not have the natural qualities to be a seal holder, he knew the book by heart. Looking at this woman, who basically matched what was said in the book, this guy knew that he was going to make money.

　　However, if a colleague interferes in a fortune-telling session, it is a violation of the rules of the trade. If you want to make a comment, you have to wait until the fortune-teller has finished and the customer has left ten steps away before you can "grab the order".

　　Chapter 4: Risking It All

　　So Zhang Shan endured it all the time and listened to that "Sun Wukong" talking nonsense to the woman about all sorts of things.

　　Finally, the woman lost interest, threw twenty yuan to "Sun Wukong", and prepared to leave. When she came to Zhang Shan's stall, Zhang Shan whispered: "You have unclean things in your house, and you will have nightmares at night."

　　The woman stopped immediately.

　　Zhang Shan was so proud, it seemed that what he learned from his grandfather was not in vain, it was really right on the mark!

　　The young woman immediately sat down in front of Zhang Shan's stall and asked him how he knew. This guy naturally pretended to be mysterious and said something like "heavenly secrets cannot be revealed". The "Sun Dasheng" next to him was so angry that he couldn't do anything.

　　Of course, Zhang Shan didn't say anything nonsense, he just vaguely explained how he saw it, and told the woman that there was something unclean in her house, and she was afraid that someone would have nightmares for a long time. It might be related to Feng Shui, or it might be related to ghosts.

　　He didn't say everything, but left some room for improvement. This is called playing the long game to catch a big fish.

　　Zhang Shan clearly knew that there was a nightmare at work, but he said it was a feng shui problem. It seemed incomprehensible, but it was related to how much money he could make.

　　If you directly say it is a ghost, the woman might agree to pay you some money to settle the matter.

　　But if you first mention a problem that does not exist, the employer will promise you a partial reward and ask you to go and check it out.

　　After "checking" and raising substantive issues, the employer will feel that it is very serious because of the comparison between before and after. If you ask for help again, the money you give will naturally not be less than the first time, and it will not be just a little more.

　　In this way, it is equivalent to earning money twice, which is naturally more than the first direct option.

　　I was very confused at the time, why didn't they just set a price based on the situation, without going through so many detours. It wasn't until much later that I realized that the fortune-telling industry, to put it bluntly, is about helping others and accumulating merit for yourself. Once money is involved, the nature of the business changes.

　　Any fortune teller with certain experience and ability will not ask the employer for money directly, but will require the employer to pay according to the fortune teller's sincerity and ability.

　　The initial fortune tellers would often give enough money for a meal, and any excess would be returned.

　　But the wisdom and intelligence of the Chinese people were fully utilized at this time. Later, some people felt that one meal was too little, and said that if others were willing to give more voluntarily, they would donate half of the income to burn incense and worship Buddha.

　　In this way, not only is one's own comfortable life guaranteed, but one can also offer more money to the Buddhas and accumulate more good karma for oneself. It can be said that one achieves three goals with one stone!

　　So later it evolved into that no matter whether the other party gave you ten thousand taels of gold or a bowl of cold rice, you had to take out half of what you got, either donating it to temples or Taoist temples, or helping poor people.

　　But even so, some people are still not satisfied. Since I have to donate half of my money anyway, the proportion cannot be adjusted, but the total amount is uncertain. I just need to find a way to increase the total income. Although it is still only half, it is much more than before the increase.

　　Eventually, this long-term approach to catching big fish emerged.

　　I'm getting off topic. When the woman heard that it was a feng shui problem, she immediately took Zhang Shan to her house to take a look.

　　But Zhang Shan knew that this was not a feng shui problem at all. To put it bluntly, it was the nightmare that was causing trouble. He was not the one who held the seal, so he could neither see nor take it away. It would be useless for him to go there.

　　So this guy thought of me and told the woman that he would prepare some things and bring a friend who is an expert with him tomorrow, who would guarantee that the disease would be cured.

　　"Oh, five thousand dollars, you only treat me to a meal? I work hard in the front, and you count the money in the back. How can it be so beautiful?" I rolled my eyes after hearing this. This guy is really good at calculating.

　　"Oh my uncle, where can I get five thousand? I still have to donate two thousand five hundred to the Hope Project!" Zhang Shan said with a bitter face.

　　"What about the remaining two thousand five?" I can still do the math on this.

　　"And there's that Monkey King. He insisted that he brought the customers here, otherwise they wouldn't have come to my place. He also wants a share of 500." Zhang Shan gritted his teeth whenever he mentioned this "Monkey King."

　　"Well!" I was even more furious after hearing this. "That guy can get 500 just by talking, and I only got one meal?"

　　"So what exactly do you want?" Zhang Shan understood at this time. This wasn't asking me to help, it was clearly attracting a wolf!

　　"Three seven!" I said angrily.

　　"You three and I seven?...Okay, that's settled!"

　　"What sweet dreams are you having? You are three and I am seven!"

　　"That won't do! Absolutely not! I'll make another concession, you take 4 and I take 6!"

　　"Bye, don't treat me. I won't eat either. I'll go home and eat the leftovers!" After saying that, I was about to leave.

　　"Don't...Uncle Master...50! 50 will do, right?" Zhang Shan stomped the bricks on the side of the road, making them make a loud bang.

　　"That's more like it." I turned around again, thought about it, and said, "I'm not going!"

　　"Don't worry! We have already agreed on it, why are you going back on your word? Why don't you go?" Zhang Shan was not going to give in this time.

　　I figured it out. I'm going to have to deal with nightmares again just for a thousand dollars. It's not worth it! Although I've learned a few skills now, I'm just a more advanced second-rate idiot. If I create a corpse-supporting curse, I'll lose a lot!

　　"No reason, I just don't want to go. Don't beg me, it's useless, if you say you don't want to go, then don't go!" I made up my mind. Since I will never provoke this kind of thing again, I won't even get close to it.

　　"...Ninety-one!! I only need two hundred, and the rest will be yours! Okay?" Zhang Shan gritted his teeth and made a surprising decision.

　　"It's not about money, Zhang Shan. You know I'm not interested in this business. Since we're brothers, please don't drag me into this, okay?" I sighed and said to Zhang Shan seriously.

　　"But... this is a good thing to cure diseases and save lives!" Zhang Shan seemed unwilling to give up.

　　"I know it's a good thing, but don't we have you? I really don't have the ability to take on this responsibility. If I like this and I can do it, I would go even if you don't pay me. How far do you think a person can go on a path he doesn't like?" I patted Zhang Shan's shoulder and said seriously.

　　Zhang Shan looked at me for a long time, sighed, and said, "Forget it. Everyone has their own destiny. God is watching. Since I can't control it, then forget it! I originally wanted to earn this money, plus this month's salary, and go up the mountain to see the master..."

　　See the master? My eyes lit up. I was just worried that this guy would not go back, but I didn't expect him to run into trouble. If I don't let him take this order, won't he have to wait at least another month?

　　This guy's life is now on the line, I dare not delay it any longer.

　　After thinking it over, I asked Zhang Shan, "Are you sure? Will you return to the mountain after taking this job and earning this money?"

　　"I don't understand why you always want me to go back?" Zhang Shan stared at me and asked.

　　"I want to see your master!"

　　"You don't have anything important to do, why are you in such a hurry to see him?"

　　"Don't worry about it. Just tell me, will you come back to the mountain with me after completing this order?"

　　"Yes, with these two thousand, I will have 3,000 yuan in my hands, and I can buy some decent things to take back. By the way, I can use the other half, the remaining two thousand five hundred, to buy some books and teaching materials for the village primary school." Zhang Shan answered affirmatively.

　　"Okay! I'll help you this time!" I've also made a decision. For Zhang Shan, I'll risk it all! So let's have one more contact. What's the big deal?

　　"Then...how do we divide the money?" Zhang Shan looked at me anxiously, afraid that I would agree to his final proposal of 90-100.

　　"I don't want a penny! I don't want you to treat me to a meal! But I promise, this is the last time! It won't happen again!"

　　"real?"

　　"real!"

　　"What if you regret it again?"

　　"Don't worry, it won't happen. If you don't believe me, Ah Xi and I will make a pinky promise! Come on!"

　　"Get lost! Stop calling me by my nickname!"

　　Chapter 5: The Spiritual Eye Fails

　　The employer's home was not far from the underpass. Five hundred meters to the west, there was a T-junction, and directly opposite that road was a residential area.

　　I told the guard the woman's name, registered, and then walked inside with Zhang Shan.

　　This residential complex is not newly built and has a history of at least seven or eight years. Some buildings close to the road have even had their outer walls peeled off.

　　We walked all the way to the innermost part. There were two small buildings with independent entrances and exits, each with only four floors. Compared with the small high-rise buildings outside, they did look a bit shabby at first glance.

　　"The place we live in isn't very good. We shouldn't be left with no money in the end. We brothers won't get anything in return for our hard work." Zhang Shan muttered.

　　Only a kid from the mountains like him couldn't see anything special about it. Before I got closer, I saw something that ordinary people wouldn't have from some of the lighted French windows - stairs.

　　There are only four households in each of these two buildings, all of which are double-story duplexes.

　　Although Zhengzhou is not a first-tier city, you can't even think about buying a house like this without at least one or two million yuan.

　　I smiled and didn't tell Zhang Shan about this discovery. Anyway, he was about to go in, and he would know it when the time came.

　　Arriving at the west unit on the third floor of one of the buildings, I rang the doorbell and moved behind Zhang Shan. He was the main character tonight, so I couldn't steal the spotlight.

　　"Who is it?" A sweet voice came from inside, and then the door was opened.

　　"Hello, benefactor! I have come here to help you check the Feng Shui as agreed." Zhang Shan deliberately made his voice thicker and spoke with full confidence, like a subwoofer.

　　I wanted to see what the woman he was talking about looked like, to see if there was really a nightmare. But the guy blocked the door tightly, not even light could get through.

　　"Oh~ Master Zhang! Please come in, please come in!" The woman seemed to be quite respectful to Zhang Shan.

　　It wasn't until Zhang Shan stepped into the door that I saw this woman. She was about 27 or 28 years old, with a ponytail and a sports suit, exuding youthful vitality.

　　The only thing was her face, which was pale and a little dark blue, with deep brows and dark circles under her eyes. It was obviously a symptom of not being able to get a normal rest.

　　"Who is this?" Seeing that there was still someone outside the door, the woman asked Zhang Shan vigilantly.

　　"Oh, this is my Taoist friend whom I mentioned to you yesterday. I am in charge of Feng Shui, and he is in charge of preventing filth." Zhang Shan explained.

　　"Oh... then please come in too!" The woman quickly let me into the house.

　　When I passed by the woman, I noticed that there was indeed a darker area behind each of her ears. As Zhang Shan said, she had been in a nightmare.

　　There is a slightly protruding bone behind everyone's earlobe. I don't know what it is called in medicine. But in the Dream Record, it is called "Zizaiguan". Chinese medicine often uses acupuncture or massage to treat insomnia and dreaminess.

　　If the skin color of the Zizaiguan area is darker than the surrounding area, you will suffer from insomnia and nightmares, which means you are haunted by nightmares.

　　Walking into the door, there is a living room of at least 40 square meters. On the right is an open kitchen with a bar and a wine cabinet. On the left, a circular staircase spirals up to the second floor.

　　The walls of the living room are painted sky blue, and the furniture is mostly simple and practical, like IKEA, which is modern and unobtrusive, giving people a very comfortable feeling. It can be seen that the people living in this house should be young people. I am afraid that middle-aged and elderly people are not used to this combination.

　　Zhang Shan was already dumbfounded. I secretly poked him in the waist, and he came to his senses. He turned to the woman and said, "Please lead us to the bedroom so we can find out what's going on."

　　"No hurry, no hurry! Sit down first and have a cup of tea!" The woman quickly led us to the sofa and turned to look at the tea.

　　"What do you think? Am I right? There is definitely something strange!" Zhang Shan said to me in a low voice.

　　"Well, we still don't know what it is?"

　　"Then open your spiritual eyes!" This guy urged me impatiently.

　　Opening the spiritual eye is the entry technique for seal holders, that is, using the Wuwei seal to open the inner corner of the eye, you can see the soul and nightmare. No need to chew the fishy and smelly judge grass like before.

　　After hesitating for a while, it seems that I have to use the Wuwei Seal today.

　　I really don't want to do this. Once my spiritual eyes are opened, all kinds of messy things will come out. It will be a very severe test for my vision and psychology.

　　As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. This guy hasn’t seen it, so he doesn’t know how painful it is to have seen it!

　　Under Zhang Shan's pleading eyes, I had no choice but to press the thumb and index finger of my left hand on the human circle and earth circle of the Wuwei seal. After a while, when the burning sensation came, I squeezed and pressed the Jingming point located outside the inner corner of the eye at the root of the nose with these two fingers, and the spiritual eye was opened. When I didn't want to see, I just pressed on the sky circle and the human circle, and the rest of the steps were done in the same way.

　　To ordinary people, I just felt my eyes were sore and was doing some eye exercises.

　　After pressing the Qingming acupoint, I took a deep breath and looked at the hostess who was making tea in the kitchen.

　　If she was really being held in a nightmare, I would be able to immediately spot what was behind her at a glance.

　　"Did you see it? What is it?" Seeing the hostess coming over with a tea tray, Zhang Shan hurriedly pulled me aside and asked.

　　"No..." I stared at the hostess, confused.

　　There was indeed nothing behind her, everything was so normal!

　　"Impossible!" Zhang Shan didn't expect that I couldn't see anything, and his voice became louder involuntarily.

　　"What's impossible?" The hostess sat down with the tea tray and poured two cups each and placed them in front of us.

　　"My friend said... it seems the situation is very serious... I said it's impossible! It's just an ordinary feng shui problem, don't worry!" Zhang Shan said casually.

　　The woman's expression changed immediately. She hurriedly said to Zhang Shan, "Master Zhang, please make sure you look carefully. No matter what it is, whether it is minor or serious, as long as the problem can be solved, nothing else matters! Don't worry, I will not let you waste your efforts!"

　　I elbowed Zhang Shan from below. This guy was just talking nonsense. He was just saying something was wrong when nothing was wrong. How was he any different from those liars under the bridge?

　　"Don't worry about this. Now that I've seen it, there's no reason for me to ignore it." Zhang Shan took a sip of tea and said leisurely.

　　The scene fell into an awkward state. I saw nothing, and Zhang Shan didn't know how to continue. The hostess seemed to be full of worries, staring at the coffee table in a daze.

　　"Excuse me, are you alone at home?" I looked around and still didn't find anything suspicious, so I asked the woman casually.

　　"My husband and I, just two people."

　　"Where's your husband?"

　　"I went out to dinner with a client tonight."

　　"His occupation?"

　　“He started his own business.”

　　I feel like a resident checking the household registration.

　　"Let's stop talking and go take a look in the bedroom." Zhang Shan finally couldn't hold it in any longer, so he stood up and said to the hostess.

　　Chapter 6 Nothing Gained

　　Starting from the bedroom, study, living room, dining room, kitchen, and even the bathroom, we turned on the lights and looked inside, but I found nothing. Everything seemed normal.

　　I even doubted whether I had opened my spiritual eyes.

　　Zhang Shan was also extremely depressed. It was obviously abnormal, yet it was so normal. This was too abnormal!

　　Finally, back in the bedroom, Zhang Shan walked around for several times, knocking here and there, as if he was thinking about how to get through today's matter.

　　"There's something wrong with your mirror."

　　The guy walked to an oversized dressing mirror, pointed at it and said, "It's placed in the wrong position, facing the bed. As the saying goes, couples quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed, but with this mirror, your every word and action will be copied and repeated again and again. Until one day, this mirror breaks, and your fate will end. So, try not to put a mirror in the bedroom, and even if you do, make sure it is not exposed!"

　　I wanted to laugh as I listened to this. What a mess! It was really hard for him to talk so much.

　　The woman believed it and immediately went over to grind the dressing mirror 180 degrees so that her back was facing the bed.

　　Holding the mirror, she asked Zhang Shan nervously, "Then where should I put it? You are right. My husband has been having nightmares recently. Not only does he not sleep well, but he often wakes me up at night. I used to ask him about it in the morning, but he would get angry at me when I asked. Now I don't dare to ask him anymore. Except for a few words before going to bed at night, we are like strangers at other times. If this goes on, I don't think I can live like this before the mirror is broken. You must think of a solution for me!"

　　"Look, let me tell you, this mirror must not be placed in the bedroom anymore. Let me see...well, put it in the dining room!"

　　After another round of random fighting, and by the way changing the positions of the antique display stand and the floor lamp, Zhang Shan had nothing else to say. He just asked the woman to wait for him at home on the weekend and they would do it again.

　　The hostess hesitated for a moment and agreed.

　　So we both opened the door and ran away. If we stayed any longer, I'm afraid there would be nothing to talk about.

　　After running quite a distance, I finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter: "I say, Zhang Daxian, you are really amazing. You asked someone to put a dressing mirror in the restaurant, and you run to the restaurant to change clothes every day?"

　　Zhang Shan wiped the sweat off his forehead and ignored my ridicule. He said with lingering fear, "It was so close. I almost got caught! I said she was clearly suffering from a nightmare, so why is there nothing happening? Did you open your spiritual eyes?"

　　"It's open. I did exactly what was said in the Dream Record. There's absolutely nothing wrong!" I said unconvinced.

　　"So, you've never tried it before?" Zhang Shan looked at me in surprise.

　　"Why would I try that? It's just making things difficult for myself!"

　　"You haven't even tried it once and you come here to show it to others?" Zhang Shan felt aggrieved for a long time and finally found a reason to vent.

　　"Shit! I was the one who came here? Do you remember?"

　　"I'm convinced by you, a fool!"

　　"You are such a heartless person..."

　　As we watched the red light at the intersection turn green, we both tried to cross the road while arguing.

　　"Uncle master, can you be sure next time? Try it yourself first before showing it to others?" Zhang Shan said, and left me behind, turning around and heading towards the fast lane.

　　I was about to fight back when I saw a black car in the distance, without even turning on its lights, rushing towards us at a speed of at least 100 kilometers per hour. Zhang Shan was completely unaware.

　　"Look at the car!!!" I shouted quickly.

　　Unfortunately, it was all too late. Zhang Shan heard my shouting and actually stood there, turning around and looking at me in confusion.

　　The black car without its lights on was less than ten meters away from him, and there was no sign of braking.

　　I was helpless and just stared with wide eyes, waiting for the tragedy to happen.

　　A second later, my eyes widened and my mouth opened wide. I saw the car pass through Zhang Shan's body standing in the middle of the road, and after the two intersected, they sped away.

　　Zhang Shan was still standing there, unharmed.

　　"......This..." I quickly turned around and looked around.

　　There were obviously more pedestrians on the street than in the past few days, and some people were even wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, walking leisurely on the street.

　　Remember, it’s December!

　　I understand now. In fact, my spiritual eyes have already been opened.

　　When Zhang Shan saw my expression, he hurried back.

　　To confirm my judgment, I noted the positions and clothing of several passers-by around me, and then closed my spiritual eyes according to the steps. When I looked up again, sure enough, those wearing shorts and shorts were gone!

　　"What's going on?" Zhang Shan asked with concern. Actually, we were just joking when we quarreled. How could a friendship that cost us our lives be destroyed by a few words?

　　"The spiritual eyes are indeed open, and there are indeed no nightmares around that woman." I can say this with certainty at this time.

　　"No... then how do you explain the black spots she had locked up?" Zhang Shan also knew that I had really opened my spiritual eyes.

　　"Maybe when we went there today, the nightmare didn't follow her." I continued to infer.

　　"Then...who will he follow?" Zhang Shan was still puzzled.

　　"...her husband!" we both said in unison.

　　Anyway, we agreed to come back this weekend, and we didn't want to go back. If we go back now, wouldn't it be obvious to others that we were scared?

　　It’s better not to make such a joke, as it will affect your future performance!

　　"Amitabha, let the Bodhisattva bless you for two more days!" Zhang Shan said.

　　I was planning to go home, but Zhang Shan insisted on treating me to a meal. He said that since I didn't want any money, I had to eat, otherwise he would never forgive me.

　　There was no choice but to surrender under the threat of force.

　　There happened to be a big ramen restaurant at the intersection, which was cheap and affordable. We walked in, ordered a few cold dishes and a bottle of white wine, and started eating.

　　It was boring to drink alone, so I called Liu Yunlong out.

　　When Liu heard that there was a free dinner, he ran over faster than anyone else and got there as soon as he could.

　　After introducing the two people to each other and sitting down, I started a new round of battle with Liu Yunlong.

　　"Liu, you are too extravagant, aren't you? You came all the way here to eat in a taxi. Do you think this meal is worth the money?"

　　"How much is this meal?" Liu Yunlong asked vaguely with a chicken leg stuffed in his mouth.

　　"Not yet asked for the face, fifty-nine." Zhang Shan reported truthfully.

　　"That's incredible. The average for the three of us is more than twenty bucks each. I only got fifteen bucks by taxi, so I made at least five bucks!"

　　"What about when you finish eating? There are no buses anymore, so you can't just walk back, right?"

　　"Fuck, you're here! Our two families are so close, I'll follow you!"

　　"I only have ten dollars in my pocket, and I spent it when I came here just now. I asked you to come here so that you could take me back." I lied to him.

　　"...Fuck, I lost! Stop it! Neither of you are allowed to touch this plate of eggplant! I'll take it! No, you have to eat it back!

　　Chapter 7 Hospital Murder

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong really hit it off right away. They talked back and forth, and even Liu, who didn't usually like drinking, drank two bottles of beer.

　　Finally, the two of them insisted on becoming sworn brothers. It was not until Liu Yunlong heard that I was Zhang Shan's uncle that he gave up. Because once they became sworn brothers, this guy would not have to call me uncle, but he would naturally be a generation younger than Zhang Shan.

　　Let me ride on his head, unless he has no head.

　　After dinner, Zhang Shan repeatedly told me to contact him on the weekend and go to that woman's house again.

　　After I promised him at least ten times, this guy was sure that I would not forget and walked away.

　　For Liu Yunlong, two bottles of beer was already an extraordinary performance. This guy was drunk and acted crazy, and insisted on following me back home. I had no choice but to stop a car and send him home first, and then I went home to sleep.

　　The next morning, as I rode my bicycle to the gate of the family compound, I saw Liu Yunlong whispering to two security guards from the nearby municipal hospital.

　　"Hey, did you drink too much last night and have to have your stomach washed?" I pushed the cart behind this guy and said while holding his shoulder.

　　"Excuse me, sir. I am on duty. Please be careful with your words!" The child said seriously when he saw it was me.

　　"Get out! Tell me what you are doing!" If I listened to him, it would be weird.

　　"What else can I do? Investigate the case!" This guy looked sleepy and was obviously not awake yet.

　　"What case? How dare you disturb your car?" I don't believe he can handle the case. He has only been here for a few days? Even if there is a case, he has no part in it.

　　"A young nurse fell from the elevator after her night shift a few days ago and died. We were just found out today." Liu Yunlong sent away the two security guards and turned to me and spoke seriously.

　　"Is this possible? You're lying to a kid?" I still don't believe it. I have to think twice before I hear anything he says.

　　In particular, the more serious he is, the more nonsense he speaks.

　　"I have a file here, do you want to see it, leader?" Liu Yunlong said, holding up a folder in his hand, with a look that said, "How dare you look at it?"

　　I took the folder away from him when he wasn't prepared. You asked me to read this.

　　"Hey! Bring it here! No one outside the court can look through it before the case is closed!" Liu Yunlong was anxious and tried to snatch it back. How could I give him a chance? He took a step back and opened the first page of the folder.

　　"... Damn it! You're reading this so early in the morning. No wonder you have psychological trauma!" I only took a look at it, closed it and threw it to him.

　　The first page was a large photo of a woman in a nurse's uniform lying in an extremely unnatural posture in a place that looked like an elevator. It looked like her hands and feet were broken.

　　The skin color and eyeballs of the corpse showed the same condition as if it had been left there for a long time after death, and the head was sunken, as if it had been pressed down by something.

　　When I watched this early in the morning, my heart beat suddenly quickened, and the milk I just drank broke free from gravity and surged upwards.

　　"Look, I told you not to look at it! But you didn't listen. I'm not a celebrity, yet you were so eager to grab it." Liu Yunlong had a gloating expression on his face.

　　I covered my mouth, suppressed the churning feeling in my stomach, and said indignantly, "What is this? I've seen things that move, so why should I be afraid of this thing that doesn't move?"

　　"Nonsense! Those who move are living people, aren't you afraid?" Liu Yunlong didn't know what I meant.

　　"What's going on? Tell me~" Anyway, I came out early, and seeing that this guy had nothing to do, I pulled him aside and insisted on asking him clearly.

　　Liu Yunlong had no choice but to tell me roughly what had happened.

　　Three days ago, the police station where the hospital is located received a report from a middle-aged couple. They said that their daughter was a nurse at the city hospital. She was supposed to go home after finishing her night shift the night before, but she was nowhere to be found when they woke up early in the morning.

　　After going to the hospital and asking, I learned that my daughter passed away without staying for a minute after get off work last night. After she left, there was no news from her.

　　The old couple was very worried. They wanted to report the case to the police, but the police station would not accept the case as the child had only been missing for a few hours. They had no choice but to mobilize all their relatives and friends to come out and look for him together.

　　After searching for a whole day and night, even digging up the girl's two previous boyfriends, they still couldn't get any useful information. In desperation, they went to the police station.

　　Cases of missing persons like this happen from time to time. Not only are they difficult to investigate, but the time span is also getting longer and longer. Many of them become unsolved cases and eventually end up in the corner of the archives.

　　The police station has come across many cases of this kind. There are only three reasons for a person to go missing: either he was abducted by human traffickers, or he committed suicide in a deserted place, or he was murdered, but no case has been filed so far. We just don't know.

　　The girl was cheerful and had no enemies. She got along well with her current boyfriend and broke up with her previous boyfriends peacefully. Naturally, the possibility of the latter two murders was ruled out and they were temporarily classified as human trafficking cases.

　　After recording the confession, the family had no choice but to go home and wait for news by phone.

　　There was no news for one day, two days, and then on the third day, the police station called with the bad news that their daughter had died in the hospital.

　　It turned out that one of the hospital's elevators had been causing passengers to feel that it was unstable on the first floor, as if something soft was pressing against it. It had also experienced power outages and loss of control several times.

　　There was no other choice, so the hospital had to call the elevator company's after-sales service personnel this morning to open the warehouse for inspection.

　　When the door was opened, several onlookers and two maintenance workers were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground. They saw a female corpse curled up in the small space under the elevator on the first floor. Due to the repeated falls of the elevator, it had been flattened beyond recognition.

　　After identification by hospital representatives and relatives, it was found that this was the young nurse who had disappeared a few days ago. As to what caused her to fall to her death in the elevator shaft, the matter is still under investigation.

　　If it was homicide, then Liu Yunlong and his criminal investigation team would naturally have to intervene; if it was suicide or accidental death, then it could be handed over to the local police station.

　　As he was talking, a hospital security guard trotted over with a strange expression on his face and said to Liu Yunlong, "Hello, boss, the surveillance video of the night the young nurse disappeared has been retrieved. Do you want to go and take a look?"

　　I also knew that if I followed him again, it would really disturb his work, and I also had to go to work. After saying goodbye to Liu Yunlong, I rode my bike to the company.

　　I had nothing to do the whole morning. Just after lunch, I was about to lie down for a nap when my cell phone rang at an inopportune time.

　　"Hello, is this Ziqi?" A voice that sounded familiar but I didn't know who it was greeted me.

　　I really hate being called like that by others. It sounds very corny if I omit the last name. Most of my classmates and friends call me Lao Wang, and Zhang Shan is always called "uncle master". No one among my acquaintances calls me like that.

　　"Who is it?" I asked rudely.

　　"Haha, it's me, Song Dongfeng!" As soon as the person on the other end of the phone started laughing, I actually knew who it was. This guy's laugh is so unique, it sounds simple and honest, but it's totally disproportionate to his appearance.

　　"Is your home next to the municipal hospital? Something happens here, can you come back?" Song Dongfeng said straight to the point.

　　Chapter 8: Snatching by force

　　"Brother, I'm at work!" It's not that I don't give him face, I really can't leave without work.

　　"Try to ask for a leave! I'm begging you personally, okay? I'll just take up a moment of your time. This isn't a mission, it's a favor!"

　　Since this guy has said so, what else can I say? It is not easy to repay a debt of six million.

　　I asked for leave from my boss, saying that I had something to do at home. I rode my out-of-print bicycle towards home.

　　My workplace is very close to my home, and it only takes three to five minutes to ride there.

　　Across the street, from a distance, Song Dongfeng could be seen arguing with a burly middle-aged man standing at the hospital entrance. Liu Yunlong was also standing next to them, looking indignant, as if he was on the same side as the middle-aged man.

　　I ignored them and put the bike back home before walking out slowly.

　　As he got closer, the burly man had stopped talking and stared at Song Dongfeng fiercely. He heard him say nonchalantly, "Captain Yang, you've seen the video. There's something fishy about this matter, and it's not something your criminal police team can handle. So I suggest that I take over. What do you think? Of course, I'm just asking for your opinion, so don't get too excited."

　　Seeing that there was a staircase to go down, the burly man surnamed Yang's expression eased a little. He thought for a moment and said, "What if I don't agree? I still want to use our people to conduct the investigation."

　　"That's totally fine." Song Dongfeng smiled and continued, "But how do you write the report? Have you thought about it? Will the higher-ups approve it if you write it according to the current situation?"

　　This "Captain Yang" was suddenly speechless, it seemed that his soft spot had been touched.

　　Liu Yunlong saw me and winked at me.

　　I know what he means: The leader is right next to us, don't mess around, just do what you need to do!

　　But we were also invited to do serious work!

　　Deliberately ignoring the guy's angry eyes, he patted Song Dongfeng on the shoulder.

　　"You came pretty quickly!" Song Dongfeng turned around and saw that it was me, and smiled his signature smile again. But the more I looked at this guy's gold-rimmed glasses, the more I felt that he was a bit sultry.

　　"Captain Yang, let me introduce you to my future colleague, Wang Ziqi. This is Captain Yang from the Second Criminal Investigation Section of the Municipal Bureau." Song Dongfeng immediately treated me as his own.

　　Captain Yang was confused and just shook hands with me symbolically. He didn't understand what Song Dongfeng meant by this introduction.

　　"A murder happened here this morning..." Song Dongfeng was about to explain, but I interrupted him mercilessly. He looked at Liu Yunlong who was surprised and said, "I know everything."

　　"You know everything?" Song Dongfeng was also surprised. But after all, he was a man who had seen the world, so he didn't ask me how I knew it. He just paused for a moment and then said, "That will save us a lot of trouble. This is what I mean. Captain Yang, since you can't report the current situation to the higher-ups, I want him to continue the investigation and I'll assist!" As he said that, he patted my shoulder.

　　"What?! Him?!" Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong both widened their eyes and shouted at me.

　　I was also very depressed. This guy clearly said on the phone that he would come over for a while to talk, but who knew that he would just let me go out to work.

　　"He...he is not an employed person..." Liu Ke didn't care about our relationship and only said things that were beneficial to him.

　　"Song Dongfeng! What do you mean by this? You don't let us take care of it, but you find an ordinary citizen. Do you think the people in our Criminal Investigation Department are good-for-nothings?!" Captain Yang finally exploded.

　　"Calm down, calm down~" Song Dongfeng had to suppress the situation that seemed out of control before he continued, "Captain Yang, you are also an old criminal policeman. You have encountered this kind of thing before. How many normal people have you seen in the Security Investigation Bureau? You also know our principles of employing people. You can leave this kind of thing to us and rest assured! Otherwise, I will report to you every day to ensure that you have real-time dynamics! What do you think?"

　　I secretly praised this guy in my heart. Although he is not very old, he is really a veteran. He took on the task without any effort.

　　But... he seemed to say that I was abnormal and I would settle the score with this guy later!

　　Captain Yang raised his head and thought for a long time before looking at Song Dongfeng and said, "There is one condition. I want to send someone to follow up the whole process. It's not that I don't trust you, but if you come, our criminal investigation team will withdraw. Where will I put my face?"

　　"Okay! No problem!" Song Dongfeng agreed very readily. "Which capable person are you going to send? Let me make it clear first, we don't want any rookies!"

　　"Let's pick Xiao Liu!" Captain Yang patted Liu Yunlong on the back and pushed him forward.

　　"Poof!" I couldn't help it and laughed out loud, covering my mouth.

　　"Although Xiao Liu is a newcomer, he has been trained from the grassroots level of the army. He has absolutely strong psychological qualities. He is the best candidate to handle this kind of thing!" Captain Yang patted his "favorite student" on the shoulder and praised him highly.

　　"Okay! Don't leave in a hurry. There are still many things left that need to trouble us all. How about you make the arrangements first, and I will talk to my colleagues about the case?" Song Dongfeng gave Captain Yang enough face, so he naturally had no worries that he would withdraw his troops.

　　Captain Yang tactfully took the dazed-looking Liu Yunlong to the side to "pass on his experience."

　　"Do you two know each other?" Song Dongfeng had already seen Liu and I flirting with each other.

　　"Yes, childhood friend!" There was nothing to hide, so I answered truthfully.

　　"That's easier! You just need to keep an eye on your brother and don't let him do anything stupid. They have never experienced this kind of thing." Song Dongfeng felt much more relieved.

　　"Wait a minute, don't tell me anything yet." I finally got the chance to settle accounts with this guy. "We agreed to come and take a look, why are you assigning me tasks right away? It seems like I'm not under your charge now, am I?"

　　"Haha, don't worry. I can't lie to anyone but you! Tell the truth! I called you here to watch a video and see if there is any problem. If not, the case will be closed directly. The remaining issue is the compensation between the hospital and the elevator company, which is not our responsibility." This guy said it very simply.

　　I wanted to ask what would happen if I found the problem? Then I thought, whether there is a problem or not, I probably have to watch the video, so I might as well watch it first!

　　We came to a small bungalow outside the hospital building and pushed the door open and walked in.

　　This is the hospital's security center, with two rooms, one inside and one outside. One wall of the outside room is covered with small black and white TVs, and below is a control console. Needless to say, this is the hospital's video security system.

　　The inner room was quite dark. I looked inside and saw two beds, which seemed to be used by the staff on duty for a temporary rest. There was a constant smell of foot odor coming from inside to outside, which made me frown.

　　The two people sitting in front of the console were technicians from the Criminal Investigation Department, and the security guards had been asked to leave temporarily.

　　"Please play all the videos of the female nurses after 11:50 that night again." Song Dongfeng walked behind someone and instructed politely.

　　"Please look at screen number three. This is the situation at the nurses' station from 11:58." The technician operated quickly and reminded us to look at the screen.

　　On a monitor with a red Arabic numeral "3" on the upper left corner, the nurses' station was deserted. A young nurse on duty was taking a nap at the table. Everything was normal.

　　At this point, unless there are any emergency patients hospitalized, it won't be busy.

　　I counted the time on the screen. More than fifty seconds had passed, and there was still no movement. I was about to get impatient, and then the picture finally moved.

　　I saw a young nurse coming out of the inner room of the nurses' station, holding a mobile phone, sending text messages as she walked out, and soon she was out of the camera.

　　"Please look at screen number two. This is the video of the corridor and elevator." The technician reminded again at the right time.

　　Chapter 9 Weird Video

　　On the screen, the young nurse was still looking down at her phone as she slowly walked out of the ward, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button.

　　I could clearly see that the elevator was on the ninth floor and the arrow was pointing downwards.

　　"What is she going to do?" I couldn't help but ask Song Dongfeng curiously.

　　"There is a 24-hour convenience store on the first floor. She might have gone there to buy something, or to meet someone. But the criminal investigation team asked her boyfriend, and he had gone to bed early at this time that day, and there are witnesses." For some reason, Song Dongfeng answered me very quickly.

　　I was about to ask something else when the elevator door opened and it showed the 8th floor. No wonder it was so fast, it turned out there was only one floor between us.

　　"Be careful! Watch carefully!" Song Dongfeng reminded me quickly again.

　　The door opened, everything was normal, the lights in the elevator were on, and I even saw an advertisement for a nutritional supplement on the billboard on one side of the elevator.

　　The young nurse still kept her head down, playing with her cell phone, and stepped into the elevator.

　　What happened was that at this moment, the young nurse, who had just stepped one leg into the elevator, fell forward and suddenly disappeared!

　　"Hey? Where did you go?" I couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

　　I think everyone has taken this kind of elevator. Generally, after entering the elevator, you have to turn around and press the floor number you want to go to. Then wait for the elevator to go up or down.

　　Although the camera is not well placed and can only see a corner of the elevator, that corner is where the floor number is. Even if you are not standing there, you still have to stretch your arm to press the number.

　　But after the little nurse stepped one leg in, she leaned forward and disappeared!

　　"Look at screen number one. This is the video footage inside the elevator." The technician's voice trembled slightly.

　　Although he watched it several times, he was still frightened by this inexplicable phenomenon.

　　There was nothing in the elevator, it was as quiet as a painting.

　　I looked at it for a long time, and finally couldn't help it, so I said, "There's nothing here, why are you asking me to look at it?"

　　"Please~Have you checked the time?" Song Dongfeng said to me helplessly.

　　"Time?" I looked up at the painting again. The time on the painting was 00:01, there was nothing abnormal!

　　Wait, I remember!

　　I hurriedly looked at the second screen, which was playing continuously, and it happened to be when the nurse pressed the elevator button. The second screen showed 11:59 minutes and 47 seconds. Ten seconds later, the elevator door opened and the nurse stepped in.

　　But I just stared at the elevator video on screen number one for at least two minutes, and there was no movement at all!

　　The young nurse pressed the elevator button, the elevator arrived, and the door opened. This was a series of processes. Even if she disappeared into the elevator and I couldn't see her, I could always see the elevator door open, right?

　　But during these two minutes, the elevator door didn't move at all, as if no one had pressed the button.

　　I finally understood. To put it simply, the young nurse disappeared in the elevator that went down from the ninth floor to the eighth floor, but the elevator room in the camera had not moved at all.

　　At this time, the technician next to him spoke up: "I just processed the two seconds of the nurse entering the elevator in slow motion, so you can watch it frame by frame."

　　"Release it quickly!" Song Dongfeng urged.

　　It had to be played frame by frame, just like watching a slide show, carefully breaking down every movement of the girl in the picture.

　　I saw her lift her legs before entering the elevator, move forward, put them down, and then put them down again...

　　Where are the feet?! We were horrified to find that the nurse’s feet had not (mo) sunk into the elevator floor!!!

　　Next, calves!! thighs!!

　　The girl seemed to lose her balance and fell forward!!

　　As the last two frames were played, the little nurse completely disappeared under the elevator floor!

　　The atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn. After a moment, a technician stood up tremblingly, walked out the door, and said to Song Dongfeng: "Sorry... I'm going out... to smoke a cigarette."

　　Seeing this, another technician immediately stumbled out.

　　"What do you think?" Song Dongfeng asked me as he watched the slow motion video playing repeatedly on the screen.

　　"This... makes me feel like..." I don't know how to describe it. This elevator room seems to be non-existent. People can only see it but not touch it.

　　In fact, we all already know that the little nurse probably fell down at this time.

　　"Holographic image?" Song Dongfeng reminded at the right time.

　　"Yes! Yes! It's a holographic image! It looks like the real thing! But it's actually fake!" Once this guy reminded me, I suddenly understood.

　　"Even if it is a holographic image, it means that the elevator did not actually reach the eighth floor. But we all know that an elevator has two layers of doors. The inner layer follows the elevator room, and the outer layer is on each floor. The doors are absolutely closed before the elevator reaches the eighth floor to prevent people from falling. Then how did the elevator door on the eighth floor happen to open at this moment?" Song Dongfeng's mind worked quickly and he found the suspicious point immediately.

　　"Yeah...who did it?" I was also confused.

　　"Do you suspect it was done by a human?" Song Dongfeng keenly grasped the meaning of my words.

　　"Apart from the eighth floor, which other floors have people waiting for the elevator at this time?" I asked.

　　"No, she's the only one." Song Dongfeng answered immediately. It was obvious that he had thought of this and watched the video in advance.

　　"But..." He paused, and then continued, "They are willing to use holographic images and even the program to control the elevator. Using so many advanced high-tech means just to harm a little girl, isn't it a bit of an overreaction?"

　　"Nothing is impossible!" I said.

　　In fact, I could see at a glance that this matter was not as simple as it seemed, but I just didn't want to take over this matter.

　　Song Dongfeng is a man who is very good at reading things, how could he not see what I am thinking?

　　He smiled silently and said, "As for the case, I think there are many suspicious points, and it is not suitable to be announced to the public. Let's close the case first! For the time being, even if it is an accidental death, as for the video, let them take it back to the bureau and seal it. You can just hang around here and pretend. If you really don't find anything, forget it. Anyway, this kind of thing can't be publicized even if you figure it out."

　　This is exactly what I think!

　　When I walked out of the monitoring room, I realized that the sun outside was really warm! It seems that I was still "frozen" while watching the movie in there just now.

　　After saying a few words, Song Dongfeng left. I walked around the lobby on the first floor of the hospital, planning to go home and push my bicycle back to work. From a distance, I saw Liu Yunlong walking towards me alone with a sad face.

　　"What's the matter? My soldiers, what tasks have your former leaders assigned to you?" I asked jokingly as he walked in.

　　Liu Yunlong didn't seem to be interested in bickering with me, and said honestly, "What else can I say? It's just that I want to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything weird."

　　I burst out laughing. Captain Yang's instructions to Liu were exactly the same as what Song Dongfeng told me.

　　"Okay, I'm going to work! The rest is up to you, old man." I said and turned to leave.

　　"Hey! Wait a minute!" Liu hurriedly stopped me and said, "When did you get involved with the Security Investigation Bureau? They don't accept ordinary people! What special abilities do you have? How come I didn't find out since I was a child?"

　　Chapter 10: The First Treatment of Soul-Running

　　I thought about it and realized that it would be a lot of trouble to explain it to this guy from the beginning, so I'd better wait until I have time and then talk about it in detail!

　　"Don't think too much. I just owe him some money and I run errands for him when I have nothing to do." I said.

　　"Are you kidding me?" Liu didn't believe it at all.

　　I was about to continue lying to him when the phone rang.

　　"Hello, who is this?"

　　"Hello! Is that Xiao Wang? This is Hongxia!" The person on the other end of the phone was my sister who rented a house with Ni Qian and me.

　　"Oh, hello, sis. What's up?"

　　"Come here quickly! Ni Qian...is not feeling well!" Hongxia said anxiously.

　　"Something's wrong? What's wrong?" I didn't quite understand. Could it be that my period had come?

　　"Oh! I can't explain it clearly. You'll know when you come and see it! Hurry up! Beep...beep..." After saying that, the other party hung up the phone.

　　"I'm leaving first, you're busy!" I hung up the phone, said this to Liu Yunlong, and turned around and ran towards the house we rented. This also saved this guy from asking me more questions.

　　"Oh! What should I do if you leave?" Liu didn't expect me to run away as soon as I told him to. He was at a loss.

　　"Why don't you just take the elevator for fun? Just look carefully before you get in!" I ignored this guy's protests, turned the corner, accelerated straight ahead, and disappeared in an instant.

　　The house that Ni Qian and I rented was actually in the staff quarters of the municipal hospital. It was also convenient for me to commute from home. I could just walk through the front ward to get there.

　　From a distance I could see Hongxia, who shared the house with me, wearing only a sweater, shivering and looking around at the entrance of the staircase.

　　Seeing me coming, she shouted at the top of her voice: "What time is it! Why don't you hurry up!"

　　I was really confused. What could have happened? Could it be that this girl was trying to commit suicide again? We didn't have a fight yesterday!

　　"Ni Qian is possessed!" When she got closer, Hongxia's words almost scared me to the point of falling over.

　　"Is it that serious?" I don't know what her standard is for the word "obstacle".

　　"Go upstairs first and you'll know. She's crying and laughing at the same time. It's scary!" After hearing this, I realized that it was not a trivial matter and I rushed upstairs immediately.

　　After entering the room, there was no sound at all. I tiptoed to the door of Ni Qian's bedroom, stuck my head in and looked inside. The girl was lying quietly on the bed sleeping.

　　After looking for a long time, I turned around and said to Hongxia, "Sister, you can't lie to me like this. This..."

　　"ah!!!!!"

　　Before I could finish, a scream loud enough to pierce my eardrums came from the bedroom. I turned my head quickly and saw Ni Qian lying on the bed with her eyes wide open, seeming to be using all her strength to scream at the top of her lungs.

　　I hurried over and pressed the girl's shoulders, trying to help her relax.

　　The screaming lasted for more than ten seconds and finally stopped. Hongxia was so scared that she hid outside the door and didn't dare to come in.

　　"Girl! Look, look carefully, it's me!" I held Ni Qian's shoulders and sat up, and spoke to her in the most soothing tone possible.

　　She looked up at me and laughed, "Hehe", her eyes were cloudy and she didn't even notice that saliva was flowing out of the corners of her mouth.

　　"How long has she been like this?" I looked up and asked my sister.

　　"I... I don't know. She was fine last night and this morning. She was still sleeping when I left for work. Who knew that when I came back at noon, I heard her shouting and screaming in the house." Hongxia still didn't dare to come in. It seemed that she was scared by this girl.

　　"What did she do last night?"

　　"Nothing... nothing... Oh, she had periodontitis yesterday and it hurt so much that she went to the emergency room at the hospital!"

　　Another hospital!

　　I wanted to see if her teeth were really swollen, so I tried to pry her mouth open gently. Unexpectedly, the girl turned her face and bit me. I quickly shrank back, and I could only hear the sound of her upper and lower front teeth hitting each other.

　　I was so scared that I broke out in a cold sweat. If I hadn't dodged quickly, this finger would have been broken.

　　In the remaining twenty minutes, I tried every possible method I learned from the Dream Records. I tried them two or three times, even opening my spiritual eyes, but Ni Qian didn't get any better. She laughed, scolded, and laughed. I was sweating all over.

　　There was no other choice, so I called Zhang Shan. He was the only one who might be able to solve this problem now.

　　After listening to my story, Zhang Shan asked me two more symptoms. He asked me seriously, "Does this girl like to play psychic games like pen fairy and dish fairy?"

　　After hearing my negative answer, Zhang Shan murmured, "This shouldn't be the case. This is the symptom of a wandering soul!"

　　"Running soul?" It was the first time I heard this word, so I hurriedly asked him what it meant.

　　"It's hard to explain over the phone. Wait for me at the hospital entrance, I'll be there soon! Go to the store and buy some plastic sheeting right now!" After saying that, the guy hung up the phone.

　　Although my sister was very reluctant, she didn't know Zhang Shan, so she could only watch Ni Qian at home. After comforting her not to be afraid, I ran downstairs.

　　Standing in the small supermarket in the hospital, I just remembered that Zhang Shan wanted me to buy plastic sheeting, but there was no such thing in the supermarket! This was not the supply and marketing cooperative in the mountains where you could go in and ask them to build a greenhouse and they would bring you rolls of plastic sheeting.

　　After searching for a while, I was worried when I saw some plastic wrap on the shelf next to me. Isn't this just plastic wrap?

　　I was afraid it wouldn't be enough, and who knew what he was going to use it for? So I bought three rolls in one go, and then I took them to the gate to wait for Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan came very quickly, and when he saw me he immediately went over to take a look without saying anything.

　　"What exactly is a wandering soul?" On the way, I couldn't help but ask Zhang Shan.

　　"To put it bluntly, she was frightened out of her wits." He paused, then continued, "So I ask you, has she played a psychic game before, which led to this state?"

　　As far as I can remember, that girl never touched ghosts or monsters. She didn't even dare to watch horror movies or listen to ghost stories. Would she play with that thing?

　　"No matter what, let's wait and see!" After listening to what I said, Zhang Shan was still unable to confirm the reason why Ni Qian "lost her soul".

　　Back in our rented house, Hongxia was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a broom in both hands, looking anxious. Ni Qian was fine, maybe her sister was afraid that she would go crazy again, so she turned on the TV. Now she was sitting on the bed, watching TV and grinning. She didn't even notice when Zhang Shan and I walked in.

　　After twisting her arms and hands to look at them for a long time and then rolling his eyelids, Zhang Shan stood up and said with certainty: "It's the ghost that has wandered away! That's right!"

　　"What should we do? Is it easy to cure?" This is what I am most worried about. If Ni Qian can't get better, his parents will kill me.

　　"I don't know yet. It depends on how far it runs. Where is the plastic sheet I asked you to buy?" Zhang Shan rolled up his sleeves, looking serious.

　　I quickly tore open the outer packaging of a roll of plastic wrap and handed it to him.

　　Zhang Shan took the plastic wrap and slowly tore it apart, motioning me to lift Ni Qian's arm. Then he wrapped the plastic wrap around Ni Qian's wrist.

　　After wrapping it about five or six times, he switched to the other one, and then to both ankles.

　　After all of these were wrapped, the roll of plastic wrap was also used up. I opened the second roll, but this time Zhang Shan did not pull off such a long piece, but only tore off a small piece, then bit his finger, caught a drop of "relic blood", and put this last piece of plastic wrap on Ni Qian's throat.

　　As soon as we touched each other, Ni Qian started shaking all over. Seeing this, Zhang Shan immediately motioned me to the other side, and we both pressed Ni Qian's shoulders to prevent her from moving.

　　From time to time, Zhang Shan looked at the wrist that was wrapped in plastic wrap first.

　　"What on earth are you doing?" I had no idea what this guy was talking about from beginning to end, and only asked when I saw that he was no longer busy.

　　Chapter 11: Empty House Game

　　"Find the soul!" Zhang Shan answered simply. Perhaps afraid that I didn't understand, he continued, "People have two sexes. The day is the soul and the night is the nightmare. The soul is divided into five meridians, namely the body meridian, heart meridian, emotion meridian, knowledge meridian and movement meridian. The so-called soul wandering means that the five meridians are disordered. Now we have to find the five meridians and re-arrange them."

　　I was stunned for a long time, as if I was listening to a foreign language, and asked, "How do I find it?"

　　"Just follow my instructions!" Zhang Shan said without saying anything else, staring at the limbs wrapped in plastic wrap.

　　"Look!" Less than half a minute later, Zhang Shan pointed at Ni Qian's right wrist and said to me, "The pulse is clear, blue is the pulse! Quickly find a blue hair one inch above her left ear and pull it out by the roots!"

　　Following Zhang Shan's finger, I saw that Ni Qian's right wrist was wrapped in plastic wrap, and the plastic wrap had gradually turned green, between blue and green.

　　After hearing his instructions, I didn't bother to look closely and hurriedly pulled the girl's ear to find the "blue hair" that Zhang Shan mentioned.

　　Ni Qian's hair was very dense, and her scalp was almost invisible. Finding a single hair was like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, it was noon, the sun shone into the room, and the blue hair was conspicuous.

　　It took me more than half a minute to finally find a completely blue hair, which I pulled out immediately.

　　"The body's pulse has been exposed! Look for the yellow hair at the hairline behind the head!" Zhang Shan shouted again without waiting for me to catch my breath.

　　"The meridians have been penetrated, the center of the head is right, find the green hair!"

　　"The love vein is exposed, one inch above the right ear, purple hair!"

　　Everything went smoothly. Within three minutes, we found four hairs besides the heart pulse. As these hairs were pulled out, the pulse color around the ankles and wrists gradually faded. Ni Qian stopped shaking like a sieve, and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

　　However, Zhang Shan's expression became more and more solemn. He was staring at the drop of "relic blood" in the girl's throat without blinking.

　　"Listen carefully, the hardest part to find is the heart meridian. I will help you find it. This drop of relic blood can temporarily mark the location of the heart meridian. If we can't find it before the blood disappears, your wife's heart meridian will be damaged. At the very least, her intelligence will be reduced, and at the worst, her lifespan will be shortened!" Zhang Shan spoke word by word with an extremely serious expression.

　　My heart skipped a beat. No matter how serious the incident was, I couldn't bear it. In other words, I had to find the hair, otherwise all my efforts would be wasted.

　　Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Zhang Shan shout, "The blood is starting to fade, hurry up and find it!"

　　I didn't have time to look at that drop of blood. I sat up straight immediately and asked Zhang Shan, "No range?"

　　"Anywhere with hair is possible. Don't miss any area." Zhang Shan also came to the top of Ni Qian's head, and seeing that I didn't move, he shouted, "What are you standing there for! Hurry up and find it!"

　　"What color is that, brother?" I was more anxious than him.

　　"Red!" After Zhang Shan said that, we both lowered our heads and started looking, but when we looked down, we were stunned, because Ni Qian's hair, which had just been dyed, was completely wine red.

　　“…This…how can I find this?” Seeing this scene, my mind exploded.

　　"Don't panic! The heart meridian's hair is bright red all over, which is different from the dyed color. Look carefully, there is hope!" Zhang Shan was stunned for a moment, then immediately began to search, saying as he searched.

　　"Oh..." I didn't dare to delay and started looking carefully.

　　Zhang Shan would look down at the color of the "relic blood" in his throat from time to time. I didn't dare ask him, for fear of hearing an answer like "not enough time".

　　But not asking doesn't mean someone won't tell. Every time Zhang Shan looked down, he kept urging me to hurry up and hurry up, because time was running out. By the end, my hands were shaking.

　　"Hurry! Hurry! The color will soon be gone! There are only about ten seconds left!" Zhang Shan looked down again and shouted at me.

　　I have searched almost all over Ni Qian's head, but I couldn't find the all-red hair that Zhang Shan mentioned. My heart sank.

　　"Found it!" Zhang Shan suddenly shouted. To me, his shout was like the sound of nature, pulling me back to heaven from hell.

　　I saw Zhang Shan pinching a handful of hair, about five or six strands growing on the temples, and pulling it hard, pulling them all out. It made me feel chilled to the bone.

　　He spread out his palms, and among those strands of hair, there was one that was completely red, as if it had been stained with blood.

　　The blood in her throat finally lost all its color and turned into a drop of clear water. Ni Qian suddenly fell on the bed, unconscious.

　　"Huh!" Zhang Shan took a deep breath and said, "Okay, that was really dangerous! I'll ask her what happened later. Don't do this again in the future!"

　　We unwrapped the plastic wrap around Ni Qian's wrists, ankles and throat and laid her flat. We walked out and told Hongxia that she was fine.

　　Before he could finish his words, he heard Ni Qian groaning in the inner room. He had woken up.

　　When I walked into the room, the girl saw that it was me and immediately threw herself into my arms and burst into tears.

　　After finally calming Ni Qian down, Zhang Shan and I asked her about what happened. The girl thought for a moment and told the truth:

　　Since I was having dinner with Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong last night, Ni Qian was bored being alone, so she also made an appointment with a few girlfriends to go out to the night market and have dinner.

　　At the dinner table, one of his sisters told a ghost story she had just heard.

　　It tells the story of four college girls who, due to a sudden power outage, had nothing to do at night, so they went to an empty classroom to play the Ouija board game.

　　After playing for a while, nothing special happened, and all the questions that needed to be asked had been asked, so the girls began to feel bored.

　　At this time, someone proposed a new game. I don't know where I heard it from, but it's very simple. It only requires four people and an empty classroom. After the doors and windows of the classroom are closed, everyone stands in a corner of the classroom and closes their eyes.

　　When everything is ready, you can start the game. Start with the girl in the northeast corner. She goes clockwise to tap the other girl in the southeast corner, and then stands there. The girl in the southeast corner then goes to tap the southwest corner, and so on until the girl in the southwest corner walks to the northwest corner, and finally the girl in the northwest corner goes to the original northeast corner.

　　At this time, there should be no one in the northeast corner, because the girl in the northeast corner is already standing in the northwest corner.

　　This is where the weirdness lies.

　　If everyone follows the rules of the game and stays silent during the process, then when the girl in the northwest corner walks to the northeast corner and reaches out to hit something, she will definitely hit nothing! She will definitely hit something!

　　But you must not open your eyes at this time! This girl can grab the thing she took a picture of and ask a question, whether it is about feelings or the future, that thing will answer her.

　　After the answer is given, the girl standing in the northeast corner lets go, takes a step back, and everyone bows towards that corner together, and the things will be sent out.

　　If you stand up straight again, you can open your eyes and the game will be over.

　　It is said that this game can only be played once a night. After the girl who proposed it finished explaining the rules, everyone rushed to be the last person to walk to the northeast corner. Because since it can only be played once, everyone wants to ask questions related to themselves.

　　After discussing for a long time, there was no result, so everyone decided to play rock-paper-scissors. The winner could stand in the northwest corner and wait to go to the northeast corner.

　　The girl who suggested this game was very considerate. She said she had played it before and was willing to give the opportunity to someone who was playing it for the first time. So after the remaining three girls played rock-paper-scissors, the game was won by the bravest girl.

　　After closing the doors and windows, the four of them closed their eyes.

　　The girl who first proposed this was standing in the northeast corner. She closed her eyes and shouted, "Passing Immortal Official, please help me solve my doubts. If I have offended you, I will punish you!"

　　After saying that, he closed his eyes and walked towards the northwest corner.

　　Chapter 12: Don't Reach Out

　　At the beginning, several people couldn't help laughing because no one believed they could really take pictures. But as the relay progressed, until the two girls gathered in the northwest corner, the atmosphere became more and more tense, and no one dared to talk or laugh anymore.

　　Because the answer is about to come.

　　The girl who was standing in the northwest corner and won the rock-paper-scissors game was now trembling with fear, holding on to the wall and moving step by step towards the northeast corner.

　　The classroom was very quiet, with only the breathing of a few girls being heard.

　　It was unknown how long it had been before the other three people could hear the girl's next response. But they did not dare to open their eyes. The girl who first walked out from the northeast corner asked in a low voice: "How is it? Did you take the picture? If you did, ask me!"

　　What answered her was a shrill scream coming from the northeast corner.

　　All of a sudden, everyone screamed. But they still didn't dare to open their eyes. The two girls standing on the west side, who were guarding the front and back doors of the classroom, opened the door and ran away, leaving behind the two people on the east side.

　　When they arrived at the bottom of the teaching building, they waited for a while, but did not see the other two people coming down. Only then did they realize the seriousness of the matter and quickly notified the school.

　　When the lights in the teaching building were turned on, the security teacher led a large group of students into the empty classroom, only to find that the last girl who went to take pictures was now curled up in the northeast corner with a dull look in her eyes. When asked, she knew nothing.

　　She was completely crazy, and no one knew why.

　　When we asked the two girls who ran out, they both said that they dared to open their eyes only after they opened the door and ran out, and they didn't see what happened.

　　After sending the crazy girl to the hospital, everyone remembered that the girl who had walked out from the northeast corner at the beginning had disappeared.

　　The school leaders mobilized students to search every corner of the school overnight, but they could not find any trace of her.

　　In desperation, the school had to call the police.

　　The police came but there was nothing they could do. They just asked for a symbolic statement and told us to wait for further notice.

　　At noon the next day, after lunch, many students discovered that the water flowing out of the school's tap was a little red and had a faint fishy smell.

　　Since most water supplies nowadays are towerless, tap water is first connected to a large water tank and then pressurized before the water can be pumped to higher floors.

　　During the afternoon class, the school hired a professional water tank cleaning company. After releasing the pressure, they opened the top cover. When they looked inside, they found a female corpse floating in the water tank! The cleaning staff was so scared that they fell off the top of the tank.

　　Call the police, have them respond, explain the situation, and retrieve the body.

　　After the body was salvaged, it turned out to be the girl who disappeared last night.

　　only……

　　No one knew where her clothes had gone, and there was a hole running vertically down the middle of her abdomen. Her abdomen was completely empty, and all her organs were gone.

　　The blood had already flowed out of the tap.

　　All the people who ate lunch on campus vomited because the water tank was behind the cafeteria and the first thing that was used when the tap was turned on was the water in it.

　　The story actually has an ending here, which is how did the girl get into the water tank and where did her organs go?

　　But after hearing my friend's story to this point, Ni Qian and the others shouted that they should stop talking about it. It was scary enough, but also disgusting. Looking at the table full of food, no one had an appetite.

　　It was the friend who told the story who suggested that although he had no appetite, he hadn’t even eaten much of the food he had just ordered, and it would be a shame to just leave like that, so he decided to have a bottle of red wine to whet his appetite.

　　So the four of them ordered a bottle of red wine, opened it and ate it with the food. Ni Qian didn't drink, and when she looked at the glass filled with red wine, she remembered the tap water in the story just now, and she completely lost her appetite.

　　Seeing this, her friend refused to give in and insisted that she drink it. She had no choice but to pick it up and take a big gulp with her eyes closed.

　　You wouldn't know until you drink it. You found that this glass of red wine was actually sweet, with a faint grape aroma, which was completely different from the bottle of wine she drank at home a few years ago.

　　So a few people drank and chatted, and the bottle of wine was empty before the meal was finished.

　　After dinner, a few people went to the night market before disbanding and going home.

　　As we all know, wine actually has a strong aftereffect, especially for girls who don't drink much. If they drink it and then go out in the breeze, they will get drunk very quickly.

　　After returning home, Ni Qian was watching TV and chatting with her sister Hongxia. Gradually, she felt that the wisdom tooth that had not yet grown out of her molar began to hurt.

　　After a while, my gums were swollen and painful.

　　When my sister took a look, she realized that it was probably periodontitis. They had Hunan cuisine for dinner, which was all spicy. In addition, this girl didn't like to drink water, and the weather was cold and dry, and she drank alcohol, so the swelling started immediately.

　　My sister said that we should go to the hospital. I am afraid that I will not be able to sleep well at night. Anyway, the hospital is close, so we can go to the emergency room and see if we can get some anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicine. We can deal with it tonight first.

　　Ni Qian didn't want to move. It was cold outside, and she had already changed into her pajamas when she got home. But as the saying goes, toothache is not a disease, but it really hurts. She held on for a while, but felt that she couldn't bear it anymore. She had no choice but to put on her clothes and go see a doctor.

　　The elder sister said she would go with her, but the girl thought that it was inconvenient because of the cold weather and the short distance, and she had drunk some wine and was feeling a little dizzy. She refused to let Hongxia go with her and left the house in a down jacket.

　　I went to the front lobby and called for emergency treatment. Although there was a doctor on duty at the dental clinic, he was not at the emergency department on the first floor, so I had to take the elevator to the seventh floor.

　　There was almost no one in the outpatient building at night. After seeing the dentist and taking some medicine, the pain was relieved a little, so the girl took the elevator to go back.

　　Standing in the elevator, Ni Qian recalled the ghost story her friend told her during dinner.

　　Like many people, every time I see the phrase "You'll never lick your elbow," I want to try licking it.

　　Out of curiosity, she closed her eyes in the elevator cabin and planned to try it herself. In fact, she didn't do it to find out anything. To put it bluntly, it was the alcohol that was causing the problem. Anyway, the elevator in the hospital was slow and it took a long time to go down. She was just sitting there doing nothing.

　　The girl didn't follow the rules or go in any direction. Besides, she was alone there and was just bored, so she was just playing around.

　　The elevator was so small that she closed her eyes and took three steps to the last corner, then reached the place where she had stood originally.

　　Ni Qian was the only one in the elevator, but with her eyes closed, she touched another person.

　　She was stunned for a moment. What her hand touched should be a person's shoulder, and she even felt the texture of the clothes.

　　Fear instantly spread throughout her body. Ni Qian didn't dare to open her eyes, for fear of seeing something she shouldn't see.

　　But in such a small space, I couldn't escape even if I wanted to.

　　The girl was waiting anxiously for someone to arrive on the first floor.

　　She didn't dare to pull her hand back. At least now she was holding on to it. She knew that the "person" had not moved yet. If she lost even this only sense, it would be even more terrifying.

　　Every second was so unbearable, but fortunately the elevator finally stopped with a "ding".

　　The girl still didn't dare to open her eyes, and groped her way out of the elevator. After she had walked several steps forward and heard the elevator door close, she opened her eyes and turned around to look.

　　Through the crack in the door, there was only a shadow in a nurse's uniform. Ni Qian wanted to see more clearly, but the cabin door was closed.

　　Chapter 13 Field Trip

　　I returned home in a daze, and my sister had already gone back to her room to sleep.

　　Ni Qian was lying on the bed, watching TV and constantly reminiscing, but she could not remember clearly what she had just experienced, as if some of her memories had been lost.

　　As I was thinking, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw Zhang Shan and me.

　　"There's something strange about that elevator!" Zhang Shan came to the conclusion immediately after hearing it.

　　Of course I knew, so I motioned him not to talk about it here. After comforting Ni Qian and her sister, I pulled Zhang Shan downstairs under the pretext of buying them food.

　　"You also know that there is something wrong with the elevator?" Zhang Shan is not stupid. From my previous hint, he inferred that I must know something.

　　I told him everything about the young nurse who fell to her death a few days ago and the video this morning. Then I asked, "Do you think this was an accident or a human error?"

　　"It must be man-made!" Zhang Shan said without even thinking, "All those high-tech methods you speculated are nonsense! For people who can understand the Yin, a talisman is enough. Ni Qian is an ordinary person. Even if she died accidentally, she would not be able to see the ghost nightmare of the little nurse. Since she saw it, there is only one possibility. This person died a violent death. The possibility of being killed by someone is the greatest!"

　　"What will happen after her sudden death?" I don't quite understand.

　　"That depends on the purpose of the person who killed her. If he was just an ordinary person, at most he would be haunted by her for a while; if it was someone with ulterior motives, it would be hard to say. By then, I'm afraid this elevator will not be safe." Zhang Shan became more and more serious as he spoke.

　　"Of course, this possibility is very small." This guy added at the end, and I finally put my heart at ease.

　　When I was walking through the hospital lobby, I saw Liu Yunlong standing stupidly at the elevator door waiting for the elevator, so I pulled him away to have dinner together.

　　At the dinner table, Zhang Shan and I did not tell him what had just happened to Ni Qian. After all, he is a criminal policeman, and it would be strange if he didn't scold us if we told him such things.

　　This guy, on the other hand, kept complaining: "Damn it, I went up and down the elevator more than a dozen times and almost vomited, but I didn't notice anything wrong with the elevator!"

　　"Haha, of course. It's more popular during the day, so you have to sit here at night." Zhang Shan didn't know whether he was mocking him or giving him a reminder.

　　"Why?" Liu didn't understand these things at all.

　　"Okay, now that Song Dongfeng has said this, if we can't find out the truth, we can just pretend to do it. Let's not be so hasty and worry about it." I really didn't want to get involved.

　　"How can that be possible?!" they both shouted in unison.

　　"I don't care what you think. This is the first case I'm officially in charge of. I won't give up until I figure it out! If you don't care, just go home and rest. I'll investigate it myself! I feel like having you here is a hindrance!" Liu Yunlong stood up, looking like he wanted to beat me up.

　　I didn't comment and looked at Zhang Shan. I was quite surprised that this guy also objected.

　　"I also suggest checking it again. The current situation is very uncertain. Observe for a day or two. As long as nothing else happens, there should be no problem." Zhang Shan stretched leisurely.

　　"Okay! It's up to you. I don't care anyway! It doesn't bother me anyway. I'd better go and accompany my wife." These two men, one is a rookie and the other is a second-hand fortune teller and porter, but they insisted on investigating a murder case.

　　Since it's already so lively, why should I join in the fun?

　　After hearing what I said, Liu Yunlong looked at Zhang Shan expectantly. It was obvious that their people had withdrawn, and now he was the only one left. If I, the "assigned leader", didn't take care of him anymore, he would have to fight alone.

　　"Okay! I won't set up the stall tonight. Let's go take a look again!" Seeing this scene, Zhang Shan could only smile bitterly.

　　After leaving the restaurant, I looked at the clock and it was already three o'clock. Ni Qian and her sister were still waiting for me to take food back, and I was too lazy to go back to the company, so I took two bowls of fried noodles back to the rental house. Zhang Shan still needed to go back to the construction site and would come back in the evening. Liu Yunlong continued to stay in the hospital to deal with the aftermath.

　　After dinner, Ni Qian was in much better spirits. I covered her with a blanket and suggested that she take a nap to recover. After she fell asleep, I turned on the TV and watched it at a very low volume.

　　I don't know how long I looked at it, but my cell phone suddenly rang. When I looked down, I realized that it was already dark.

　　"Hey, you old bastard, I give you ten minutes to come to the lobby on the first floor of the hospital. If you don't come, just wait!" Before I could say anything, Liu Yunlong hung up the phone.

　　Holding the phone, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. This guy is such a worry!

　　When he arrived at the outpatient clinic on the first floor, Liu Yunlong was standing in the elevator, watching the last group of cleaners coming down from upstairs.

　　"Where is Zhang Shan?" I didn't see the big guy, so I asked Liu Yunlong.

　　"This old stingy guy said he would come over after dinner." Liu Yunlong said bitterly.

　　"Then why did you call me here?"

　　"There's no one upstairs, come with me!"

　　"Oh my god, what if I fall to death?"

　　"If you fall, it's my fault!"

　　“…”

　　Helplessly, I was dragged into the elevator by this guy.

　　The city hospital was built in a strange way, with two buildings, the east and west. The east building had eight floors, which were the outpatient hall and various departments. The west building was the inpatient department, with a total of thirteen floors. Except for the first floor which was the emergency center, all the floors above were wards.

　　The two buildings are connected, so during the day, the outpatient building and the inpatient department can share the elevator.

　　As soon as Liu Yunlong came in, he pressed the buttons for all the floors, and we went up one floor at a time.

　　After finally reaching the thirteenth floor, I couldn't help but ask, "Are you done? Can we call it a day?"

　　"Accompany me to the eighth floor to take a look." Liu Yunlong pressed the number 8 without hesitation. This was the floor where the little nurse fell.

　　The elevator stopped on the eighth floor, the door opened, and we walked out.

　　But I was surprised to find that although there were two elevators in this elevator room, almost no one came to take them, and there were very few people nearby.

　　After asking Liu Yunlong, I learned that, on the one hand, the inpatient department on the eighth floor is on the west side, and the two elevators are at the easternmost end of the building, although there are many people during the day, they all go up directly from the outpatient department.

　　At night, when the outpatient department is off duty, this half is dark. A few days ago, there was a sign prohibiting entry. As time went by, at night, people mostly went upstairs from the four elevators near the emergency department on the west side. Fewer and fewer people walked here, but many medical staff who were familiar with the building often walked here.

　　In addition, the story of a young nurse falling to her death in an elevator for no apparent reason became more and more outrageous, and some timid people were even more afraid to go.

　　But I just can’t understand why Ni Qian was so stupid as to take this elevator last night?

　　After walking around, we didn't find anything special. We even retraced the route the nurse had taken, as shown in the video, but still found nothing.

　　Back in the elevator, Liu Yunlong leaned against the elevator door and looked at it carefully for a long time. Finally, he got up helplessly, sighed and said, "Let's go. It looks like there's no hope. It's time to go home, eat, and tell Zhang Shan not to come."

　　After saying that, he pressed the down button.

　　Chapter 14: Seeing Through the Illusion

　　The elevator stopped on the ninth floor and slowly descended.

　　As soon as the door opened, Liu Yunlong couldn't wait to go in.

　　"Wait!" Just as he raised his left leg to put it in, I grabbed him.

　　There is something wrong with this elevator compartment. My intuition tells me that there must be a problem!

　　But I couldn’t tell what the problem was.

　　Seeing that I looked strange, Liu Yunlong retracted his left foot and stood there looking at me in confusion.

　　As for me, I examined the interior of the elevator over and over again. The shiny brushed stainless steel walls had obviously just been waxed. There were three billboards hanging on each of the three walls. One of the small lights in the four corners at the top was broken... Everything was the same as when I took the elevator in the afternoon, but I still felt something was wrong.

　　"What are you standing there for? If you want to watch the commercials, go inside!" Liu Yunlong couldn't hold it in any longer. He urged me while trying to go inside again.

　　His words were like a big stone thrown into the calm water, which immediately brought back my memory.

　　I remember! It's this ad! The ad is wrong!

　　I remember watching the video at noon, and there was an advertisement for nutritional supplements on the only exposed wall. Although I didn't pay attention to it at the time, when I came up just now, I remembered that the advertisement board had been replaced by another health wine advertisement.

　　At this time, the advertisement seen in the video was displayed again.

　　I was confused just now because I couldn't remember which of the two advertisements came first and which one came later.

　　After Liu Yunlong reminded me, I finally understood. Which company would come to change the advertising panel at night? To change back the advertisement that had just been hung for only two days?

　　This obviously doesn't make sense! Also, the elevator has been stopped for almost half a minute, and the door hasn't closed yet!

　　Therefore, this elevator room should be the same as what we saw in the video. We can only see it but cannot touch it...

　　If that were the case, and I hadn't stopped him just now, the consequences would be disastrous!

　　In order to confirm my idea, I pulled Liu Yunlong behind me, squatted in front of the door, stretched out my right hand, and slowly touched the floor inside the elevator room.

　　The cold wind in the elevator whizzed past my hands. How could it be blocked by a wall?

　　Under Liu Yunlong's gaze, I moved my hand close to the floor, placed it on it, and then - passed through!

　　It's really empty here!

　　I clenched my right hand which had been stretched under the floor, silently chanted "break!" in my heart, and instantly opened it again. Everything in the elevator gradually became transparent.

　　In less than five seconds, all that was left in front of us was the dark elevator tunnel, with cold wind blowing out from inside. I looked up and saw that the real elevator cabin was still on the ninth floor.

　　"This...what's going on?" Liu Yunlong was obviously completely overwhelmed by what just happened. He stood there, not knowing what to do.

　　It seems that if I hadn't pulled him in time, he would be the one lying at the bottom of the cabin now.

　　"I'll explain it to you later. The most urgent thing right now is to notify the hospital leaders immediately and seal off this elevator immediately. It must not be started again before the case is investigated thoroughly, otherwise more people will be deceived!" I said, and started the elevator next to me.

　　The elevator arrived quickly, and I dragged Liu Yunlong, who was still in a daze, in. After closing the door, I pressed the first floor button.

　　Seeing his distracted look, I ordered, "When you go down, stand guard at the elevator door and make sure it remains open. Do not let anyone in. I will go to the hospital's leadership and request that this elevator be closed immediately."

　　"Oh..." Liu agreed woodenly. Then he suddenly shouted, "Look at the floor number!"

　　I looked up and the LCD screen displaying the floor numbers seemed to be broken. It was all black and I couldn't see which floor it was, but the elevator was still descending.

　　I think Liu Yunlong is making a big fuss out of nothing. No wonder it's his first time experiencing this kind of thing and he really needs some time to adapt.

　　"Ding!" The elevator stopped. I looked up again and the LCD screen miraculously worked again, but it showed -2 ​​floors.

　　I was quite puzzled. I had clearly ordered the first floor, so why did it go down to the -2 floor? Liu Yunlong next to me was shaking like a sieve.

　　"Why are you shaking? Are you still not refreshed?" I looked at this guy and felt very puzzled. He was a criminal policeman.

　　"You...look..." Liu Yunlong stretched out his arm tremblingly and pointed outward.

　　I turned around and saw that the cabin door was already open. It was pitch black outside and I couldn't see anything. Ten meters away from the cabin door, a light box with red letters on a white background was particularly eye-catching. There were seven words on it - Temporary parking area for the morgue.

　　Sweat also broke out on my back. This was not a coincidence, absolutely not!

　　"Mortuary...shouldn't there be an independent courtyard behind the back door?" Fortunately, although I was scared, my voice didn't sound shaky.

　　"The back... has just been demolished and a new one is being built... this is temporary parking." Liu Yunlong spoke a little more fluently.

　　"Can this elevator go down? Doesn't it only go to the first floor?" Another question occurred to me.

　　"The one next to it only goes to the first floor... this one can come down."

　　I didn't want to go into a morgue. Anything involving corpses was bad news. So I pressed the close button and the first floor button again.

　　The elevator seemed to be broken and unresponsive.

　　I clenched my fists again and used the "Breaking Illusion" technique.

　　It still didn't work. Then I realized that this wasn't an illusion, so how could I break it?

　　"Let's take the stairs!" Liu Yunlong took out his pistol at some point, held it in his hand, and was the first to walk out of the elevator.

　　I sighed in my heart, I was a soldier, I was flustered for only a moment, I was able to adjust so quickly. If it were me two months ago, I would have been stupid.

　　We got out of the elevator and walked slowly to the right along the wall, because we had noticed that the stairs were just behind the right side of the elevator.

　　When I turned the corner, I saw an iron gate locked at the entrance of the stairs, prohibiting people from going up or down.

　　"Damn, this hospital is bullshit! I'm going to sue them later. They won't even let us use the fire escape. What if there's a fire?" Liu Yunlong cursed, also to alleviate his psychological fear.

　　I looked at my cell phone, but there was no signal. It might be because I was in the basement.

　　Then I remembered that when old man Zhang was still alive, I saw a telephone in his room. It seemed to be installed by the hospital. The purpose was to notify in advance if someone died and was sent here so that they could make preparations. So I said, "Isn't there anyone on duty in the morgue here? There must be a telephone, right? It would be a big deal if I went over and made a call?"

　　We walked back to the big light box. When we got to the door, we saw a yellow door slightly ajar, with bright light coming out from inside.

　　We all breathed a sigh of relief. The light meant there was someone there.

　　"Is anyone there?" I asked as I slowly pushed open the half-open door.

　　Behind the door was obviously a duty room. The door faced a two-meter-wide corridor. There was another door ten meters ahead, which should be the morgue.

　　There was a window on our right hand side with two hardcover books on it, which should be used for registering the pick-up and delivery of corpses.

　　Inside the window was a single spring bed, a cabinet, and a desk. The tea on the desk was still smoking, but no one was in the room.

　　The corners of the room were filled with offerings such as paper money, gold ingots, and lanterns. It seemed that the family members of the deceased could choose to buy them when they paid their respects. It was also a benefit that the gatekeeper earned for himself.

　　Chapter 15 Bloodthirsty Demonic Worm

　　"Is anyone there?" I asked again, but still no one answered.

　　Liu Yunlong saw the phone on the desk and picked it up through the window. After a moment, he threw the receiver on the desk dejectedly and cursed: "Damn it! There's not even a sound!"

　　I smiled bitterly. In fact, I should have thought of it earlier. Since "that thing" could find a way to get us down, why would it leave a phone number for us to call for help?

　　Since there was nothing useful, we didn't want to stay here and planned to go back and study the broken elevator. If that didn't work, we would just climb up.

　　Just as I turned around and was about to leave, I heard a "pop" and the cup of hot tea on the table suddenly cracked, spilling water all over the floor.

　　I immediately remembered a sentence from the "Dream Record": "If objects suddenly break, it is a warning. You must not act rashly." I hurriedly grabbed Liu Yunlong and signaled him not to go out for the time being.

　　Liu Yunlong was very confused by my behavior. He looked up and was about to speak, but his mouth opened wider and wider, but no sound came out. Following his wide eyes, I looked back and found that in front of the morgue door behind me, a large pool of blood had flowed out from inside and was spreading towards me.

　　I was still in a daze when Liu Yunlong rushed to the door with a gun in hand. It looked like he was going to open the door and go in.

　　"Don't go in!" I quickly stopped him.

　　The series of events tonight were obviously aimed at us. There must be something bad going on behind the door. Besides, the book also said that we should not act rashly. If we rushed in at this time, wouldn't we be asking for trouble?

　　"No!" Liu said resolutely, "The janitor is missing and there is blood here. How can we not investigate it? I suspect this may be a murder scene."

　　After saying that, without waiting for my reaction, he opened the door of the morgue and rushed in.

　　Seeing this, it was useless for me to say anything. For fear that he would get into danger, I had to step over the bloodstains on the ground and slip inside.

　　The lights in the morgue were on, but the blood was pale. Liu Yunlong was standing at the source of the blood, in front of a stretcher with wheels, in a daze.

　　I looked around. Since this morgue was a temporary one, there were no large refrigerators, only a few foldable stretchers scattered around. Besides, it was early winter, so there was no need to worry about the bodies decaying in a short time.

　　There was only one corpse, the one that was dripping blood in front of Liu Yunlong.

　　The blood had already dyed the large sheet covering the body red. Liu Yunlong stood nearby, but he did not dare to lift it up to take a look.

　　"You'd better not move." I stood at the door and told him as gently as possible, hoping that this guy would listen to me.

　　But Liu Yunlong seemed to be deliberately going against me. After hearing the warning, he hesitated for a moment and then lifted the white sheet covering the corpse.

　　The person lying on the stretcher was the young nurse who had been carried out of the elevator this morning. I had seen her in the file Liu Yunlong had taken.

　　She was lying on her back, her limbs still in that very strange position, and she was still wearing a dirty nurse's uniform. It seemed that her family was not allowed to tidy up her remains before the case was officially closed.

　　But the exposed face and hands, although wiped with a towel, had been corroded by dust due to the long time since the death, after the metabolism stopped, the skin had a gray color, which looked very awkward.

　　Her eyes have lost moisture and her eyelids are stiff. Even if you want to help her close them, you probably can't do it.

　　Someone cut a hole in the young nurse's left wrist, and blood was constantly gushing out from there.

　　I was wondering why there was still so much blood flowing out of a body that had been dead for several days, but Liu Yunlong reached out and tried to raise the nurse's arm higher to stop her from bleeding.

　　The body had already stiffened, so how could it be moved? Liu Yunlong just exerted force, and the young nurse lying on it turned along with his arm, as if she had become weightless.

　　At this time, the young nurse's face was facing me, but I saw that her mouth, which was originally closed, was actually open, and there seemed to be something moving in her mouth.

　　Things are not going well! I quickly shouted to Liu Yunlong, "Come back here as soon as possible!"

　　Liu Yunlong was startled by this sudden roar and turned to look at me strangely. His eyes were full of bloodshot, bright red.

　　"What's that smell?" At this time, I found that a smell similar to rotten eggs was filling the room.

　　I didn't dare to look any closer, things were getting more and more wrong, I rushed forward, pulled Liu Yunlong up and ran out. In a panic, I bumped into the stretcher, and the body of the young nurse fell to the ground because of the weird posture and was not stable.

　　"Bang!" I was stunned. The body was broken into two pieces. There was no blood left in her body! It had long dried up and turned into fibrous strands.

　　As the body was broken into pieces, many moving things crawled out of it. When I looked carefully, they were actually thumb-sized insects.

　　After the insects spread out on the ground, they immediately rushed to the large pool of blood, lying in it and sucking greedily. Soon, the bloodstains in the house were licked clean by them.

　　"Let's go!" I saw Liu Yunlong still standing there stupidly, so I pulled him up and ran out the door.

　　Although there is no danger at the moment, it seems that all bloodthirsty insects are interested in humans. After they suck the blood from the ground, who knows what will happen?

　　I ran to the elevator again and pressed the button for the first floor desperately, but there was still no response.

　　In the distance, a rustling sound was heard.

　　"Damn it!" Liu Yunlong saw the source of the sound and couldn't help cursing. Sure enough, the bugs had sucked the blood from the ground and were crawling towards us. There were tens of thousands of them.

　　"Are they coming for us?" Liu Yunlong asked after he came to his senses.

　　"Nonsense! Do you think they'll take the elevator?" I don't think these guys just happened to be going our way.

　　As we were talking, the bugs had already crawled to a place not far from us.

　　"Hurry up and think of a way!" Liu Yunlong held the pistol but didn't dare to fire. First, there were too many bugs, and even a heavy machine gun might not be enough. Second, he had to report if he fired. What if his leader asked him why he fired? It would be strange if he didn't peel off his skin for killing bugs.

　　So this guy just left the problem to me.

　　I had no choice but to grit my teeth, take off my new down jacket that I had just bought a week ago, wrap it around my right wrist, hold it tightly with my right hand, and silently say "burn!"

　　With a bang, the down jacket suddenly caught fire violently. I quickly threw it at the elevator door to temporarily block the attack of these insects.

　　Looking at the smoking down jacket, I felt so distressed. What the hell is this "Dream Record", it only teaches some tricks, either seeing ghosts or burning things.

　　Without thinking too much, I kicked open the operating table under the floor button, stepped on it, and lifted up a corner of the ceiling.

　　"I'll climb up first and then pull you up!" After saying that, regardless of whether Liu Yunlong agreed or not, I used both hands to push myself out.

　　The cabin was dark, and the gust of wind gave me a shiver. I found a foothold, reached down, and grabbed Liu Yunlong's arm, and pulled him up.

　　The down jacket was almost burnt, and some bugs had crawled in through the gaps on both sides. After Liu Yunlong was pulled up, the bottom was finally filled with bugs.

　　Chapter 16 Pest Control Expert

　　Because the elevator cabin wall was extremely smooth, even though the bugs were gathering more and more, they couldn't climb up at all.

　　We lay on top of it and looked down. There was no danger for the time being. Liu Yunlong said heartlessly: "Damn it, light something and throw it down. They will be burned to death!"

　　"Okay, give me the cotton-padded jacket!" I looked at this guy. He really didn't feel sorry for something that wasn't his.

　　"Hey, I'm just talking. What should I do next?" Liu Yunlong quickly wrapped his coat tightly.

　　"Find a way to get up first, then notify the pest control company!" I looked up and saw another bright light not far away in the dark elevator corridor. Those should be the doors to each floor.

　　The nearest light was about four or five meters above our heads, which should be the first floor.

　　"Hey! Look! What are they going to do?" I was looking for a way out when Liu Yunlong pulled me and asked.

　　Looking down, I saw the bugs slowly gathering in a corner of the elevator, trampling on each other as they climbed upwards, piling up higher and higher.

　　"Hey, you know what, they're quite smart!" This guy was so addicted to watching that he actually said this.

　　"Still looking! If you keep looking, you'll lose your life!" I said, pulling up the guy, grabbing the two steel cables in the elevator room, and climbing to the first floor above.

　　My intuition told me that although the basement floor was just where I stood up, it was still underground and it would be best not to take the risk.

　　The steel cable was icy cold and it made my hands hurt like they were being cut by a knife.

　　After climbing two meters, I looked down and saw that it was pitch black below. I could hardly see the lights in the elevator. These insects were moving so fast that it would take only a short while for them to successfully reach the top.

　　"Hurry up! Climb faster!" I kept urging Liu Yunlong. But the elevator cable was not only freezing, but also greased. Every time I climbed up one inch, I slid down half an inch. Progress was slow.

　　After a lot of effort, I finally climbed to the elevator door on the first floor.

　　But a new problem arose. In order to ensure good contact with the elevator moving up and down, the inside of the door was flat and there was no fulcrum. It was almost impossible for us who were hanging on the steel cable to open the elevator door.

　　I couldn't help but look down again. The bugs had piled up to more than one person's height and were about to reach the ceiling.

　　We both hung on the steel cable, staring at each other, helpless.

　　The bugs... have already crawled out...

　　"Is there anyone here? Please help me open the door!" Liu Yunlong stretched out a hand and pounded the elevator door. This seemed to be the only feasible method at the moment, so I followed him and shouted, "Help me!" At the same time, I used one hand to pound the elevator continuously.

　　These two elevators in the corner are rarely used at night. As for who can hear them, it depends on our luck.

　　The insects that had climbed up were scattered along the walls of the elevator shaft, continuing to move upward at an alarming speed. Many of them also climbed up the steel cable we were hanging on.

　　Liu Yunlong was still yelling at the top of his lungs, but there was still no response from outside.

　　Suddenly, the light coming through the crack in the door on the first floor became dimmer. We looked up and saw someone outside the elevator door trying to pry it open and push it to the sides.

　　The doors were all opened, and a tall figure stood outside.

　　"Zhang Shan!" We both shouted at the same time. At this moment, I really wanted to hug him and kiss him.

　　"Hey, where did you two go? Did you fall in because you were in a relationship?" Zhang Shan said, reaching his hands in and pulling us out, one on each side.

　　I was still sitting on the ground gasping for breath when Liu Yunlong pointed at my feet and shouted, "Bugs! Bugs!"

　　Some bugs have already crawled to the elevator door.

　　Zhang Shan took a look and his face changed drastically. He quickly took out a large yellow object from his jacket pocket, took a big bite, and then took out a small bottle of Erguotou from somewhere and drank half of it in one gulp.

　　After chewing for a few bites, Zhang Shan came to the elevator entrance and spat out everything in his mouth, spraying it into the cabin.

　　"lighter!"

　　I quickly took out my newly bought lighter and handed it to him.

　　Zhang Shan ignited the large yellow object in his hand, emitting a green flame, and then threw it into the elevator shaft.

　　Liu Yunlong wanted to look outside, but he didn't expect that the cabin suddenly burst into flames. The flames shot up several meters high, making it impossible for people to get close.

　　"Luckily I brought my stuff with me today, otherwise it would be troublesome!" Zhang Shan clapped his hands and said with lingering fear: "Where did so many corpse ticks come from?"

　　Before I could open my mouth, Liu Yunlong rushed to tell me what had just happened from beginning to end.

　　This guy is not good at his job, but his narration is first-rate. Not only is his story accurate, but it also makes for a very interesting story.

　　After hearing this, Zhang Shan immediately agreed with my point of view: "These two elevators must be closed at night! Otherwise, more people will be killed."

　　"Leave this matter to me. I will contact the dean immediately." Liu Yunlong volunteered.

　　Looking at my black and greasy sweater, I felt like crying but had no tears. My newly bought down jacket was also gone. It seemed that I had better not go home tonight, otherwise I would definitely be scolded.

　　"It's haunted! It's haunted!" A man's voice came from the west side of the building.

　　"Let's go and take a look!" Zhang Shan took the lead and ran over.

　　The person who was shouting about the haunted house was the morgue manager. He suddenly felt a stomachache and ran to the first floor to use the toilet. When he returned, he found that an elevator had been burned beyond recognition, the floor was covered with red blood stains, and the body in the morgue had fallen to the ground and broken into two pieces.

　　This frightened him so much that he crawled up there.

　　Liu and I couldn't help but sigh at how lucky this guy was. If he had been there just now, it would have been more than just a simple scare.

　　Under Zhang Shan's guidance, we went down to the second underground floor. Apparently, all the insects were burned to ashes by the fire. Apart from the blackened walls, there was not a single dead insect to be found, and the ground was covered with gray dust.

　　In the morgue, Zhang Shan smeared some of the yellow paste on the forehead of the corpse, lit a piece of talisman paper, and fumigated the area along the paste. He stopped only after green smoke came out.

　　From the smell, I guessed it was sulfur.

　　After calling a few security guards from the hospital's security department, we returned to the first floor.

　　Zhang Shan was guarding the two elevators at the east end, and Liu Yunlong and I came to the dean's house.

　　The dean sat on the luxurious sofa in the living room and listened to our story. He frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Please forgive me for being frank. As a medical worker, how can you ask me to believe such a ridiculous thing? Closing the elevator is a small matter, but the negative impact it will have on the hospital is hard to estimate."

　　"It's okay. You can use it as usual during the day, and just close it at night. There aren't many people passing by anyway." Seeing that there was room for negotiation, I immediately took over.

　　"How long will it take to recover from this situation?" asked the dean.

　　"..." We were speechless. Who could know about this? The exact cause of this is still a mystery.

　　Seeing that we were silent, the dean smiled and continued, "Young man, spend your free time on the right path. If you have anything to say, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. Tell me, who in your family is in the hospital?"

　　It seems that he treated us as if we were presenting gifts! No wonder he was so polite when he let us in.

　　Liu Yunlong was a man of short temper. He was not happy when he heard this. He stood up and said, "Everything we said just now is true. This is my police ID from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Municipal Bureau! I now need your hospital to cooperate with the investigation and close the elevator as required!"

　　The dean was obviously stunned, then he stretched out his hand and said, "Okay, where are the documents? As long as you show us the relevant documents, we promise to cooperate!"

　　This time we were both stunned. Where did the documents come from? The Criminal Investigation Department had all left. They no longer cared about this matter. We were the only two left. To put it bluntly, they didn't even need to cooperate with us.

　　"What if I insist on closing it?" Liu Yunlong said word by word.

　　"I'm sorry, I can't do that!" the dean responded sharply.

　　"Old man, don't regret it!"

　　"see a visitor out!"

　　“…”

　　Chapter 17 The Unexpected

　　On the way, Liu Yunlong kept cursing and swearing, and he cursed all the dean's ancestors.

　　I went back to the elevator at the east end of the building and saw two security guards arguing with Zhang Shan. I didn't know what the disagreement was.

　　I hurried over and asked, only to find out that they saw from the camera that we were the one who set the fire in the elevator. I hurried over and found that Zhang Shan was still there. Naturally, I stopped him and insisted that he compensate for the loss of the elevator.

　　It was not until Liu Yunlong showed his police officer ID and assured that the matter would be resolved through negotiation between the bureau and the hospital that the two security guards left in disappointment.

　　Turning around, I saw that both elevators were out of power. One elevator was out of service because of a fire, and the one where the nurse fell to her death was too close. For safety reasons, they would have to wait until tomorrow to be repaired before they could be opened again.

　　This is just right, as it saves us from having to send someone to keep watch at night.

　　After some discussion, we decided to come back tomorrow night. The first goal is to negotiate with the hospital to close the elevator. If that doesn't work, we will send someone to guard it and no one can get on. In short, we must not use it again until we find out the truth.

　　God knows if there will be a second victim.

　　After Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan left, I looked at the state of my body and had no choice but to go find Ni Qian. The first thing I should do tomorrow is to buy an identical cotton-padded jacket.

　　I was so tired after the day that I took a shower and went to sleep. I slept so soundly that even the girl had a nightmare at night and was still confused.

　　I was still sleeping soundly in the morning when my cell phone rang again. It was a colleague from the company asking me why I didn't go to work. I looked at the clock and it was already ten o'clock. I got up quickly, put on another coat, and went straight to the company.

　　On the way, I received another call from Zhang Shan, who reminded me, "Uncle Master, don't forget that today is Friday. You have an appointment with that woman to go to her house. You must come!"

　　If he hadn't reminded me, I would have really forgotten it.

　　After work, I didn’t have time to eat. I went to the underpass to find Zhang Shan, and we went straight to the community where the woman lived.

　　After ringing the doorbell, a man's voice sounded, "Who is it?"

　　The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man in his thirties, also dressed casually and wearing glasses, looking quite handsome.

　　"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" He was obviously surprised to see two men standing outside the door.

　　"Oh, you are Ms. Fang's lover, right? Ms. Fang invited us here." Zhang Shan spoke in his deep voice again.

　　"Who's looking for me?" The hostess's voice came from inside the house, and she came over.

　　"Oh...that...please come in, please come in!" When the hostess saw that it was us, she was stunned for a moment, and then immediately invited us into the house.

　　Before entering the door, Zhang Shan waved his hand behind me, and I opened my spiritual eyes.

　　This... I was stunned when I saw the scene in front of me!

　　"Who are these two?" The host asked politely when he saw the woman inviting us into the house.

　　"Oh, these are Master Zhang and Master Wang. They have received true teachings and are very capable. I asked them to come and take a look at the feng shui of our house." The woman whispered to her husband.

　　After hearing this, the man's face changed immediately, and he immediately changed to a tough tone: "Xiao Fang, you know that I hate those fortune tellers, feng shui and superstitious people the most. It's fine if you believe in them, I can't control you, but how can you bring them home? What if they are bad people?"

　　The more Zhang Shan listened, the worse his expression became, but my attention was not here at all.

　　"Master Zhang is not a liar. Don't say that in front of others. It's so rude!" The woman was scolded in front of others by her husband. She felt embarrassed and protested in a low voice.

　　"Not a liar? Only a fool like you would believe it! Where did you find it? Give them some money and tell them to leave immediately!" The man's words became more and more unpleasant.

　　"...They...are really not scammers." The woman looked at the two of us, then at her husband, feeling torn.

　　Zhang Shan's face was already darkened to his ears. If he hadn't had the hope of making money, he would have punched the man in the face.

　　After controlling his emotions, Zhang Shan said, "Ms. Fang, since your husband doesn't believe this, I think we should come back another day." After that, he patted me on the shoulder and motioned to leave.

　　But I remained indifferent, with an expression as if a good show was about to begin.

　　"Can you just trust me this time? They are really not those who are trying to scam us. They really want to help us!" The woman was also a little angry. Her husband was too disrespectful to her today.

　　"Hmph! Not a liar? Well then, let me believe you. Then you can calculate what my mother's last name is?" The man was obviously very angry. He walked up to Zhang Shan and looked at him provocatively.

　　"Surname Jia!"

　　Everyone was stunned. Zhang Shan naturally didn't know, so the words came out of my mouth.

　　"Xiao Fang! Why did you tell them everything!" After the man realized what was going on, he naturally thought that it was his wife who told others.

　　The woman, on the other hand, looked confused.

　　Zhang Shan looked at me with surprise, because if he didn't know, I would have no idea about it.

　　"Hmph, let me ask you again." The man didn't make a fool of us on the spot, so he stared at me and asked, "When was my date of birth?"

　　The reason why he dared to ask this means that his wife probably doesn't know his real age.

　　I smiled and said calmly, "Forget it. This will easily cause family discord."

　　The man shuddered, and I knew that my guess was correct - the date of birth on his ID card was probably inconsistent with his actual age.

　　"Don't be afraid! Tell me! Tell me and I'll give you ten times the divination fee!" The man probably saw what I was thinking. Naturally, he thought I was making an inference and pressed me further.

　　"Really?"

　　"Hmph, if you can't say it today, or if what you say is wrong, don't blame me for calling the police." The man crossed his arms and looked at me with a sinister smile.

　　"Okay, December 12, 1972." I said it without thinking.

　　The room fell into silence.

　　After a long while, the woman said to the man, "Is he right? Weren't you born in 1977?"

　　The stagnant expression on the man's face said it all.

　　"Please take a seat, both of you!" The woman became even more convinced that his judgment was correct, and hurriedly led us from the door into the house.

　　I dragged Zhang Shan, who had a dazed look on his face, past the host without even looking at him.

　　"Wait!" When my butt was about to touch the sofa, the male host spoke again: "Who are you? What is your purpose in coming here? If you are from my hometown and want money, I can give it to you, but you can't get it in this deceptive way!"

　　"Sorry, we don't want anything. We are just here to solve the problem at the invitation of your wife." I was confident at this time, so why would I care what he said.

　　"What's the problem?" the man asked.

　　"That depends on what problem she wants to solve~" I put my hands behind my head and leaned comfortably on the sofa.

　　"What's going on?" Seeing the host's face changing from bright to dark, Zhang Shan was really puzzled, so he turned around and asked me in a low voice.

　　"You'll know soon. There's a story to listen to today." I smiled mysteriously at him and answered in a low voice.

　　"You...you don't be so arrogant. I tell you, this is my home! You...you are breaking into a private house. I'm going to call the police!" Seeing that he had no way to do anything with me, the man suddenly became hysterical.

　　"Ah? It seems like it was your wife who invited us in?" I pretended to be scared and said in surprise.

　　"You...you are promoting feudal superstition, and I don't believe that no one can do anything about it!" the man said as he was about to pick up the phone.

　　"Zhang Haitao, I advise you to just give up. If you don't make this call, you might still have a glimmer of hope." I simply ignored his threats and actions.

　　"Snap"

　　The man dropped the phone in his hand. He pointed at me in disbelief and said, "Who... are you? What do you know?"

　　His current name is Zhang Zhiguang, and even his wife doesn’t know his real name.

　　Don't ask me how I know.

　　I sat up straight in the surprised eyes of Zhang Shan and the hostess. I ignored Zhang Haitao's question and said with a smile behind him: "Hello! We meet again!"

　　Chapter 18 The Cause of the Incident

　　Zhang Haitao immediately turned around and looked back, but there was nothing behind him.

　　Because I had opened my spiritual eyes before I entered the door, I was the only one who could see what was behind him.

　　Behind the man stood two identical women, except that one had a gloomy face and the other had a charming smile.

　　It can be said that they are the same person, except that one is a soul and the other is a nightmare.

　　He is the female corpse that Zhang Shan and I fished out of the Jinshui River—Gao Yuan!

　　"Hello!" Gao Yuan greeted me with a charming smile.

　　The information just now was naturally told to me by them.

　　Zhang Haitao's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, which even blinded his eyes without him noticing. Seeing this, his "current" wife hurriedly helped him sit down.

　　"What exactly did you see?" Zhang Shan asked me in a low voice during this gap.

　　"What do you guess?" I smiled and teased him.

　　"How should I know?"

　　"Golden Water River."

　　"...That female ghost?"

　　"good!"

　　"Well... now we're going to have something interesting to watch!"

　　When the man sat down, he seemed exhausted and had no strength left.

　　Seeing this, the woman surnamed Fang said to us in an embarrassed tone, "I'm so sorry, you see my husband is in such a state, maybe his old illness has come back, how about we go another time?"

　　"Haha, heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. We can cure your husband's illness today!" After Zhang Shan learned about the situation, he immediately put on an expression that looked as if he was hoping for chaos in the world.

　　Although he was very bothered by Gao Yuan's almost killing him, he always said afterwards that it was too cruel to treat a dead person like this and seal the body at the bottom of the river. It was tantamount to permanent confinement.

　　Today, he finally met someone who might be the murderer. How could he let him go easily?

　　I discovered a long time ago that this guy has an innate sense of justice.

　　"Really? That's great! What do you think...how to treat it?" The woman still didn't understand and thought we really wanted to help her husband.

　　Zhang Haitao was gasping for breath, as if he was about to suffocate.

　　Zhang Shan and I just looked at him without saying anything. After a long time, he felt better and looked up at the woman and said, "Xiao Fang, I have something to ask these two. Can you go out and buy some tea for me?"

　　"We have tea at home!" said the woman puzzled.

　　"Just go if I tell you to! When have you ever seen me drink our tea? Go buy the best quality Tieguanyin!" The man gave a death order.

　　After the woman reluctantly opened the door and left, Zhang Haitao stared at me and asked, "How much do you know?"

　　I smiled and said, "I don't know much. It depends on how much you want to confess."

　　"Who told you this?!" The man still refused to give up and still thought that the secret had been leaked.

　　I didn't answer him directly, but asked Gao Yuan behind him: "How long have you been pestering him?"

　　The one with a gloomy face said, "Since the day you let me out."

　　With a bright smile, she continued, "Alas, I asked her to leave, but she refused to leave. She said she would not be satisfied until she saw Haitao die."

　　"You still call him Haitao? I will never forgive this unfaithful man even if I die!" Gao Yuan, who had a gloomy face, suddenly became excited. "Humph! He has been sinking to the bottom of the river for two years. I will crush his love to pieces!"

　　I watched them talking to each other and was quite surprised. It was the first time I saw that the soul and the nightmare could live in peace.

　　"You...you have the Yin-Yang Eyes!" Ever since I asked that question, Zhang Haitao started shaking like a sieve, turning his head to look behind him from time to time, but he still could not see anything.

　　"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it. You must have felt uncomfortable at night these past few months, right?" I looked at him and said word by word.

　　"...Okay, I'll tell you everything..." Zhang Haitao completely collapsed.

　　Zhang Haitao and Gao Yuan were lovers in college. They were a perfect match, and everyone envied them. They were both good students, and the grand blueprint of life was unfolding for them.

　　After graduating from university, Zhang Haitao made his first fortune within two years of working - it was also by chance. He received a batch of counterfeit mobile phones that had just been launched on the market from a southern customer. To put it bluntly, they were second-hand mobile phones smuggled from abroad. After they flowed into the country, they were repackaged and sold at a very low cost.

　　It was the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century, when the word mobile phone had just entered the minds of Chinese people. A batch of mobile phones that were far below the market price allowed Zhang Haitao to earn tens of thousands of yuan in two months.

　　The urge to take risks slowly rose in his heart, so he quit his original well-paid job and resolutely plunged into the smuggled mobile phone market.

　　Since the southern market had been opened at that time, but the northern market was still relatively closed, he personally went to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and other places to find sources of goods, negotiate prices, buy low and sell high, and gradually opened up the Zhengzhou market.

　　In less than a year, Zhang Haitao had accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he had a car and lived in a western-style building. This house was bought at that time.

　　During this period, he and Gao Yuan also got married. Soon after, as the business grew, Gao Yuan also quit her original job and joined him in the mobile phone business.

　　Anyone who does business will become more daring the more they do business, and the more they want to make a fortune. But how many people can really stay sober all the time?

　　Zhang Haitao was no exception. After his business grew, he was willing to spend money to open up various links so that his smuggling business could withstand all the surprise inspections.

　　How could such a business last long? Finally, two years ago, a batch of smuggled mobile phones that Zhang Haitao had brought from Shenzhen using all his savings of more than 2 million yuan were seized in Hubei.

　　It was his bad luck. If he had used logistics, the goods would have arrived in batches at a time, which would have been safe and economical. But in Zhang Haitao's eyes, time is money. In recent years, more and more people have been making mobile phones. Whoever can get the goods first can seize the entire market.

　　Driven by profit, he took the risk and hired a truck to transport the goods directly here from the coastal city.

　　I thought I had taken care of all the little ghosts and gods along the way, so there would be no mistakes. But if you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. If you are not careful, it will be an irreversible situation.

　　Zhang Haitao was panicked now, and immediately used his connections to pray to gods and Buddhas everywhere.

　　But it was too late, as a TV station happened to be filming a newly built highway checkpoint. After being caught, it was on the news that night.

　　Due to pressure from public opinion, he could not release the truckload of goods no matter what.

　　Zhang Haitao was so anxious that he kept walking around the house every day, but he had no idea what to do. He called people, but they all advised him to just let it go. He was lucky to be able to get away. Otherwise, if they were to track him down, he would be sentenced to several years in prison.

　　Gao Yuan also advised him to start over if it didn't work out. It was no big deal. Didn't he still live the same way when he had no money before? Besides, he had a house and a car now. It was just that his savings were gone. It was much better than when he just graduated. He shouldn't think too much about it.

　　Zhang Haitao actually knew all of this. If it was just his own money, he might really let it go, but this time, in order to cooperate with the overseas launch of a brand of mobile phones and seize the market, he scraped together all the money he could, and even mortgaged his car and house, but he still needed 300,000 yuan.

　　Zhang Haitao made a cruel decision and called the loan shark.

　　Chapter 19: An Insurance Policy

　　I thought it was just a temporary use, and once the goods arrived in a few days, the problem would be solved naturally. Three hundred thousand, with an interest rate of 10% in seven days, was really not worth mentioning compared to the hundreds of thousands of profits that were about to be received.

　　But now, let alone the principal of 300,000 yuan, Zhang Haitao can't even come up with the interest of 30,000 yuan.

　　Seeing that the repayment date was approaching, Zhang Haitao was on the verge of collapse. He would rather die than give up everything he had.

　　At this moment, a leaflet from an insurance company was stuffed through the crack in the door and jumped into Zhang Haitao's field of vision. The content on it was like a vicious spell, gradually corroding his soul.

　　An evil idea began to take root deep in Zhang Haitao's heart.

　　On the evening of the fourth day, Zhang Haitao hugged his wife who was watching TV in the living room and said, "Xiaoyuan, let's go to Kaifeng night market tomorrow? Let's relax. I'm going crazy staying at home these days!"

　　"Great! You should have gone out for some fresh air a long time ago!" It was rare for her husband to walk around, so Gao Yuan immediately raised both hands in agreement.

　　"Well, how about we go shopping when we get there tomorrow afternoon, and then drive back after eating at the night market in the evening?"

　　"Ah? Why don't you stay for a day? There is a hotel with nice scenery next to Baogong Lake." Gao Yuan was a little disappointed.

　　"Save money! If we don't save money now, how will your husband make a comeback in the future?" Zhang Haitao's smile was a little forced.

　　"Okay, husband! As long as you can think it through, nothing else matters. We can just start over again."

　　"Well, are you willing to help your husband?"

　　"Of course I do!"

　　“…”

　　The next day, after lunch, the two drove to Kaifeng, played around for a while, and after dinner, returned to Zhengzhou.

　　On the way, Zhang Haitao drove while looking at his wife who had fallen asleep due to exhaustion from playing.

　　Finally, as if he had made a decision, he slowly stepped on the accelerator to the bottom.

　　There was a car in front of him, and he turned the steering wheel slightly to the left just before hitting it.

　　Since there is no way to survive, either we die together or you save me. This is what he thought at the time.

　　Three days later, Zhang Haitao was discharged from the hospital with only minor injuries. A few days later, he received another 550,000 yuan in compensation for his wife's death.

　　After paying off the loan shark, Zhang Haitao used the remaining 250,000 yuan to continue his mobile phone business. However, since many people were already engaged in mobile phone channels at that time, his business was not very popular and he could never recover.

　　Having said this, Zhang Haitao stopped, looked at us, and indicated that he had finished speaking.

　　"Is it over?" Zhang Shan asked.

　　"It's over."

　　"Think about it again." Zhang Shan teased him.

　　"What else do you want to know? I've said everything I need to say!" Zhang Haitao suddenly became angry. "You can kill me or chop me up if you want! I've had enough of this! Do you think I've lived comfortably in the past two years?!"

　　"Let me remind you? Jinshui River? The bottom of the river?" Zhang Shan finally spoke out.

　　"What!" Zhang Haitao was shocked again, "How much do you know?"

　　"Not much. Tell us, who taught you to do this?" I took advantage of his distraction and pressed him.

　　"I can't say it. Don't force me. If I say it, I will die!" Zhang Haitao gasped several times, and it can be seen how shocked he was at the moment.

　　"Humph, won't you die if you don't tell me?" Zhang Shan leaned forward and stared at him.

　　Zhang Haitao was obviously struggling fiercely. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Just kill me."

　　"It's better not to tell us. We don't really want to know. Now that you have admitted it, we have made the matter clear. Someone will come to punish you! Let's go!" After saying that, Zhang Shan and I stood up and prepared to leave.

　　"You...you don't want to call the police?" Zhang Haitao was a little surprised.

　　"Call the police? There are more severe ways to punish you than going to jail. Why should I call the police?" I turned around and said to Zhang Haitao.

　　"Take good care of him!" I said to Gao Yuan behind Zhang Haitao before leaving. Yan smiled knowingly at me, while Hun sighed.

　　For the first time, I stood on the side of Yan. To deal with this kind of scum, we must use more cruel methods than he used.

　　"Don't go! Can you help me? I can give you money!" Zhang Haitao shouted behind us.

　　"Do you want to help him?" I asked Zhang Shan.

　　"Hmph! I'm afraid of dirtying my hands if I take money from this kind of person!" Zhang Shan glared at me and strode forward. Neither of us looked back.

　　"Why do you want to know who his military advisor is?" Zhang Shan asked puzzledly after coming out.

　　"Anyone who can come up with this idea is obviously not a good person. Don't you think the elevator in the city hospital is weird?" I speculated casually.

　　"Yes! Maybe these two things were done by the same person! Even if not, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, there will be a connection." Zhang Shan suddenly realized.

　　"Well, it's just that we still don't know whether the death of the young nurse in the municipal hospital was man-made. If so, what was the purpose of killing her?" I thought to myself that if Zhang Haitao was willing to say, things would be a lot simpler, and it would be clear at a glance whether the two things were related or not.

　　But we can't do anything to him. Death, compared to now, is a relief for him.

　　The phone in my pocket rang again. It was Song Dongfeng.

　　"Hey! Where are you?" Song Dongfeng's tone was unusually nervous.

　　"I'm still looking for you! There's something really strange about that elevator. Can you contact someone and try to shut it down?" As soon as I saw his caller ID, I remembered this.

　　"We can't close it now! Come back soon! It's a mess here!" Song Dongfeng's side suddenly became noisy, and I seemed to hear Captain Yang yelling beside him: "If you don't find a way to get my people out, I will report it to your director!"

　　"What on earth happened?" An ominous premonition suddenly enveloped me.

　　"Your childhood friend, Liu Yunlong, is missing!" Song Dongfeng shouted loudly.

　　"What!?"

　　"Come back to the hospital soon! We'll talk when you get back!" Song Dongfeng said and hung up the phone.

　　"What's going on?" Zhang Shan asked impatiently as he put down his phone.

　　"Liu Yunlong... is lost." I said absentmindedly.

　　When I took a taxi back to the hospital, there was a fierce quarrel in the lobby on the first floor of the emergency room. Captain Yang and several criminal investigation detectives who had met yesterday were surrounding Song Dongfeng, who was wrapped in a layer of clothing to watch the fun.

　　The hospital security wanted to intervene, but when they saw that they were criminal police, they did not dare to go up and bring bad luck.

　　I followed Zhang Shan and pushed through the crowd, moving closer. I saw Captain Yang pointing at Song Dongfeng's nose and saying, "Xiao Song, you are so irresponsible. In the two years since you came here, what have I not cooperated with you on? Oh, now that something has happened, you wipe your mouth and say it was an accident. It turns out that the person lost is not yours!"

　　Song Dongfeng was about to speak when Zhang Shan stopped him and asked, "What's going on? Where is Liu Yunlong?"

　　"Who are you?" Captain Yang was not happy at all when he saw a nosy man suddenly appear.

　　"I didn't ask you, why are you butting in?" Zhang Shan didn't care whether he was a policeman or a leader.

　　"Hey~ I tell you not to meddle in other people's business without even looking at who it is. Is this something you can control?" Before Captain Yang could say anything, the people behind him were already unhappy.

　　These criminal policemen, when they go out to investigate cases, are treated like Zhong Kui - they have to be worshipped like gods. When have they ever been contradicted by ordinary people like this?

　　Captain Yang had already seen me following Zhang Shan. He didn't say anything, but just looked at Song Dongfeng, wanting to listen to his explanation.

　　"Oh, sorry, Captain Yang, this is also my colleague, Zhang Shan." Song Dongfeng said immediately.

　　"Don't say that useless thing! I just want to ask you how did Liu Yunlong get lost? Where did he go?" Zhang Shan didn't give him any face at all.

　　"I can't explain it clearly." Song Dongfeng pushed his glasses and said to Zhang Shan.

　　Chapter 20: Unknown Floor

　　"Can't explain it? If you can't explain it, then find a way to figure it out! A bunch of grown men are messing around here instead of dealing with the problem! Can you tell me who is missing just by saying that?" Zhang Shan was like a leader, scolding everyone around him, big and small, including Captain Yang.

　　"Go! Go! Go! What are you looking at? Why don't you stay in the hospital and watch the excitement? If you watch any longer, I will drag you to record your statements! Those who want to sleep, go back quickly!" When the guy saw that the people in the inner circle didn't say anything, he rushed towards the people in the outer circle who were watching the excitement.

　　People immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

　　No one dared to say anything anymore, because what Zhang Shan said did make sense.

　　"Alright, alright, everyone calm down." Seeing that Zhang Shan had calmed down the situation, I began to give them a way out.

　　"Captain Yang, I'm sorry, can you tell me about Liu Yunlong's disappearance?" I didn't ask Song Dongfeng, but asked Captain Yang directly. On the one hand, I wanted to give him face. After all, it was unacceptable for a criminal investigation captain to be scolded by Zhang Shan. On the other hand, I wanted to change the topic quickly, so that they wouldn't come back to Zhang Shan after they recovered.

　　"Humph!" Captain Yang snorted in disdain, then said in a mocking tone, "Isn't your Security Investigation Bureau responsible for these matters? Even your leader can't explain it clearly, so how can an ordinary person like me explain it clearly?"

　　"Don't be angry anymore, we are solving the problem now! I know how you feel, and we also want to find him as soon as possible. Let me tell you the truth! Liu Yunlong and I are childhood friends, and his business is my business. I will find him even if it costs me my life!" In the end, I became more and more serious.

　　"Okay, since you can't explain it clearly, let's watch the video!" Song Dongfeng said when he saw Captain Yang didn't say anything.

　　We came to the monitoring room at the back of the hospital again. Captain Yang sent their people to guard the elevator entrance at the east end of the first floor and strictly prohibited anyone from using it.

　　Now that the criminal police team took over, the hospital security guards all stayed away and dared not to interfere anymore.

　　On the way, Song Dongfeng told us the general situation.

　　In fact, the monitoring room has been managed by the Municipal Bureau's Technical Department for the past two days. The purpose is to repeatedly analyze the video footage before and after the incident to completely rule out the possibility of homicide.

　　Since they were from the same unit, Liu Yunlong naturally asked them to help monitor the movements in the elevator where the incident occurred while watching the video.

　　Fortunately, he was an acquaintance and noticed the abnormality immediately and reported it immediately. It has only been an hour since the incident.

　　We retrieved the video footage and a colleague here told us what happened at that time.

　　Just after 7pm, he saw from the video that Liu Yunlong was standing at the elevator entrance on the first floor and had an argument with a middle-aged woman. After investigation, it was found that the woman was a doctor on duty in the gynecology department on the ninth floor of the hospital.

　　On the monitor in the elevator room on the first floor, Liu Yunlong brought two chairs from somewhere and stuck them in the elevator door. Since the elevator door couldn't be closed, it naturally couldn't go to any floor.

　　This guy was just sitting there feeling bored when a middle-aged woman with a bag came over and apparently was going to get on the elevator.

　　Liu Yunlong certainly would not do what she wanted. At first, the two of them were still talking patiently. But not long after, I don't know what the woman said, Liu Yunlong suddenly turned around, sat on the chair, and ignored the woman.

　　The woman became annoyed. She took a step forward and pointed at Liu Yunlong's nose. Her mouth kept moving as if she was getting very emotional.

　　I really wanted to know what they said, but the monitor didn't have a microphone, so all I could see was an image without any sound.

　　Not long after, the woman seemed to be tired, so she stopped to rest for two seconds, then walked forward, apparently intending to step over Liu Yunlong and enter the elevator.

　　There were two chairs at the elevator entrance, with a young man sitting on them. How could she just step over them? The woman didn't raise her legs much before she stepped on Liu Yunlong.

　　This guy couldn't hold back his temper anymore and immediately stood up to argue with the woman.

　　Who knew that just as he stood up to pat the shoe prints on his body, the woman kicked over the chair and squeezed into the elevator.

　　This time Liu Yunlong was not happy about this and wanted to go in and pull her out.

　　As soon as she touched him, the woman started to scream so loudly that Liu Yunlong actually covered his ears, which shows how loud the decibel was at that time.

　　After shouting for a while, everyone nearby came. Seeing that there was no other way, Liu Yunlong closed the elevator door, lowered his head and said something to the woman, then pressed the ninth floor.

　　The two continued arguing in the elevator until the door opened and they reached the ninth floor, then the woman walked out of the elevator cursing.

　　After closing the door, Liu Yunlong pressed the button for the first floor again. It seemed that he was going to go downstairs to continue guarding.

　　So far, nothing suspicious has happened, but my intuition tells me that if anything is going to happen, it will be during the ten or so seconds when he goes downstairs alone.

　　The elevator stopped at the eighth floor. When the door opened, it was pitch black outside, and it seemed that the light in the corridor was broken.

　　I turned my head and looked at another monitor, which showed the current situation in the elevator room on the eighth floor. The lights were on.

　　I started to feel that something was wrong.

　　Liu Yunlong in the picture leaned out to look, and then pressed the door-closing button, but the door didn't move at all. This guy had no choice but to hesitate for a moment and then walked out of the elevator.

　　A few seconds later, the elevator door closed and went down to the first floor, and the picture stopped. The time was 19:11.

　　"Is it over?" Zhang Shan asked?

　　"there is none left."

　　"Didn't he go to the eighth floor?"

　　"Xiao Zhao, retrieve the video footage from the eighth floor at that time." Song Dongfeng ordered.

　　The screen changed to the elevator room on the eighth floor. The lights were on and the time was 19:10. After watching for two minutes, there was no movement on the screen.

　　"Didn't he go to the eighth floor?" Zhang Shan asked again. This was also what I thought in my mind.

　　"Call up the surveillance footage from all floors."

　　The elevator videos from the first to the thirteenth floor were distributed on all monitors. The time was 19:10. Two minutes later, except for the woman coming out of the ninth floor, there was no movement.

　　Liu Yunlong didn't even step into any floor of the building!

　　So where was the place he walked out from at that time?

　　Where on earth did this elevator stop at that moment? !

　　"Where...where did he go?" I pointed at the monitor, feeling my hair standing on end, and asked Song Dongfeng.

　　"I don't know either, so I can't explain it. If Xiao Zhao hadn't discovered this situation at the time, I'm afraid we would still be kept in the dark." Song Dongfeng said with a wry smile.

　　"Have the elevator shaft and basement been checked?" I immediately thought of these two high-risk areas.

　　"I checked everything, and there's no problem."

　　The monitoring room fell silent again. Everyone should have the same feeling. This video made my scalp tingle.

　　What kind of space did this guy step into?

　　Will he be able to come back?

　　Song Dongfeng interrupted my thoughts and said, "This is not a solution. Next, I want you two to find him and thoroughly investigate the problem with this elevator."

　　"Find it? How to find it?" I was still in deep panic.

　　"Let's just look for him the same way he went!" Zhang Shan reacted quite quickly.

　　"You mean... we should take the elevator too?" I couldn't help but shudder, and fear suddenly came over me.

　　Chapter 21 Fatal Swing

　　Speaking of the incident when I passed the air-raid shelter, I was much braver. But the situation today was obviously different. That time I had a goal and was well prepared, and there was no way to retreat, so I just went for it.

　　But this time, I had no idea what the consequences would be. Where to go? What to check? How to check? I had no idea at all.

　　There is only one thing that is clear and unavoidable, and that is to bring Liu Yunlong back.

　　"Yes, I thought so too." Song Dongfeng said to Zhang Shan, "Since he got lost in the elevator, go to the elevator and find him. Tell me, what do you need? I will arrange for someone to prepare it right away."

　　"Let's go! My uncle-master, you're not even afraid of the corpse-carrying curse, so why would you be afraid of this?" Zhang Shan patted me on the shoulder happily, indicating that I shouldn't be too nervous.

　　"I want to go too!" Captain Yang behind me suddenly said.

　　"Captain Yang, it's not that I don't want you to go, but this kind of thing..."

　　Song Dongfeng was interrupted before he finished speaking: "Don't say anymore! My soldiers are missing, if I don't go to look for them, who will? I, Yang Gang, have been through hail of bullets in my life. What kind of scenes have I not seen? What major incidents have I not dealt with? This time alone is the most troublesome for me. If I don't go, I will regret it for the rest of my life!"

　　Song Dongfeng wanted to say something again, but I stopped him.

　　I understand him. In the heart of an old criminal policeman like Captain Yang, justice is always invincible. The more he feels that his opponent is strong and difficult to deal with, the more he will try his best to defeat him. If he retreats, this shadow will hang over him for the rest of his life.

　　Then his future work and future would come to an end.

　　This is the so-called "Sword of Light Spirit". No matter whether I can do it or not, I must do it!

　　If you do it, it is possible! If you don’t do it, it will never be possible!

　　"...Okay, I'll send someone to prepare the equipment, and we'll set off in twenty minutes." Song Dongfeng stared at Captain Yang for a long time, but knowing that he couldn't persuade him, he gave up.

　　After finding out what Zhang Shan needed, he immediately started to buy it.

　　Zhang Shan, Captain Yang and I returned to the elevator entrance at the east end of the first floor, waiting for the moment to go up.

　　"Hey, Xiao Wang, are there really ghosts in this world?" After a long silence, Captain Yang was probably still a little nervous, and he actually took the initiative to talk to me.

　　"If you believe it, it exists; if you don't believe it, it doesn't exist." In fact, I'm not much better than him. Ever since I heard that we were going to find Liu Yunlong, my heart rate has never been less than 100 beats.

　　"How do you mean?"

　　"To put it bluntly, ghosts are just minds that have left their bodies. Ghosts can be good or bad. If a person is good, then the ghost is good; if a person is evil, then the ghost is evil.

　　Ghosts are actually in everyone's heart. "After I finished speaking, Captain Yang fell into deep thought again.

　　Zhang Shan was quite energetic, chatting with me for a while and humming a little tune. He didn't look like he was about to go to the battlefield.

　　After waiting for nearly half an hour, Song Dongfeng finally got everything ready and brought it over. He mainly went to find the things Zhang Shan wanted, such as sulfur, yellow paper, cinnabar, and a one-foot-long peach wood sword.

　　It's the first time I see him using so many things, he looks like a Taoist priest.

　　Zhang Shan borrowed a pistol from the criminal police team. I thought about it and decided to use the dagger this guy gave me. If I don't know how to use the gun, I might end up hurting my own people. Besides, with the two of them around, it doesn't matter whether I take the gun or not.

　　Captain Yang naturally has his own gun.

　　After everything was ready, the four of us stepped into the elevator.

　　Song Dongfeng handed Captain Yang another walkie-talkie and said, "I don't know if it will be useful, but take it with you just in case. After we find Liu Yunlong, if conditions permit, we will try to investigate the situation thoroughly so that we can report to the higher-ups." After that, the guy exited the elevator.

　　"What? You're not going?" I asked curiously.

　　"Haha, I'm only responsible for personnel recruitment and crisis public relations. I don't have the ability to handle this kind of incident." Song Dongfeng said shamelessly.

　　I was stunned. Zhang Shan kept his mouth still and muttered, "See, this guy is the biological mother's son, and we are all raised by stepmothers. It's better for him not to go, so I don't have to take care of one more person."

　　Captain Yang probably knew what was going on, so he said nothing and reached out to press the door closing button.

　　The three of us were silent in the elevator, not knowing what to say. Even Zhang Shan stopped smiling.

　　After a long time, Captain Yang broke the silence and asked, "How do we get there?"

　　Yes! How to get there? We don’t know either!

　　"We have to do this and see if the three of us are qualified enough to be invited." Zhang Shan became excited as soon as someone spoke.

　　Captain Yang listened but didn't say anything. After all, he had never experienced such a thing.

　　I walked over and pressed the button for each floor, allowing the elevator to climb up floor by floor.

　　The elevator stops at each floor, which is actually a huge test for our psychology.

　　Every time I open the door, I feel conflicted. I hope everything is normal, but I also want it to take us in quickly.

　　"The lighting in the elevator rooms on all floors is completely normal. If you find any special circumstances, you can consider entering. I will always keep an eye on your movements in the monitoring room." Song Dongfeng's voice came from the intercom.

　　Soon, we walked around all the floors twice and returned to the first floor.

　　"What should I do?" I asked.

　　"Just keep walking until you're done." Zhang Shan said as he fiddled with the Type 64 in his hand.

　　The hatch closed again.

　　"Uncle Master, do you remember the time when we were trapped in the air-raid shelter?" Zhang Shan suddenly looked up and asked me.

　　"Yeah..." Of course I remember that although I encountered two ghost walls, Zhang Shan was unconscious the second time. I knew he was talking about the time he just went down.

　　"How about I stimulate you again?" The guy bared his big white teeth and was about to reach out his hand while speaking.

　　"Go play somewhere else! I was breaking the illusion, not triggering it."

　　"Just give it a try. How do you know if you don't try? Don't worry, I will pay attention this time."

　　"roll……"

　　"Stop arguing! Something's happening!" Captain Yang roared in a low voice as we were arguing.

　　Looking up, I saw that the LCD screen showing the floor had turned into a horizontal bar at some point.

　　"What's going on?" I just asked this question when the elevator cabin suddenly shook up and down.

　　"Hello! Hello! Check what's going on with the elevator immediately?!" Captain Yang called outside with the intercom, but there was no response except for the rustling sound.

　　The elevator was still shaking up and down, and the three of us were almost unable to stand. Captain Yang put the intercom back and shouted at us: "Hold the handrail next to you! Bend your legs slightly to prevent falling!"

　　I grabbed the handrail and thought it was all over. The way I was shaking, the steel cable wouldn't hold on for long and I might end up falling all at once.

　　After shaking for less than a minute, the elevator finally calmed down. After Zhang Shan stood up straight, he tried to jump twice, which scared me.

　　The elevator stopped, but the door did not open. Captain Yang tried to press the button to open the door, but there was no response.

　　It wasn't until we pressed all the buttons that we realized the elevator seemed to be broken.

　　Chapter 22 Where is this

　　"What should I do?" After pressing all the buttons, including the SOS button, there was no response. Captain Yang didn't know what to do and looked at me and asked.

　　I looked up at the ceiling. Last time, Liu Yunlong and I escaped from above. But it was the one next to it. This one was obviously renovated, and the bright ceiling lights filled the entire ceiling. If we want to climb out from here, we have to smash all the lights and tear off the entire ceiling.

　　"Open the door first!" Zhang Shan was unwilling to waste time, so he tried to force the door open.

　　This is not the first time I have been impressed by this guy's strength. He squeezed his fingers into the crack of the door, and before he even exerted much force, a gap about one foot wide was revealed.

　　"Hey!" With a low roar from Zhang Shan, the elevator doors were all pushed into the slide and opened completely.

　　"What's going on?" Captain Yang asked impatiently. I've gotten used to it. As long as this guy is blocking the door, you can't see anything at all. It's better to wait for him to make way.

　　"This... Oh my God... Have we fallen into... the underworld?" Zhang Shan stuttered as he spoke. He turned around and left the door half open for us.

　　"This..." Captain Yang and I looked over and were stunned for a moment.

　　Where exactly is this place?

　　It was a long corridor, similar to the ones we saw in the air raid shelter, except that it was much wider, so three or five people could walk side by side without feeling crowded.

　　Twenty meters ahead, there were two candlesticks, one on each side of the wall, with candles burning inside.

　　Behind the candlestick, there was actually an old-fashioned maroon door inlaid with copper nails.

　　The entire door flickered in the candlelight, which was extremely strange.

　　"There can't be such a place in the Municipal Hospital!" This was my first feeling.

　　"Let's go take a look?" Zhang Shan looked back at us and stepped in without caring whether we agreed or not. I wanted to say something, but I saw Captain Yang pulled out his gun and looked at me, which meant "You go first, I'll cover you."

　　No matter what the situation is, with Liu Yunlong currently missing, I'm afraid I'll have to go through fire and water even if it means going through mountains of swords. Thinking of this, I swallowed my words back and followed Zhang Shan in front of me.

　　After walking for dozens of steps, I felt that Zhang Shan was walking faster and faster. His steps were big, and I had to jog to keep up with him.

　　Soon, the guy stopped running, stopped, looked ahead, and asked me, "Didn't you notice anything wrong?"

　　I looked back at Captain Yang. Ten meters behind him was the elevator we took, and the lights were still on inside.

　　There's nothing wrong?

　　"Is this corridor so long?" Captain Yang looked ahead and said.

　　Yes! I just woke up. We had run almost 50 meters just now. This corridor is only about 20 meters long. We should have run to the end long ago. Why did we only run to the middle?

　　"If I'm not mistaken, we are trapped again, hehe." Zhang Shan turned his head to look at me with an expression that asked for a beating. He actually enjoyed encountering this situation!

　　I didn't believe it, so I walked past Zhang Shan and ran towards the gate ten meters ahead.

　　The door seemed to be moving backwards. No matter how fast I accelerated, it was always about ten meters away from me. This distance that was within reach now seemed so far away.

　　Zhang Shan behind him said, "See? Now we can neither move forward nor retreat. We are stuck in the middle."

　　Captain Yang also tried to walk back, but he just moved in the same place and couldn't go back!

　　I tried to use the "Break the Illusion" skill again, but it still didn't work. Could it be that this place is real? Not an illusion?

　　Zhang Shan saw my movements and knew what I wanted to do. He then said, "It seems that we have stepped into the formation."

　　"Formation? Isn't that something used for deploying troops?" Captain Yang also stopped and turned around to ask.

　　Zhang Shan smiled and said, "There are many kinds of formations, some for people, some for heaven and earth, some for fighting, and some for one person. For the Yin-walkers, these formations that can be used alone are a special kind of knowledge. Not only can they trap and attack the enemy, they can even be used for labor and guarding the house."

　　"So according to what you said, this elevator has indeed been tampered with?" I realized. Since the formation was set up by people, there is no reason for a formation to appear here out of thin air. Someone must have set it up.

　　"It looks like it's 100% done!" Zhang Shan stretched and said, "After the exercise, should we get down to business?"

　　"Can you break the formation?" I was worrying about how to get out, but I didn't expect that this guy had already made up his mind. No wonder he was so happy just now, it turned out that he didn't take it seriously at all.

　　"Hehe, I learned this secretly from my master when I was a kid. My grandfather didn't let me learn this. To operate the formation, you must gather the souls first. Without souls, there will be no formation. Although the seal holder deals with the soul nightmare, he cannot use it for his own benefit. That would be falling into the devil's way." Zhang Shan said as he counted the bricks on the ground.

　　"Follow me, here, walk forward four steps, then turn left." After Zhang Shan said that, he actually walked forward more than two meters along the right side, which stunned Captain Yang and I.

　　"Hey, this kid is really good!" Captain Yang smiled, put away his gun, and motioned for me to go first.

　　We walked left and right, sometimes even backing up a few steps. It took us half an hour to walk a distance of ten meters. Three grown men lined up in a row, twisting and turning in this dim corridor like they were dancing the Yangko dance.

　　"Okay!" Finally, Zhang Shan walked to the door, raised his hand and pushed open the maroon door.

　　Captain Yang and I became nervous again, not knowing what strange things were behind the door.

　　After the door opened, Zhang Shan jumped out first. When he dodged, I was also stunned when I saw the scene outside.

　　I had imagined all kinds of strange phenomena behind the door, but I didn't expect that it was actually an elevator room on a normal floor of the Municipal Hospital, but it was dark and there were no lights.

　　After we walked out, we looked back. Where was the corridor? Behind us was the elevator cabin with its door open. Captain Yang and I were stunned.

　　After exiting the elevator, there was no light on the entire floor, and it was dark outside the window, and I couldn't see anything. There were only signs for "Safe Passage" every few meters, emitting a faint blue light, and even the words could not be seen clearly.

　　"Which floor is this?" I asked them as I walked towards the floor sign hanging on the wall not far ahead.

　　There is a sign after exiting the elevator on each floor of the Municipal Hospital, which indicates the layout of the departments and wards on this floor for the convenience of visitors.

　　I approached the sign and looked up with the help of the light from the elevator cabin in the distance. I don't know if it was because I couldn't see clearly or it was too dark, the words on the sign were all crooked and twisted like tadpoles, and I couldn't recognize any of them.

　　I quickly called Zhang Shan and Captain Yang to see who had better eyesight to see what was written on it.

　　But Captain Yang's expression clearly told me that he didn't understand either.

　　Just as he was wondering, Zhang Shan's face changed drastically. He took out a pistol, bit his finger, smeared the "relics blood" on the muzzle of the gun, and looked around nervously.

　　"What are you doing?" I looked at him with a question mark on my face.

　　"Do you know what the words on it are?" Zhang Shan didn't look at me, his eyes were still looking around.

　　"What?"

　　"It's right that you can't understand what's written here! This is underworld writing! It's written for the dead!"

　　Chapter 23: The Dead Ward

　　"What!" I was so shocked when I heard this. No wonder Zhang Shan suddenly became so nervous, this floor was indeed unusual. Since it was all written for the dead, there must be no living people here.

　　Thinking of this, the hairs on my arms stood up again. I looked at Captain Yang. He was relatively calm, but he also held the gun in his hand.

　　"Then... Liu Yunlong should be here?" I suddenly thought of the purpose of this trip.

　　"It seems that he can't run away. This kid is lucky. He just came in and hadn't had enough fun yet, but we found him." Although Zhang Shan's expression was serious, he spoke the same way.

　　"But..." I thought of something else and asked, "There was clearly a formation when he came in just now. If it weren't for you, he would have been trapped inside. Didn't he encounter it?"

　　Zhang Shan thought for a moment and said, "There should be some triggering condition that will activate this formation. Its function is to prevent someone from accidentally breaking in. Maybe I forced the elevator door open, or maybe there are too many of us. It's possible. Anyway, let's go down to the cabin and take a look. Maybe we'll find something."

　　After observing for a while, we found that this floor was almost the same as the other floors, so we decided to check each room from the east side of the building to the west.

　　Zhang Shan was still in the front, I was in the middle, and Captain Yang was the last. We walked along the corridor to the ward. When I passed a row of windows in the corridor, I looked out. It was pitch black, and I couldn't see my hand in front of me. I had no idea where the window was.

　　The nurses' station was at the outermost of the west ward. When Zhang Shan got close to it, he stopped for a moment. I couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and look inside through the service desk.

　　This is... a person with his back to us, sitting at the desk in the nurse station, with his right hand raised up and twisted in a strange posture. At first glance, it looks like he is dancing, and a little familiar.

　　We walked around to the exit of the nurse station and saw the person clearly. It was a young nurse in a nurse's uniform. She was sitting there with her back to the outside, not moving at all.

　　Before I could take a closer look, Zhang Shan walked in, wanting to get to the bottom of things. Captain Yang was also a cautious person, so he stood outside with me, watching this guy's every move to prevent any accidents.

　　Zhang Shan slowly walked to the side of the young nurse, leaned out half of his body and looked at her face.

　　It didn't matter after seeing this. Zhang Shan's expression immediately became serious. He hurriedly took out a piece of yellow paper from his pocket and wrote something quickly on it with his bitten fingers.

　　After a moment, he reached out and placed the yellow paper covered with words on the little nurse's head.

　　Captain Yang and I were extremely confused. What on earth was this guy doing?

　　Before we could ask him, Zhang Shan moved the stool and brought the young nurse over so that she faced us.

　　"Ah..." I couldn't help but let out a low cry.

　　Captain Yang also saw the little nurse's face clearly and said, "Isn't this... the little nurse who fell to her death?"

　　No wonder the back figure looks so familiar, the young nurse was in this posture when she was discovered.

　　The one sitting there at this moment was her... no, to be precise, it was her corpse.

　　But I remember that it was broken into two pieces in the morgue on the second floor underground. How come it has returned to its original shape now?

　　Seeing that we were standing there in silence, Zhang Shan said, "No matter what it is, if it appears here, it must be no good. I will first find a way to suppress it, and then withdraw immediately after finding Liu Yunlong!"

　　Captain Yang and I also immediately became nervous. When we first arrived here, although it was strange, it was not scary. Judging from the current situation, I am afraid this place is not so easy to stay.

　　"Hurry up! Search the wards one by one. We must find Liu Yunlong as soon as possible, the sooner the better!" Zhang Shan took out his gun and held it in his hand as he walked out.

　　Captain Yang and I followed him, turned around and pushed open the door of the ward directly opposite the nurses' station.

　　This is a double room. There is still no light coming in through the windows of the room, which makes the pale bed and sheets particularly eye-catching.

　　I thought the ward was empty, but when I looked closely, I found that the sheets on the bed were not flat, as if there was something hidden underneath.

　　"Snap!" Captain Yang lit the lighter.

　　In the dim light of the fire, we saw the scene on the bed and couldn't help but gasp.

　　Two people who had been dead for a long time were now lying on the hospital beds.

　　The reason why we say they have been dead for a long time is that not only do their skin colors appear extremely abnormal, but they are also obviously dehydrated, with their gray-brown skin wrinkled and sticking to their bodies.

　　The person on the bed inside had a big gash on his head, and black bloodstains could be seen.

　　If this scene happened in a morgue, it wouldn't be too outrageous. But now, two dead people were lying on the hospital beds, looking like they were sick and hospitalized.

　　What’s even more bizarre is that they all have IV drips on the back of their hands!

　　I was just wondering what was the point of giving a dead person an IV drip. Zhang Shan said nothing, but waved his hand, signaling us to leave immediately.

　　After coming out and closing the door gently, we were all confused for a long time, not knowing how to explain the scene in front of us. After a while, Zhang Shan said nothing and walked towards the door next to him.

　　I went through several wards in a row, and every one of them looked like this. The bodies on the beds were in all kinds of weird shapes, some were even a pool of meat paste, and they were still hanging with IV bottles.

　　The more we looked down, the more shocked we were. This was simply a ward specially set up for the dead, but we didn't know what kind of illness the dead needed?

　　What worries me even more is whether Liu Yunlong is alive or dead in such a strange space. A sense of foreboding is gradually rising.

　　Arriving at the last ward at the end of the corridor, Zhang Shan seemed to have given up. Since every ward before him was like that, this one would probably be no exception. It would be even more disgusting to go in and take another look.

　　But I felt that this room was a little unusual. I couldn't tell what was wrong, it was just a feeling.

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan had no intention of pushing the door open, I took a step forward and grabbed the handle.

　　I twisted the door slightly and it opened. I didn't dare go in, I just poked my head in and looked inside.

　　This is a single room. Unlike the previous ones, it looks a bit like an intensive care unit. The bed is also slightly larger than the ordinary one, and the "thing" lying on it is still unclear.

　　Captain Yang walked forward, lit his lighter, and moved inside.

　　"Liu!" "Xiao Liu!" Captain Yang and I shouted in unison.

　　If the person lying on the bed is not Liu Yunlong, then who else could it be?

　　Zhang Shan, who was outside the door, rushed in upon hearing this and rushed to the bedside with us.

　　Although Liu Yunlong was lying quietly on the bed at this time, his eyes were closed, his lips were bloodless, and the blue veins on his forehead were exposed. He looked three parts like a human and seven parts like a dead person.

　　Captain Yang stretched out a hand and slowly placed it on Liu Yunlong's wrist. I didn't dare to do that, I just stared at Captain Yang with wide eyes, waiting for him to confirm the information.

　　After a moment, Captain Yang raised his pulse-feeding hand, opened Liu Yunlong's eyelids and took a look, and said, "I can't feel his pulse, but he still has a temperature. It's hard to tell what the situation is. Take him away and retreat quickly!"

　　After hearing this, my heart sank, but in my panic I did not forget to lift Liu Yunlong up and put him on Captain Yang's back.

　　Chapter 24: Worrying about Gains and Losses

　　Captain Yang had just tightened Liu Yunlong, who was lying on his back, when we felt a cool breeze blowing in from the corridor.

　　I looked back at the window behind me. Although I couldn't see anything outside, both glass windows were closed. How could there be a draft?

　　Zhang Shan was closest to the corridor. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered, "Oh no! This wind might blow away my talisman!" After saying that, he immediately ran out the door.

　　I hurriedly followed him out and asked Captain Yang to carry Liu Yunlong and walk at the back.

　　The corridor was so dark that one couldn't see the end of it at a glance, but there were emergency exit signs every few steps, emitting very faint blue light.

　　Maybe Zhang Shan was afraid that we might lose him, so he didn’t rush over directly. Instead, he stood a little ahead and tried to look into the darkness.

　　I was about to ask him what was going on when I heard a creaking sound coming from the direction of the nurses' station in the distance. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember what it was.

　　"Is this the cart that the nurse pushes when giving injections and delivering medicine?" Captain Yang came out of the room with Liu Yunlong on his back and whispered while standing behind him.

　　Oh! I suddenly understood. But how could there be a nurse here? The only one in the nurse station was the dead one... I felt a chill in my heart. If this was the case, it would be too weird.

　　The creaking sound was getting closer and closer. We all stood still and dared not move. We stared ahead eagerly to see what was going on.

　　In the darkness, a silhouette gradually emerged. A man in white clothes was pushing a small cart full of potions and slowly walking towards here.

　　The man had a strange posture, with one arm raised high, and he seemed to be limping.

　　As I got closer, the scene I least wanted to see appeared.

　　The person pushing the cart was the dead little nurse!

　　The talisman that Zhang Shan had pasted on her head had long disappeared. It seemed that it had most likely been blown away by the wind just now.

　　A dead person with all broken bones pushing a cart is enough to make one's scalp tingle just thinking about it, let alone seeing it with your own eyes.

　　The young nurse was moving slowly along the wall, apparently heading to the ward at the top where Liu Yunlong was being held.

　　We quietly moved to the other side of the corridor and watched it pass by. Fortunately, the nurse's eyes had long been dry and seemed to be unable to see anything, and she had no sense of our presence.

　　But as I walked past her, I was still extremely nervous, afraid that she would suddenly turn around and pounce on me.

　　After she entered the last ward, we didn't dare to stay any longer and escorted Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong to the nurses' station at the entrance of the corridor.

　　When I passed by a ward, I seemed to see something moving in the darkness behind the glass window on the door. Although it was only a flash, I was sure I was not mistaken.

　　Is it time for the dead people in the hospital beds to move around?

　　I didn’t dare to think any more, so I held Captain Yang and chased after Zhang Shan.

　　Back at the nurses' station, Zhang Shan asked us to wait outside. He went in again and lowered his head to look for something on the ground.

　　"No... there's a ghost..." After a moment, the guy muttered to himself while standing up, pinching the talisman that he had previously pasted on the little nurse's head with his fingers.

　　"What's the problem?" I couldn't help but ask him.

　　"Look here." Zhang Shan said, and walked out to show me a corner of the talisman. "This is a person's fingerprint. The talismans my grandfather taught me were specially processed. Except for the person who drew the talisman, anyone who moved it would leave a mark. If I guess correctly, this talisman has been moved by someone, maybe someone deliberately took it off the little nurse's head."

　　Who else would come here except us? I really can't believe it. Even if they came, they would specially run to the dead body to peel off this talisman. How could ordinary people have the courage to do that?

　　"Could it be that the young nurse revealed it herself?" Captain Yang also did not believe Zhang Shan's statement and gave the only reasonable explanation.

　　"How is that possible?" Zhang Shan said disdainfully, "This is called a Soul-Calming Talisman, and it's specifically used to suppress corpses. If a corpse is attached with this, there's no way it can move on its own!"

　　"But it's hard to say here..." I just finished speaking when I heard a creepy scream coming from the other end of the corridor. I couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.

　　Then, the sound of "pattering" footsteps came from the darkness, and it sounded like a lame person running.

　　The three of us looked at each other and it seemed that we had all guessed the result. The little nurse who had died seemed to have noticed something unusual and ran out.

　　"Let's go!" Zhang Shan didn't dare to delay for a moment and turned around to lead us to leave.

　　But when we turned around, an even more shocking scene was happening behind us.

　　The nurse was standing in the middle of the entire ward. We had just walked through the southern half, but when we turned around, we saw that all the doors of the wards in the northern half were open, and something was coming out of them.

　　The footsteps behind us were getting closer and closer. How could we dare to look closely? Without turning back, we quickly bypassed the nurses' station and ran out of the ward.

　　While running, Zhang Shan took out two bottles the size of grenades from his trouser pocket, unscrewed the caps, mixed them together, shook them a few times, then stopped and motioned for Captain Yang and I to go first.

　　The footsteps became more frequent. After running a dozen steps, I turned around.

　　Wow! The ward was filled with people, pushing and shoving each other towards this place. Zhang Shan seemed to have some powder in the bottle, and he just spread a horizontal line from one side of the corridor to the other.

　　He then pulled out his lighter and ignited the powder on the ground.

　　This "horizontal line" instantly burned up. At first I thought it was gunpowder, but it actually emitted a very dark blue flame that shot up very high and remained burning all the time, forming a veritable "flame wall".

　　The figures in the distance stopped walking when they saw the "flame wall" and even had a tendency to retreat. Zhang Shan saw that it was working, so he turned around and walked over to me and said, "Let's go! It's enough to block us until we leave. Eh? Where are the two of them?"

　　I quickly turned my head and looked back, and when I saw this, I felt even colder, because Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong were gone!

　　Sweat instantly broke out on my forehead, and I carefully thought back to everything that had just happened.

　　When I ran out of the ward, Captain Yang was right behind me; just before Zhang Shan built this "flame wall", Captain Yang ran past me. When I stopped and looked back at Zhang Shan, the two of them should still be behind me.

　　But Zhang Shan's series of actions took only a few seconds. In such a short blink of an eye, where could he have gone carrying Liu Yunlong?

　　"Go to the elevator!" Zhang Shan looked around and couldn't find them, so he pulled me towards the elevator.

　　"Please don't let anything happen again! It would be best if they have already entered the elevator and are waiting for us." I thought to myself as I ran.

　　But when we turned the corner and entered the elevator, we were still stunned.

　　The elevator door, which had been open, closed by itself at some point!

　　Could it be that Captain Yang had already taken Liu Yunlong down the elevator? This thought only flashed through my mind. Because it was absolutely impossible!

　　First of all, Captain Yang had no reason to leave without waiting for us, not to mention leaving us to escape alone at such a critical moment. I believe that it is impossible for an experienced criminal policeman like him to do this. Secondly, it is quite difficult for him to run over with someone on his back, close the elevator door and go down without being discovered in just a dozen seconds.

　　You should know that when the elevator door opens and closes, there will be noise.

　　Zhang Shan walked forward and tried to pry the elevator door open again. But this time his efforts were in vain. The two doors seemed to be welded shut, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open them even a little bit.

　　Chapter 25: Escape by Jumping Out the Window

　　"Take the stairs!" Zhang Shan looked outside again, made a prompt decision, and took me to the fire escape opposite the elevator.

　　But this is an impossible situation. Will it be useful to take the stairs? Can it be passed?

　　We pushed the door and entered the stairwell. Of course, we were not stupid enough to go upstairs. We ran down half a floor and found that there was no way to go.

　　As I guessed, there was a wall blocking the end of the stairs. This place was originally a separate place, so how could we leave safely along the stairs?

　　I turned around and was about to go back, but I heard Zhang Shan shouting, "Who is it?!"

　　Then, "bang!" a gunshot rang out and the bullet flew past my head.

　　I was so scared that I didn't dare to move. It was obvious that the shot was not fired by Zhang Shan. There was no one in front of me, so there was no need for him to shoot me.

　　Zhang Shan was also startled behind me, and then there was the sound of a gun bolt being pulled. I took the opportunity to turn around and followed his line of sight, and saw a person in the dark under the wall.

　　"Wait! Isn't it Captain Yang and the others?" Seeing Zhang Shan raising his gun to fight back, I quickly stopped him. There was no need to use guns against the monsters here.

　　Since he used a gun, he is most likely a normal person like us.

　　"Lao Wang?" As soon as I finished speaking, a familiar voice came from the wall.

　　I was shocked! Whose voice could it be but Liu Yunlong?

　　Zhang Shan also recognized Liu Yunlong's voice, raised his gun, and moved toward the wall. Just as I was about to rush forward, Zhang Shan had already walked out of the darkness carrying a man, who was Liu Yunlong.

　　Although he looked haggard at this moment, he still seemed to have strength. It was a far cry from the half-dead look he had just shown on the hospital bed. Seeing this guy finally come back to life, I finally felt relieved.

　　"Where's Captain Yang?" I looked again and again towards the wall, but couldn't find Captain Yang. Naturally, I had to find Liu Yunlong to ask him clearly. After all, Captain Yang had been carrying him on his back just now, so we shouldn't be separated so quickly.

　　"Captain Yang? Our Captain Yang is here too?" Liu Yunlong signaled Zhang Shan that he didn't need to support him anymore, and after standing firmly, he looked at me in surprise.

　　"You didn't just wake up, did you? But your leader carried you all the way out." Zhang Shan also had a lot of questions. There was no way down in this stairwell, and it was probably the same going up. It was a dead end. Captain Yang left him here, so where could he run to?

　　"Damn, what are you talking about? I've been hiding here! It's been more than half an hour. This is a damn ghost place. The room is full of dead people! How dare you sleep?" Liu Yunlong saw that we were asking random questions and was a little confused.

　　Zhang Shan and I looked at each other, and cold sweat instantly broke out on our backs.

　　If, as Liu Yunlong said, he had been hiding here, then what Captain Yang was carrying just now was...

　　"Are you really Liu Yunlong?" Zhang Shan was a little more cautious and asked vigilantly.

　　"Damn it, you Zhang Yaozi! Dare you say something I can understand?" After being asked so many questions by us, Liu Yunlong finally got angry.

　　"Zhang Yaozi" was the nickname he gave to Zhang Shan during our last meal, because we ordered some roasted lamb kidneys and they were all eaten by Zhang Shan, leaving him without a single skewer. He always felt aggrieved about it, so he just called Zhang Shan that from then on.

　　Zhang Shan and I both breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed like this was true.

　　However...Captain Yang is probably in great danger.

　　"What's going on? Where is our boss?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but ask when he saw our expressions changing.

　　I opened my mouth to explain the situation when I heard footsteps in the corridor again. Zhang Shan ran up and looked inside, then immediately stepped back, closed the door, and said, "It's broken! The barrier I set up is broken!"

　　I knew without even looking that those guys outside were probably chasing us.

　　"What should we do?" Liu Yunlong and I were at a loss as to what to do. This was a dead end and staying here would lead to bad consequences. At this moment, we could only place our hopes on Zhang Shan.

　　"Follow me closely! Do what I say and don't hesitate, otherwise we will all die here today!" After Zhang Shan said that, he took out his pistol and opened the door of the stairwell.

　　Liu Yunlong also had a gun in his hand, and I held the poor little dagger tightly. Now I regretted not bringing a gun with me.

　　Returning to the elevator, the door was still closed. Zhang Shan did not stop and rushed out.

　　By the time Liu Yunlong and I turned around, this guy had already fired several shots.

　　Good god! There was a large group of people in front of them, at least a hundred of them, all of whom were the dead people who had been lying quietly on the beds just now, but now they all stood up.

　　Zhang Shan fired several shots in a row, but he didn't see who he hit. Seeing that the group of monsters had already rushed to him, this guy put his gun on his waistband, rolled up his sleeves, and rushed forward.

　　I secretly worried for Zhang Shan. After all, apart from the previous Corpse-Assisting Curse, I had never come across this kind of thing before. If each of them had the same amazing speed and power as the Corpse-Assisting Curse, I'm afraid the three of us wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

　　When he got closer, Zhang Shan kicked a corpse in front of him that was missing an arm.

　　However, a scene that made me happy appeared. With his kick, the ground in front of him collapsed instantly.

　　"Follow me!" He shouted at us with his side face, and then rushed into the crowd again.

　　However, those who were kicked down by him just now got up again in a blink of an eye and quickly surrounded us.

　　Although these guys are not very durable and can be said to fall down at the slightest touch, they can still get up no matter how hard we hit them.

　　Soon, Liu Yunlong ran out of bullets, and we and Zhang Shan were separated by these guys.

　　We were leaning against the corridor window, helpless, when we saw a surge behind us. Zhang Shan rushed back, punching and shouting, "Quick! Jump out the window!"

　　I now have more faith in Zhang Shan. After all, he has experienced a lot of things like this. He knows what can be done, what cannot be done, and how to do it. Generally speaking, you won't go wrong if you listen to him.

　　Besides, given the current situation, there is probably no other way out unless we get out of it.

　　So, my first reaction was to turn around and open the window behind me.

　　Liu Yunlong also retreated to the window, took a look outside, and shouted, "Are you kidding? This is the eighth floor...ah!"

　　I didn't care about him. While this guy was leaning over to look outside, I lifted his legs with my right hand, grabbed his belt with my left hand, and pushed him out.

　　Since both the top and the bottom have ends, how could this be the eighth floor? He thought this was still the city hospital!

　　After pushing Liu Yunlong down, I quickly climbed onto the windowsill and looked outside. It was still pitch black. I couldn't even see Liu Yunlong. I was afraid he would really fall down, otherwise I would be guilty of a serious crime.

　　I looked back at Zhang Shan. He was having a blast, and there was nothing that could stop him. It would probably take him only a dozen seconds to reach the window. So I closed my eyes and jumped out.

　　God bless, although I believe in Zhang Shan, please don't let anything bad happen to him.

　　As for Captain Yang, we have to wait until we are stable before trying to find him. Tonight was a complete failure. Not only was the action hasty and the preparations were insufficient, it was like a bear picking up sticks and throwing them away.

　　Who is behind this strange place?

　　Chapter 26 This is a blind spot

　　"Ah!" A scream scared me so much that I couldn't help but open my eyes.

　　I tried to move, and although my feet were soft, I didn't feel any falling. Could it be that I had landed?

　　"Get the hell off my stomach!" Liu Yunlong's weak voice came from under his feet.

　　I looked down when I heard that. Yes, I was squatting on this guy's belly. I looked back and saw that the window sill was right behind my head. It turned out that the ground outside and inside were at the same height, only about one meter high.

　　I was wondering why I couldn't see this guy just now. He fell under the windowsill. If I didn't lower my head to look, I would have seen him!

　　Just as he got off Liu Yunlong, he heard the sound of glass breaking not far away, and then Zhang Shanyu jumped out.

　　We both couldn't help but close our eyes. It would be strange if this guy didn't put his chin on the ground!

　　"Bang!" There was a muffled sound. When he opened his eyes again, Zhang Shan was lying quietly on the ground, not knowing what was going on.

　　We both rushed over. If this pillar was broken again, it would be a problem whether we could get out, let alone find Captain Yang.

　　Before he ran over, Zhang Shan turned over and sat up, his nose bleeding down to his neck. He pointed at the window and cursed: "Fuck you! This is a scam! You almost beat me to death!"

　　I looked back and saw that when the dead bodies saw us jump out, none of them followed us to crawl out. They dispersed as we were talking, as if nothing had happened.

　　"Did they all disband?" Liu Yunlong also noticed this and couldn't help asking.

　　Zhang Shan wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve and continued, "Having arrived here, it seems that we have left the formation. Since they can't leave the formation, they naturally can't follow us."

　　"So you say this formation is too weak. We broke it so easily?" Liu Yunlong said it as if it was all his credit.

　　"Come on! If I hadn't told you to jump, would you dare to jump?" Zhang Shan was quite disdainful of him. "When you came in, your subconscious told you that this should be between the ** floors. Even if you couldn't see anything outside, you wouldn't dare to jump out like that. It's taking advantage of people's psychological reactions. Except for a few of us who are so brave, I'm afraid no one would dare to jump."

　　"So you're saying that we are still in the same magic circle?" I have always been confused by these two words.

　　Zhang Shan looked at me and said slowly, "Why are you still so confused? You tried to break the illusion, but it didn't work, right? This means that this is not an illusion. Since it is not an illusion, and it does not exist in reality, then what is it if not a magic circle?"

　　I waved my hand, signaling him to stop talking. It was already a headache enough, and now there are magic circles and illusions, and there is no point at all.

　　"Just tell me, how do we get out? Also, how can we find Captain Yang?" I thought about it and asked him directly.

　　"A magic array is created by humans; it won't suddenly appear on its own. That's why I say someone must have tampered with this. There must be some agenda behind such a grand display." Zhang Shan sat up straight and began to speak out again. Anyway, he was bleeding from the nose, and if he didn't stop it, it would affect our next move.

　　"Since it is a formation, there are blind spots and formation eyes. At best, we have run to the blind spot of the formation. Only by finding the formation eye can we find a way to break the entire formation. In other words, if we don't break the formation, we can forget about going back."

　　"You just said that someone might have come in, so how did he get out?" I wasn't trying to argue with Zhang Shan, but I really didn't understand and wanted to figure it out.

　　As expected, Zhang Shan rolled his eyes at me and continued, "What you're asking is nonsense. The person who sets up the formation can come and go freely. If the formation you set up has no exits, then why do you do something that harms others and does not benefit yourself?"

　　Liu Yunlong didn't understand what we were saying at all, so he simply chose not to listen. He looked around and asked, "If we keep walking out from here, can we get out?"

　　I was thinking about the feasibility of his suggestion when Zhang Shan said, "You can try it, but let me tell you first, if the center of the formation is outside, then you might just get lucky and catch it. If not, after walking for an hour you will find that it is pitch black all around, and there will never be daytime. You won't be able to tell the direction, and you won't be able to go back! Then you'll cry!"

　　Liu Yunlong was frightened by him and quickly shut his mouth.

　　It is not difficult to imagine that if you walk out for a long time, there will be endless darkness. If you can't find the way back, you can only wait for death.

　　"That is to say, the center of the formation may be anywhere in this space?" I heard the meaning of Zhang Shan's words.

　　"Generally speaking, this is the case. As I said just now, formations are set up by people, and the person who sets up the formation will naturally choose to hide the eye of the formation in the place he feels is the safest, to prevent someone from suddenly breaking in like us." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he stood up, and it seemed that his nosebleed had stopped.

　　"What if we break the formation but still can't find Captain Yang?" I had to consider every possibility and carefully weigh the pros and cons.

　　"There are two outcomes of breaking the formation. One is that this place is completely destroyed, everyone can get out, and everyone is happy. The other is that we are lucky enough to escape, but this place still exists. However, once the eye of the formation is broken, the entire formation will naturally not be able to operate, and no one will ever be able to enter or exit again." Zhang Shan began to observe the situation around him. There was no body on the floor, and it seemed that everyone had returned to their own rooms.

　　"So what exactly is this formation used for?" I really couldn't imagine what the use of making such a thing was.

　　"Practice! Harm people! Refine medicine! All are possible. You are the seal holder, you can do these too. But this formation is obviously not a good one. Although the purpose is not clear yet, it is certain to harm people. I suspect that the death of the young nurse was also deliberately arranged." Zhang Shan said, looking at me with weird eyes. I didn't understand what he meant.

　　"Is the person who set up this formation also the one who holds the seal?" I was surprised again.

　　"Not necessarily. The Yin-communicators of other factions, as well as the Taoists, can cast spells and set up formations. When we get out and check the surveillance footage, we'll understand everything." Zhang Shan reminded me of this.

　　"Have you figured it out? Now that you have figured it out, let's take action! My boss is still in their hands!" Liu Yunlong couldn't hold it in any longer and urged us.

　　"Okay! Go find the center of the formation. Once you find it, we can get out." Zhang Shan looked back at Liu Yunlong and said to him with a smile.

　　"Come on, stop making fun of me. It's such a critical moment and you still have the mind to joke. This is a place for the dead to recuperate. Do you plan to let our boss live in it?" Liu Yunlong was not angry, but he was indeed a little impatient.

　　We discussed this for a long time, but if we don't understand the problem fundamentally, we won't know where to start. This step is necessary.

　　Liu Yunlong's last sentence reminded me. Living there? It reminded me of the single room at the end of the corridor when I first came in. There was a fake Liu Yunlong lying in it. Does this have anything to do with the formation? If Captain Yang can't find it, will he be there too?

　　Time did not allow for further thinking, so I immediately told Zhang Shan and the others about this speculation. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, at least the three of us could come up with a solution. If I just figured it out on my own, I was afraid that the opportunity would be lost.

　　Zhang Shan frowned after hearing this, and said after a long while: "What you said is not impossible, there is indeed something strange in that room. I was also thinking, since we have to investigate anyway, should we start there?"

　　Chapter 27: Finally All Together

　　I asked Liu Yunlong for his opinion again, but he actually had no opinion at all. His first mission was such a strange and difficult case. He stayed here alone for a long time, so it was good that he didn't go crazy. It was really hard for him.

　　After determining the direction, the next step is to take action. Zhang Shan meant to climb back through the window and enter by the original route. However, Liu Yunlong proposed another more feasible method.

　　Since there is a blind spot outside the building, it is safe for us to stay here. Why not go around to the room where the leader is and then climb in through the window.

　　This is definitely a good idea! Zhang Shan and I both agreed.

　　We set off as soon as we said we would. Although it was pitch black outside, we could still roughly see the shape of the building. We followed the outer wall all the way to the southernmost end.

　　On the way, I kept looking through the windows at the wards, and they had returned to their original state, with the dead bodies still lying there with IV drips. I didn't know where the nurse had gone.

　　When we arrived at the southernmost ward, we all hid under the window and slowly stretched our heads to look inside.

　　Nothing had changed, still the white walls, the white bed, the white sheets, but the person lying on them was Captain Yang!

　　When Liu Yunlong saw this, he was about to push the window open to go in. Zhang Shan and I saw this and quickly stopped him.

　　"What are you doing? Our boss is in there! Why don't you go and save him?" Liu Yunlong didn't know what happened before we met him, and there was no time to explain to him. Naturally, he thought that the person lying in the room was his beloved Captain Yang.

　　I quickly told him what happened when I first came in, how I met the fake Liu Yunlong here, and how Captain Yang suddenly disappeared. It seemed that they were all closely related to the guy lying on this bed.

　　"You mean, the person in this room is not our boss?" After hearing what I said, Liu Yunlong opened his mouth wide with an expression of disbelief.

　　"I remember!" I was about to explain further to Liu Yunlong, but was stopped by Zhang Shan's sudden shout.

　　"What did you remember?" Liu Yunlong and I looked at him in a daze, wondering what had suddenly gone wrong with this guy?

　　"If I remember correctly, the name of this formation is the Centipede Formation. It means that a centipede will not die even if it is dead." Zhang Shan said excitedly, "This is a poison formation that is listed as a forbidden technique. I have only seen it in my grandfather's book. It seems that no one dared to set up this formation a hundred years ago. There are two reasons. First, this formation is extremely difficult to set up. Not only do you need to collect a full ninety-nine soul nightmares, but you must also trap a living person in this formation and continuously absorb its yang energy. This person is the head of the formation. Second, this formation can also collect ownerless souls in the early stage, but the later it is, the more resentful the nightmare is, the more resentful it is. Some people who set up the formation do not hesitate to murder others in order to achieve their goals. Therefore, this formation is harmful to the harmony of nature, but once it is practiced, it can transform into all kinds of things, just like a centipede with a hundred feet, which can attack when advancing and defend when retreating. People who possess this formation can also be said to have reached the level of half human and half immortal."

　　Liu Yunlong and I were stunned when we heard this. This was too powerful! The guy who was willing to harm others to set up this formation must be in a bad mood. If he really succeeded, what would happen?

　　"Has anyone ever mastered this formation?" Liu Yunlong asked anxiously.

　　"Except for the person who first invented this formation, historical records say that no one else can master it." Zhang Shan said this, and we both felt relieved. After all, since it is so difficult to practice, we are not afraid that guy will do something weird.

　　Zhang Shan saw that we were relaxed, and continued, "I just remembered this formation after seeing Liu and then Captain Yang. But one thing I have to say is that if a living person is needed as the leader of the formation, it means that the formation is basically almost complete. I estimate that of the ninety-nine soul nightmares, there are probably only two or three missing now."

　　Liu Yunlong and I looked at each other, and our hearts suddenly cooled. There were only two or three people missing. Wasn't it obvious that it was just the three of us? No wonder they let us in so easily not long after we got on the elevator. They must have wanted to make up the numbers!

　　"Then what about Liu who was lying on the bed just now? Since he was previously appointed as the leader of the formation, but he himself is not in this room, what's the use?" I was still confused about the illusion in the room.

　　"In fact, it doesn't matter where that living person is, as long as he doesn't come out of this formation, there will be no problem. This room may just be a place to create the same illusion as a living person to extract his yang energy. If we don't come in, no matter where Liu hides, every time this formation is activated, he will lose a little yang energy, until it is exhausted and he dies here, and then the person who sets up the formation will find a way to get a new living person in so that it can continue to operate." As Zhang Shan said this, he saw cold sweat on Liu Yunlong's head.

　　"Okay, now that everything is clear, should we continue to care about Captain Yang inside? Is he really Captain Yang?" I felt that this technical knowledge class had lasted too long and it was time to end the get out of class, so I urged Zhang Shandao.

　　"Whether it is true or not, we have to go in and see for sure. I have a way to identify it. Just follow me and watch!" Zhang Shan said, and reached out to push open the window of the room.

　　The three of us crept in and walked gently to the bedside of "Captain Yang". This "Captain Yang" looked the same as the fake Liu Yunlong we had seen before, with a pale face and pale lips.

　　"I'm going to do a small experiment now. I'll tell on the spot whether this is your leader or not!" Zhang Shan said as he took out a disposable lighter from his pocket, lit it and put it to the fingertips of "Captain Yang's" right hand.

　　Liu Yunlong and I had just realized what this guy was going to do when we heard Captain Yang on the bed scream and jump up.

　　"It's done, this is real! The fake one won't react!" Zhang Shan said to us happily while looking at Captain Yang who was covering his fingers and screaming.

　　I was a little speechless. It turns out that sometimes things that seem extremely complicated can be solved so simply that it is unbelievable.

　　"Boss, are you okay?" Liu Yunlong asked with concern.

　　Captain Yang saw that it was him, pointed at his nose and cursed: "You little bastard! Don't you not smoke? It's fine if I carry you on my back, but you came down when you woke up! And you even blew smoke at me. How can you play tricks on your leader like this? You want me to punish you, don't you?"

　　He cursed very vigorously, but the three of us looked at each other in confusion, wondering what had happened between Captain Yang and that fake Liu Yunlong.

　　"Hey? Why are you back in this room again?" Captain Yang finished scolding and then realized something was wrong. The three of us looked at him and he was standing on the bed.

　　Liu Yunlong was just about to explain to his boss when the door of the ward opened with a creak.

　　We looked outside and saw the dead little nurse standing at the door.

　　It seemed to have noticed something was wrong in the house, and stood there motionless, growling again. Its posture and appearance made people feel uneasy.

　　"Hurry up, hurry up! There will be another group soon, let's get out first!" Zhang Shan blocked the door and signaled us to climb out through the window quickly.

　　Liu Yunlong took the lead, clinging to the windowsill and was about to jump out.

　　There was a dull thud, and before I could see what was happening, the guy was lying on his back on the floor of the ward, covering his head, unable to speak.

　　Chapter 28: Finding the Center of the Formation

　　"What's going on?" Captain Yang helped him up, also wondering. He saw that a big swelling had appeared in the middle of this guy's forehead.

　　My heart trembled, and I quickly reached out to the window.

　　The endless darkness had become an invisible wall, blocking the window sill and blocking our way out. Liu Yunlong was in a hurry to get out and bumped into it.

　　"There is no way out! The window is blocked!" I didn't know what to do and shouted to Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan was stunned when he heard this, and suddenly opened his mouth and yelled at the young nurse outside: "Fuck you! Don't let me catch you! Otherwise, I'll give you cramps and bloodletting! You'll die a miserable death if you do such an evil thing! Follow me, fucking, and get out!"

　　After saying that, the guy rushed out and kicked the nurse at the door, interrupting her terrifying cry.

　　Just as we were about to catch up, Zhang Shan outside the door ran back, closed the door, and leaned against it with his back.

　　"Damn it! It's all done outside! It looks like this bastard wants to keep us here!" Zhang Shan was still cursing.

　　"Who are you scolding?" I was really confused.

　　"Who else could it be? It could be the damn guy who set up this centipede formation! He should have been in here the whole time and just cast the curse, otherwise how could the blind spot outside the window suddenly disappear?" Zhang Shan said hatefully.

　　We all shuddered when we heard this. Since this guy is here, his purpose is nothing more than to kill us all. Of course, one of them must be left behind to activate this centipede formation.

　　It looks like today is going to be a bad day!

　　There was a knock on the door. Needless to say, the group of "patients" were probably up again.

　　"Don't they say that if we find the center of the formation, we can break it?" I asked with a glimmer of hope in my heart.

　　"Being trapped in this room, how are you going to find the eye of the formation? Who knows where that bastard hid the eye of the formation?" Zhang Shan did not give up hope, but he was so angry that he just kept cursing.

　　"Maybe it's in this room." Liu Yunlong continued, "Since this is the center of the formation and it needs a living person to activate it, could the center of the formation be hidden here?"

　　We were stunned when we heard this. This is not impossible!

　　Zhang Shan's eyes lit up when he heard that. The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a wicked smile. He then shouted through the door to the outside: "You bastard! We found the center of the formation! Haha, just wait to spend your whole life here!"

　　Before we could figure out what he meant, we heard the door being pushed open suddenly, as if those guys had suddenly gotten excited. If Zhang Shan hadn't been leaning forward, it would have been pushed open long ago.

　　Although the situation was more critical, Zhang Shan smiled even more brightly. He said cheerfully: "Hehe! This idiot really fell into the trap. I just lied to him and he immediately showed his weakness. Haha, quickly find the center of the formation!"

　　Everyone suddenly became excited and started to move around.

　　"Liu, you and your leader come hold the door, we will look for it!" Zhang Shan couldn't help but frown as he saw us running around like headless flies.

　　"How do we find it?" I just searched under the bed and didn't do anything else. We had never seen what the eye of the formation looked like, so it would be useless to look for it this way!

　　After Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang held up the door, Zhang Shan walked over and said, "The eye of the formation is invisible. It will only attach to a certain object. This object will be like the eye of a storm. The yin and yang air currents of the entire formation will blend and flow through here. You only need to carefully observe every seemingly ordinary thing, which may be the eye of the formation."

　　"How do I find it? How do I know which one is the center of the formation and which one is not?" I listened for a long time but still didn't understand.

　　"The thing at the center of the formation must be different from what we usually see. But I don't know exactly what's different." Zhang Shan spread his hands, looking helpless.

　　"Can you two... start quickly?" Liu Yunlong urged, almost unable to bear it any longer.

　　I sighed and could only squat down and look for things one by one. Fortunately, there were not many things in this room, and they were all those commonly seen in ordinary wards.

　　"What should we do if we find the center of the formation?" I asked Zhang Shan as I searched for it.

　　"Don't destroy it yet. When that bastard hears that we have found the eye of the formation, he will definitely go out first. We are afraid that he will be trapped inside in the end. If he has a trick up his sleeve after he goes out, then even if we break the formation, we may not be able to get out. Let's talk about it after we find it!" Zhang Shan was looking at every inch of the bed carefully.

　　I opened the drawer of the bedside table and found only a few medicine bottles, a thermometer, and a towel, nothing else.

　　I looked at the medicine bottles one by one, and they were all empty, without even the wrapping paper on them. I didn't notice anything different, so I just threw them on the ground. I looked at the thermometer carefully, and even the scale was normal, so I threw it aside and looked at the towel.

　　No! As I was looking through the towels, I suddenly remembered something and immediately turned back to look for the thermometer. Zhang Shan had already finished checking the bed and stood up and walked towards me.

　　Under his feet was the thermometer!

　　"Stop!!!" I quickly shouted at him and put my hand on the thermometer.

　　Zhang Shan's center of gravity had already moved forward, but he still couldn't stop the car. He stepped on my hand, and it hurt so much that I grimaced.

　　After he moved his feet, I didn't care about the back of my hands that were rubbed by the soles of his shoes. I grabbed the thermometer and examined it again.

　　That's right! There's definitely something wrong with this thermometer!

　　"Is this it?" Zhang Shan came over to take a look, but didn't find anything different. He was a little bit unbelieving.

　　"Didn't you notice?" I said to Zhang Shan with some pride, pointing at the thermometer: "Since all the characters in this space are in Hades, did you notice that the characters on this thermometer are all normal? None of them are in Hades!"

　　"But these are all Arabic numerals, and I don't know if there are Arabic numerals in the underworld language." Zhang Shan was a little hesitant and not sure.

　　"It doesn't matter, look here!" I said, turning the thermometer to the back. I saw a few very small words on the glass surface near one end. They were almost invisible in the dark space. There were three words printed on it - "Mercury Type".

　　Mercury, naturally, refers to the style of the thermometer. This is an old-fashioned mercury thermometer.

　　But these three words are real Chinese characters!

　　Zhang Shan looked at it again and again, his expression gradually becoming solemn. It seemed that this thing must be there.

　　"We can't hold on any longer!" Liu Yunlong shouted, and retreated with Captain Yang. The door was finally pushed open by the group of guys.

　　Zhang Shan grabbed the thermometer and said, "Whether it will work or not depends on this one time! Let's go back to the elevator!" After that, he rushed to the door.

　　The three of us followed closely behind him. Among the four people, three had guns, but the only one with bullets left was Captain Yang's.

　　Zhang Shan was like a god of war, with corpses flying everywhere he went. Captain Yang would occasionally fire a shot to kill those who attacked Zhang Shan from behind.

　　Liu Yunlong and I could only stay beside Captain Yang and do our best to push away the bodies that were pushed up again after being knocked down.

　　The problem was that there were just too many dead bodies, and they kept falling and getting up again, seemingly endless.

　　Before we could rush to the nurses' station, Zhang Shan separated from the three of us again, and Captain Yang's pistol had run out of bullets.

　　Chapter 29: No One Left Behind

　　Captain Yang and I, the three of us, advanced very slowly.

　　We were only a few meters away from the nurses' station and could rush out of the ward. But the further we went, the more stubborn the corpses became. Liu Yunlong and I were almost dragged down by them several times. Fortunately, we were not separated. Seeing the critical situation, we were able to reach out and help immediately.

　　Zhang Shan had already rushed out of the ward. He turned around and saw that we didn't catch up with him, so he turned around and rushed back.

　　"Hurry up! I'll cover you!" Captain Yang was originally leading the way in front, but when he saw Zhang Shan coming, he turned around, pulled the two of us behind him, and went to face the group of corpses following behind.

　　Zhang Shan reached out to take us over, and knocked down two guys who were chasing us with one punch each, and shouted to Captain Yang: "Come back quickly! The area back has been cleared!" He was breathing rapidly while speaking, and it seemed that he had consumed a lot of physical energy.

　　Captain Yang turned around and was about to run over, but he didn't expect that a dead body that had just been knocked down under his feet reached out and grabbed his ankle tightly, pulling it back. Captain Yang lost his balance and fell to the ground.

　　Suddenly, a dozen dead bodies surrounded him.

　　"Boss!" Liu Yunlong shouted and tried to fight back, but was stopped by Zhang Shan.

　　"Listen to me, hurry back to the elevator! Your boss might still be saved, otherwise, none of us can get out today!" Zhang Shan looked at the guys who were about to rush over, and pulled Liu Yunlong and me to retreat quickly to the elevator.

　　Zhang Shan pressed the button, and he didn't expect the elevator door to open so obediently! The light inside made people feel so warm and friendly.

　　"Fire!" As soon as I stepped in, Zhang Shan handed me the thermometer and urged.

　　"Oh!" I also knew that time was running out, so I hurriedly looked for a lighter. Captain Yang was still being held down by them, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive. But I couldn't find the lighter I brought with me before I came up.

　　"What are you looking for? I let you use your own fire!" Zhang Shan kept looking outside.

　　"My fire?...Oh!!! I get it!" I finally came to my senses. I held the thermometer tightly in my right hand, trying to calm myself down, and silently said "burn"!

　　Boom! The thermometer was instantly surrounded by a ball of fire in my hand.

　　The strange thing was that the entire space immediately began to twist, as if it suddenly heated up and was being burned by something.

　　But we didn't feel any heat.

　　Zhang Shan was still sticking his head out, looking at something, when he heard hurried footsteps in the distance.

　　"Hurry! Close the door!" The guy ordered us without even retracting his head.

　　Captain Yang was still there, so Liu Yunlong naturally didn't want to close the door.

　　In fact, I had already guessed that the footsteps should be from Captain Yang. Zhang Shan asked me to do this just to save time.

　　As the footsteps got closer, I took a step forward and pressed the door closing button.

　　"Hurry! Hurry!" Zhang Shanchong kept urging outside.

　　The man finally turned around. It was Captain Yang. The door was half closed, but he was still several meters away from us.

　　"Boss! Hurry up!" Seeing that it was his leader, Liu Yunlong could not help but wanted to press the door opening button again, but was grabbed by Zhang Shan's arm.

　　The gap in the door was getting narrower and narrower. Captain Yang was about to be unable to get through, so he leaped with his feet off the ground and rushed towards us sideways.

　　The door was still closed. Liu Yunlong held on to Zhang Shan tightly and looked like he was about to cry: "Why didn't you let me open the door! Our heads are still inside! You bastard..."

　　Zhang Shan said nothing, but suddenly snatched the thermometer from my hand, threw it to the ground and smashed it to pieces.

　　Before we could figure out what was happening, we heard a muffled bang from above the elevator and the cabin shook as if something had fallen on it.

　　"Welcome back to Earth!" Zhang Shan looked up at the light tube on the ceiling of the cabin and said slowly.

　　"You guy, can't you play it safer? You almost fell to death!" A familiar voice came from across the ceiling.

　　"Captain Yang!" "Boss!" Liu Yunlong and I shouted in surprise. Captain Yang finally caught up, although we didn't know what was going on.

　　The elevator stopped and the LCD screen showed the eighth floor, so it seemed to be okay.

　　When we opened the door, we saw a nurse in a white coat making a phone call in the elevator. When she saw us covered in blood, she screamed and ran away. The three of us who were left couldn't help but smile bitterly.

　　Zhang Shan reached out again and removed the ceiling inside the elevator cabin, then took Captain Yang down.

　　Captain Yang was in a worse condition than the rest of us. His clothes were almost torn into wisps, and we didn't know whose blood was on his body. It looked pretty serious.

　　"Boss..." Liu Yunlong walked up, looked at Captain Yang carefully, and said, "How did they let you out? You weren't bitten or scratched by the zombies, were you? Don't turn into a zombie too!"

　　"Get lost!" Captain Yang was full of energy. "Have you watched too many Hong Kong movies?" Although he said it nonchalantly, the three of us looked at Zhang Shan with concern. Being surrounded by so many corpses, scratching and tearing them, no one knew whether it would be contagious.

　　"That's a movie." Zhang Shan was still standing at the elevator entrance, looking up and uttering four big words.

　　After a while, Song Dongfeng had already led people to the eighth floor. Seeing that we had all become "Master Guan", he was also shocked, but after a closer look, he saw that we were still able to stand and seemed to be in good spirits, so he felt relieved.

　　Zhang Shan asked someone to bring a chair. He stood in the elevator with his upper body leaning above the ceiling of the elevator cabin. It was unknown what he was busy with.

　　After a long time, this guy shrank back, holding a square wooden board with a side length of about 30 centimeters in both hands. At first glance, it looked a bit like the floor tiles we were standing on.

　　"See it? This is the secret door of the centipede formation!" Zhang Shan turned the wooden board over so that the front was facing us.

　　In the middle of the wooden board, a gate shape was painted with red cinnabar, and all four sides were covered with dense small characters. In the middle of the gate, there was a bright red pebble-shaped stone. I didn't know what it was made of, but I felt that the color was extremely bright and strong, as if it was about to drip blood.

　　"Is there a mysterious door in the formation?" I've heard Zhang Shan talk about the origin of the mysterious door, and we've also walked through the underworld together, so naturally I have a certain understanding of it. Now that I hear that there is a mysterious door in setting up a formation, I can't help but ask.

　　"Of course! The so-called formation is to artificially create a mysterious door and use the closed space to continuously absorb the yin and yang energy from the outside world, so that it can circulate repeatedly inside to achieve the yin and yang ratio that the person who sets up the formation wants. However, people who study magic arrays generally prefer to call this thing a formation map." Zhang Shan picked out the stone on it while looking at it.

　　"This is... the top-grade Changhua chicken blood stone!" Liu Yunlong also came over and stared at the red pebble, his eyes fixed on it.

　　"Dude! You have a pretty good eye!" Zhang Shan looked at his stupid expression and said cheerfully, "If this stone hadn't absorbed too much negative energy, I would have given it to you!"

　　"What's so wrong with having too much Yin energy? We men have more Yang energy!" When Liu Yunlong heard that someone was going to give him a gift, his glasses almost turned red.

　　"You can't control it! Forget it! If you dare to wear this every day, within half a year, at best you will suffer from mental fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, forgetfulness and hair loss; after that, you will end up without any descendants!" Zhang Shan spoke more and more seriously, and Liu Yunlong's expression became more and more weird.

　　"Okay! Stop talking! If you keep talking, I'm going to lose my life!" Liu Yunlong didn't dare to look at the stone again, and turned around to find Song Dongfeng to relieve his boredom.

　　"I think you want to keep it for yourself. This thing is important evidence, no one is allowed to take it away! It must be handed over to us and taken back to the bureau for safekeeping." Captain Yang did not believe what Zhang Shan said, and walked up to confiscate the stuff.

　　Chapter 30 Thorough Investigation of Video Recordings

　　Seeing the situation suddenly become tense, I was about to step forward to mediate, but I didn't expect Zhang Shan to be very cooperative and took the initiative to hand the stone to Captain Yang.

　　Everyone was stunned. I was wondering when this guy became so easy to talk to. Captain Yang didn't expect it to be so easy to come here.

　　While we were still in a daze, Zhang Shan said, "Brother, it's useless to give you this thing. Not only can you not find anything out of it, but it's also a waste to leave it alone. Besides, even if you take it out and say it's evidence, no one will believe you! What do you think?"

　　After saying that, we both looked at Captain Yang, waiting to hear his opinion.

　　I was shocked when I took a closer look. Captain Yang's hair and eyebrows were frozen in just a few seconds, and there was a thin layer of white frost on his face. Judging from his expression, he was about to be unable to bear it.

　　"Haha, if you don't say it, it means you have tacitly agreed. I'll take it back!" Zhang Shan smiled and took the bloodstone from Captain Yang's palm, which he hadn't had time to close.

　　"Huh!" Captain Yang then let out a long breath and exhaled the coolness in his body.

　　I finally understood why Zhang Shan offered the stone, because he knew that Captain Yang couldn't take it away. But if he didn't see it for himself, I'm afraid it would be difficult to convince him.

　　"What the hell is this? So weird?" As soon as Captain Yang recovered, the ice on his body instantly turned into dew, sticking to his head and face, as if he had just been in a sauna.

　　"The bloodstone was originally a pure yang thing, but as the saying goes, everything will turn into the opposite extreme, and the law of nature is cyclical. For example, if this pure yang bloodstone is artificially changed to pure yin, it can be several times more valuable than the original yin thing. It is the priceless treasure that many people who are familiar with yin dream of." Zhang Shan said as he stuffed the stone into my hand.

　　Seeing that it could exude such a strong chill, I dared not take it and stepped back, but Zhang Shan stuffed it into my hand.

　　Surprisingly, I didn't feel cold or hot.

　　"If it weren't for this centipede formation, I'm afraid that person wouldn't be willing to use such a piece of chicken blood stone." Zhang Shan handed the wooden board with talismans painted on it to Captain Yang, and then said, "Is this thing enough for you to take back and write a report?"

　　"Why don't I feel anything?" I looked at the bloodstone for a long time, but I didn't become like Captain Yang, and I was very confused.

　　"Have you forgotten who you are? Are you afraid of this?" Zhang Shan glanced at me with disdain.

　　"Then you are not the seal holder, so how come you are okay?" I don't care what his attitude is. How can I feel at ease if I don't figure it out?

　　"Have you forgotten my blood type?" Zhang Shan was too lazy to answer. He probably felt like he was teaching a fool who could never learn anything.

　　"Oh..." I finally understood a little.

　　"Tsk! You're lying!" Liu Yunlong stood by and watched for a long time. He didn't believe that there was anything weird about this thing. As he said that, he snatched the stone from my hand.

　　"Okay! I'll give it back to you! I don't want it!" Before he even took it in front of him, he threw it back into my hand, shaking the hand that was holding the stone.

　　In fact, as soon as his fingers touched the stone, I saw the hair on the back of his hand turned all white instantly.

　　This is truly a life-threatening stone. It seems that no one can move it except Zhang Shan and I.

　　"Okay, stop playing around and get down to business!" Song Dongfeng had just finished assigning the people around him when he came over and asked, "Is this incident more man-made or accidental?"

　　After hearing this, the three of us all looked at Zhang Shan. He was the only one who had the final say. Neither Liu Yunlong nor Captain Yang were experts in this field, and I still didn't understand much, so I couldn't explain it clearly even if I wanted to.

　　"It's inevitable that it's human-made." Seeing that we were all looking at him, Zhang Shan knew what was going on, and continued, "Not to mention how much energy, spirit, and energy a practitioner needs to set up the Centipede Formation. This piece of Yin-transforming Chicken Bloodstone alone is priceless to a Yin-transforming person, and some people can hardly find even half a piece in their entire lives. It's definitely not something that was just thrown here casually before. And judging by the reaction in the formation just now, I can be sure that the person who set up the formation must have been in the hospital building half an hour ago, and it's hard to say whether he has even left now."

　　"Then seal off the building first, and then check everyone one by one!" Liu Yunlong said immediately. In fact, I also had this idea.

　　"Xiao Liu, I've told you so many times." Captain Yang frowned upon hearing his opinion and lectured him, "We can't just use our power to start a war based on a few groundless speculations. We have to stick to legal facts. Why are you making such a big scene? Don't you consider the social impact?"

　　"How can we talk about the law in this kind of situation?" Liu Yunlong lowered his head and muttered, obviously not very convinced.

　　"Old Yang is right!" Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were on opposite sides again. "It's useless to seal the building. Those who are qualified to set up the Hundred Legs Formation are all experts. It's not easy for us to trap him. Besides, we don't even know where he is now, let alone capture him alive."

　　"In that case, let's check the video. Maybe we can find some unexpected results!" Song Dongfeng suggested.

　　This is the only thing we can do now.

　　The monitoring center of the city hospital was once again taken over by the Criminal Investigation Department. We brought four chairs and sat behind two technicians, slowly reviewing each floor, starting from an hour ago.

　　Zhang Shan still had plenty of energy left. He stood alone at the back, leaning against the door frame.

　　Fortunately, it was already late at night, and there were not many people in and out of the hospital an hour ago. Most people watched it in fast forward, otherwise we would not have finished half of it until morning.

　　The eighth floor was the focus of the investigation, and we all thought we should start there. But more than ten minutes later, apart from the few of us who came out last and the sentry arranged by the Criminal Investigation Department, no one else came in or out of the eighth floor. The only people who passed by occasionally were either doctors or nurses.

　　Liu Yunlong and I were a little discouraged. We couldn't find anything in such a suspicious place, so we probably don't need to look anywhere else.

　　After checking the surveillance on the eighth floor, we went back to the first floor and carefully checked every person who entered and exited the hospital gate from half an hour before Liu Yunlong disappeared until just now.

　　Although there weren't many people, more than a hundred people came and went repeatedly in half an hour. In addition, it was winter, and everyone was wrapped up thicker than the other, so it was hard to tell their height, weight, or appearance.

　　"etc!"

　　When I was about to fall asleep, Zhang Shan suddenly shouted, and everyone in the room became excited at once.

　　"Play the video of the man in the windbreaker and top hat who just walked out again!" Zhang Shan moved closer to the monitor, stared at the screen, waiting for the replay.

　　The man who had just walked out of the screen retreated back again, and this time the technician slowed him down and walked towards the door step by step.

　　We all stared at it, trying to figure out what was wrong, and then Zhang Shan discovered it.

　　Although the picture is in black and white and not very clear, the person's clothes are still clear at a glance. A windbreaker that reaches the ankles and an old-fashioned wide-brimmed hat on his head. To be honest, apart from these two things, nothing else can be seen.

　　But when he reached the door, the man may have lifted his hat because he was afraid of the strong wind outside. He raised his right hand and pinched the brim of his hat before pushing the door and walking out.

　　But at the moment he raised his hand, I also found something unusual, because the skin on his right wrist was clearly exposed under the camera, which was darker than the back of his hand.

　　"Is this... the Seal of Wuwei?" I looked up and asked Zhang Shan.

　　It was not until the person in the picture walked out of the hospital gate that Zhang Shan retracted his gaze and said, "Is it true? We will know immediately what the pursuer does in the building!"

　　Chapter 31 Gossip

　　The technician kept switching the images on the console, looking for any clues about the "top hat man".

　　Soon, we found the direction he came from. Since we only found him when he was leaving the main door, we had no choice but to trace him backwards.

　　The man was seen retreating back to the west end of the building, but surprisingly, he actually came down from the fire escape stairs.

　　At this time of night, there was almost no one in the elevator. Who would be stupid enough to abandon simplicity and walk downstairs?

　　He is definitely suspicious!

　　"Keep following him!" Zhang Shan couldn't help but urge him when he saw the man retreating into the dark stairs.

　　"Sorry, there is no camera system installed in the fire escape." The technician replied helplessly.

　　"Bring out the cameras closest to this fire escape on each floor." Song Dongfeng ordered immediately.

　　Once we reached the 13th floor, the cameras at every stairwell were turned on, distributed across all the monitors. But so far there had been no movement, and we stared at every screen, waiting for this person to appear again.

　　"Here!" Liu Yunlong suddenly pointed at a monitor in the upper right corner and shouted. Looking in that direction, the man was retreating out of the stairwell.

　　"Which floor is this?" Captain Yang was experienced and asked the key question directly.

　　The technician looked down and immediately replied, "Ninth floor."

　　We all felt that something was wrong. But we saw the man in the top hat on the screen retreat to the elevator, turn around, take out a special key, open the elevator door, and climb into the cabin. After a moment, a hand stretched out from inside and closed the elevator door.

　　"Where is this guy going?" Liu Yunlong asked, touching his head.

　　"What do you think?" Zhang Shan, Captain Yang and I asked her in unison.

　　"Oh... I understand..." Liu Yunlong muttered with his head down, not daring to look at us again.

　　After staring at the screen for several minutes, there was no movement. Zhang Shan took a deep breath and said, "Okay, no need to watch. That guy went down from here. You don't need to ask to know that he entered the formation. If I'm right, I'm afraid that this person also appeared before the little nurse died that night."

　　"Check it quickly! There might be a discrepancy in his clothing, and we can catch him." Captain Yang patted the back of the technician's chair, saying impatiently.

　　“…Captain Yang, the video footage from that night has been brought back to the bureau. It will probably take quite a while to retrieve it.” One of them raised his head and said timidly.

　　Captain Yang was about to say something else, but was stopped by Zhang Shan: "It's okay, there's no rush. Since the formation has been broken, the elevator will naturally be fine. You can go back to the bureau tomorrow to review the video. I think we can all disband now? I remember that we haven't had dinner yet, how about going to have dinner together?"

　　It's not easy to catch a clue, how can an old detective like Captain Yang be willing to leave it aside and take care of other things first? If you insist on not letting him take care of it, you will definitely not be able to sleep tonight.

　　After giving a few more instructions, he took Liu Yunlong, who looked reluctant, and two technicians back to the bureau to watch the video all night.

　　Song Dongfeng was relieved to see that he had finally done it. In fact, his mission was accomplished. As for arresting people, that was the job of the criminal police team. As long as he could solve such unclear issues, he would be done.

　　After telling us that the mission had been completed and that there would be a bonus in two days, this guy also ran away, leaving Zhang Shan and the other two sitting stupidly in the hospital emergency room.

　　"Are you hungry?" Zhang Shan suddenly asked.

　　"Hmm..." I was thinking about something and didn't hear clearly what he asked.

　　"Let's go! Let's eat! Don't think about it, your brain is as small as a walnut kernel. I'll tell you the things you can't figure out later!" As he said that, Zhang Shan pulled me up and went to find a place to eat nearby.

　　After we sat down at a mutton soup restaurant that was about to close, before Zhang Shan ordered anything, I couldn't help but ask him, "Is that thing on this guy's wrist the seal of inaction?"

　　"What do you think?" Zhang Shan reached out and took a pair of disposable chopsticks, looking at me with a smile on his face.

　　"If I knew, would I need to ask you?" Seeing this guy's expression, I was so angry.

　　This guy waved to the boss, and took advantage of this opportunity to say to me: "I'm not the seal holder, you have to ask your colleagues!"

　　"Colleague...are you talking about Master Qian?" I gradually got used to his inspiring conversation.

　　"Oh! You don't deserve to be called a master! Do you two eat meat or mixed food?" The boss came over and said cheerfully.

　　I looked up at the boss and asked Zhang Shan, "You said that person is old man Qian?"

　　“Young man, be respectful when speaking to middle-aged and elderly people!” The shopkeeper’s face immediately changed from sunny to cloudy.

　　I stared at him blankly. What the hell was going on? The more he talked, the more confused I became!

　　Zhang Shan couldn't help laughing, and looked up and asked the boss, "What's your name?"

　　"My last name is Qian!"

　　“…”

　　I ordered two bowls of meat for ten yuan, and served them with soup. Before I could continue to ask, Zhang Shan said, "I'm not sure if it's Old Man Qian. Zhengzhou doesn't just have you two seal holders. But, go ask Old Man Qian and get his words, maybe you can find some clues."

　　"I'm afraid this is not our business?" I frowned.

　　Since the elevator issue has been resolved, there is nothing for us to do. Why are we rushing forward? Besides, I am still waiting to go up the mountain with this guy as soon as possible. It seems that we have been delayed for almost two months.

　　I don't want to see my savior lying dead on the streets of Zhengzhou because of a small centipede.

　　"The old man specifically reminded you at the beginning, but you didn't even bother to go over and thank him?" Zhang Shan continued to seduce me.

　　"It's better not to go forever! I have to owe him a favor and do something for him, why didn't you tell me?" I vaguely remembered that Old Man Qian seemed to have said that if I came back alive, I would go to help him do something.

　　If it were someone else, it would be fine. But for him, I would not be the fool who rushed to pay back the debt. In short, I would hide for one day.

　　"I was wondering why you didn't tell Captain Yang and the others. Wouldn't it be better for them to go? Or you could go with them. Isn't that enough? Why do you have to drag me along?" I looked at this guy with a smirk on his face and said in confusion.

　　"The government has never been able to interfere in the affairs of the seal holder. They can't and shouldn't control it." Zhang Shan put away his smile and said seriously.

　　"Come on! Big brother, what era is this? And you're still working for the government. Are you planning to rely on this as a career for the rest of your life?" I wanted to laugh when I heard the words coming out of this guy's mouth.

　　"Well, I originally wanted to help you. Since you don't want to go, forget it. You also know that my grandfather knows that old man Qian. By the way, let me tell you a piece of information. Old man Qian, the seal holder, is no different from an ordinary person except for the birthmark on his wrist. He practiced it himself. Not only do you not usually see those messy things, but you also have extraordinary strength." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he lowered his head and concentrated on eating the bread and meat in his bowl.

　　How can I eat after hearing this? I've been fed up with that Wuwei Seal for a long time. It's always used to deal with all kinds of things, and they always involve me in everything. Sometimes when I think about it, I really want to chop off my arm.

　　This birthmark has seriously affected my life.

　　Assuming that what Zhang Shan said was true, then not only could Old Man Qian make the Wuwei Seal ineffective, but he would also have a lot of strength. It was simply the best of both worlds!

　　If he taught me this method, wouldn't I have no worries in the future?

　　Chapter 32: Visiting the Master Again

　　"Are you serious?" I weighed the pros and cons in my mind for a long time and felt that I had a greater chance of winning, so I shamelessly went to Zhang Shan to verify it again.

　　"Let me tell you the truth!" Zhang Shan had finished his soup, put down his chopsticks, and said to me: "Do you know why Old Man Qian and my grandfather didn't get along well when we met last time? That's because they belong to two different factions. My grandfather is a spiritual cultivator, and Old Man Qian is a soul eater. If you have read Dream Record carefully, you should know this."

　　Oh, now that he reminded me of this, I really remembered it.

　　These two types of people are indeed mentioned in "Dream Records".

　　The so-called spiritual cultivators rely on their own Wuwei Seal and Golden Coffin to cultivate, sending souls and collecting nightmares, which are unrelated. They walk a single-line road, which means that I generally do not bother anyone except myself.

　　But Soul Eaters are different. They will use many ancient secret techniques to refine and absorb the essence of nightmares, so as to achieve the goal of improving their physical abilities.

　　The early soul eaters only devoured nightmares. After all, souls can be good or nightmares can be evil. There is no essential difference between collecting nightmares in a golden coffin and directly absorbing them.

　　However, starting from the Ming Dynasty, there was a soul-eater seal holder in Zhu Yuanzhang's think tank, but Zhu Yuanzhang had always kept him well hidden for special purposes.

　　Some people also speculated in "Dream Records" that this soul-eater should be one of Zhu Yuanzhang's four important think tanks: Feng Guoyong, Li Shanchang, Zhu Sheng, and Liu Ji (Liu Bowen).

　　Let's not investigate who this person is for now. Let's just say that in order to help Zhu Yuanzhang, he spared no effort to do good deeds and at the same time refined the essence of the soul and nightmare, thereby gaining a lot of external support, and ultimately helped Zhu Yuanzhang lay the foundation for the Ming Dynasty that lasted for more than 270 years.

　　Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar who eventually became the founding emperor of China. He was the only one in the history of China for 5,000 years. Historians believe that this was all due to luck and opportunity, but it is probably far from that simple.

　　From then on, the Soul Eaters no longer made such a clear distinction between souls and nightmares. As long as they were either, they would accept them all.

　　This is also the biggest difference between the spiritual cultivators and the soul eaters now.

　　"Does Old Man Qian really have a way to make this birthmark ineffective?" I was still a little skeptical. After all, this was an innate ability. Doesn't it mean that it can be turned off just like that?

　　"I don't know what it's like specifically. After all, these two types of people never interact with each other. It's good enough that they don't fight when they meet. What else do you expect them to tell us?" Zhang Shan added another bowl of soup and said while drinking.

　　"Then isn't it all nonsense for you to say so much? If he doesn't tell you, he will tell me?" My hope was shattered in an instant and I was a little annoyed.

　　"That's not necessarily true! Have you forgotten? He wants to take you as his disciple." Zhang Shan raised one eyebrow and secretly observed my expression while speaking.

　　"..." I was silent. If that was the case, then there would be nothing wrong with me taking him as my master. Once I mastered the method of forgetting these abilities, they would be useless. Then it would be the same whether he wanted me as his disciple or not.

　　But then I thought again, if old man Qian knew that I wanted to become his disciple with this in mind, he would have no reason to teach me. Unless he was kicked in the head by a donkey.

　　So should I go or not?

　　"Are you interested? If so, go and ask. Regardless of whether to become his disciple or not, at least find out what the method is. It won't be too late for you to make a decision then." Seeing that my expression was changing, Zhang Shan brought me back to the way he was going to find Old Man Qian.

　　"Go? If I go, he'll grab me and say I still owe him a favor. How am I going to repay him then?" I still had a little bit of rationality left.

　　"Hey! It's not a big deal! I'll help you when the time comes! At most I can just run errands or capture a soul or something. With his ability, is there anything we need to do? He can settle what you think is a big deal with just a flick of his fingers." Although Zhang Shan was praising Old Man Qian, his tone was quite disdainful.

　　The strength that he was so proud of was easily surpassed by an old man over 70 years old. It was a heavy blow to this guy psychologically.

　　"You said it!" I was finally convinced by this guy. I thought, with his master-level ability, there wouldn't be anything too difficult for him to assign to us.

　　"Don't worry! Why should you worry about me? I am not worried about you." Zhang Shan patted his chest and assured me.

　　I was actually very surprised at the time, why this guy worked so hard for something completely unrelated. It was only much later that I found out that this old man Qian had a close relationship with Zhang Shan's grandfather. Zhang Shan did this to repay a favor, but he didn't expect to hurt the other person in the end.

　　"Let's go!" Since I had made the decision, I no longer hesitated. I didn't want to eat the half bowl of mutton soup left, so I stood up as I spoke.

　　"Brother, look at what time it is? Are we going to go over and get beaten up now? The two of us are not enough for him to practice on." Zhang Shan pointed at the wall clock on the hotel and said to me with a wry smile.

　　I turned my head and saw that it was almost one o'clock. The place where Old Man Qian was was a gathering place for ghosts, and the yin energy was very heavy. I didn't know what I would encounter if I went there at this time.

　　After what happened at Jinshui River last time, I went home for a long time and didn’t dare to turn off the lights to sleep at night. I don’t want to go through it again.

　　"But... I have to go to work tomorrow!" I hesitated. I have indeed taken too many days off in the past two days, so I applied for a day off. Although tomorrow is the weekend, I have to make up for the time off I took.

　　If you invite me again, I guess you will be asked to go home.

　　"At noon, your workplace isn't far away. We can go back and forth in an hour. I'll come to you first then!" Zhang Shan had already made plans and arranged them in such a way that I had no reason to refuse.

　　When I came out after dinner, it was already late at night. I wrapped my coat tightly and jogged home to sleep.

　　The next day at noon, after work, I hurried to the riverside intersection without even eating.

　　Zhang Shan had been waiting for me at the intersection for a long time. After we met, we walked along the embankment on the other side of the river.

　　Old Man Qian's shabby house is right next to the railway. Last time it was late at night, so we just walked along the railway line. But today is daytime, so it's better to walk around it honestly.

　　We were silent along the way, both of us had something on our minds. I didn't know what Zhang Shan was thinking, but I felt it was too far-fetched. After all, the seal holder's seal of inaction was annoying, but I didn't use it, and they couldn't do anything to me. Why bother coming here to learn for a fee?

　　Besides, if I learn these things from Old Man Qian, even if I can no longer see ghosts, I might develop a new ability, which would not be worth it.

　　We were almost at the railway when Zhang Shan suddenly pulled me to a corner.

　　"What are you doing?" I was a little confused. How could it be like committing a crime in broad daylight?

　　"Look who that is?" Zhang Shan, hiding behind a small tree, secretly pointed at a person in front of him and showed him to me.

　　This man had just gotten off the railway. He was wearing a sports suit and a white baseball cap with the brim pulled down so low that it was impossible to see what he looked like.

　　"Who is this?" I had no impression of knowing this person at all, and I didn't know why Zhang Shan wanted me to see him.

　　I was about to look up and ask Zhang Shan, but I saw the man slightly raised the brim of his hat and looked up at the road. Now I could see his true face.

　　"Zhang Haitao!" I couldn't help but shout in a low voice.

　　Chapter 33: Following All the Way

　　This man was none other than the husband of the female ghost Gao Yuan (or to be more precise, her husband before death), Zhang Haitao, who later changed his name to Zhang Zhiguang.

　　Now, he is followed by Gao Yuan's soul and nightmare every night. He never expected that he would have the energy to go out in broad daylight.

　　"Why is he here?" I couldn't help but ask Zhang Shan. Because the railway is usually inhabited by scavengers, not to mention a company boss like him, even ordinary citizens would never come here for no reason.

　　"Don't you understand? What are we doing here? Why are we here?" Zhang Shan kept staring at him.

　　"You mean... he is also here to look for Old Man Qian?" I was surprised. How could they be related?

　　"Don't forget, he, an amateur, actually knows how to suppress corpses at the bottom of the river. Do you think he figured it out on his own? Let's go! Follow him and see!" Zhang Shan saw Zhang Haitao going down to the river and pulled me to follow him.

　　"Aren't you going to look for old man Qian?" Although I said this, I also wanted to know what this guy was doing here.

　　"Old man Qian won't run away, so why are you in such a hurry? Let's wait and see. This black-hearted man and that old thing will never do anything good together. He might even want to harm others. Can you just ignore it?" Zhang Shan had forgotten about Old Man Qian since he saw him.

　　I was also startled. This is not impossible. Since he could kill his ex-wife, then I am afraid that his current wife, Fang, will become his next victim at any time.

　　After Zhang Shan and I left that night, although his wife was kicked out, she would definitely ask him about the details when she returned. Maybe this guy would be so cruel...

　　I dare not think about it anymore, so I decided to go and see for myself. After all, it’s a human life!

　　Zhang Haitao's home is not far from Beizhakou. Just walk south along the riverside road to the end.

　　Fortunately, he seemed to be resting today. Not only was he dressed in sportswear, but he also didn't drive. When he was walking on the road, he looked back from time to time, which made Zhang Shan and I hurriedly avoid him every time.

　　After a while, I realized that he was not afraid of being followed, but he would look back after walking a distance to see if there was an available taxi.

　　Although we were no longer as careful, we had met before after all, and it was still easy to recognize us at this late hour.

　　Zhang Shan and I continued to follow cautiously.

　　After passing the north gate, an empty taxi finally came from behind. It stopped when it saw Zhang Haitao waving at it.

　　Zhang Shan and I were dumbfounded. He stopped a car, how could we follow him? Looking back, there was no trace of a car on the road a few hundred meters behind us, let alone an empty taxi.

　　We watched helplessly as Zhang Haitao got into the car and slowly drove away.

　　"Boss, do you want to take a taxi? It's five dollars within the city!" Just when we were at a loss, a voice sounded beside us.

　　Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man driving a three-wheeled vehicle.

　　These three-wheeled illegal taxis can be found in many cities, including Zhengzhou. Although they are regularly rectified, the results are minimal.

　　People can't survive if they don't do this, so you have to leave them a way out.

　　When Zhang Shan saw a car, he pulled me into the back bucket and said, "Do you see that taxi in front? Follow it!"

　　"Okay! Hold on tight!" The driver immediately became excited when he saw that there was business. He didn't care whether his three-wheeled car could catch up with the other four-wheeled car, he kicked on the engine and rushed out.

　　Not long after I started walking, I regretted my decision because the road along the river at the southern end was under construction and it was very bumpy.

　　"Let's follow him to the place, this guy has gone home, what do you think?" Zhang Shan was sitting opposite me, and I couldn't even see his face clearly, but this guy could still talk.

　　“No, no, no, no…” I opened my mouth and found that even my voice was shaking.

　　Zhang Shan had just arrived in Zhengzhou and was not familiar with the city. This place was less than half a kilometer away from Zhang Haitao's home, and it would only take three to five minutes to walk there. He really had no reason to take a taxi.

　　Since you have called a car, it must be going somewhere else.

　　The car finally turned onto the main road. As I expected, when passing their community, the taxi did not stop at all, but went straight forward into the underpass.

　　The three-wheeled tricycle was running on the road at a speed of at least 50 kilometers per hour.

　　After going up the underpass, the taxi turned towards the train station.

　　Seeing this, I became worried. If Zhang Haitao had something to do and took the train to another place, then today's tracking would end here.

　　As for what he and Old Man Qian said, I'm afraid only the two of them know.

　　The train station square didn't allow tricycles to enter, so we had no choice but to get off at the intersection. Fortunately, the taxi parking lot was not far ahead, and Zhang Shan's tall and strong figure meant that Zhang Haitao's taxi did not escape our sight.

　　Seeing Zhang Haitao get off the taxi, Zhang Shan and I immediately followed him. Every day, more than 100,000 people go in and out of Zhengzhou Railway Station. It is a huge crowd. Although we might be discovered if we follow too closely, if we follow too far, we might disappear in a flash.

　　When Zhang Haitao walked through the entrance to the train station, we both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't going out of town, there was a chance that we could figure out the matter today.

　　Our pursuit finally came to an end. Zhang Haitao walked past the square in front of the station and entered a building. I looked up and saw that it was the Huang Heping Building (also known as the Greenland Building. I can’t remember which one came first. It is located on Datong Road, directly opposite the south exit of Zhengzhou Railway Station. It is said that it was once a landmark building in Zhengzhou, but that was 10 or 20 years ago.)

　　Zhang Shan and I didn't dare to rush in, because once we stepped into the lobby, we would be discovered. We could only stand outside the building and watch Zhang Haitao walk into the elevator, and then hurriedly followed.

　　Although the Huang Heping Building was built earlier, it also has 34 floors. We quickly walked through the lobby and came to the elevator room. We just happened to see that the elevator was currently parked on the 12th floor.

　　Since we saw Zhang Haitao was the only person who entered the elevator, we can almost conclude that he went to the twelfth floor.

　　I pressed the call button, and the elevator stopped rising and descended.

　　In order to prevent any special circumstances, we both got off the elevator on the eleventh floor and climbed up to the twelfth floor along the fire escape.

　　Standing in the corridor, Zhang Shan and I were stunned. On both sides of the long corridor, there was a door every three or five meters. There were dozens of doors just for the ones we could see, not to mention the other half of the corridor.

　　"What should we do?" Zhang Shan was at a loss at this point. We can't just knock on every door, right?

　　"Since you've followed us here, let's just wait and see." I can only suggest lying in ambush and seeing if this guy will come out in a short time.

　　So we retreated to the fire escape again, listening carefully to the movements in the corridor while waiting for Zhang Haitao to appear.

　　This guy's home is in Zhengzhou, but he came here to rent a house. There must be something strange about it.

　　I also speculated whether this was where he worked, but I remembered that the last time this guy confessed, he said he was currently working from home.

　　In short, he must have something he hasn't told us, including how he came up with the idea of ​​suppressing the corpse at the bottom of the river, which is most likely related to Old Man Qian.

　　Chapter 34: Secret Room in the Old Building

　　Time passed by, but it was already noon and everyone had already eaten. After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, no one was walking in the corridor.

　　Could it be that this guy has a mistress here and is having a tryst at noon? But I immediately gave up the idea.

　　Although I am not very familiar with Zhang Haitao, judging from the fact that he killed his wife to defraud insurance, career is far more important to him than women. Besides, *** will not be included here.

　　Even if he agrees, I'm afraid his mistress may not agree.

　　Zhang Shan was about to fall asleep sitting on the stairs. I was smoking one cigarette after another when finally there was movement in the depths of the corridor.

　　I patted Zhang Shan gently to wake him up, then we both lay down at the stairs and slowly poked our heads out to look outside.

　　It turned out to be this guy Zhang Haitao!

　　I saw him holding a round object in his hand and walking towards us step by step.

　　I secretly noted the approximate location where he came out, and Zhang Shan and I retracted our heads.

　　Because it was too quiet in the building, Zhang Shan didn't dare to make a sound. He gestured with his hands, asking me to see what he was holding in his hand.

　　It was not until Zhang Haitao's footsteps stopped outside the stairwell that I looked again.

　　Outside the stairwell is the elevator room, and Zhang Haitao is waiting for the elevator. According to people's habits, after pressing the elevator call button, they will definitely stand facing the elevator. So this is the best time to check from the back!

　　I stuck my head out and found that Zhang Haitao was standing two meters in front of me with his back to me. In his right hand, he was holding a fist-sized black glass ball.

　　The elevator came, and Zhang Haitao put the glass ball into his jacket pocket and walked into the elevator. The moment he raised his hand, I finally saw the whole thing in his hand.

　　I naturally know this kind of thing, because I also have one, it is the pupil seal! The glass bead with eyes painted on it.

　　After seeing it clearly, I quickly shrank back to prevent being seen by Zhang Haitao in the elevator.

　　After the elevator door was completely closed, Zhang Shan asked me in a low voice: "What is it?"

　　"Tongxi, you should know, right?" I don't understand why Zhang Haitao took this thing. I still don't know what this thing is used for. I only remember using it once in the underground air-raid shelter in Bishagang.

　　"Where did he get this thing? It's only useful if the person who holds the seal has it. ... Could it be... because of old man Qian?" Zhang Shan obviously knew what the pupil seal was.

　　"You mean... Zhang Haitao specifically helps Old Man Qian collect and store these things?" I was shocked. If this is true, then could they be related to the centipede formation in the elevator of the Municipal Hospital?

　　You know, that formation is also used to collect various soul nightmares.

　　"We have to ask them to find out what's going on. This guy is gone now, why don't we go in and take a look?" Zhang Shan said as he walked towards the place where Zhang Haitao came out.

　　"Breaking into the house like this... isn't a good idea? What if they mistake us for thieves?" I followed him, looking around for any surveillance equipment.

　　"We are thieves at best, but that guy is a murderer, don't forget that." Zhang Shan didn't care about the law.

　　Fortunately, this building was built early, and there are no cameras installed anywhere except the lobby and elevator.

　　"Is this the place?" Zhang Shan stopped in front of a door and turned back to ask me.

　　I turned around and looked again. It seemed that Zhang Haitao came out from here. There was a ball lock on the wooden door and a room number plate with "1212" engraved all over it.

　　After receiving my affirmative answer, Zhang Shan first looked around to see if there was anyone around. Then he placed a corner of his coat on the ball lock, held it with both hands and twisted it hard.

　　"Snap!" After an abnormal sound, the door lock was actually broken by this guy! Zhang Shan pushed the lock tongue hard through his clothes, and the door opened.

　　I opened my mouth wide, not knowing what to say. This guy is too strong! Ordinary locks can't protect people like him! To him, this thing is just a decoration, there is no need for all kinds of skills, just a little effort, it can be done in minutes.

　　Although this kind of door is indeed easy to break, I guess if I were in his place, I could kick it open with a few kicks if I had more strength. But apart from that old man Qian, there are probably not many people who can open it as easily as he does with just the strength of his hands.

　　"You've broken it...won't he know we've been here then?" It took me a long time to recover from the shock.

　　"Are you stupid? When we find out what's inside, we should just confront that guy directly. But you are worried about him." Zhang Shan said as he pushed open the door of the room.

　　I looked inside and it was very dark. Maybe the curtains were drawn, so not a single light came through and I couldn't see anything at all.

　　"Go in first!" Zhang Shan was afraid that if we stayed outside for too long we would be discovered, so before he found the light switch, he pulled me in and closed the door.

　　I was standing in the dark, not knowing what to do, when with a click, Zhang Shan turned on the ceiling light in the room.

　　This is a hotel-style suite. We are standing at the door. The bathroom is on the right. In front is a reception room that looks like a living room, about 10 square meters. In the corner of the reception room, there is a closed door, which should be the bedroom.

　　There was nothing special in the living room, with common furniture such as coffee tables and sofas. However, on the low cabinet where the TV should have been placed, there were a lot of yellow paper and sandalwood candlesticks. It seemed that this guy was indeed doing something shameful.

　　I wanted to go over and draw the curtains to let in more light, but Zhang Shan stopped me: "Be careful what if he sees you from below?"

　　In fact, I had observed it before I came up here. The windows on the facade of the Huang Heping Building are all made of brown monochrome glass, and you can't see what's going on inside the house from the outside.

　　After explaining to Zhang Shan, I went over and opened the thick curtains.

　　"This..." I was stunned after I opened the curtains. It was pitch black outside the window, just like what I saw in the city hospital. Where was the shadow of the sun?

　　Zhang Shan also hurried over to take a closer look. We tried to push the window and knock on the glass, but it didn't move at all, as if it had been a decoration from the beginning. It didn't play the role that the window was supposed to play.

　　"How on earth was it sealed?" Seeing that even Zhang Shan couldn't push it open, I naturally gave up the idea of ​​trying it myself.

　　"It may be sealed with a formation to prevent outsiders from suddenly entering." Zhang Shan looked at the window seriously and inferred.

　　"No way? The door is so easy to enter, but the windows are sealed so tightly, what's the use..." I said, turning around and looking at the door.

　　After seeing it clearly, I stopped talking instantly.

　　Seeing that I hadn't finished speaking, Zhang Shan sensed that something was wrong and turned around.

　　We were all stunned. Where the door of the room was just now, there was only a white wall. The door was gone!

　　Chapter 35: Trapped in the Array Again

　　The door can also run away? Who would believe it if I told them?

　　We both rushed forward and started knocking on the white wall.

　　But the sound we hear tells us that there is indeed something solid behind this wall.

　　Where did the gate go?

　　We rushed into the bathroom again and carefully searched every corner, but we came to only one conclusion: except for the door that disappeared when we first entered the room, nothing else had changed.

　　This reminds me a bit of Doraemon's random door, but now is definitely not the time to joke.

　　Zhang Shan sat on the edge of the bathtub for a long time and said, "It seems that we underestimated that beast. We didn't expect that he could do such a thing!"

　　“Is this also a magic circle?” I just tried to “break the environment” again, and it was the same as in the city hospital, it had no effect.

　　"It seems so, but it is different from the centipede formation in the hospital. That formation is used to collect soul nightmares, and although this formation is still unclear what it is, I think it is mostly used for guarding the door and preventing thieves." Zhang Shan kept looking here and there, probably trying to find the eye of the formation.

　　"Oh...that's easy." I couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as it wasn't like last time with zombies everywhere, I could accept it.

　　"Then you are wrong. Among all the formations, this kind of defensive formation is the most difficult to break. Because defensive formations are mostly used to protect oneself and prevent enemies, they are not offensive. Once stepped into, the trapped people are mostly helpless and have to wait for the owner to come back to break free." The more Zhang Shan spoke, the tighter his brows frowned.

　　"That means, if we want to get out, we may have to wait for Zhang Haitao to come back?" I barely understood what he meant.

　　"The problem is, what if he doesn't come once every ten days or half a month?" Zhang Shan immediately continued. It seemed that he had already considered this aspect.

　　I was silent. If he only came once every ten days or half a month, I would starve to death even if we were both hungry.

　　Zhang Shan continued, "Even if he comes back soon, today is not like that night. He was forced to use force to intimidate us and had no way to deal with us. Now we have fallen into his trap and we are the only ones who know his background. Can you guarantee that he will not kill us to silence us?"

　　As Zhang Shanyue spoke, my face became increasingly gloomy. Yes, Zhang Haitao had been living a good life, but by accident we discovered the truth that he had murdered his wife two years ago to defraud insurance. I don't even believe that he would not kill to silence her.

　　"Then there is no other way?" I was at a loss. In fact, since Zhang Shan came, he has been the one who solved many problems. I have never used my brain. When it comes to this kind of thing, I can only listen to him.

　　I began to consider whether I should go back and read the Dream Record carefully. Even if it doesn't hurt anyone, it can protect myself. It won't be like this, a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.

　　"We need to first figure out what this formation is so we can find the right remedy. Let's go to the inner room and take a look." Zhang Shan said, standing up and walking out. We had already turned the bathroom upside down, so there shouldn't be anything suspicious.

　　"Bang!" Zhang Shan just walked to the bathroom door and his head hit the door frame.

　　Holding his head covered with a big bump, Zhang Shan kept cursing, "Damn, what a shabby house! The door is built so low!"

　　I was about to laugh at him for being so tall, but then I remembered what happened just now:

　　Even if the house was built low, the door frame should be at least two meters high. Zhang Shan was about 1.9 meters tall, so even if he wore shoes, he shouldn't have bumped into the door frame.

　　And when I entered the bathroom just now, Zhang Shan was in front and I was behind. I was afraid of bumping into him, so I looked at the height of the door frame and saw that this guy walked in standing straight without lowering his head at all.

　　Could it be that he has grown taller in such a short period of time?

　　Zhang Shan touched his forehead and looked at the door frame that was less than 1.9 meters high, and seemed to have discovered something unusual.

　　"Is this door frame so low?" he turned around and asked me.

　　"Absolutely not!" I was quite sure.

　　Zhang Shan's expression changed after hearing this, and he immediately turned his head to look at the sink. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, combs and other toiletries were neatly placed on it, but it was just... a little smaller than what we usually see.

　　“Could it be…” Before Zhang Shan could finish his words, he lowered his head and rushed out, shouting at me from outside: “Come to the inner room quickly!”

　　I hurried out of the bathroom, only to hear a bang, and this guy kicked open the door to the inner room again.

　　Although the lights were on in the back room, they were the kind of dark red bulbs you see in a photo lab. The room was filled with smoke, and there was nothing inside except a tribute table in the middle of the wall opposite the door.

　　Zhang Shan didn't bother to study the things on the table at all, but kept groping along the wall.

　　I had already seen clearly that there was actually a pupil seal on the table. It was supported by a tripod so that it would not roll around. Next to the pupil seal, there was an empty shelf, which seemed to have originally held a pupil seal. I guess it was the one that Zhang Haitao had just taken away.

　　I walked forward and picked up the seal.

　　In fact, I can't tell the difference between this one and the one I have at home. They look exactly the same.

　　"Hehe~" As I was watching, a cool breeze blew across my neck, followed by a girl's laughter.

　　"Who?" I turned around quickly, but there was no one in the room except Zhang Shan.

　　"What are you doing?" Zhang Shan was squatting in the corner. When he heard me talking, he quickly stood up and looked around.

　　"This thing... has a problem." I didn't know how to put it, so I stared at the seal in my hand and said.

　　"Did you see the soul inside?" Zhang Shan also came over, took the glass eyeball, and said while studying it: "The pupil seal is something that only the soul can transform into. Nightmare does not have this ability. It is not afraid of drowning or fire. But souls theoretically need to be reincarnated. They can neither move around in the world of the living nor stay in the underworld for too long, so the pupil seal has become the only destination for those wronged souls who have nowhere to go."

　　"What exactly does Zhang Haitao want this thing for?" I was still confused. After asking, I took the pupil seal from Zhang Shan.

　　"Of course, only those who can communicate with the Yin have the ability to directly contact the soul nightmare. But only you, the seal holder, even have the ability to absorb the soul nightmare to improve yourself." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he looked at me with a weird look.

　　"You are talking about the Soul Eater, right?" I didn't understand the meaning of his eyes at this time.

　　After coming out of the air-raid shelter, I once told Zhang Shan that at the last moment, I was able to escape the disaster by absorbing the boy's pupil seal.

　　I remember that when Zhang Shan heard this, he also had a complicated and conflicted look in his eyes.

　　But I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, because after all, the boy did it voluntarily.

　　I was looking at the Tongxi in my hand, not knowing what to say, when my vision suddenly flashed, and I traveled through space and came to the door. I saw a person walking towards me from afar... It was Zhang Haitao!

　　"Oh no! Zhang Haitao is back!" Although the scene in front of me was difficult to explain, I was more concerned about what I saw and couldn't help but say it.

　　"How do you know?" Zhang Shan asked curiously.

　　"Tongxi told me." After saying that, he closed his eyes and opened them again. What I held in my hand was still a black Tongxi. But I already knew its origin. This was the soul of the young nurse who fell to death in the city hospital!

　　"It's over... Looks like we're going to have to die here today." Zhang Shan finally gave up and slowly sat down against the wall.

　　Chapter 36: Breaking the Formation with the Pupil Seal

　　"Not really? If we let him catch us, will there be no hope at all?" After all, I still don't believe that this guy can be so vicious.

　　"By the time you figure this out, we'll both be in a mess!" Seeing that I didn't believe him, Zhang Shan stood up and said, "Don't you notice that this house is getting smaller and smaller?"

　　Of course I noticed it, but I just felt that we were getting older and older.

　　"I forgot what this formation is called, but I heard my grandfather tell me about it once when I was a kid. It's a formation for guarding the house. It can not only trap people who break in, but also shrink the space until the owner comes back." Zhang Shan said all this in one breath, not caring whether I understood it or not. Then he said, "If Zhang Haitao finds someone breaking in, even if he doesn't want to kill us, he will shrink the space first, and only consider the next step when the people inside can't move. How long do you think the two of us can hold out in this shrinking space?"

　　"So according to you, is it possible that we could be turned into meat paste?" I began to get scared. If we were to be crushed to death, that would be too painful!

　　Zhang Shan was about to stand up when he found that the room was suddenly shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

　　"Hurry! Hide in the corner!" Zhang Shan couldn't even stand up straight at this time, as the roof had been pressed down to a height almost the same as mine.

　　We huddled together in a corner, trying to make ourselves take up as little space as possible, hoping there might still be a glimmer of hope.

　　Finally, the room had shrunk to a size where only two people could squat, but there was no sign of stopping. The tribute table at the foot of the wall was now only the size of a palm, and it was placed on the ground in front of me, like a toy.

　　Gradually, Zhang Shan and I were squeezed together, and it became tighter and tighter, and we almost couldn't breathe!

　　The pain came little by little, and I could even feel the sound of the bones of my knees and Zhang Shan's elbows rubbing against each other.

　　Am I really going to die here today?

　　We had already broken through the Corpse-Assisting Curse and the Centipede Formation, but we were crushed to death in this tiny gate-guarding magic circle.

　　"...Ah!" I finally couldn't bear the pain anymore and screamed loudly.

　　Miracles often happen when people are desperate.

　　After I screamed like this, I felt less pain. I felt a warm current flowing from my right wrist to my whole body.

　　It's that pupil seal! I finally understand!

　　The last scene in the underground air-raid shelter happened again!

　　Although I can't see it, I can vaguely feel that the pupil seal in my hand is being sucked into the fearless seal bit by bit.

　　Faster! Faster!

　　Zhang Shan had been squeezed so hard that he lowered his head. I couldn't see his expression at all. I just hoped that the process of absorbing the pupil seal would end as soon as possible. Then there might be hope of escaping and ascending to heaven.

　　The moment my forehead touched my knees, the pupil seal was finally completely absorbed by me. With a force in my hand, I crushed the bead that had turned into particles.

　　I tried to use my shoulders to push open the wall that was already less than a foot wide.

　　A miracle happened! The wall slowly retreated as I exerted force.

　　Until I used my hands to support the walls on both sides, Zhang Shan was finally no longer squeezed, half-knelt on the ground, panting violently. I guess if it was a few seconds later, this guy would have been squeezed to death.

　　I actually didn’t know what to do next, but an idea told me that this was the right thing to do!

　　I stood there, slowly adjusting my breath, and when I felt the airflow of the Fearless Seal filling my arms, I shouted in a low voice: "Break!" Then I waved my arms, and the space was finally shattered, and dazzling white light began to appear all around.

　　When I opened my eyes again, Zhang Shan and I were standing at the door of the house, and the big door on the wall appeared again.

　　We are out!

　　I actually used the Fearless Seal to break this formation. This ability is too overbearing!

　　No wonder old man Qian is so powerful.

　　Zhang Shan had already rested by now. He flashed ahead of me and opened the door of the room.

　　Outside the door, Zhang Haitao held a lunch box in his left hand, twisted his index and middle fingers into a twist, and was muttering something. He was indeed activating the magic circle.

　　I was wondering why this guy came and left. It seemed that he had no intention of leaving, but went downstairs to buy food.

　　Zhang Haitao had no idea that we had already escaped at this time, and he was still constantly activating the magic circle, not knowing that I had already broken it.

　　"Hey!" Since he was out, how could Zhang Shan be afraid of him? At this time, he resumed his usual style, patted Zhang Haitao on the shoulder and greeted him. Zhang Haitao opened his eyes and saw that it was us. He was so scared that he trembled all over and dropped his lunch box to the ground.

　　"So it's you... who's in there?" This guy stared at us with an expression of disbelief.

　　"Boss Zhang, we haven't seen each other for just a few days, and you've become our fellow Taoist? You're practicing finger gestures and activating magic arrays. I think you should stop wasting your energy. You've done everything you shouldn't have done in your life. It's futile to practice anymore." Zhang Shan didn't respond to his words at all, but just mocked him.

　　Zhang Haitao kept backing away. It seemed that the two of us still had some intimidation effect on him.

　　"Zhang Haitao, we already know everything we need to know. I just want to ask you, what are you and old man Qian doing?" I stepped forward and pressed Zhang Haitao.

　　"I...I..." Zhang Haitao didn't expect that we had even dug out Old Man Qian. He was so shocked that beads of sweat the size of beans oozed out of his head.

　　At this time, there was less than one meter between us. I was about to move forward to continue to put pressure on him, but unexpectedly this guy suddenly raised his arms and rushed towards me without any warning. Fortunately, he just wanted to push me away and had no other intentions.

　　This guy pushed me to the ground, and Zhang Haitao took advantage of the reaction force to bounce back and staggered towards the elevator.

　　"Hurry up and catch him!" I got up from the ground and saw that Zhang Shan had let this guy run more than ten meters away and had no intention of taking action, so I couldn't help but urge him.

　　"Hehe, can he escape from the Five Finger Mountain of my Buddha?" Zhang Shan smiled at me confidently, then squatted down with his legs apart.

　　When he stood up again, he was holding a piece of red carpet in his hand.

　　I looked down and realized that in order to make the corridor clean and beautiful, a long red carpet was laid in the middle. It was very narrow, only about one meter long, but it was a whole roll from one end to the elevator entrance.

　　At this time, Zhang Haitao was running on the carpet. Not far in front of him was the end of the carpet, the elevator window, and on the right was the fire escape.

　　"Hey, have you seen Tom and Jerry?" Zhang Shan asked me, clutching the carpet in his hand.

　　I seemed to understand what he was going to do. Pull the carpet to pull Zhang Haitao back? Or just pull him down and wait for us to catch him?

　　But...it seems like there's still a difference between reality and cartoons, right?

　　Seeing that Zhang Haitao had already run to the glass window at the end of the elevator room, it was estimated that this guy was planning to escape through the fire escape.

　　"Hey!" Zhang Shan shouted and suddenly pulled back the carpet in his hand.

　　Chapter 37: In Public

　　Sure enough, the entire carpet was pulled towards us.

　　But...I thought of something!

　　If something is pulled away from under a person's feet while he is running at high speed, he will definitely fall forward!

　　Before Zhang Haitao could figure out what was going on, he tripped over the carpet under his feet and fell forward at an angle.

　　I always felt that something was wrong, and when Zhang Shan was about to pull the carpet, I rushed forward.

　　But this series of actions only happened within one or two seconds.

　　Gradually, the smile on Zhang Shan's face froze.

　　Because we both saw that Zhang Haitao was rushing towards the elevator window with a momentum that he couldn't control at all. And just now when I was waiting for him there, I pushed the window open to smoke.

　　This is an opening window with two doors that slide outwards separately, leaving a large space.

　　At this point, I can only hope this guy can brake in time.

　　But among those who are running for their lives, how many of them are not trying their best?

　　Zhang Shan and I both stopped moving and watched Zhang Haitao hit the windowsill first. As his center of gravity leaned forward, his upper body rushed out all of a sudden, his feet left the ground, and his legs gradually lifted up, getting higher and higher.

　　Immediately afterwards, a hoarse and lung-piercing scream came from near and far away.

　　Finally, only a muffled "bang" was heard downstairs.

　　It’s over! It’s over! Someone’s dead!

　　I looked at Changshan. This guy was also very pale. He didn't expect that pulling out the carpet would lead to such a result.

　　After a long pause, we heard the noise from downstairs getting louder and louder, and then we hurried to the window in despair and looked down. Below was the square in front of the train station, which was already surrounded by a crowd of people, who were looking up at this time.

　　I found a person lying face down on the ground in the middle of the crowd. Judging from his clothes, it was undoubtedly Zhang Haitao, and he was definitely dead.

　　"Fortunately, I didn't hit anyone else, otherwise I would be guilty of a serious crime!" Zhang Shan said with a sigh.

　　Half an hour later...

　　"This is outrageous! How can I explain it? In the train station, under the eyes of tens of thousands of people, a person fell to death, and you want to kill me!" In room 1212, Zhang Shan and I sat on the sofa in a daze, while Song Dongfeng and Liu Yunlong leaned on the windowsill. The four of us stared at Captain Yang, who was pacing around the room alone, cursing non-stop.

　　"...Well, boss, it's not that serious, right? It's just a death!" After all, Liu Yunlong was still very worried about me after something like this happened, and whispered to their leader.

　　"Not serious enough? Not even enough to kill someone, so what are you telling me about?" Captain Yang became more and more agitated as he scolded us. He turned around and pointed at us and yelled, "And you two idiots, someone fell down and you were still looking outside! Don't you know it's December? This is the only floor in the entire building with open windows. If you stick your heads out, the eight hundred people below will see you two. If you get caught on camera, you two can expect to go to jail!"

　　"No way?" I was so scared by this that I quickly said, "We have both explained the situation. This is purely an accident. Besides, that guy has a murder case on his hands. We also suspect that he has something to do with the strange death of the young nurse in the city hospital. He deserves to die!"

　　"Whether you deserve the punishment or not is not up to you to decide, but the country! Besides, should personal actions like yours to eliminate evil and promote good be promoted? Then do we still need the country's laws?!" Captain Yang rolled his eyes at me.

　　I had nothing to say. I looked at Song Dongfeng with a look of help. If I was really arrested for manslaughter, my life would be over. My family would be pissed off at me.

　　Song Dongfeng stuck out his tongue at me, then looked up and said, "Captain Yang, don't be too nervous. This is completely an accident during the investigation. Although it takes a lot of effort to suppress it now, once the case is solved, people will naturally forget about it."

　　"Hmph! Are you trying to fool a kid? Even if there is any benefit, it's your Security Investigation Bureau that gets it." Captain Yang has been doing this for many years, so why would he fall for Song Dongfeng's tricks? "These are things that can't be made public. After the case is investigated and the matter is done, you can stand up and leave. I'll still have to clean up the mess here!"

　　Song Dongfeng was not angry. He pushed his glasses down and said, "You are worrying too much. I have been here for more than two years. If I do this, how can I survive in your territory in the future? Although the incident cannot be made public, both you and I can keep the same report to the higher-ups! Do you think that if your report after the case is closed also includes a report and certificate specially issued by our Security Investigation Bureau, can all problems be solved?"

　　After hearing this, Captain Yang was obviously moved.

　　Although I only heard the general idea, I felt that this was indeed the most ideal solution at the moment. Anyway, as long as they could keep me from being detained, they could do whatever they wanted!

　　After thinking for a long time, Captain Yang seemed to be convinced. He pointed at the two of us and said, "This matter will definitely be on the news tonight. As long as you two are not in the picture, then everything will be fine. If there are, let me be frank. Not to mention you, Xiao Song, even if your director comes in person, I'm afraid he won't be able to save them!"

　　"Of course!" Song Dongfeng did not object to Captain Yang's proposal. Instead, he agreed, gestured to us not to worry, and went straight to the inner room to make a phone call.

　　I guess he's trying to interfere with tonight's news.

　　Captain Yang naturally knew that Song Dongfeng had a way, and the reason he said that was to use the power of the Security Bureau to suppress the matter. Today's news agencies are not the same as they were a dozen years ago. Except for the units directly responsible for national security, they don't buy anyone's accounts.

　　"Also, Xiao Liu, I don't care what method you use, just get them out. There are reporters here everywhere, and we must not let anyone know what they look like!" After Captain Yang said this, he went out alone.

　　Liu Yunlong came over, looked at us, and asked with a smile: "Let me ask you, do you want to leave with dignity? Or do you want to leave without anyone noticing?"

　　Before I could say anything, Zhang Shan said, "It's nothing. I admit what I did! What's the big deal? That guy deserves to die! Besides, I didn't mean to kill him. He just had a bad fate. Who can I blame? I did nothing wrong. Why should I run away secretly?!"

　　This guy spoke very loudly, probably because he wanted to speak to Captain Yang who just walked out. He was scolded for a long time but didn't say a word. It was really difficult for him.

　　"Haha, that's fine! But you two have to listen to me! I promise that you can walk out of the door with confidence and leave in the car!" The more Liu Yunlong spoke, the harder he laughed.

　　Based on my understanding of him, this guy has no good intentions, and we are probably going to fall into his trap this time.

　　Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Shan and I were both handcuffed, and one of us had a cowhide bag with two holes cut in it covered over our heads. We were dragged by Liu Yunlong and another police officer respectively, and walked out of the gate "openly". We were taken into a police car and drove away.

　　Although there were already media outlets at the door, they did not notice that the car did not drive to the detention center, but went directly to the Municipal Bureau.

　　Chapter 38: Visit Zhang's House Again

　　In order to prevent media follow-up reports, we cannot take off our "masks" for the time being.

　　Sitting in the car, Zhang Shan didn't say a word the whole way.

　　Although I couldn't see his expression, I could guess that this guy was very angry and was planning how to vent his anger on someone.

　　If I had known this would happen, I would have left in secret. Although it is shameful, at least I won't be treated as a criminal suspect.

　　In the city bureau's investigation department, Zhang Shan had to give Liu Yunlong a good scolding, until Liu Yunlong promised to treat us to a good meal to calm our nerves.

　　Although Liu Yunlong lost money, he didn't care. Seeing us make such a fool of ourselves was worth it even if he had to treat us to ten meals.

　　It was almost ten o'clock in the evening when almost everyone in the Municipal Bureau building had left. After Liu Yunlong repeatedly checked to make sure there were no reporters lying in ambush outside, he led us out.

　　The news tonight only mentioned that a murder occurred by falling from a building at the train station at noon, and nothing else was said. It seemed that the news was suppressed by Song Dongfeng.

　　"Where are you going?" Standing outside the Municipal Bureau, breathing the chilly December air, I felt like I had just been released.

　　"Looking for money, old man!"

　　"Zhang Haitao's house!"

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong gave me two different answers at the same time.

　　"Can't you just go back to sleep?" I begged them in tears. This mess has gotten me deeper and deeper into trouble, and now it's even linked to a murder case.

　　If we continue like this, who knows what else will pop up?

　　And I feel that the more I come into contact with these things, the more I can't get rid of them. Do I really have to deal with this kind of thing for the rest of my life? I deeply regret agreeing to go with Zhang Shan to find old man Qian last night.

　　If I don't go find him, at least I can stay the way I am now, do whatever I want, and not get into this mess. In short, the development of things now seems to be getting further and further away from what I had imagined.

　　"No!" This time they both rejected my proposal in unison.

　　"I say, you old bastard, you are so unkind! You two killed someone this afternoon, and now I am helping you to clean up your mess, but you only think about good things and you want to quit at the slightest provocation?" Liu Yunlong had a look of anger on his face.

　　Zhang Shan also advised me, "Yes, uncle, no matter what, Zhang Haitao's death has a lot to do with us. Going to take a look is also a way to show our respect. Besides, you don't want to learn from old man Qian, so how can you forget the Wuwei Seal? We can only go up the mountain after this matter is settled, otherwise how can we explain to everyone?"

　　After saying this, he looked at Liu Yunlong, who nodded vigorously to show his agreement.

　　"Alright, alright! Stop it!" I couldn't stand them taking political lessons together: "Tell me, should we go to Zhang Haitao's house first? Or should we go to old man Qian first?"

　　"Since you think that Old Man Qian has a close relationship with the murder in the hospital, I think we should go to Zhang Haitao's house first to see if there are any unexpected discoveries? Then when we meet Old Man Qian, we will be fully prepared, right? Zhang Shan, didn't you say that the biggest worry now is not that we can't catch the old man, but that we are afraid that he will refuse to admit it even if we catch him." Liu Yunlong looked at the two of us and analyzed carefully.

　　"It's up to you where to go first, Liu. I only have one condition. I'm willing to take you there because we three are friends. For thousands of years, the seal holder has never dealt with officials and the government. Regardless of whether old man Qian is the mastermind behind these things, we have our own solutions. I hope that you, as a policeman, will not interfere too much." Zhang Shan said to Liu Yunlong in a serious tone.

　　"How can that be? You are setting up a private court! You are abusing lynching!" Liu Yunlong was unwilling to hear this and protested.

　　Zhang Shan ignored him and turned to me and said, "What did you say? Uncle? Go home and sleep? I think it's a good idea! Let's find a place to drink two liang of wine and then go home, what do you think?"

　　I knew this guy was just forcing Liu Yunlong to compromise, so I naturally wouldn't respond.

　　"...Okay! It's up to you! As long as no one is killed, I won't interfere. Is that okay?" Liu Yunlong hardened his heart and stomped his feet in agreement.

　　"Hey, that's right, happy cooperation!"

　　"But I also have a condition. The standard of the treat I promised to give you will be reduced from 200 per person to 50 per person!"

　　"Damn it! You are taking advantage of the situation!"

　　"Don't want to? If you don't want to, forget it! You go ahead and investigate, and I'll follow you two. Let's see what you can do to me!"

　　"…You're so cruel! Deal!"

　　Since Liu Yunlong had just arrived and did not have the right to use the bureau's bus, the three of us had no choice but to take a taxi to Zhang Haitao's house.

　　On the way, we listened to Liu Yunlong's introduction. Since Zhang Haitao died accidentally in the afternoon, and we two "murderers" knew each other well, the Criminal Investigation Department rushed to his home as soon as possible. Not only was there no one at home, but his wife, Fang, had not been heard from at all until now.

　　Zhang Shan and I couldn't help but secretly worry about her, fearing that something bad might happen to her.

　　Since no one was at home, the Criminal Investigation Department conducted a reconnaissance in the afternoon, but found nothing special and withdrew. At this time, Liu Yunlong was holding the key he had taken from Zhang Haitao and opened the door to his house.

　　The room was dark, even the curtains were drawn, and not a single light came in.

　　Since it was a routine police inspection, there was nothing to worry about, so we simply turned on the lights and searched the house.

　　I remembered that Zhang Haitao was followed by Gao Yuan's ghost nightmare when he was alive, so I opened my spiritual eyes to see if they were still there. But after turning around, I saw nothing.

　　I was very confused, so I found Zhang Shan who was about to go into the toilet to check, and asked him for clarification.

　　Zhang Shan thought for a moment and said, "This is a normal phenomenon. Usually, a wronged nightmare will follow the person who hurt him. When that person dies, it means that the revenge is completed, so it will naturally leave and become a masterless nightmare. As for where it will float to, it is hard to say."

　　What I am worried about is that since Gao Yuan's soul and nightmare are together, will they kill each other again after Zhang Haitao's death? After all, for thousands of years, souls and nightmares have always been on opposite sides.

　　Seeing that I stopped asking questions, Zhang Shan fumbled to turn on the bathroom light and walked in.

　　Since Zhang Haitao's house is a duplex, the toilet downstairs is separated into dry and wet areas. Outside is a place for washing face, brushing teeth and going to the toilet, while inside is a bathroom of at least nine square meters. In addition to a large fan-shaped surfing tub, there is also a sauna room.

　　Zhang Shan had never seen such a scene before. He lowered his head and stared in amazement, muttering: "What a rich man! He can think of so many ways to take a bath!"

　　To be honest, there was nothing to see in the bathroom. We walked around and then turned to leave. Zhang Shan couldn't help but curse, "You city people live in houses with width but no height. No wonder the babies born in recent years are so short! Look at the ceiling. I have to lower my head to go in. Only someone with a stunted body like you can walk in straight!"

　　After hearing what he said, I looked around again. In recent years, it seems that it has become necessary to have a suspended ceiling in the bathroom of a house that has been renovated. If Zhang Shan hadn't said it, I wouldn't have thought it was a big deal.

　　The dry bathroom outside is not low. Although it has a suspended ceiling, it is still more than two meters high.

　　But the room inside that was specifically used for bathing was indeed a bit low, only about the same height as Zhang Shan, and more than a foot lower than the outside.

　　Because the room is so big, five high-powered bathroom heaters are hung on the ceiling. They are really not afraid of wasting electricity!

　　But, even if there is a bathroom heater, this is too low, right?

　　Chapter 39 This Beast

　　I was wondering why it was so low, when I heard a very faint "tap" sound from the suspended ceiling, as if a drop of water fell on the plastic board.

　　"Listen, there is a sound!" I quickly signaled Zhang Shan to shut up and listen with me.

　　Soon, there was another "click" sound. This time no one made a sound. Although it was very faint, it was clearly audible.

　　"There's a water leak from above! If not, they wouldn't have built it so low." Zhang Shan also heard the sound of dripping water and expressed his own inference.

　　Well...it seems like that. It's normal for the bathroom to leak. Who cares? Anyway, I don't sleep there. As long as it doesn't leak all over the house, basically no one cares. My old house leaks every other day. I'm used to it. A few drops are nothing.

　　As soon as Zhang Shan and I came out of the bathroom, Liu Yunlong came down from upstairs and yelled at us: "Although this house is big, the layout is really not that good! There is only a shabby bathroom in the northwest corner, so far away from every bedroom. They are not afraid of getting lost when they go to the bathroom in the middle of the night!"

　　Northwest corner? I'm a little confused. The toilet upstairs does not seem to be in the same location as the one downstairs.

　　Since they are not in the same location, how could there be a water leak upstairs?

　　This is a four-story duplex building. Zhang Haitao's home is on the third floor, which means the fourth floor is also his home.

　　Since there is no need to run water pipes further up, there will definitely be no water leaks above!

　　There are very few buildings of this kind built on the mountain, so Zhang Shan naturally wouldn't understand. I figured this out, turned around and opened the door of the toilet again, and walked into the shower room.

　　They didn't know what I wanted to do, so they followed me. Liu Yunlong walked in and said, "Damn, are you sick? How can a shower be so low?"

　　It seems that this suspended ceiling is indeed abnormal!

　　I asked them to keep quiet and listen carefully to find the source of the "dripping sound".

　　After listening for a minute, I basically locked onto the "dripping sound", which was above the sauna room in the corner. And the sound seemed to be very regular, ringing every ten seconds.

　　"Okay, stop listening! Trouble! Just climb up and take a look and you'll know." Liu Yunlong had also heard the voice a long time ago. He moved a chair over from outside, asked for the direction, placed the chair against the sauna room, and stood on it.

　　"Oh? It's all stuck! I can't push it open!" Liu Yunlong pushed the moisture-proof foam brick right above him and said with his head tilted.

　　That shouldn't be the case! I'm a designer, although I'm not involved in decoration, but I've had some experience with it. These moisture-proof foam bricks are usually placed directly on top, because they are usually not moved, who would go to the trouble of gluing them one by one?

　　Without waiting for me to say anything, Liu Yunlong came down and moved again. This time, the part on his head actually lifted up with a slight push. Liu Yunlong gently put the lifted part aside and then put his head in.

　　"Oh my god!!!!"

　　The guy's head had just been halfway in when he fell down, tumbling and tumbling. We were both shocked.

　　At this height, Zhang Shan didn't need any help at all. He hurried over and just stood on tiptoe, and he could basically see what was above.

　　Zhang Shan quickly retracted his head and said with a dark face, "That woman named Fang is up there. Go and have a look! Zhang Haitao, that bastard, we were just here yesterday, and he killed his second wife in the blink of an eye! Does this beast have any humanity left?!"

　　I helped Liu Yunlong up, then stood on the chair, slowly straightened up and looked inside.

　　Although I was prepared, my heart still started beating wildly when I saw the scene on the ceiling.

　　No wonder Liu Yunlong was shocked. The face of the woman surnamed Fang was right in front of us. Her mouth was blocked by a rag, and her eyes were wide open, staring at me. They were bloodshot and lifeless.

　　I also understood why Liu Yunlong couldn't push open the first brick just now. It was because she was pressing down on him.

　　"Is she not dead yet?" I didn't dare to look anymore, so I stepped back and asked Zhang Shan.

　　"He died a long time ago! Didn't you see it? His eyes were gone, and everything was gray." Zhang Shan said affirmatively.

　　"Then... where did the sound come from?" I calculated the location and the sound should be coming from the middle of the body of the woman surnamed Fang, near her palm.

　　"We'll know if we put her down. Maybe that's the sound of blood dripping on the ceiling." Zhang Shan said, and began to push away the moisture-proof foam bricks on his head one by one.

　　But I still feel that something is wrong. Since Zhang Haitao hid her here, he would naturally not let her bleed. These bricks look very neat, but in fact the joints are very casual. If there is blood, it will be left sooner or later.

　　By then, it will be useless no matter how well you hide it.

　　After removing the nearby top floors, the woman was revealed in her entirety above us.

　　She was still wearing the same casual clothes that we had worn yesterday, but her hands and feet were tied up, and there was no visible bleeding anywhere on her body.

　　I was just about to ask Zhang Shan where the blood was, but I vaguely saw that one of the fingers of the woman's hands, which were tied behind her back, suddenly trembled.

　　Suspecting that I was seeing things, I wiped my eyes and stared at the finger again.

　　Six, seven, eight, nine... I counted silently in my mind, and at the tenth second, the finger moved again!

　　This... this... is he trying to fake his death? I was just about to ask Zhang Shan to come and see what's going on. A familiar voice sounded from the ceiling: "Don't worry, this is something I set up to make you find me."

　　It was the voice of the woman named Fang. Then I remembered that I had just opened my spiritual eyes and had not closed them. It seemed to be the woman's soul.

　　"Where are you?" I looked around and couldn't find her.

　　"I'm still in the body, absorbing memories." The voice indeed came from the corpse.

　　"Who are you talking to?" Liu Yunlong was looking up at the corpse and asked when he heard my inexplicable words. Zhang Shan and I have been together for a long time, so he naturally knows what is going on and motioned Liu Yunlong to keep quiet.

　　"Were you killed by your husband?" I asked her directly.

　　"...Alas." After a long while, the woman surnamed Fang sighed and continued, "I met the wrong person. Sister Yuan is right. Although Zhang Zhiguang is very ambitious, his loyalty to his career is above all else. Any factors that affect his development will be eliminated. But I didn't expect that in order to save his career, he would do something worse than an animal."

　　"Have you seen Gao Yuan? Where did she go?" I asked again. In fact, it's not just concern. Such a miserable woman should have a good destination after death, and not linger because of the things that happened in her life.

　　Now, I’m afraid there will be another woman named Fang.

　　"Zhang Zhiguang just came here and forcibly took my other half away. Sister Yuan also followed him." I was shocked by what the woman surnamed Fang said.

　　"You said...his spirit just came?" This is how I understood it. Because Zhang Haitao fell to his death at noon, if anything came, it must be his spirit or nightmare.

　　"Why do you say that?" The woman surnamed Fang didn't seem to know that he was dead, and continued, "It was him who came!"

　　How is this possible!

　　Zhang Haitao clearly fell from the twelfth floor and died at noon. Zhang Shan and I saw it with our own eyes. He came back at night? This is absolutely impossible! Unless he really came back to life!

　　Chapter 40: Resurrection

　　"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" I asked carefully again.

　　"He opened the door to come in, how could it be wrong? Have you ever seen a ghost need to open the door to enter a house?" The woman surnamed Fang said affirmatively: "Why do you ask? Is he dead?"

　　I remained silent. On the one hand, I didn't know how to answer her; on the other hand, I really couldn't understand why Zhang Haitao, who was dead, would return to his home at night?

　　Could it be that there is another corpse-supporting curse? Thinking of this, the hairs on my back stood up.

　　If that's the case, it's really troublesome!

　　"Oh... forget it~ Since he's already dead, why bother about so much? I'm not as strong as Sister Yuan. The rest is not something that a person in the underworld like me can interfere with. Goodbye!" After the woman surnamed Fang said this last sentence, there was no sound anymore.

　　"What's going on?" Zhang Shan saw that I hadn't spoken for a long time, guessing that the conversation might be over, and asked me.

　　"Liu, where is Zhang Haitao's body?" I didn't answer Zhang Shan directly, but asked what I wanted to know most first.

　　"Municipal Hospital~What's wrong?" Liu Yunlong still didn't know what happened and looked at me with a question mark on his face.

　　I was just wondering if leaving it there had anything to do with what happened in the past two days, but Zhang Shan had already started talking, "Why put it there when there are other places you can put it? Check it out quickly to see if there's anything unusual?"

　　"Everyone is dead...what else could be unusual?" Liu Yunlong was mumbling, but seeing that we were both staring at him, he had no choice but to pick up his phone and dial a number.

　　"Hello! Haozi, this is Liu! Where are you now?... That's great, you can see where the body of Zhang Zhiguang was sent in this afternoon?... Is the forensic doctor performing an autopsy?... OK, I got it!... What are you talking about? You are just sleepy! If you stay in the morgue in the middle of the night, I'll scare you to death!!" After saying that, Liu Yunlong hung up the phone angrily and said to the two of us: "Yes! The forensic doctor is performing an autopsy!"

　　Zhang Shan and I both breathed a sigh of relief, and I now had time to repeat to them the conversation I had just had.

　　Liu Yunlong looked at me in disbelief and said, "Old Wang, who taught you how to talk to the dead? Please teach me!"

　　I rolled my eyes at him, I really couldn't understand it. I wish I could give up this skill right away, but there are people over there who are eager to learn it! But looking at Zhang Shan again, it seems that in his words and expressions, he is also very envious of my ability.

　　It seems that people have different pursuits!

　　"That's not right! According to what this woman said, Zhang Haitao obviously shouldn't still be in the hospital! Is she lying to us?" Zhang Shan held his chin, not understanding what was going on.

　　I don't doubt the credibility of the woman surnamed Fang, because I can now skillfully distinguish between souls and nightmares, and souls will not lie.

　　"Ring~Ring~Ring~" At this time, the phone in their living room rang.

　　The three of us rushed out and gathered around the phone.

　　The caller ID showed a local number. I looked at Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, but neither of them showed any intention of answering the phone. I had no choice but to pick up the receiver.

　　I didn't say anything first. After a moment, a strange man's voice rang out: "Hey, hey, I didn't underestimate you guys. You found out so quickly?"

　　"Who are you?" I originally suspected that it was Old Man Qian, but I have heard his voice before, and it is definitely not like this. This voice is not only low, but also stiff, as if his larynx is not flexible.

　　"What a shame! If you had come half an hour earlier, I really might not have made it through tonight. But that's my fate! By tomorrow morning, as long as by tomorrow morning, the power of the Centipede Formation will be fully exerted. By then, even if you don't come to find me, I will come to find you! Hahahaha..."

　　"Are you Zhang Haitao!?" I was shocked. I thought it was indeed him, but this was not his real voice!

　　"How did you survive?" This is what I want to know most at the moment.

　　"Hehe... You wouldn't understand even if I tell you. To put it simply, you must have heard of reincarnation, right?" The voice on the other end of the phone became more and more evil.

　　"Did Old Man Qian teach you that?"

　　"Him? Humph! He's just a stepping stone for me! Hahaha, as long as I have mastered the Centipede Formation, the first one I will kill will be him! This old thing actually dared to lie to me! Don't worry, you two will be the second and third! Whoever dares to stop me, I will kill him! Hahahaha...beep~" The phone was hung up on the other end.

　　The room was very quiet and I didn't put the microphone to my ear, so Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong could hear everything clearly.

　　Liu Yunlong still couldn't figure out what was going on, but Zhang Shan's face turned paler the more he listened.

　　"Isn't this Zhang Haitao's voice?" I put down the receiver and asked Zhang Shan.

　　"This guy... he was actually practicing the Hundred-Foot Formation!" Zhang Shan murmured, "I was saying that I always felt something was wrong last night? The Hundred-Foot Formation is such a difficult formation to practice, why didn't he take the Xuanmen with him when he left? Time is not a problem at all! It seems that we have fallen into this guy's trap! He deliberately left a fake Xuanmen so that we can let down our guard..."

　　"But he had planned everything, but he never expected that we would go to look for Old Man Qian today, and he would just happen to run into him. He was followed all the way, and in the end, he took his life." I continued what Zhang Shan said.

　　"Well, that's the truth, but to him, it doesn't matter whether he's dead or alive. Death might be more beneficial to this guy's work." Zhang Shan's expression was serious.

　　"So according to what you said, he was the one who set the trap in the municipal hospital? Do you want me to find a way to track the call?" Liu Yunlong interrupted and asked.

　　"It's probably 100 percent. Forget about tracking it, it's a public phone. It's a corpse that's being used to revive. Who else has a cell phone in their pocket after they die?" I saw Zhang Shan was thinking about something, so I answered quickly.

　　"Then what is his purpose? I can't see any special function of that formation!" Liu Yunlong was standing outside the situation, but he was able to discover some aspects that neither of us could think of.

　　Really? What is his purpose? What is the use of the centipede formation? I don't know either. Zhang Shan didn't elaborate, only saying that it is a very powerful formation.

　　"Oh, right." I took out the chicken blood stone that Zhang Shan stuffed into my pocket last night and asked, "Since it's a fake Xuanmen, is this stone also fake?"

　　Zhang Shan looked at the stone and said, "The stone is real. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to get out. He deliberately left a way for us."

　　"Why? Wouldn't it be better to trap us in there and kill us? Otherwise, this guy wouldn't have died today." I was confused again.

　　"That's because of you. You are the seal holder, and he is not. In the final analysis, he has no confidence in trapping you. In order to prevent a dead-end situation, he would rather give up this great opportunity to kill us than to rush into a fight!" Combining a series of situations before and after, Zhang Shan's thoughts became clearer and clearer. "If he had died by then, I'm afraid we wouldn't be so lucky."

　　"Since he threw away the bloodstone, he still lost money in the end." I said, looking at the blood-red stone in my hand.

　　"Not necessarily. Didn't you hear him say that the Centipede Formation would be ready by tomorrow morning? With one in and one out, he won't lose money on this deal!" Zhang Shan didn't think so.

　　"Without this stone, can he still activate the centipede formation?" I remember that this stone is necessary to activate the formation. Otherwise, Zhang Haitao would not have left it at the last moment.

　　"Let me ask you, if we all die tonight, who will have the stone?" Zhang Shan didn't wait for my answer and said, "In his opinion, he was talking to a dead person just now. He thinks that he just put the stone here temporarily. Now he can take it back anytime he wants."

　　"Remember one thing, as long as this Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone is in the formation, it can activate the operation of the entire formation. It does not necessarily have to be embedded in the formation map!" Zhang Shan thought for a while and added.

　　Chapter 41: Darkness Comes

　　I was silent. This guy was so calculating! Was he so confident? Would he be able to trap us in the formation again?

　　As long as I don't join the formation, he will be completely helpless.

　　Zhang Shan looked at the female corpse on the ceiling and said weakly: "If my judgment is true, then someone else must be killed tonight. In his opinion, we are included! I really hope I am wrong!"

　　"Then...are we just going to wait for death?" Liu Yunlong seemed to have realized the seriousness of the situation and asked Zhang Shan in a low voice.

　　"Hmph! That's just his wishful thinking! From what he said, old man Qian and his partner are not as close as we imagined. If we find the old man, with you two seal holders and my relic blood, I really don't believe that I can lose to that bastard!" Zhang Shan said gritting his teeth.

　　Now it seems that Zhang Haitao is completely corrupt from the root.

　　Since he has already said it, there is no place for me to hide even if I want to. If we don't go to him, he will come to us. Apart from other things, just because so many people died unjustly at his hands, we have to seek justice from this guy!

　　When did I become so righteous?

　　"Liu, you stay here! Notify your colleagues, and we'll go find Old Man Qian." Since Zhang Shan couldn't figure it out, he simply gave up thinking about it. As long as he found Old Man Qian, maybe he could get some answers.

　　"No! Don't you two think of leaving me here! I'll go with you!" Liu Yunlong didn't know whether he was afraid or just wanted to join in the fun, but he refused to stay.

　　There was no other choice but to call Captain Yang and tell him that another murder had occurred here. Then we turned on the lights, closed the door and left.

　　In the middle of the night, when the taxi drivers heard that the three of us were going to Beizhakou, they all tacitly refused to take us there. Although it was in the city center, there were no people or houses there at night. Who would go there for nothing? Maybe they thought we were robbers.

　　Fortunately, Zhang Haitao’s home is not far from there, and it can be reached in ten minutes if you walk quickly.

　　Ever since that night visit to Beizhakou two months ago, I have never walked through here again, day or night.

　　It’s not that I don’t dare to come, it’s that I don’t want to come.

　　My outlook on life and world view were shattered here.

　　Since it is a ghost collection, for me, the less contact I have with it, the better.

　　We walked all the way from the south. As soon as we passed the railway bridge, there was a "Rainbow Bridge" on the Jinshui River for pedestrians and bicycles. When the bridge was built, it looked like a rainbow across the Jinshui River from the side, so it was named Rainbow Bridge. After it was built, the government simply painted the arched bridge into a rainbow, which is more vivid.

　　We only need to go under the three railway bridges to cross the Rainbow Bridge to the other side of the river without having to risk our lives to walk along the railway line.

　　I crossed two railway bridges in a row without any incident. Just when I was secretly thankful that I had not encountered any ghosts during my visit to the ghost market tonight, I turned the corner and saw a person standing in the tunnel under the third railway.

　　As I got closer, I found that this person looked familiar: he was wearing a tattered baseball cap, a wrinkled Zhongshan suit, a bicycle behind him, and things were neatly stacked on a one-foot white cloth on the ground in front of him.

　　Isn't this the old man who stood in front of Zhang Shan when I came here last time? !

　　It was him who exchanged a pupil seal for a cigarette for me that day.

　　But... that's not right! I closed my spiritual eyes when I came out of Zhang Haitao's house just now, so why can I still see him? Shouldn't he be a ghost?

　　I was just about to check if I had closed my spiritual eyes when Liu Yunlong next to me whispered, "Someone is still setting up a street stall at this time. Let me go over and take a look! What they are selling is not serious stuff. Don't blame me for delaying things!"

　　"You can see it too?" I asked him in surprise.

　　"Why can't I see? I'm not lame or blind, and I don't have glaucoma or cataracts!" Liu Yunlong glanced at me and quickened his pace forward.

　　"It's a bit suspicious to set up a stall and sell things here in the middle of the night." Zhang Shan stopped and said to the old man under the bridge with squinted eyes.

　　"This is... this is the person who stuffed the glass eye into my hand when we came here last time!" I was so surprised that they could both see it that I stuttered a little. Could it be that the three of us were in trouble?

　　Obviously, I would rather believe that the spiritual eye is indeed turned off.

　　Then the identity of this old man is definitely extraordinary!

　　"...What?! Why don't you stop that guy!" Zhang Shan was stunned for a moment, obviously he couldn't remember when it happened at the first moment.

　　I looked in the direction where his arm was raised and saw that Liu Yunlong had already walked to the stall and was squatting down to look at the things placed in front of the old man.

　　"Don't move!" I yelled, and immediately ran under the bridge with Zhang Shan.

　　Although this old man gave me a pupil seal, nothing special has happened so far. But not only is this old man's identity mysterious, but the pupil seal does not belong to the world of the living, so Liu Yunlong should not touch it.

　　When this guy heard my earth-shattering roar, he was startled and didn't even bother to check. He just squatted there and looked at us.

　　But I clearly saw that the old man was using the same old trick again. He took advantage of Liu Yunlong's attention on us, took out something from his pocket, and stuffed it into Liu Yunlong's hand on his knees.

　　In fact, after running a few steps, we were already very close, less than two meters away. But at this time, the old man's hand was less than a foot away from Liu Yunlong.

　　Liu Yunlong still stared at me running towards him, not knowing what had happened.

　　When I arrived, the old man handed the thing in his hand to him.

　　In desperation, I just jumped up, flew forward, and stretched out one leg.

　　Seeing this, Liu Yunlong was too late to dodge. After all, he was squatting on the ground, and his movements were restricted.

　　With a dull thud, I fully demonstrated the essence of "steady, accurate and ruthless" in fighting, and kicked Liu Yunlong exactly on the shoulder that was facing me.

　　"You did it..." Before Liu Yunlong could even finish his words, he was kicked sideways by me with a standard tackle. He rolled twice on the ground and stopped two meters away, covered in dust.

　　Of course I didn't use my full strength. I just wanted to push him away and avoid taking over the old man's things. It's just... a little too much force.

　　After kicking Liu Yunlong away, I lay on my back where he had been squatting. When I looked up, the old man in the baseball cap had already stretched something in front of his face.

　　I quickly raised my right hand to block it.

　　A round object was caught in his hand, and he quickly pulled it open to take a look, and it turned out to be another pupil seal!

　　"You old bastard! Are you sick? Why did you kick me?" Liu Yunlong recovered and, while patting the dirt off his body, he came over to argue with me.

　　"Ouch! My baby!" These actions happened in just a moment. When the old man found that he had stuffed the pupil seal into my hands again, he slapped his thigh and shouted, which stunned me.

　　"I'm saying, you kid, why do you always ruin my business? Last time you two came over, I just gave you a toy for free. But why are you trying to steal my business again today?"

　　"Business? Harming others is also called business?" Zhang Shan stopped Liu Yunlong who was about to come over to settle accounts with me, and walked up to him and said, "If you don't explain things clearly today, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave so easily."

　　After that, Zhang Shan took out a bottle from his pocket and started to circle around us, occasionally pouring out some powder from the bottle.

　　Chapter 42 Three Questions

　　The old man seemed to be very afraid of what Zhang Shan spilled from the bottle, but he was helpless as he was surrounded by the three of us. He tried to rush out several times but failed every time.

　　"You kids! Are you going to take advantage of the dark night and kill people and rob them? Killing someone will cost you your life!" Seeing that he couldn't get out, the old man simply squatted on the ground and pointed at the three of us and said.

　　"The question is, are you a human?" I've always wanted to ask him what he is. It's just the right time to ask him, whether it's serious or sarcastic, to see how he answers.

　　"If I am not a human, what else can I be? You three saw it all! Three young men bullying an old man like me late at night, you'd better be careful of God's punishment!" The old man said righteously, and did not forget to straighten the brim of his hat after he was done.

　　"Okay! We won't make things difficult for you." Zhang Shan had already put the bottle in his pocket and motioned for us to leave the circle. Then he said to the old man with a smile, "It's just a joke. Don't mind it. Please leave now!"

　　When I stepped out, I realized that in this short period of time, Zhang Shan had actually created a shape of four or five square meters on the ground.

　　To be honest, he tapped here and drew a line there, and I looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was.

　　But the strange thing is that since we retreated, the old man has been standing inside alone, but he has no intention of leaving at all. Zhang Shan clearly said that he would let him go!

　　Looking at the old man's face that looked like he wanted to cry but couldn't, I began to understand a little. It was Zhang Shan who had scattered these things seemingly randomly that trapped the old man.

　　"Kid, I admit defeat! We can be considered as friends who have not known each other for a long time. Let me out, and can't we all go our separate ways from now on?" The old man looked at the ground nervously for a long time, and still said to Zhang Shan with a helpless look on his face.

　　"Well... I'm afraid it's not up to you to decide at this time?" Zhang Shan still smiled and squatted at a 45-degree angle in front of the old man.

　　When the old man saw Zhang Shan squatting down, his face changed immediately and he said quickly: "Hey! My big brother! If you want to know something, just tell me! You don't really want to kill me, do you?"

　　"Hey, please don't! I am two generations older than you, I can't bear these two words." Seeing that the old man had given in, Zhang Shan stood up again and continued, "Since you have spoken, we, the younger generation, have no reason not to listen. How about this, I will ask you three questions. If you answer them well and correctly, we can go our separate ways. How about that?"

　　The old man was so angry that he sat on the ground and said nothing for the rest of his life, apparently agreeing.

　　"Okay, first question!" Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhang Shan pointed at me and asked the old man, "Why did you give him a pupil seal when we came here two months ago?"

　　The old man looked up at me and replied, "...I can tell your identity at a glance. I thought you were here to chase something? I didn't expect that this kid had so many skills but didn't know how to use them, and was almost dragged in by a confused ghost. Seeing this, how could I, an old man, not be kind? So I gave you this thing, and I hope you can do great things in the future!" At the end, the old man became more and more proud, as if he was helping someone in need.

　　"It's not good for an old man not to tell the truth!" After listening to his nonsense, Zhang Shan squatted down again, took out a lighter from his pocket, and waved it over a small amount of powder on the ground in front of him.

　　"No! No! I'm a businessman! The things were exchanged! Not given away! I exchanged them! Exchanged them!" Seeing Zhang Shan was about to point out something, the old man was so scared that he quickly confessed.

　　"What did you exchange for? Give it back to him!" Zhang Shan put away his smile and shouted at the old man.

　　"I wanted to exchange it, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect that he, the seal holder, was very special. Ordinary people probably can't hurt him, let alone take things from him." The old man stared at the lighter in Zhang Shan's hand, afraid that he would light it.

　　"Humph! You still won't tell the truth even when you are about to die!" Zhang Shan didn't believe what the old man said at all. With a "click", he lit the lighter.

　　With a flick of the finger, the small pile of powder in front of Zhang Shan burned rapidly and flashed by in a flash.

　　Before I understood what was going on, I heard the old man in the circle screaming and covering his right ear, and there seemed to be smoke coming out.

　　To be honest, I still don’t understand what’s going on?

　　What exactly does the old man do?

　　What's the matter with setting up a stall here to sell pupil seals all day?

　　How did Zhang Shan set up his formation?

　　What on earth was that they had just done?

　　I don't know any of this! I turned my head and looked at Liu Yunlong. The dementia on his face was more serious than mine. If I didn't understand it, how could I expect him to understand it?

　　The key is that there is no way to ask now, so I can only wait until Zhang Shan finishes torturing this old man.

　　When the old man stopped shouting, Zhang Shan lit his lighter and moved towards another pile of powder not far away.

　　"Really! It's true! I really didn't touch a single hair of his!" Seeing that he wanted to order more, the old man didn't care about the pain in his ears and waved his hands at Zhang Shan, signaling him not to order anymore.

　　In the moonlight, I saw that the upper part of the old man's right ear was almost burnt.

　　"Okay, I'll reluctantly believe you! Then take back the seal you gave him!" Zhang Shan stopped and glared at the old man.

　　"My grandpa! Once the pupil seal is taken out, it will never come back! Unless we are all ghosts, you can still give it back to me. These things from the underworld are not something that humans can take." The old man was about to cry.

　　Zhang Shan winked at me, indicating that I should return the seal that the old man was about to give to Liu Yunlong.

　　I knew he wanted to test the truthfulness of the old man's words, so I went in again and tried to give the seal to the old man.

　　Strangely enough, the old man also tried to take it, but when I spread my entire palm out vertically, the seal seemed to grow on my palm, and no matter how hard the old man tried, he couldn't take it down.

　　I tried to take it with my other hand, but unexpectedly there was no obstruction and I grabbed it directly in my hand.

　　It seems that what the old man said is true.

　　"Okay! I'll believe you for now. Second question!" Zhang Shan waited for me to come back, then asked, "Why did you give him another one just now?" After that, he pointed at Liu Yunlong and waited for the old man to speak.

　　"... this... you also know that doing business with ghost nightmares is not as straightforward as doing business with people. Although they dare not mess with me, dead people don't have any valuable goods on them, so the prices are kept very low. So sometimes I also do business with people, hehe." Seeing that Zhang Shan became friendly again, the old man hurriedly flattered him.

　　In just a short while, Zhang Shan has successfully been promoted to his elder. This level is faster than using cheats in playing games!

　　"Is that a deal? You're forcing a sale! Have you asked for his consent? But you're just forcing it on him." Zhang Shan wasn't buying it.

　　"Yes, yes, it was a forced sale! I was wrong!" The old man admitted it quite straightforwardly this time.

　　"Tell me! What did you take from him?"

　　"A... a hair."

　　"Just one hair?"

　　"That hair... is worth a hundred days of his life." The old man's voice became softer and softer as he spoke.

　　Chapter 43: Breaking the Formation

　　"Liu, go over there and ask him to grow your hair back!" Zhang Shan said to Liu Yunlong.

　　Upon hearing this, Liu Yunlong hurriedly and carefully stepped into the circle and squatted with his back to the old man. Zhang Shan kept the lighter in front of another pile of powder to prevent the old man from suddenly doing something bad.

　　The old man was quite skillful. I saw him pinching something with his right thumb and index finger. I couldn't see clearly in the dark, but it should be Liu Yunlong's "life-saving" hair. He twisted it back and forth while speaking confidently.

　　After a moment, the old man raised his right hand and tapped Liu Yunlong's head.

　　"Okay!" After the old man said that, he stood there with his hands behind his back and looked at Zhang Shan.

　　The three of us breathed a sigh of relief. Although a hundred days of life is nothing, it is also fate! If you really calculate it carefully, there are really not many hundred days in a person's life.

　　When Zhang Shan saw that the hair had indeed been transplanted, he also stood up.

　　When he stood up, it was a big deal. When we thought about it later, the old man had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

　　When the old man saw him stand up, he immediately grabbed Liu Yunlong, who was facing away from him, from behind and pushed him hard towards Zhang Shan.

　　With the two of us watching, Liu Yunlong never thought the old man would dare to do this. By the time he reacted, he had already rushed towards Zhang Shan involuntarily.

　　Zhang Shan's first reaction was naturally to reach out and catch Liu Yunlong to prevent him from rolling in the mud again.

　　But we didn't notice that the pattern Zhang Shan had just spread had been kicked into a mess by Liu Yunlong.

　　Just when Zhang Shan caught Liu Yunlong, I saw a yellow shadow passing by. I turned my head to look again, and the old man was no longer in the circle.

　　"Haha! You bunch of thieves! Do you really think that grandpa is afraid of you?" The old man's arrogant laughter was heard from under the second railway bridge behind him.

　　"Don't forget, old man. In your line of work, the most taboo thing seems to be not keeping your word, right?" Zhang Shan pushed Liu Yunlong, who was still leaning on him, aside and spoke slowly into the darkness.

　　"When did I go back on my word?!" The old man was quite dissatisfied when he heard this.

　　"It seems like you just promised to answer three questions for us, but I have only asked two so far?" Zhang Shan looked at the old man and was not afraid that he would run away at all.

　　"..." The figure in the dark was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't want to talk about it today. I'll take over the question and answer it another day when I have time. Does this count as me not keeping my word?"

　　The old man was obviously trying to be cunning.

　　How could Zhang Shan give him this opportunity? He pointed at me and said, "Okay, if you say so, we will accept it. But you also know who he is. He can do things that we can't do. For example... promote your good style in the ghost market here."

　　“……”The railway bridge fell into silence again.

　　Although he couldn't see the old man's expression, Zhang Shan looked confident, as if he was not worried that the old man would not take the bait.

　　I am just wondering, this old man cheats this and that every day, yet he still cares so much about his reputation?

　　The old man was speechless for a long time, and finally said: "I give up! Ask! It's the last one!"

　　"Hehe." Zhang Shan looked proud and said, "The last question, you have heard of the Centipede Formation, right? What is it used for? How to break it?"

　　The old man hesitated for a moment and said, "You asked two questions, and I can only answer one. Choose for yourself! Hey, you can't blame me this time, can you? Little kid, you're playing tricks on grandpa!"

　　The three of us were stunned. We didn't expect that in the end, this old guy would still get the upper hand.

　　"Then tell me how to break the formation?" Zhang Shan didn't think much about it and directly chose the question that was more useful at the moment.

　　"Be careful with the centipede formation. If you enter it you will die. Don't harbor hatred. If a person does it, he can take in thousands of souls, smash the sky, and break the mortal world. Ghosts can be urged and monsters can be suppressed. But there is only one relic. It takes a destined person to break the formation. Okay, that's all. Remember it?" The old man said and turned to leave.

　　"Hey! Old man, are you kidding the kids?" Before I could say anything to Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong shouted, "What a mess! It sounds like a nursery rhyme."

　　The figure under the bridge suddenly disappeared, and I felt a gust of wind blowing past me. I looked up again and saw the old man standing in front of Liu Yunlong, staring at him and saying word by word: "This is a nursery rhyme that I have sung since I was a child. Do you have any objection?"

　　"No...no." Liu Yunlong had never seen such speed before. He dared not underestimate the old man again and could not help but step back.

　　The old man turned around again and spoke to Zhang Shan and me in a rare normal tone: "This nursery rhyme has been passed down from generation to generation in our tribe. What does it mean? Is it useful? No one has tried it. After all, the last time the centipede formation appeared was hundreds of years ago. But I think since it has been passed down from generation to generation, there must be a reason for its existence. As for the obscure parts, you still need to decipher them. Well, I'll stop here. No matter what you encounter, I wish you good luck! We may have a chance to meet again."

　　After saying this, the old man’s figure became fainter and fainter in front of Liu Yunlong, and finally could no longer be seen.

　　"What an old freak! He's already so old, yet he's still singing nursery rhymes!" Liu Yunlong was frightened by him again. He was so resentful that he couldn't vent it until the old man completely disappeared. Then he dared to mutter in a low voice.

　　"Haha, do you really think he is an old man? Maybe he is not even older than you!" Zhang Shan walked over and patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to stop complaining.

　　"Who is he?" I have been wanting to ask this question for a long time. Last time I came, I thought he was a ghost or a nightmare, because only I could see him, but Zhang Shan couldn't.

　　But this time, not only did the three of us see it all, but he was actually standing there in flesh and blood. Could it be that someone in this world could really perform the magic of leaving their body?

　　"He may not be a human. Or rather, he is not completely human. Anyone who can do business in Guiji cannot be an ordinary person." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he led us to move forward.

　　"If it's not a human, then what is it? An animal?" Liu Yunlong was still unwilling to give in and chased after him and asked.

　　Zhang Shan didn't even look at him, and said as he walked, "Want to know? Haha, next time you see him, treat him to a good meal. After he's had enough food and drink, maybe he'll be willing to tell you."

　　It seems that Zhang Shan probably doesn't know either. Otherwise, given his personality, even if he wanted to keep it a secret, he wouldn't have done it to us.

　　"Oh, by the way! What was that thing you spilled on the ground just now? Did you also set up a formation? That's how you trapped that guy inside? Teach me! If Lao Wang gets aggressive with me again, I will trap him for ten days or half a month!" Liu Yunlong had only just come into contact with this kind of stuff today, and he was very interested in it. He ignored my rolling eyes and pestered Zhang Shan to teach him.

　　"Haha, sure!" Zhang Shan agreed readily, saying, "But my formation can't trap you for that long. After a while, the smell of the powder will dissipate and it will become ineffective. But you can use it to trap anything, except people."

　　"Ah~Is that so?" Liu Yunlong was obviously disappointed: "But Lao Wang can still be trapped, right? He is not an ordinary person."

　　My heart skipped a beat. My identity, the seal holder of the Wuwei Seal, although Liu Yunlong had asked me before, I had never thought of telling anyone. How did he know? Zhang Shan had never mentioned it either.

　　However, he has seen a lot of the strange abilities I have displayed in the past two days. Even if he is dumb, he can probably see some clues.

　　No! I have to give him a shot of prevention. It's fine if Liu Yunlong knows about it, but I don't want more people to know about it, or else they will be treated as monsters!

　　"What makes me not an ordinary person?" I pretended to be indifferent and asked Liu Yunlong tentatively.

　　"You're a bitch!"

　　"……Depend on!"

　　Chapter 44: Fighting Alone

　　Although a big battle was ahead, a few jokes helped to relax people's tense nerves.

　　Looking at the pupil seal that I just got in my hand, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I couldn't get what I wanted, but what I didn't want came one after another.

　　In fact, I have always believed that Zhang Haitao is at best a nobody. He does not have a special physique like Zhang Shan and I, nor has he been practicing Taoism. He is just glaring at us with the little tricks he learned at the last minute. He thinks too highly of himself.

　　In addition, Liu Yunlong now knows about this. He knows that this means the involvement of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Bureau. Moreover, Song Dongfeng has reached an agreement with Captain Yang - they will assist us in solving the case and finally report to the higher-ups together.

　　If we meet old man Qian later, and he stands next to us...

　　I really can't imagine how that bastard who "resurrected from the dead" can win.

　　It was just that Zhang Shan said that someone might die tonight, which was quite distressing. Knowing that someone was going to die and who was killing them, but not knowing where, made one feel powerless and depressed.

　　I shook my head. Since I can’t protect others, I should protect myself first!

　　It is better for us not to do such a shameful thing as dying before accomplishing our mission.

　　In the end, facts proved that I did not underestimate Zhang Haitao, he really did not have any ability.

　　But I underestimated the centipede formation.

　　After walking across the Rainbow Bridge, we arrived at the hut where Old Man Qian used to collect junk.

　　Surprisingly, it was dark inside and the lights were off. Was there no one there?

　　There was nothing valuable in the room, so Old Man Qian would not lock it. After shouting for a long time and no one answered, we simply pushed the door open and walked in.

　　From the courtyard to the house, it was still the same as before, with discarded bottles and cans and broken cardboard boxes scattered everywhere, without even a place to step.

　　The house was so small that you didn't even need to look for him. Just by looking around, you could tell that Old Man Qian was really not there.

　　We were really a bit nervous now. Such a heavyweight foreign aid was not at the post at the critical moment, which brought our mood, which had just climbed to the top of the mountain, back to the bottom.

　　After exiting the courtyard, the three of us stood at the door, completely unaware of what to do next.

　　"Dad! Answer the phone! I'm your son! Answer the phone..."

　　With both of us looking at him strangely, Liu Yunlong took out his phone with embarrassment, answered the call and said, "Captain Yang, what's up?... I just came out of the crime scene here in the underground tunnel... What? How did he die?... How is this possible? The first crime scene?... Yes! I'll be there right away! I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

　　Before Liu Yunlong hung up the phone, I knew something must have happened again. As for whether it was Zhang Haitao who did it, I would have to ask him.

　　"What's going on..." Zhang Shan was even more anxious than I was, because he knew that if anything went wrong tonight, it would either be bloody or violent. But before he finished asking, my phone rang again.

　　"Where is it?" Song Dongfeng on the other end asked me hurriedly.

　　"Beizhakou, tell me, what's the bad news?" I took a deep breath and answered him.

　　"Zhang Shan is with you, right? Come to the city hospital quickly! Another person has died!" Song Dongfeng was still his usual no-nonsense style. He never asked me how I knew, but just told me directly.

　　"How did he die?" I was not too surprised because I was mentally prepared. I just didn't expect that another person would die in the city hospital.

　　"He fell from a height and died in the men's restroom in the emergency area on the first floor."

　　"…Are you kidding? How high can that place be? Falling from a height?" I already understood why Liu Yunlong asked if it was the first scene. How high can a toilet be? Three meters is considered a fall from a height?

　　"We've already done a preliminary investigation, and the first scene is very likely the location. That's why I asked you to come and take a look. Hurry up! I'm on my way there too! Let's talk about it when you get there!" Song Dongfeng said, and without waiting for my response, he hung up the phone in a hurry.

　　"The old place?" Zhang Shan, who had already finished listening to Liu Yunlong's retelling, asked me.

　　"Well...you think...could it be Zhang Haitao who did it?" I had actually guessed the answer, but I always wanted to hear Zhang Shan's opinion.

　　"It is very likely that I have been negligent. Think about it, since Zhang Haitao wants to complete the checkpoint of the Centipede Formation tonight, he needs people, and also a place with heavy yin energy. It's the middle of the night, not only are there a lot of people, but they can come and go freely. Where else can they go except a hospital?" Zhang Shan said, patting his head.

　　I felt uncomfortable again after hearing this. Now the Municipal Hospital has become the place I least want to go to except Beizhakou.

　　But there is no way, now that I know where it is, I can't just watch that guy hurt people recklessly. Even if I don't want to intervene, the two people next to me won't agree.

　　"What about old man Qian?" Thinking of this old guy, I still had a glimmer of hope. After all, if we can find him and persuade him to join, our chances of winning will be greatly improved.

　　"...There's no time. We can't wait any longer." Zhang Shan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although his strength has greatly increased, Zhang Haitao has obviously begun to take action. If we don't stop him as soon as possible, I'm afraid more people will die! God knows how many more people this bastard will have to kill to be satisfied."

　　"Let's go! The sooner we go, the sooner we'll solve it. I don't believe that with so many of us, we can't catch someone who's not breathing! If he's dead, just stay down there! Don't want to go down? This time we'll force him down!" Liu Yunlong was more organized and disciplined than the two of us, and he had already started running forward.

　　"Tell Song Dongfeng to check all the hospitals in the city to see if there are any bodies missing after 3 o'clock this afternoon?" Zhang Shan said to me as we walked.

　　After telling Song Dongfeng about it, I was confused and asked Zhang Shan, "Since Zhang Haitao is a resurrected corpse, why did his wife say it was him when we went to his house just now? You also told me to ask other hospitals if they have lost bodies. Shouldn't resurrecting a corpse use someone else's body? How could his wife recognize him?"

　　"The woman surnamed Fang is dead, and her soul can see real things, not fake ones. Zhang Haitao's resurrection can deceive the eyes of mortals, but it cannot deceive the soul nightmare and your spiritual eyes. So the woman should not have lied. Besides, he admitted it on the phone. This should not be a suspicious point." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, we happened to reach the road, and we got into the taxi called by Liu Yunlong.

　　In the car, I secretly called Liu Yunlong.

　　"Grandpa! Answer the phone! I'm your grandson! Answer the phone..."

　　Liu Yunlong didn't even look at the caller ID on his phone. He turned his head from the passenger seat and looked at me embarrassedly.

　　"Liu?" I called out and I looked at him. For this kind of thing, just a hint would be enough. How to solve it depends on his sincerity.

　　"Change it immediately! I'll treat you to a meal after this! How about Fang Zhongshan spicy soup tomorrow morning?" Liu Yunlong said straightforwardly. But breakfast alone, three people eat as much as they want, at most 20 or 30 yuan, I won't let him off like that.

　　"And at night?"

　　"Sheep scorpion! How is it?"

　　"What about the day after tomorrow?"

　　“…Isn’t that too much?”

　　"What about the day after tomorrow?"

　　"...Yang's Ramen?"

　　"Night market! Barbecue!" Zhang Shan interjected.

　　"...just take advantage of the situation!"

　　"Is it okay?" I asked calmly.

　　"……middle!"

　　I heard the sound of grinding teeth ahead.

　　Whether we will be lucky enough to eat it or not, it all depends on tonight. At least we have to give ourselves something to look forward to first.

　　Chapter 45: Falling from a High Altitude

　　When we arrived at the city hospital by taxi, it was almost twelve o'clock.

　　Two police cars with flashing lights were parked at the entrance of the emergency room. The main entrance was under martial law. Four fully armed policemen were carefully checking everyone entering and leaving the building.

　　Liu Yunlong showed his police ID. After the three of us arrived at the emergency room, a man came up to us and said, "Xiao Liu, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come with me. Captain Yang is waiting!"

　　Under his guidance, we came to the west end of the building, turned a corner, and walked about ten meters. There was an open area on the left side of the corridor. Before we arrived, we saw people flashing from time to time inside. They must be taking pictures to collect evidence.

　　When I turned in, I saw a row of wash basins in the middle and two toilets on the left and right. Captain Yang and Song Dongfeng were standing outside the men's toilet on the left, staring at the police officers collecting evidence and taking pictures.

　　Seeing us coming, Captain Yang took off his disposable plastic gloves, handed them to us and said, "Take a look first!"

　　Liu Yunlong and I didn't take it. I didn't want to touch the body. But Zhang Shan grabbed it, put it on his hand, and walked in.

　　Standing outside the door, I saw a man lying on the edge of the urinal with his face down and his feet facing outward. His head might have hit the urinal. Although I couldn't see it from outside, red and white things were splattered all over the room, even on the ceiling. I couldn't see any injuries elsewhere.

　　There were some outside the door, too. I squatted down to get a better look.

　　There was a small lump of something white with a hint of pink right at my feet, which looked a bit like tofu.

　　"That's brain matter." Captain Yang explained at the right time from behind.

　　"...Ugh!" Liu Yunlong and I were stunned for a moment, then covered our mouths and rushed to the women's restroom next to us.

　　By the time we managed to suppress our physiological reactions and came out to wash our faces, Zhang Shan just came out.

　　"Falling to death?" Zhang Shan said as he took off his gloves.

　　"And it was from a very high place." Song Dongfeng added.

　　I looked up and saw that the first floor was usually built high to show its grandeur. But now it seemed that it was only about three or four meters high at best. How could it fall like that? It was like throwing a big watermelon from a ten-story building, splashing all over the half-acre area.

　　"How high is very high?" Liu Yunlong still didn't quite understand.

　　"We'll have to wait for the forensic doctor to come and make an assessment before we know. But based on my many years of experience in handling cases, it would have to be at least a hundred meters to produce this kind of effect," Captain Yang continued.

　　He didn't mean to disrespect the deceased by saying this, but what we are discussing now is to determine from how high the person fell.

　　One hundred meters...if we count it as four meters per floor, that would be twenty-five floors! How high is the city hospital in total? The inpatient department only has thirteen floors. Even if you stack the eight-story outpatient building next to it, there are still four floors missing!

　　I really can't understand how someone could fall to death from the first floor.

　　"Has this person's identity been confirmed?" Zhang Shan asked.

　　"The family member who is accompanying a patient in the inpatient department on the eighth floor. According to his relatives, he said he was going to the bathroom and smoking a cigarette half an hour ago. He never came back. If someone downstairs hadn't gone to the bathroom, his family might not have known about it until now." Captain Yang led a few of us out as he spoke.

　　The eighth floor again! Logically speaking, the Xuanmen of the Hundred-Foot Array has been taken down by us. Even if it is a fake, the real one should have been taken away by Zhang Haitao. Even if something happens again, it doesn't necessarily have to be on the eighth floor again!

　　Seeing that we were silent, Captain Yang turned to Zhang Shan and me and said, "You saw it too. How high can the toilet on the first floor be? It's definitely not normal for someone to fall like this. I thought the incident here yesterday should have been resolved, but what happened? Less than 24 hours later, another vicious death occurred. The higher-ups have issued a strict order. If we can't solve the case within ten days, we'll all be in trouble! You two will go to jail, and I'll have to be stripped of my skin. I'm not threatening you. Since we've taken on this case, we have to handle it well and thoroughly. We can't leave any sequelae."

　　Zhang Shan said calmly, "It won't take ten days. The results will be out tonight. Sitting in the cell and stripping off the uniform are just trivial matters. Let's wait until we can live to see the sunrise tomorrow morning."

　　"So serious?!" Song Dongfeng couldn't help but ask

　　"By the way, what about the matter I asked you to find out?" Zhang Shan did not explain, but asked about finding the body first.

　　"Everyone has been checked. A total of 37 people died in the city today, two of whom were taken directly to the crematorium due to a car accident. The remaining 35 people were confirmed to exist and are not missing." Song Dongfeng's intelligence was flawless.

　　"What about the crematorium?" I couldn't help but interrupt.

　　"The two people at the crematorium were in a serious car accident and are no longer in human form. But it's too late now. Everyone there has already gone home after get off work."

　　That shouldn't be the case. If Zhang Haitao wanted to find a corpse, he had to find one that was healthy and able to move. It would be difficult for him to control a pile of rotten meat.

　　This probably needs to be considered from the perspective of practicality.

　　"What's going on? Can you explain it to me more clearly?" Captain Yang was a little anxious after seeing that the three of us had been talking for a long time but still couldn't grasp the point.

　　Liu Yunlong rushed to connect the events of the previous afternoon with those of tonight and gave their leader a comprehensive introduction. Any parts that were unclear or forgotten were filled in by Zhang Shan.

　　"This... this is too mysterious!" Song Dongfeng didn't say anything after hearing this, but Captain Yang found it hard to accept and asked, "Is this centipede formation really that powerful? I don't understand that Zhang Zhiguang, oh, should be called Zhang Haitao, what on earth does he want to do with this thing?"

　　"People pursue different things. Let me give you an example." Although Zhang Shan never said it clearly, I kind of understood it. He continued, "It's like a pistol. To ordinary people like us, it's useless and a nuisance. But if it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, he can use it to rob, kill, intimidate opponents, and do whatever he wants. In short, it's not good."

　　"Well, that's what it means." Zhang Shan agreed, "But the Centipede Formation is much more powerful than a pistol. Because it can do more things. I've read historical records before. In the early Ming Dynasty, the inventor of this formation used it to resist the enemy, perform escape techniques, and even move mountains to make way. To be precise, if it was put in wartime, the Centipede Formation would definitely be the best choice for marching and fighting! And in that era, it wasn't very difficult to practice a Centipede Formation."

　　"Is this Zhang Haitao going to start a war?" Liu Yunlong understood the literal meaning.

　　At this time, we had returned to the entrance of the building, found a deserted place, and gathered together to talk in a low voice.

　　"What exactly he wants to use it for, I'm afraid you have to ask him himself."

　　As soon as Zhang Shan finished speaking, a police officer walked up behind Captain Yang and said, "Report to Captain Yang!..." But when he saw us outsiders, he stopped talking.

　　Captain Yang looked at us, realized what he meant, and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay, go ahead!"

　　Chapter 46 Late Night Drunkard

　　"Just now, the center received a report from the Medical University Affiliated Hospital, saying that a patient in the ICU disappeared for no reason around 9 o'clock tonight, and there has been no news since then. 110 asked if this information is useful to us?"

　　"What's the specific situation over there?" It seemed that it was Song Dongfeng who told the police center, so he was more concerned.

　　"According to the hospital, their ICU is strictly prohibited from entering by outsiders, and both doors are locked from the outside. When the patient went missing, it happened to be a nurse shift change, and there was only one person on duty. Although he didn't pay attention to the situation inside for a few minutes, he insisted that the patient pulled out all the tubes and left alone."

　　"Ridiculous! Can patients in the ICU be cured just by saying so?" Captain Yang just said this, and then he seemed to remember something and turned to us and asked, "Could it be?..."

　　"What is ICU?" Zhang Shan didn't know these foreign words.

　　"It's the intensive care unit of the hospital. To put it bluntly, those lying inside are all on their last breath. Whether they can survive depends on their luck!" Liu Yunlong was quite proud of himself for finally teaching Zhang Shan a lesson.

　　"That's very possible! It seems that this guy had already expected that we would check the morgue. In order to buy time and be discovered as late as possible, he deliberately went to find such a person." Zhang Shan analyzed.

　　"Why did you report the case now?" Captain Yang looked up at the clock on the wall of the hall and said, "It's almost twelve o'clock. What did they do in the past three hours?"

　　The police officer first had a strange look on his face, but he held it in before saying, "The hospital didn't let the family call the police, saying...it could be a medical miracle, and asked them to look for the patient nearby or at home, saying that the patient might have recovered and returned home on his own."

　　No one laughed, we all stared at him with wide eyes.

　　After being stunned for three or five seconds, Captain Yang stammered, "Do the family members... believe it too?"

　　“The family went home to look for the patient, and then went back to the hospital to ask for him to be handed over. The hospital was helpless, so they called the police.” After the police officer finished speaking, he finally couldn’t help but curled up the corners of his mouth.

　　"Pfft!" Liu Yunlong and I finally couldn't help laughing.

　　It's not that we don't respect them, we are laughing at the hospital and the patient's family, one is stupid and the other is foolish. The hospital dares to make up any lies, and the family dares to believe any bizarre things.

　　This indirectly reflects the current attitude of hospitals towards patients. When something goes wrong, they always want to push the responsibility away and reduce their own responsibility as much as possible.

　　Captain Yang had nothing to say about this matter, so he could only order: "Have them immediately investigate and send over the missing patient's information! You must be careful to check every person coming in and out. Especially those who are leaving, they must register their ID cards. Also, why hasn't the forensic doctor come yet? That big pool of blood in the toilet will freeze in a while! Contact them quickly! Hurry them up!"

　　"Yes!" The police officer answered neatly, turned around, pushed the door and walked out of the building.

　　The entrance to the hospital's emergency room consists of a row of huge floor-to-ceiling glass doors and glass windows that are about twenty meters long.

　　Captain Yang had his back to the outside of the building. As soon as he turned his head, we who were facing outside saw some broken pieces falling from the upstairs and hitting the police officer who had just walked out.

　　Immediately afterwards, the sound of glass breaking was heard.

　　There were several police officers and the people being questioned standing outside the door. Fortunately, they were all in a corner and only a very small part of them was splashed.

　　"Brother Zheng!" Liu Yunlong shouted and ran out the door first.

　　A few of us also rushed outside immediately. Liu Yunlong had already dragged the police officer who had been knocked down to the door. His face was covered in blood, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing wrong except for a piece of scalp above his right ear that had been twisted off and was bleeding continuously.

　　Besides, he was wearing thick clothes in winter, which prevented him from being hit by more glass. He was lucky!

　　But the cotton jacket he was wearing outside was obviously dying.

　　The police officer surnamed Zheng was still conscious, with his eyes open and not knowing what had happened. He was obviously stunned by the glass that suddenly fell. But this is a normal human reaction.

　　"Doctor! Bring the stretcher over!" Captain Yang yelled into the building.

　　Zhang Shan saw that there was no serious problem, so he went around to the flower bed outside and looked up.

　　"Come here quickly!" Zhang Shan shouted impatiently as we helped the emergency doctor to send the wounded into the building.

　　Liu Yunlong, Song Dongfeng, Captain Yang and I hurried to his side and looked up.

　　In order to make the hospital look more beautiful at night, a number of spotlights were hidden in the grass to show the exterior of the building after dark.

　　Under the green light, we saw that there was a large piece of glass missing near the top of the building, on the tenth or eleventh floor. It was obviously dark and completely different from the ones next to it.

　　The glass used to decorate the exterior of the staircase is made of super-hard tempered material that is at least two fingers thick. Who would have the time to smash it?

　　Besides, even if you want to smash it, it’s not easy to do.

　　"Is that a person?" Song Dongfeng asked while looking up.

　　I was about to lower my head, but after hearing what he said, I looked carefully again.

　　There was obviously no light in the area where the glass was missing, but there was indeed a shadow sticking out, and it seemed to be looking down.

　　"What are you doing?! Do you know that you almost killed someone? Come down quickly!" Liu Yunlong shouted, holding back his temper, probably because he was afraid that he might want to commit suicide by jumping off the building.

　　There was no response from upstairs.

　　Normally, there were few cars on the street at this time, so it was already very quiet. Even if it was more than ten floors away, it should be possible to hear it clearly.

　　"Damn it! I'll kill you when I get up there!" Liu Yunlong stopped looking up and took a step toward the inside of the building.

　　"Wait a minute!" Zhang Shan stretched out a hand and grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from moving.

　　The man upstairs suddenly leaned out half of his body and shouted with a smile: "Ahaha! I won't live anymore! I'm going to commit suicide first and then kill someone else today! Come up and catch me if you have the guts!"

　　"Damn it! He's a drunkard!" Liu Yunlong pried open Zhang Shan's hand and ran into the building.

　　Zhang Shan looked up again, fearing that something might happen to him if he was alone, and followed him into the gate.

　　I actually had a lot of doubts in my mind. Even if it was a drunk, it wouldn't be easy to break such thick tempered glass.

　　He was drunk and made a scene for so long, was there no one to take care of him? You know, the upper floors are all inpatient wards, and they are basically full of people!

　　And the most important point is, who would drink so much in a hospital? When have you ever heard of someone in a hospital suddenly going crazy for no reason?

　　Seeing Captain Yang also walking in with his head down, I looked at Song Dongfeng.

　　"I won't go. I'll wait here for them to send over the information of the missing patient. Be careful, drunkards are the most difficult to deal with!" Song Dongfeng waved at me, turned around and made a phone call.

　　I had no choice but to follow Captain Yang in after he pushed the door open.

　　I had just taken a step through the glass door when I heard one of the two policemen standing outside the door say through the crack: "Today's society is in chaos! Look, even the hospital entrance has a Bagua map hanging. Even they have begun to believe in this. How can ordinary people like us have any confidence in seeing a doctor?"

　　Chapter 47: Walking into a Trap

　　The door closed quietly and the noise outside stopped abruptly, but I stopped.

　　Bagua map? Would a hospital hang that thing? Even I don't believe it!

　　But why didn’t I see it when I came in just now?

　　I took another step and the more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. So I turned around and wanted to push the door open to take a look.

　　I grabbed the door handle and pushed hard, but it didn't open! I pushed twice as hard, but it still didn't open!

　　Something is wrong!

　　I looked up and saw Song Dongfeng talking on the phone by the flower bed.

　　The two police officers behind the door in front of me were looking up at the top of the glass door, and one of them was even pointing with his hand outstretched.

　　But why do they maintain the same posture for several seconds without moving?

　　It's over! I finally understand!

　　Looks like I've fallen into a trap again this time!!!

　　I finally remembered that the man on the rooftop just now had a voice that sounded familiar to me. Although he deliberately changed his tone, a person's voice will not change.

　　The voice sounded... not only deep... but also hard... as if the larynx was not flexible.

　　Does this sentence sound familiar? I am familiar with it too...

　　…Zhang Haitao!!! ...

　　The phone call I received from him at his home! That was the voice!!!

　　The man upstairs is Zhang Haitao!!!

　　I quickly turned around and saw Captain Yang five meters ahead, while Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan had already walked into the elevator and were waiting for us inside.

　　I can’t even get out the door now, how can I dare to take the elevator?

　　"Come out quickly!!! Don't go in!" I ignored everything and ran forward while shouting at them.

　　Captain Yang had no idea what was wrong with me, and he stepped out of my way in surprise, letting me pass.

　　Ten meters away from the elevator, I could already see Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan inside. They were also looking at me with strange expressions.

　　I have to say that Zhang Shan reacted quickly. He was stunned for just a moment and immediately guessed that I must have discovered something, which was why I was so desperate to stop them from getting on the elevator. I pulled up the still confused Liu Yunlong and was about to get out.

　　But at this moment, the elevator doors began to close, merging together at least three times the speed we usually see. There was a loud bang, which showed how violent it was.

　　I saw that Zhang Shan couldn't even reach the elevator door.

　　All this happened so suddenly!

　　Captain Yang also realized that something was wrong, and immediately ran over, looking at the rapidly changing floor numbers, and asked, "What's going on?"

　　The numbers showed that the elevator had stopped on the eleventh floor, and then the screen went black, displaying no more images.

　　"Look outside the door, we've fallen into a trap. The drunkard upstairs is Zhang Haitao!" I said weakly.

　　He did a really great job! He separated Zhang Shan and me right from the start to prevent us from being more powerful together.

　　At this time, Captain Yang and I looked back and saw that the scene outside the door was no longer the frozen picture just now, but had already become pitch black.

　　Captain Yang walked to the glass curtain wall, leaned over it and looked at it again and again, then bent down and lifted a set of three fast-food chairs in front of him, which were usually used by patients to rest, and said to me: "Xiao Wang, don't worry, come and help. Let's try to see if we can break it open?"

　　In fact, I knew very well that it would be great if I could break it open! But I couldn't bear to offend Captain Yang, so I had to walk over and lift the other side.

　　The two of us carried the chair and retreated a few meters. As Captain Yang counted down, we took two steps and smashed the chair hard against the glass curtain wall.

　　As I expected, after a dull thud, the chair fell down and there was not even a scratch on the glass.

　　"Oh...what should we do now?" Captain Yang looked at me embarrassedly.

　　I was even more confused. In the past, I was the one who asked Zhang Shan about this kind of thing, but I didn't expect that after just a few days, it would be someone else's turn to ask me. For a while, I was a little uncomfortable with the change of roles.

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, Captain Yang also knew that he needed to sort out his thoughts first. He gestured that there was no need to rush, and walked to a distance to open the doors of the rooms in the emergency area one by one to check.

　　Three minutes later, Captain Yang turned back. From his expression, it was clear that no one was here anymore.

　　"Let's go to the eleventh floor and find them! As long as we are together, we can still fight!" I couldn't bear to let Captain Yang wait too long, so I said this most reliable and currently the only feasible method.

　　"...Well, I think it's reliable! Even if we can get out, we can't leave them here, right?" Captain Yang spoke to me in a gentle tone, fearing that I was under too much pressure and it would affect my thinking ability and judgment.

　　After all, Captain Yang feels that I am more experienced than him in dealing with this kind of things.

　　You must never take the elevator.

　　We had no choice but to go to the fire escape.

　　In my memory, the fire escape seems to be right opposite the toilet where the person fell to death just now. Of course, this is the west side, and there is another one on the east side of the building, but it is farther away from where we are now.

　　Moreover, the East Building is the outpatient building and the lights had been turned off long ago, but at least there was still light here.

　　Once you’ve determined your goal, it’s time to move forward.

　　Captain Yang was relatively caring towards me. Although he did not bring a gun with him today, he found a wooden cane from somewhere in the room, held it in his hand, and led the way.

　　When I got outside the bathroom, I couldn't help but take another look inside.

　　The door of the men's restroom was open, and blood stains could be clearly seen on the wall. Looking down... this was... a person's foot!

　　I was certain that we were in the centipede formation. All the irrelevant people were gone, except for the body that had just fallen to death, which was still there.

　　No need to ask, it must have been Zhang Haitao who did it! He must have had some other purpose for leaving the body here.

　　Captain Yang had the same idea as I did. He also saw the exposed foot and wanted to go over to take another look. I held him back and signaled him not to go over.

　　The corpse shows no signs of moving at the moment, so it would be better to avoid trouble first and go up and meet up with them.

　　Zhang Shan is not here, so I have no idea what to do. But since this is a man-made space, anything can happen.

　　Although Captain Yang understood what I meant, he had no idea what to do in here and what the consequences would be. He gently brushed away my hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll take a look and we'll go up."

　　I really didn't want to watch that heart-pounding scene again, but I didn't want to wait for him here alone, so I had to follow Captain Yang and walked towards the men's restroom in fear.

　　When I walked to the door, there was a sudden bounce of feet from inside, which scared me so much that I jumped up.

　　"Don't be afraid! These are the normal nerves when someone just died..." Captain Yang knew something was wrong before he finished speaking and didn't dare to continue.

　　This body is not newly dead!

　　Looking at the steaming blood and brains on the ground, we couldn't come up with any explanation. This obviously happened just now, but as far as I know, it happened at least half an hour ago!

　　Resisting the urge to go in and take a closer look, Captain Yang and I turned into the fire escape and climbed up the stairs to the second floor.

　　Chapter 48 Carefully Arranged

　　This time, going upstairs was extremely smooth, one turn, thirty steps. Nothing happened, and Captain Yang and I arrived at the second floor safely.

　　The structure of the second floor is the same as that of the first floor, and the bathroom is opposite the stairs.

　　Standing at the stairs, we were stunned by the scene in front of us again: the door of the men's restroom opposite was open, and we could clearly see a foot sticking out of the door. The walls inside were splashed with red and white things, and steam was constantly coming out of them.

　　"Is this another ghost story?" I stared blankly at the men's room.

　　Captain Yang took two steps forward, stood in the corridor and looked around, then pointed to a sign on the opposite wall and said, "I don't think it's a ghost wall. Look!"

　　I looked in the direction he pointed, and saw the sign diagonally opposite clearly saying: Second Floor Fire Evacuation Diagram.

　　"Then...what's going on in the bathroom?" I was even more confused. Since this is the second floor, how could there be a body on the first floor?

　　"Wait! I'll go down and take a look!" Captain Yang was as confused as I was, but he had to do whatever he thought of, and he wouldn't stop until he figured it out. After saying that, he turned around and went downstairs.

　　"I'll go with you!" I don't want to stay here alone.

　　"How can that be? I'll go down and see if this person is still there. If you're not watching from upstairs, our investigation will be in vain." Captain Yang wanted there to be people upstairs and downstairs at the same time so that he could know what was going on with this corpse. Naturally, he couldn't let me go down with him.

　　"Can't we not go and see? Can't we find Zhang Shan and the others first?" Seeing that there were only two of us left and we separated, I vaguely felt that something was wrong.

　　"Xiao Wang, show some manliness!" Captain Yang saw that I was a little depressed, patted my shoulder and said, "I know you are different from us. You will be the one who eats this bowl of rice in the future, and your achievements will definitely not be low! You must believe that you can stand on your own. No matter who it is, even Zhang Shan, we are just your companions on the road to success. Only by believing in yourself can you truly grow up. You don't want to be protected by others every time you encounter such a situation, do you?"

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, Captain Yang smiled and said, "Don't worry! I'll just go to the first floor stairs, take a look and come up. I won't stay for long. It will only take a few seconds at most."

　　After saying that, Captain Yang turned and walked down the stairs.

　　After turning the corner, I could only hear his footsteps coming down the stairs, and the little bit of confidence that had just risen in my heart was instantly shattered.

　　Alas, I am not cut out for this. Even Liu Yunlong is better than me. I just don't know why God was blind and gave me the seal of inaction.

　　"Xiao Wang! Take a look, is there any body in the toilet on the second floor?" I was just thinking about it when Captain Yang's voice came up the stairwell.

　　"Yes!" I turned around and took a look. The body was indeed still there, so I quickly answered.

　　"...Okay, got it. I'm coming up." Captain Yang seemed to have completed the verification, but he didn't know the answer yet. It doesn't matter, it won't be too late to ask him when he comes up, I thought.

　　Five seconds passed, and I still didn't hear his footsteps coming up the stairs. I panicked and called down, "Captain Yang? Why haven't you come up yet?"

　　But there was no response from downstairs.

　　"Captain Yang? Don't joke around at this time!" I had no choice but to ask as I walked downstairs.

　　After turning the corner, I stood on the first and a half floor and looked down. There was no trace of Captain Yang.

　　It’s broken!!! I told you not to let him go!!!

　　Looking at the empty stairwell, I felt like crying.

　　This centipede formation is too powerful! Without knowing it, even if you are separated for a few seconds, you will be caught.

　　Sitting dejectedly on the steps, I tried my best to make sense of it.

　　Captain Yang was wearing a pair of Jeep hiking shoes. I also have a pair of this kind of shoes. There is an iron serration on the heel, which is specially designed for walking on icy ground.

　　Normally, the teeth are locked inwards, but since they are made of metal, they make a snapping sound when walking, which sounds like a piece of metal nailed to the back of the shoe. So, if Captain Yang goes somewhere else, I can definitely hear his footsteps, unless he walks on tiptoe.

　　But there's no one here, is it necessary? He's not hiding from me.

　　To sum up, it is very likely that Captain Yang had just finished looking at the situation downstairs and was about to go upstairs when the accident happened.

　　So where did he go?

　　I know I can't figure it out at all, but I don't know what to do in this situation where I'm the only one left?

　　Should I look for Captain Yang first? Or should I look for Zhang Shan and the others first?

　　Never mind! Let's go to the 11th floor and find Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong first. Even if I rack my brains, I can't figure out where Captain Yang went. It's better to find Zhang Shan first and then make plans.

　　Captain Yang is right. I can’t always rely on others like this anymore. I have to rely on myself for everything!

　　Since I had made up my mind, I stood up and walked upstairs without hesitation. It was only the eleventh floor, wasn't it? I didn't believe there was anything that could eat me!

　　When I returned to the second floor, I didn’t dare look towards the bathroom. I turned and climbed to the third floor with my eyes closed.

　　"Bang!" Before I could figure out what was happening, I felt a burning pain on my forehead.

　　Covering my head, I opened my eyes with difficulty... Where... is there a staircase in front? It's clearly a wall!

　　The way to the third floor is gone!

　　Are there only two floors here?

　　...No! If there are only two floors, how did Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong get up there? They can't just take the elevator, right?

　　That's too much!

　　Anyway, I won't take the elevator even if you kill me! I'm afraid I'll never be able to take the elevator in the city hospital again in my life. Enough!

　　Since this place doesn't work, I'll go to the west end of the building, where there's a fire escape.

　　I want to see how Zhang Haitao plans to play!

　　Suppressing my fear, I came out and took another look at the bathroom. Fortunately, the body was still there! As long as this guy didn't move, I wouldn't find it that scary.

　　The second floor of the Municipal Hospital is neither an outpatient clinic nor a ward, but a laboratory. Every day, the blood and body fluids of patients from various departments and outpatient clinics are sent here for testing.

　　In addition to laboratory tests, non-radioactive examination equipment such as ultrasound and electrocardiogram are also here.

　　Fortunately, the lights were on and the entire blood testing laboratory was separated by transparent glass, so it didn't look scary.

　　The strange thing was that it seemed that the machines in the entire blood center did not stop, and every one of them was running frantically. I even saw blood bubbling out of some unknown machine like a spring.

　　I forced myself not to look at these things anymore and hurried through the blood center.

　　When I passed the elevator room at the east end, I looked at the two elevators. Surprisingly, no numbers were displayed on the screens, as if they were out of power. This was fine. Since I was not allowed to take the elevator, there must be stairs to climb.

　　I came to the fire escape at the east end. I was finally safe. I walked inside with trepidation and took a look. Thank God! The stairs leading to the third floor were right in front of me!

　　I was so excited, thinking that I was getting closer to Zhang Shan and the others.

　　However, after walking only one floor quickly, I had to stop again because the staircase from the third floor to the fourth floor was blocked again.

　　Chapter 49: Near Misfortune

　　Could it be that this guy deliberately arranged this? Is his purpose to make me climb up level by level like this?

　　But what was he trying to do? Apart from making something weird to scare people, he didn't do anything more practical. So what was Zhang Haitao busy with at this moment? Could it be...

　　A thought flashed through my mind: Could it be that Zhang Haitao was concentrating on dealing with Zhang Shan and the others? The reason why he trapped me here and forced me to go up floor by floor was to delay time?

　　If this is true, then Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong are in danger!

　　Thinking of this, I wish I had a giant impact drill in my hand right away so that I could drill all the way up. I wonder who dares to stop me!

　　But no matter what I thought, considering the possibility that Zhang Haitao was concentrating on dealing with Zhang Shan and the others, I had no choice but to run from the west end of the third floor to the east end.

　　The third floor is the infusion center, which is specially equipped with recliners, sofas, televisions, water dispensers and other equipment for patients who do not need to be hospitalized but need intravenous drips.

　　In addition to a few large pillars, the place is separated by a transparent glass curtain wall, so everything inside can be seen at a glance.

　　The third floor was still strange. Although there were no patients, there was an IV drip next to each sofa. The needles on the sofa armrests were all oozing liquid.

　　I am not surprised by these scenes, but as I was running, I was attracted by a place and had to stop.

　　It was a large LCD color TV hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the infusion room. The TV was on at this moment, but the content on the screen was so dark that it was difficult to distinguish.

　　I couldn't help but lie down outside the glass curtain wall to study it carefully.

　　In the black and white picture, there seemed to be two people walking slowly in the dark corridor.

　　Just when I was a little skeptical, the shorter man looked up at the camera.

　　Although it was not clear, I recognized it at a glance. This was Liu Yunlong! The person next to him was undoubtedly Zhang Shan.

　　Where are they? Hasn't Zhang Haitao made his move yet?

　　"Stop looking! The important thing is to find them first!" I was about to take a closer look, but I didn't expect a hand to suddenly reach out from behind and put it on my shoulder.

　　"Ah!" I jumped up more than a foot high. My heart was in my throat.

　　However, the voice was familiar. Turning around, Captain Yang was standing behind me, staring at the TV.

　　"You... why are you out again?" I was really scared by him and even a little incoherent.

　　"I don't know either. I turned around and came up just now, but couldn't find you. I looked carefully and found that we were already on the fifth floor. So I hurried down to look for you." Captain Yang retracted his gaze and said to me.

　　I didn't say anything, but in my mind I was analyzing the credibility of his answer.

　　This situation has happened before. The last time Captain Yang entered the battle, he brought out a fake Liu Yunlong.

　　Who knows whether the person in front of me now is real or fake?

　　"What are you thinking about? Let's go! Even if you watch them here, you can't help. We'd better hurry up and go up." Captain Yang urged me when he saw that I was in a daze.

　　"Captain Yang!" I thought of a good way to test whether he was real or fake, so I said, "Do you remember the man in the top hat who just left downstairs? You are a criminal police officer. How similar do you think he is to the one you saw in the video that day?"

　　In fact, we had never met this person downstairs before. The reason I said this is to verify the authenticity of his identity.

　　First of all, this is a lie, but I turned it into a so-called "real" situation in my words. If the Captain Yang in front of me is fake, he will most likely follow my words and make an analysis, either saying it is possible or impossible. Then it will be clear whether it is true or false. No matter which situation he analyzes, he is lying to me.

　　Because this thing never happened.

　　If he said I was talking nonsense, then it was more likely that he was the one who did it. After all, the downstairs just now was not within Zhang Haitao's control. No matter how powerful he was, he would not know what happened there.

　　After hearing my question, Captain Yang fell into deep thought.

　　Just when I was about to feel something was wrong, he finally spoke: "Really? Why don't I remember? I don't remember such a person at all! According to what you said, his features are so obvious, theoretically I should have no impression of him! Are you sure I was there at the time?"

　　I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since I didn't know, it seemed that he must be sincere.

　　"Forget it if you can't see it clearly, let's go!" I made a "lead the way" gesture to Captain Yang, because he said he came down from the fifth floor and naturally knew the way.

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything else, Captain Yang didn't ask any more questions. He turned around and walked towards the west end of the building.

　　It seems that my guess was correct. Zhang Haitao must have deliberately blocked one side of the staircase on each floor, forcing us to go from one end to the other every time before we can continue to go upstairs.

　　The only thing we don't know is that he has made such careful arrangements, but so far, apart from some suspicious phenomena, there is no substantial means of attack. What is his plan?

　　But what’s happening right now… this… isn’t right! ! ! !

　　When I saw Captain Yang take two steps forward, my heart was shocked.

　　The person in front is definitely not Captain Yang himself! ! ! !

　　As I said just now, Captain Yang's shoes are hiking shoes with iron teeth, which make a clattering sound when he walks, especially on the polished floor of the hospital, the sound is more obvious.

　　But the "Captain Yang" in front of him had already walked four or five steps. Although he was still wearing the same pair of shoes, he didn't make any sound!!!

　　Who is that "he"?

　　I recalled that he thought about it for a long time when I asked that fake question just now. It was a bit unreasonable for an old detective with many years of experience in investigating and solving cases to think about something that just happened for so long.

　　So, there is only one possibility, he was not thinking about my question at all, but was thinking about how to answer my question!

　　But this does not constitute the most powerful evidence to distinguish whether he is true or false.

　　What is important is his answer. I also understand that my identification method still has some loopholes.

　　If he first confirmed what I said, admitted that this person existed, and then continued to analyze it, then the accuracy rate would only be 50%, because he could not judge whether what I asked was true or false.

　　But if you directly say that there is no such person, the accuracy rate is still 50%. Even if you guess correctly, the credibility is not high enough. After all, he has to meet the identity of an old criminal policeman.

　　After eliminating the above two answers, only the last one remains, which is also the most convincing answer.

　　That is, if he answers that he can't remember this person, he not only avoids my question, but also successfully shifts the focus of the topic from "Is this person suspicious" to "Do you remember this person?"

　　In this way, although there will still be a small amount of distrust, I can't find any reason, because only Captain Yang himself knows whether he remembers this person or not, and I don't know.

　　So no matter whether he remembers or not, as long as he says he doesn’t remember, I can only choose to believe it.

　　What a cunning guy! He was able to find the loophole in my question and choose the best answer in such a short time! I really underestimated him!

　　I almost believed it! Thinking of the various outcomes that would have happened if I had chosen to believe him, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

　　Believe him, there is actually only one ending, and that is death!!!

　　Chapter 50: The End of Good Luck

　　However, this guy had calculated everything but still missed one thing and revealed his true colors.

　　I was somewhat thankful that I knew Captain Yang's shoes. If someone else had never worn such shoes, they might not have noticed it. Who would have the time to study the footsteps of people around them?

　　"What are you thinking about? Why don't you leave?" "Captain Yang" in front of me turned around and asked when he saw me still standing there.

　　"Oh... okay, here it comes!" I tried my best to keep my voice and expression calm, but in my mind I had already begun to think about how to take him down by surprise and defeat him in one fell swoop.

　　Although I don't know what this "Captain Yang" in front of me is, it is very likely to be disadvantageous to me if I confront him directly. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. I must first know how "he" plans to deal with me, or when he plans to deal with me? Only then can I give him a fatal blow when he thinks he is about to succeed.

　　Walking behind, I knew that "he" would not deal with me right away, but I had already thought of "this is not Captain Yang" in my mind, so I always kept a distance of more than three steps from "him".

　　Soon, we arrived at the easternmost end of the third floor.

　　Thinking of the corpse, I couldn't help but look into the men's room before entering the stairwell.

　　The bathroom door was still open, but to my surprise, there was no body lying on the floor. Could it be that it wouldn't happen again on this floor?

　　Driven by curiosity, I forgot for a moment that there was a fake "Captain Yang" next to me, and couldn't help but move two steps towards the men's restroom door, wanting to see what was going on.

　　As I got closer, I slowly realized that it wasn’t that the body was not here, but... the body was gone!

　　Because there were still splashes of debris on the walls and the ground, and even a shoe on the ground. Everything was still there, except for the body.

　　Looking at the shoe, I suddenly remembered that when I was walking behind him just now, "Captain Yang" seemed to be limping a little, but it was not obvious. He hid it very well. However, I caught it accurately once or twice.

　　It really looks a bit like... one foot is wearing a shoe, and the other is not...

　　Captain Yang!!! Only then did I realize that I had left “him” behind in order to see more clearly.

　　"Are you looking for me?" Just as I was about to turn around, a hand was placed on my shoulder. The voice was unclear, as if there was phlegm stuck in my throat, and the words trembled as if they had passed through water.

　　Turning around, the person in front of me is not the same Captain Yang as before.

　　Only half of its head was left, with the other half of its skull, along with its scalp, drooping in front of its chest. Its facial features were completely missing, and I had no idea what it had just said.

　　"Hahahahaha..." He kept making this sound from his throat, and I couldn't tell whether he was laughing or wanted to say something.

　　In fact, I was already shocked. Although I knew that the person walking in front was not "Captain Yang", how could I have imagined that it was such a guy.

　　Besides, my previous series of actions had already put myself in a dangerous situation. This guy obviously saw this, so he removed his disguise and came straight up to me.

　　The worst thing is, after this guy showed up, I couldn’t remember anything I had planned!

　　The headless man noticed that I seemed to be completely frightened, so he raised his hand on my shoulder and moved it towards my neck.

　　Although I couldn't remember, I couldn't just sit there and wait for death. Seeing "him" making the next move, I instinctively stepped back.

　　This guy obviously didn't expect that I would recover from the shock so quickly. He grabbed nothing and rushed forward with a whooshing voice.

　　My idea was simple. Although I had forgotten what my plan was, I could at least avoid him first so that I would have time to remember it. Seeing him approaching, I could only back away.

　　But I overlooked one thing: there was only one men's restroom behind me, and it was obviously a dead end.

　　I took two steps back. Because I was walking backwards, I couldn't see what was behind me, my foot slipped, and I sat down on the floor of the men's bathroom.

　　I immediately used my hands to support myself and tried to stand up, but I suddenly felt something slippery and cold. I looked down and saw that I had pressed down on the pool of brain mixed with blood on the ground. Before I could feel sick, my hands that were supporting me slipped again and I fell flat on my face.

　　The dead body at the door also knew that I had run into the men's restroom. It stood there motionless at the door, but was not in a hurry to come in because it knew I couldn't escape.

　　This was the end of it. I was completely covered in this disgusting stuff. Fortunately, apart from a little bloody smell, there was no other special smell. After struggling to get up and seeing the situation clearly, I couldn't help but curse myself. Why didn't I retreat to this men's bathroom?

　　There was a window behind me, so I looked out with a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, it was still pitch black outside. I tried pushing the window again, but it didn't move at all.

　　It seems that Zhang Haitao has learned his lesson this time and blocked all the ways outside the building.

　　I was completely desperate. I looked around the room and saw nothing but urinals and toilets. How could I fight? It seemed that my luck was finally going to end.

　　Without Zhang Shan, I would be nothing but a dish! I would be reduced to being at the mercy of others.

　　I always thought that the book "Dream Record" was useless, and I didn't want to learn it, nor did I bother to learn it. But who knew that when something really happened, people would not even give you the opportunity to read the book and learn.

　　Alas~ If you don't work hard when you are young, you will regret it when you are old! I want to cry but I have no tears~ Damn it, even if you give me a knife or something, no matter whether I can win or not, let me try my best!

　　I once again looked around the restroom: a flush toilet… a toilet bowl… a urinal… a drainpipe as thick as an arm… a plastic sign that said “No Smoking”…

　　Wait! No smoking? ... Smoke? ... Fire!

　　Yes!!! It’s fire!!! What I just thought of was fire!!! I can get angry!!!

　　Thinking of this, I quickly took off my coat, wrapped it around my right hand, and silently said to myself: Burn!

　　The coat didn't respond.

　　"Burn! Burn! Burn!" I panicked and kept repeating it, but the coat still didn't respond at all.

　　The dead body at the door seemed to notice that I was trying to find a way to escape, so it stopped standing and staggered towards me.

　　But this damn fire control spell is completely ineffective at this moment, it's useless! I know that using these requires a relatively stable mentality, but at this critical moment of life and death, it would be strange if I could calm down!

　　This guy was getting closer and closer, so I had no choice but to hide in the innermost compartment and continue trying to "make a fire".

　　But it was all in vain. I didn't know how many times I had recited it. My hands were sore from holding the clothes, and there was no flame. The dead body was now blocking the entrance to the compartment.

　　This time I have absolutely no way to escape.

　　Seeing it reaching out to grab me, I was forced to raise my right hand to symbolically block it.

　　But this guy's target was very clear, which was my throat. He shook his arms, pushed away my hands that were blocking his body, and grabbed my neck.

　　Chapter 51: Like Reality or Illusion

　　I had no ability to resist and was just strangled and dragged out by it.

　　After I came out of the cubicle, the corpse raised its arms and lifted me high above its head.

　　What followed was the suffocating feeling of impending death.

　　I kept kicking this guy with my legs, but it was no use. It seemed to be fixed there. Even when I kicked the half of its head that was hanging on its chest to the ground, it still didn't move.

　　I couldn't breathe at this point, and my heart, which was beating wildly at the beginning, gradually slowed down.

　　...slow? If it's slow, can't I use the fire control spell? The last bit of clear mind reminded me.

　　He raised his right hand, which was still wrapped in clothes, with difficulty and placed it on top of the guy's head. It took a lot of effort to clench his fist. These were things that he could normally do by just raising his hand, but in a state of oxygen deprivation, every inch of movement required tremendous effort and energy.

　　Burning!

　　"Puff!" The fire finally caught!

　　I quickly let go and threw the burning clothes on the guy's head.

　　"Ah!" The corpse let out a strange howl and finally loosened the hand that was pinching my neck.

　　It wanted to throw away the clothes hanging on its head, but the fire spread so fast that it instantly covered its upper body and quickly spread downwards. At this moment, even throwing away the clothes would be of no use.

　　I took two breaths, and when my limbs regained some strength, I immediately crawled out of the men's restroom.

　　Sitting against the wall at the door, looking at the person burning inside, I suddenly remembered that the flame created by the fire control spell is called soul-devouring fire, and it has a characteristic that it will destroy any living thing it encounters.

　　Although it can also be used to light some things, once this kind of fire detects the breath of death, it will spread at an extremely alarming speed and will not go out until it is completely burned.

　　The dead body in the house was kneeling on the ground. It had lost the ability to move and allowed the flames to rage wildly on its body.

　　I couldn't bear to watch any longer and stood up holding onto the wall.

　　I passed by the sink next to me and looked at my hands. Then I remembered that my face was covered with brains. I felt so sick. I had the urge to vomit, so I ran to the water pipe and started to rinse.

　　The tap water in December was freezing cold, but I had no choice. I couldn't run around with my brains all over me.

　　After washing, I walked back to the door of the men's restroom. The body inside was still burning fiercely. It seemed that it would take at least an hour to burn it completely.

　　Anyway, I had to hurry upstairs. The sooner I found them, the sooner I could get out. My coat was burned, so I wiped my face and hands with my sweater and continued to climb up the stairs.

　　A few steps away from the fourth floor, I heard what seemed to be a quarrel in the distance. Although it was not very clear, I could almost conclude that it was a woman's voice.

　　Is there anyone else here besides the four of us?

　　After reaching the fourth floor, I first looked at the stairs going up, but they were still blocked. It seemed that I had to go around to the other end.

　　I walked out and looked at the men's restroom again. Unexpectedly, it was extremely clean. Not only was there no corpse, but even the brain matter on the floor was gone. It seemed that since I burned it, the corpse would never appear again on the floors above.

　　At this time, the sound of quarreling became clearer and clearer in my ears, and I only heard the female voice saying, "Don't leave! What's wrong with you being a policeman? Can the police just beat people up?"

　　I followed the sound and turned the corner, and the scene in front of me amazed me.

　　What surprised him was that Captain Yang was not far ahead; what was strange was that two middle-aged women dressed as nurses were holding him and would not let him go. There was also a man in a white coat lying on the ground next to him, who looked like a doctor, and no one knew what was wrong.

　　Starting from the fourth floor and going up to the thirteenth floor, it was all the inpatient department, but how could so many normal people suddenly appear in this magic circle? This was too abnormal!

　　Because of the previous lesson, I was not sure whether the person in front of me was Captain Yang himself, so I stood at the corner and observed.

　　After watching for a while, I kind of understood. It seemed that Captain Yang passed by here and for some reason hit the doctor who pushed the door out, so the nurse naturally didn't want to, and pulled him to ask for an explanation.

　　But...is all this...real? Or is it just my illusion?

　　Standing in the corner, I tried to use "Break the Illusion" and "Open the Spiritual Eyes" in turn, but nothing changed. Captain Yang was still Captain Yang, the nurse was still the nurse, and the matter was still the same.

　　Just as he was confused, Captain Yang turned his head and saw me in the distance. He shouted, "Xiao Wang?! Why are you here? Come here quickly!"

　　To be honest, I didn't want to go over there. God knew if this was another scam, but since he saw me, I couldn't just leave without saying anything.

　　After all, there is still a possibility that Captain Yang is the real person.

　　Walking over slowly, I asked cautiously, "What's going on?"

　　"Alright, alright! I won't leave. You let me stand up straight and explain things to him clearly, okay?" Captain Yang's coat was torn into a mess by the two nurses, and he couldn't hit the female comrade. At this moment, he couldn't bear it any longer, so he threw his arms and yelled at the two nurses.

　　The two nurses were obviously frightened by him. They stopped and stood there, but still formed a semicircle to prevent him from running away.

　　"How did you get up here?" Captain Yang asked me when he saw them stop and tidy up their clothes.

　　"I walked up~! How did you get up? Where did you go just now?" As I said this, I was carefully analyzing the authenticity of this "Captain Yang".

　　"I don't know either. After I asked you on the first floor, I climbed up. When I reached the second floor, I saw that you were not there. The stairs going up were blocked again. I hurried to look for you everywhere. But when I looked at the sign, I realized that this was not the second floor at all, but the fourth floor. I was planning to find a place to go downstairs to find you. Just as I walked past here, the man suddenly pushed the door and came out. I was so scared that I subconsciously punched him and knocked him down. The result is the current situation." Captain Yang pointed at the man lying on the ground, his voice getting lower and lower.

　　Looking at him, he looked like a child who had made a mistake.

　　Although Captain Yang said so much in one breath, I couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or not. After all, this statement was no different from what the fake Captain Yang said just now. It was about him going upstairs and couldn't find me, and then doing this and that.

　　"Where is your June 4th?" I asked suddenly when he was not paying attention.

　　In fact, Captain Yang did not wear a sidearm when he came here today. He was an old criminal policeman and had been using the Type 92 rifle for more than ten years, so he was reluctant to give it up. Moreover, he thought the Type 64 rifle was not powerful enough and was too small to hold, so he refused to change it no matter what.

　　So when I ask this question, the truth should be immediately known.

　　This is what I had thought of when I was hiding in the corner just now. Once I ask the question, there will be no more chances of taking shortcuts. And since the question was asked suddenly, Captain Yang did not have much time to think about it.

　　"What are you talking about? Mine is a Type 92! Besides, I didn't bring my gun today, did you forget?" Captain Yang stared at me with a confused look on his face, not knowing what I was talking about.

　　It must be Captain Yang! He answered without hesitation.

　　Chapter 52: Continue to move forward

　　"Haha, nothing." Seeing the real Captain Yang, I felt relieved. I pointed at the man on the ground and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Wake him up first!"

　　Although we don’t know what the existence of these doctors and nurses is like, at least they are not causing trouble for us at the moment. It is better to live in peace with them and make fewer enemies.

　　Everyone then remembered that saving people was the most important thing, so they hurriedly carried the doctor to the nurses' station.

　　After finally waking him up, Captain Yang revealed his identity as the captain of the criminal police team, said it was an accident, and apologized.

　　When the young male doctor saw this identity, how could he say anything? He even said it was okay. He even dared not accept the 300 yuan "medical fee" that Captain Yang gave him.

　　In the eyes of ordinary people, doctors are rich and powerful and should not be offended. If you offend them, they will make things difficult for you and will not treat you properly.

　　Now it seems that in the eyes of doctors, the police are also powerful people who should not be offended. If you offend them, they will still make things difficult for you and investigate your bribery or red envelopes. If things go wrong, they may even escalate the economic case into a criminal case.

　　Coming out from the nurse's station, I briefly explained to Captain Yang the rules for going upstairs and what had just happened downstairs. The old fellow exclaimed in horror when he heard it.

　　We arrived at the fifth floor and walked through the entire ward. Surprisingly, everything was normal. The doctors and nurses were busy in the work area, and the patients in each ward had already fallen asleep. Captain Yang and I were confused.

　　Shouldn't this be a centipede formation? Why does everything look so normal?

　　Except for the fact that the stairs were cut off at each level, which hinted that we were indeed inside the magic circle, there was nothing else strange.

　　Even the corpse in the toilet has never appeared since I burned it.

　　But how to treat the people who appeared here at this time? It was a difficult problem.

　　I care, knowing that they are most likely not human. I don't care, it's such a normal situation, but I can't bear it.

　　Forget it, let’s take it one step at a time!

　　The entire sixth floor is occupied by operating rooms. I used to wonder why the operating rooms were placed on such a medium-sized floor. It takes so much effort!

　　Later I thought about it and it was true. Both the upper and lower floors were inpatient departments, and patients undergoing surgery were pulled in and out, no matter which floor they went to, the distance was about the same. And six is ​​also a good luck~ surgery also requires six good luck.

　　As soon as we came up, before we found the way to the west end of the building, a young nurse in sterile clothes rushed out from a door with the three big words "Operating Room" on it.

　　"Hey! Come here, both of you! Come here! Come here for a moment!" When the young nurse saw Captain Yang and me, she acted as if she had found a treasure. She took off her mask and waved at us.

　　We looked at each other. Could there be an operation in the middle of the night? And even if there was an operation, why did this nurse come out instead of staying inside?

　　Captain Yang gestured to me to stay alert, and then walked towards the young nurse.

　　"What's the matter? Tell me, I'm a policeman!" Captain Yang stood three meters in front of the young nurse, took out his police officer ID and said.

　　"You are not the patient's family? That's fine too!" The young nurse became even more excited when she heard that Captain Yang was a policeman. She continued, "Police comrade, this is what happened. We are performing surgery here, but a colleague suddenly fainted for some reason. There are only me and the surgeon in the operating room now. Could you please send my colleague downstairs for emergency treatment?"

　　"This... why didn't you call them up?" Captain Yang hesitated. It was indeed a bit unbelievable that something like this happened in the operating room.

　　"I called, but the call didn't go through!" the young nurse said anxiously.

　　This reason is something we cannot refuse.

　　"Let's go in and take a look?" Captain Yang thought for a long time but couldn't make a decision, so he turned around and asked for my opinion.

　　I didn't say anything. It's okay to go in and take a look. After observing just now, it seems that there is no bypass from the outside on the sixth floor. In other words, if the two of us want to go to the east end, we have to go through the operating room.

　　So, you have to go in even if you don’t want to.

　　Seeing me nod, Captain Yang turned around and said, "Okay, take us in."

　　After hearing this, the young nurse expressed her gratitude repeatedly, took the initiative to open the door of the operating room and led us in.

　　This was my first time entering an operating room. As soon as the door opened, I felt the warm wind blowing towards me, and the airflow was extremely strong.

　　Later I learned that the entire area of ​​the operating room is pressurized, because even if the door is opened, the airflow will only blow outwards and will not flow back in, fully ensuring the sterile environment of the operating room.

　　Inside the door is a huge changing room. It seems that doctors and nurses have to change clothes here before performing surgery.

　　Captain Yang walked here and didn't dare to go in. After all, we were dressed casually. If we infected the patient, it would be hard to explain. In fact, we both knew it was nothing, but we just couldn't get over it.

　　"Oh, sorry!" The nurse pushed open another door and saw us standing there. She quickly handed us two pairs of shoe covers and said, "It's okay. The operating room is not as clean as you think. Just put on these shoe covers. Anyway, we are the only one left to perform the operation, and the surgery has already been sutured. I will disinfect and clean it after you leave."

　　After putting on shoe covers with Captain Yang, we followed the young nurse into another door.

　　There is a long corridor inside this door. According to my judgment, the other side of the corridor should be the east end of the building, and pushing the door out is likely to be the elevator room.

　　There were eight doors on each side of the corridor, but the door closest to us on the left had a light on, indicating "In Surgery".

　　The young nurse walked to the door, pushed it open and motioned for us to go in.

　　Captain Yang and I exchanged glances for the last time and slowly stepped into the operating room.

　　This was a room of at least 40 square meters. In the middle, there was an operating table. Under the shadowless light, there was a person lying and standing. Various instruments flashed behind them.

　　In the corner of the room, on the ground, there was a young woman in sterile clothing lying on her back, with her lips tightly closed and her face pale. No one knew what was going on.

　　It seems that the one who asked us to carry it is her.

　　Seeing someone coming in, the person who was busy at the operating table looked up and immediately said to the nurse who brought us in in a stern tone: "Xiao Pang, why did you come in without disinfecting them? What if the wounded are infected?!"

　　"Ah..." The young nurse was obviously stunned and said timidly: "Didn't you just say that it has been sutured and there is no need to be so meticulous? I am also in a hurry to save Sister Ren!"

　　"The patient's condition has changed now. I need to perform another laparotomy! Get these two irrelevant people out immediately!" The doctor next to the operating table seemed angry.

　　"Then Sister Ren..." The young nurse was a little at a loss after hearing what he said.

　　"Who is more important, her or the patient? Get them both out and come help me!" The doctor became more and more stern. Although he was wearing a mask, his eyebrows were obviously wrinkled.

　　I was a little surprised. This guy was too ruthless. Even if Captain Yang and I were to carry the man lying on the ground out, how long would it take?

　　After reading this, I slowly approached the operating table, wanting to see what the surgeon was doing. Why did he open up the patient who had already been sutured, and why did he even perform a laparotomy?

　　Chapter 53: Another Wave

　　"What are you doing? I told you to get out! Did you hear me?" The surgeon saw me slowly approaching, stopped moving his hands on the patient, turned around and spoke sternly.

　　But when he said that, I had already seen the appearance of the person on the bed.

　　This was a handsome man, who looked to be in his early thirties, about the same age as Zhang Shan. At this moment, his chest was cut open from top to bottom, and everything inside was visible.

　　The nurse standing in the corner saw me approaching and hurried over to block me, saying, "I'm sorry, comrade, your body doesn't meet the sterilization requirements. You can't get any closer, otherwise it will endanger the life of the injured!"

　　When Captain Yang saw me walking over, he followed me to see if I had discovered anything.

　　"What's wrong with you? If you don't leave, I'll call the police!" When the doctor saw that we both came over, he was extremely angry. He stretched out his little finger to take off the mask and yelled at us.

　　When I saw the doctor's face, I was stunned. I pointed at the person lying on the bed, and no sound came out of my throat for a long time.

　　Because this doctor and the injured man lying on the bed with his chest and abdomen opened wide, actually have the same face!!!

　　Captain Yang also noticed this at this time, and stood beside me vigilantly, staring at the doctor to prevent any accidents from happening.

　　The doctor saw that we both looked strange and pointed at the person on the bed. He turned back in confusion. After a while, his shoulders began to tremble, and the shaking became more and more intense. He was busy doing something in front of him, regardless of his sterile gloves.

　　The doctor turned around again, and Captain Yang and I saw that his face was pale and his eyes were full of despair.

　　The sterile suit on his chest was now stained with blood.

　　Although I can't see what's behind the clothes, I'm sure that the person standing is probably in the same condition as the person lying on the operating table.

　　The person lying on the operating table was actually the doctor himself!!!

　　He is operating on himself!!!

　　Seeing that he was about to fall, this strange scene could not be explained, and Captain Yang hurriedly pulled me back two steps.

　　Since the young nurse in the middle was always facing us, she couldn't see what was happening behind us. However, she judged from our expressions and actions that something strange must have happened, and she couldn't help but turn around to look.

　　"Ah!!!" An octave-high scream instantly broke the silence of the operating room. The young nurse ignored everything and rushed out.

　　Life was draining away from the doctor standing there. He used his remaining strength to hold onto the operating table and walked towards us step by step, saying weakly, "Save me...save me..."

　　How could we dare to go over there? We didn’t know which one was real and which one was fake, and it was even possible that both of them were fake.

　　Seeing Captain Yang was a little hesitant, I reached out and pinched his arm, reminding him: "Listen to me this time, don't go over there! Don't forget, we are in the centipede formation, there will be no living people here!"

　　"But..." Captain Yang still couldn't convince himself. After all, everything in front of him was very real.

　　"No buts! If you can explain what happened here clearly, I will let you go!" I hardened my heart and spoke to Captain Yang in a stern tone.

　　Two identical people, are they twins? But the doctor didn't know this before we reminded him.

　　What's more, not only are they identical, even the blade can be copied. How do you explain this?

　　This is clearly like operating on yourself!!!

　　The doctor's body was no longer strong enough to support him standing, and he fell down beside the operating table. But he was unwilling to give up, and continued to crawl towards us and ask for help.

　　I forcibly dragged Captain Yang out of the operating room.

　　I know that Captain Yang's professional ethics would make it difficult for him to stand by and watch someone die. But I can't let him take the risk when I know it's not in our best interest.

　　We walked east along the corridor outside the operating room in silence.

　　After we exited the operating room from the east and the door was closed, Captain Yang took a deep breath, as if he had given up on what was going on inside. He turned to me and asked, "Xiao Wang, are you sure that what we are seeing, touching, and hearing now are all hallucinations?"

　　"It's hard to say what it is, but I can assure you that there is no one alive in this building now, except the four of us and Zhang Haitao who has come back to life through borrowing other people's corpses!" I understand Captain Yang. For this kind of thing, he must give a reasonable explanation so that he can completely untie the knot in his heart.

　　"...Okay, I'll listen to you this time. But don't let similar situations happen again. I'll feel guilty about it!" Captain Yang thought for a few seconds and said helplessly.

　　I also roughly guessed that the reason why Zhang Haitao made such a move was to attack our so-called "human nature" psychologically, with each wave getting higher and higher. In the end, we fell into the grave we dug for ourselves, and we were no longer able to resist.

　　The only difference between humans and other creatures is that we have rich emotions, the so-called "human nature."

　　This is also the biggest weakness of human beings.

　　Captain Yang and I didn't dare to separate this time, and we went up to the seventh floor side by side.

　　The seventh floor is the orthopedics department. It is the same as the three floors below. Everything here seems normal. In addition to the busy doctors and nurses on duty in the nurse station, there are two or three patients who have not slept yet, walking around in the corridor.

　　I was just wondering why the nurses' station was still so busy after midnight, when a nurse who had just put down the phone said, "Doctor Zhao, the patient in bed 15 is ready for surgery and can start anytime!"

　　It turned out that an emergency patient was sent here.

　　"Okay, I got it. The patient's name is Fan Suying, right? Sixty-three years old." A male doctor who was sitting in the nurses' station and looking down at the medical records verified it in a hoarse voice.

　　Captain Yang next to him was visibly shocked, and quickly walked up to the nurse and asked, "How many beds is the patient in?"

　　"Bed 15, who are you...?" The nurse who was filling out the surgery notice looked up at Captain Yang and asked.

　　Captain Yang did not answer her, but walked quickly into the ward.

　　"What's going on?" I trotted after Captain Yang, wondering why his behavior and expression suddenly changed drastically.

　　Captain Yang remained silent and walked to a ward with a sign on the door that read "Orthopedic Department Beds 13-15". After hesitating for a moment, he pushed open the door.

　　Although this was a triple room, only two people lived in it. On the middle bed, half-lying was an old lady with gray hair, holding her left ankle and crying out in pain.

　　There was a stretcher parked next to the bed, and two people in white coats who looked like doctors were trying to lift the old lady onto it.

　　Since the old lady couldn't exert any strength, the two doctors tried several times but were unable to put her on the stretcher. Instead, they bumped into the old lady's injured ankle while moving her, causing her even more pain.

　　I was just wondering what was going on when Captain Yang rushed to the bedside, supported the old lady and asked with concern, "Mom, what happened to you?"

　　Chapter 54: Unable to Extricate Myself

　　No! When I heard Captain Yang yell "Fuck", I knew things were going to get bad!

　　I don't know how this damn Zhang Haitao caught Captain Yang's mind and created this scene to trap us here.

　　Looking at the old lady again at this time, her features were indeed very similar to Captain Yang's.

　　Hearing the voice, the old lady looked up and saw that it was Captain Yang. She quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Xiao Hua, you're here! It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here!"

　　Captain Yang's name is Yang Hua.

　　"Mom, how did you fall? Who brought you here?" Captain Yang continued to ask when he saw that the old lady did not answer him.

　　"Oh, I just got up to go to the bathroom and accidentally slipped. I found myself unable to stand up and my left foot was powerless. I had no choice but to call you, but the call went unanswered. I knew you were probably busy with a task, so I called 120 myself." The old lady felt much more at ease when she saw her son by her side and stopped crying out in pain.

　　Captain Yang took out his cell phone and checked. No need to ask, there was definitely no signal.

　　At this time, he finally remembered that something was wrong and looked up at me standing at the door.

　　Although he didn't say anything, I guessed what Captain Yang meant by his eyes. He was asking me to confirm whether this scene was true or not.

　　I frowned and shook my head slightly, telling him that this wasn't true and that we needed to leave as soon as possible.

　　Seeing my son exchanging glances with me, the old lady gently asked Captain Yang: "Xiao Hua, is this young man your colleague? He looks quite young."

　　Captain Yang should have had some idea in his mind by now, but after all, his own mother's appearance was right in front of him. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it would be very difficult for him to be cruel and ignore her.

　　If I were in this situation, I wouldn't dare say that I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of emotion in my heart.

　　He was about to answer the old lady's question when the door behind me suddenly slammed. I quickly made way for it and Doctor Zhao from the nurse station pushed the door open and walked in.

　　"Why haven't you gone to the operating room yet?" the doctor asked in a very hoarse voice. Seeing us, he asked again, "Are you the patient's family members? That's great, come over and sign." Then he handed me a form.

　　This is a surgery notification form that requires the signature of family members, but I found that in the lower left corner where the surgeon's signature should be, in front of the three words "Zhao Qingming", there was a crookedly written word "力".

　　Is it possible that someone could sign their own name incorrectly?

　　"Ah? No way, doctor? I need surgery for just a sprain?" The old lady had never expected it to be so serious. She was a little scared when she heard that she needed surgery.

　　"Your injury is not as simple as a sprain." Doctor Zhao coughed, cleared his throat and continued, "You are old, so you should take calcium supplements. If it is not osteoporosis, you may have just had an ordinary sprain. I just looked at the film and found that you have fractured your bone. You must get a needle!"

　　"Ah? Acupuncture?" The old lady wilted instantly, and pulled Captain Yang and said, "Xiao Hua, ask the doctor if there is another way. Can we not use acupuncture?"

　　Captain Yang lowered his head, and I guess he was struggling violently inside.

　　"Don't worry, old lady. Inserting a steel needle is the simplest surgical operation. Once the anesthetic is injected, I guarantee you won't feel anything." Doctor Zhao kept comforting the old lady.

　　Captain Yang didn't say a word until the old lady was pushed out of the house. But he still helped the doctor put the old lady on the stretcher.

　　After walking out of the ward and watching the stretcher turn a corner in the distance and disappear out of sight, Captain Yang took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Wang, why do I feel like none of this seems fake?"

　　I secretly thought that this was not good. If Captain Yang believed everything in front of him, we would inevitably have differences in decision-making. This was exactly what Zhang Haitao wanted to see.

　　He was not actually afraid of Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong, he only cared about the existence of Zhang Shan and me. He could even be fearless of Zhang Shan, but he had to pay attention to me because I was the seal holder.

　　So he must find ways to separate everyone from me and leave me isolated and helpless. Only in this way can he destroy me.

　　Just like on the second floor just now, he was only one step away from success. But he didn't expect that my ability was a little more than he expected.

　　It was this little bit that saved my life.

　　"If you're worried, why don't we just go to the operating room and take a look?" I knew that it was useless to talk to Captain Yang about whether it was true or not.

　　It would be better for him to watch the old lady finish the operation and be wheeled back to the ward to rest. Only then can he feel completely at ease.

　　"This... Zhang Shan and the others..." Captain Yang was not completely confused now and still vaguely remembered our purpose.

　　"It's okay. Didn't Doctor Zhao say it would only take a dozen minutes? Let's finish the examination before leaving. I believe that with Zhang Shan's ability, he should be able to hold out longer than us." Although I advised Captain Yang not to worry, I didn't even believe my own words.

　　Of course, I also hope that Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong are safe now, but Captain Yang, if you don't let him take another look and put your mind at ease, I'm afraid that he will always be distracted. By then, let alone helping me, he might even become a burden.

　　It seems that no matter how experienced a police officer is, he will be unable to extricate himself when faced with the issue of family affection.

　　Because this is a normal human emotion.

　　Captain Yang looked at me with gratitude. He knew very well that I was willing to say and do this entirely for him.

　　Back to the door of the operating room on the sixth floor, the old lady had already been pushed in.

　　Since there was no one at the door, we put on a new pair of shoe covers and pushed the door open and walked in.

　　Standing in the dim corridor, there were two rows of operating rooms on both sides, but none of them had lights on. Captain Yang and I were at a loss. Didn't they need to come here for injections? Was the old lady wheeled to another place?

　　Just as I was about to speak, I suddenly heard a loud shout in the distance, and then two people in sterile suits pushed the door of an operating room and ran out.

　　Seeing us standing here, they stumbled over, took off their masks and shouted, “It’s… it’s haunted!”

　　These two people were the ones who pushed the old lady away just now, and the place where they ran out was the operating room that Captain Yang and I had just entered.

　　When Captain Yang heard their shouting, he had already taken the lead and ran towards the operating room.

　　"What's going on?" I asked a person who was running over.

　　"There's a corpse in the room... there's a corpse in the room!" the man looked up and said to me.

　　"Humph! Aren't you just faking your death?" I raised the corner of my mouth slightly and looked at him.

　　After hearing what I said, the person being dragged suddenly became expressionless, staring at me straightly, with his pupils getting bigger and bigger.

　　I was prepared. How could I let him go when I got such a great opportunity? Before this guy changed, I dipped my left index finger in a little saliva, tapped the "sky circle" of the Wuwei Seal, and then poked it on his forehead.

　　I don't dare to touch the old lady, but I can touch you little guys. Once the true form is revealed, Captain Yang will know what to do.

　　Chapter 55: Surrounded

　　I saw the person who was poked in the forehead by my finger stopped moving instantly and stood there motionless.

　　And his skin and clothes gradually changed.

　　A few seconds later, a dried corpse dressed in dirty clothes appeared in front of me.

　　This technique is a kind of immobilization technique, which not only has the effect of immobilizing evil things, but also can turn them back to their original form.

　　The person next to him saw this scene and ran out screaming.

　　I smiled and didn't bother to chase him.

　　I don't know what method Zhang Haitao used to make these monsters think they are human. Moreover, the division of labor is clear, and everyone does their own thing.

　　I even admire this guy a little. He must have never been exposed to this kind of thing before, but he was able to use a large formation so exquisitely in such a short time. I have to say that this guy is quite talented.

　　It's a pity that he used his talent in the wrong place.

　　Captain Yang had already started banging on the door in the distance and he didn't notice what was happening here.

　　"Damn it!...Damn it!...Damn it!..." I walked closer and found that Captain Yang cursed every time he stomped his feet.

　　There was a glass window on the door of the operating room, through which one could see what was going on inside. I did not stop Captain Yang from kicking the door, but stepped back a few steps and looked inside through the glass window.

　　Inside the room, the two "twin" doctors who had just been disemboweled were still bare-chested. But they were now full of energy, one holding the old lady's body, while the other was walking back and forth on the old lady's calf with a hand saw for sawing bones.

　　Every few times they moved, they would look towards us with an evil smile on their faces.

　　The old lady didn't seem to have taken any anesthesia and her mind was a little fuzzy. Every time the hand saw moved, her whole body would shake for a long time.

　　But I wonder where Doctor Zhao is at the moment?

　　Although I know it's all fake, I still can't bear to watch it anymore.

　　"Damn it!!!" Captain Yang kicked the door with great force, but when he saw that it still hadn't been opened, he finally stopped, staring into the window motionlessly, gasping for breath.

　　"Let's go, this is all fake, their purpose is to..." I was going to persuade Captain Yang, but he interrupted me before I could finish my words.

　　"Leave? My mother is inside!!! What do you see them doing?! You let me go! Can I leave?" Captain Yang turned around, pushed me, and shouted while gasping for breath.

　　At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his neck were exposed. It was obvious that he was completely enraged.

　　I was shocked. I didn't expect Captain Yang to be so crazy. He had fallen into the trap that was carefully laid out for him and was sinking deeper and deeper.

　　If he continues like this, I don't know what will happen.

　　While he turned his head to look inside again, I secretly dipped some saliva and pressed it on the Wuwei Seal, intending to use the "Purifying Spirit Mantra" on Captain Yang again.

　　This mantra can not only eliminate filth, but also awaken the mind and prevent one from going astray.

　　Of course, the only difference is that when I was pointing at the corpse just now, I pressed on the "sky circle". If I want to point at Captain Yang now, I should press on the "human circle".

　　But I overlooked one thing. Captain Yang is an old criminal policeman. How could it be so easy for me to poke him between the eyebrows without saying anything or saying hello?

　　Sure enough, when my fingers just reached his face, Captain Yang suddenly jumped up, grabbed my arm, and then swept his feet and knocked me to the ground.

　　"What do you want to do?" Captain Yang took a step back and looked at me warily.

　　I didn't say anything. Because just when he threw me, as my arm retracted, I still tapped Captain Yang's forehead. At this moment, I was waiting for him to regain his consciousness.

　　"Speak up! Why aren't you talking? Didn't you say this was all an illusion? Then come and handle things inside!" Five seconds passed, and Captain Yang showed no sign of improvement. He grabbed my collar and pressed my face against the glass window of the operating room.

　　Inside the house, the twins had already sawed off one of the old lady's legs and were preparing to saw off the other one. The old lady was no longer moving and seemed to have fainted.

　　My heart was beating with anxiety. If Zhang Haitao really found a way to get Captain Yang's mother here, wouldn't I have made a big mistake?

　　However, before that, I have to verify one more thing.

　　Seeing that I remained silent, Captain Yang loosened his grip on my hand. At the moment he loosened his grip, I suddenly turned around, and this time I quickly rubbed my "round head" and touched his forehead.

　　Why click on him again?

　　Just because I tapped him just now, he didn't react at all. This kind of ordinary loss of mind is clearly explained in the Dream Record. It is absolutely no problem to use the Spirit Clearing Mantra, and it never fails!

　　Moreover, the Qingshen Mantra pressed on the "Human Circle" is only effective on humans.

　　But just now, after I clicked the button, Captain Yang didn’t react at all. I couldn’t help but wonder, is he a human being?

　　That’s why we have the second method which is specifically used to deal with filth.

　　As soon as I pointed my finger, "Captain Yang" in front of me reacted immediately. I watched as the skin on his face fell off piece by piece, gradually revealing his true face.

　　I￥@#￥!!! I was fooled after all!!!

　　This Captain Yang is actually a fake!!!

　　I didn't care about what was happening in front of me. I turned around and ran east along the corridor.

　　I thought it was Captain Yang who was deceived, and I thought I could help him. Who knew that I was the only one who was deceived!

　　In fact, when I met "Captain Yang's mother" just now, I should have been more careful. Since he could even make up her own mother, what else might Zhang Haitao not know?

　　Maybe Captain Yang had already been controlled by him when he got separated from me for the first time. Captain Yang's thoughts were naturally seen clearly by Zhang Haitao. Although I don't know what method he used, the fact that he could answer my questions immediately without hesitation clearly proved this point.

　　As for how he knew it? And what was his purpose in getting a "fake Captain Yang" to follow me? This is not the subject I want to study now. The most urgent thing now is to run away!

　　Ten meters away from the east door of the operating room, the door was suddenly pushed open, and more than a hundred people rushed in from outside, including doctors, nurses, patients and their families.

　　I thought it was over and I probably wouldn’t be able to escape from the sixth floor.

　　But when they saw me, they asked, "Where's the ghost? Where is the ghost? Where is the corpse?"

　　It seems that it is not a good thing for Zhang Haitao to let them disguise themselves. These brainless guys took it seriously.

　　I pointed at the monster that was "shedding its skin" in the distance behind me and quietly slipped into the crowd.

　　They walked a few steps forward, but stood still. No one dared to go up, but just watched the two zombies in the corridor.

　　Chapter 56: Finally Meets

　　I slowly walked through the crowd. They had already been attracted by the zombies in the corridor. When they saw me, they just glanced at me and then stood on tiptoe to look forward.

　　When we pushed open the door of the operating area at the east end, we didn't expect that there was someone outside. We immediately saw each other and were both stunned.

　　This person was none other than the two male doctors who had just run out to perform surgery. One of them was pointed at by me, and this one was the one who ran away.

　　After staring at me for two seconds, the guy suddenly let out a woman's scream, pointed at me and shouted, "Ghost!!!"

　　I thought to myself, oh no! He must have seen me when I pointed at that person just now, and he thought I was a ghost too. If the people behind me catch up with me, how can I run?

　　What annoys me the most is that they are all ghosts, but they come to catch me, the only one who is not a ghost, with shouts and beatings. Where can I seek justice?

　　The people who had just run in had already turned around and looked at us. Although they hadn't moved yet, it was only a matter of a second or two.

　　I hated this guy so much that I reached out to hit him, but he had already anticipated my move and ran away after shouting.

　　The people behind me were already getting excited. I don't know who shouted, "Catch him!" and then everyone started chasing me.

　　Oh my god! If I get caught, I’ll beat him to death!

　　Without any hesitation, I pushed the door open and went up to the seventh floor.

　　When I got to the seventh floor, I was stunned. It was completely different from what it was just now. Not only was the staircase leading to the eighth floor blocked, but the roller shutters on the passage to the ward had also been lowered at some point, leaving only two elevators standing outside.

　　Hearing the noisy and chaotic footsteps coming up the stairs behind me, I had no choice but to run to the elevator and press the call button.

　　But the elevator indicator screen still shows nothing, and I don’t know if it is still working properly.

　　The person running in front had already rushed to the seventh floor. There was no way out, so he naturally spotted me at the first moment. The people in front even held weapons such as brooms and sticks and slowly approached me.

　　Maybe they thought I was a ghost and didn't come too close.

　　"Don't come over here! Be careful or I'll beat you all back to your original form!" I leaned against the elevator door and threatened them. In fact, even I felt that these words had no deterrent effect at all.

　　"You don't have to hit me. I'll change back now. Do you think this skin is comfortable to wear?" The man standing in the front raised the corner of his mouth. After he finished speaking, he suddenly inserted his hand into his throat, pulled it out, and lifted it up again. The whole scalp was torn off, revealing the dry and gray skin inside.

　　Looking at other people, they were almost all busy with the same thing at the same time - skinning!

　　This is simply a picture of hell on earth, and it makes my heart beat wildly.

　　Soon, the ground was covered with a layer of human skin. After these guys revealed their true colors, they stopped talking and walked towards me with a whooshing sound.

　　It's over! This time there's no hope! I also wanted to go over and hit them one by one, but the steps are complicated. The Qingshen Mantra needs water as a conductor, and there is no water at the moment. There are so many people, even if I use up all my saliva, it won't be enough!

　　I closed my eyes. Since God doesn't want to keep me, I'll just let him go!

　　The zombies were getting closer and closer, and I could even hear the roaring sounds in their throats, just three steps away.

　　"Whoa!" Just as I was waiting for that final push, the elevator door behind me actually opened!

　　Before I could open my eyes, a strong arm grabbed my neck and pulled me into the elevator.

　　How could the zombies outside the door give up? But before they could rush to the door, the elevator door closed again.

　　I was still in shock, and when the arm that was around me loosened, I turned around quickly, only to find that the people standing behind me were Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　"It's you!" I saw them both extremely excited, although I didn't know whether they were another group of "fakes".

　　"Hey! When did Mr. Wang have so many fans?" Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan were also disheveled, with blood splattered all over their bodies. Fortunately, they were in good spirits and did not suffer any external injuries.

　　My intuition tells me that the Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong in front of me are real.

　　Why?

　　Because just now, at the elevator entrance on the seventh floor, they already had the best conditions to kill me. I really can't think of any other reason why Zhang Haitao would intervene again, turn into Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, and kidnap me again. He had no reason to do so.

　　"Where is our boss?" Seeing that I didn't say anything, Liu Yunlong remembered that Captain Yang was outside with me when we separated, and couldn't help asking.

　　Now that I knew they were the real people, I had nothing to worry about and told them everything I had encountered along the way.

　　After hearing this, Liu Yunlong was stunned for a long time before he swallowed his tongue and said, "Oh my God, your situation was much more dangerous than ours! You are so lucky, I almost didn't see you!"

　　"Captain Yang, don't worry. The centipede formation is already formed. Zhang Haitao now needs a living person to activate the formation, so Captain Yang's life will not be in danger for the time being." Zhang Shan's coat was thrown somewhere and he said while wiping his nose.

　　"Then how did you get down here?" I said, and I also wanted to know what they encountered. By combining all the information, we might be able to find the weakness of this centipede formation.

　　Zhang Shan was not good at telling stories, so the matter naturally fell on Liu Yunlong.

　　As soon as the elevator door closed, they knew something was wrong, but the elevator didn't stop and took them to the eleventh floor.

　　After we came out, it was pitch black again. They had the same idea as us, which was to reunite first and then plan the next step. So they didn't stay on the eleventh floor for long and went straight down to the tenth floor.

　　Just like what happened to me, every time you go down a floor, the stairs going down are blocked, and you have to run from one end to the other before you can continue.

　　However, Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan didn't know this because they only stayed on the tenth floor from beginning to end.

　　The tenth floor was just like the floors I had just passed. Everything seemed normal. There were nurses and doctors, and the patients were doing what they were supposed to do. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious.

　　However, this little trick couldn't fool Zhang Shan. He just burned a talisman in front of a nurse and immediately forced it back to its original form.

　　But the two did not expect that this would piss off the corpses on the tenth floor. Seeing that their disguises were useless, they simply rushed out in a swarm.

　　Relying on Zhang Shan's supernatural power, the two men fought from the middle to the west end, and then from the west end to the east end.

　　Until they were blocked at the elevator entrance with no way to go, the elevator door suddenly opened as if to help. The two had no choice but to retreat into the elevator.

　　When he opened the door again, he met me.

　　"What should we do now?" After listening to Liu Yunlong's general description, I also felt that the elevator was just standing still. We can't just waste time in here, we have to find a way out, or even find Zhang Haitao.

　　"Why do I have a feeling that we are not the only ones in this formation?" Zhang Shan's hands were actually busy all the time. He must have brought some yellow paper with talismans drawn on it with him, and at this moment he was wrapping it layer by layer onto a wooden stick that looked like a stool leg.

　　"Forget it~! Who can come to help us? Hurry up and fight back! I'm so depressed staying here! I can't fight, and I can't run away!" It seemed that Liu Yunlong couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to find something to do.

　　"Okay! That's it! Let's knock them to the ground first." Zhang Shan said, and handed the wooden stick covered with yellow paper to Liu Yunlong. He reached behind him and took out another identical one.

　　"What is this?" I couldn't help asking as I watched them raise their sticks, looking like they were going to the battlefield.

　　"Hey, just wait and see!" Liu Yunlong winked at me, then took a step forward and stood side by side with Zhang Shan in front of the elevator door. Zhang Shan reached out and pressed the door-opening button.

　　Chapter 57: Good-Intentioned Advice

　　The elevator door opened, still on the seventh floor. The zombies at the door looked like they were about to leave, with their backs to us.

　　Without saying a word, Zhang Shan swung the wooden stick in his hand and rushed towards the group of zombies.

　　"Grandsons! Eat your grandfather's golden cudgel!" Liu Yunlong was not willing to fall behind, so he shouted and stepped into the crowd.

　　After the two of them went out, I also hurried out of the elevator, in order to avoid being sent away again, which would be a waste of time.

　　But... I began to doubt whether they were real people or were they out of their minds? They were going to fight hundreds of corpses with just a stick. This was too reckless!

　　But a scene that surprised me appeared.

　　The two chair legs wrapped with yellow paper seemed to have magical powers. Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong did not use much strength when swinging them, but the bodies that touched the wooden sticks were all hit by a huge force, flying several meters away and falling to the ground.

　　What’s even more surprising is that after being knocked away, the corpse couldn’t move even a little bit.

　　I even saw Zhang Shan sweep out with his stick, and immediately seven or eight corpses flew in a fan shape behind the crowd.

　　Three minutes, it only took three minutes. The entire elevator entrance was filled with corpses, leaving only Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan standing in the middle, like gods of war.

　　"Hehe... Lao Wang... how about it? I... am awesome, right?" Liu Yunlong gasped for breath and turned his head to show off to me.

　　"What on earth is this?" I walked over, took the stick in his hand, and studied it carefully. In fact, I didn't understand it at all.

　　"Haha, this is my exclusive invention. I call it the 'killing stick'. It is covered with soul-soothing talismans and mantras. I didn't expect that using the two together would have such a great effect." Zhang Shan looked at the "treasure" in his hand happily and said proudly.

　　"So... these guys can't move anymore?" At this moment, I found myself stepping on the face of a corpse. It was trying to open its mouth to bite my shoes, so I quickly raised my legs to avoid it.

　　"Well... the only drawback is that it can only last for a short while. Unless all these talismans are stuck on them." Zhang Shan said with regret.

　　"That's all! Get up and do it again! What are you afraid of? Lao Wang, I'll take a break for a while, you go ahead, I guarantee you'll have a blast!" Liu Yunlong was still so heartless and had no idea how dangerous the situation we were in was.

　　"Okay, let's go! Uncle, don't you know how to go upstairs? Lead the way!" A corner of the lowered rolling door was broken in the previous round of "massacre". Zhang Shan lifted it up and said to us.

　　"Go upstairs? Why not go downstairs?" Liu Yunlong held the "killing stick" in his hand like a treasure and asked Zhang Shan in confusion.

　　"Listen to me! I can smell the stench of that beast from two miles away." Zhang Shan smiled mysteriously at the two of us and rushed behind the rolling door.

　　"Hmph! This guy is getting better and better at pretending to be a master!" Liu Yunlong looked at Zhang Shan's back with a look of dissatisfaction.

　　I smiled and ignored him.

　　With them around, I feel much more at ease.

　　There was no figure behind the rolling door. I didn't know whether he had run away or was knocked down by the two of them.

　　After walking a short distance to the west, just when they were about to turn a corner, Zhang Shan in front stopped.

　　"Hey! Old Zhang, you can't walk anymore after seeing the beautiful zombie?" Liu Yunlong stuck his head out from behind and looked forward, then sarcastically said to Zhang Shan.

　　Because on the road we had to take, at the corner ahead, two identical women walked out.

　　"Gao Yuan?!" When I saw it clearly, I couldn't help but exclaimed.

　　"What did you say? She is the last wife of that beast?" Zhang Shan knew Gao Yuan, of course, but he had never seen her. Zhang Haitao later remarried, so naturally he would not put her photo at home.

　　"It's bad, it's bad! These two are planning to collude with each other!" Liu Yunlong didn't know what happened before and was talking nonsense.

　　"You two can see again?" I was quite surprised by this.

　　"Once you are in the formation, there is nowhere to hide!" Although Zhang Shan knew that it was Gao Yuan, he didn't know what their purpose was in appearing here, so he was still quite alert.

　　"Go back!" We were just guessing why she came when Gao Yuan on the left suddenly said these three words.

　　Since they were in the formation, they did not emit the aura representing soul and nightmare respectively, so for a moment they could not tell which was which.

　　"Why are you here?" I know that Gao Yuan's soul and nightmare are not the same as the other guys here. They must have some other purpose for appearing here.

　　"Why are you talking so much nonsense! If I tell you to leave, just leave quickly! If you're late any longer, you won't have the chance to leave even if you want to." Gao Yuan, who had spoken just now, was obviously out of his good temper and spoke to us viciously.

　　"Sisters, how do we get out? I want to go out too, you have to show me a way!" Liu Yunlong saw that they had no ill intentions, and although he didn't know who they were, he couldn't help but interrupt them.

　　"As long as you are willing to go, I will find a way to get you out." Gao Yuan, who had been standing on the right and remained silent, replied softly.

　　"Is that what you mean? We still have a friend in his hands." At this time, I had already distinguished between Gao Yuan's soul and nightmare. The one with the bad temper must be the nightmare.

　　Since I can't communicate with the nightmare, I can only find the soul to ask for clarification.

　　"...If his life can be exchanged for the three of you, I think your friends will be willing to do so." Gao Yuan's soul thought about it and suddenly said firmly.

　　"Since you want to help us, why don't you go up with us? Isn't it your wish to kill that beast?" Zhang Shan listened for a long time and finally spoke.

　　"Hmph! You think too highly of yourselves. If Zhang Haitao were still alive, he might have been able to fight. Now the formation is him, and he is the formation. You are seeking death if you go up there!" Gao Yuan's Nightmare poured a bucket of cold water on us without any hesitation.

　　"I'm so sorry. We appreciate your kindness. But our friend is still in Zhang Haitao's hands. We won't leave until we find him!" Zhang Shan was just trying to find out Gao Yuan's position. It doesn't matter if they help us or not, as long as they don't go against us, that's enough.

　　"You see. I told you, these three guys are so stubborn. I'm afraid your kindness is being taken for granted!" Seeing that he couldn't persuade us, Gao Yuan's Yan immediately decided to give up.

　　"…If that's the case, then I'm sorry to all of you!" Gao Yuan's soul lowered his head and thought for a long time, and suddenly these words came out of his mouth.

　　"You have to calm down! This isn't a joke!" From what she said, I knew she was planning to use force on us, so I quickly warned her.

　　"Don't worry, I'm doing this for your own good. After all, you're my benefactor, and I don't want to see you become Hai Tao's victims, so I have no choice but to offend you!" Gao Yuan's soul seemed to have made the decision at that moment.

　　"That's fine, in that case, don't blame me for being rude!" Zhang Shan is not like me, how can he have the patience to pester me? After saying that, he walked forward with the "killing stick".

　　"I'm sorry..." After saying this, Hun slowly spread out and turned into a thick white mist without waiting for Zhang Shan to get close.

　　"Oh! What a trouble!" Nightmare sighed, and then turned into a black mist, merging with the white mist, blocking the road we had to take.

　　Chapter 58 Black Fog and White Fog

　　Looking at the two thick fogs in front of him, even Zhang Shan didn't dare to move forward rashly.

　　"What is this?" Liu Yunlong also walked to the front and asked in confusion.

　　"I don't know. Since they are trying to stop us in this way, it may not be so easy to get through." Seeing that the two clouds of fog did not mix with each other and were even motionless, Zhang Shan couldn't help but want to get closer to take a closer look.

　　Liu Yunlong walked closer and swung the "killing stick" into the thick fog, trying to disperse it.

　　But after he swung his arm through the thick fog, we were surprised to find that the "killing stick" in this guy's hand was gone!

　　"My baby!" Liu Yunlong felt that his stick was lost, and his first reaction was to rush in to look for it.

　　"Come back! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Fortunately, Zhang Shan was right next to them and pulled the guy back.

　　"Do you know what's behind this? How dare you rush in?" Zhang Shan stared at Liu Yunlong who was thrown to the ground due to excessive force, and couldn't help but yelled at him: "I warned you not to act without authorization. If you get lost again, don't blame me for not saving you!"

　　"Oh... I'm just afraid of losing our weapons~" Liu Yunlong knew that he was indeed careless, but he still defended himself in a low voice.

　　"If you can't even take care of your life, what's the use of having weapons?..." Zhang Shan was about to continue scolding him when we heard a rustling sound behind us.

　　Turning around, I saw something terrible! The zombies that had just been knocked down were now getting up from the ground one by one. It seemed that the effect of the "killing stick" just now had lost its effect.

　　"Hurry! Hide behind me!" Zhang Shan took a step forward, called us over, then stood in front of the thick fog with a stick in his hand, staring closely at the increasing number of zombies that were gradually approaching.

　　A few seconds later, we inevitably came to blows.

　　Since Liu Yunlong lost his "killing stick", we could only watch Zhang Shan "fighting hard to kill the enemy" alone in the front.

　　As the number of hits increased, I found that the talismans on the stick began to tear and fall off. I was afraid that after a while, when all the talismans fell off, we would have no way out.

　　"Snap!" Just as the thought flashed through his mind, a heart-wrenching scene appeared. The "killing stick" finally couldn't withstand Zhang Shan's strong swings and repeated hits, and broke in the middle, flying diagonally into the group of corpses on the right, and was instantly submerged.

　　"Charge out?" Seeing that his only weapon was gone, Liu Yunlong rolled up his sleeves, ready to follow Zhang Shan and fight his way out.

　　"Step back!" Zhang Shan had no choice but to throw away the stick handle in his hand, stretched out his arms and held us both as we stepped back.

　　"There's fog behind us!" Liu Yunlong, one of his feet already stepping into the fog, couldn't help but remind.

　　"Retreat quickly! Either die now or die later! It's your choice!" Zhang Shan stretched out his legs and kicked away the two zombies in the front, turned around and pushed us into the fog, and then he went in as well.

　　But none of us noticed that Liu Yunlong and I were pushed into the black fog, while Zhang Shan stepped into the white fog.

　　"Liu? Are you there?" I couldn't see my hand in front of me in the black fog. I stood there dared not move, for fear of getting lost accidentally.

　　"Come here, come here, I have something, come and take a look!" Liu Yunlong's voice sounded a few meters to the left front.

　　"Don't move! I'll be right there." I didn't know if there would be any zombies following me in the dark, so I walked extremely carefully.

　　"Are you here? Reach out and touch the front." Liu Yunlong kept reminding me when he heard my footsteps approaching.

　　Hearing this, I reached out my hand and groped around in the darkness.

　　Just a little bit down in front, I finally touched something, it was soft and seemed to be wrapped in some common cloth.

　　After touching it all the way down, I finally found that it was actually a sofa!

　　"Did you find it? Sit here first! Wait for that guy Zhang Shan." Liu Yunlong's voice suddenly sounded in my ears, scaring me.

　　Sitting down, I realized that this narrow double sofa was not the kind you often see in ordinary homes. It was not thick and had no armrests. It was a bit like the back seat of a car, very simple.

　　"Where did this guy Lao Zhang run off to?" After calling a few times and hearing no response, Liu Yunlong asked me in confusion.

　　"Maybe he hasn't come in yet?" I was a little worried. This guy is always so loyal and always comes to cover the rear. We really feel that we can't do without him.

　　But in this endless darkness, we didn't dare to move around. We could only sit here and call out from time to time in the hope of hearing Zhang Shan's response.

　　"Do you feel like we are shaking?" Liu Yunlong suddenly asked this after an unknown amount of time.

　　I felt it carefully and found that the sofa would vibrate occasionally. It really felt a bit like riding in a car.

　　Just as I was about to respond to his words, the thick fog ahead began to dissipate gradually.

　　"The fog has dissipated! Let's go find Lao Zhang!" Liu Yunlong said as he was about to stand up.

　　With a dull thud, the guy fell back onto the sofa, covering his head and cursing, "Fuck! What the hell is this place? It wasn't this low when we got here!"

　　The fog soon dissipated, and when we saw everything clearly, we were stunned again.

　　This really happened in a speeding car!

　　We were sitting in the back seat, there were two people in the front, I was behind the passenger seat, from the back I could see there was a woman in front, and the person driving was... Zhang Haitao!!!

　　"...Isn't this the female ghost from before?" Liu Yunlong also saw the person in front of me clearly, and came over and said in a low voice.

　　Just when we were at a loss, Zhang Haitao, who was driving in front, spoke up: "Are you having fun?"

　　"Well... I'm just a little tired. But I'm already very satisfied after eating at the night market!" Gao Yuan turned her head and smiled sweetly at Zhang Haitao.

　　"Take a nap if you're tired. We've just left Kaifeng and it'll take about an hour to get home." Zhang Haitao reached out his hand, touched Gao Yuan's hair lovingly, and said.

　　"Well, husband, you are so nice! Let's continue to work hard when we get back. I believe you can make a comeback! Then I'll take a nap." After Gao Yuan said this, she obediently leaned her head back and slowly closed her eyes.

　　"Why does this man look so familiar?" Liu Yunlong stared at Zhang Haitao in the rearview mirror for a long time and asked me in a low voice.

　　"Not that he is familiar with her. You just saw him this afternoon, at the train station." I really admire this guy's memory. How can he be a criminal policeman with this ability?

　　"In the afternoon... Zhang Haitao?!" Liu Yunlong suddenly remembered, pointed at him and shouted loudly.

　　When he shouted, we both felt a jolt in our hearts. With such a loud voice, wouldn't the two people in front of us notice us?

　　But there was silence for several seconds. Zhang Haitao, who was driving, seemed not to have heard it at all and continued driving his car, while Gao Yuan still had his eyes closed.

　　"Can't hear?" Liu Yunlong pointed at Zhang Haitao and asked me in a low voice.

　　I was also very curious, so I walked forward and waved my hand in front of Zhang Haitao, but this guy really didn't react at all.

　　Liu Yunlong became bolder and hit Zhang Haitao on the head with his hand.

　　"Ah!" After a scream, Liu Yunlong covered his hand and cursed, "What material is this made of, bastard? It's too hard! I used so much force, but there was no reaction at all!"

　　After hearing what Liu Yunlong said, I couldn't help but try to twist Zhang Haitao's ear. It was actually as hard as iron, despite having body temperature. I couldn't twist it even a little bit.

　　This scene in the fog is so strange!

　　While we were confused, Gao Yuan, who was leaning towards Liu Yunlong, suddenly opened one eye and whispered, "You two must be careful later!" After saying that, he stuck out his tongue.

　　Chapter 59: Re-enactment

　　"What did you say?!" Before either of us could react, Zhang Haitao was so frightened that his whole body trembled.

　　"Um...husband...um...are we home yet?" Gao Yuan seemed to be still sleepy. She turned her face away in a daze and asked Zhang Haitao without opening her eyes.

　　"Oh...are you talking in your sleep?" Zhang Haitao's tense body relaxed and he turned his head to look at his wife in the passenger seat from time to time.

　　"Is she talking to us?" Liu Yunlong, who had realized that we could not influence the two people in front of him, stopped being shy and asked loudly.

　　I didn't answer him immediately, but was thinking about another question.

　　Why could Zhang Haitao be so scared by a casual remark from his wife?

　　Logically speaking, the car was speeding at high speed, and the wind noise was very loud. Gao Yuan's voice was not loud. A seemingly casual sentence could have such an effect, which was enough to show that this guy was thinking about something else.

　　So what on earth was he thinking?

　　"Lao Wang! I'm asking you a question!" Liu Yunlong asked again when he saw that I ignored him.

　　"Hush!" I was about to answer him, but I heard the voice again, but this time it was not from Gao Yuan, but from Zhang Haitao.

　　But this guy's voice was extremely soft, and if I hadn't seen his mouth moving from the side, I wouldn't have noticed it at all.

　　Anyway, he didn't know either, so I asked Liu Yunlong to sit back and slowly moved closer to his mouth. I heard this guy constantly muttering: "Either save me... or die together!...Either save me... or die together!..."

　　I sat back down, confused. What did this guy mean? Why did this sentence sound familiar?

　　Looking at his forehead, beads of sweat were slowly oozing out. It seemed that the weather was not very hot, right?

　　"This guy is speeding..." Liu Yunlong was squeezed by my body and couldn't move. He could only look forward.

　　Hearing this, I looked at the dashboard and it showed that the current speed was 105km/h, but it seemed that the maximum speed allowed on this road was only 80?

　　……OMG!!!

　　I finally remembered!!! Zhang Haitao explained this to Zhang Shan and me the night before yesterday!

　　Now! It's now!

　　This was the night two years ago when he drove and killed Gao Yuan!!!

　　I finally understood why Gao Yuan told us to be careful! She was talking to us! Because in a moment, this car would hit another car waiting at the traffic light in front at high speed!

　　"Stop! Stop now!" I didn't have time to think about it anymore and went straight to pull the handbrake next to the driver's seat.

　　But the handbrake seemed to be welded there, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move it.

　　"What are you doing?" Liu Yunlong was scared when he saw me suddenly go crazy.

　　I finally realized that neither of us could move anything here and could only watch everything happen... But what would happen to us if a car crash happened?

　　I remember Zhang Shan said that people can die in illusions. So will we be okay? We have to try to find out.

　　Only a devil would try this kind of thing!!!

　　Seeing that Zhang Haitao showed no emotion, I squeezed in front of Gao Yuan again and shouted at her, "What do you want? Do you want to die again?"

　　"Ah~" Gao Yuan pretended to yawn, turned around and ignored me at all.

　　But I can be sure that she knows we are here, because this is his memory. The Zhang Haitao in it is the Zhang Haitao at that time, and she is the her now!

　　I didn't dare to give up and continued to bombard Gao Yuan. Liu Yunlong next to me was stunned and didn't dare to ask me.

　　Gao Yuan suddenly raised her hand, pretending to scratch herself while sleeping, but in fact she took the opportunity to punch me hard while I was scolding her.

　　Suddenly, I felt like I was hit on the head by an iron rod and fell into the back seat.

　　In her memory, there was no power between us that could contend with each other.

　　I sat back in my seat, and before the pain in my head had gone away, I found a hard object under my butt. I took it out and saw that it was the pupil seal that the old man had given me at the North Gate!

　　I grabbed Tong Xi in my hand, and without caring about the swelling on my head, I shouted to Gao Yuan again: "Get us out right now! Otherwise, we will both die!"

　　She just casually swiped me with her wrist, but that was the force. If we really crashed, we would both be dead!

　　Gao Yuan's closed eyelids moved noticeably. She should have known what I wanted to do?

　　At this moment, Zhang Haitao shouted "Ah", and the speed of the car suddenly increased, rushing towards an off-road vehicle that was waiting for the red light two hundred meters ahead.

　　"Damn it! This guy is looking for death!" Liu Yunlong finally realized that the situation was getting worse, so he stood up and tried to grab the steering wheel.

　　I stopped talking and began to squeeze the pupil seal in my hand. Even if Gao Yuan wanted to stop, it would be too late.

　　After absorbing two pupil seals, I gradually figured out the trick. As long as I put myself in a state of despair, I can activate the Wuwei Seal and absorb the energy in the pupil seal.

　　Gao Yuan finally "woke up". Her first intention was not to stop Zhang Haitao, but to turn around and snatch the seal from my hand.

　　"Hmph! You're responsible for this!" At this point, I had absorbed most of the energy in the pupil seal and was no longer afraid of Gao Yuan's memories. I stretched out my left hand and grabbed her wrist.

　　As his mind turned, the golden coffin floated on the roof of the car. It seemed that this was the first time that he had summoned the golden coffin after absorbing the pupil seal.

　　The car was already going quite high at this point, and it was estimated that in another two seconds it would hit the car in front.

　　I didn't dare to think about it, so I threw away the ashes in my right hand, grabbed Gao Yuan's arm, and threw it upwards.

　　"No!!!" As she screamed at the top of her lungs, the lid of the golden coffin opened and instantly sucked Gao Yuan, who had passed through the roof, in.

　　"It's going to hit us!!!" Liu Yunlong didn't pay attention to us. He took a last look at the front, protected his head with his arms, and curled up in the back seat.

　　I snorted softly, and at the moment of collision, reached out and pressed on the top of this guy's head.

　　In the darkness...

　　What's wrong with me?

　　Why is he so calm and cruel after absorbing the Eye Seal this time?

　　Why was there no mercy at all when Gao Yuan was captured?

　　Is this still me? I actually said something like that without any emotion.

　　However... this kind of arrogant feeling is something I have never experienced before.

　　Is this the true ability of the seal holder?

　　Or is it this pupil seal that caused the trouble?

　　…

　　Gradually, light appeared in front of my eyes. It turned out that I had kept my eyes open all the time.

　　Looking to the side, Liu Yunlong was still protecting his head with his arms. Not far ahead, Zhang Shan was lying face down on the floor of the hospital corridor, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.

　　"Hey...did you take her in?" A familiar voice sounded from the side.

　　I looked up and saw Gao Yuan standing next to me with a sad look on his face.

　　"Well..." I didn't know what to say.

　　What I took away was naturally Gao Yuan’s nightmare.

　　"Ah...it's better to take it away. Although we are of one mind now, it's because we have the same goal, which is to stop Haitao. Maybe she doesn't think so, but at least she wants revenge on him." Gao Yuan's soul paused, and then said: "If Haitao is gone, the first person she will deal with is me. Don't feel burdened, I won't blame you."

　　"So what are you going to do next?" I didn't expect Hun to be so easy to talk to, but I was still worried that she would insist on stopping us.

　　Chapter 60 Face to Face Encounter

　　"You can do whatever you want. I won't stop you anymore." Gao Yuan sighed and said, "I hope you can get away with it. Although I can deal with you mortals here, I can't do anything to Hai Tao. So, take care of yourselves! Goodbye!" After that, she turned around and walked back the way we came.

　　I was still sitting on the ground in a daze when Zhang Shan, who was lying in front of me, moved.

　　"Ah~ I slept so comfortably!" The guy rubbed his eyes and climbed up.

　　"What's going on? Are we all dead?" Liu Yunlong also stuck his head out in horror and looked around.

　　"Damn you! Let's go! Your captain is still up there!" I kicked the guy and turned over and got up.

　　I explained the situation to them both in general, but Zhang Shan's reaction was a bit unexpected.

　　"What? You absorbed another pupil seal?!" He asked me with his eyes wide open.

　　"What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?" I didn't know why he was so nervous.

　　"...Nothing, let's go. Go upstairs quickly!" Zhang Shan paused and said with his head down.

　　"What do you want to say? Can you please speak frankly? Why are you acting like a woman now?" I have noticed that there is always something wrong with Zhang Shan after each use of the Tong Xi.

　　This time I catch him, I have to get to the bottom of it!

　　"...Don't think too much...it's actually nothing." Zhang Shan was still hesitating as he went upstairs.

　　"Okay, okay, if it's not a big deal, let's go outside and talk about it, okay? We can't let you down at this critical moment! Hey? We can continue up here!!!" Liu Yunlong saw that my tone was a bit aggressive and was trying to mediate, but he found that after reaching the eighth floor, the stairs were not blocked and he could actually continue going forward!

　　We stopped at the staircase on the eighth floor because we didn't know whether to search the place or continue moving forward.

　　"How do we get there?" Faced with this situation, I didn't have time to argue with Zhang Shan about anything else, so I asked him.

　　"I heard you say there is only one entrance on each floor, and we have to go from this side to that side to continue going upstairs. Then based on the current situation, do you think it is more likely that Zhang Haitao let us go up on purpose?" Zhang Shan was not sure, so he had to discuss with the two of us.

　　"Then let's check it floor by floor! Who knows which floor that bastard is hiding on?" Liu Yunlong made the decision very quickly.

　　"Actually, there's no need. We just need to scan the eighth floor and we can roughly determine what Zhang Haitao means." I tried my best to guess Zhang Haitao's thoughts. If I were him, what would I do now?

　　It was obvious that he used basically all the tricks he could use from the first floor all the way to the eighth floor. Not only did he fail to stop me from moving forward, but he also brought me together with Zhang Shan by accident.

　　If I were Zhang Haitao, I would just face him head on and fight it out. Using those little tricks will have little effect.

　　If we concentrate all our strength and fight the final decisive battle, our chances of winning will be very high, because we are tired and he is well-rested.

　　Furthermore, Zhang Haitao now has a trump card in his hand, that is Captain Yang. Even if he is outnumbered, as long as he has Captain Yang in his hands, he does not have to worry about retreating or making a comeback.

　　After walking around the eighth floor, I found that, as I expected, there was no one here and everything was completely normal. If I had stayed on this floor from the beginning, I probably wouldn't even know whether I had entered the centipede formation or not.

　　"It seems that you guessed right. Zhang Haitao must be waiting for us upstairs!" After returning to the fire escape, Zhang Shan stared at the stairs leading upstairs and said.

　　"Let's go! The sooner we meet, the sooner we can solve the problem. We still have time to go back and get some sleep!" Liu Yunlong urged impatiently.

　　I also looked at the dark passage, took a deep breath, and said, "Go ahead, comrades, success or failure depends on this! No matter which floor we go to, if we can't get up, I'm afraid this will be the place where we will fight the final battle!"

　　Everyone stopped talking. Zhang Shan was still leading the way in the front, I walked in the middle, and Liu Yunlong was responsible for covering the rear.

　　The ninth floor is normal, continue to go up...

　　The tenth floor is normal, continue to go up...

　　Finally, when we reached the stairs to the eleventh floor, we found that the stairs leading to the twelfth floor were blocked again.

　　"It looks like this is the place!" Zhang Shan poked his head out to look at the dark corridor outside and said, "Humph! Just trying to be mysterious! What's the use of turning off the lights? I have the guts to fight, but I don't have the guts to turn on the lights. From beginning to end, there was nothing I liked about this guy!"

　　Clap! Clap! Clap! There was applause from afar.

　　"Haha! Brother Zhang, we are brothers after all. There is no need to be so harsh when speaking, right?" The voice came from the applause. It was the voice of the man who was drunk and acting crazy on this floor just now.

　　To be precise, it was the voice on the phone, that is, Zhang Haitao.

　　As the voice rang out, the lights on the entire eleventh floor gradually turned on, illuminating the corridor.

　　"Everyone, please come here! There's nothing to say this time, right? Let's just turn on the lights and talk frankly today, haha!" Zhang Haitao's voice became more and more arrogant. It seemed that he was fully confident in himself and could keep us all in this centipede formation.

　　Walking out of the stairs and coming to the corner, we saw a thin man sitting in a wheelchair at the end of the other side of the corridor with an evil smile on his pale face.

　　Although the information of the patient who got lost in the ICU had not been delivered when we entered the battle, we knew without any guessing that this was probably the person that Zhang Haitao "resurrected".

　　But I didn’t expect that he was the “Doctor Zhao” on the seventh floor!

　　This guy was so bold that he actually came to deal with me personally. But I was like a fool. I stayed next to him for so long and didn’t notice anything!

　　No wonder there was a "力" character in his previous signature. This was clearly the first stroke of "张". After realizing that he had written it wrong, he made another diagonal stroke to make it look like another character.

　　Behind him, there was actually a person standing, who looked a bit like...

　　"You...you are Ms. Fang?" Even though I was more than a hundred meters away, I was also surprised when I saw the person behind Zhang Haitao.

　　The woman raised her lips slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, Zhang Haitao in front of her continued the conversation: "Two masters, it's only been a while since we last met. How come you look so miserable? You don't even have a decent piece of clothing to wear?"

　　"Zhang Haitao, I just want to ask you one question, are you the one practicing this Centipede Formation?" Zhang Shan is still trying to verify this useless thing.

　　"Haha, we've come this far, can't you see it?" Even Zhang Haitao didn't bother to answer.

　　"I don't believe you have this ability!" Seeing his abusive expression, Zhang Shan was too lazy to talk nonsense with this guy.

　　"Yes! It's true! I don't have it, but someone else does!" Zhang Haitao admitted it straightforwardly, and then said: "I think you have guessed that this formation originally belonged to the old guy named Qian. I just completed it."

　　"In other words, it was you who set up the formation the night before?" Zhang Shan asked slowly. Even I didn't know what he wanted to find out.

　　"Haha! I have guessed what you want to know. I am not afraid to tell you that the man in the hat and windbreaker is me. The mark on my arm is also deliberately disguised to divert your attention. I just didn't expect you to go find that old guy right after that. I tell you, but I think it is a bit too inhumane to tell lies to a person who is about to die, hahahaha..." In Zhang Haitao's opinion, the three of us should be no different from the corpses in the formation at this time. That's why he told us so bluntly, so that we can die with a clear mind.

　　"Stop talking nonsense! This centipede formation has already claimed the lives of many people. What do you want? Start drawing lines now!" Liu Yunlong didn't want to talk to him about so many meaningless things.

　　"Haha, don't be in a hurry. Before I draw the road, I'll let you meet a friend first." Zhang Haitao said, and the woman surnamed Fang behind him retreated to the corner behind him. A moment later, another wheelchair was pushed out, and there was also a person sitting on it.

　　If it’s not Captain Yang, then who is it?!

　　Chapter 61: Divine Soldiers from Heaven

　　"Captain Yang!"

　　"Boss!"

　　Liu Yunlong and I recognized the person in the wheelchair at first sight. It was undoubtedly Captain Yang.

　　But at this moment, his neck was tilted to one side and his eyes were closed. I wonder what was going on?

　　"Pay attention to my signal. When I say charge, we'll charge together! It should be no problem to deal with them two." Zhang Shan remained calm. After repeatedly observing the surrounding situation, he spoke to us in a low voice without moving his lips.

　　"Haha, Master Zhang, I advise you to see the situation clearly before making any plans. If things go wrong, you may not be able to save the people and even lose your life." Zhang Haitao clapped his hands three times as if he could hear Zhang Shan's words.

　　Before we could figure out what was going on, dozens of ward doors on both sides of the corridor opened at the same time, and hundreds of bodies slowly walked out. Soon the entire corridor was filled with corpses, leaving only a gap wide enough for us to see Zhang Haitao at the other end.

　　"Damn it, this guy is going to use the human wave tactic! What a waste of my killing stick!" Liu Yunlong regretted it deeply when he saw the scene in front of him.

　　"What should we do? I'm afraid the three of us can't hold on." I still had no idea, so I had to ask Zhang Shan.

　　"Use your fire to burn it! Liu! Take off your coat!" Zhang Shan said, and took off his coat.

　　I held their clothes in my hands, and I was in a dilemma again. I couldn't just hold them up after lighting them, right? Although I could make a fire, I was afraid of getting burned, so I basically threw them away immediately after lighting them.

　　Zhang Shan probably thought of this as well, and he kicked open a door behind us. A moment later, he came out with a broom and a mop.

　　Zhang Haitao on the other end seemed to know what we wanted to do. Before we could wrap the clothes around us, he gave the order and all the corpses stopped standing and rushed towards us.

　　"Hurry up!" Liu Yunlong kept urging me as he looked at the group of zombies getting closer and closer.

　　But the more nervous I got, the harder it was to light.

　　Finally, on the third try, the flame jumped and then burned.

　　"Haha! I told you to come! Come here!" Liu Yunlong saw the fire and immediately raised the broom wrapped in clothes in his hand and waved it forward. The corpses saw the fire and dared not get closer, and retreated one after another.

　　"Liu, stop playing around and hurry up, your clothes won't last long!" Zhang Shan also raised the "torch" in his hand and shouted to Liu Yunlong.

　　"Okay! Let's start the killing today. You go first and I'll cover you!" Liu Yunlong was so proud of himself with weapons in his hands that he stood the broom upright on his shoulder and motioned for us to go first.

　　The group of zombies had already lost their order and kept retreating, so we couldn't see Zhang Haitao's situation at the moment.

　　Zhang Shan raised the torch and was about to leave when he heard a muffled thud behind him. Before he could turn around to look, he felt cold water dripping on his body.

　　Turning his head, Liu Yunlong's "torch" was now sticking under the sensor of an automatic fire extinguishing device on the ceiling. The sprinkler head next to it had already started to spray water downwards.

　　"Liu...Yun...Long!" I saw everything clearly in front of me and squeezed out these three words from between my teeth. I wished I could eat him in one bite.

　　"Hurry up! The fire will be out if we wait any longer!" Zhang Shan no longer had the mood to scold Liu Yunlong. He picked up the torch and rushed forward.

　　The corpses were deterred by the soul-devouring fire and moved away one after another. Occasionally, one or two of them were burned by Zhang Shan, and although they were instantly engulfed by the flames, the corpses next to them were quickly isolated to prevent the fire from spreading further.

　　The only thing that worried people was that all the fire sprinklers in the corridor had been gradually turned on, and the strong water droplets almost covered every inch of the area. Zhang Shan's torch was still burning, but Liu Yunlong's was only a little flame left, and it would only take a moment for it to go out.

　　At this point we had just entered the zombie horde.

　　Finally, when we were nearly halfway there, Zhang Shan's torch was finally extinguished. Liu Yunlong and I, who were at the back, had already begun to fight the approaching zombies with our bare hands.

　　Fortunately, these guys are still not very durable.

　　Zhang Shan threw away the mop, retreated to our side, and faced the corpses.

　　"No, let's retreat first! I'm afraid we can't go forward!" After knocking down several bodies that rushed up, Zhang Shan looked ahead and saw that there were still people crowded together. Behind him, besides those who had been knocked down and had not yet gotten up, there were also several bodies that were burning. Relatively speaking, retreating was safer.

　　Liu Yunlong and I had no objection, so after hearing what he said, we immediately turned around and rushed back the way we came.

　　But an even more difficult situation arose. Some of the corpses were knocked down and before they could stand up, they were stepped on by the corpses coming up from behind. They couldn't stand up, but still reached out to grab us.

　　This means that we have to guard against both the above and the below, and we are extremely busy.

　　"Ouch!" Liu Yunlong had just taken a few steps back when a corpse grabbed his calf at his feet. He lost his balance and was about to fall to the ground.

　　Fortunately, I was right next to him and I quickly reached my hand under his armpit and managed to hold this guy down.

　　But the two corpses that were besieging me finally came up and grabbed my shoulders and neck.

　　During this meal, we were immediately surrounded by five or six corpses. They were all trying to drag us to a nearby ward.

　　"Old Zhang!" I didn't dare to let go at this moment. If I let go, Liu Yunlong would be dragged into the dark ward in front of me in an instant, so I could only shout Zhang Shan loudly.

　　Zhang Shan had already noticed that we both had suddenly become shorter. Although we were not far away, we were crowded together and no matter how strong he was, he could not push aside the crowded group of corpses. He could only watch helplessly as we were slowly pulled into the ward, but he was powerless to do anything.

　　As I got closer to the ward door, my heart slowly sank.

　　In the past, Zhang Shan could always come up with a solution in times of crisis. But this time, he obviously had no idea. We can only use a small part of our ability in this centipede formation. Are we really going to fail here today?

　　Seeing that Liu Yunlong's lower body had been dragged into the ward, but Zhang Shan was still two meters away and couldn't squeeze in, I even thought about giving up. Whatever happens, it will happen! At least we tried our best.

　　Unfortunately, God doesn't bless us. I don't know what Zhang Haitao will do next after we die. Will more people be killed?

　　However, I'm afraid that won't be something we consider at that time.

　　"Zhang Haitao! You have done so many evil things. Today, not only will I take back the Centipede Formation, but I will also make your soul fly away!" When I was about to let go of Liu Yunlong's hand, an old and familiar voice sounded at the stairs.

　　This voice... is Old Man Qian!!!

　　"Senior, please save us first!" I shouted as soon as I recognized him.

　　"Haha, boys, I've followed you all night. Don't worry, his little tricks can't defeat me." Although I couldn't see Old Man Qian among the zombies, his voice undoubtedly gave me a shot of stimulant.

　　As Qian Laotou finished speaking, I gradually felt the bodies dragging me and Liu Yunlong slow down in both strength and speed. I even noticed that one or two bodies beside me were trembling slightly.

　　Of course they don't feel afraid. The reason they are trembling is probably because they are trying their best to fight against some force.

　　After a while, all the corpses stopped moving and stood there, shaking continuously.

　　I just pulled Liu Yunlong to his feet, and heard old man Qian shouting in the distance: "Broken!!!"

　　A huge impact force instantly pushed us over from that direction, knocking us to the ground again before we could even stand. Of course, the group of corpses beside us also fell to the ground.

　　A few seconds later, Zhang Shan and I were the only ones who stood up again. The corridor was filled with corpses.

　　Old Man Qian was standing where we had just come up, still in a posture of performing Qigong exercises. When he saw that everyone had gotten up, he called out, “Come back to my place first.”

　　I turned my head and looked at the other side. Zhang Haitao and Captain Yang were still in a wheelchair each, parked in front of the woman surnamed Fang.

　　"Haha, Shanzi, you didn't remember me the last time we saw each other, so that's fine. But today I owe you such a big favor, but you didn't even say hello?" Old man Qian stared at Zhang Shan who was approaching and said with a smile.

　　Chapter 62: Reversal of the Situation

　　"...Hello, Grand...Grand Uncle!" Zhang Shan hesitated for a moment, but still called out.

　　"...Uncle Grand Master..." I chewed on these three words over and over again, unable to react to what their relationship was.

　　"You...you and Zhang Shan's grandfather are fellow apprentices?!" I finally figured out what this title meant and couldn't help but point at Old Man Qian and shout.

　　Yes, I was very surprised.

　　Because Zhang Shan said that his grandfather Zhang Shixun was a spiritual cultivator, and old man Qian was a soul eater. How could it be possible that two people who were enemies for generations could be brothers? !

　　"Haha, you can ask Shanzi about this question when you have time. He should know it very well." After saying this to me, Old Man Qian raised his head and shouted to the front: "Zhang Haitao, if you know what's good for you, get out of here now. I'll let you live. If you still insist on not changing your ways, don't blame me for being merciless! I'll burn all the money you gave me back to you by this time next year, not a single cent left!"

　　"Humph, old man Qian, from the day you gave me the Centipede Formation, you should have thought that things might develop into the situation we have today." Zhang Haitao didn't seem to be in a hurry to resolve his current situation. He actually started a conversation with old man Qian: "It's just that you didn't expect that my family also has an ancestral book called 'Dream Record', which describes the uses and methods of the Centipede Formation in great detail. Do you think I spent a lot of money to buy this thing from you just to confuse a nightmare? Hahahaha!"

　　Old Man Qian listened to Zhang Haitao's sarcasm without getting angry. After he finished speaking, he sighed and continued, "It seems that as far as I know, the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone that activates the formation is in their hands, right? Although you can activate this formation now, after all, without the Chicken Blood Stone, you can't exert a greater effect. So this formation, you can stop them, but you can't stop me."

　　"Haha, yes! You are right." Zhang Haitao said, taking out something from behind Captain Yang's wheelchair, which was the formation of the Centipede Formation (also called Xuanmen). "But there is another way, I don't know if you, an old man, still remember it? It can also bring out the full power of the Centipede Formation without the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone."

　　Old Man Qian was obviously stunned for a moment, then his face changed drastically, he took a step forward and said: "You...you want to...use your soul as a sacrifice?!"

　　"Hahaha!" Zhang Haitao laughed wildly, "How rare! You're not senile yet! This body was never mine, and keeping it would be a burden. As long as I merge with the Centipede Formation, then even though the world is big, what can't I get? Money and women, what do they matter? Only that feeling of looking down on everything and being supreme is a person's eternal pursuit! Ahahahaha!"

　　"This guy has gone crazy. Let's rush up and grab the formation map first!" After Zhang Shan said this, he rushed forward like an arrow.

　　"Shan Zi! Come back!" Old Man Qian reached out to pull him, but failed.

　　"Hahaha, it's too late for you!" Zhang Haitao raised his hand, and his wife behind him took out a dagger and handed it to him.

　　"How does being an emperor feel? Those who obey me will prosper, and those who defy me will perish!!! Hahahaha" Zhang Haitao said, without any hesitation, he raised the dagger in his hand and stabbed it into his own heart.

　　His woman, Fang, hurried forward, held up the formation map with both hands, ready to welcome the blood spurting out of her heart.

　　Without pausing, Zhang Haitao took advantage of the strength he still had when he stabbed the dagger and pulled it out again. At this moment, his face was so hideous. The corners of his mouth, which had long been twisted by pain, were mixed with a smile of success, which made people shudder.

　　Now that it has come to this, Old Man Qian no longer hesitated and followed Zhang Shan to rush over there.

　　"Hahaha! This man is no longer useful! From now on I will be the leader of the formation!" Blood continued to seep from the corners of Zhang Haitao's mouth, but it couldn't stop his arrogant shouting.

　　The woman surnamed Fang received his order, took the dagger, turned around and stabbed Captain Yang next to her.

　　"don't want!"

　　"stop!"

　　Liu Yunlong and I shouted at the same time. We couldn't help but run ahead to stop her. But Zhang Shan, who was closest to Zhang Haitao, had only run a little more than halfway.

　　Seeing that the dagger in the woman's hand was only about a foot away from Captain Yang's neck, we were powerless to do anything.

　　Suddenly, there was a whoosh sound from old man Qian. Then, there was a crisp metallic collision sound from the woman. When I looked again, the dagger had been knocked away by something unknown.

　　Liu Yunlong and I breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Captain Yang's life was saved by Old Man Qian.

　　Zhang Shan had already rushed over by then, kicked the woman surnamed Fang away, picked up the blood-stained formation manual with his right hand, grabbed Zhang Haitao's collar with his left hand and lifted him up.

　　"Hahahaha..." Zhang Haitao, with blood all over his mouth, looked at Zhang Shan in front of him, still laughing wildly with his last bit of breath.

　　"You are worse than a beast!" Zhang Shan threw the formation map on the ground and punched Zhang Haitao.

　　"Those who follow me will prosper! Those who oppose me will perish!!!" Zhang Haitao shouted this sentence with his last bit of strength. Then, Zhang Shan's iron fist hit him in the face.

　　When the man fell to the ground, he had already become a lifeless corpse.

　　"Alas, it's too late!" Old man Qian also ran over, looked at the corpses and formation patterns on the ground, sighed, and said.

　　"How about washing away the blood?" Liu Yunlong checked Captain Yang and found that he was fine. He walked over and bent down to pick up the formation map that had fallen on the ground.

　　"Don't move!!!" Zhang Shan and Old Man Qian shouted together when they saw that his fingers were about to touch the formation.

　　Liu Yunlong was so frightened that he stopped there.

　　The abnormality happened right at his feet. The blood that flowed onto the formation began to boil and spread continuously until it enveloped the entire formation and then shrank smaller and smaller.

　　Until only a palm-sized pool of blood was left, which continued to boil and soon turned into black smoke, leaving no trace.

　　"Hahahaha!" We were still in shock when laughter sounded above our heads again. This time, we could clearly tell that this was Zhang Haitao's original voice.

　　It's just that even though we heard it, we couldn't capture the source of the sound.

　　"The centipede formation is complete! Just wait until sunrise. If you still can't get out of the formation, then just be my subordinate! Hahaha!" The erratic voice finally stopped in the corner above the bend of the corridor.

　　"What does he mean? Why do we have to wait for sunrise?" Liu Yunlong asked Zhang Shan in confusion. Actually, I didn't quite understand it either, so he just asked for me.

　　"Since the Centipede Formation is a type of living dead formation, it can only be operated at night. Every time the sun rises, everything in the formation must be in a state of complete stagnation and stillness to ensure that it will not be harmed." Old Man Qian explained first: "In other words, if the sun comes out and we are still in the formation, our yang energy will be forcibly absorbed, and we will become living dead like these guys lying on the ground."

　　Although Old Man Qian spoke calmly, Liu Yunlong and I were sweating profusely while listening to him.

　　"According to what you said, even if Zhang Haitao doesn't deal with us, he can just hide and wait until sunrise, and then he can take our lives by taking advantage of his rest?" When I thought of this, I couldn't help but ask Old Man Qian.

　　If his answer is yes, then I'm afraid we're really in big trouble this time.

　　Chapter 63: Water Ice Realm

　　"That's the theory. But with you and me here, he wouldn't dare to do that." Old Man Qian didn't seem to be worried, and said, "Although the Hundred-legged Formation is powerful, it may not be enough to hold back two seal holders out of thin air!"

　　"Haha, yes, I know very well. So none of you can leave!" Black gas was gradually surging in the corner of the wall, and Zhang Haitao's voice came from there.

　　"Let me ask you another question. How long will it take until sunrise?" Liu Yunlong didn't understand what was being said and could only ask about the time we had left.

　　"About a quarter of an hour." Zhang Shan calculated and replied.

　　"That means... we only have fifteen minutes left?" Liu Yunlong panicked when he heard the answer.

　　At this time, the black air in the corner finally gathered together and looked like a human face. However, the face was blurry and I didn't know if it was Zhang Haitao.

　　"Fifteen minutes is a bit long. I would rather see you fall within five minutes. Hahahaha!" After Zhang Haitao beat himself to death, his laughter became more evil, and those who heard it felt uneasy in their hearts.

　　"Mystifying!" Zhang Shan said, grabbing the wheelchair that Zhang Haitao had just sat on and throwing it towards the black gas. But where the wheelchair hit, the black gas only spread a little, and then condensed again.

　　"Okay, I won't waste time talking to you. Now, let's experience the real power of the Centipede Formation!" After Zhang Haitao finished speaking, the black gas left the corner of the wall, floated over our heads, and flew all the way to the other end of the corridor, where we had just come up.

　　"Have you heard of the Corpse-Assisting Curse? Haha! Now, I will let you see what a corpse soldier with the power of the Corpse-Assisting Curse looks like!" The black gas stopped there and said to us.

　　...Corpse Curse! Zhang Shan and I immediately tensed up when we heard it.

　　At first, it was just a corpse-supporting curse that almost killed us. But now, the corridor is full of corpses. If all of them have the power and speed of the corpse-supporting curse, there is no need to resist, just give up.

　　After hearing this, Old Man Qian's face changed immediately. He squatted down and felt something in the water on the floor.

　　Zhang Haitao at the other end of the corridor stopped talking, but I noticed that the ground was full of corpses, some of whom had slowly crawled up.

　　Liu Yunlong had never seen the Corpse-Assisting Curse, and had no idea how terrifying it was. But seeing how nervous Zhang Shan and I were, he didn't dare to be careless.

　　Only Old Man Qian was still squatting in front, and I wonder what he was busy with in the water?

　　Looking at the corpse slowly crawling up in front of me, my heart was shaking. I don't know if it was the tap water or the sweat that blinded my eyes. When I raised my hand to wipe it, I found that even my arms were shaking. This had never happened before.

　　It seems that the impression of the corpse-carrying curse in my mind cannot be dispelled even after such a long time.

　　Finally, a corpse noticed us standing at the end of the corridor and started rushing towards us.

　　As soon as I saw the speed, I knew it was definitely the Corpse Support Curse! It was no slower than a normal person's running speed, and it was not comparable to those slow corpses just now!

　　"Uncle Grand Master... stop working! Please think of a solution quickly!" Zhang Shan was obviously still in fear of the corpse-supporting curse. Moreover, there were so many of them this time, so he had no choice but to ask old man Qian for help.

　　"It's done! Let's hold on first!" Seeing that the two corpses in front had rushed to within three meters, Old Man Qian finally stood up and opened his hands as wide as possible, as if there was a large piece of transparent thing on them, like glass.

　　"Knot!!!" Old man Qian pushed the "glass" that was sucked by his palms forward, and a magical scene happened. The transparent glass-like thing grew bigger and bigger until it spread to block the entire corridor and then stopped.

　　Bang! The two zombies running in front directly hit the "glass" and were bounced back. Although Old Man Qian was alone behind the "glass", he was not affected by the impact at all.

　　More and more zombies crashed into it, and Old Man Qian gradually had to use some strength to ensure that he would not be pushed away. Fortunately, this layer of "glass" was very strong, and no matter how the corpses pushed it, there was no sign of it breaking.

　　I walked forward curiously and touched this transparent thing, and it was surprisingly cold.

　　This is ice!!!

　　I looked down and found that this layer of ice was continuously absorbing the accumulated water on the ground from putting out the fire in front of Old Man Qian's feet, gradually forming an ice wall.

　　"Boy, think of a way! I didn't ask you to come here for a visit!" Old Man Qian supported the ice wall with both hands and shouted at me, "If you don't think of a way, the sun will rise soon and we may not even have time to escape!"

　　"Oh...oh!" I didn't dare to study it any further. But what method should I use? I didn't know!

　　Just as he was about to turn around and ask Zhang Shan, he heard Liu Yunlong's voice behind him: "Damn it! Lao Wang! Come and help!"

　　Turning around, he found that the woman surnamed Fang who was kicked down by Zhang Shan had slipped behind Liu Yunlong at some point and was strangling his neck with one arm. Liu Yunlong's face was red, and he was breathing more than he was breathing in.

　　Fortunately, Zhang Shan was right next to me. Before I could react, he bit his finger and pressed it on the woman surnamed Fang’s forehead.

　　Two seconds later, Liu Yunlong finally pushed away the woman surnamed Fang's arm and knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.

　　"Damn it, such a big fish slipped through the net, and no one of you noticed it. It almost cost me my life!" As soon as this guy had the strength, he started talking nonstop.

　　Zhang Shan used the blood on his finger to draw a talisman and pasted it on the head of the woman surnamed Fang. Then he turned around and said, "Be content. You are the second person besides my uncle who can survive the Corpse-Assisting Curse!"

　　"Shan Zi...you are...the relic blood?" Old Man Qian turned around and was surprised to see Zhang Shan's series of actions. He asked stutteringly.

　　"Yes, what's wrong? Didn't you hear my grandfather say that?" Zhang Shan didn't know what Old Man Qian was thinking, so he answered honestly.

　　"Oh... cough... nothing. You guys should think of a solution quickly!!! I'm an old man and it's fine if I die here. Are you four kids planning to be buried with me?!" Old man Qian concealed his thoughts and successfully changed the subject.

　　But at this critical moment, none of us had the energy to figure out what he meant.

　　"Hey! Lao Wang, do you still remember the nursery rhyme that old guy recited at Beizhakou earlier?" Liu Yunlong stood up, soaked all over, and said shiveringly.

　　"Hmm?" Of course I remembered. While I was recalling, Zhang Shan had already recited: "Centipede formation, be careful, if you enter, you will die, don't hate it. If a person does it, it will take in thousands of souls, smash the sky, break the mortal world, ghosts can be urged, monsters can be suppressed, there is only one relic, and it takes a destined person to break the formation."

　　"There is only one relic... and a destined person is needed to break the formation... There is only one relic... and a destined person is needed to break the formation..." In fact, none of the three of us understood what it meant. When we heard Old Man Qian repeating the last two sentences, we had no choice but to shut up, hoping that he could figure out some useful information.

　　Chapter 64: All previous efforts were wasted

　　"There is only one relic... and it takes a destined person to break the formation..." Old man Qian kept muttering.

　　"Relics... the destined person... I know!!!" Old Man Qian suddenly shouted, frightening the three of us. "Who is that! Shanzi! Where is the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone on the formation manual?"

　　"It's here!" I quickly took it out and handed it to Old Man Qian.

　　"Don't give it to me! Give it to Shanzi!" Old Man Qian just took a look and turned around to order.

　　Seeing that there were only a few minutes left until sunrise, I dared not delay any longer and immediately sent it to Zhang Shan.

　　"Shan Zi, use your relic blood to cover this chicken blood stone!" Old Man Qian said as he saw Zhang Shan take the stone.

　　"Oh..." Zhang Shan did not dare to delay. He squeezed his bitten finger and smeared some blood on the bloodstone.

　　"Who has the best aim?" Old Man Qian didn't wait to finish the previous step before he started planning the next step. After all, the time left for us was getting shorter and shorter.

　　"Me!" Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong said in unison. This kind of thing is basically not my thing. From childhood to adulthood, I can only use a slingshot.

　　Old Man Qian didn't directly specify which of them to go to. Instead, he turned around and asked me, "Wa Wa, what about you?"

　　"I...I'm afraid I can't!"

　　"It's OK if you can use a slingshot! Come! All of you come here!" When the three of us gathered behind him, Old Man Qian said to me, "I have a slingshot in my arms, take it out. I will move forward in a while, and when we are almost there, I will remove this barrier. You aim at the black smoke of Zhang Haitao, and wait for my signal, then use the slingshot to shoot the bloodstone out! Whether it will work or not depends on this. Either we all get out alive, or we all stay here to serve as ghost soldiers for that bastard. Shanzi! Calculate how long it will take?"

　　"About three minutes left." Zhang Shan said, handing me the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone in his hand.

　　"Both of them have better aim than me, why do I have to do it?" I felt that the pressure of this task was too great and I was a little nervous.

　　"You are the seal holder. Sometimes, your feelings will be more accurate than theirs. Believe in yourself!" Old Man Qian stared at me and said word by word.

　　Holding the slingshot in my left hand and the bloodstone in my right hand, I tried hard not to tremble. But the more I tried, the more my arms refused to obey me. The more I trembled.

　　"Did you remember what I just said? You only have one chance, you must seize it! Our lives are in your hands!" Old Man Qian said to me with his head down, then raised his head and shouted, "Everyone get ready! When I remove the barrier, you must work with me to hold these guys back, leaving Xiao Wang at least five seconds!"

　　"Okay!" "No problem!" Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong answered confidently. They were not worried at all that I would miss.

　　"Shanzi! Tell the time!"

　　"Two minutes left!"

　　Old man Qian gasped for a few breaths, took a deep breath and shouted, "Go!!!" Then he pushed the ice forward.

　　Under the push of old man Qian, the many corpses over there actually kept retreating. You know, they now have the power equivalent to the corpse-supporting curse!

　　After Old Man Qian fully erupted, he was so powerful that Zhang Shan and I were dumbfounded.

　　Zhang Haitao in the distance seemed to know that we wanted to make one last effort. After floating for a few times, the black gas disappeared!

　　"I can't find it! What should I do?" When I saw that guy disappear, I was so anxious that I almost cried.

　　"Don't panic! Look for it with your heart! Don't look with your eyes! You are the one who holds the seal!" Old man Qian had to stop and turned back to comfort me.

　　Finally, after walking a dozen steps, Old Man Qian couldn't move forward even half an inch. It seemed that the crowd over there was already quite tight.

　　"Come here, both of you!" Old Man Qian once again called Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong over and whispered something in their ears.

　　A few seconds later, Old Man Qian shouted, "Xiao Wang, I'm going to remove the barrier! Remember, you only have five seconds!" After saying that, he clenched his open hands into fists and pulled them back. The ice barrier was completely crushed by the corpse over there before any cracks could be seen.

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, led by Old Man Qian, desperately resisted the zombies that were rushing up. But without the barrier, they were just slowly retreating.

　　I tried hard not to think about those things, closed my eyes, and tried to capture the dark aura of Zhang Haitao with my heart.

　　I don’t know if it’s a psychological effect or a real sense, but I feel like even with my eyes closed, I can sense everything around me. Above those figures, there seems to be something moving constantly.

　　"There's no time! Hit me if you feel me!" Old Man Qian had obviously used all his strength at this point, and he shouted at me at the top of his lungs.

　　In the darkness, I felt the mass suddenly stop on the wall. I opened my eyes and found that it was an emergency light that would only light up when there was a power outage.

　　OK!! This is it!! Success or failure depends on this one move!

　　I no longer hesitated. I held the slingshot in my left hand, put the bloodstone on it with my right hand, pulled the rubber band, aimed, and let go, all in one go.

　　"Bang!" The bulb of the emergency light exploded, and the bloodstone shattered the bulb and then hit the wall, breaking itself into pieces and could no longer be repaired.

　　I felt so bad in my heart, even if this thing was auctioned, it would have to fetch at least five or six figures. I didn't expect it to be used as a slingshot and sold out like this.

　　I sat down on the ground, gasping for breath. It was finally over... But... why were Old Man Qian and the others still fighting the zombies?

　　"Hahahaha!" A sound I least wanted to hear and never expected came from the emergency light that had just been broken. When I looked again, black gas was condensing.

　　I actually failed!!! ...

　　“Hahaha! You didn’t expect that, did you? Do you think you really have some kind of sensitivity? You can hit me with your eyes closed?” The black energy condensed into a human face and floated above my head, then said, “I didn’t expect that there is someone among you who possesses the relic blood. It really surprised me. But what a pity, what a pity. Now that the chicken blood stone has been broken, there is nothing you can do even if you have the relic blood! Just wait and be my slaves obediently! Hahahaha!”

　　I sat on the water-soaked floor, completely numb.

　　It's over! It's all over!

　　This time I lost, miserably. Not only did I lose my own life, but I also lost the lives of Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong, Captain Yang, and Mr. Qian!

　　I really hate myself! How can I be so useless? Every time at a critical moment, I either need help from others or fail to seize the opportunity. But what's the use of regret? The sun will rise in a few seconds, and then we will all die.

　　Many opportunities in life often only come once. If you seize them, it is one life; if you fail to seize them, it is another life. Life is so wonderful.

　　"Haha, don't be discouraged. How long did you calculate just now? One minute? It looks like the sun will come out soon. Say whatever you want to say quickly. You may not have the chance to open your mouth in the future. Hahaha!" Zhang Haitao was extremely proud as he saw victory was in sight.

　　He had even stopped the corpses from charging, and just stood there, waiting for us to fall in the first rays of morning sun.

　　Chapter 65: A Little Scam

　　"Who told you that the sun will come out soon?" Zhang Shan's voice sounded from behind, still with that familiar lazy feeling.

　　"What? What do you mean?" Zhang Haitao didn't expect Zhang Shan to be so calm at this time, and asked anxiously.

　　I was also very surprised. Didn't Zhang Shan know that the bloodstone had been broken by me? What's the point of saying this now?

　　"In order to make you relax your vigilance as soon as possible, I deliberately moved the time forward by one minute." Seeing that the group of zombies behind him stopped moving, Zhang Shan straightened up and walked towards Zhang Haitao and me while speaking slowly.

　　"Hmph! What would have happened if you had told me one minute earlier? Even if you had told me ten minutes or a hundred minutes earlier, now the Zhuan Yin Bloodstone is gone, where are you going to get the second relic? No relic? What can you do to me?" Zhang Haitao was not afraid of Zhang Shan at all. He just floated above my head, and his angle kept changing with Zhang Shan's footsteps.

　　Zhang Shan didn't say anything, but slowly walked to the other wall of the corridor opposite me, and after he stopped, he said, "What if I tell you that the Bloodstone has not been broken?"

　　"Who do you think you are fooling? If I hadn't seen with my own eyes the Bloodstone being shattered, would I have shown up? Just as you said, you calculated one minute too much, so now there are probably only ten seconds left until sunrise? I don't believe what other tricks you can come up with?!" Although Zhang Haitao said this, his attention was obviously focused on Zhang Shan, fearing that he would suddenly use some weird tricks in the end, resulting in both sides suffering losses.

　　"Haha, it won't take ten seconds, five seconds will be enough! Liu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zhang Shan was speaking slowly at first, but at the end he suddenly roared at Liu Yunlong, which scared me so much that I jumped up from the ground.

　　Turning around, I saw that Liu Yunlong had gotten a slingshot from somewhere and had already aimed it at Zhang Haitao who was above my head. From the gap in the leather bag at the back, I could vaguely see a piece of stone with a strange red color, which was held in his hand.

　　It’s the chicken blood stone that turns to Yin!!!

　　"This...how is this possible!" Zhang Haitao noticed Liu Yunlong's actions almost at the same time as me, and he was even more shocked than I was.

　　As soon as this guy finished speaking, there was a "whoosh" sound, and Liu Yunlong released the slingshot that had been fully drawn. The bloodstone flashed a bright red light and rushed straight into Zhang Haitao's black air.

　　Oddly enough, after the bloodstone was hit in, it did not break through the black air, but instead stopped inside as if it was blocked by something.

　　"Don't be in a daze, come here quickly!" Zhang Shan saw that I was still looking up from below, took two steps forward and pulled me over, then retreated back to Liu Yunlong and Old Man Qian.

　　Zhang Haitao, who had turned into black gas, could no longer make any sound.

　　We gradually saw that within this mass of black gas, there was a mass of red substance that was rapidly expanding, getting bigger and bigger and thinner and thinner, just like a balloon that was constantly being pumped with gas.

　　"Bang!"

　　Finally, with a loud bang, the black gas failed to wrap around the expanding red substance and exploded from inside.

　　When I looked behind me again, the bodies were gone.

　　The scene in front of me began to blur and then reorganize.

　　When we were able to see clearly again, we found that everyone was standing at the door of the emergency room on the first floor, facing the parking lot outside.

　　In the distant sky, a touch of red morning glow is slowly approaching.

　　We are out!!!

　　But I have many questions.

　　"What's going on?" I looked at Liu Yunlong beside me.

　　"I don't know, you ask him!" Seeing that I looked unhappy, Liu Yunlong quickly pushed the responsibility to Old Man Qian who had already walked out of the door and was taking out the formation manual.

　　"Haha, don't be angry." Old Man Qian had already walked in holding the formation manual and said to me, "Don't underestimate your role. I was holding the line at the front. If it wasn't for you, how could I have attracted Zhang Haitao?"

　　"That's not what I'm asking. What on earth is going on with the bloodstone?" I wasn't actually angry. I just really wanted to know what happened in the last minute.

　　"Haha, you've heard of the art of escape, right? How is it? Do you want to learn from me?" Old man Qian deliberately didn't explain it so clearly, trying to whet my appetite.

　　After hearing this, I finally understood a little:

　　From the very beginning, Old Man Qian probably had no intention of relying on any so-called feeling to deliver a fatal blow. After all, feeling, something that cannot be seen or touched, is very unreliable.

　　So at some point, Old Man Qian used the "escape technique" to secretly replace the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone in my hand and gave it to Liu Yunlong.

　　Until the end, Zhang Haitao saw that I missed the first attack and thought he had won, so he finally showed up again. On the one hand, he was too proud of himself, and Zhang Shan deliberately distracted his attention. Liu Yunlong finally seized the best opportunity and killed him with one blow.

　　It turned out to be a chain of schemes that forced Zhang Haitao to fall into.

　　It seems that the older you are, the wiser you are!

　　"How did you get that stone again?" I remembered that the Yin Bloodstone was extremely cold and ordinary people couldn't touch it, so I turned around and asked Liu Yunlong.

　　"What is there to doubt? Have you forgotten that there is a layer of skin between his hand and the stone!" Zhang Shan said without waiting for Liu Yunlong to answer.

　　In fact, no matter what the process was, the important thing is that we finally killed this guy Zhang Haitao and escaped from the centipede formation.

　　"Hey? Where's our boss?" I was still thinking about it when Liu Yunlong suddenly shouted, bringing everyone back to their senses.

　　"Haha, let's go up and look for him! He should still be upstairs." Old Man Qian tucked the formation map under his armpit, pointed at the elevator and said, "Don't worry, sit down, nothing will happen again!"

　　We were still a little worried because we couldn't see Captain Yang. After hearing what Old Man Qian said, we all rushed to the elevator together.

　　When we got there, the elevator door opened unexpectedly. As the three of us watched, Captain Yang, still sitting in the wheelchair, slowly came out.

　　"...Boss, are you... okay?" Liu Yunlong was obviously stunned for a moment before he asked stutteringly.

　　"Are you done?" Captain Yang looked up and asked me after we got out of the elevator.

　　"Hmm...what are you doing?" I don't know what he is singing?

　　"It's good that it's done. I'm tired! Xiao Liu, push me to the front door." After hearing my answer, Captain Yang took a deep breath and said weakly.

　　I fainted on the spot. It's ok that the three of us are tired, but you lost it as soon as you came up. We basically slept all night, and you are still tired?

　　"Where's Old Qian?" I walked back and found that the old guy had taken the opportunity to slip away while I was looking for Captain Yang.

　　We still have many questions to ask him!

　　Why on earth did he sell the Centipede Formation to Zhang Haitao?

　　How did Zhang Haitao know him?

　　Was it him who planned to sink Gao Yuan's body to the bottom of the river?

　　Now that Zhang Haitao was gone, everything had to be done by him. The old man probably knew that it would take time to explain, so he just ran away.

　　"We will meet again soon. You don't have to look for him then, the old man will find you." Zhang Shan stretched and said with a yawn.

　　Some of the patients' family members who had delivered or bought meals in the morning had already started coming in and out, and we had to make room for the main entrance to allow them to walk through.

　　I was staring at the door in a daze, but I felt someone staring at me. I turned my head subconsciously, and the man quickly turned his head to the side, pulled his collar, pushed the door open and walked out.

　　Although I only saw half of the face, my memory told me that I must have seen this person somewhere.

　　"Let's go! Brothers! Let's go have some spicy soup!" Liu Yunlong didn't feel tired at all. He pushed their leader and kept winking at us.

　　“…No! Come back to the bureau with me and write a report first!” Captain Yang straightened his body, pushed the wheelchair away and stood up.

　　"Boss, can you write after you eat?!" Liu Yunlong had no idea what to do when faced with such a workaholic leader.

　　“Write first, then eat!”

　　"I protest! This is not the mountains, where we work from sunrise to sunset..."

　　In the mountains... in the mountains!!! Taihang Mountains!!!

　　No wonder it's so familiar!!!

　　I rushed out desperately, wanting to find that person and find out what was going on.

　　But that figure disappeared on the quiet street in the early morning.

　　"What's wrong?" Zhang Shan followed closely and asked from the side.

　　"I saw him..." I couldn't believe that the person I saw was him, so I chased him out to confirm.

　　"who?"

　　"Zhao Youde!"

　　"How is it possible?!" Zhang Shan's voice rose several degrees.

　　"Who is Zhao Youde?" Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang followed him out. They didn't know Zhao Youde, and Zhang Shan and I had never mentioned the matter of the corpse-supporting curse before.

　　"You must have seen it wrong!" Zhang Shan said to me after taking a look around.

　　"Maybe! Maybe it is." I looked for it again and again, but couldn't find the figure again, so I had to look away.

　　"Let's go! Let's eat first, then go home and take a nap! We're all tired!" Captain Yang walked up to me, patted my shoulder and said, "Fang Zhongshan, it's my treat!"

　　"Boss, you are so great!"

　　"You can't rest. Come back with me after dinner to write the report. I'll give you a day off after you finish it!"

　　“…”

　　"Haha!" I put my worries aside, and Zhang Shan and I each carried the unlucky guy and walked towards Captain Yang's off-road vehicle.

　　------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　The full text of "The Elevator Mystery" is finished.

　　Is that Zhao Youde I see?

　　When will Zhang Shan be willing to go back to the mountain with me?

　　Will he be able to overcome the age of 32?

　　Will we ever see Old Man Qian again?

　　And the pupil seal in my house...

　　Please stay tuned for the third part - "Blood Oath City God"

　　Blood oath to the city god

　　Chapter 1: Resignation Storm (Part 1)

　　While having breakfast, I once again mentioned the matter of going up the mountain to Zhang Shan.

　　But Zhang Shan said that there were still ten days before the end of the month, and he had to finish the month and get his full salary before leaving. He also said that one should finish what he started, and it was immoral to run away halfway.

　　I couldn't persuade him any more, so I asked if there was a phone in the village so that I could find his master and communicate with him first.

　　Who would have known that this guy said that among the 49 households in Shanjia Village, not a single one had a telephone installed, saying that it was too high and too remote, and that the telecommunications bureau was unwilling to install it.

　　It seems that this guy will have to drag us along for another ten days or so.

　　Why is it so difficult for me to help him with something?

　　But that's okay. I've taken too many days off in the past two days. I'm afraid I'll be fired if I take more. I might as well resign during these few days and look for a job again when I come back from Taihang Mountains.

　　Anyway, I don’t have a house or a car now, and I go home to eat at night, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t make money for the time being.

　　In fact, the main reason I resigned was that after working for two years, I felt that my skills had improved and I wanted to find a higher platform to display my skills.

　　Apart from anything else, there will definitely be a qualitative leap in salary and benefits.

　　Although my current company is comfortable, I can say that my salary has reached its limit. I can't always stand still. A monthly salary of 1,200 yuan is indeed a bit unacceptable, just like Zhang Shan, the anti-packing worker on the construction site.

　　At least I'm counting on my salary to get married! 1200 a month, how long will it take to save up?

　　Now that I have made up my mind, I don’t care whether I work half a day or not.

　　After dinner, after saying goodbye to them, I went to Ni Qian's place and had a good sleep. I got up at noon and went out to eat something before rushing to the company. Whenever I saw my boss in the afternoon, I would talk to him about resigning.

　　When I arrived at the company, I didn't expect that the boss was not there. He usually stayed in the office every day.

　　There was no choice but to go back to my seat and work on some of the things that had not been completed.

　　But once I decided to leave, I lost my enthusiasm for work. After a while, I couldn't help being tired and fell asleep on my desk.

　　"Hey, do you know what our boss has been up to this morning?"

　　I was half asleep, and two colleagues next to me were talking in low voices about the boss. My attention was diverted, and I no longer felt sleepy. I pretended to be asleep and lay there to listen.

　　"You knew?" another colleague asked.

　　"Let me tell you! They just received a sum of money from the government the day before yesterday, about three hundred thousand yuan. This morning, the couple took two district leaders to the Bailu Temple to burn incense and pray!" said the colleague who knew the inside story in a serious tone.

　　"You know all about this? Why are they going to burn incense?" Another colleague found it mysterious and raised doubts.

　　"Don't disbelieve me. The driver Xiao Ma went with us today. He told me this in a text message. Do you know how much it cost for the four of them to each get a Buddhist name?"

　　"How many?"

　　"A Dharma name bestowed personally by the abbot must have this number!" said the colleague who knew the inside story, gesturing a number with his hand.

　　When I heard this, I naturally wanted to know how many it was, so I quietly opened my eyes a little and peeked over. I saw that the three middle fingers of his right hand were curled up, with only his thumb and little finger extended, making the sign "six".

　　"Six thousand?" The colleague who was in the audience gritted his teeth and guessed.

　　"Six thousand plus a zero, that's sixty thousand!" said the colleague who knew the inside story gritting his teeth.

　　"Wow! Sixty thousand for just one Dharma name?!"

　　"One person even gave out a jade Buddha, saying it was consecrated by the abbot himself."

　　"That's not worth 60,000! These two are really poor but pretending to be so! They have money to do that, but they don't have money to pay us!" The colleagues who heard the story believed it and started to denounce them.

　　Because we hadn't received any salary for more than two months at this time, the boss said that he was temporarily short of funds and would owe everyone the money for now.

　　Of course, this is also one of the main reasons why I want to resign. In the past two years, the company has delayed payment several times with this reason, and the longest time was nearly half a year.

　　"District leaders say they are all party members, right? Do they believe this too?"

　　"You don't know, who doesn't believe in the rich and powerful nowadays? They all want to feel safe and secure. The rich want to get richer, and the powerful want to climb higher and higher."

　　I was so angry when I heard this. They spent 240,000 yuan of the 300,000 yuan government special fund in just one morning. And it was just to ask for a Buddhist name.

　　What's the point of following a boss like this?

　　"Shh, stop talking and get to work! Xiao Wang, don't sleep anymore, the boss is back!" The two people next to me were whispering, and when they saw the boss coming in, they quickly stood up and didn't forget to "wake me up".

　　I sat up straight, and just then my boss walked past with a sullen face and entered his office.

　　After thinking about what to say, I stood up and followed him into the inner room while no one was around.

　　"Mr. Wu, I want to talk to you." After I knocked on the door and came in, I saw that the boss had just thrown his briefcase on the table and looked unhappy.

　　I don't know if it's okay to talk to him about resigning at this time?

　　"Oh, Xiao Wang, come and sit down!" When the boss saw me, he quickly adjusted his expression, handed me a cigarette, sat down at his large desk and asked, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

　　"Well... it's like this, I may have to go back to my hometown with my relatives to take care of some things. It will take a long time, and I don't want to cause trouble for the company, so I want to resign." I held the cigarette in my hand, not daring to light it, and said to him.

　　"Oh, what's the matter? How many days do you need to finish your work? I can just approve your leave!" said the boss, stunned for a moment.

　　"I just didn't know how long it would take, so I resigned from you," I said truthfully.

　　It was indeed the case. Who knew how long it would take to go back with Zhang Shan to find Yin Liuzi? I remembered that last time in my dream, I heard his master say that it was not uncommon to find someone in a year or two.

　　"What's the matter? Why does it take so long?" Seeing that I refused to answer directly, the boss asked directly.

　　"Well...a cousin in my hometown is sick, so I went back with her to recuperate." I thought about it and came up with a reason that sounded true and false.

　　"Haha, Xiao Wang. What's the reason? Is there anything that we can't just say no to? Do you have higher aspirations? Or do you want a raise?" The boss also felt that my reasons were a bit far-fetched, so he leaned forward, forced out a little smile, stared at me and asked.

　　"Really, that's indeed the reason!" Now that I've said it, I can only stick to it.

　　"...Okay! Everyone has their own aspirations. Since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything." The boss scratched his head and continued, "But you know the company's current situation. The performance is not very good. If you insist on leaving your job in the next two days, then this month's salary may be... Of course, I will definitely pay you every cent owed for the first two months! But it will have to wait until the company has funds to turn around."

　　This cunning guy! Seeing that I was leaving, he actually wanted to deduct my salary for this month! Today is the 20th, and more than half of it has already passed. It's at least 700 or 800 yuan, how can he deduct it just like that?

　　Besides, Zhang Shan and I need to bring some with us when we go up the mountain. According to what he said, it will be sent at the end of next month, and I can't wait.

　　Chapter 2: Resignation Storm (Part 2)

　　"Boss Wu, let me say something unpleasant." I thought about it again and again and felt that I couldn't afford to lose this month's salary. I said tentatively, "I've never had any problems at work. This month is already more than halfway through. It's not appropriate for you to just deduct my salary, right?"

　　"Haha, don't be impatient. Listen to me. You've read the rules of our company. If you want to resign, you must apply at least one week in advance and hand over all your work before you can leave." The boss held the butt of his cigarette, took a big puff, and pressed it into the ashtray. Then he said, "You asked today, and you want to leave tomorrow. You said you were leaving, but what are you going to do with this mess?"

　　I thought about it and bargained with him, "I know it's a bit sudden, how about I stay for two more days and hand over the work before leaving, is that okay with you?"

　　"Xiao Wang, the system is the system. What do you think I am? A vegetable market? Bargaining?" The boss finally got a little impatient and said to me: "You have two choices. One, either you work until the 10th of next month, hand over the work, and I will let you go; or you don't want this month's salary, and you can go wherever you want now!"

　　"Boss Wu, I really don't agree with what you said. After all, I worked for more than ten days this month, and I deserve it..." Before I finished speaking, the boss snatched my words away: "Okay, go and get busy! I've made it very clear, the choice is up to you!"

　　After saying that, the boss no longer looked at me, but lowered his head and rummaged through something in the drawer.

　　"What if I want the first two months' salary now?" I gritted my teeth. At worst, I would have worked for nothing this month! Now that we had come to an end, we could talk about anything. Even if I didn't want this month's salary, he had to give me the first two months' salary right away.

　　He just said that he would wait until there was capital turnover. Who knows if he would bring a few leaders with him to ask for that Buddhist name when he has money.

　　"No money!" The boss stopped what he was doing, looked up at me, and squeezed out these two words from between his teeth.

　　"But I really need the money urgently. Can't you pay me first?" I still patiently discussed with him.

　　"Are you in a hurry for money? I'm in a hurry for money too! Anyway, I don't have it now, what do you want to do?" The boss was completely impatient and yelled at me.

　　"...Okay then. Then you'll continue to have nightmares for the next few days!"

　　I was also irritated by this guy. It would have been fine if he didn't swear. He got angry before I did. I've never seen someone who owes money be so arrogant.

　　Why do I say that? Because just now when he was scratching his head, I saw that the area behind his ears was also dark. This was another case of being in a nightmare.

　　I didn't want to say it, but who knew he would be so ruthless and even speak rudely. So I had no choice but to provoke him.

　　"What did you say?!" The boss jumped up from the sofa and stared at me with wide eyes.

　　"Didn't you hear it? It doesn't matter if you didn't hear it. I didn't scold you anyway." After saying that, I turned around and walked out of the general manager's office, ignoring him shouting "Xiao Wang, Xiao Wang" behind me.

　　As I expected, the boss did not follow me out. It seemed that he was shocked by my last sentence.

　　Humph! This is exactly what I want! It was good at first, but he started to curse people, who can stand it? He deserves to be hung here! Anyway, he won't die, so he can just suffer slowly!

　　Until the end of the get off work day, the boss came in and out several times but didn't say anything to me.

　　I also deliberately avoided going to see him. Since this guy refused to pay me, it seemed that I had to think of some other way.

　　After clocking in and walking out of the company gate, the phone in my pocket rang.

　　"Hey, Xiao Wang, don't leave in a hurry, come to my office for a moment!" The boss said and hung up the phone without waiting for my consent.

　　After thinking about it, I decided to go. After all, I haven't left yet, so I have to listen to them.

　　I turned back to the boss' office and pushed open the door. It was filled with smoke. The old man was sitting behind the huge boss's desk and had just lit up another cigarette.

　　"Come, sit down!" He threw another cigarette to me when he saw me coming in. This time, I didn't take it, but directly picked up the lighter on the table and lit it up.

　　Both of them were silent for a long time.

　　Finally, the boss took his last puff, put out his cigarette, and asked me, "How do you know that I always have nightmares at night?"

　　"What? What did you say? When did I say I knew it?" I thought he would probably ask me this, so I didn't tell him! Let this guy scold me in the afternoon!

　　Besides, even if I have the ability, I don’t want to let other people know about it. Being a charlatan is not what I want to achieve.

　　"Haha, Xiao Wang, you may not know it yourself. I am at least ten years older than you. Don't you think that the temperament and thoughts you usually display are quite different from those of your peers?" The boss lit another cigarette, took a puff, and then said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. Help me solve this matter. As long as your conditions are not excessive, I can agree to them!"

　　"Oh? I can consider it... Mr. Wu, I really can't do it. But I have a friend who can. I'll call him over and we can discuss it in detail, okay?" At this point, I thought that since he wanted to ask me for help, the salary and resignation issues would be out of the question. I just need to call Zhang Shan over, he gets the reward, and I get the salary, how great!

　　"No! The fewer people who know about this, the better! It's not that I don't trust your friend, but since you have the ability, why do you need someone else to do it?" The boss rejected my proposal directly. "As long as the matter is done, in addition to your salary, I will also give you something extra. Of course, Xiao Wang, you are a smart person, it's better not to spread this kind of thing!"

　　"..." I began to struggle fiercely in my heart. Obviously, if I help him, all problems can be solved, and there may even be unexpected gains.

　　But I have to think carefully about what I will lose? Will my identity be exposed? Will I be regarded as a charlatan?

　　Now, ordinary nightmares don't dare to do anything to me. There is no need to worry about this.

　　And after absorbing three pupil seals, I found that all my physical indicators have improved slightly. Of course, it's nothing more than a little more strength, and more sensitive hearing, vision and touch.

　　But these effects are still very weak, far inferior to the burst of power after absorbing it. I even wondered if I should find a way to get more pupil seals to absorb them in the future.

　　"...Okay, I promise you." I thought about it for a long time until I saw the boss in front of me was still staring at me. After calculating the pros and cons, I felt that there was nothing I couldn't do, so I agreed: "But in addition to the salary, I also have two conditions. You must agree to me first, otherwise, I will pretend that we never said anything today."

　　"Okay, go ahead!" The boss agreed quite readily.

　　"First, I will help you deal with the nightmare. You can't tell anyone. Even if they ask, you must have another excuse." I thought about it for a long time and felt that as long as I kept it confidential, there should be no problem.

　　"That's no problem, what about the second one?"

　　"Secondly, if I find out that you are doing something illegal during the process, I will choose to stop it immediately and call the police. You have to think carefully. If you are indeed doing something illegal, then let's stop here. I won't ask any questions, and we will go our separate ways from now on." After saying that, I stared into his eyes.

　　Chapter 3 Slippers Incident

　　In fact, this is what I am most worried about. Whether it is exposed or not is secondary. After all, these mysterious things are generally not believed by others.

　　If this guy surnamed Wu was really targeted by the nightmare because he was doing something illegal, then I would be in a very awkward position: if I help him, I would obviously be aiding and abetting the evil; if I don’t help him, I would have a hard time explaining myself since I had already agreed to help him and taken the money.

　　So why not ask now? If he agrees, it means there is no problem, and I will help him, and we can both get what we need.

　　If I don't agree, I know this guy's weakness. Not only will I not suffer the remorse of my conscience, but I can also find fault with him and force him to give me the overdue wages as soon as possible.

　　In short, I won't suffer any loss no matter what, so I can do this!

　　"Of course that's no problem! Don't worry, I have a legitimate industry and company, and I won't touch those dirty things!" What I didn't expect was that the boss agreed very readily once again.

　　I saw that he really had no hesitation or thoughts in his expression, and it seemed that he had done nothing wrong. I could only say, "Okay! Since you have agreed, I will fulfill my promise and help you deal with this matter. You can set a date!"

　　"What other date do you want to make an appointment for? Tonight! Let's go out for dinner first, and I'll slowly tell you what's going on. Then come to my house after dinner. The sooner we settle the appointment, the better. If we keep going on like this, I'm afraid I'll get schizophrenia!" When the boss saw that I agreed, he immediately stood up, and while speaking, he pulled me to turn off the lights and walk out of the company.

　　We found a small shop nearby where there were not many people around. We chose a secluded corner and sat down to eat and talk.

　　The strange things started about a month ago.

　　Last month, the boss and his wife went back to his hometown. He said that his mother passed away and they went to attend the funeral.

　　After handling the old lady's funeral in their hometown, they observed mourning for a few more days. After the seventh day, the couple hurriedly drove back to Zhengzhou.

　　After all, this is a big business, and twenty or thirty people are counting on him.

　　Nothing strange happened during the few days at their hometown, but the nightmare began on the night they returned.

　　First, the boss himself always felt that there was someone standing by his bed every night while he was sleeping. Sometimes, he could even hear the sound of slippers walking on the floor.

　　But every time I wanted to wake up, I couldn't open my eyes. I opened them once or twice, but I couldn't see anything.

　　Later, the boss became more cautious. Because it was the sound of slippers, he deliberately put his slippers in the shoe cabinet at the door before going to bed.

　　But at night, there are still sounds.

　　When he woke up the next day, he found his most frequently worn pair of slippers still scattered in front of the bed, as if he had not hidden them at all after finishing the work.

　　Before going to bed that night, the boss thought more and more that it was strange that his slippers would not grow legs and move around. Could it be that he had sleepwalking? So he deliberately placed his slippers facing the bed and stuck them under the edge of the bed.

　　In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a series of banging noises, which sounded like someone jumping on the wooden floor in slippers.

　　It was still the same as before, his brain was awake but his body was not. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't open his eyes.

　　What was even more terrifying was that the sound continued until morning. He could even feel the sheets beneath him being rubbed by something, rubbing against them.

　　This night was really hard to endure. You knew there was something next to you, but you couldn't move or see it, and you could imagine the fear in your heart.

　　On the third day, the boss no longer dared to leave his slippers in plain sight. Before going to bed, he hid his slippers in a high and secluded place when his wife wasn't noticing.

　　I slept very soundly that night, and the strange sound disappeared along with my slippers.

　　But when he woke up the next morning, his wife said that she had a strange dream at night. She dreamed that someone was jumping around beside the bed, and she wanted to see him but couldn't open her eyes.

　　The boss knew about it, so he hid his slippers, but the thing set its sights on his wife's slippers. But he didn't dare to say anything.

　　This situation became more and more serious, and later it developed to the point where he and his wife could hear the jumping sound every night no matter where the slippers were. When he had the strength to open his eyes, he could not see anything. But when he looked at the slippers under the bed, it was obvious that someone had worn them.

　　Until one day, his wife finally fell ill due to long-term poor sleep. She had a high fever that night, and after three o'clock in the morning, he was awakened by his wife's scream.

　　He quickly turned on the light and saw his wife staring with eyes wide open. She pointed at the corner and said timidly, "Don't come over here! Don't come over here!"

　　But there was nothing in the corner.

　　But there was a pair of slippers on the ground.

　　Those were his wife's own slippers.

　　There was no other way, so they had to hide their slippers every time they went to bed. But this only trick no longer worked. At night, one of them would always hear that sound.

　　The next morning, the person's slippers, no matter how well they were hidden, would be placed beside the bed.

　　"Xiao Wang, what do you think...are we being targeted by some unclean creature?" At this point, the boss couldn't help but ask me his question.

　　They are definitely targeting you. But as the saying goes, there is a cause for every effect. Even if there is a nightmare hanging on them, there must be a reason for hanging them. They will not scare you for no reason.

　　In fact, ghosts are not like what people imagine, harming whoever they catch.

　　It’s not that they don’t want to, but most of the time people have strong yang energy and they can’t harm them.

　　Of course, if you happen to have more yin than yang when you meet them, they will be happy to recruit you.

　　Just like the first time I went to the ghost market, after I ate the Judge Grass, I actually covered up the Yang energy in my body. That’s why I encountered a series of things.

　　"But from what you said, I think the possibility of sleep paralysis is higher." I actually know that it is not as simple as sleep paralysis, but I can't say what the specific situation is, so I can only guess randomly.

　　"Sleep paralysis?" The boss had probably heard of the term before, and continued, "Even if it's sleep paralysis, how do you explain the slippers? It's clearly like someone is next to you."

　　I have nothing to say. Although this matter does not seem to be difficult, I have never dealt with it, nor have I heard of it. It is not easy to explain it accurately.

　　"It's useless for us to discuss this here now." After thinking for a moment, I told the truth: "I have never encountered a situation like yours before. But it doesn't look like a difficult problem. I'll go take a look after dinner and everything will be clear."

　　The boss naturally had nothing to say. I ignored him and just lowered my head to eat. Whether I want to get my money back is still a question, at least I'll have a meal with you first, and any money I can get back is good.

　　But I ate slowly on purpose, just to buy time. Anyway, I would have to wait at the restaurant and at his house. He would not go to sleep as soon as he got home.

　　How nice it would be if I could eat while waiting!

　　Chapter 4: Solitary Dream Exploration

　　The boss had no appetite at all. But he had something to ask of me, so he just smoked one cigarette after another. It was not until I finished the four dishes and one soup that he asked politely, "Are you full? Shall we go?"

　　"Don't be impatient. Let me think about where to start." I said this, but mostly just to tease him.

　　It is very easy to find out what it is. When your spiritual eyes are opened, you will see everything clearly.

　　It's just a rare opportunity to give orders to the boss, how could I let it go?

　　I'm afraid some people may never have such an opportunity in their lifetime.

　　Finally, after hesitating for nearly twenty minutes, I reluctantly followed the boss out of the restaurant and got into his car.

　　The boss’s house is near North Ring Road, which is not too far. We have a car and can get there in no time.

　　Get out of the car, go upstairs, and knock on the door.

　　When the boss's wife opened the door, she saw me following her and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

　　I know she has never liked me very much.

　　The reason is simply that I don’t usually flatter my superiors, and sometimes when I see her coming to the company, I don’t even bother to say hello.

　　The most important thing is that in this husband-and-wife company, the boss's wife is usually in charge of personnel and office affairs. As the only person not hired by her, I was naturally classified as "not a confidant".

　　There have been several people of the same type as me who were fired by her for various reasons.

　　But it doesn't matter. She doesn't like me, and I don't like her either. We're leaving anyway, and we won't have any contact with each other in the future. There's no point in getting so angry.

　　"Hey! Xiao Wang is here! Come in, come in!" The proprietress gave me a rare smile and hypocritically let me in.

　　"This... Xiao Wang..." The boss was a little embarrassed because he had promised me not to mention it to anyone. But the boss's wife was here, and I really didn't know how to explain it. So she brought me to their house in the middle of the night.

　　"It's okay, tell her, but only you two know about it!" I didn't bother to be polite with the boss lady and just let them go aside and whisper.

　　The lady boss was a little upset when she saw that I didn't say hello to her. It wasn't until the boss pulled her aside and explained it to her that she finally understood what was going on.

　　At this time, she turned around and smiled like a flower: "Oh~ I didn't expect Xiao Wang to have this ability! I told our old Wu a long time ago that you look different from ordinary people. You are a person who can know everything. You see, I was right!"

　　I smiled and still ignored her. It's superfluous to say a single word to such a petty woman. She is not accustomed to you and cannot be fed thoroughly. No matter how affectionate she behaves at ordinary times, once she gets angry or you are no longer valuable, she will dump you more easily than dandruff.

　　"Xiao Wang, what do you think our next step should be?" Seeing that I was still ignoring his wife, the boss quickly asked to smooth things over.

　　"It's okay. It's only nine o'clock. You won't go to bed so early, right? Just do what you need to do and don't worry about me." With that, I sat down on a chair in his dining room, took out my cell phone and started texting with Ni Qian.

　　Although I don't like this couple, I am a well-educated person after all. I won't do anything that takes away from the main role. I won't go out to disturb them. They can do whatever they want. Just call me when it's time to go to bed.

　　"That's so embarrassing...how about...let's go to the living room to watch TV together? Or go to my study to have a cup of tea?" The boss was also a little embarrassed. It was really troublesome to deal with someone like me who was stubborn and stubborn.

　　"Okay, let's go have some tea!" I thought about it and decided to forget about watching TV with the boss's wife. We both felt unhappy sitting together.

　　I had no objection to drinking tea, so I stood up and followed the boss into the study, under the angry look of the boss's wife.

　　Even though our boss does things that are not suitable for educated people, he is still a college graduate. Although his study is not big, it has a lot of books.

　　I took a rough look and it was nothing more than talking about struggle or management.

　　I sat down at the desk, he boiled water to make tea, and I drank it one cup after another. The atmosphere was not awkward, after all, he was a worldly-wise man, and he knew how to control his words. At one point, I even felt that the company still had a bright future, and even if I didn't work here anymore, we could still be friends in the future.

　　In fact, when I think about it later, the most cautious thing in this world is probably the promise made by the boss of a private company.

　　During this time, the boss took out an envelope from the desk and handed it to me. I opened it and saw that there was five thousand yuan inside.

　　But even if I work full time this month, my three-month salary would only be 3,600 yuan.

　　I wanted to return the extra 1,400 yuan to my boss, but he said it was just a small token of his appreciation and should be considered this year's bonus. If I helped him solve the problem, there would be a reward.

　　It doesn’t matter whether I get extra or not. I’m not here to make money. I just want to get back the salary that belongs to me.

　　But since he said it was a bonus, I'll just keep it for now. At worst, when he gives it to me again, I won't want it.

　　Once we started talking, time passed quickly. It was already 11:30. The boss had said before that this was the time they usually went to bed.

　　"Xiao Wang... we should go to bed, what are you going to do?" The boss didn't know what my plan was from the moment I came in until now. He didn't dare to ask. Now that it was time to go to bed, he had to ask shamelessly.

　　"Oh, it's okay, you two can sleep with your clothes on. I'll sit in the living room. If there is any noise, I will rush in the first time. You can rest assured." I knew that what he wanted to know was what I would do specifically, not these arrangements that had no practical significance.

　　But I really couldn't tell him.

　　"Oh... OK, then we'll go to sleep. You'll have to take care of the rest!" The boss didn't ask any substantive questions. He also saw that I was deliberately not willing to say anything, so he had no choice but to leave in dismay.

　　After they both went into the bedroom, I walked out of the study and went to the living room alone.

　　I sat there for a while, but there was really nothing to do, so I turned on the TV and watched it out of boredom.

　　I didn't dare turn on the volume, not because I was afraid of waking them up, but because if there was any noise in the bedroom, I wouldn't be able to hear it, so I could only watch programs with subtitles.

　　Just when almost all the TV programs had ended and I was about to fall asleep due to boredom, finally, I heard a "click...click..." sound from the half-open bedroom door.

　　I immediately became alert, gently stood up from the sofa, and tiptoed towards the bedroom. Of course, I did not forget to open my spiritual eyes.

　　It was my first time experiencing this kind of thing alone, so I was still very nervous. Although I had seen a lot of those disgusting zombies and nightmares, who would like to see those things for no reason? It’s better not to see them if possible.

　　However...it seems that there are two people who are very interested in this kind of thing, namely Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　I was thinking about all sorts of things and slowly approached the bedroom door. I held my breath and pushed open the half-open bedroom door.

　　Chapter 5: Let’s Discuss

　　Before I pushed the door open, I was thinking about the scariest things in my mind. Because if I think about it this way, then no matter how scary and unbelievable what I see next, at least I won't be so shocked.

　　The door slowly opened, and one meter in front of me, there was a person standing facing the bed with his back to me.

　　She is not tall, a little over 1.6 meters, slightly plump, with gray hair. Judging from the back, she should be a woman.

　　But the thing that made me feel awkward was that the old lady was wearing a colorful satin dress and a hat from the early Qing Dynasty. She looked like a Yangko dancer.

　　Of course, this kind of material and style of clothes are different from those worn for Yangko dancing. In some rural areas in the Central Plains, brightly colored clothes made of this kind of material are also called "funeral clothes."

　　Obviously, these are the clothes that people wear when they are buried after death.

　　At this time, the old lady was standing by the bed, wearing her bound feet in "thousand-layer soles" and her boss's slippers, jumping up and down on his side of the bed.

　　Our boss was lying on the bed, sweating all over and shaking slightly.

　　I knew he was awake, but I couldn't open my eyes or move.

　　Seeing this, I finally couldn't hold the breath in my mouth anymore and let it out gently.

　　This exhalation was not a big deal, the old lady who was jumping in front of me immediately felt someone behind her. In just a blink of an eye, she turned around and faced me.

　　I was shocked when I saw the old lady's face. Although her face was covered with heavy makeup, I could still see someone in her eyes and eyebrows - our boss!

　　If I'm not mistaken, the old lady and our boss must be related by blood!

　　"Ah...ah~" The old lady focused her attention on me, and the boss was relieved. He finally exhaled the stuffy air in his chest and struggled to wake up completely.

　　But just as I lowered my head to pay attention to the boss, when I looked up again, the old lady in front of me had disappeared.

　　He woke the couple up, asked them to sit in the living room, and said, "I have seen the things hanging on you. Now it's your turn to speak. Who goes first?"

　　I remember the boss said during dinner that his mother passed away a month ago. It seems that this incident has something to do with this old lady.

　　"What did you say?" The boss had just sat down, his mind still full of the nightmare, and he didn't understand what I was saying for a moment.

　　"Well, I'll ask you the questions." I didn't know if he was really confused or just pretending to be confused. Since he refused to say anything, I slowly squeezed out: "Is your mother a little over 1.6 meters tall, slightly plump, with gray hair? When she was buried, was she wearing a red satin dress with golden peonies embroidered on it..."

　　The more I spoke, the more shocked the boss's face became.

　　It was not until I described the old lady I had just seen from head to toe that the boss stared at me for a long time, then asked with trembling lips: "You mean... what you just saw was my mother?... The one who has been making trouble for us every night for the past month... turned out to be my mother?!"

　　I shrugged my shoulders and said nothing. I believe the boss can figure it out himself, because I have never seen his mother.

　　The boss was stunned for several seconds, then suddenly slipped and knelt on the ground in front of the sofa, looking up to the sky and yelling: "Mom! I am an unfilial son! I can't rest in peace even after you are gone!"

　　His move gave me a fright.

　　The proprietress had been listening nearby, and now she also knelt down slowly, bowing towards the ceiling while whispering, "Mother-in-law, you are so magnanimous! Now that you're gone, don't bother with us anymore..."

　　"Shut up!" The boss was kneeling on the ground and crying. When he heard his wife mumbling, he suddenly went crazy. He jumped up and pointed at her nose and shouted, "If it weren't for you, a spendthrift woman, my mother wouldn't have died! It would have been fine if I didn't say anything. After all, she was also wrong. But you! You still have the nerve to say don't bother about it?! My mother has followed us home, and you still think she will let you go?!"

　　"Hey? Wu Guoxiao, what do you mean by that?" When the boss' wife heard the boss pointing at her and scolding her, she stopped sobbing immediately, stood up and fought back, "You agreed to this at the beginning! Besides, your mother died of anger and couldn't be saved. It wasn't my fault! You have to make it clear today! What do you mean if it wasn't for me, your mother wouldn't have died? If you don't make it clear today, there's no end between us!"

　　"It's not over yet! ..."

　　Well, it looks like these two are going to be tangled up for a while.

　　Since they know what caused the incident, it doesn't matter whether I am the one who caused the rest. If the compensation is good, maybe the old lady will let them go. If it's still like this, then I will continue to have nightmares every night. When it will end depends on the old lady's mood.

　　But in this situation, it is hard to say whether they can survive a year.

　　At least I can't take care of this kind of household affairs.

　　I can’t take away the old lady’s nightmare.

　　The elderly have never had a good beginning and a good end to their lives, so why should I help them? No way!

　　So while the two of them were rolling up their sleeves to start working, I quietly stood up, walked around the side of the sofa to the door, and prepared to leave.

　　"Xiao Wang! Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Now that we have talked about everything, you can judge for yourself whose fault it is! Why does my mother blame me as well?" The boss saw that I had moved to the door, so he hurried over and pulled me back.

　　"This is your family affair. You know the reason and cause. Please forgive me!" I begged him with a sad face.

　　"How can that be? You have to help us deal with it! My mother still can't rest in peace, how can I, her son, sleep well?" The boss said righteously while pulling me.

　　"Hey~ Come on, Wu Guoxiao. Don't pretend that you are the only good person and we are all villains. Let me tell you, I am the daughter-in-law who married into the family. This matter has nothing to do with me. Your mother is gone and you are still bullying others. I didn't say anything, it's your fate! Xiao Wang, come here, don't listen to his nonsense, I will tell you what happened!" How could the proprietress let him have a preconceived idea, so she took the initiative to come up to me and pulled me to explain the situation.

　　I had no choice but to sit back on the sofa and listen to the two of them talking back and forth. But after piecing together the bits and pieces, I got a general idea.

　　Our boss's hometown is a prefecture-level city in Henan. Although it is a small place, with the nationwide real estate movement in recent years, many new real estate projects have emerged in their hometown, with demolition and construction all day long, a scene of bustling activity.

　　My boss's home is in a special location. It used to be in the suburbs, but with the expansion of the city in recent years, it is about to become a village in the city.

　　Just at the beginning of this year, a real estate developer took a fancy to his home and a large area around it, and wanted to build a large commercial district here.

　　In theory, this is a good thing. The old house at home is twenty or thirty years old. It would be nice to demolish it and live in a building.

　　But there is a problem. Our boss is not an only child. He has an older sister.

　　Chapter 6 You Two Deserve It

　　If it's just compensation for the house, that's fine, there's no choice, and the family can all agree.

　　But small places have their own advantages. Developers are also afraid that poor and bad places will produce unruly people, so they offer two compensation plans: First, if you want a house, you can get two houses for one, based on the existing residential area. That is, you will be given two houses for one house.

　　Second, if you want a shop, you can also consider it, but it can only be a one-to-one compensation. And the total area of ​​a claimed shop cannot exceed 200 square meters.

　　The boss's house is very large, about 600 to 700 square meters.

　　The old man in the family died early, so the old lady asked the two children to discuss and make a decision. Although delegating power is a good thing, disagreements arose when it was delegated.

　　The boss had already started his own business, and his sister had been taking care of the family affairs and the old lady for many years. He didn't want to take care of that.

　　But the boss lady didn't want to.

　　In her opinion, her husband is the only son, and even if he cannot take all the family property for himself, he must at least get more than his sister.

　　There is such a large piece of land at home. If I can convert part of it into a shop and rent it out, I can earn a considerable income every month.

　　In small cities, shops can definitely make money faster than renting out residential properties, and the money may even be several times greater.

　　The problem is that the boss's sister doesn't want to buy it. For her, nothing can make her feel more at ease than a house to live in. Moreover, with a one-to-two compensation for a six-story residential building, she can almost get one.

　　She would never do such a stupid thing as paying one for one.

　　So the boss's wife came to discuss with the boss, saying that although the land belonged to an old lady, since it was being discussed, everyone should take it seriously and strive to bring more economic benefits to the family.

　　We didn't know what was wrong with our boss, but he thought it made sense. So a month ago, the two of them found a weekend and drove home to discuss it with his sister.

　　But in this kind of situation, everyone has their own little ideas in mind, so how can they reach a consensus?

　　As the saying goes, if you don't agree, you'll have to talk too much. The two of them suddenly attacked back. The boss's sister was hostile to begin with. Oh, you guys don't care about family matters at all, but when you see that you need to develop compensation, you come here with a plan?

　　With this idea in mind, the two groups soon started arguing.

　　Until it became too late to find the old lady and ask for justice.

　　The old lady was in a dilemma. She was in a dilemma. No matter who she supported, she would definitely hurt the other party. But she was not dead yet, and the land could not be divided equally between them. She was helpless.

　　At this time, the boss's wife came up with a bad idea. Since the land could not be divided, the commercial and residential properties could be split in half, and both parties could do whatever they wanted. All they had to do was have the old lady write a will, specifying which part belonged to whom. Everyone would take care of their own business from then on.

　　As soon as this sentence was uttered, Shunjia was in an uproar.

　　Unlike other countries, how can there be so many elderly people in China who are willing to make a will before they die? In their view, making a will is just to hasten their death.

　　Even if this is not the intention, the elderly are afraid that once a will is made and their children know how much they will get, will they still serve them as before?

　　From the boss's point of view, her brother and sister-in-law came back to earn the inheritance. In fact, the family, from top to bottom, never said that they would not share the inheritance.

　　But it was a bit too much to be so impatient to come and rob in public! He even asked the old lady to make a will!

　　The situation continued to deteriorate and evolved into mutual pushing and even physical fighting.

　　The old lady lived a peaceful life, but she never expected that her husband would stage such a drama to seize the inheritance. She was so excited that her body went on strike.

　　After several days of rescue efforts in the hospital, the old lady's life could not be saved.

　　In desperation, the doctor removed the tube after all family members signed.

　　Because the old lady has been diagnosed as brain dead, even if she is alive, she is in a vegetative state and there is no possibility of waking up again.

　　This fulfilled the boss's wife's wish. The land left behind was divided equally between the boss and his sister. There was no more fighting or arguing, and the old lady wouldn't be bothered by her anymore. It was really a win-win situation. Even on the day of the funeral, she felt so happy that she couldn't help laughing several times. Of course, she wouldn't say these words, I was just guessing.

　　"Xiao Wang, please tell me, is what she did right?" After finally finishing the story, the boss asked me indignantly.

　　"When Ms. Tian (the boss lady's surname is Tian) did that, since you felt it was wrong, why didn't you stop her?" After I heard this, no one felt sympathy except the old lady. This couple is a perfect match.

　　"I..." The boss suddenly didn't know what to say.

　　"Haha! Wu Guoxiao, your soldiers have figured out what's going on, are you going to blame me or not?" When the proprietress saw that he was stumped by my question, she immediately became excited.

　　"I haven't finished yet. You two, a pair, are both good-for-nothings!" After I said that, I stood up and was about to walk out.

　　I really don't want to look at the ugly faces of this couple any longer.

　　The old lady hung them up, they deserved it!!!

　　"Xiao Wang! You haven't finished your work yet. What about my mother? We can't let her torture us like this every day, can we?" When the boss saw me walk to the door, he shouted at me without caring that I had just scolded them.

　　"Well, I tell you, the old lady hanged you because you asked for it. There is nothing I can do." I thought about it and continued, "You put the slippers facing the bed and she will jump in front of you. You put the slippers facing outside and she will jump around the room. There are only these two ways, you get to choose one! Oh, and don't burn the slippers. If you do, it's doubtful whether you two can survive to the end of the year." After that, I pushed the door and walked out without paying attention to the boss's call.

　　When I went out, I did not forget to take out the extra 1,400 yuan from the envelope and threw it on the shoe cabinet at the door.

　　I only take the salary that I deserve. If I ask them for money, I'm afraid of dirtying my hands!

　　After coming out, although the cold wind of the winter night made my face hurt, I was still very excited.

　　It's not just because I want my salary back. Who says nightmares are necessarily evil? Who says evil people can get away with it? I support the old lady's nightmare, just like I supported Gao Yuan's nightmare.

　　Since the law cannot sentence you, then accept the condemnation of your conscience and morality!

　　But there was one thing I deliberately said wrong. Maybe if I burned the slippers, the old lady would not appear again.

　　But the question is, would I do that out of kindness?

　　Although it was late at night when I got home, I had already resigned and could sleep as late as I wanted tomorrow.

　　I was lying in bed happily, and it seemed like just a short while after I fell asleep, my phone rang. I opened my eyes and saw that it was already daybreak.

　　If it was someone else's call, I could just ignore it and go to sleep. But the caller ID showed that it was that girl Ni Qian, so I had to answer it.

　　The girl was really scared because of her wandering soul, and has been resting at home for the past two days.

　　I don't know who told me that if you encounter something like this, you should burn some incense and pray to Buddha to get rid of the bad energy in your body.

　　Look, today she's feeling a little better, and she asked me to accompany her to burn incense early in the morning.

　　I was complaining in my heart, whether I was willing to go or not was secondary. The problem was that Zhengzhou was a place that was neither big nor small, but there was not even a temple or Taoist temple.

　　Some friends asked, isn't Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou? Or you can go to Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng or White Horse Temple in Luoyang, all are fine!

　　Yes, that’s the logic, the question is how to get there?

　　It was a very cold day, and no matter which of these three places we went to, the round trip would take at least three to five hours, not to mention that we didn't have a car.

　　It takes a whole day to go there. For things like this, it's better to plan ahead. If you give me a last minute notice, I won't do it even if you kill me!

　　What's more, I know exactly why her soul wandered away. It has nothing to do with praying to Buddha or burning incense, but I can't tell it.

　　Chapter 7: The Evil City

　　I have to say that she is open-minded and doesn't ask for much. It doesn't matter if you go far away. As long as you find me a place in Zhengzhou where I can burn incense and worship Buddha, that's all I want today! You have to agree to it whether you agree or not.

　　There was no other way. After racking my brains to no avail, I had to take out the map of Zhengzhou and search bit by bit, hoping to solve this difficult problem within the city.

　　Finally, my hard work paid off. When I was browsing through a magnifying glass and saw Shangcheng Road in Guancheng District, three small words finally caught my eye - City God Temple!

　　Yes! Why didn’t I think of that?! I was only thinking about Tathagata Buddha and Zhuge Dao, and actually forgot about the lifelong honorary mayor, Cheng Huang!

　　The full name of Zhengzhou City God Temple is "Zhengzhou City God Lingyouhou Temple".

　　In the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty stipulated the titles of the city gods of each prefecture, state, and county, and conferred the title of "Lingyou Hou" on the city god of Zhengzhou. A temple was built to worship him, so it is also called "City God Lingyou Hou Temple". It was rebuilt in the 14th year of Hongzhi (1501). It is currently one of the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural complexes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Henan Province. Although it has been repeatedly destroyed by war, fire, and human damage for hundreds of years, it has basically retained its original historical appearance after many constructions and repairs, so it is extremely precious.

　　This place is great!

　　I remember going there once when I was a kid, with my parents to watch the temple fair. At that time, I vaguely remember that there were indeed people burning incense to the City God enshrined in the innermost hall of the City God Temple.

　　It's just that Chenghuang Temple is in the southeast of Zhengzhou, and my home is in the north. So even though I grew up, except for that one time, I really have never been to that area again.

　　Why is this place so good? The bus is accessible, and we can go back and forth in half a morning. She burns her incense, and I take the opportunity to visit and tour.

　　I'm just sitting around doing nothing anyway.

　　After replying to the girl, she naturally had no objection. The girl didn't believe in ghosts or gods to begin with, and the reason she insisted on worshipping was just to eliminate the fear in her heart and seek comfort.

　　An hour later, we were standing across the street from the City God Temple.

　　I haven't been here for many years, and although the appearance in my memory is already incomplete, I was still very excited to see this ancient building complex with red walls and green tiles again.

　　There is no way. Although Zhengzhou is one of the eight ancient capitals of the country, compared with other cities, the unique buildings in these ancient cities cannot be said to be pitifully few, but almost non-existent.

　　I don't know if we came early or what. At this time, the gate of Chenghuang Temple was not completely open. There was only a small gap, just enough for one person to enter and exit sideways.

　　"Not allowed in?" I muttered to myself as I pulled Ni Qian across the street.

　　As we walked to the middle of the street, we saw a man walking out from the half-open door of the City God Temple, talking on the phone as he walked out.

　　"Wife! Shall we go to Kaifeng Daxiangguo Temple now? It doesn't work here!" I just took a look and immediately turned around and pulled Ni Qian to go back.

　　"We're already here, where are you going? I've been in Zhengzhou for such a long time, but I've never been here. You never usually offer to take me for a walk!" We were already at the door, and I suddenly wanted to leave for no reason. Naturally, the girl was unwilling to do so.

　　But I really didn’t want to go over there, because the person who came out of the door was none other than Song Dongfeng!

　　I've seen it a long time ago, where this guy is, there's nothing good going on!

　　I would have been very lucky if he didn't call me.

　　Now you have nothing better to do and you come to me? Is there something wrong with me?

　　Compared with Beijing and Shanghai, Zhengzhou is not a big city, but it has a population of several million. Why is this place so evil? I can see him everywhere!

　　Unfortunately, it was a little after nine o'clock, and the rush hour had passed, and this was still a small road. In the area of ​​a hundred meters on the street, there were only a few old men and women, and we were the only two young people standing in the middle of the road, pulling each other. How could we not be conspicuous?

　　"Hey? Ziqi! Why are you here?" Ni Qian had just protested when Song Dongfeng's voice sounded behind her.

　　"Hurry up, hurry up! Just listen to me! I'll take you to Daxiangguo Temple to burn incense today, and then we'll go shopping in the pedestrian street in the afternoon and eat at the night market in the evening! Stay one night and come back tomorrow, okay?" I didn't dare to turn my face away, and I dragged Ni Qian back across the street.

　　"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, someone is calling you! Someone is calling you!" The girl was pulled by me to jog, but she heard the shouting from behind.

　　"No way! You heard it wrong!" I really wanted to leave her here and run away, but after thinking about the consequences, I didn't dare.

　　Song Dongfeng had already caught up with me in two steps. After all, I was holding on to someone, so how could I run faster than him?

　　"Hey! Ziqi, didn't you hear me calling you?" As soon as this guy caught up with me, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me over while speaking.

　　I had no choice but to turn around as his hand pressed, pretending to be surprised and saying, "Hey? Why are you here? What a coincidence? I was just told that someone called me and this girl was in a hurry to have breakfast, how about we go together?"

　　After all, I owe him such a big favor, so it's fine if I don't say hello when we meet, but I have to avoid him. If he knows, I won't be able to live like a human being, so I have to pretend to say hello.

　　It’s not that Song Dongfeng is a bad person, but once he arranges something, it’s life-threatening. We’ve only known each other for two months, and he almost cost a group of us our lives in the city hospital.

　　If it was Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, it would be fine. They like to do this, but I can't. So, you can't blame me for running away when I see him.

　　"Me? You're talking about me?" Ni Qian saw that I sold her out as soon as I came up and was about to refute.

　　But I immediately pinched the back of his hand at an angle where Song Dongfeng couldn't see, and finally the girl knew what was good for her and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

　　Who is Song Dongfeng? Just based on these few words, he could guess roughly.

　　It was no random arrangement for the Security Investigation Bureau to send him here. The guy just smiled and asked, "Bringing your girlfriend to visit the City God Temple? What a coincidence, it's being renovated and tourists are not allowed to enter for the past two months. However, I can take you in, burn incense and worship the City God! How about it? Let's go!"

　　After saying that, Song Dongfeng made a "please" gesture to Ni Qian.

　　"Really? That's great! We've come to the right place!" How could the girl think so much? She thought my "friend" was working here.

　　Ni Qian didn't know who I was or what my identity was, but Song Dongfeng knew it very clearly. He also knew whether I would come to worship the City God.

　　So, they didn't make a fuss about me at all, but jumped directly to Ni Qian.

　　What else could I say? I could only helplessly be sandwiched between the two of them and return to the other side of the road.

　　But what was it that made Song Dongfeng come here so early in the morning? As for the renovation he mentioned, I didn't believe it at all, and he didn't expect me to believe it. I knew exactly who he was and what he did.

　　This set of rhetoric was just a perfunctory response to the girl next to him.

　　Chapter 8: Really Angry

　　After entering the gate of Chenghuang Temple and entering the courtyard, I had a lot of questions, but I couldn't help but be attracted by the towering theater, the magnificent palace, the exquisite brick carvings, wood carvings, and colorful paintings, as well as the only ancient banyan tree that I remembered in my childhood.

　　Ni Qian beside me was naturally even more excited, wanting to touch and walk around everything she saw. Song Dongfeng and I were chatting casually.

　　Although I was very curious about his presence here, I was still struggling with whether to ask him or not. I was afraid that if I asked him, I would be dragged in again.

　　Even though this guy is in charge of coordination and processing, he knows a lot.

　　It was from him that I learned that the City God is not a god. Gods are imagined by people, but the City Gods in the City God Temple are not imagined by people. They really existed in history and were honest officials, loyal ministers, heroes, people with upright character or good deeds who served or lived in the city. After his death, people worshipped him as the City God in order to commemorate him, hoping that he could continue to protect the city.

　　Therefore, the City God varies from city to city, and not all City God temples enshrine the same person.

　　For example, the City God in Shanghai City God Temple is Qin Yubo, while the City God in Zhengzhou City God Temple is Ji Xin, a general under the command of Emperor Liu Bang of Han.

　　In fact, Zhengzhou City God Temple is not very big. After a while, we reached the deepest hall. The City God sitting inside had a solemn appearance and a majestic posture. He really had the bearing of a general, different from those "civil servants" like the God of Wealth.

　　What confused me even more was that Song Dongfeng said that the place was being renovated. I naturally didn't believe it. I thought there must be something unusual going on that made him come here.

　　But as we walked along and looked around, we didn't meet anyone else on the road except the three of us.

　　So why did he come here so early in the morning?

　　Taking advantage of Ni Qian's opportunity to burn incense in the temple, I finally couldn't help but ask him, "What on earth happened here? Can you please come here?"

　　"Haha, you finally can't help it?" Song Dongfeng didn't say anything. It seemed that he was waiting for me to ask. It's really hard for this guy to be so patient!

　　"Just be a coward! Tell me quickly!" Since I had already lost a step, I didn't care about anything else. Anyway, the words were already out, so I might as well ask clearly.

　　"I'm working here! Haha." Seeing that he had whetted my appetite, Song Dongfeng answered slowly and happily.

　　"You're...working...here?" I thought of all kinds of reasons, like a mysterious murder, disappearance for no reason, or something horrible dug out from the ground, but I never thought that this guy actually worked here!

　　"Why are you working here?!" I was stunned for a long time, and finally realized it. I always thought he was in the city bureau compound.

　　"Haha, how can our unit be public? No matter where you are, you can't hang a sign that says 'National Secret Affairs Investigation Bureau', right?" Song Dongfeng answered with a smile.

　　"Our unit cannot be found in the national security system. I can tell you the details later. How about it? Do you want me to go to your office?" Seeing Ni Qian coming over after burning incense, Song Dongfeng made a timely invitation.

　　"Ah? Are you from here?" When the girl heard that Song Dongfeng was in charge of this place, she immediately became interested and asked, "Then tell me whether the City God is really effective? Also, he said that my soul ran away a few days ago. Can you help me take a look?"

　　"Haha, sure~ Come to my office! Let's chat while drinking tea!" Song Dongfeng probably seldom interacts with strangers because of his work. Seeing that Ni Qian talked so much, he also came to talk about sex.

　　I was still hesitating whether to go or not, but Song Dongfeng grabbed me without further ado and said as we walked, "You've resigned anyway, and Zhang Shan won't be back until the end of the month. There's nothing important to do anyway, and someone I know will be coming over soon, so you can go together after we finish chatting."

　　I was so depressed. This guy's intelligence work was too good. I just resigned yesterday, and he knew it early this morning. But Ni Qian was next to me, so I couldn't say anything.

　　There is a small door in the east wall of the City God Temple as you enter it, which leads directly to the Management Committee next to it.

　　We walked here and were about to go in when we heard a guy at the gate shouting at the top of his voice: "Auntie, how many times have I told you that I'm here to look for someone! I'm not going in to play!"

　　The voice sounded familiar, so I took a few steps to the side and looked out. Sure enough, outside the door, Liu Yunlong was arguing with a middle-aged woman who was guarding the door. He insisted on coming in, but the old lady refused to let him in, saying that the place was under construction and no visitors were allowed.

　　"Hey! Look, he's the one I'm looking for! Lao Wang, why are you here too? Where's Lao Song? Get him out quickly!" Liu Yunlong looked up and saw that it was me, so he came up and held my hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

　　"What are you doing here?" After Song Dongfeng told the gatekeeper what to do and turned to walk into the yard, I asked him anxiously.

　　Because I smelled something unusual.

　　I'm afraid the "acquaintance" Song Dongfeng mentioned just now refers to him.

　　"Damn! You can come but I can't?!" Liu Yunlong was as funny as ever.

　　"Haha, I don't need to introduce him, right? Liu Yunlong will be our new colleague from now on!" Song Dongfeng introduced him to me with a smile.

　　I am really angry this time!

　　He asked us to risk our lives at the beginning, so there is nothing to say. It is not a bad thing to do.

　　After all, Zhang Shan and I are people with special abilities.

　　But now, this guy not only monitors us, but also wants to drag Liu Yunlong into the water. He is a normal person. If he encounters the kind of things that happened in the city hospital again, it would be strange if he can save his life!

　　After having dinner together a few times, Liu Yunlong and Ni Qian became familiar with each other. They started chatting as soon as they met. I took the opportunity to pull Song Dongfeng aside and said to him patiently, "What do you mean your colleague? I don't know what you do. Let me tell you, Liu is my childhood friend, and he doesn't have any special abilities. What exactly is your intention in bringing him in?!"

　　Song Dongfeng was also stunned by my sudden outburst of temper. He blinked two or three times before returning to a smiling expression and said, "Don't worry, you misunderstood. Let me explain to you."

　　"Don't explain to me! Anyway, I don't agree to let Liu join you!" I know that this guy is a silver-tongued man. Even an old detective like Captain Yang can be fooled by his explanation.

　　"Haha, okay, I won't explain. I'll just say one thing, I didn't invite Liu Yunlong. He wanted to join on his own." Song Dongfeng placed his palms upright in front of me, pressing down as he spoke, signaling me to calm down first.

　　"He applied for it himself? When?" When I heard this, I immediately lost my temper. This troublesome child, doesn't he know that this is a pit of fire?

　　Zhang Shan and I climbed up with all our might, but he didn't even have a farewell ceremony up there, he just patted his butt and jumped down!

　　Chapter 9 Fresh Blood

　　"Just yesterday afternoon, I went to the Municipal Bureau to exchange the results of the incident investigation with Captain Yang, but he stopped me and insisted on joining in." Seeing my incredible look, Song Dongfeng also made a helpless expression.

　　"So you agree too?" I was even more surprised. It's too easy to get into the Security Investigation Bureau, isn't it? Just like the foreman recruiting on Ermalu, they look the same, just pull them and go?

　　"Haha, listen to me!" Seeing that I had finally fallen into the trap, Song Dongfeng began to explain, "Our Security Investigation Bureau is affiliated with the Ninth Department of the General Staff. The Henan branch was only established in the past year. Up to now, even if you and Zhang Shan are included, there are only four of us. The other one is my assistant, who is a pure civilian. Because special incidents in Henan and Hebei in the past were investigated and solved by people directly sent from Beijing. Therefore, the Henan station will still focus on collecting intelligence on special incidents in the future, and specific accident handling and case handling will still be handled by people sent from above. Do you understand? There is generally no danger here. As for what happened two days ago, think about it carefully. That was a problem that fell on you, but you were not sent there on purpose."

　　Seeing that my expression eased a little, Song Dongfeng paused and continued, "Don't think that anyone can come in. Even if it's a civilian position, the bureau requires courage and strategy, and calmness and stability in the face of difficulties before considering absorbing it. If Liu Yunlong hadn't performed well in the city hospital elevator case two days ago, not to mention your childhood friend, even if he was my own brother, we wouldn't approve him to come in. Besides, not everyone has this kind of experience."

　　"Then... Captain Yang is willing too?" I finally realized that once I heard this guy speak, all my energy was gone. No wonder Captain Yang was always speechless because of him.

　　"Haha, you think that elevator cases are just like theft and robbery, which happen every day, right? Usually, Liu is still a criminal policeman. Only when there is a special task, he will be temporarily seconded to be responsible for the investigation and handling of peripheral incidents. After all, I can't make it here alone. What's more, he has the certificate issued by the bureau, which can have a certain deterrent effect no matter which level he negotiates with. Why shouldn't Captain Yang do it?" Song Dongfeng's words were flawless, and I could no longer find any reason to refuse.

　　"Then why are you spying on me?" While Ni Qian was not around, I planned to settle the score with this guy.

　　"Even if you don't ask, I am going to explain it to you. For special personnel like you and Zhang Shan, we have adopted some simple protection policies. Of course, this is not surveillance. It's just that when you take special actions, I will receive a notification. Just like you resigned yesterday, which was a special action. But when you came here this morning, I didn't know about it. So don't worry, I guarantee that you have 100% freedom, and it is definitely not the so-called round-the-clock surveillance!" As expected, Song Dongfeng had already made an excuse.

　　"No matter what, I just feel uncomfortable. From now on, no matter big or small, I won't tell you and you are not allowed to investigate!" Although the explanation was very clear, I still didn't want him to know so much.

　　It felt like I was standing naked in front of him.

　　"Okay, okay, I promise you! I will withdraw Zhang Shan's protection as well, is that ok? Does the leader have any other instructions?" Seeing that I insisted on my request, Song Dongfeng agreed decisively.

　　"And! You have to be responsible for what you just said! If I find out that you dare to send Liu to carry out any dangerous mission, no matter what you have done in the past, I will turn against you!" Although he explained it very clearly, I still had to threaten him.

　　This kind of job is more dangerous than being a criminal policeman. I am completely worried about it.

　　"Hey, you old bastard! I don't like what you said! What do you mean by danger? I came here to accept the challenge! Do you have to worry about me?!" At this time, Liu Yunlong had finished chatting with Ni Qian. Seeing that the two of us were still huddled in a corner talking about something intensely, he came over, heard the last few sentences I just said, and immediately disagreed.

　　"What dangerous mission?" Although Ni Qian talked with Liu Yunlong for a long time, I had already told her not to tell her too much, so I was not worried that Liu Yunlong would leak anything.

　　"Haha, it's nothing. Whenever there is a temple fair here, there are always thieves sneaking in to steal. Our management office has negotiated with the Municipal Bureau, and in the future they will send anti-pickpocket experts to help maintain order at every temple fair. Zi Qi joked that this would be a dangerous mission for Liu." Song Dongfeng took one look at my expression and knew what to say.

　　Liu Yunlong and I quickly agreed.

　　"Okay, let's go to my office and have a cup of tea before you leave! I just bought some top-quality Biluochun. Wait until my colleague has explained everything to Liu, then you can go wherever you want, I won't take care of lunch!" Seeing that everyone was standing at the door, Song Dongfeng took the opportunity to pull us into his office again.

　　Since Song Dongfeng had set up his office here for the sake of confidentiality, his office would naturally not reveal even the slightest bit of uniqueness.

　　I found the tea boring, but the two people next to me were more excited than each other. Liu Yunlong was eager to join this mysterious department. He was about to get his work permit, and he felt like he had nails on his butt and couldn't sit still.

　　Ni Qian came to listen to Song Dongfeng's story about the City God Temple, and the two of them chatted enthusiastically.

　　Finally, when the tea was almost finished, Song Dongfeng took the opportunity to tell the maid that after burning the incense, she must take a red rope and tie it to the big banyan tree at the entrance of the temple, so that her wish would come true.

　　Ni Qian was naturally in a hurry to tie the rope. While she was away, Song Dongfeng handed the already processed documents to Liu Yunlong.

　　I took a look and found that it was exactly the same little notebook he showed me when I first met him. There was nothing on the black leather surface except a big national emblem.

　　Liu Yunlong took the notebook and looked at it from left to right as if it were a treasure. He could not put it down.

　　However, as he flipped through the pages, I saw that the unit printed on it was: Zhengzhou City God Temple Management Committee.

　　"Why is there such a name printed on it?" I took a copy while Liu Yunlong wasn't paying attention, and asked in confusion while looking at it.

　　"What do you know?! You are not a member of the system!" Liu Yunlong snatched it back before I could read it completely, and said, "This is just like the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision. They changed their name to 'Qingfeng Tea House' for external purposes. Special purpose, do you understand?"

　　Song Dongfeng continued, "Haha, that's about what I mean. However, we are mainly keeping it confidential. We call it Zhengzhou Chenghuang Temple Management Committee to the outside world. Of course, there are people who actually manage ancient buildings here. It's just that they don't know our identities. And there is an anti-counterfeiting seal on this certificate, which belongs to the national security system."

　　"Oh..." I really don't want to discuss things on this level with them.

　　Since Liu Yunlong is just wishful thinking, I can't say anything more. After all, people have different pursuits.

　　According to Liu Yunlong, "How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan?"

　　"By the way, you and Zhang Shan's documents have been processed a long time ago. Why don't you take them back together today?" Song Dongfeng said, turning around and going back to the table to get them.

　　"No need, I'll leave it here for now! We'll talk about it when we get back from the mountain!" I hurriedly stopped him. It's still okay for me, but if Zhang Shan knew that I had "found a job" for him, he would be furious!

　　Chapter 10: Summoned Again

　　When they walked out to the courtyard of the City God Temple, Ni Qian had not returned yet. Liu Yunlong remembered the incident at the door again and asked Song Dongfeng, "Why are people not allowed to enter here? I don't think they are going to be renovated."

　　"Want to know?" Song Dongfeng smiled mysteriously, then lowered his voice and said, "A few days ago, we were reinforcing and hardening the ground inside each building to prevent individual places from becoming loose and causing the ancient buildings to tilt. Who knew that when we were maintaining the theater, we actually found a big pit in a corner of the building. After digging it up, guess what we found?"

　　"What?" Even I was a little impatient to know.

　　"A flight of stairs, made of stone, leading crookedly to the underground." After saying this, Song Dongfeng stopped again.

　　"Treasure? Or ancient tomb?" Liu Yunlong asked impatiently. He has always been most interested in this kind of things.

　　"Haha, we don't know what it is yet. I have notified the relevant experts from the Municipal Museum to come over. We are currently hardening and ventilating the passage. Besides, we should keep a low profile as much as possible before we figure out what it is. So the City God Temple is temporarily closed to the public. Do you want to go and have a look?" Seeing that Liu Yunlong was interested, Song Dongfeng hooked him and said.

　　"Will they let us in?" Liu Yunlong was obviously eager to try, but was afraid of being blocked at the door.

　　"Haha, don't forget, you have your ID! Who dares to stop you?" Song Dongfeng deliberately pointed at the pocket where Liu Yunlong put his ID, but turned to face me.

　　"Then let's go and take a look! Maybe we can witness history!" After hearing what he said, Liu Yunlong hesitated for a moment.

　　"I'm not going! Let's go have breakfast and then go shopping in the mall. No one will accompany you to dig a hole!" I saw Ni Qian coming over, so I hurriedly said goodbye to them and planned to retreat.

　　After leaving the temple, Ni Qian said nothing. She didn't go shopping in the mall as planned after burning incense, but insisted on going home. I thought she was thinking about what happened two days ago, so I didn't dare to say anything, but just followed her silently.

　　When I got home and stood in front of the city hospital, I didn't know what to do. Ni Qian turned around and said, "Zi Qi, are you hiding something from me?"

　　"Ah? No!" I was shocked when she suddenly said what I was thinking. I quickly said, "Why do you ask that? Can I have two girlfriends at the same time?"

　　"That's not what I'm talking about." Ni Qian came over, looked me in the eyes and said, "I just want to know what kind of person you are. Sometimes I feel that you are very real and ordinary; but sometimes I feel that your world is very far away from me. Can you tell me why?"

　　I was silent because I knew where her confusion came from, but I couldn't tell her, and I didn't want to make up other reasons to lie to her.

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, Ni Qian sighed and continued, "I didn't feel that much before, but since Zhang Shan came, I feel that you have changed. Not only did you cure my wandering soul, but you can also hang out with those criminal police. Including today's Song Dongfeng, I think his real job should not be the manager of the City God Temple, right?"

　　My heart was getting heavier. Although this girl seemed careless, which girl wouldn't be careful? Many things that men thought were insignificant could often be analyzed by them to give them useful information.

　　It seems that I have to say it this time. I really don’t know what Ni Qian will think of me after I tell her these things.

　　"Don't think too much." I was thinking about where to start, but the girl said, "Everyone has his own secrets. It doesn't matter. I will wait for the day when you are willing to tell me, instead of forcing you to tell it."

　　She had done all the talking and I didn't know what to say next.

　　In the awkward silence, I noticed two men in the distance who were looking at us.

　　When my eyes glanced at them, two of them immediately looked away, but one of them walked away and came around behind me.

　　Ni Qian didn't notice this and I didn't show any expression either. I wanted to see what they were going to do.

　　As expected, after the person behind him arrived, the one left in front no longer cared about my gaze, adjusted his coat, and walked towards me.

　　Ni Qian finally noticed the abnormality behind me and stared at the person who came vigilantly.

　　"Excuse me, are you Wang Ziqi?" the person in front asked after standing one meter away.

　　I just nodded slightly to show my affirmation.

　　Although I didn't look back, for some reason, I was able to catch some information about the person behind me, including how far away he was from me and what he was doing at the moment. I could even tell what he was going to do next based on the tension of his muscles.

　　My senses are indeed more sensitive than before. Could this be caused by absorbing the pupil seal?

　　"Do you work at Yingtao Technology?" the person in front of me continued to ask after seeing me admit it.

　　"What do you do?" Ni Qian asked before I could answer. She could tell from my eyes that I was not familiar with the two men in front and behind me, and I was quite hostile to them.

　　"Excuse me, ma'am. We are from the Jinhua Road Police Station. I'm afraid the gentleman next to you is related to a murder that happened last night. We need to take him back for investigation." The man in front of me took another step forward and stuck between me and Ni Qian. He was afraid that I would suddenly resist arrest and take the girl hostage.

　　"Murder? Who is the deceased?" I was finally surprised.

　　"Your boss. You just came out of his house late last night. Don't tell me you didn't know." The man in front of him said, with a slight smile on his face, as if he was listening to a joke.

　　How is this possible?! My mind exploded instantly.

　　Although I know that they have both been haunted by the old lady recently, it will definitely not be fatal! After all, there is a barrier between yin and yang, and the old lady cannot have that ability.

　　"You must have made a mistake. How could he kill someone?!" Ni Qian panicked when she heard it was a murder case.

　　"Ma'am, I didn't say he killed anyone. The case is still in the investigation and evidence collection stage." The man in front seemed to deal with this kind of thing frequently. He spoke very tactfully and tried his best to calm the emotions of the people around him.

　　"Come with us? The car is just ahead. As long as you cooperate, we won't handcuff you for the time being." The person behind me patted my shoulder and leaned forward to whisper.

　　I didn't actually listen to what they were saying. All I could think about was the cause of our boss' death. His death was definitely strange! Of course I didn't kill him, and I'm afraid his wife wouldn't either. As for the old lady, I think she's even less suspicious than his wife.

　　So how and when did he die?

　　It seems that if I don't go with them, I will never be able to figure out these things.

　　Besides, even if I don’t want to go now, I can’t.

　　"Okay, I'll go with you." My thoughts came back to my mind, and I looked up and said to the person in front of me.

　　I'm not really afraid. As the saying goes, if you don't do anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night.

　　I didn't do anything, why can't I go?

　　Besides, I am also eager to find out how Wu Guoxiao died?

　　Chapter 11: Isolated and helpless

　　The two were a little surprised to see me cooperate so well, but they still did not let down their guard. They approached me, one on each side, and walked towards a car on the side of the road.

　　"Do you want me to call Liu?" Ni Qian saw me being taken away and followed me and asked.

　　"Not yet. If I haven't found you by dinner time, it won't be too late to contact you later." I reluctantly turned around and said something to him, but was stopped by the person next to me.

　　There was no choice but to give her a look that said don't worry.

　　But the fact is, from 11 am to 6 pm, seven hours, I suffered more or less. I should have informed Liu Yunlong or Song Dongfeng as soon as possible.

　　It was what I deserved. I thought I wouldn't be afraid if I knew them. But who would have thought that after going in, even if you know the number one leader, it would be useless if you don't have a phone call.

　　Sitting in the back seat of the car, I was still sandwiched between the two of them. Besides, I was wearing thick clothes in winter, so it was not very comfortable to sit. I had to adjust myself from time to time.

　　"Don't move! Do you think we are going on a trip? Do you want to find a comfortable position?" As soon as they got in the car, the two people's relatively gentle expressions outside changed instantly. The man who had been standing behind them said viciously at this time.

　　"What was the reason for Wu Guoxiao's death?" I didn't pay much attention to him and just asked the question that concerned me the most.

　　"Don't worry, it wasn't you who killed him!" said the person who was standing in front and now sitting on my left.

　　I didn't feel anything when I heard this. I didn't kill him in the first place, so why should I feel relieved?

　　"However, you broke into a private residence, threatened and intimidated, and even engaged in robbery, which indirectly caused the victim's death. I hope you have an idea in your mind and think about it carefully, and say what you need to say later, and strive for a lighter punishment. Don't even take the chance you are given." Seeing that I remained calm, the person on the left continued.

　　"What are you talking about? I broke into a private house? Threatened and intimidated? And robbed? Who... who said that?" I stared at him with wide eyes. Isn't this too much of an accusation?

　　"Haha, you'll know when you get there." The person on the left said this, turned his face to the window and ignored me.

　　But I couldn't calm down for a long time. According to him, Wu Guoxiao was already dead, but that was probably not what he said himself.

　　When I went there last night, the only people at home besides him were his wife and, of course, his mother Yan. Yan naturally would not report the case, so there was only one person who said this, and that was the boss's wife.

　　But...when human lives are at stake, would she do this?

　　Isn’t this woman too hateful?

　　Isn't this obviously a personal vendetta? !

　　Soon, we arrived at the Jinhua Road Police Station. As soon as I got off the car, I was taken to an interrogation room with iron bars. Before that, they took away all my belongings, including my money and cell phone.

　　When they were about to handcuff me, I still hesitated. After all, I hadn't done anything, so why should I be treated like a suspect?

　　But if you think about it the other way around, am I not a suspect now? Just take me away!

　　I was alone in the iron fence, and I couldn't understand why the boss's wife said that I killed her boss. Of course, maybe she didn't mean it that way, but the case officer thought they should ask me about the situation.

　　Isn't she afraid that I will be pushed into a corner and tell her about the old lady who died of anger over the property? Although I can't be sentenced, it can at least cause some trouble. Maybe with the death of the boss, she won't even get a sip of soup.

　　Just as I was thinking, two people came in from outside, both in police uniforms. After a closer look, I found that they were the two who had brought me here.

　　The two sat down at the table outside and spread out a pile of documents.

　　The person sitting on the left took out a photo, held it up and asked me, "Do you know this person?"

　　The lighting in the room was not very good, and since I was handcuffed to a chair, I tried my best to lean forward and look.

　　This is undoubtedly our boss!

　　He was obviously dead in the photo, lying on the ground with his upper body naked, his eyes slightly open, and no obvious injuries.

　　Seeing me nod, he put the photo down and continued to ask me: "Okay, his name is Wu Guoxiao, what is your relationship?"

　　"He is the boss and I am the employee."

　　"Did you go to his house last night?"

　　“Yes.”

　　"What for?"

　　I hesitated for a moment before answering, "To get my salary."

　　The policeman obviously noticed my pause and asked immediately, "What happened next? Did you get it?"

　　"……No."

　　"So you yelled at him? There was even a physical fight. When you saw him fall to the ground due to excessive excitement, you snatched the money from the shoe cabinet at the door and ran away? Right!!!" The policeman's tone was relatively calm at the beginning, but it became more and more severe as he spoke. At the end, I was shocked.

　　"Who... who told you?" I was confused. What does this have to do with anything?

　　"Admit it?" The policeman said with a bit of pride when he saw me stuttering.

　　"...I admit nothing!!!" I finally realized that he was setting a trap for me to fall into. "You are trying to induce me to confess! I'm telling you, I want to make a phone call!"

　　Are you kidding? No matter if it was the boss lady who said that or they think so, I dare not say anything. Besides, I might be taken to the First Prison tomorrow morning!

　　"I'm afraid you can't make a call right now." The policeman on the left smiled, leaned back in his chair, and tilted his head to look at me.

　　"...What do you mean?" I really didn't understand what he said.

　　"Haha, in short, you are forbidden to contact the outside world unless you explain clearly." The person on the other side was obviously confident and didn't worry that I wouldn't explain.

　　"What should I confess? Who did you hear that from? Was it that Tian Shangjun (our boss lady)?" I was really a little angry. It seemed that I thought too highly of her.

　　I don’t think the police could come up with such a detailed plot, it’s as if they saw it with their own eyes.

　　"No matter who said it, you can only choose yes or no." This guy actually wanted to continue to lead me.

　　"I'm sorry, based on what you said just now, I think there is suspicion of inducement to confess. So, I won't say another word before I get in touch with my friend." I protested again.

　　"Okay, you don't have to tell me! We have plenty of time for you to think about it." The policeman on the left said, but the man on the right stood up, opened the iron door, and uncuffed my handcuffs.

　　"Let's go, let's go to another place for you to think about it! Other people will be coming in soon." The two men dragged me out of the interrogation room, turned a corner, went upstairs, and came to a door at the end of the corridor, pushed it open and walked in.

　　When I saw the scene inside the house, I was very surprised. What kind of place is this?

　　There was no furniture in the room, which was more than 20 square meters in size. However, three rows of high and low iron racks were nailed to the walls.

　　It's called an iron frame, but it's quite simple. It's actually three steel bars used for building a building, with a distance of only ten centimeters. They are divided into three layers, upper, middle and lower, and welded to oversized steel nails nailed into the wall. The steel nails are also divided into three layers, upper, middle and lower, and are arranged neatly, with an average of three every thirty to forty centimeters.

　　Chapter 12 Super Torture

　　There was a man squatting against a wall in the room, and he was looking up at me.

　　At first glance, he looked like a gangster, with yellow hair in the front, earrings and lip studs. I even spotted a tattoo at the base of his neck.

　　But at this moment, there was no trace of the hoodlum's look on his face. Even though it was the coldest time of the year and the windows of the house were wide open, his face was covered in sweat and his features were wrinkled together, obviously enduring great pain.

　　I was still in a daze. The two policemen behind me had already opened the handcuffs, but they did not let go. They seemed to be wrapping something around my fingers.

　　Looking at the gangster's feet again, I found something wrong.

　　He put his hands behind his back, not squatting like normal, but with his toes pointed high, a bit like he was doing a horse stance. Although his legs were shaking all the time, he had no intention of lowering them.

　　I took a deep breath and finally understood!

　　They are going to handcuff me!!!

　　But it was too late. I quickly turned around and looked behind me. At this time, the two policemen had used something to tie my two thumbs together.

　　Seeing me turn my head to look at him, the policeman who had spoken to me in the interrogation room earlier said, "You still have time to change your mind now. Otherwise, when we leave, it will take six hours to come back!"

　　"What you are doing is torture! I'm going to sue you!" I already knew what I was about to face.

　　"I'm sorry, this is a reasonable temporary detention. You can sue me if you want! But you have to endure these six hours." The policeman who had been silent said grimly.

　　The two of them stopped talking and dragged me to the wall opposite the gangster and forced me to squat.

　　Before I could resist, one of them pressed down my head and the other suddenly lifted up my arms which were tied together behind my back.

　　"Ah!!!" I couldn't help but scream in pain.

　　"Okay! Stop shouting. It's too late to regret now! Let me tell you, for six hours, no one would pay attention to you even if you wanted to confess. Now is your last chance. What do you want to say?" After the two men let go, the man in front of me half-knelt and asked me.

　　I tried it, and it was obvious that my thumb was tied to the steel bar. It was a little high, and I finally understood why the thugs on the opposite side had to stand on tiptoe, because it was hung too high, so the heels could not touch the ground.

　　Unless you have the heart to tear off both of your thumbs.

　　"Don't regret it!" I spoke through gritted teeth and my tone was definitely not friendly.

　　The two looked at each other, made a helpless expression, turned around and walked out the door, leaving me and the gangster in this room.

　　After closing the door, I tried to stand up again, but I only got up a little bit and then I was pulled back from behind and couldn't move up anymore.

　　This posture, which is similar to horse stance, is more uncomfortable than squatting on tiptoes.

　　After squatting helplessly, I moved a little, trying to make myself more comfortable. Then I observed the whole room.

　　There were two large windows on one wall of the room, both of which were open at this moment, and cold wind kept pouring in. Outside the windows seemed to be the compound of the police station.

　　On the remaining three walls, there was a huge clock in the middle of each wall. Watching the second hand ticking, I began to regret that I should have asked the girl to inform Liu Yunlong.

　　Now we can only hope that she is really worried and will notify us as soon as possible!

　　"Hey, man! What brought you here?" I squatted for a while, feeling bored and a little tired, so I took the initiative to chat with the hooligans across the street. If I had something to say, I might not feel so tired after my attention was diverted.

　　I still have high hopes that I can maintain this posture for six hours.

　　The gangster on the opposite side heard the voice, raised his lifeless eyes to look at me, said nothing, and then lowered his head again.

　　Forget it! I'll find something else to do.

　　I stared at the clock on the wall for another two minutes and found that my feet were starting to feel sore. It had only been less than five minutes!

　　Helplessly, I tried to squat deeper, but my two thumbs were pulled, and severe pain came after a few seconds.

　　I finally realized the horror of this posture!

　　It would have been fine if he moved a little down or a little up, but he had to be tied here in a half-squatting position, neither squatting nor standing.

　　Let alone six hours, I'm afraid I can't even last sixty minutes!

　　In order to divert my attention, I deliberately counted every tick of the second hand on the watch.

　　After a while, I found that counting the seconds was even more frustrating! Because I counted a few hundred times, which seemed like a lot, but when I looked closely, it wasn't even ten minutes!

　　No wonder they put so many watches here! The purpose is to make the people who are tied up feel that time passes more slowly.

　　I don't know how these police officers came up with this idea. They are so talented!

　　But no matter how talented I am, I can hardly stay squatting any longer, and my legs are shaking uncontrollably.

　　I tried to kneel down, but at this height, neither my butt nor my knees could touch the ground, so I could only half-squat.

　　Half an hour later, I finally understood why the thug on the other side ignored me. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to me, but that he didn't have the energy to talk.

　　Because at this moment, I couldn't even open my mouth, I clenched my teeth tightly, and sweated profusely. When will this unbearable "torture" end? !

　　I don't know how long it took, but just when I felt like I was about to pass out, I heard a commotion outside the corridor. I barely looked up at my watch and realized I had been squatting here for two hours and forty minutes.

　　Before I could hear what the noise outside was about, the door was kicked open with a bang.

　　I tried hard to open my sweat-blinded eyes and looked over. Two people, one tall and one short, rushed in from outside the door. They were stunned for a moment, and then hurried towards me.

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong are finally here!

　　To my surprise, they had been busy behind me for quite some time but still hadn’t figured it out!

　　All my energy had been used up, I was speechless and could only let them do their work.

　　"Swish!" Liu Yunlong finally gave up trying to untie me with his hands, and took out a two-inch long dagger-shaped knife from his pocket, and finally cut the rope that tied me from behind.

　　"Who did it?" Zhang Shan supported me with one arm, picked up the piece of thing that Liu Yunlong had cut off, stood up and asked the person outside the door while holding it up.

　　When they turned around, the people standing outside the door rushed in. There were about seventy or eighty of them, all wearing police uniforms.

　　"What do you want to do? Don't you know this is a police station? Not only do you break in, but you even dare to release the suspect!" After his men stood still, a policeman who looked older shouted in a stern voice.

　　"Let me ask you one more question! Who did it?!" Zhang Shan ignored him, stretched out the thing in his hand and continued to ask.

　　At this time, I also saw the things that tied me up. They were two or three white plastic strips with a hole at one end and densely packed teeth at the other end.

　　I have seen this kind of thing. Its full name is cable tie. People in Zhengzhou like to call it "wire tie". I often use it to tie up the wires behind the computer to keep them tidy.

　　However, this is the first time I have seen filigree of this size. It is five millimeters wide. No wonder it can’t be stretched open!

　　Chapter 13 Making Trouble at the Police Station

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan ignored him, the middle-aged policeman couldn't save his face. He stepped forward, pointed at Zhang Shan's nose and shouted: "If you don't give us an explanation, don't blame us for detaining you for disturbing public order!"

　　Zhang Shan felt that my strength was slowly recovering. Although my legs were shaking violently, I could still stand. So he withdrew the force that was supporting me, threw away the wire in his hand, and walked towards the middle-aged policeman.

　　"Wait!" Liu Yunlong saw that a conflict was about to break out, so he jumped up and stood in front of Zhang Shan, saying to the police, "You guys at the Jinghua Road Police Station are awesome! Even our Criminal Investigation Division doesn't dare to do this, and you're still inventing something? I've only heard of this 'inverted horse stance' but never seen it before. Today I've really opened my eyes."

　　When they heard Liu Yunlong introduce himself, the police were stunned and their momentum was obviously not as strong as before.

　　When it comes to dealing with things, older people have more experience. The middle-aged policeman was also stunned, but he immediately said, "Oh, since you are a comrade from the Municipal Bureau, you should know the rules! This person is currently involved in a case. Even if you want to intervene, you must bring a transfer order from above! Now you rush in like this and rob anyone you see, what's going on?!"

　　"Who said I'm here to take over this case?" Liu Yunlong didn't care about the rules and regulations the middle-aged man told him, and pretended to be surprised.

　　"Then what are you doing...?" The middle-aged policeman was also confused. The people from the Municipal Bureau came to snatch the prisoner, but not for the case. Why else could it be?

　　"I'm here to tell you to let him go." Liu Yunlong straightened his posture and said while looking at the middle-aged man in front of him with a smile.

　　"...You!" The middle-aged policeman was stunned again, and finally realized that the kid was here to make fun of him. He couldn't hold back his pride and fell to the ground completely.

　　But unfortunately, Liu Yunlong was from the Municipal Bureau after all, so he couldn't do anything.

　　"I can't do this! He is involved in a clan murder! Even if the director comes, he can't just let him go without any reason. Unless you give me a reasonable explanation or direct evidence to prove that he has nothing to do with this case!" After taking a few breaths, the middle-aged policeman said patiently.

　　Of course, he gave himself a very good excuse, which was that you cannot abuse your power for personal gain.

　　"Why waste all that time talking to them?! I'm going to take my uncle out today! Who dares to stop me?!" Zhang Shan couldn't hold back any longer, he pulled me up and headed towards the door.

　　"Hey! What are you doing!?"

　　"Quick! Stop them!"

　　Seeing us move, the police were no strangers and immediately blocked the door, turning the house into chaos.

　　"Alright, alright! Stop it!!!" Seeing that Zhang Shan had already pushed down two people, if it continued, it would become a group fight. Although we might not necessarily lose, Liu Yunlong still stopped the escalation of the situation in time.

　　"Where is your director? Ask him to come out and see me!" Liu Yunlong stopped everyone and said with a serious expression.

　　It was the same middle-aged policeman who came out and said, "Just tell me what you want to say! I'm the second in command here! But let's make it clear first, young man, it's not that I won't argue with you. But if you force your way in, it will be a serious crime of absconding with a criminal. You should think carefully about it!"

　　"Second in command?" Liu Yunlong ignored his threat and said with a look of contempt: "Since you are the second in command, you should have come into contact with the Class A confidential documents above, right?"

　　"I know, go ahead!" said the middle-aged policeman, puffing out his chest.

　　"Document No. G07, do you remember what it contained?" Liu Yunlong didn't waste any more time talking to him and asked directly.

　　"Class A G...you are?!" After a brief recollection, the middle-aged policeman's expression instantly changed from calm to surprised.

　　I only found out about the file classification later when I asked Liu Yunlong. Generally, there are three levels of confidentiality: top confidentiality, level one confidentiality, and level two confidentiality.

　　Among them, only documents related to war and national defense and military affairs will use the special grade. Usually, only leaders at the provincial level and above are qualified to know.

　　The first level of confidentiality is mostly related to social stability and some things that cannot be leaked. This type of document is further divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D, and is often notified on demand.

　　Although the police station chief is only a section (section) member and can only access Class-1 T confidential documents at most, since he is an important position responsible for local public security, he can sometimes access a small amount of higher-level documents in order to cooperate with the work.

　　Among the A, B, C, and D, only the A-type files are divided into seven categories according to the content category, namely, ABCDEFG. The G-type files mentioned by Liu Yunlong earlier all belong to the national security agency category. Since these departments sometimes need cooperation from the local authorities, some of the first-level A-type G-type files can be notified to the police station chief at the lowest level.

　　As for the second-class confidential documents, they are only known to relevant personnel. For example, as mentioned above, if a criminal in hiding is secretly arrested without alerting the masses, everyone in the arrest team will know about it, but it is strictly forbidden to leak the information before the arrest. This is a second-class confidential document.

　　Having said so much off-topic, let’s get back to the topic.

　　"Haha, it seems you know it." Liu Yunlong said, taking out the work permit that Song Dongfeng had just issued to him in the morning and handing it to the middle-aged policeman in front of him.

　　“Take a look!”

　　Seeing Liu Yunlong take out the notebook, the middle-aged policeman knew that the other party was not just from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Bureau. But he couldn't hide at this time, so he had to bite the bullet and take it and open it.

　　“City…City God Temple…you have to keep it a secret…” As soon as the door was opened, the middle-aged policeman took a breath and stammered.

　　"Stop! If you read it out loud, you will be responsible for it!" Liu Yunlong had a smug look on his face, talking to the man who was ten years older than him as if he was educating a child.

　　"Hmm..." The middle-aged policeman quickly shut up, then immediately turned around and said to the people behind him: "Okay, okay, it's just a misunderstanding, everyone should go about their business first! Don't worry about me, we are all in the system. By the way, take away the gangster next to him, and deal with him however we need to!"

　　After the confused policemen carried the exhausted hooligans out of the room, the middle-aged policeman hurriedly returned his work permit to Liu Yunlong and asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Wouldn't this have happened if you had told me earlier?"

　　"Haha, you also know our rules. Generally, we are not allowed to show our ID cards unless it is absolutely necessary or there is a special need." Liu Yunlong gestured to Zhang Shan to help me sit on a platform in the middle of the room, while chatting with the middle-aged policeman.

　　"So you came here today... just because of this prisoner?" The old man's mind was working very quickly, he stared at me and asked.

　　"What prisoner? What are you thinking?!" When Liu Yunlong heard him say that, his face immediately drooped and he pointed at me and said, "He is my colleague!"

　　Chapter 14 Bullshit Confession

　　"Colleagues...colleagues!?" The middle-aged policeman's face suddenly became colorful, with several expressions mixed together, it was so good-looking.

　　"Look... this is really... Oh, yes! The flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, and family members no longer recognize each other!" After weighing the pros and cons, the big brother finally turned around, bent down and said to me who was sitting next to him.

　　"Don't tell me so much useless stuff! Who did it? Call that person over here!" Zhang Shan was still bent on pursuing the policy of "every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor".

　　"This... this..." The middle-aged policeman was in a dilemma again. If he didn't shout, the three people here were not people he could afford to offend. But if he shouted, and dragged his subordinates to take the blame, would he still be able to get away with it?

　　"Lao Zhang, I tell you to forgive others when you can. Lao Wang hasn't said anything yet, why are you rushing to do this?" Liu Yunlong is in the police system after all, and he knows very well what impact these things will have on a person's future.

　　So, this guy asked me to make the decision, which was also a disguised way of helping the "big brother" in front of me.

　　Of course, if Zhang Shan and I had the same idea, he would not object, because since he got this book, from now on only others will be afraid of him.

　　I thought about it and asked, "I just want to know one thing. Was the interrogation you conducted on me before just your people's subjective assumptions? Or was it someone's confession?"

　　If someone's testimony is like this, then the injustice must be dealt with by the perpetrator, and we cannot blame the police stations for having too many of them.

　　Of course, if their people are the only ones making guesses and inducing confessions, then there is no point in having such police officers!

　　However, this is the first time that I have become interested in the powerful force embodied by the Security Investigation Bureau.

　　"That's easy!" The middle-aged policeman saw that things were turning around, and immediately said, "I'll go investigate right away, and I promise to give you an accurate answer within five minutes! Don't worry, if they are trying to induce a confession or torture you into confessing, you don't have to do anything, I won't let these little bastards off!"

　　After saying that, he asked Liu Yunlong for instructions again, then turned and walked out.

　　There were only three of us in the room. Liu Yunlong returned to his prickly nature and said to me with a fake smile, "Old bastard, you are amazing! You are a man who has been through many storms and the gates of hell, but you were made like this by a few local policemen? But I have to say that you have gained a few pounds more than me in vain. You squatted in the 'inverted horse stance' for at least half an hour, right? I have tried it, and twenty minutes is the limit! How is it? Comfortable, right?"

　　I glanced at him and didn't want to talk. It was more than half an hour? It was almost two and a half hours! If they had come even ten minutes later, I would have passed out.

　　"What's going on? Why do they want to arrest you?" Zhang Shan was the one who could get to the point.

　　After taking a few breaths, I slowly recounted to them what happened from yesterday afternoon to night.

　　After listening to my "confession", Zhang Shan frowned and said, "According to what you said, it is very likely that you were framed. But the question is, why did your boss's wife want to harm you?"

　　Having said this, the middle-aged policeman pushed the door open again, followed by the two policemen who were responsible for "arresting" and "interrogating" me.

　　I looked up at the watch and saw that five minutes had just passed. This old man had finally kept his word.

　　They came in and didn't say anything, but handed Liu Yunlong a folder.

　　Liu Yunlong flipped through it for half a minute, handed it back to me, and said, "You've really come true!"

　　I took it and found a confession inside the folder. On the first page, there was a paragraph marked with a red line below which read: "Around 1:50 last night, Wang still stayed at my house and refused to leave, repeatedly asking for his 2,400 yuan salary. My husband kept saying in a nice voice that he would give it to him this weekend. But not only did he not listen, he cursed at us. My husband was also a little annoyed and walked up to argue with him. Unexpectedly, Wang suddenly reached out and pushed my husband down during the argument. Because my husband's heart and blood pressure were not very good, he was unable to stand up after falling down. Seeing this, Wang took the opportunity to escape. When he left, he also took away the 1,400 yuan I had placed on the shoe cabinet to pay the property and water and electricity bills..."

　　Turning to the second page, there were some red-lined words written at the top: "After I helped my husband up, I hurriedly fed him medicine. After he got a little better, he only said: 'This kid has such a bad temper. I said I would give it to him two days later, but I didn't say I wouldn't give it to him.' I hurriedly told my husband to stop talking and lie down on the sofa to rest. I found a quilt to cover him, but when I got up around five in the morning, my husband had already stopped breathing..."

　　After that, there were no more red-marked places, so I didn't look closely. I turned to the end, and the column for the narrator clearly read: Tian Shangyun. Her fingerprints were also printed on the back.

　　After reading it, I took a deep breath and handed it to Zhang Shan again.

　　What on earth is this woman thinking? Do I have such a big grudge against her?

　　Seeing that we had all seen it, the middle-aged policeman stepped forward and said with a smile: "You three have also seen it. It is indeed not our people who are trying to induce a confession. But of course we also have responsibilities that cannot be shirked. I admit this. Why don't you two come over here and explain to the leaders of the Municipal Bureau!"

　　The two people behind me could only come up to me shyly and whispered to me, "We are so sorry. We were indeed negligent in our work and did not give you a chance to explain and defend yourself. We hope that you will be magnanimous and not hold it against us anymore."

　　"Huh, that's easy to say!" Zhang Shan had also finished reading the confession, and threw him into the arms of the middle-aged policeman, saying, "How about you try the horse stance? See what it feels like to squat for two or three hours?"

　　“Don’t dare!” The two policemen hurriedly said humbly, “Only those comrades in your municipal bureau who often fight on the front lines can have such physical strength! We are far behind. Most people can’t even squat for half an hour, but this guy squatted for two and a half hours without even a groan. He is really a tough guy!”

　　I felt depressed after hearing this. It's not that I didn't want to hum, it's that I just couldn't hum it at all. I could only hold it in for so long!

　　"Oh~ So that's what you mean. Can I understand that the people from our Municipal Bureau deserve to be put in jail? They deserve it?" Liu Yunlong seized the loopholes in their words and turned the tables on them.

　　"No, no..." Sweat broke out on both of their heads.

　　The middle-aged policeman quickly dragged the two speechless guys to the back and said, "How about this! We will immediately teach Tian Shangjun a lesson, and then let these two guys host a party tonight to calm Xiao Wang down and make amends. As for our station, of course, we have other ways to express our gratitude, but I beg you three to show some mercy! These guys have only been working for a short time, and it's not easy to find a stable job these days, so don't ruin their future."

　　At the end, there was a pleading tone in his words.

　　After I heard it, I naturally understood what he meant. This was to treat them to a meal and give them gifts! In the past, it was the common people who gave them gifts. I never expected that today, I would see the return money!

　　Neither Zhang Shan nor Liu Yunlong said anything, after all, the decision-making power was mine.

　　After thinking about it, forget about the meal. I can't eat with them, and Zhang Shan will naturally be unhappy. So I said, "Forget about the meal. I don't blame you. Just treat it as exercise. But don't ask about Tian Shangjun's matter for now. We will handle it."

　　Chapter 15 Trespassing

　　Seeing that I promised not to pursue the responsibility, the three of them were immediately delighted. The middle-aged policeman hurriedly said, "That's really hard for you, Xiao Wang! But you must eat! You must eat. If you don't eat, we will feel bad! After all, we are part of the same system. We are so embarrassed that it's so awkward!"

　　"As for dinner, let's talk about it another day. Let's take a rest and then go find Tian Shangjun to find out the situation, so we definitely can't do it today. If this woman is indeed involved in false testimony, we will bring her back in the evening, and we'll talk about it then, okay?" Liu Yunlong also knew what I meant and rushed to answer.

　　Seeing that he could not persuade us, the middle-aged policeman had to give up, but he half-forced us to give him our cell phone numbers. He repeatedly promised that if our investigation found that Tian Shangyun was indeed suspected of giving a false confession, Yunyun would be severely punished.

　　We finally managed to "escape" from the police station, and exchanged pleasantries with the three people who escorted us out for a long time before we "drove" them back.

　　"Where are you going?" Liu Yunlong tightened his collar in the cold wind and turned to ask us.

　　"Didn't you just say you were going to look for Tian Shangjun?" Zhang Shan answered immediately after hearing his question. It seemed like this guy had this intention long ago.

　　"No way? Are you really going? It's already this late, I'm hungry!" Liu Yunlong looked at me as if asking for help.

　　I thought about it and felt that if I didn't get this clear, I would definitely not be able to sleep or eat. I'm afraid even Tian Shangjun herself knew clearly that her husband definitely didn't die because of me.

　　But the strange thing is that even though I have a grudge against her, it is far from a life-and-death situation. She obviously knows that if the frame-up is successful, I will inevitably have to spend a few years in prison. On the contrary, if it fails, she will not have an easy life either.

　　So the question is, why? Why would she take the risk? What's the benefit?

　　"Go find Tian Shangjun first!" I finally made this decision regardless of Liu Yunlong's fiery eyes.

　　Half an hour later, Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan stood in front of me and knocked on the door of our boss's house.

　　I have already called to inquire, Tian Shangjun did not go to the company today. So in this case, she can only stay at home honestly.

　　"Who is it?" The door opened as the question was asked. Although I was blocked by Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, I could tell that it was the voice of the proprietress.

　　"Hello, Ms. Tian, ​​I'm from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Bureau. I'm here to understand the situation." Seeing the door open, Liu Yunlong took the initiative to show his ID.

　　"Oh... ok... please come in!" The proprietress was stunned for a moment, then quickly let the person in.

　　When Liu Yunlong walked in first, she naturally saw me standing behind her.

　　"Ah...you damn thing! We two usually treat you well! How dare you do such a heinous thing!" When Tian Shangjun saw that it was me, he immediately changed his expression to a sad one, and was about to come up and hit me.

　　"Okay! Let's go inside first." Zhang Shan naturally wouldn't give her a good look. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the house.

　　After I came in and closed the door, she finally realized something was wrong because I was not handcuffed and did not look frustrated.

　　Tian Shangjun didn't dare to come forward again and sat on the sofa sobbing.

　　After all, Liu Yunlong had already revealed his identity, so he couldn't say anything in this situation and could only wink at Zhang Shan.

　　"Okay! Stop pretending!" Zhang Shan growled, and immediately stopped the woman from crying.

　　With her surprised look in my eyes, I slowly walked to the sofa opposite and sat down, and asked, "Tell me, what's going on?"

　　"What do you mean?" Tian Shangjun was obviously stunned, and immediately shouted in a stern tone: "You murderer! Why are you asking me? What's going on? You know what's going on!"

　　I guess she immediately thought, I'm just a young man in my twenties, I definitely don't have the ability to get myself out. If I did, why would I still work in their store?

　　I looked at Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan and couldn't help laughing.

　　This woman probably still thought that I was brought by the police to identify the "crime scene" and she is still trying to get away with it.

　　"Ms. Tian, ​​you need to think carefully. Falsifying evidence will lead to legal consequences." Liu Yunlong reminded her indirectly. This was the strategy we had discussed on the road before. He would reveal his identity and play the good cop, while Zhang Shan and I would play the bad cop.

　　"Fake evidence?" Tian Shangjun paused, then said, "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean! My husband is mad at him, but you come here and interrogate me like a criminal instead of asking him properly. What's going on?!"

　　"Haha, be patient." Liu Yunlong likes to play dumb. "Since it involves a murder case, we also need to investigate and collect evidence repeatedly. This is a formal legal procedure. I hope you will cooperate."

　　Seeing that Tian Shangjun had nothing to say, I slowly said, "Don't pretend. We don't like each other. This has been going on for a long time. I just want to ask, did you do this intentionally to take revenge? Or did someone teach you to do this?"

　　"…It's a mess!" The proprietress was stunned for a moment, then stood up and pointed at Liu Yunlong and said, "What's your leader's phone number? I'm going to call your leader! Send a prisoner to confront me. I'm going to file a complaint against you! Go away! Leave my house right now! You are not welcome here!"

　　Just as she was about to pick up the phone on the table, Zhang Shan pressed the receiver first.

　　"What on earth are you trying to do?!" The proprietress finally realized that these two so-called "policemen" were not on her side.

　　"Old Zhang, I've told you many times that you should be gentle and patient towards female comrades." Liu Yunlong hurried over and pushed Zhang Shan back.

　　"Wen your head! Hurry up and show me your ID! Ask clearly and leave! We don't have so much time to waste here." Zhang Shan didn't have a bad temper. When it came to matters like this, he often thought further than Liu Yunlong and I did.

　　On the way, he said that this matter might not be as simple as just being done by a "human", but it is very likely that a "ghost" was teaching it.

　　"Alas..." Seeing his old friend swearing, Liu Yunlong knew he couldn't play anymore. He took out another ID from his pocket and said, "Ms. Tian, ​​you are still stubborn, so I have to tell you the truth. The three of us are affiliated with the National Security Agency. Since you two are involved with some high-level government officials, we have already been investigating you. We hope you can fully cooperate."

　　"Humph, who are you trying to scare?" The lady boss only glanced at the ID Liu Yunlong showed. She had no idea what it was. She then continued, "You guys who eat for nothing, what tricks don't you know? Don't try that on me! Tell me, how much benefit did this brat give you? I can give you double at most!"

　　"Pfft!" Zhang Shan at the back couldn't help but laugh, waiting to see how Liu Yunlong, who looked embarrassed, would end up.

　　Chapter 16 Huanggang Temple (Part 1)

　　"Haha, you don't believe it?" Liu Yunlong was straightforward. He handed the ID to Tian Shangjun and said, "Just call and ask! The higher the official, the better! The governor, mayor, district head, anyone you know, just ask him."

　　The proprietress took the ID with a look of surprise, flipped it open and took out her cell phone suspiciously and dialed a number.

　　"Hello! Hello! Director Shen? Sorry to bother you, I'm Tian Shangjun from Yingtao Technology! ... Haha, you have a great memory, you remember everything! ... It's like this, my old Wu passed away this morning... No, no, I'm not talking about that, old Wu passed away in a strange way, now three people claiming to be people you know came to my house to investigate the situation, I just want to find you to verify it. ... What? You don't know about this?" As she said this, the boss lady looked at us with a smug look. That means: make it up! You've made it up too much, you've got yourself into trouble, right?

　　"Which unit are you asking about? Let me see their work ID! Wait a minute... Well, it's from the Zhengzhou City God Temple Management Committee, and it's stamped with some seal from the Ninth Department of the General Staff. You said they are in charge of ancient buildings and are here to investigate... Hello?... Hello?... Director Shen?... Hello!" After waiting for a few seconds, the proprietress hung up the phone helplessly. When she called again, the other party's phone was turned off.

　　"Haha, it's useless to beat Lao Shen. Do you know any higher-ranking officials?" Liu Yunlong took the certificate back from her raised hand and asked provocatively.

　　The lady boss naturally refused to give up, so she called a district chief and two city leaders. Without exception, when they heard the words "Chenghuang Temple Management Committee" and "Ninth Department of the General Staff", everyone on the other end of the phone hung up the phone immediately.

　　Finally, the call stopped. The boss lady's hand holding the phone was already shaking slightly. She seemed to understand something. It seemed that this time she had kicked on a steel plate.

　　"Haha, do you believe it? If you do, just tell me quickly." Liu Yunlong asked at the right time while she was in a trance.

　　"It's...it's me...No! It's not me!" The proprietress finally realized that she couldn't escape it, but her thoughts were confused and she didn't know what she wanted to say.

　　After taking a few more breaths, the proprietress looked up at us and asked anxiously, "I'm telling you the truth, will you believe me?"

　　"How would we know if you don't tell us? As long as it's the truth, we'll believe it!" Zhang Shan was patient this time and answered slowly.

　　"...Then I'll tell you, you won't arrest me, right?" The proprietress was still a little worried.

　　"Don't worry. Although I was cheated by you this time, I believe you are not the kind of person who does things unscrupulously. Besides, Mr. Wu just left, and you need to take care of the family and company affairs." I sat up straight and looked at her seriously.

　　Tian Shangjun looked at me gratefully and said, "Xiao Wang, I am satisfied with what you said. I am wrongly accusing you, but this is really not my intention. This is what I said in my dream after you left last night!"

　　"What?!"

　　"In a dream?!"

　　Liu Yunlong and I couldn't help but rush to ask, this is too unbelievable!

　　"Tell me about your dream." Zhang Shan was exceptionally calm.

　　"Well...after Xiao Wang left yesterday, Lao Wu and I didn't dare to sleep. We just sat in the living room with the lights on. At about four o'clock, I couldn't help it and slowly fell asleep. Then I started to dream soon. In the dream, a man's voice told me that Lao Wu might not see the sun tomorrow morning. He told me that if the police came to the house, I should say that Xiao Wang angered Lao Wu to death, otherwise, I would be the one to die the next day. And he also said that if I did as he taught, he could help me get all the land that Lao Wu's family had to pay as compensation..."

　　"What does this man look like?" After listening, Zhang Shan asked the most crucial question.

　　"...I don't know. I could only hear the voices and couldn't see anything. When the man finished speaking, I woke up automatically. Then I went to see Old Wu, and he was dead. Woo..." As the proprietress spoke, she finally couldn't help crying.

　　"Didn't you call 120? What did the doctor and the forensic doctor say?" What I was most curious about was the cause of Mr. Wu's death. Because we met at the company all day, and although he smoked and drank, he was not a heavy smoker. And he was just in his early thirties, what disease could he have?

　　"Wow... the doctor came and said... it's an acute heart attack. There's no need to save him anymore... the forensic results won't be out until tomorrow. Old Wu is still in the morgue at the funeral home... Wow..."

　　The lady boss cried a few more times, then suddenly remembered something and stopped crying. She pulled me aside and said, "Xiao Wang, the man in the dream told me not to tell anyone, or I'd be the next one! If I tell you everything I know, will I die? You have to save me! You can't just leave after asking!"

　　"Since he can kill people in dreams, it's useless for you to hide anywhere." Zhang Shan would never beat around the bush.

　　"Ah?!...Wow!...You are such a cruel man! You just left without saying anything, leaving us an orphan and a widow, and now you want to kill me! How can you be so cruel! Woo..." When the proprietress heard this, she immediately burst into tears again.

　　There was no other choice, so Liu Yunlong had to notify the middle-aged policeman from the Jinghua Road Police Station and ask them to take Tian Shangyun away and take care of her for one night. As for the child, he was taken away by her grandmother's family.

　　After comforting the proprietress for a long time and telling her to wait for the car to pick us up, the three of us opened the door and left.

　　"Can we go eat now?" Liu Yunlong asked as he watched the sky gradually darken.

　　"I want to go to Huanggang Temple." I looked at the clock on my phone and said.

　　"Why go to a temple? There's something fishy about your boss's death. I think we should go to the funeral home." Zhang Shan didn't seem hungry at all. He continued, "I'm not exaggerating. If your boss's wife's words are true, I'm afraid this is at least aimed at you, uncle. We must be prepared. Only by knowing ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle! Let's go to the funeral home first! Where is the funeral home?"

　　"Huanggang Temple is a place name. My brother's crematorium and funeral home are both there." Liu Yunlong said weakly, holding his stomach.

　　"Haha, let's eat first! We can go after we eat. Besides, it's the rush hour now. We are in the north and the funeral home is in the south. It may take a lot of effort to get there. Let's eat first!" I squatted for half the afternoon and my legs are still shaking. I also want to sit down and rest and eat something.

　　"Can't we go tomorrow? Even if we go now, they will have already finished get off work by the time we get there!" Liu Yunlong also looked at his watch and said.

　　"Well... that's fine, let's eat first. Let's go at night. We may not find anything if we go during the day." Zhang Shan agreed with me when he saw that it was not yet completely dark.

　　Although Liu Yunlong looked reluctant at first, he immediately became interested when he heard that Zhang Shan was going to visit the funeral home at night, and he dragged us to find a hotel.

　　Chapter 17 Huanggang Temple (Part 2)

　　During dinner, I asked about the tunnel in Chenghuang Temple again. Liu Yunlong said that when he went to see it, it was still being reinforced and ventilated, and people were not allowed to enter. It was dark and not very interesting. But it was said that people would be able to enter tomorrow, and he planned to go and take a look then. Maybe he could witness the excavation of an ancient tomb or treasure.

　　Zhang Shan directly poured a bucket of cold water on this guy's fantasy.

　　The City God is not a door god or a Pixiu. He is not responsible for exorcising evil spirits or suppressing evil spirits. The City God Temple is usually built in the center of a city's blessed land to protect the city's peace.

　　Before building a city god temple, it is essential to check Feng Shui. Once a suitable site is found, it is also necessary to check whether it has been used as a cemetery. If so, it will be moved to another location; if no one is buried there, but the owner is, the owner will generally be happy to transfer the land to the city god, because it is a matter of accumulating merit.

　　Therefore, there will definitely be no tombs under the City God Temple.

　　Although the possibility of a tomb has been basically ruled out, this section of stone steps has become even more mysterious. Where does it lead to? Who built it? Why was a tunnel dug here? These have become new mysteries.

　　Perhaps, these mysteries can be solved one by one tomorrow. But I am not interested. Whoever wants to go can go, but I will not go.

　　After dinner, the three of us took a taxi to Huanggang Temple. Fortunately, it was not too late at this time. If it was 12 o'clock, no driver would be willing to take the three of us there.

　　Liu Yunlong asked if he should notify the place in advance. Zhang Shan said confidently, "When the seal holder goes to a place where there are corpses, he can go in and out as he pleases. There is no need to say hello."

　　We didn't dare say we were going to the funeral home, so we got off the car at the previous intersection and walked forward in the dark.

　　Huanggang Temple, as the name suggests, was once a temple with a strong incense and it is said that the scenery is pretty good. But with the vicissitudes of the past century and the catastrophe of the past decade, it is no longer what it used to be.

　　Huanggang Temple is now considered an urban village. In recent years, the government has been managing and renovating it. The funeral parlor and crematorium have been partially moved to more remote places. Currently, only the crematorium and the temporary morgue remain here.

　　There were few people in the winter night, especially in this remote place. There was not even a street light. We finally arrived at the door of the funeral home, but the door was closed and it was dark inside. Only the lights were on in the reception room.

　　Liu Yunlong was about to go over and knock on the door but was stopped by Zhang Shan.

　　We both watched in bewilderment as he walked to the door of the message room. He did not go in, but suddenly opened his mouth and shouted: "The palm seal is inspecting the corpse, and those who are not there should stay away! Don't come out if you hear any noise, and don't talk nonsense!"

　　After shouting this three times, Zhang Shan turned around and said, "Let's go back first."

　　We both followed him in a daze and retreated about a hundred meters away.

　　About half a minute later, in the darkness, the door of the message room seemed to open a crack, and then closed again. Liu Yunlong was about to ask, but Zhang Shan said, "Okay, let's go in!"

　　When we returned to the funeral home, we were shocked to see a pile of things on the floor at the entrance of the reception room. Zhang Shan walked over and took them without hesitation. They turned out to be a flashlight, two pairs of disposable gloves, and a bunch of keys.

　　It is said to be a bunch, but there are actually only two keys, with a piece of tape on the handle of each key. One key has "front door" written on it, and the other has "morgue" written on it.

　　"I say, Lao Zhang, what kind of spell are you chanting? Why are they so obedient?" Liu Yunlong was dumbfounded and couldn't believe it.

　　"Haha, this is not a spell. This is a phrase that only the seal holder can say. Basically, all the gatekeepers of funeral homes and morgues know it." Zhang Shan took the flashlight and the key, stuffed the gloves to me, and then said: "When the gatekeeper occasionally encounters a nightmare with a lot of resentment and can't handle it himself, he will try to contact various ghost masters. Since ghost masters are almost all solitary and don't like to show up, these gatekeepers usually prepare a set of such equipment, and when the other party comes, they will give it to the ghost master to use. Then they hide themselves to show respect."

　　It seems that people who practice Yin-walking are indeed different from others. You welcome others when they come to show respect, but for this group of people, you stay away from them when they come to show respect.

　　"So based on what you just shouted, no matter which morgue or funeral home we go to, as long as we shout that, someone will open the door and deliver the things?" Liu Yunlong's eyes lit up green when he heard it.

　　Seeing Zhang Shan's affirmative answer, Liu Yunlong said, "Oh, that's great! From now on, no matter which morgue I go to, I can get through just by shouting like this, right?"

　　I glanced at him and said, "You are a criminal police officer. You can go anywhere with your ID. Why are you shouting this?"

　　"...That's true..." After hearing what I said, Liu Yunlong's excitement instantly disappeared.

　　Following Zhang Shan, he opened the small door next to him, turned around and locked it, and then walked in. During the whole process, although the lights in the message room were on, the curtains were drawn tightly, and no sound was heard.

　　I thought about it, maybe for these gatekeepers, the seal holder or other people who can communicate with the underworld should be no different from the ghost nightmare? In their minds, those who can communicate with the underworld are at least not normal people.

　　Arriving at the funeral home, Zhang Shan was confused. He had never been there before, so he naturally didn't know where the morgue was. He turned around and looked at us.

　　"I never expected that even the great Master Zhang can have his shortcomings!" Liu Yunlong saw through his thoughts at a glance and took the opportunity to mock him.

　　"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up!" Zhang Shan was probably embarrassed by what that guy said, but luckily it was dark and windy, so no one could see him. He was unwilling to be ridiculed by Liu Yunlong, and pointed at me and said, "If I were him, I wouldn't need to ask anyone and I would be able to find where the morgue is!"

　　I ignored them and tried to recall. I came here almost two years ago when my father died. The morgue seemed to be at the innermost part of the north side of the building in the middle of the yard.

　　"Why don't we go back and ask?" Seeing that Zhang Shan was a little annoyed, Liu Yunlong stuck out his tongue and didn't dare to do it again.

　　"No need, just follow me!" I said hastily.

　　Go back and ask the gatekeeper? Zhang Shan won't do it even if he's beaten to death. You're embarrassing him!

　　Arriving at the northwest corner of the building in the middle, there was indeed an iron door. Zhang Shan walked forward, inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. It opened! Sure enough, it was here!

　　No one spoke anymore, and the three of us filed in.

　　There was a long room at the entrance, with a table at the door, which seemed to be used for registration during the day. At the innermost edge of the room, there were a few stretchers placed side by side, with all kinds of things on them, which should be the bodies temporarily stored here.

　　Liu Yunlong fumbled for a long time but couldn't find the light switch. Zhang Shan took the opportunity to say to him, "Don't look for it. The funeral home is not the morgue of the hospital. There is no light in the morgue."

　　"Damn! Why?" This guy refused to believe it and had to find a reason.

　　"Because they don't work at night!" Zhang Shan shone the flashlight on Liu Yunlong's face and said word by word.

　　I was quite amused by these two people and wanted to laugh, but then I thought it would be disrespectful to the dead here, so I held back and didn't make any sound.

　　Chapter 18: Saving a Life

　　Turning on the flashlight, we followed Zhang Shan and slowly walked deeper into the cave.

　　When I walked in, I found four bodies parked side by side. The three inside were covered with red and yellow satin quilts, but the outermost body was only wrapped in a white sheet.

　　After listening to Zhang Shan's brief explanation, I realized that the three people inside should all be elderly people, at least in their 50s, so they used this kind of blanket. The one on the outside usually died of an unnatural death, so it was used a white blanket.

　　"So this is your boss?" Liu Yunlong was not afraid of these things. He walked forward and uncovered the white sheet.

　　"No." I leaned over to take a look. It was the face of a young man with a large blood stain on his head. I didn't know how he died.

　　"Is that all? Are there only these few morgues in the city funeral home?" Liu Yunlong covered the morgue with the white cloth again, looking puzzled.

　　"Oh! There's something else in the inner room! There's a freezer in there!" I thought about it for a long time, and when I turned around, I found that the wall behind me was actually a huge sliding door.

　　Zhang Shan came over to help me push the door open. There was indeed a huge morgue behind it, with no less than fifty freezers neatly stacked on both walls. In the open space in the middle of the room, there were several stretchers with people lying on them.

　　Seeing this "spectacular" scene, Liu Yunlong couldn't help but sigh: "Alas, housing shortage is the same everywhere!"

　　"Stop talking nonsense and find someone quickly!" Zhang Shan took a flashlight and opened the stretchers one by one to have a look.

　　"Hey, old bastard, don't you have those ghost eyes? Just open them and you'll know, right?" Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan had never seen our boss. Every time they opened a box, they asked me to take a look. Liu Yunlong couldn't wait any longer after he had opened two.

　　Zhang Shan on the other end paused and looked up at me. It was obvious that he was on the same side as Liu Yunlong this time and thought this was a good idea.

　　"No way! I won't open it even if you kill me!!!" I refused flatly.

　　It's creepy enough to be in this place with corpses everywhere, and now I have the ability to see with my spirit. I'm going to be scared to death or go crazy. I won't do anything!

　　"We are helping you, you have to know that!" Liu Yunlong stopped what he was doing, pinched his waist and yelled at me.

　　"Okay, you take a rest, I'll find it myself! Okay?" I wouldn't fall for his trick. If I want to find it, I'll look for it. If I don't want to find it, I'll just take a rest. Anyway, I don't have any psychic eyes.

　　"Uncle, come here and take a look at this!" Zhang Shan ignored our quarrel and continued to flip through them diligently. Those who were of the wrong age and women were directly excluded.

　　I walked over and saw a chubby face with neatly combed hair. Who else could it be but our boss?!

　　Maybe it was because he had just been pushed in not long ago, his face still had some color at this moment. He didn't look like he had died of a heart attack, but more like he was asleep.

　　Liu Yunlong came over, stretched out his hand to ruffle his messy hair, and said, "Is that him? Oh! When was this delivered? It's still hot!"

　　Hearing him shout like that, Zhang Shan and I looked at each other.

　　Impossible, absolutely impossible! His wife said that he had died long ago. They tried to save him and took photos. If he had any heat, it should have dissipated long ago. How could he still be warm now?

　　Zhang Shan quickly reached out and grabbed our boss's wrist.

　　After a moment, he rolled his eyes again, looked up and said to me, "Quick! Help me push him out to a ventilated place! Liu, go open the door! He's not dead yet!"

　　After hearing this, I didn't think much and quickly reached out to grab the stretcher, and pushed it towards the morgue door with Zhang Shan.

　　Liu Yunlong had already opened the door and helped us push our boss to the open space outside the building.

　　Zhang Shan moved very quickly, lifting the quilt and unbuttoning the clothes on his chest. He undid what he could, and tore up what he couldn't. Soon our boss was completely shirtless.

　　"Why don't you call an ambulance? Can you cure it?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help asking when he saw Zhang Shan rolling up his sleeves to go to work.

　　"This guy died strangely this morning, so a strange death requires a strange forensic doctor!" Zhang Shan didn't argue with him and simply replied.

　　As we both watched, Zhang Shan took out a drawn talisman from his pocket and stuck it on our boss's forehead.

　　Seeing that we were looking at him in confusion, Zhang Shan explained as he made the talisman: "This talisman is called the 'Disease Finder'. I usually use it to check where the workers have diseases. If they can be cured, I will cure them. If they can't be cured, I will send them to the hospital directly. So I carry it with me today. Hurry and find a bowl of water!"

　　"Oh!" Liu Yunlong agreed and rushed back to the morgue, because when we entered the door just now, there was a row of faucets on the right.

　　After a moment, this guy took a drink bottle he found from somewhere, filled half of the bottle with tap water, and ran back in a hurry.

　　Zhang Shan took the water and raised his hand again. I then realized that his hand had been cut at some point and was bleeding.

　　As soon as I noticed his hand, I felt my hand was a little cold. I raised it and saw that my hand was cut for no apparent reason. Blood had already flowed over half of my palm. No wonder it felt cold in the breeze.

　　After looking around, I couldn't find any wounds. I guess it might be a thorn or something on the stretcher. There's nothing I can do. I don't have anything around me. I'll just ignore it for now. No one will die anyway.

　　At this time, Zhang Shan was dripping his blood into a mineral water bottle.

　　“Generally, after applying this talisman and drinking two sips of cold water, you will slowly be able to feel where you are feeling uncomfortable. But your boss is totally unconscious now, so we can only add some ingredients.” After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he dropped another drop of blood, shook the bottle in his hand, pinched our boss’s mouth open, and poured the whole thing in.

　　After a while, we vaguely heard a noise in the throat. Zhang Shan quickly turned on the flashlight and saw a walnut-sized lump bulging in the throat, moving slowly downwards.

　　Liu Yunlong and I were dumbfounded and had no idea whether there was water or air in the bag.

　　After about a minute, the bag finally stopped just below the heart in the left chest and stopped moving.

　　"What does this mean?" Liu Yunlong asked in a low voice after a long time when he saw that Bao could not move.

　　"If it doesn't move, that means there's something wrong." Zhang Shan frowned, it seemed like this situation was not easy to solve.

　　"Is there something wrong with the heart? We can't treat it! Why don't we notify the hospital?" Liu Yunlong also knew that this was not a place we could handle, so he suggested.

　　Anyway, I don't understand. As long as they can reach an agreement, I just need to do my best.

　　"It's not impossible to cure it here..." Zhang Shan kept staring at the bag, muttering to himself.

　　After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, looked up and asked, "How long will it take for the nearest hospital to send a car over?"

　　"Well...it will take at least twenty minutes." Liu Yunlong thought for a moment and replied.

　　"That means it would take 40 minutes to go back and forth, plus the transportation and other things. It would take at least an hour to rescue him." Zhang Shan looked up and calculated the time.

　　"Almost, but they started rescuing as soon as they lifted him into the car." Liu Yunlong first confirmed and then denied his statement.

　　"It's useless. In his condition, he can only undergo surgery! It will take more than an hour, and everything will be delayed." Zhang Shan said affirmatively: "If we want to save him, there is probably only one way!"

　　Chapter 19: One Death and One Life

　　"What is it?" Liu Yunlong and I asked him at the same time.

　　"Uncle Master!" Zhang Shan did not answer directly, but turned around, looked at me and said: "You have to promise me that although this time it is a last resort, in order to save a life, you can make an exception, but it must be the last time!"

　　After saying that, he pulled out something from the inside pocket of his coat. It was round and black, with an eye on it that emitted a strange light.

　　"Tong Xi!" I saw clearly what was in front of me and couldn't help but shout.

　　The strange thing is that at this moment, I was not only surprised, but also a little excited.

　　"You want me to..." I seemed to understand what Zhang Shan meant.

　　"Yes! After eating this pupil seal, you can save your boss' life under my guidance. But you have to swear to me that this is the last time you will absorb the pupil seal, and you will never touch this thing again!" Zhang Shan looked into my eyes and said word by word.

　　"Why? You have to give me an explanation, right?" I was very confused as to why he didn't let me absorb this thing. At least I have already absorbed three of them. Not only does it have no side effects, it can also improve my physical fitness. Why not do it?

　　"I will tell you the specific reasons later. Just remember, one soul and one pupil seal. Although these things are things from the underworld, they can only be formed by kind thoughts. Every time you absorb a pupil seal, it is equivalent to killing a kind person. Can you bear it?" Zhang Shan asked me while looking at the pupil seal in his hand.

　　"Ah..." I had never thought about this before, but after a while I said, "Back then in the air-raid shelter, I absorbed the pupil seal of that boy, but wasn't he still alive?"

　　"The longer the soul is away from the body, the longer it can be away from the pupil seal." Zhang Shan heard me talk about this afterwards, so he knew who I was referring to.

　　"That's not right, Lao Zhang. Since the pupil seal is the soul, it represents kindness. The more Lao Wang absorbs, the kinder he should be. It's not a bad thing!" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but interrupted after listening to us for a long time.

　　"...Let's talk about this later, let's save people first!" Zhang Shan was silent for a moment, and seemed not to intend to continue to dwell on this issue. He reached out and handed the Tongxi to me.

　　"How do I do this?" I held the pupil seal in my hand and couldn't help but want to inhale it. This feeling was neither like a smoker who would feel restless if he didn't smoke for a day, nor like a drinker who would lose his appetite if he didn't drink for a meal.

　　How should I put it? It's a bit like the feeling of an emperor sitting on the throne or a general waving a command flag. The momentum and confidence of commanding the world and looking down on everyone is what fascinates me the most.

　　"You absorb it!" Zhang Shan said, holding our boss's shoulders.

　　I stopped talking and held the pupil seal tightly. Suddenly, black smoke instantly enveloped my entire right hand, and the Wuwei seal on my wrist quickly rotated, continuously taking in the black air.

　　After a moment, I threw away the "ashes" in my hand, looked up at them, and said, "Okay!"

　　"Come, press this bag with your right index finger." Zhang Shan said as he grabbed my hand and pressed it there.

　　I didn't use any force and just let him apply the force. Unexpectedly, this guy pulled down suddenly, and my index finger went directly into the boss's body between his ribs.

　　"Don't pull it out! Close your eyes!" Zhang Shan still held my hand and said sternly: "If you pull it out, all your efforts will be wasted! Observe carefully and find out what the reason is."

　　I struggled for a moment, but after hearing what he said, I quickly closed my eyes again.

　　It's strange, although I couldn't see anything, I felt that my fingers did not penetrate his skin, but around my fingertips, all kinds of blood vessels, big and small, could be accurately captured.

　　As I was experiencing this strange feeling, suddenly, my fingertips seemed to be scratched by something hard. I was startled and opened my eyes.

　　"What is it?" Zhang Shan asked immediately after seeing me open my eyes.

　　"This...is impossible..." I stammered, because this thing would never appear in my blood vessels.

　　"Oh my, you've made us both anxious! What on earth is going on?!" Liu Yunlong was also stamping his feet in anxiety.

　　"Fire...match stick..." Although I can't see it, the strange thing is that my intuition tells me that this is the thing.

　　"Matchstick?" Liu Yunlong was stunned for a moment: "How could there be something like that in the aorta?!"

　　Zhang Shan pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that this match blocked one of his blood vessels, causing the illusion of death."

　　Then he looked up at us and said, "It is almost certain that this was man-made!"

　　"Nonsense!" Liu Yunlong interrupted again: "I know it even if you don't tell me. You think the matchsticks growing in your blood vessels are trees!"

　　"You two should stop saying those useless things! How do we solve this problem?!" My fingers were still stuck in the boss' chest, and I wanted to pull them out but didn't dare.

　　"...Can you guide it down a little bit?" Zhang Shan thought for a moment and said.

　　I closed my eyes again to sense it, then opened them and answered, "I'm afraid not. It's not that I can't walk, but the problem is that I'm stuck between two ribs, and my fingers can't move with it!"

　　"How far is it from the heart?" Zhang Shan asked again.

　　"About two centimeters."

　　“…Click on it!!!”

　　"What?!" I didn't understand what Zhang Shan meant for a moment, but then I seemed to remember something.

　　"Use the fire control spell to light it." Zhang Shan said calmly this time.

　　"Are you sure...there won't be any accidents?" I looked at him in horror.

　　I really don't dare. I didn't kill my boss earlier, so I naturally don't have any psychological burden. But now, his life and death are in my hands, how can I be so relaxed? Do I really want to prove the crime of being a "murderer"?

　　"If you don't save him, he will surely die; if you save him, he still has a chance of survival. Make your choice!" Zhang Shan patted my shoulder and walked away.

　　This ungrateful guy! You were the one who set up all this, and now at the most critical moment, you dropped the ball and ran away! You left me here alone.

　　Seeing my pleading look, Liu Yunlong shrugged helplessly and said, "I can't do anything. I can't help you. But I'll tell you something. This guy has already been 'sentenced to death'. Why do you have such a psychological burden? If he can't be saved, it's his fate. If he can be saved, you'll be his lifesaver. Think about it, you won't suffer any loss on either side, so what are you afraid of?"

　　After this guy finished speaking, he took advantage of my distraction and immediately ran ten meters away, waiting for my final choice with Zhang Shan.

　　Damn it! This is the first time I realize how difficult it is to make a choice in life!

　　Liu Yunlong is right. If I don't save him now, no one will say anything. This guy was already lying in the morgue, and the cause of death has been found out. Who can blame me?

　　But the problem is that you clearly knew he was not dead yet, but you didn't try to save him. I think no one would find it acceptable.

　　On the other hand, if I save him now, there are two options: success or failure.

　　Why did it fail? A matchstick has a head, right? Anyone who has struck a match knows that the phosphorus on the head of the match is a chemical that can burn violently.

　　If the fire control spell is used, there is a high possibility that the phosphorus in the match head will be underestimated, which will eventually burn or even burst blood vessels, causing massive bleeding in the body and directly leading to the death of our boss.

　　The most worrying thing is that I feel the short-term energy I gained from absorbing the Pupil Seal is gradually fading away. If I don’t make a decision quickly, I’m afraid I will never have another chance.

　　Even without absorbing the Eye Seal, I can still activate the Fire Control Spell, but with several layers of things between me, I can accurately locate it and precisely control the burning range. I'm afraid this is something that can only be done now.

　　Chapter 20: Life and Death

　　A minute later, I walked up to Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong with a dark face and said, "I've tried it. You two go and have a look. I don't dare to watch."

　　Upon hearing the news, they hurriedly turned around and walked over to the stretcher to check.

　　At the last moment, I finally cast the Fire Bending Spell. I felt the match head catch fire instantly, but I pulled my finger away immediately.

　　Because once it is ignited, it is no longer within my control.

　　If you are lucky, the matchstick will burn to ashes and circulate in the blood; if you are unlucky, once the matchstick reaches the heart, even God cannot save you.

　　I was still feeling nervous when I heard the sound of running behind me.

　　I quickly turned around and saw Liu Yunlong running towards the morgue again.

　　I hurried over and asked Zhang Shan, "How is it?"

　　"We don't know yet. Liu has gone to fetch water. Let's wait and see!" Zhang Shan was still feeling our boss's pulse.

　　"The water is here, the water is here!" Liu Yunlong took the broken beverage can again, filled a bottle of water with it, and handed it to Zhang Shan's face.

　　"Pour it directly on his head!" Zhang Shan did not move, but gave the order very quickly.

　　Liu Yunlong was stunned for a moment, then he poured the water directly on our boss's face. You have to know that it was December, and if an ordinary person had been poured with cold tap water on his face, he would have jumped up long ago.

　　"...Done!" Just when a bottle of water was about to be poured out, Zhang Shan shouted, let go of the boss's hand, clenched his fists together, and hit him hard in the heart.

　　"Ah!!!" Following his move, our boss suddenly sat up and let out a shrill howl, which gave Liu Yunlong and I a great fright.

　　Looking at the boss who was breathing heavily, I finally felt relieved.

　　Since then, the funeral home has been circulating a story that three mysterious people came to the funeral home late one night, and when they came out, they were four people. The next day, the funeral home did not claim that there was any record of the missing body.

　　As for the fact that it was not lost, it was naturally due to the efforts of Liu Yunlong and Song Dongfeng.

　　I didn't say much to my boss. After all, he was the victim and didn't know much.

　　After sending him to the taxi, Liu Yunlong remembered that the boss's wife was still at the police station. When he was considering whether to notify her to go home, his cell phone rang.

　　Zhang Shan and I didn't recognize who it was, we just knew that something serious seemed to have happened.

　　After the conversation, Liu Yunlong's face turned pale and he held the phone and said, "Your boss's wife committed suicide in the police station!"

　　"What?!" The good mood that I had just built up was shattered in an instant.

　　Just when she saved her husband, she committed suicide. To put it bluntly, how could this couple be so troublesome! ?

　　The taxi was speeding on the way to the police station, and the three of us didn't talk about sex at all.

　　How come so many strange things happened after just two days of leisure?

　　I always feel like everything is directed against us.

　　Zhang Shan has confirmed that the matchstick in the boss's artery was either put there by a human or a ghost.

　　As for the person who taught the boss lady to frame me, was he the same person who planted the matchstick? At least I think it is very likely.

　　As for the boss lady's death tonight, can she be saved? Can she perform a miracle like her husband?

　　Nobody knows.

　　When they were almost halfway through the journey, Liu Yunlong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and said, "Old Zhang, do you feel that the old turtle looked at us with a strange and scary look after he absorbed the pupil seal?"

　　Neither Zhang Shan nor I answered him, only the taxi driver showed a look of horror.

　　From a distance, we could see people standing in front of the police station. As soon as the three of us got out of the car, a middle-aged policeman came up to us and said, "Come on, there's nothing damaged at the scene, we were waiting for you!"

　　"How did she die?" Zhang Shan asked impatiently as he entered the police station: "Is there anything unusual?"

　　The middle-aged policeman's steps obviously slowed down for a moment, and he said, "Let's take a look first. I just got here too. The two guys in the afternoon witnessed the whole process. You can ask them later."

　　I followed him to a two-story building at the innermost part of the yard. There were a lot of people standing outside and flash lights were flashing non-stop in a room.

　　"Have you notified the Criminal Investigation Department?" Liu Yunlong asked, perhaps because he saw someone he knew.

　　"Not yet, because it was suicide, and there is video evidence. We just notified the technical department to collect evidence and preserve traces of the scene." The middle-aged policeman replied quickly.

　　As they were talking, the two young policemen from the afternoon also came over.

　　Zhang Shan suddenly remembered something, patted Liu Yunlong and asked, "You notified them to pick up Tian Shangjun this afternoon, but didn't you tell them why you wanted to bring her back?"

　　Liu Yunlong thought for a moment and said, "It seems that he didn't say anything. Does it matter?"

　　"You didn't say... Could it be that they thought they were going to arrest and interrogate Tian Shangjun, and ended up torturing her after they got here, which led to her suicide?" It would have been better if Zhang Shan didn't say it, but as soon as he said it, I immediately thought of this possibility.

　　After all, at noon, I was still a victim of their torture.

　　"This... no way?" Liu Yunlong was stunned after hearing this. He obviously realized that this negligence could really be fatal.

　　"What exactly did you say at that time?" I asked when I saw that he was not sure.

　　"I think I said, let Tian Shangjun stay with you for a day today and send a car over." Liu Yunlong tried hard to recall.

　　No one spoke. Even a fool could tell that this sentence would definitely cause misunderstanding!

　　Although we promised Tian Shangjun that we would not pursue her responsibility, when we called the police station, we did not mention why we were taking her back. Our original intention was to let her stay at the police station for one night, and when she was a little more stable tomorrow, she could go home if she wanted.

　　But the problem is, we didn't explain the reason, and the police station didn't ask. You know, they are trying their best to curry favor with the three of us, bringing Tian Shangyun back for interrogation, and even using some means to clear my suspicion as soon as possible to show their efforts. It's not impossible.

　　"You asked me to bring her back, didn't you want to interrogate her?" The middle-aged policeman next to him was sweating when he saw Liu Yunlong was stunned. If this was really the case, then they were really going to be in big trouble this time.

　　"You...you really tortured her to extract a confession?!" Liu Yunlong finally reacted and pulled the collars of the two young policemen in front of him, asking sternly.

　　"No...no..." One of the policemen saw that our expressions suddenly changed, and realized that he had flattered the horse and hit the horse's leg, so he stammered.

　　"Is there or not? You two are responsible, don't you know?!" Zhang Shan also came over. His tower-like figure stood in front of them, staring at them, continuously releasing a sense of oppression.

　　"Hurry up and tell me! What did you do after you brought her back? I tell you two, if you don't tell the truth, none of us will be able to get away this time! Just wait until you go home and rest!" The middle-aged policeman saw this situation and knew he couldn't save her any longer, so he could only let the two of them tell him the truth.

　　Because if you still dare to hide it, once it is discovered, the consequences will be even more terrible.

　　At that time, forget about going home and resting. Once the bad influence gets out, people will say that the police station tortured the suspect and caused him to commit suicide, which could result in jail time!

　　Chapter 21: Suicide or homicide?

　　The leader had spoken, so the two young men naturally explained everything in detail.

　　After answering the phone, the middle-aged policeman sent them to pick up Tian Shangjun. After all, after what he did to me at noon, this was a great opportunity to atone for my crime.

　　The two drove to Wu Guoxiao's house and found that we were not there, and only the boss's wife was waiting. Although it was a bit strange, they didn't dare to ask us.

　　After bringing Tian Shangjun back, the two men began to interrogate her, asking questions repeatedly, trying to create a fatigue tactic to tire out the proprietress and find loopholes in her words.

　　After two hours of questioning, the proprietress told us everything she needed to know. It was the same as what she had told us. When they realized they could not get any more information out of her, they walked out the door and smoked while discussing whether to continue their investigation or just call it a day.

　　After finishing their cigarettes, they decided not to hold the trial tonight and wait until we came tomorrow. When the two men pushed the door open and saw what was going on, they were dumbfounded.

　　I don't know how the proprietress opened the handcuffs and fell to the ground with blood at her throat. On the wall opposite was written eight big red words: You deserve to be put to death if you go back on your word!

　　"What was the cause of death?" Liu Yunlong interrupted them.

　　"He broke the light bulb...and swallowed the glass, which cut his trachea and aorta, causing him to die of lack of oxygen," one person answered.

　　The three of us gasped. This was such a cruel way to die!

　　I looked up at the interrogation room, which was still full of people taking photos and collecting evidence. The lights were on, so I asked, "Where did she get the light bulb?"

　　One of the young men looked at the middle-aged policeman and whispered, "We...we used a bathroom heater."

　　"You!... How can I say good things about you! How much did you spend?" The middle-aged policeman had to resort to force when he heard the result. He pointed at their noses and was so angry that he didn't know what to say.

　　"…Not much, two." As soon as the young man finished speaking, the middle-aged policeman slapped him in the face and cursed: "Not much? People are dead and it's not much? Then tell me how much is a lot?!"

　　"What is a bathroom heater?" Zhang Shan asked in confusion.

　　Actually, when I first heard about it, I also wanted to ask. Although I know what a bathroom heater is, what does it have to do with torture?

　　"It's for bathing. It's a high-power, high-wattage light bulb. It can raise the temperature of the bathroom when turned on." Liu Yunlong saw that the three policemen were too embarrassed to explain, so he said, "Usually when interrogating prisoners, they are afraid of bruises from beatings. They put a bathroom heater in front of them and keep shining it. Then they conduct fatigue interrogations. In the end, they feel dizzy, their mouths are dry, and they can't sleep because it's too bright. Plus, they don't give them water to drink. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people will confess everything by midnight. This trick is called 'going to the bathhouse.'"

　　After hearing what he said, I was really enlightened. I didn’t expect that the bathroom heater could have this function!

　　But it is understandable. Nowadays, human rights are emphasized and torture is prohibited. So getting prisoners to confess has become a difficult problem. If you encounter those who are eloquent and have clear thinking, it will be useless even if you interrogate them for half a year.

　　So these methods such as "upside down horse stance" and "going to the bathhouse" came into being.

　　Essentially, it will not cause any trauma or harm to the person being interrogated. It just weakens your willpower through objective means. The only purpose is to make you confess.

　　"That's all?" Seeing that no one spoke for a long time after he finished explaining, Liu Yunlong couldn't help but ask them.

　　"It's gone." The young man's face was swollen after being slapped. He didn't dare to touch it and said with his head down.

　　"Old Geng, how can I believe that going to the bathhouse can drive someone to death? Besides, the two of them were standing outside the door at the time, and Tian Shangjun was doing so many things in the room. Not to mention other things, just breaking the light bulb must have made a sound, right? How could he not hear it?" Liu Yunlong turned and said to the middle-aged policeman, whose surname was Geng.

　　"It took us two minutes to smoke, and there was really no sound from inside." The young man who was not beaten rushed to say.

　　"Shut up!" The middle-aged policeman Lao Gao yelled at him. Seeing the people from the technical department finishing their work in the distance and coming out, he said, "I don't believe that someone would commit suicide by baking a light bulb. Let's go in and take a look. It's useless to say anything here. You three are experts. Maybe you can find something abnormal."

　　I pushed through the crowd outside and came to the door of the house. Before I even went in, I was frowned by the strong smell of blood.

　　Through the door, I could see a few large characters written in blood on the white wall inside the house: "If you go back on your word, you deserve to be put to death." The strokes were very thin, and it must have been written with a finger.

　　Two young men were guarding the door, and the middle-aged policeman Lao Geng led the three of us in.

　　I can’t describe what I saw because it was so tragic!

　　The room was covered in blood splatters. The proprietress was lying face up in the middle of the room with her eyes wide open. Her throat was a bloody mess, and one could vaguely see some glass fragments breaking through the skin, sticking there hideously.

　　Next to her was a broken heater.

　　It seems that she did swallow the glass lamp, causing the fragments to cut her throat, trachea and aorta at the neck, directly causing death.

　　Although Tian Shangjun and I have always been at odds, I still feel sad when I see her choose to commit suicide in such a tragic way.

　　Zhang Shan followed Liu Yunlong forward and examined the body. He stood up and said, "It seems that she committed suicide, but why did she commit suicide? Besides, no one did anything too extreme to her. It's really strange."

　　"What's so strange about that?" Liu Yunlong chimed in from behind, "Her husband died this morning, and she thought she could take advantage of the situation by framing Lao Wang. But who knew that we not only uncovered her past, but also brought her here for repeated interrogation. She finally felt that there was no hope in life, so she chose to commit suicide."

　　"…Unreasonable!" Zhang Shan objected while tasting Liu Yunlong's inference: "You also know that she framed her uncle for the sake of profit. Then let me ask you, someone like Tian Shangjun, for the sake of profit, would not hesitate to destroy family relationships, would do anything, dare to say anything cruel, dare to do anything cruel. Such a person who values ​​money above all else, would she choose to commit suicide?"

　　"Why not? I'm desperate!" Liu Yunlong pointed at the words on the wall and said, "Isn't she just cursing us to die a miserable death? She went back on her word and said she wouldn't arrest her, but she still did. Sometimes people go to extremes when they are in special circumstances."

　　"No! Zhang Shan is right, this is not suicide! It's murder!" I had been listening to their analysis until Liu Yunlong's last sentence just now, which finally reminded me.

　　"Murder?" Liu Yunlong and Lao Geng looked at me in disbelief.

　　No wonder, this was a standard suicide scene. Moreover, it was in the police station. Even if someone wanted to kill her, they wouldn't do it here. Wouldn't that mean they would be caught?

　　The problem lies in this sentence on the wall.

　　Zhang Shan nodded and agreed: "Liu, don't forget the purpose of sending Tian Shangjun here. Why did we send her here?"

　　Chapter 22: Locking in the Suspect

　　The problem lies in this sentence on the wall.

　　Zhang Shan nodded and agreed: "Liu, don't forget the purpose of sending Tian Shangjun here. Why did we send her here?"

　　"Do you remember the dream that Tian Shangjun talked about?" Seeing that they were all looking at me, I began to analyze: "She said at the time that the man in the dream had warned her: If she dared to tell this to another person, she would be the one to die the next morning. What happened? Tian Shangjun not only confessed everything, but also told us the contents of the dream in detail. It can be said that she first agreed to the request of the man in the dream, and then broke her promise. Therefore, going back on one's word refers to her!!!"

　　"You mean... it was the man in her dream who killed Tian Shangjun?" Liu Yunlong was obviously unable to accept it: "How did the man in the dream do it? Did he force Tian Shangjun to commit suicide?"

　　"No need to force you. I only need a little bit of stuff to make you lose your mind. You will listen to me and even commit suicide willingly. Do you believe it?" Zhang Shan said lightly.

　　"Okay, I believe it! Let's not try it!" Liu Yunlong quickly covered his neck and hid next to me, and asked again: "So, the man in Tian Shangjun's dream is the real murderer? Is he a human or a ghost?"

　　"These are still speculations, but at least I believe that Tian Shangjun is definitely not someone who would commit suicide!" I saw a surveillance camera in the corner of the room, and turned to ask the middle-aged policeman, "Is there a video? Go take a look, maybe you can find some evidence to support this inference."

　　"...Oh...the surveillance cameras here only have real-time monitoring function and cannot record video." The middle-aged policeman had been listening to what we were saying until he realized that I was talking to him. He recovered from the shock and said embarrassedly.

　　"Why not? Can't we see it in the city hospital?" Zhang Shan was no stranger to this kind of thing.

　　"They are very smart. With that thing installed, won't it record everything they do? When something happens, they can come and take a look! They will torture and extract a confession! There is no need to file a lawsuit directly. There are witnesses and evidence everywhere. What else can you say?" Liu Yunlong took the opportunity to mock Lao Geng.

　　"This...this..." The middle-aged policeman didn't know what to say after being interrupted by Liu Yunlong.

　　"Forget about it. In fact, even if you look, you may not be able to see anything." I took the initiative to ease the atmosphere for Lao Geng and said, "If he is really the person in Tian Shangjun's dream, then he probably won't show up. If he can kill people in his mind, why would he show up in reality? It's obviously unnecessary!"

　　"Uncle Master is right!" Zhang Shan echoed again, "That person obviously didn't want to show up from the beginning, so even Tian Shangjun didn't know what he looked like. In this place where everyone is watching, he will not take the initiative to show up."

　　"That means... you think Tian Shangjun was not forced to commit suicide by us? But was murdered?" The middle-aged policeman couldn't believe his ears. It was clearly a suicide case, but after the three of us discussed it, it became a murder case. I guess in his eyes, we are more fools than agents.

　　"It's just an inference at the moment, but you can tell those two guys to rest assured! We are here, so it's not your turn to take responsibility." Zhang Shan was willing to be a good person and gave orders directly for Liu Yunlong.

　　"That...that's great!" The middle-aged policeman went from being shocked to ecstatic. After thinking for a moment, he pointed at the body on the ground and asked, "What about Tian Shangjun...?"

　　"Let's clean up the scene! Notify her family tomorrow." Seeing that there was nothing else to be discovered, Liu Yunlong ordered the work to be called off.

　　I was quite upset. Wu Guoxiao had just been saved, and now Tian Shangjun died. How could this couple be so unlucky? Although they didn't have much affection for each other, they saw each other every day. I'm afraid our boss will be upset for a while after knowing this.

　　Alas, I am still soft-hearted! I just wonder if Tian Shangjun has the pupil seal? ...

　　Thinking of this, I quickly interrupted my train of thought. This was the first time that I thought of Tong Xi. Am I really addicted?

　　When the middle-aged policeman went to call for help to clean up the scene, Liu Yunlong again asked me to open my spiritual eyes so as to investigate the cause of Tian Shangyun's death. But Zhang Shan and I both refused.

　　Zhang Shan just thought that it would be a waste of time to let the police handle such a bizarre case. But I thought it was better to have less trouble than more, and as long as they didn't bother about it again, I would just leave it at that.

　　But the incident had already happened, so we couldn't just ignore it. We still focused our attention on our boss, Wu Guoxiao. We agreed to go to him the next morning to learn about the relevant situation and inform him of the boss's wife's death, and then we all went back to our homes. Zhang Shan just told me what to ask, and refused the "activity" the next morning on the grounds that he had to "start work".

　　I didn't want to go at first, but they said that after all, they saved the boss' life, and if I went to explain the situation, it could have a certain positive effect on his wife's issue, instead of filing a lawsuit and suing the three of us, which would be a bit troublesome.

　　I slept well when I wasn't working. When I woke up, it was already bright. If I hadn't seen the boss's wife commit suicide last night, I might have slept a little longer.

　　I looked at my watch and it was almost nine o'clock. Last night, Liu Yunlong had agreed to go to Chenghuang Temple early in the morning to see the excavation site of the tunnel, so he came to see me on the way and then went to our boss's house together.

　　This guy must have found something rare. He refused to leave and even forgot about his business!

　　I called him several times, but his service area was always out of range. I had no choice but to call Song Dongfeng's cell phone again. These two people are probably together.

　　...The first time, no one answered; ...The second time, busy tone...

　　Just as I put down the phone, it rang again. It was Song Dongfeng.

　　"Hey, why didn't you come over this morning? It's so lively here." Song Dongfeng spoke before I could say anything. It was a bit noisy over there, and it sounded like many people were busy with something.

　　"Where's Liu? I'll look for him." I didn't plan to tell this guy too much. If he took another look, there was something fishy, ​​and asked Liu Yunlong to investigate further, we would all have to follow suit.

　　"Haha, is it because of what happened yesterday? Liu Yunlong just entered the passage, and it may take a while for him to come up." Song Dongfeng really knew what happened yesterday.

　　"You..." Before I could say the second word, he rushed to explain: "Don't make random guesses! I didn't follow or investigate this time. Liu Yunlong came to tell me himself early in the morning!"

　　"..." I was speechless and was stunned for two seconds. I asked, "Why is he going down there? This isn't a murder scene. Why is he joining in the fun with a bunch of archaeologists?!"

　　It was then that I suddenly realized, no wonder this guy was not in the service area, there was no signal underground~!

　　"Don't blame me for this~ He volunteered and several people couldn't stop him. If he hadn't been told at the end that he didn't have the professional knowledge and was afraid that he might accidentally destroy something after going in, this guy would have been the first to rush down and take the lead." There was also a hint of helplessness in Song Dongfeng's words.

　　I frowned so hard that it hurt. I really made the wrong friends! How could I have known such a guy? He never did his job and always went wherever there was danger!

　　Chapter 23 Blood in the Ancient Building

　　I was just about to ask when this guy would be able to come out when things suddenly got chaotic at Song Dongfeng's place.

　　I could vaguely hear someone shouting: "Hurry up! There's water leaking!..."

　　Water seepage? This isn't a coal mine, what kind of water is seeping in?

　　I was just wondering when I heard Song Dongfeng running and saying, "There's something wrong in the tunnel! Water came out of nowhere and is pouring out! If you're okay, come over here first! I'll go over and take a look!"

　　"Hello! Hello! Where's Liu Yunlong? Is he here yet?!" I asked, only to find that the line had long been busy. I called again but couldn't get through.

　　An ominous premonition gradually rose in my heart. Was Liu Yunlong still down there? Or had he seen the water and come up?

　　If he has run up, then there is nothing to worry about, but if he is still down there... I dare not think about it.

　　The most hateful thing is that this bastard Song Dongfeng hung up the phone and ran away in the middle of his words. I can’t get through to him until now. It’s really frustrating!

　　There was no other choice but to rush out of the house as fast as I could, hailed a taxi, and head to Chenghuang Temple.

　　Sitting in the car, I thought and thought again, and decided not to call Zhang Shan yet. The situation is unclear now, and there is water in the tunnel. It will be useless to call him over. Let's wait until everything is clear.

　　Finally we arrived at the gate of the City God Temple, but there was nothing special to see from the outside.

　　When I entered the gate, I found that there were armed police standing guard inside and there were almost no outsiders.

　　"I'm sorry, sir. We are excavating an ancient tomb here, so it is temporarily under martial law and not open to the public." Seeing me standing at the door in a daze, an armed police soldier came over with a gun in hand and said.

　　"I'm looking for Song Dongfeng." I was worried about Liu Yunlong's situation, so I said directly that I was looking for his leader, just to be able to get in earlier.

　　"Sorry, there is no such person here. Please confirm before coming in, okay?" The soldier said and tried to push me out.

　　"Wait! Wait! Let me make a call!" I quickly took out my cell phone and called Song Dongfeng first, but no one answered. Then I called Liu Yunlong, but he was out of service, which worried me.

　　"Are you done fighting? Can you leave first?" The soldier had obviously lost his patience.

　　I was just worrying about how to get in, when suddenly I thought of something and said, "Isn't there water leaking from under the building? I came here to see how much water there is so I can choose a pump with the right power!"

　　"Are you from the fire brigade?" The soldier saw that I knew the truth and relaxed his vigilance a lot, and asked further.

　　"I'm not. I'm in charge of management and dispatch." Since I've started to lie, I just had to keep on lying: "My family happens to live in this area. My boss just called and asked me to come and check on the flooding. I heard that there are people trapped downstairs. I have to see what type of water pumps can be used and how many I need."

　　"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" the soldier shouted, and I finally felt relieved.

　　"Follow me!" He dragged me towards the big theater in the inner courtyard. The tunnel was just below the theater.

　　When I ran to the theater, I saw several people gathered around. Three of them were soldiers. Judging from their shoulder straps, they were officers. One of them was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a suit. It was Song Dongfeng. The four of them were discussing something intensely.

　　"Report! The fire brigade has sent someone to check the water output so that we can choose a suitable water pump!" The soldier next to me reported, which scared me.

　　"Look at shit! Bring as many as you can! Don't you know there are people down there?!" The officer with his back to us turned around and cursed.

　　"You're finally here!" Song Dongfeng saw that it was me the first time and quickly called me over.

　　Before he could even open his mouth, I started to scold him. It would be fine if I didn't keep an eye on Liu Yunlong, but he asked for it! He didn't even answer the phone or answer the door, and it took me a long time to get in!

　　After cursing for more than ten times, I calmed down a bit and couldn't help asking, "How could you not know about the huge puddle under the ground, even though you are still working in the Investigation Bureau?"

　　"I'm just working here temporarily. I'm not building a building, and there's nothing to keep secret. I can't dig three feet into the ground to find out, can I?" Song Dongfeng said aggrievedly.

　　The three officers nearby were dumbfounded. The head of the Henan branch of the Security Investigation Bureau was scolded by a young man whose identity was unknown.

　　Seeing that I was puffing up my cheeks and not saying anything, Song Dongfeng took the opportunity to introduce: "This is our station's action team leader, Wang Ziqi. These three are..."

　　After the introduction, I nodded to the three officers symbolically as a greeting. I was too lazy to figure out what "rank" he gave me, so I asked directly: "What's the situation? Where's Liu?"

　　"They... haven't come up yet." When this guy saw that I was starting to get to the point, he immediately changed to a timid expression.

　　"Not coming up?!" The thing I had been worrying about finally became a reality, and I was at a loss. "Then...what about the water that came out?" I began to pin my hopes on the fact that the water that overflowed from the passage had gone down by itself.

　　"Come with me and take a look!" Song Dongfeng did not give a direct answer, but led me into the first floor of the theater.

　　Inside the antique door is a large room with four pillars in the middle to support the structure above. There is a wooden staircase on each side leading to the stage on the second floor.

　　At the bottom of the stairs on the west side, four half-meter square bluestone bricks were uncovered, and Song Dongfeng walked straight towards there.

　　As I got closer, I not only saw the big pit on the ground, but also heard the faint sound of water splashing. This is the sound I am most afraid of hearing at the moment. If there is the sound of water, it means that they have not retreated yet, and Liu Yunlong is in great danger.

　　Finally, I reached the entrance of the passage and looked inside. The sound of rushing water was very clear and felt very intense, but there was no sign of it increasing. The water surface was about one or two meters below, just out of the reach of light.

　　"There were three people in the first batch who went down, including Liu, the deputy director of the Municipal Institute of Archaeology, and a senior researcher." Song Dongfeng kept introducing the situation: "Originally, the three of them said that once they found the end of the passage, they would return, and then see how many people could go down and what equipment they could bring depending on the situation below. As a result, we waited up there for five minutes, but they didn't come back. Fearing that something might happen, we planned to send two more people down with oxygen tanks to prevent them from suffocating down there. Who knew that when everything was ready, the two men had just walked down a few meters and ran back shouting that there was water leaking inside. As a result, the water flooded up after a while. Also, look carefully, what color is this water?" As he spoke, he handed me a flashlight.

　　I turned on the flashlight and shone it into the passage, and I saw the rolling water surface one or two meters below, but the color really shocked me!

　　"This... is this blood?!" I looked at it for a long time, then looked away and looked at Song Dongfeng in horror.

　　The water below was a deep red, with white foam constantly bubbling as it rolled, and it seemed to have a certain viscosity. Anyone who saw it would think it was blood. But I just tried to smell it, and there was no bloody smell in the passage.

　　Chapter 24 Still an Illusion

　　"This... is this blood?!" I looked at it for a long time, then looked away and looked at Song Dongfeng in horror.

　　The water below was a deep red, with white foam constantly bubbling as it rolled, and it seemed to have a certain viscosity. Anyone who saw it would think it was blood. But I just tried to smell it, and there was no bloody smell in the passage.

　　"It's hard to say what it is. We'll have to wait for the person in charge of technology to arrive before we can be sure." Song Dongfeng replied.

　　"Isn't it hard to identify blood? Why don't we go down and get some out and we'll know?" As I said this, I was about to go down the passage and bring some up.

　　"Don't be impatient! Let's wait! It's hard to say what it is now. It may be the leak of chemical weapons waste left by the Japanese army during World War II. Be careful of the poison!" Song Dongfeng hurriedly pulled me and stopped me from going down.

　　I thought about it and realized that what he said made some sense. But Liu Yunlong was downstairs at the moment, so how could I wait for these slow-tempered people to come over? !

　　By then, what's the point of looking for a hammer? People are already floating!

　　"Don't worry, I'll just take a little bit and take a look." I ignored Song Dongfeng's obstruction, swung my arm, held on to the wall, and walked down the stairs.

　　After only five or six steps, my feet were already very close to the water. Looking closely, I saw that not only was the "blood" tumbling, but it was also bubbling, a bit like boiling water, but I couldn't feel any steam.

　　I bent down, stretched out my right hand, and put my little finger close to the water surface, thinking that I could just dip a little bit in it. There were soldiers on it, and they could tell at a glance whether it was blood or not.

　　To put it bluntly, I was also afraid that it was the chemical waste that would destroy my fingers. If I wasn't worried about Liu Yunlong, I would never take this risk!

　　After a light tap, I immediately pulled my little finger back. Song Dongfeng on top saw that I finally touched it and urged, "Come up quickly after taking the sample!"

　　I climbed up two more steps, and stretched out my little finger to see what it was, where the sun could barely reach. But when I raised my hand and took a look, I was stunned.

　　The little finger of my right hand is clean, without any trace!

　　That's weird! Was it because I was too nervous just now that I didn't touch it?

　　I was naturally unwilling to give up after failing to obtain the sample, so I retreated again. This time I was more careful and asked Song Dongfeng to turn on the flashlight from above and shine it down. This way I could see clearly whether it was touched or not.

　　Under the flashlight, I once again extended my little finger to touch the water surface.

　　My movements were very slow, and when I confirmed that my little finger had entered the water, my heart suddenly shook. Then, a feeling of excitement suddenly rose.

　　Why was I excited? Because even though my little finger was inserted into the water, I didn’t feel any contact with the liquid!

　　In order to make sure my judgment was correct, I made up my mind and put my whole hand into the water.

　　As expected! There was no feeling of being surrounded by liquid!

　　Besides, it’s winter now, so no matter what liquid it is, its temperature is definitely lower than body temperature, but I don’t feel the slightest bit of cold!

　　In other words... this full, scary-looking blood is an illusion!!!

　　Liu Yunlong and the others can definitely be saved!!!

　　I suppressed the excitement in my heart, ignored Song Dongfeng's shouts from above, and clenched my fists under the "water surface".

　　"break!……"

　　The predictable scene appeared. The sound of water gradually decreased, and the deep red "blood" gradually lost its color. Five seconds later, everything returned to normal, and the dark passage below was finally completely exposed in front of me.

　　A beam of light shone down from overhead, shining again and again. After a moment, Song Dongfeng asked, "Has the water receded?"

　　“Haha.” I looked up at him, motioned for him to throw down the flashlight, and then said, “You guys actually let an illusion block you out, and even the military and fire brigade came in. You, the manager, have really embarrassed yourself this time!”

　　"Illusion? You said it was an illusion?!" Song Dongfeng finally understood and was shocked. After a moment, he seemed to have thought of something and ran out while shouting to me: "Don't move! Don't act rashly! I will notify the outside to stop the rescue operation first!"

　　When he finished speaking, the guy had already run out of the yard.

　　I turned on the flashlight and looked at the dark passage below. I called Liu Yunlong twice, but there was no response.

　　Since there is a layer of illusion as a barrier here, the things below are definitely not something Liu Yunlong and the two archaeologists can deal with.

　　I don't know where this fierceness came from? Or has my worry about Liu Yunlong overcome my fear? I hesitated for a moment, ignored Song Dongfeng's advice before going out, opened my spiritual eyes, and walked down with a flashlight.

　　The steps were very steep, because if the angle was too large, it would directly affect the stability of the building on the ground. Fortunately, after a few days of ventilation, the air in the passage was not turbid, and it became warmer as we walked down.

　　The walls on both sides are not as regular as the air-raid shelter under Bishagang. They were dug out one shovel at a time, and the loess covers the entire surface in an uneven manner.

　　If you look closely at some places, you can see fresh traces of fingernails scratching. It goes without saying that these must have been left by Liu Yunlong and his companions when they passed by.

　　We walked for about two minutes. Although it was very slow, according to my initial calculations, we had already gone at least forty to fifty meters underground. However, this passage still extended endlessly downwards.

　　Due to the small space and strong airflow, my eardrums were squeezed inwards, and all the sounds I heard were hollow. Even the shouting coming from the cave entrance was indistinguishable from what they were saying.

　　After walking down about ten meters, I found a person-sized pit on the wall not far to the front right.

　　Just as I was about to get closer to take a look, a head with long hair suddenly stretched out from inside, and just hovered in mid-air, swaying, facing me.

　　"Ah!" I was so frightened by the sudden appearance that I almost threw away my flashlight. Fortunately, I have experienced many such incidents recently, so I recovered quickly.

　　When I followed the flashlight and saw the head clearly, I couldn't help but say angrily, "So it was you who did this?! You're hiding here and scaring people for fun?!"

　　In fact, this person with long hair and shawl has shoulders under her head, but her body is hidden in the pit and the light is dim, so I didn’t see it at first glance.

　　At this time, the person threw back his long hair, revealing a delicate and beautiful face, and said: "Hello! I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

　　"Where is Liu Yunlong?" I felt relieved when I saw it was her.

　　Why? Because souls are kind and don't lie. And the person in front of him is none other than Gao Yuan, the female ghost who almost disappeared with Old Man Qian after the elevator incident.

　　Her other half, that nightmare, was put into a golden coffin by me in the centipede formation at the last moment.

　　"Haha, are you still worried about him now that I'm here?" Gao Yuan smiled at me and said, "Come here first, I'll show you something. Don't worry, the three of them weren't hurt at all."

　　"Oh..." I agreed and was about to step forward.

　　"Watch your step!" Gao Yuan saw that I was only concerned with digging out the pit and didn't even look down, so he quickly reminded me.

　　Only then did I remember the steps under my feet, and when I heard that, I quickly looked down.

　　But when I saw this, I was instantly scared to death!

　　Where was the staircase beneath my left foot? All that was left was a huge black hole that went straight into the center of the earth at a 90-degree angle, with no bottom to be seen.

　　Chapter 25: A Thousand Years of Unbreakable Pass

　　There are no more stone steps here.

　　Although my right foot was still on the stone steps, my left foot had already stepped out and my center of gravity had moved forward, so I couldn't retract it even if I wanted to.

　　If Gao Yuan hadn't reminded him, he would have fallen down for sure!

　　Fortunately, the diameter of this deep hole is not large. I thought quickly and simply pushed my left foot forward and kicked the wall at the other end of the hole.

　　Although I was no longer in danger of falling, I soon realized that I was stuck here! And I soon felt a pain in my inner thigh from the ligament being pulled.

　　"I'll hold you, jump up!" Gao Yuan's voice came from above. I looked up and saw that the pit was another passage, which was dug diagonally in another direction. Gao Yuan was squatting inside it.

　　Fortunately, the hole was not high, so I raised my hands and grabbed the bottom edge. I took two more breaths, then used all four limbs to pull myself up.

　　I turned around and looked at the big hole behind me, and I was still scared. If I really fell in by accident, who knows what would happen?

　　But unfortunately, my flashlight fell into this pit due to the chaos just now, and it has probably dropped hundreds of meters now.

　　Turning back, I saw that this passage, which was only wide enough for one person, was not much better than the one I had just come down from. It was 1.7 meters high and I had to bend over to move forward. Every ten meters or so, there was an oil lamp hanging on the wall, which was actually lit inside and emitted a dim light.

　　"Where are Liu Yunlong and the others?" I asked Gao Yuan again worriedly.

　　"Haha, are you that worried about me?" Gao Yuan smiled charmingly and continued, "The three of them are waiting for you at the exit in front. You'll meet them when you go out."

　　In fact, it's not that I don't believe her, it's that I don't believe Liu Yunlong. He was so careless that he didn't fall down when he walked behind her. It was simply a miracle!

　　"Where is this place?" Feeling relieved, I asked Gao Yuan as I followed her forward.

　　"To be honest, I don't know either. I was just looking for a place nearby according to Master Qian's instructions, and I accidentally found this place." Gao Yuan replied to me without looking back.

　　It seems that after the elevator time ended two days ago, she really followed Old Man Qian!

　　But... it seems that Old Man Qian is a soul-eater. Isn't she afraid of being sucked away?

　　"Where?" I naturally couldn't ask the latter question, so I could only ask the former.

　　"It has been a thousand years since the gate was broken!"

　　"Thousand Years of Unbreakable Pass?" I was stunned. This was the first time I had heard of this name. "What's it for?"

　　Gao Yuan still didn't look back, and said: "I heard from Master Qian that once the Hundred Legs Formation is practiced, it cannot be completely destroyed. Although you broke it, if you meet a master in the future, you can use some tricks to make it work again. In this world, the only way to completely seal it is to keep it intact for a thousand years."

　　"Is this the barrier that has been impenetrable for a thousand years?" When I heard that the Centipede Formation was so tenacious, I couldn't help but tremble in my heart. It really proves the old saying that a centipede will not die even if it is cut into pieces.

　　"It shouldn't be. This place is more like a tunnel used to hide soldiers in ancient times." Gao Yuan stopped and motioned for me to pick up the oil lamp hanging on the wall next to me and continue walking forward with her.

　　After walking a few more steps, the road ahead gradually became wider. Not only did it become higher, but it also allowed multiple people to walk side by side. I caught up with Gao Yuan and asked again, "Did you create the blood illusion at the entrance of the cave?"

　　"Haha, I just discovered this place last night as well. I had just come in and hadn't explored it clearly yet when the three of them came down. I could only use some tricks to block the others outside. Once we figure out the situation here, as long as there is no value, you can come and go as you please, and I won't care." Gao Yuan's explanation was reasonable.

　　"Master Qian sent you? Where are the others?" I thought to myself that this old man Qian was quite capable, even commanding ghosts to run errands for him. Of course, if Gao Yuan was forced, I would have to help her.

　　"He went to another place to look for the 'Thousand Years Unbreakable Pass'." Gao Yuan said, and he produced something from nowhere and stuffed it into my hand, and then continued: "This is what Master Qian asked me to give you. He said that it records a person's six lives and six generations, and perhaps only you can see it. He hopes that you can find some clues from it to solve the recent frequent strange events. Is it related to an ancient legend?"

　　"What legend?" I held the object in my hand. It felt like it was about the size of a fingertip, a little uncomfortable, and cube-shaped. I held it up to the oil lamp and saw that it was a dice.

　　I think everyone has seen dice, which is a must-have for playing mahjong, so I won’t say much here.

　　However, this dice is a circle larger than the common ones, and it feels quite heavy in the hand. It is somewhat transparent, and there is a faint red light flowing inside. It makes people want to see what's inside.

　　It's amazing when I take a closer look, I can't take my eyes off it!

　　I knew this wasn't going to work, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn't because my consciousness was gradually fading away.

　　When everything around him had become blurry and only the dice remained in his eyes, a trace of extremely cold air suddenly penetrated his head.

　　It made me sober up again.

　　"You can really see what's inside?" Gao Yuan's voice sounded at the side: "But don't look at it now. After I finish talking to you, I'll send you out and leave. It won't be too late to look at it later."

　　"Oh..." Hearing this, I hurriedly grasped the dice in my hand and forced myself not to look at it.

　　"Haha, do you still want to hear the legend?" Gao Yuan couldn't help laughing when he saw how nervous I was.

　　Seeing my expressionless face, she continued, "You should also know that the Centipede Formation was created by a founding father of Zhu Yuanzhang during the early Ming Dynasty. It is impossible to verify who those four people were. But there is no doubt that the person who invented the Centipede Formation must be a seal holder. Because only the seal holder has the ability to absorb and manipulate ghosts.

　　However, the Centipede Formation was not created entirely out of thin air by this person. It had a predecessor, and this person simply evolved and strengthened the previous formation to form the Centipede Formation we saw a few days ago."

　　"But I really don't see how powerful that centipede formation is?" I couldn't help but interrupt. Although the centipede formation looks intimidating, the things inside are just so-so.

　　"You, you're not afraid of anything just because you've learned some skills!" Gao Yuan turned around, glanced at me and said, "You should know that Haitao is just an ordinary person. He doesn't have the ability to communicate with the Yin, and he hasn't learned anything related to it. He just read a few sentences from his family's "Dream Record" and tried to practice the formation. Even so, it almost cost you guys your lives. Think about it, if it was Master Qian who was running the formation, how much chance would Zhang Shan and the other three have of survival? It's also thanks to Master Qian, otherwise, could you have dealt with those zombies whose power increased dramatically in the end?"

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, she continued, "Okay, let's continue with the legend of the centipede formation."

　　Chapter 26: Just a Legend

　　After listening to the second half of Gao Yuan's narration, I couldn't help but frown.

　　If it is really as she said, we are probably in big trouble this time!

　　The predecessor of the Centipede Formation was called the Luoyan Diagram, which was said to be an incomprehensible pattern painted on animal skin handed down from ancient times. After thousands of years of continuous improvement and strengthening by successive seal holders, it formed the current formation.

　　In fact, the formation of the Centipede Formation has long been no secret, and there are many seal holders with evil intentions who practice the Centipede Formation.

　　But why do so few people succeed in practicing it?

　　Because the difficulty lies in the piece of Yin-transforming chicken blood stone inlaid into the formation.

　　At the beginning of the formation, it was fine for a while. But after there were nine soul nightmares in the formation, the Yin Qi of the owner of the formation was not enough to compete with the power in the formation. No matter who it was, no matter how much he practiced, it would only be a situation of taking in one or two more, and it was very difficult to control, and there was even a risk of backlash.

　　In other words, if you rely on yourself alone, you can't complete the whole formation, and your practice will be in vain. Therefore, before the Ming Dynasty, almost no one could practice it. At least we don't know.

　　But we can't ask other people to practice this formation together.

　　It can be imagined that anyone who practices such a harmful thing would do it alone, hiding in a corner and secretly thinking about it. Who would be so stupid as to let everyone know that they are planning to tinker with this thing to harm others?

　　At this time, the usefulness of the Yin-transforming Bloodstone is reflected.

　　The master who assisted Zhu Yuanzhang back then came up with an idea. Since no matter how much I practiced, I could not achieve the ultimate goal of collecting the ninety-nine nightmares, and I could not ask for help from others, why not focus on other objects that can generate Yin Qi? Using the Yin Qi from those things to operate the entire formation?

　　So, relying on his status as Zhu Yuanzhang's think tank, he sent people to various places to collect things with cold properties.

　　But several years have passed and nothing has been gained. The things sent to them are either useless or lack Yin energy.

　　Finally one day, a bloodstone sent from Changhua in western Zhejiang attracted his attention.

　　Bloodstone is a very yang substance. But in this person's eyes, he actually saw hope. As the saying goes, when something reaches its extreme, it will turn into its opposite. If the nature of a thing reaches its extreme, it is not impossible to completely transform its nature into the opposite side.

　　After a series of complex transformation processes, he changed the bloodstone from extremely yang to extremely yin, and inlaid it into the array, thus breaking through the thousand-year bottleneck in one fell swoop, and ultimately helped Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world.

　　Anyone who has a general understanding of Ming history knows that Zhu Yuanzhang was not a broad-minded person. He went all the way from a beggar to an emperor. Putting aside the intangible things such as the right time and place, the most important thing is the harmony of people. As soon as he ascended the throne, before he could even warm his butt, he began to purge the founding fathers of the year. Those who helped him unify the country were almost all killed.

　　Of course, this senior who possessed the Hundred-foot Formation was also on the purge list. Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of his ability and the powerful force in his hands. He had planned to take him down in one fell swoop.

　　But who doesn't know how to tell fortunes? (Except me, of course.) Although this expert has mastered the seemingly evil centipede formation, his original intention was just to help Zhu Yuanzhang because he didn't want to see the endless wars and the people's misery. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang came from the lowest class, and if he becomes emperor in the future, he might be able to understand the thoughts of the common people.

　　However, the result was the opposite of what he had hoped for. Supreme power corrupted people quickly. By the time he discovered this, the army had already surrounded the house.

　　Although this expert was unwilling to sit back and wait for death, his lifelong wish was to return a peaceful and prosperous world to the people. Seeing that the chaotic times had just passed and everything needed to be rebuilt, he could not bear to start another war. So before Zhu Yuanzhang's personal soldiers came in, he arranged his funeral properly and committed suicide.

　　As for the Hundred-legged Formation, he handed it over to one of his most trusted disciples before he died, ordering him to find the barrier that could not be broken for a thousand years and then seal it completely.

　　But everyone has selfish desires. This disciple had followed him in battle for many years, and not only had he learned the true teachings, but he also knew the power of the Hundred-legged Formation. He couldn't bear to see such a good thing destroyed in his own hands.

　　So he took advantage of the search of his master's house and escaped by climbing over the wall with the Centipede Formation.

　　He wanted to go into the mountains alone to study the town genealogy and achieve something. But Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill his master's entire family, including the apprentices and servants, so how could he miss this one? After running for several days and nights, he was finally caught up by the pursuers.

　　At the last moment, he scraped off the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone from the formation manual and swallowed it. He also declared that the moment the Hundred-legged Formation was completed again would be the moment of his eternal life.

　　After hearing this, I began to have many doubts about this nonsensical story. I couldn't help but ask Gao Yuan, "So you said that the man who swallowed the stone is also a seal holder?"

　　"There is no way to verify this. All I know is what Master Qian told me these past two days." Gao Yuan said helplessly, "But there is one thing, except for the founding father of the Ming Dynasty, no one has yet figured out the true method of transforming the chicken blood stone into Yin. This is also an important reason why no one has mastered this formation for thousands of years."

　　"The one in Zhang Haitao's town book a few days ago..." I was just about to say, isn't there a piece in front of me? But suddenly I understood the connection between the two things, and said with wide eyes, "Could it be... that piece is the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone from that year?!!!"

　　"It's very likely." Gao Yuan confirmed my guess: "You should know that Zhang Haitao bought the Hundred-legged Formation from Master Qian earlier. But what you don't know is that the bloodstone was not on the formation map that Master Qian gave him."

　　"Then... what was the point of him buying a semi-finished product in the first place? Did he know that he could find the Yin-transforming Bloodstone? Besides, he is not the seal holder..." I really don't understand what Zhang Haitao was thinking in the first place?

　　"I'm afraid we'll have to ask Haitao himself what he thinks." Although Gao Yuan was killed by Zhang Haitao, every time he thought of his annihilation, he couldn't help but reveal a sad expression on his face.

　　At this time, she turned a corner and continued, "Don't forget, Haitao's family has a copy of the Dream Record passed down from their ancestors. This book has been handwritten since ancient times and has been passed down from generation to generation. As it is passed to different people, the contents collected and compiled by them are also different. Perhaps, Haitao's copy may contain some methods that ordinary people can master. As for Shitou, I'm afraid you have to ask him."

　　I have no say in this matter. I haven't even finished reading the book in my hand, so what can I know?

　　"In short, we must break through the thousand-year barrier and completely seal the centipede formation before that person finds us!" Gao Yuan concluded.

　　"Which one?" I was completely confused. The amount of information that was poured into me at once was too much and I was a little bewildered.

　　"He's the person who swallowed the chicken blood stone that year!" Gao Yuan rolled his eyes at me unhappily.

　　"...No way... can he... really be resurrected?" I remembered Gao Yuan had said just now that this man had cast a curse before his death, saying that when the centipede formation was completed again, that would be the moment when he would be immortal. Could he have been spying on me the whole time?

　　"But the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone is gone. It has vanished along with Zhang Haitao!" Thinking of this, I felt relieved again.

　　Chapter 27: Shang Dynasty City Wall

　　At this time, sparse weeds began to appear on the walls of the passage. Gao Yuan stopped, looked at me and said, "Let me ask you, when Hai Tao activated the centipede formation for the last time, was there the chicken blood stone?"

　　“…No.” I knew this very well because the bloodstone was in my hand at that time.

　　"So, that stone is just an auxiliary item, not a necessity. Whether this stone is needed or not depends on the person. Haitao is not the one who holds the seal. He can only gain the support of powerful Yin energy through death to activate the operation of the entire formation. But how many people are willing to kill themselves for the purpose of practicing the formation?" Gao Yuan looked like "Got it?"

　　"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this. I just want to ask you, what is the probability that the person who swallowed the stone will be found?" This is what I care about most. I hope that after more than 600 years, he has long forgotten this matter, or has been reincarnated as a human being.

　　"What do you want me to say? I'm not Master Qian!" Gao Yuan looked a bit embarrassed. "Whether he comes or not, Master Qian said that although no one except him has swallowed the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone for thousands of years, judging from the properties of this stone, the possibility of those who swallow it not falling into reincarnation is very high!"

　　“Not falling into reincarnation?” I found that I have come across a lot of new words recently.

　　"Just don't reincarnate, don't give up your obsessions in life, just like me, floating around everywhere, you can float for as many years as you want." Gao Yuan might have also discovered that when he met me, a student in the kindergarten class, he had to explain everything.

　　I finally kept silent. Although she didn't say it directly, she indirectly confirmed that this possibility was very high!

　　"Do you... do you need our help?" I licked my dry tongue and asked.

　　This might be the first time I've actively asked to be involved in something like this.

　　If Zhang Haitao had not been stopped at that time, what would have happened? It was hard to predict. Now there was another old ghost who was over 600 years old, waiting secretly beside him. If he was allowed to take it, it was obvious that no one would have a good life.

　　He said that the day when the centipede formation reappeared would be the day of his eternal life. Since a person has eternal life, what else is there to pursue?

　　There is only one answer: power! Supreme power!

　　"Isn't it necessary for now? If necessary, Master Qian will come to find you in person." Gao Yuan stepped aside, pointed to the road ahead and said, "Go along here, the exit is ten meters away. Your friends are waiting there, I have to go somewhere else to look for the Millennium Unbreakable Pass, so I can't accompany you. Remember, the Centipede Formation has appeared, and whether that old ghost will show up or not is a matter of a few days. Once you find anything suspicious, be sure to notify Master Qian immediately!" After that, she waved to me, turned around and walked back into the darkness.

　　"Notify...Ah! How to notify!" I remembered this and shouted inside.

　　"Your big friend knows!" A sweet reply came from the darkness.

　　"Hey, this girl is so good that she follows the old man to run errands!" I muttered as I walked out.

　　But it's not bad, at least she won't be wandering around alone. Such a kind girl should have a good ending.

　　I just don’t know if old man Qian will really “eat” her one day?

　　After walking a few meters and turning a corner, I saw a faint light. I ran over and pushed aside the dense grass and mud that blocked the outside, and finally got out of the cave.

　　The light in the morning was so bright that it took me a long time to regain my sight. I looked around and couldn't help but sigh in my heart: "Oh my God! Feelings crawled hundreds of meters underground and came out from under the ancient city wall again.

　　The ancient city wall of Zhengzhou is part of the Shang Dynasty ruins in Zhengzhou. It was built about 3,600 years ago. In 1955, a rectangular Shang Dynasty city wall was discovered in the area of ​​the old city and Beiguan of Zhengzhou, which is generally called Zhengzhou Shang City. Archaeological excavations have proved that the city is older than the Yin Ruins in Anyang. In 1961, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced it as a national key cultural relic protection unit.

　　Although this section of Zhengzhou's city wall can be considered a city wall, it is very different from the city walls of Kaifeng and Xi'an. Not to mention being majestic, it is simply pathetic! From a distance, it is just a small earthen slope.

　　Of course, we can't blame the builders for cutting corners. You have to know that was 3,600 years ago. The earliest brick-making technology originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period from 770 BC to 221 BC. That's nearly a thousand years away!

　　The so-called "Qin bricks and Han tiles" means that it was not until the Qin Dynasty that the brick-making industry made great progress and development. So the Great Wall we see today is all made of bricks.

　　Before this, only the capital of a country could have brick walls, while other places still used primitive adobe structures.

　　The ancient city wall of Zhengzhou from the Shang Dynasty is made of adobe.

　　Today, if you come to Zhengzhou, the ancient city wall of Zhengzhou stands on your right hand side along Chengdong Road from north to south. Although it no longer looks as majestic as it did in the past, it has witnessed the development and progress of human society over the past thousands of years. And there is no entrance fee for climbing the city wall. You can climb it as you like! Even if you take a handful of soil from 3,600 years ago home to plant flowers, no one will care.

　　The hole I came out of was very hidden, under a section of the city wall, and a few meters behind it was the wall of a family compound. I guess there wasn't even a cleaner here all year round. All kinds of garbage arrogantly covered my ankles.

　　However, no matter how hidden this place is, no one has discovered it for thousands of years?

　　I looked carefully again and found a lot of newly broken pieces of soil scattered around, of varying sizes. This also directly confirmed my inference - the entrance of this cave was previously sealed with thick soil, and it was just opened now. However, it is not clear whether it was opened by Gao Yuan or someone else.

　　I found a relatively clean place and climbed up the city wall using my hands and feet.

　　There is really nothing to see in Zhengzhou in winter. There are only two kinds of weather: sunny days with strong winds and cloudy days with strong winds. Leaves mixed with yellow sand are floating all over the sky.

　　It's very cold today, almost minus ten degrees Celsius.

　　In this kind of weather, even though it was 12:00 in the morning, there was not even one person exercising on the city wall. However, on a large rock not far to the south, two or three people were sitting side by side, like students waiting for their teacher to come to class, completely ignoring the biting cold wind, holding their heads high and looking straight ahead.

　　From my angle, I could only see the northernmost man, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing old-fashioned glasses and looking like a poor scholar.

　　When I got closer and took a closer look, I found Liu Yunlong sitting at the southernmost seat. He stretched his already slender neck, sat in a serious posture, and looked forward.

　　I looked at the guy carefully and saw that his nose was running long and hanging out, as if it was frozen. I have only seen this kind of scene in cartoons. But he didn't move at all and didn't know how to wipe it.

　　"...Hahahaha!..." I finally couldn't help laughing. "Liu, why did you come here to work out so early in the morning without even telling me? It's good to love exercise! The key is that you have to pay attention to your image! Look how cold you are, come here and let me break off the icicles for you..." After I finished laughing, I talked for a long time before I realized that not only Liu Yunlong, but also the two old men next to him, were motionless.

　　"Hey! I say, stop playing! We still have a lot of things to do!" I realized something was wrong, put away my smile, and went up to pull Liu Yunlong up.

　　But when I exerted force, I felt that this guy's body was stiff. Could it be that he was frozen?

　　Chapter 28: Dice Dream Romance (1)

　　Strange! I couldn't pull him, so I took two steps back and observed the three of them carefully.

　　They sat side by side on a large stone. The stone was quite large, more than three meters long and one meter wide. The top surface was relatively flat, so even if two people lay sideways on it, it wouldn't feel crowded. You could tell at a glance that it was old. Because the thirty to fifty centimeters above the ground were very smooth from the edges to the gaps, no matter from which angle you looked at it. This was obviously caused by people constantly touching it over the years, and some places were even rubbed to a shine.

　　After walking around in a circle, I still couldn't figure out why they were sent here.

　　Since it was Gao Yuan who placed it here, she would definitely not use any excessive means. After all, her main purpose was to avoid being disturbed as much as possible without affecting the exploration of the cave.

　　That is to say, they were most likely hypnotized.

　　Since it's hypnosis, it's much easier.

　　I went back to Liu Yunlong, squatted down, and prepared to cast the "Spirit Clearing Spell".

　　But when he raised his hand, he found that he was holding something.

　　When I spread it out, it was the dice that Gao Yuan had given me just now.

　　Only then did I have a chance to observe it carefully. In the sunlight, the dice was constantly changing its light. The dots on each side looked like small windows, and there were faint shadows of people moving.

　　This was the first time I had seen such a rare thing. I looked up at the sky curiously, trying to see what "movies" were being played in those dots.

　　When I turned to 1 o'clock, I stopped moving, because this already large circle was expanding and gradually filling my entire field of vision.

　　"It's broken!!!" I obviously realized that something was wrong, but my vision was blurry and the shaking blocks of color made me upset. How could I find a way to get out of this?

　　What is most worrying is that Liu Yunlong and the other three are still sitting next to them!

　　Although Gao Yuan and Old Man Qian both said that this dice only showed a person's six lives, who knew when it would end? Don't let them freeze to death on this ancient city wall before I finish watching!

　　...Alas, I have a cold constitution, so I am not afraid. I hope Liu Yunlong and the other three can hold out for a while longer and be discovered sooner!

　　This was my last thought before my vision was completely obscured.

　　First Dream

　　Finally, those disgusting blocks of color gradually dispersed, reorganized, and focused, and I could see the scene clearly again.

　　The first thing that catches your eye is a low beam. The roof is not the common "human" structure, but one side is higher and the other side is lower.

　　It was obvious that this was a wooden house, as some thatch could be vaguely seen on the roof.

　　I was still observing curiously, and gradually I began to hear sounds in my ears.

　　"Look, look! He opened his eyes! He opened his eyes!" Several voices were whispering at the same time around, including men and women, old and young.

　　I tried to lift my arm to see if it was intact and if I could support myself to sit up.

　　But when I raised my hand, I was shocked. It wasn't my hand at all!

　　The skin is so soft and tender, so plump and so small. This is definitely the hand of a fetus less than one year old!

　　What a joke! I instinctively thought it was a prank.

　　But after a moment, I could only admit this fact - this is indeed my hand. Because when I told it to go left, it went left, and when I told it to hold, it would never open.

　　After struggling for a long time, I just had to accept it. It was just a dream, not me. To put it bluntly, this thing is like a computer game, just from a first-person perspective.

　　After calming down, I began to look around, but to my disappointment, there were only faces around me.

　　I counted them and found there were eight people in total. They were arranged in order, four on each side, and they all stretched their heads to look at me.

　　These eight people were easy to distinguish: an elderly couple, a middle-aged couple, and four little girls. The oldest looked no more than ten years old, and the youngest was still in the arms of a middle-aged man.

　　Everyone was wearing coarse linen clothes. Although the material was ordinary and the tailoring and workmanship were not good, they were still clean.

　　Seeing so many girls, I suddenly remembered something and struggled to touch between my legs...

　　...Fortunately, the things are still there!

　　Now that I have put this worry aside, I think it's time to communicate with them.

　　But as soon as I opened my mouth, I was stunned again. Although I had already realized that my body was not my own and the voice would probably not be my own, what I didn't expect was that the words and greetings I had prepared turned into the "wa~wa~" sound of a baby crying as soon as I opened my mouth.

　　"Oh my little grandson! What's wrong? Are you hungry? Come here! Let grandpa hug you!" The old man with wrinkles on the left saw that I was "crying", leaned over with a smile, put his arms around me and picked me up.

　　When I got in front of him, I immediately smelled a strong smell of tobacco oil, which made me want to gag. And he was holding me and shaking me at the same time, which made me feel worse.

　　After holding me for a while, the old man passed me to the middle-aged woman across the small bed. I estimated that this woman might not even be 30 years old. Although she looked ordinary, her facial features were very delicate.

　　There was a motherly look in her eyes when she looked at me. I thought she must be the mother of this baby.

　　After the old man and the middle-aged man walked out with the girls, the woman opened her front to me...

　　After eating and drinking, I was carried out of the house by the baby's grandmother, the elderly woman. Fortunately, I followed her around and finally understood the situation.

　　This should be a small village located at the border of Shanxi and Henan, at the foot of the mountains. People's accents have a bit of Henan and Shanxi flavors.

　　In the small village, there was no distinction between rich and poor families. Basically, every family had the same houses and belongings. Houses with thatched roofs and walls made of stone mixed with mud could be seen everywhere.

　　But I still don't know what era it is now? It seems that in China's two thousand years of feudal society, no matter which dynasty, the clothes of the common people living in the mountains have never changed much.

　　The change of dynasties had almost no impact on them.

　　All I can find out is that this is ancient times, because every man has long hair, some wear it in a bun, some just let it down. Of course, there are also very few people who have bald heads or crew cuts.

　　The weather was nice, it should be the spring season with blooming flowers. Almost all the people were working in the fields near the village. I also saw the old man of this family and the middle-aged couple.

　　What's annoying is that two of the three older girls in this family have reached the age of nine-year compulsory education, but they don't even bother going to school. They are always curious about me and come to hold my hand and pinch my face every once in a while. This makes me very depressed.

　　The only one who was still relatively obedient and didn't move me was lying on the old lady's back, trying to scare me to tears with his eyes.

　　Near noon, the daughter-in-law came back from the fields to cook, and the old lady took a few of us to sit in the yard and do some chores.

　　While cooking, I listened with great interest to the conversation between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law.

　　Chapter 29: Dice Dream Romance (2)

　　"Shu'e, our family has been looking forward to having a grandson for ten years, so we must give him a resounding name!" said my mother-in-law, holding me in her arms and sitting in the open space in the yard.

　　"Oh! Dawei and father-in-law have just discussed it in the field! Tomorrow morning they will take your gold nugget to the town and find Zhou Tiezui at the entrance of Renjitang to ask for a good name!" The daughter-in-law came out of the kitchen and agreed.

　　"Go find Zhou Tiezui... He may be helpful, but it will cost money!" When the mother-in-law heard this, she frowned.

　　"Mom!" My wife came over, wiped her hands on her clothes, and took me over and said, "A person only has this one name in his life, so what's the big deal about spending a little money? Our ancestors have been farmers for generations, and knowing your own name is considered knowledge. You don't want to give your grandson the same name as your son, do you?"

　　"Pfft!" Grandma laughed with her hands covering her mouth. "As for the nickname Gousheng'er, it wasn't really given by us. It was my grandma who spent a whole day thinking about it. She said to give the child an animal name so that it would be easier to raise. Okay! Let's spend money! Give my grandson a resounding name, maybe he can become a general in the future!"

　　My wife had already started to feed me and said, "Don't be a general. Going out to fight all day long, as a mother, I am so worried! If you want to be a general, be a high-ranking official!"

　　"It's not good to be a high-ranking official! You are either scolded by the people or by the emperor all day long. It's not good! How can my grandson endure that?" The mother-in-law's brows, which had just relaxed, frowned again.

　　"Haha, according to what you said, this golden nugget of ours can only become the emperor." My wife patted me and teased.

　　"Ah..." The mother-in-law sighed: "The emperor is good, but he doesn't necessarily live as comfortably as us ordinary people. Anyway, our family is not destined to have that."

　　"Don't talk so early." The daughter-in-law was unwilling: "Have you forgotten what the village chief said yesterday, that the thing on our Qingxi's arm is called 'Useless Mark', and he will achieve great things in the future!" After saying that, she lowered her head and looked at me happily.

　　"Bah! Your Uncle Huang has only known how to deal with the dead all his life. He can look at the dead, but he doesn't have the ability to look at the living! What's useless? Let's see who is useless, his granddaughter or our son!"

　　The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted and laughed, and soon lunch was prepared.

　　Country people don't care about anything, as long as they can bear the hunger. After the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law ate, they went to the fields with a large bowl of fried radish, cabbage and vermicelli and several steamed buns.

　　My mother-in-law put me in a cradle in the middle of the main room and went to rest.

　　Out of boredom, I began to study this body. I first looked at my right wrist and saw three faint dots on it, which I couldn't see without careful observation.

　　It seems that the "Village Chief Huang" they mentioned was not wrong. I became interested in this old man.

　　After trying to move a few times, I finally realized that this body was not completely under my control. Sometimes I could move however I wanted, but sometimes, no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not control it.

　　There’s no other way, let’s just leave it like this for now.

　　I had nothing to do the whole afternoon and couldn't talk to relieve my boredom, so the time passed very hard.

　　It gets dark early in the mountains. The family of three came back from the fields only when the road was about to be invisible. My mother-in-law had already prepared the meal. It was a rich dinner. Although there was still no meat, there were at least four dishes, accompanied by millet rice. The whole family sat together, and they were very happy.

　　I still had no chance to eat because I had been filled with milk when the middle-aged woman first entered the house.

　　Halfway through the meal, someone knocked on the door.

　　The middle-aged woman immediately put down her chopsticks and went to the yard to open the door. Although the houses here are not big or good, there is always a large open space in front of the house, which is surrounded by a fence and used as a small yard. Usually, they dry wild goods caught in the mountains or hang their own clothes.

　　After a while, the middle-aged woman let in an old man who seemed to be about the same age as the old man in the house.

　　When everyone at the table saw him coming, they all stood up to greet him. Some called him Old Huang, some called him Uncle Huang, and the younger ones all called him Grandpa.

　　It seems that this is the village chief Huang that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking about at noon.

　　Since I didn't need to eat, I was placed in a cradle at the side. Village Chief Huang looked around the house and finally found me. He walked towards me and said, "Don't worry about me, eat! I'm here to see my future grandson-in-law~haha!"

　　"Grandson-in-law?" Everyone in the room was stunned when they heard this.

　　After Old Man Huang had teased me for a long time, the middle-aged man came over with a bowl of rice and asked, "Uncle Huang, you said my youngest son is your grandson-in-law?"

　　"Haha, yes!" The old village chief, who looked like a sage, stopped provoking me and stroked his beard, saying, "My little girl will be four years old next year. As the saying goes, a girl who is three years old will bring her a fortune, and a girl who is four years old will bring her a long life. It's not too late to propose a marriage now, right? Don't you think so, old friend?"

　　He turned his head and said these last words to the old man who was still sitting at the dinner table.

　　"Haha, it's not too late, not too late!" The old man didn't seem to have any objection and smiled from ear to ear.

　　"That couldn't be better!" The middle-aged man next to him was also very happy when he heard it. After thinking for a while, he said in embarrassment: "But, Uncle Huang, it is always the man's family who takes the initiative to come to the door to propose marriage. You are so lucky. We are not prepared at all, and you come first..."

　　"Haha! Don't worry about that!" Old Huang patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder and said, "Would your uncle Huang care about your betrothal gift? When to give it and how much to give are all up to your family! Who made us destined to be together? Don't you think so? My little grandson-in-law!"

　　After he said this to me, he reached out to tease me again.

　　Just as I expected, there were three brown dots as big as cherries on the old man's right wrist.

　　Seeing that everyone was eating, Mr. Huang just said a few more words of gossip and then left. He was humming a little tune as he left, and was obviously very happy.

　　I made some guesses. At noon, my mother-in-law said that he had been dealing with the dead all his life, and he was obviously a seal holder with considerable accomplishments. There were two reasons why he came to me: one, to pass on his lifelong skills to me so that I could take over his job; two, he had some plans for me.

　　I think the former is more likely.

　　After dinner, my father-in-law and mother-in-law took the three older girls to the east room to rest.

　　What kind of nightlife can you expect in this era and this place? Besides, going to bed early can save a lot of money on lamp oil.

　　The woman began to put away the dishes and clean the house, while the man took advantage of the rare break to come over, pick me up and play with me.

　　Everything is so warm and peaceful.

　　…

　　"Oh no! The bandits are coming!" From a distance, a shrill cry suddenly broke the quiet night.

　　"What's wrong?" The woman ran out of the kitchen with a nervous look on her face.

　　The man handed me to her and comforted me, "It's okay, it's okay. They might just be passing by. I'll go out and take a look!"

　　After saying that, he turned and walked out of the house.

　　But the cries of "the bandits are coming" not only did not stop, but became more and more frequent and closer. Slowly, the surroundings began to become noisy, and it seemed that the roars and hoofbeats of horses could be heard in the distance.

　　Chapter 30: Dice Dream Romance (3)

　　My father-in-law and mother-in-law also heard the shouting outside and rushed out from the inner room.

　　After a while, the man returned to the house, looking panicked, and stammered, "The bandits! ... The bandits have reached the entrance of the village! ... I saw... Uncle Zhou Er's house at the entrance of the village has been set on fire!"

　　The two women panicked and didn't know what to do. Only the father-in-law was relatively calm. He blew out the candle immediately and asked, "Is the fence gate closed?"

　　"I... I was in a hurry to come back and forgot about it!" The man was also a little confused. Maybe he had never encountered such a thing before.

　　"Hurry up and pack your things! Take the children and go up the mountain from behind the house! I'll go close the fence door and take a look at the situation!" said the father-in-law, put on his clothes and walked into the yard.

　　Upon hearing this, my mother-in-law immediately went back to the inner room and woke up the older girls. The youngest was carried on the man’s back, while I was held in the woman’s arms.

　　Everything was ready, and there was nothing to bring. We all stood in the dark in the middle of the main room, waiting for the old man to come back.

　　About half a minute later, a figure was seen running from a distance.

　　After a lifetime, the mother-in-law had already realized that this was her partner, and she couldn't help but go out to greet him.

　　But... it wasn't just the eunuch who was alone. Not far behind him, a horseman followed closely. Seeing that the eunuch was only two steps away from rushing into the yard, the horseman finally caught up with him and raised his right hand. In the firelight, I saw a long spear pointed at the eunuch's chest and pierced into the ground!

　　At this time, the mother-in-law had also arrived nearby.

　　"...Ah! You evil creature, why did you kill our old man!!!" There was only a moment of silence, and the mother-in-law pounced on the man on horseback like a madman.

　　But how can an old woman in her fifties resist armed bandits?

　　The man in the dark pulled up the reins, and the warhorse under his crotch stood up, kicking the mother-in-law to the ground. When the horse's front kick landed again, it stepped on the mother-in-law's chest.

　　The sound of broken ribs could be clearly heard.

　　"Mom!!!" the middle-aged woman couldn't help but shout out.

　　"Run!" The grandmother, lying under the horse's hooves, shouted towards the house with her last breath. After she finished speaking, blood spurted out of her mouth and it was obvious that she was dead.

　　"Dad!...Wuwu" The middle-aged woman finally couldn't bear this sudden tragedy and started crying.

　　"Hurry up and go! Take the second, third and youngest child with you and go first!" After all, men can recover from sadness more quickly. After examining the situation, he decisively pushed open the back window of the main room and carried the four of us, mother and daughter, out.

　　The horseman at the gate of the courtyard had heard the noise in the house a long time ago. He stepped over the corpses of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, got off his horse after entering the courtyard, and took out a long knife, obviously intending to kill them all.

　　Although I had only been in contact with this family for a day from a first-person perspective, I was still furious when I saw such a brutal thing happening, and I wanted to cut the horseman into pieces.

　　Since I was in the woman's arms, I could naturally see clearly what was happening behind me.

　　Although the horseman in the yard had dismounted, he did not enter the house. He seemed to have noticed us climbing up the mountain behind the house. He put away his long sword and took out two things from his back.

　　...It's a bow and arrow!!! When I vaguely saw what he was holding, I couldn't help but get nervous.

　　No! I have to remind them! We must save them!

　　"Don't walk straight! Walk in an S shape!" This was what I wanted to shout in a hurry, but when I opened my mouth, what came out was still a crying sound.

　　It's over! Forget about it!

　　Before I could recover from my loss, I heard a whoosh and my second daughter was pinned to the ground by a feather arrow.

　　"Er Ni!!!" Although the woman was holding me, she rushed towards the second girl who was shot by an arrow regardless of everything.

　　Turning over, the little girl, who was only seven or eight years old, took a last look at her mother and breathed her last.

　　"Run!" The man and the girl had already climbed out from behind the house. Seeing us stop halfway up the mountain, they kept shouting.

　　"Swoosh!" Another sound. When I turned around with the woman and looked over, the third girl didn't even have time to scream before another arrow pierced her brain.

　　Having lost two children in an instant, the woman had no hope in life. Her legs went limp and she sat there with tears in her eyes, making people feel extremely sad.

　　I could already see the horseman in the yard nocking on the third arrow, but there was nothing I could do.

　　"Run!" At this time, the man had already caught up with the big girl and was about to pull us while speaking.

　　“Whoosh!”

　　"Ah!" The man roared in a muffled roar and fell to the ground in the blink of an eye. What followed was the sound of "wa wa~" crying behind him.

　　"Daddy! Daddy!" Seeing this, the eldest girl hurriedly knelt down and kept shaking the man.

　　Hearing the cries of the two children, the dazed woman finally regained some strength and hurriedly untied the straps on the man's back, revealing the four girls inside.

　　Fortunately, the arrow was a bit off-center. Although it hit the girl on the man's back, it only went through her thigh and got stuck on the man's back. Although it was not a fatal injury, the child's legs were thin, so it was likely that it hit the aorta. If she was not rescued immediately, she would not survive.

　　The arrow shot through two people. The woman didn't dare to pull out the arrow. She just kept shouting to the man with a hoarse voice: "Boss! Boss!"

　　Because the fourth girl in front of me was seriously injured, by the time I reacted and turned to look for the eldest girl, she had already been shot in the ribs and fell behind the woman. I didn't know whether she was dead or alive.

　　Damn! Was the archery skills of the ancients so accurate? !

　　I could only helplessly watch everything happening before my eyes, but I was completely powerless to do anything.

　　Footsteps gradually came from the foot of the hill behind the house.

　　Finally, the man in black on horseback came up to us.

　　The woman naturally noticed this. She stopped crying, wiped her tears, sat next to her man, looked up and glared at the man in black, her eyes full of flames of anger.

　　The two of them just stared at each other in the dark, and after a long while, no one said a word.

　　Because the man in black had his back to the burning village the whole time, I couldn't see his appearance clearly even though I was so close to him.

　　After a while, the man in black lost his patience and slowly drew out the long sword from his waist.

　　When the woman saw his action, she calmed down. I could clearly feel her breathing change from rapid to slow. I thought, she must have been waiting for that moment, right? I was the only one left in the family, and I was afraid that I would not have a good life in the future.

　　But... it seems that there is still me. If I am killed, will my real self die as well? This is the question that concerns me the most.

　　But even though I care, there is nothing I can do to change the current situation.

　　The man beside him suddenly moved, and at the moment when the man in black raised his knife-holding hand, he suddenly jumped up and hugged the man in black's legs!

　　Although the fourth girl's backpack was untied, it was pierced by an arrow and she was hanging upside down behind the man. The sudden movement made her cry loudly in pain.

　　Chapter 31: Dice Dream Romance (4)

　　"Run!!! You and this old man! Run!!!" The man obviously hugged the legs of the man in black with all his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs.

　　"Boss!" The woman looked at me in her arms, then looked at the man, but she refused to leave.

　　"quick!"

　　“Swish!”

　　As soon as the man shouted, the long knife pierced into the chest of the fourth girl on his back and came out from his chest.

　　When the man in black drew his knife again, both the adults and children were silent.

　　"Boss!" The woman finally gave up. She took another look at me in her arms, stood up and prepared to run away.

　　But the only person who could stop her was dead. Could she still leave?

　　The man in black was still not in a hurry, trying to push the man's arms apart first, and then slowly chase us. He wanted to play this cat and mouse game.

　　"My dear in-laws!!!" The woman just turned around and took a step. We heard a familiar voice coming from the courtyard at the foot of the mountain. It was that old man Huang.

　　"Uncle Huang!" When the woman heard his voice, she felt as if she had seen a bright light in the darkness, and she stepped back and shouted.

　　Seeing that we had reinforcements, the man in black became a little anxious. He wanted to break free from the man's arms as soon as possible, kill us mother and son first, and then turn around to deal with Mr. Huang who was crawling towards here.

　　But the man held him tightly before he died, how could he easily break free in this position?

　　"Uncle Huang! I'm here! This is the man! He killed our whole family!" The woman obviously knew some of Mr. Huang's abilities, so she stood outside the attack range of the man in black, waiting for someone to come and avenge her.

　　"Hey!" The man in black finally let out a muffled roar, and then he swung his hand again, and the long knife flew towards us mother and son with a strong wind.

　　Standing too close! Really too close! So close that before we could react, I felt a chill on my chest and back. I looked up and saw that the woman's eyes were dull.

　　A huge pain came, and the long knife had pierced both of us together.

　　Mr. Huang was still at the bottom of the slope, so he could not see the scene until he climbed up. He roared, and I did not see what method he used. The man in black suddenly burned violently, accompanied by miserable howls.

　　By the time Mr. Huang got to me, I was already dead.

　　The child's life ended, even though he had been in this world for less than a month.

　　It turns out that being killed hurts so much!

　　Second Dream

　　"...Hurry! Hurry and inform the master! The young master is awake! The young master is awake!!!" As I opened my eyes, there was another burst of noisy shouting and footsteps.

　　The color blocks in front of me split and reassembled again, and when I could finally see clearly, there was still a circle of people surrounding me. But this time the people were different, all of them were wearing silk and satin, the men were wearing brocade clothes and jade crowns, and the women were all wearing makeup, which looked quite pleasing to the eye.

　　I counted and found there were five people this time, one man and four women.

　　I lay on a large carved bed, the back of my coverlet was made of bright silk and scented with perfume.

　　"My child! You finally woke up!" The only man looked at me with tears in his eyes. Although he looked only about 40 years old, his temples were already gray.

　　"Well... who are you?" I couldn't help but ask him.

　　Can I speak now?

　　"I can speak!" I asked the first sentence, and then I found that I could actually speak!

　　"Of course you can speak! Don't you recognize your father? And I'm your mother!" One of the younger women agreed and couldn't help crying.

　　"It's okay, it's okay! Just wake up!" The man suppressed his inner emotions, stood up and ordered outside: "Come here! Give the young master a bath and change his clothes first! I will hold a big banquet tonight to celebrate the return of our young master's soul and calm him down!"

　　I wanted to say something, but then I thought, they wouldn't believe me even if I said it.

　　Not to mention this era, even if it were today, if you said you were from the future, you would probably be regarded as a psychopath.

　　I was carried by a group of maids to take a bath in a daze, and then changed into new clothes. I was then carried on the back of a male servant to the main hall of this huge mansion.

　　Maybe I have been lying in bed for too long, I don’t have the strength to walk now. But fortunately, my thoughts and actions are under control. I am not “disobedient”.

　　There were already seven people sitting around a table in the hall, most of them were the ones I saw by the bed when I just woke up.

　　"You'er, come here!" The middle-aged man who was the head of the family was sitting in the middle. When he saw me coming, he opened the empty seat on his left and greeted me cordially.

　　The servant carried me over and put me on a chair. I straightened myself up and gave a nice smile to the "strangers" at the table.

　　"You'er! Do you remember me? I'm your fourth mother! Have you forgotten? You used to go to my place to eat snacks, fruits and other things." Among the group of people, the woman who looked the youngest took the initiative to greet me.

　　I just shook my head apologetically, and the woman who claimed to be my "mother" snorted, "Humph, who knows if those snacks and fruits did anything? Otherwise, how could my You'er be unconscious for so long?"

　　"You!...Master! Look, Second Madam is bringing this up again!" Si Niang immediately became the target of attack and had to ask the male owner for help.

　　"Okay! Now that You'er is awake today, I hope no one will mention the past anymore!" After the male host finished speaking, he turned to "my dear mother" and said, "Ya Ru, everyone knows that the reason why You'er is in this situation is probably related to Xin Ling's matter, so don't blame the fourth brother anymore."

　　"Yes, sir." My "mother" stood up upon hearing this, and while agreeing, she bowed to the male host.

　　However, when the master said these words, I was always observing the people at the table. There were two people with unusual expressions. One was the man with a mustache sitting directly opposite the master. He was also the only man at the table besides the master and me.

　　When he heard the mention of the past, a trace of gloom flashed across his brows.

　　The other person with an unusual expression was a woman sitting on the right side of the master, who was also the most beautiful woman at the table.

　　Although she just smiled at me, this smile contained more than one meaning, but I couldn't read it at the moment.

　　"Okay, You'er, you are young to begin with, and it's understandable that you have forgotten several of your mothers after your serious illness. I will introduce them to you again now, and you must remember them!" The male host touched my head and started introducing them from my left side in counterclockwise order.

　　Next to me is naturally my "biological mother" - the second grandmother, followed by the third grandmother. The man directly opposite the master is the housekeeper of this house, named Qin Taizhi. Directly opposite me is the fourth grandmother, and next to her is the eldest grandmother.

　　"Well, that's all the people in our family!" After the master introduced the great grandmother, he stopped and said, "Of course, you also have two older brothers, six younger sisters and a little brother. I'll take you to meet them another day."

　　"Is that all?" I was quite surprised because the most beautiful woman next to the master was still not introduced.

　　"What's over?" The master was also confused.

　　"Is the introduction complete?"

　　"That's all the introductions! If there's anyone else you want to meet, tell dad!" The old man still looked at me kindly.

　　"Who is this beautiful auntie?" Since she was just a kid in her teens, I didn't need to pay attention to anything. I just pointed at the woman on the right side of the master who was smiling at me and asked.

　　Chapter 32: Dice Dream Romance (5)

　　When I asked this question, everyone's face changed.

　　The "mother" beside me kept pulling me and whispered, "Silly child, don't talk nonsense!"

　　The master was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Who said that my You'er has completely lost his memory? Now he remembers his Fifth Mother!"

　　"Do I need to think about it? She's sitting right here! Oh, this is Wu Niang! You look so young. If daddy hadn't told me, I would have thought you were my sister!" I thought about it for a long time before I figured out this line of greeting. There shouldn't be any mistakes.

　　But when I finished speaking, I looked again and saw that the people at the table, including the maids and servants standing around, had all kinds of facial expressions, red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and purple, but not one of them looked normal.

　　The closest to normal is the master. He twisted his neck to the right, took a look, turned back and asked: "You'er... did you really see it? Describe it to me, what is she wearing? What is she wearing?"

　　"A red jacket with three lotus flowers embroidered on it." I don't know the material and style of this dress, so I can only describe it with the simplest words.

　　"Bang!" The cup of Qin, the housekeeper sitting opposite the master, suddenly fell to the ground and broke. The eldest lady who was sitting next to "Wu Niang" also stood up from her seat and kept backing away.

　　"Did you really see it?!" The master suddenly became excited, grabbed my hand and asked with his eyes wide open.

　　After a moment, he regained his composure, sat back in his seat, and murmured, "Yes, that's right, this is the dress she wore before she was buried..."

　　"Enshrine?" I couldn't understand the literal meaning of this word for a moment.

　　"Haha, silly child!" Wu Niang, who was beside the master, finally spoke. Her tone was unlike her innocent appearance, and was full of seduction and charm. "They can't see me, only you can!"

　　"Me?..." I was stunned for a moment, and quickly raised my right hand. The seal of Wuwei on my wrist was clearly visible.

　　"Oh~ So you are dead!" I suddenly realized.

　　"Ah!~~~~~~" Si Niang finally couldn't stand the atmosphere I had unintentionally created, and suddenly covered her head and screamed. This high-pitched voice startled everyone.

　　It would have been fine if he had just shouted, but the whole hall was in an uproar. Everyone wanted to escape from this horrible place as quickly as possible. Everyone was shouting incoherent words and the place was in chaos.

　　My "mother" ignored her own son beside her and asked the two maids behind her to carry him back in a hurry.

　　The master was able to calm the situation, but when the ladies started to make a scene, no one had the confidence. Butler Qin saw an opportunity and took him away with his men.

　　In the huge hall, in an instant, only me and that "Wu Niang" were left.

　　No, it's me to be exact.

　　After being stunned for a moment, I shrugged my shoulders at the fifth lady named Xinling to express my helplessness.

　　"Haha~!" Xin Ling glanced at me coquettishly and scolded me with a smile: "You little bastard, you ruined a good reunion dinner?!"

　　"How did you die?" I didn't want to talk too much nonsense with her. It was obvious at first glance that this woman was not an easy person to deal with. Her every frown, smile, and gesture revealed a charming feeling that penetrated into her bones.

　　Fortunately, I am still a child "now"!

　　"Want to know? Come with me!" Wu Niang said as she stood up, walked to my side, took my little hand, and walked to the back of the main room.

　　I stood up and tried. Although my body was a little stiff and my joints were not very flexible, it did not affect my simple movements. And it should be very strenuous to move with a disability, but I did not feel any difficulty at all.

　　As Wu Niang turned east and west, we soon came to a garden, which might be the back garden of this mansion. Occasionally, I met one or two servants on the way. When they saw me from a distance, they immediately turned around and ran away. It seemed that everyone in the mansion knew what had just happened.

　　"Look! I will die in this well!" Wu Niang walked to a well, stopped, and said to me while pointing at the well mouth.

　　Throwing himself into the well to commit suicide? I guessed, and couldn't help but lean over the edge of the well to take a look. There was a pool of clear water below.

　　"What's that smell?" When I stood up, I seemed to smell a faint odor, but it was not pungent.

　　"Haha! Silly child, what else could it be? The stench of a corpse!" Wu Niang pretended to cover her nose and smiled at me.

　　This shouldn't be the case! Since everyone knew she was dead, the body must have been fished out, so how could there be a stench?

　　I looked at the woman in front of me again. Although I knew she was not human, I could not tell whether she was a nightmare. Maybe it was because of the child's physical condition. After all, she was a dozen years younger than me.

　　"Did you commit suicide by jumping into the well? Or was someone pushed into it?" Although she brought me here, she still didn't tell me the cause of death.

　　"...You are not an ordinary child! I'm afraid you are not You'er?" Wu Niang looked me up and down, put away her playful expression, and said seriously.

　　"It doesn't matter who I am. As long as you tell me what happened, maybe I can give you justice." I was not surprised that she saw through me. Ghosts are spiritual forces that are detached from the world.

　　"…It's still that damn Qin Taizhi!" Wu Niang hesitated for a moment and told me everything in detail.

　　The fifth lady is Yan Xinling, who married into the Cheng Mansion (this house) three months ago. She was the top prostitute in the largest brothel by the Qinhuai River. When the master of this house went to Jinling for business at the beginning of the year, he was moved by her stunning appearance and style. Knowing that Xinling was still a virgin, he spent millions of dollars to redeem her, took her home, and named her the fifth wife.

　　Although everything seemed normal, the wives who came earlier were unhappy and even hated her, but they could do nothing about it. After all, men were still respected in this society, and which rich man would not marry three wives and four concubines?

　　Until one day, this tranquility was broken by an accidental incident.

　　By chance, Xin Ling saw the housekeeper Qin Taizhi hiding antiques, jewelry and jade in the back garden late that night. It seemed that he was planning to take them out and sell them later.

　　According to Xinling, she went up to Qin Taizhi and asked him what he was doing. But he didn't say a word, but knocked her unconscious with a stick when she was not prepared, stripped her coat, tied stones to it, and threw it into the well in the back garden.

　　After that, Steward Qin decided to go all out and poisoned a servant in the mansion at night and hid him. He also pretended that he wanted to do something bad to Xin Ling, but the plan was exposed and he killed her to silence her. Then he hurriedly reported it to the master.

　　The master was naturally furious when he heard this, and when he saw the series of "evidence" presented by Butler Qin, he immediately ordered people to chase the male servant. But this was a fictitious thing, how could he be chased? So Xin Ling died in such an unclear way, but no one knew that she was still wandering in this mansion from beginning to end.

　　"What about the male servant who was killed? Haven't you seen him?" I was certainly not stupid enough to believe what this woman said right away, but I tried to find loopholes in her words.

　　"In such a huge mansion, which door doesn't have something to ward off evil spirits? There are some places where he can't get in and I can't get out!" Xin Ling said with a face full of grievance.

　　"Young...Young...Young Master! The Master...invites you!" I was about to speak again, but I heard someone shouting tremblingly in the distance behind me.

　　When I turned around, I saw two servants hiding outside the garden gate, waving at me from a distance.

　　Chapter 33: Dice Dream Romance (6)

　　When I arrived at the master's study, I saw him sitting behind a long table with his face covered, not saying a word. When I sat down, the master rubbed his eyes, looked up at me, and asked, "Did you really see Xin Ling?"

　　"Not only did I see it, I also know exactly how she died." Although I was in his son's body, I had no fatherly feelings for the man in front of me, so I said whatever I wanted to say without fear of upsetting him.

　　"You mean... there is another reason for Xinling's death?" The old man was shocked, and stood up with the help of a long table, leaning forward to ask me.

　　I didn't hide anything, but told him everything Xinling had told me just now.

　　"How true do you think her words are?" After hearing this, the master did not directly arrest Qin Taizhi for interrogation, but first asked me about the accuracy of the information.

　　"Fifty percent!" I answered with certainty.

　　"Which 50%?"

　　"Qin Taizhi is the murderer, I believe this 50%, but I have my 50% opinion on why he killed Xinling." I said what I thought. It's not that I don't believe this Wu Niang, but her previous expressions and actions are exactly like those of a prostitute, which makes people unable to have enough trust in her.

　　Of course, this is just a pure feeling.

　　"Hmm..." The master sat back on the armchair and said, "You'er, what you said makes sense. After this illness, I feel that you have grown up. Let's put it this way, starting tomorrow, you don't have to recite those four books and five classics anymore, just follow dad to take care of the business! Dad is old, and I count on you guys to carry forward our Cheng family!"

　　"As for Qin Taizhi." The master thought for a moment, and then continued, "For the time being, don't tell anyone except the two of us. Observe for a while. If it is true, I will punish him severely! Alas! Three generations of their family have been stewards of our Cheng family, and they are as close as brothers. If something like this happens, how can I explain it to the old men in the underworld!"

　　After saying that, the master leaned weakly on the back of his chair and waved his hand to indicate that I could leave.

　　After I came out, I saw Xin Ling sitting in the pavilion on the side of the main hall. I didn't want to scare the two servants, so I pretended not to see them and went back to the room where I woke up in the afternoon.

　　I pushed the door open and saw that the room was dark. I asked for a lantern and told the two servants, "You can go back! I can do it myself."

　　Listening to the footsteps of the two people going away, I sat down at the table dejectedly.

　　When will this dream end?! What does a story with no beginning and only an ending mean? Can this be combined with the supernatural events in the city hospital? It's pure bullshit!

　　I don't know what old man Qian is thinking?! He made me watch all these messed up things, and I got stabbed in vain, and tasted the taste of death. I really can't help but mobilize everyone to find the thousand-year-old barrier, and solve it as soon as possible.

　　The most important thing is, read the story, no problem, you have to wait for me to be busy! I remember when I first came in, the four of us were still standing on the ancient city wall. This is great! I can't get out even if I want to! ...

　　"Who?!" I was thinking about it. I heard a slight noise behind the screen beside the bed and asked alertly.

　　"Young Master!" Along with the voice, a person walked out from behind.

　　"Qin Taizhi!" I was still very surprised. I didn't go to him, but he came to me first. But combined with his performance at the dinner table that night, he theoretically wanted to ask me whether he saw Xinling or not.

　　"Hey, young master, it's me! Your Uncle Qin!" Seeing that I looked unfriendly, Qin Taizhi immediately changed to a flattering expression. "Uncle wants to ask you something, did you really see your Fifth Mother today?"

　　"Hmph~" After I made this sound from my nose, I had already made up my mind! I would deliberately tell him what happened, and then force him to kill me to silence me, so that I could speed up my dream and wake up earlier.

　　Damn I'm a genius!!!

　　After thinking for a while, I said, "Not only did I see her, but Wu Niang also told me..."

　　"What should I tell you?" Qin Taizhi was extremely nervous and wished he could stick his entire face in front of me.

　　"Do you still need to ask? Murderer!" After I said that, I deliberately made a meaningful expression towards him, which meant, don't pretend, I know everything, you can kill me or chop me up as you like!

　　Anyway, I don’t want to live anymore!

　　"You...this..." Qin Taizhi didn't expect that I had actually discovered all his conspiracies, and he immediately fell into panic.

　　But after just a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind. He raised his head and looked at me. The gentle look in his eyes was no longer there, replaced by a ferocious face.

　　Good! Come on! I thought to myself, the effect has been achieved! Do it now! Kill me! Killing a ten-year-old child is easy, right?

　　"I'm so sorry, young master!" Qin Taizhi said, reaching out his hands and grabbing my neck.

　　After all, I was waiting for him to kill me, so I wasn't afraid. I'd died once, so what else was there to be afraid of? So at this moment, my face wasn't filled with the fear of a young man suddenly facing death, but with a smirk of a "conspiracy" that had succeeded.

　　But my smile gradually froze.

　　Because Qin Taizhi, who was standing opposite him, had an incredible expression of fear on his face, and the hands that were holding his neck slowly loosened.

　　"What are you doing? Why don't you kill me?" I was so curious that I couldn't help but take a step forward and ask what was in my mind.

　　"You...don't come over here! Don't come over here!" Qin Taizhi actually sat down on the ground and kept backing away. The look in his eyes when he looked at me was as if he was looking at a devil.

　　Am I that scary? I looked back and found that Xin Ling was not here either!

　　Then why is he afraid of being poor?

　　"Are you a human or a ghost?!" Qin Taizhi asked me while hiding behind the coffee table and holding a wooden stool.

　　"Me?" I was a little confused. Am I a human? Or a ghost?

　　Don’t tell me, I really don’t understand!

　　But the question is, how did he know?

　　I raised my arm and was about to walk over when the faint stench I had smelled by the well suddenly drifted into my nostrils again.

　　I remember Xinling once said it was the stench of a corpse.

　　I sniffed it again, and was surprised to find that the smell actually came from me, a child of only ten years old!

　　I quickly pulled open my sleeves and turned over my wrists, only to see that the blood vessels on my forearms were the purple-blue color of death.

　　Oh, no wonder! It suddenly dawned on me!

　　No wonder I was able to control the child’s thoughts and actions as soon as I woke up. It turned out that he was already dying!

　　No wonder it’s not so smooth to walk, when a person dies, their joints naturally become stiff.

　　No wonder Qin Taizhi’s face changed drastically when he pinched my neck, because he couldn’t feel my pulse!

　　No wonder I always feel like something is missing, it seems like I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath in the past half day!

　　Seeing me standing there in a daze, Qin Taizhi slowly crawled to the side, trying to take the opportunity to escape.

　　"Stop!" I saw this guy's "little trick" and shouted in a low voice.

　　"God, please spare me! God, please spare me! I will never dare to do it again!" Qin Taizhi ignored everything else when he heard the shout. He moved his body and started kowtowing to me like pounding garlic.

　　"Alright, alright!" I get annoyed when I see men like this! Why do grown men kneel down and kowtow at every turn? It's okay to be afraid of something unknown, but you have to be fearful with courage. Everyone is afraid, it's part of the seven emotions and six desires, and it's inevitable. Being afraid but not losing courage is called fear; being so afraid that you even forget your parents' last names is called a bear!

　　"I have a question for you. Answer it honestly. If you do, I might consider letting you go!" I said with a straight face after I saw that he had calmed down a little.

　　Chapter 34: Dice Dream Romance (7)

　　"You say! You say!" Qin Taizhi was still kneeling on the ground, not daring to look up at me.

　　"Let me ask you, why did you kill the fifth wife?" I didn't want to waste time and asked him the question directly.

　　"This... I really didn't mean it! It was the Fifth Concubine who forced me into a corner, so I made this big mistake in a moment of desperation!" Qin Taizhi had already determined that I was possessed by a ghost, and he answered every question he asked.

　　"I want to know the details!" I don't want to hear his explanation.

　　"yes……"

　　Qin Taizhi's confession was basically the same as Yan Xinling's, but the only difference was that Xinling said she was killed because she discovered that Qin Taizhi had stolen antiques and jewelry from the mansion.

　　But Qin Taizhi said that after Xinling found out about this, she came to him the next day. She said that everyone who saw it should have a share, so she should have a share. Qin Taizhi had no choice but to agree when the matter was exposed. Anyway, he had almost taken enough, and the money from the sale of those things would not have to worry about the next three generations.

　　After all, the relationship between the two families is there, and he plans to stop after dealing with these things. He is in his fifties and does not want to spend his whole life on this kind of thing.

　　But a few days later, Yan Xinling suddenly came to him again and told him that she wanted to steal again.

　　The woman had taken a fancy to the paintings and calligraphy of famous artists in the corner of the master's study. Although the master loved to collect these works of literati, he was a businessman after all, and he would buy things and look at them a few times before leaving them there, and even if he took them away, no one would necessarily know.

　　This time, Qin Taizhi flatly refused. He didn't want to do this again.

　　After hearing this, Yan Xinling began to threaten him, saying that if he didn't help her this time, she would report everything to the master.

　　Until the evening, Qin Taizhi became more and more worried. With his pigtail in the hand of this woman, he was afraid that his life would never be easy in the future.

　　So he made up his mind and asked Yan Xinling to meet in the back garden on the pretext of discussing the details.

　　Qin Taizhi's original intention was to give Xinling some money so that she would stop and not have any more ideas about taking these things from the mansion.

　　But Yan Xinling's words completely sent him to the eighteenth level of hell: "I tell you, stealing once is stealing, stealing ten times is stealing. Not only today, but also tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. In the future, as long as I like something, you have to find a way to get it for me! Of course, we will split the money equally. Don't talk about stopping in the future! Don't be afraid of being found out by the master, you don't have to listen to me."

　　It was these few words that made Qin Taizhi finally decide to kill her.

　　After hearing all this, I have already made up my mind. In comparison, I am more willing to believe Qin Taizhi's confession, even though his confession is not completely credible.

　　After all, Qin Taizhi said these words under my pressure.

　　After explaining everything, Qin Taizhi calmed down a lot. Although he was still kneeling there, he was no longer trembling.

　　I was about to speak when suddenly a strong wind blew up and blew open the doors and windows.

　　This unhealthy trend made Qin Taizhi unable to open his eyes, but I saw clearly that Yan Xinling was coming.

　　"You...you...don't come over here!" When Qin Taizhi saw the woman in front of him, he was so terrified that he sat on the ground and kept moving backwards.

　　"I don't care who you are, but aren't you meddling too much?!" I was still wondering why Butler Qin could see her, but Yan Xinling said in a cold tone.

　　"What? Even though you're dead, you still want to kill people to silence them?" Relying on the body of the man with the seal, I'm not afraid of her. If she dares to come over, I will cast the fire-controlling spell.

　　“Hahaha!” The woman in front of him laughed loudly, then said, “Yes, I didn’t want to care about you. But let me be frank, I’m going to kill all 103 people in the Cheng Mansion! If you, a passing immortal, know what’s good for you, we can keep to ourselves. Otherwise, I don’t mind killing one more or one less!”

　　"As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator. Your enemy is right in front of you, why do you want to kill everyone in this mansion?" I was also quite puzzled. Logically speaking, she married into the family on a semi-voluntary basis. The master treated her well, so why did he want to kill her?

　　"Hehe~" The woman first smiled mysteriously, then raised her right hand. In her hand, she was holding an object that looked like a chessboard, engraved with incomprehensible words and symbols.

　　"Hundred...Centipede Formation!!!" I couldn't help but stand up and shouted, pointing at the thing in her hand.

　　"Oh? I underestimated you! Since you know where this thing came from, I can't let you go!" Yan Xinling immediately put away her contempt and looked me up and down.

　　"How did you get this?" What I wanted to know most was where the centipede formation came from.

　　Maybe, the main part of the drama is about to begin.

　　"This... this is what the master spent a lot of money to buy from a wandering Taoist priest at the beginning of the year!" Butler Qin, who had retreated to the corner, replied tremblingly.

　　I couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why did the master buy it?"

　　"That Taoist priest said... if we place this picture in the most yin place in the mansion, it will ensure a hundred years of peace." Butler Qin answered every question.

　　"Bullshit!" I won't believe it even if you kill me! The centipede formation guarantees safety!

　　Seeing that I suddenly got angry, Butler Qin quickly shut up and didn't dare to say anything else.

　　This Taoist priest definitely has no good intentions!

　　"So... you are here for this thing too?" Yan Xinling became alert when she saw my expression suddenly change.

　　"I guess so!" I sat back in the chair, crossed my arms and looked at her, pretending to be mysterious.

　　"So there's nothing to talk about?" The woman took a step back and put away the formation map.

　　I ignored her and quickly calculated the whole thing in my mind: The Centipede Formation is a harmful thing with extremely heavy negative energy, and that Taoist should not be unaware of this.

　　There are only two possibilities for him to sell the formation manual to this master: either for money or for cultivation. However, if he was going to cultivate the Hundred-legged Formation, how could he cultivate it if he was not here?

　　I just saw that there is no Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone in the formation. So even if ordinary people want to practice, collecting ** soul nightmares in the formation is the limit.

　　However, it seems there is another way...

　　"Anyone who stands in my way will die!!!" Yan Xinling didn't give me time to think. The veil she was wearing suddenly swelled up and wrapped around my neck tightly.

　　"Hmph, you're asking for your own death!" When I saw her suddenly become murderous, the last bit of sympathy I had in my heart was completely shattered.

　　I grabbed the lining gauze that was around my neck with my right hand and silently said "burn"!

　　...The flame did not ignite as expected!

　　…Tried twice more, still no effect!

　　"Haha, it seems you overestimate yourself!" Yan Xinling took advantage of the opportunity when I activated the Fire Control Spell to wrap the lining gauze all over my body. Now I can't move even if I want to.

　　Is it because I am not calm?

　　...No!!! Wrong, this is a fucking dead body!!! How can I summon the fire control spell?!!!

　　I stretched it hard and found it was tied so tightly!

　　Helplessly, I looked up and said, "Even if you tie me up, what can you do? The owner of this body is probably already dead. Can you still kill a corpse?"

　　"Hehe~ You little guy is so cute!" Yan Xinling made a charming expression towards me and said, "This centipede formation is in need of something, how could I bear to kill you?"

　　Damn it, she is trying to recruit me into her formation!

　　The question is, once I enter the formation...can I still go back?

　　Chapter 35: Dice Dream Romance (8)

　　The question is, once I enter the formation...can I still go back?

　　Regardless of whether it is possible or not, this experiment should not be done well!

　　I started to struggle, but unfortunately, I was already trapped tightly.

　　"Don't struggle. You're just a wandering ghost. It doesn't matter where you stay." Yan Xinling said as she pulled out a hairpin from her hair and walked towards me holding it in her hand.

　　Walking up to him, she licked the thing in her hand with her tongue and said, "I'm only going to use a little trick to force you out of this body. Be good, it won't hurt!"

　　"Butler Qin! Come and help me!" I finally became nervous, but I had no choice but to ask Qin Taizhi for help.

　　But this guy had already leaned against the door frame with a dazed look in his eyes, for some unknown reason.

　　"No need to shout! Don't worry! Your butler uncle will come in and continue to take care of you soon!" The woman in front of him said, and then raised the hairpin high.

　　I had no choice but to close my eyes. Whether I lived or died was up to fate. Maybe I would soon be in my third life.

　　After a long time, I didn't feel any movement and couldn't help but open my eyes.

　　There was a vast expanse of white in my sight, with a few darker patches moving occasionally, but I could not see anything clearly.

　　Have I been drawn into the centipede formation?

　　A hollow sound came from far away.

　　"Uncle Master! Uncle Master!" When I could hear clearly, I also vaguely saw a tall figure next to me.

　　After another ten seconds, Zhang Shan's honest image finally appeared in front of me in its entirety.

　　"Uncle Master! You finally woke up?!" Zhang Shan may have noticed that my eyes changed from empty to bright, and he let out a long sigh.

　　(PS: Haha, sorry everyone, I deliberately did not change the chapter title...)

　　"Where is this?" I looked at the white walls, white bed and white sheets around me. It felt a bit like a hospital. I wanted to speak, but all I heard was a "mmm".

　　I glanced down and saw a green tube inserted into my mouth. Only then did I feel that the tube went straight into my chest cavity and supported my entire lung.

　　...Damn it, it was just a dream, and they actually put me on a ventilator!

　　This feeling is so fucking painful!!!

　　"Don't be impatient! Wait for me to find a nurse!" When Zhang Shan saw me reaching out to pull out the tube myself, he quickly stopped me and pressed the call button at the bedside.

　　How could a conscious person endure the use of a ventilator? I didn't want to wear it for even a second longer, and regardless of the consequences, I opened Zhang Shan's arm and pulled out the tube.

　　"Ouch!!!" After the penis was pulled out, I couldn't help but groan in pain. When I spoke again, I found that my voice was hoarse.

　　"What's going on?!" I asked Zhang Shan in a hoarse voice, enduring the burning pain in my throat.

　　"I was just about to ask you what's wrong with you?" Zhang Shan looked at him with a helpless expression.

　　"Xiao Wang, what on earth did you encounter in that tunnel?" I was still in a daze when a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the bed.

　　Turning around, it was Captain Yang.

　　"We..." I had just begun to recall when the door of the ward was pushed open with a bang, and a doctor and two nurses ran in.

　　"How could you unplug the patient's ventilator without permission! Don't you know that this is extremely dangerous?" When the doctor saw that I was not wearing a tube and was sitting up, he immediately became unwilling.

　　"Alright, alright! It's alright!" I really don't want to see them. What the hell is this? At best I'll just go into a deep sleep. Is it necessary to insert a tube?

　　"It's not like you can say it's okay and it's okay!" The doctor was quite dedicated. He put on a stethoscope, pushed aside my clothes, came to the head of the bed, and insisted on listening to my heartbeat.

　　After a long time, the doctor looked up and asked his assistant for the case. The more he looked, the more surprised he looked.

　　"Miracle! It's a miracle! A vegetative patient can wake up so quickly! This is simply a miracle!!!" The doctor closed the medical record and wanted to lift my eyelids.

　　"Who are you calling a vegetable?!" I was patient enough to wait for him to finish the examination and leave so that we could talk about the matter, but who knew that he would not stop there! He even called me a vegetable!

　　"Excuse me, doctor. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Captain Yang probably couldn't stand this doctor anymore, so he took out his police officer ID and pulled them outside to explain the situation.

　　"How long have I slept?" Seeing that everyone had left, I turned around and asked Zhang Shan.

　　"Two days." Zhang Shanshen pointed at me with two fingers. The index finger seemed to be bitten again and was covered in blood.

　　"You woke me up?" I thought of this when I saw his bleeding index finger.

　　"Well, Captain Yang used various methods and finally found me. He just came here."

　　What a coincidence! What a coincidence! I couldn't help but sweat in my heart. Fortunately, Zhang Shan woke me up at this time. Otherwise, I might have become a vegetable after being put into the centipede formation!

　　"What exactly happened to you?" Zhang Shan couldn't help but ask when he saw that I didn't say anything.

　　"I met... Hey? Where's the dice?" I looked around but didn't see the dice.

　　"Are you talking about this?" Captain Yang pushed the door open and took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was the dice.

　　"Yes! This is it!" I took it, and the color of the dice was still so bright.

　　No! As soon as I saw it, I felt like I was being taken in, so I quickly looked away.

　　"What's strange about this dice?" Seeing that I didn't dare to look at it directly, Zhang Shan reached out and took it, looking at it from left to right, but couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

　　"Let's not talk about this for now. Where is Liu Yunlong?" I slept for two days and my brain gradually started to work.

　　"In the next room, he's the same as you, but he hasn't woken up yet." When Captain Yang heard me asking about Liu Yunlong, his face darkened and he spoke in a low voice.

　　"We tried all kinds of methods, including my blood. In the end, you woke up, but they didn't." Zhang Shan saw me looking at him again, and before I asked, he took the initiative to speak.

　　I thought about it and said, "Help me over there. I'll try the Spirit Clearing Mantra."

　　When I came to the next room, I found that my room and this room seemed to be specially converted into intensive care units, with all kinds of equipment. Liu Yunlong and the two experts were lying on three beds in a row, also with ventilators. The instruments on the table showed that their vital signs were completely normal, but they just wouldn't wake up.

　　Zhang Shan supported me and slowly walked to Liu Yunlong's bed. I first dipped a little water in the cup on the table, pressed it on the human circle of the Wuwei seal, and then touched his forehead.

　　Ten seconds... twenty seconds... half a minute passed, and Liu Yunlong still had no reaction.

　　...What's going on? Did Gao Yuan lie to me? !

　　"Let's take a long-term view!" Seeing that there was indeed no reaction, Zhang Shan helped me sit on a chair and said, "Tell us about what happened two days ago. Maybe we can come up with a solution."

　　"Yes, Xiao Wang. Your incident has a significant impact, and it's about to get out of control. Let alone the lives of Xiao Liu and the two experts, we must save them at all costs!" Captain Yang handed me a glass of water and echoed.

　　"Well... let's start from the morning of the day before yesterday..." I took a sip of water to moisten my still sore throat and began to narrate to them what happened.

　　Chapter 36: Finding Creditors

　　After listening to my story, Zhang Shan held the dice in his hand and asked in confusion: "You said that this dice contains a person's six lives, but why can't I see it?"

　　"Not only you, even Mr. Qian can't see it." I said, and asked Captain Yang to help get a glass of water.

　　"So only you can see it?" Zhang Shan had an expression of disbelief on his face.

　　I shrugged to express my acknowledgment and helplessness.

　　Zhang Shan thought for a moment and asked again, "Are you sure that the woman in the second dream was holding the Hundred-legged Formation?"

　　I was stunned. I was not sure if it was a centipede formation. It seemed that Yan Xinling had never directly admitted it. After all, I had only seen this kind of thing, the centipede formation. If I had to tell the difference between Zi, Chou, Yin and Mao based on a town genealogy, I didn't have that ability.

　　It is precisely because I have only seen the Centipede Formation, so when I saw the town map, my first feeling told me that this was the Centipede Formation.

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, Zhang Shan continued to ask: "What do you think is the possibility that it is a centipede formation?"

　　I thought about it, took a deep breath and said, "I think this is the Hundred-legged Formation. Although no one told me, the feeling that the Zhenpu gave me is the Hundred-legged Formation." I cleared my throat and continued, "But there is one thing I don't understand. If ordinary people practice the Hundred-legged Formation without the help of extremely yin items such as the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone, they can only practice it at the beginning. Then, why does Yan Xinling still want to practice it? Doesn't she know?"

　　"Haha! I think you are confused after sleeping!" Zhang Shan smiled and continued: "Don't forget, that woman is not a living person, she is a nightmare, a nightmare that has eaten the soul!"

　　"So she can practice it?" I couldn't believe it. This thing can't be practiced by living people but can be practiced by dead people.

　　"Of course, just like Zhang Haitao, the yin energy of the nightmare is also extremely heavy. It's just that since ancient times, no one has been willing to commit suicide in order to practice the Hundred Legs Formation. However, it seems that there is one thing I haven't told you." Zhang Shan looked at me and said word by word: "In addition to the chicken blood stone, there is another way for ordinary people to practice the Hundred Legs Formation, which is to use the nightmare to control the formation."

　　"Borrowing the Nightmare Defense Formation?" This was the first time I had heard of this term. Even Captain Yang next to him stretched his neck to find out what was going on.

　　"You all know about cuckoos, right? It's a bird that makes a sound like 'cuckoo cuckoo' when it calls." Zhang Shan said, imitating the bird's call. Captain Yang and I looked at each other in bewilderment. What was going on? While we were talking about the centipede formation, he changed the subject and came to the cuckoo.

　　Seeing that we were stunned, Zhang Shan got anxious and said, "You know what? You city people have never seen a cuckoo, right?"

　　"...I have met him." Captain Yang and I looked at each other and had no choice but to answer him.

　　"The cuckoo never hatches its own eggs. It usually goes to the nests of birds smaller than itself, removes one of the eggs in the original nest and replaces it with its own egg. The cuckoo's eggs hatch earlier than other bird eggs. When the young birds come out, they will immediately throw the other eggs out of the nest and then eat all the food their stepmother can find. Do you understand what I mean?" Zhang Shan said in one breath, looking at the two of us.

　　"...This...this is borrowing..." I caught a glimpse of what Zhang Shan wanted to express, but I didn't know how to describe it or connect them together.

　　"Surrogacy!" Captain Yang suddenly slammed the table and shouted.

　　"Yes! Yes!" After Captain Yang's reminder, I finally understood. "So what you mean is... that Taoist... is the cuckoo?" I couldn't find a way to describe it, so I could only ask Zhang Shan.

　　"It's very likely that the woman named Yan Xinling is probably helping others!" Captain Yang has solved countless cases, so this kind of simple reasoning is not difficult for him.

　　"Yes, that Taoist wanted Yan Xinling to help him practice the formation, and then come back to take it away when it's almost done. The Centipede Formation doesn't need to be truly completed before it can operate. After the bottleneck, it's just a matter of power." Zhang Shan confirmed our speculation.

　　"Then... before Yan Xinling came, the Taoist priest had already sold this town book. How could he know that Yan Xinling would marry him a few months later? And that she would be killed?" I raised my own question. If the Taoist priest knew all this in advance, why did he practice the Hundred Legs Formation? Even if he didn't practice it, he would have become a great immortal!

　　"Hypnosis, you know?" Zhang Shan said, drawing a circle in front of my eyes with his index finger. "He would first look for a ruthless and greedy person, then use secret techniques to manipulate the master of this family, and make the two of them seem to meet by chance, and then marry her back, and achieve the ultimate goal step by step. Even the housekeeper's killing may not be his original intention, but also the Taoist's manipulation."

　　I gasped, if this is true, this Taoist must be extraordinary!!!

　　"No matter what, the most urgent task right now is to find a way to wake Xiao Liu and the two experts up. If they continue to lie like this, they will probably become disabled!" Captain Yang turned his head and looked at the three of them with a serious expression.

　　"The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it." Zhang Shan said while playing with the dice.

　　"You mean... go find Gao Yuan?" I was shocked. I had never thought of this. I was so focused on how to wake Liu Yunlong up that I forgot about the person who started it all.

　　"We don't necessarily have to look for her." Zhang Shan handed me the dice and said, "Since she is now working as a soldier for my Grand Master, it would be the same to find my Grand Master. Just because we can't do anything doesn't mean he can't do anything."

　　"But... I don't know where Grandpa Qian is? I only know that he is looking for the Thousand-Year-Old Pass. It's hard to say whether Gao Yuan is still in that passage." I hesitated.

　　"Haha, don't worry, I have a way!" Zhang Shan handed me the clothes he brought and asked, "Do you have the strength to walk? We brothers have to run again! Put on your clothes!"

　　"I'll go too! I'll help you if necessary!" Captain Yang came over quickly when he saw that we were about to leave.

　　"It's useless for you to go. You just watch here. If they want to wake up, it will only take a few minutes!" Zhang Shan obviously had some concerns and didn't want Captain Yang to go with him.

　　"There are nurses here and they don't need me, so it's useless for me to stay here!" Captain Yang was firm.

　　Zhang Shan was about to say something, but I stopped him: "Go ahead if you want to. With Captain Yang here, it will be more convenient for us to do anything." After all, he is a criminal police captain, so no matter what happens, we don't have to show up in public.

　　What I didn’t say is that Captain Yang has a car, so it’s convenient for him to go anywhere.

　　I've been lying in bed for two days and I feel a little weak.

　　In the car, I called my family and Ni Qian. The girl was fine, but my family was scolded again. It wasn't until Captain Yang took over, revealed his identity, and said he was helping them with a case and then going back that my mother stopped talking.

　　I asked about Song Dongfeng's situation. Such a big thing happened on his territory and under his nose, but I didn't see him after I woke up. I was really confused.

　　However, Captain Yang's reply was also expected. This guy has been busy exploring and excavating the tunnel for the past two days. It is said that he has not come up for more than a day, and his meals are delivered to him.

　　After thinking about it, it’s really difficult for him.

　　After the car drove for a while, Captain Yang turned around and asked, "Where are we going?"

　　Chapter 37 Contact Signal

　　"There's no need to go to the City God Temple. Since our uncle-master said there's nothing inside and we've investigated the female ghost, there's no point in going there again. Let them do their work and we won't cause any more trouble." Zhang Shan said, and then he looked up at the sky, thought for a moment, and then blurted out a few words: "Eat first!"

　　If he hadn't said it, I really wouldn't have noticed it, and I've been worried about Liu Yunlong's condition since I woke up. This reminder made me feel like I was on my back.

　　I haven’t eaten for two days. It’s strange that I’m not hungry!

　　"Eat?!" Captain Yang and I were very confused. Instead of rushing to find someone, we ate first?

　　"I'm not hungry. Let's wait until we find Mr. Qian before eating!" I said proactively.

　　"You have to eat whether you are hungry or not! We can't find him now, we have to wait until dark." Zhang Shan smiled mysteriously and kept the secret again.

　　As a last resort, Captain Yang found a restaurant on the roadside. The three of us sat down, ordered some food, and ate while waiting for dark.

　　This guy Zhang Shan was just being mysterious. No matter how I threatened or tempted him, he just wouldn't say a word. He said it would be dark soon and we would understand then.

　　I finally made it until dark and I was too lazy to ask him anymore. I gradually remembered that Gao Yuan had also said at that time that there were naturally ways for them to get in touch with each other.

　　Zhang Shan ate a few more peanuts, threw down his chopsticks, and asked, "Is there any open space with higher ground nearby?"

　　"Zijingshan Park!" Captain Yang and I were stunned for a moment, then answered in unison.

　　Because we had originally planned to go to the City God Temple, we were near Zijing Mountain at that time.

　　After leaving the restaurant, Captain Yang didn't even drive the car. The three of us just walked and five minutes later we entered the gate of Zijingshan Park.

　　It was just past six in the evening. People were getting off work or school, and those at home were busy cooking. The park was quite deserted.

　　Captain Yang and I followed Zhang Shan up the hill in the park in confusion. Standing on the commanding heights, Zhang Shan chatted for a long time, and when it was completely dark, he finally said, "Okay, it's time to call the old man out."

　　He took out something from his pocket, about the size of a flashlight, made of paper, with a small piece of thread hanging from the bottom...

　　Oh! I suddenly understood. What Zhang Shan took out was commonly known as "Ertijiao", a kind of firecracker. But according to my guess, it must be different from the common "Ertijiao".

　　No wonder this guy had to wait until night! It can’t be seen during the day!

　　"Cover your ears, this is not an ordinary firecracker." Seeing that there was no one around, Zhang Shan put the "Ertijiaojiao" on the ground, asked me for a lighter, and warned us before lighting it.

　　I'm not a coward, but I'm afraid of artillery fire, so I quickly covered my ears. Captain Yang, who had been used to hearing gunfire for many years, didn't care about the artillery fire, but leaned back, crossed his arms, and squinted his eyes as he waited for Zhang Shan to light the fuse.

　　Zhang Shan lit the message with a lighter, then immediately covered his ears and stepped aside.

　　Looking at his expression, I laughed in my heart, you are a kid from the mountains who plays with these things every day, are you afraid of the noise?

　　Before the thought was over, I heard a burst of extremely piercing sound from the firecracker on the ground before it flew up. The sound was not only sharp, but also extremely penetrating, a bit like a whistle, but at least ten times louder. Even if I covered my ears, I could still feel the sound drilling into my heart, making the person who heard it feel irritated and uneasy.

　　In just one second, Captain Yang next to me couldn't help but cover his ears. It seems that this thing is really powerful!

　　Just when I was beginning to feel annoyed, this thing finally took off, emitting a dazzling blue light and rushing straight up, and the shrill whistle never stopped.

　　It flew higher and higher until I could hardly see it anymore, then it began to fall, still glowing blue.

　　"Wow! What the hell is this? It's quite powerful!" Captain Yang released his hands that were covering his ears, amazed.

　　"Haha, this is a special communication tool made by my grandfather and his team. During the day, its sound can cover the hilltops within a radius of fifty miles. At night, just this light can be seen a hundred miles away." Zhang Shan paused, then continued: "We are in the mountains, and we usually use it to transmit information when there is something important. As long as the Grand Master is in the city, he should know."

　　"How do you use this thing to communicate?" I was very curious. Can a firecracker also convey information?

　　"Red means urgent matter, come immediately; blue means asking the other party about the situation; yellow means knowing, and green means everything is fine. In addition, there are many kinds of whistle sounds, which are helpful for use during the day, such as long sounds and various sounds with turns..." Before Zhang Shan finished speaking, he vaguely heard a "Wula Wula" sound coming from the southeast of us. The first feeling was a bit like an ambulance, but if you listen carefully, you can tell the difference.

　　As soon as we turned our heads, we saw a red light gradually rising in the sky in the direction where the sound came from.

　　"It seems that the Grand Master Uncle let us pass." Zhang Shan's face turned serious when he saw the red signal.

　　"That direction is the direction of the City God Temple and the ancient city wall." I had just been there the day before yesterday, so I figured it out quickly. Could it be that Mr. Qian has found the thousand-year-old pass?

　　"Well, it's about three kilometers to the southeast. Let's hurry over there! We've made such a big noise, and if we don't leave now, people who are looking for us will come soon!" Captain Yang took a look, confirmed what I said, and took the lead in walking down the small hill of the park.

　　We drove to the ancient city wall at the intersection of Shangcheng Road and Chengdong Road, and Zhang Shan got out of the car and lit a small "flare". Although it flew lower, the whistling sound was still very piercing.

　　Soon, the other side responded. There was still a red signal on the city wall a few hundred meters south of where we were.

　　After parking the car on the side of the road, the three of us followed the well-built stone steps up to the top of the city wall.

　　The city walls were surrounded by tall trees at night, and not a single ray of light could penetrate. We followed the direction we had just noted and walked forward in the dark.

　　As I walked, I vaguely saw a large black spot on the top of the city wall in front of me. As I slowly got closer, I found that it was a big rock with a person sitting on it.

　　"How's going, Uncle Grand Master?" Zhang Shan had sharp eyes and had already determined from his figure that the man was Old Man Qian. Following the rules for younger generations, he was the first to greet him.

　　When I got there, I looked around carefully again and compared it with the surroundings. The more I looked, the more familiar it looked. This seemed to be the place where I found Liu Yunlong and the others the day before yesterday! The three of them were sitting next to this stone at the time.

　　"Haha, you're here?" Although it was too dark to see the person's face clearly, the voice that came was that of Old Man Qian.

　　"I think Miss Gao has already told you what I should say. I just don't know who this person is--?" Old Man Qian obviously saw that there were three people coming up, so he naturally didn't ask me and Zhang Shan, but asked Captain Yang.

　　"Uncle Grand Master, have you forgotten? He was the one who was saved in the centipede formation a few days ago!" Zhang Shan answered respectfully.

　　"Oh, people from the government... Shanzi, you know our rules, so why do you still want to deal with them?!" Old man Qian changed the subject and his tone gradually became stern.

　　"You've misunderstood." I was about to freeze when I saw this, so I quickly stepped forward to help, saying, "Brother Yang is not here to investigate a case, he is only here to save the life of a friend of ours."

　　"Hmph! I don't care what the reason is, I just want to ask one question, is he a government official?!" Old Man Qian didn't even give me face, and said in a cold voice: "Xiao Wang, as the seal holder, why are you so reckless? I can sacrifice my life and bleed, but I can't abandon the rules passed down for thousands of years!"

　　Chapter 38: Two Treasures Return to One

　　After the old man finished speaking, there was a stalemate for a moment.

　　Zhang Shan was forced to be silent because of his seniority. I thought that the lives of Liu Yunlong and the others were still in the hands of the old man, so I had to swallow my anger for the time being.

　　"Well... I only found out later that you saved my life a few days ago. I want to express my gratitude to you today!" Captain Yang saw that the situation was so tense, so he took the initiative to say, "If you think it's inappropriate for me to be here, I can leave. However, as a people's policeman, I still want to remind you that no matter what you do, please abide by the relevant laws and regulations of the country."

　　"Hmph, I won't see you off!" The old man snorted these words and then said nothing more.

　　Since we have come to this point, Captain Yang really doesn't need to stay any longer. He pulled me aside and whispered, "I'll be waiting for you in the car. If there's anything you can't solve, call me. Remember to find out Xiao Liu and the others' problems first."

　　After saying this, he went down the city wall along the same route he came.

　　I shook my head and smiled bitterly. What era is this? The government? They didn't provoke you, didn't provoke you, and didn't oppress you. Why are you so eager to be disliked?

　　"Boy, do you think what I did was a bit inhumane? Do you only care about some old grudges?" The old man clearly sensed my helplessness and asked.

　　"You are my senior. We just need to do whatever you say!" I said something ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying.

　　"There are some things that you young people of this generation cannot understand. For thousands of years, due to the special abilities of the seal holders, the rulers of all dynasties have regarded this grassroots power as a thorn in their flesh and a thorn in their eyes, and they wish to get rid of it as soon as possible. Alas, I will tell you about these things in detail when I have time." Old Man Qian said, stood up and asked, "Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"

　　"It's like this..." I hurriedly reported to the old man about the fact that Liu Yunlong and the others had not woken up yet and what happened with the dice.

　　"Well... your little brother is fine, it's just that the girl was too harsh. He should wake up tonight." After saying this, Old Man Qian pondered for a moment and continued, "As for the contents of the dice, it seems that they are of no use in this life. I'm afraid that only by watching to the end can we know what is going on."

　　"Then why can't you see it, and only my uncle can see it?" Zhang Shan asked puzzledly.

　　"He has a special physique, different from me and your grandfather. I'm just guessing, I didn't know he could see before." Old man Qian said, glancing at me, and seeing that I was a little confused, he quickly looked away.

　　"Then should I... continue watching?" I thought about it and realized that with the two of them by my side, it would be much safer for me to watch. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

　　"No need, keep it. You can look at it later if you want to. If you don't want to, don't look at it. It is a gift from me to you as a thought!" Old man Qian waved his hand and said generously.

　　"Uncle Grand Master, what are you doing..." Zhang Shan was extremely surprised when he heard that the old man was going to give the dice to me.

　　"Why? Your grandfather gave him the Dream Record, but I can't give him something as a gift?" Old man Qian frowned, as if he was scolding Zhang Shan, but no matter which side of us looked at him, we knew he was just joking.

　　"Shanzi, if it weren't for your health problem, your grandfather might have given you all his skills long ago. Even if you weren't the seal holder, you would definitely be famous in the 800-mile Taihang Mountains. What a pity..." Old Man Qian came over, patted Zhang Shan on the shoulder and said to me, "Before our master died, he left two things. One is the Dream Record, which he gave to my senior brother Zhang Shixun, and the other is this dice, which he gave to me. Xiao Wang, now we both give you all the things, you must keep them well, don't let your master down!"

　　It suddenly dawned on me that these two things were passed down by Zhang Shan's grandfather's master! So they gave me the tokens, was that meant to carry on the legacy?

　　Old Man Qian seemed to see what I was thinking. He laughed and said, "The seal holder never passes on his position. It's rare to be one of them. It's fate that we meet each other! Our master is not the seal holder, so don't worry too much. Besides, what era is it now? It's not the past. Taking in an apprentice to support you in your old age is just a small gift to you!"

　　"Uncle Grand Master, have you found the barrier that has been unbreakable for a thousand years?" After chatting and laughing for a few more sentences, Zhang Shan saw that the atmosphere had eased a bit, so he quickly took the opportunity to ask.

　　"Haha, that's why I called you here tonight." The old man has been in a particularly good mood since he decided to give me the dice. Compared with the gloomy feeling before, he is completely a different person.

　　"It may be difficult to find the thousand-year-old unbreakable pass here. Wait until midnight and follow me to enter the mysterious gate!" The old man looked up at the sky and said.

　　"Tap...Tap...Tap Xuanmen?!!!" When Zhang Shan heard these three words, he suddenly became incoherent and couldn't even speak straight.

　　"What? Are you scared?" The old man glanced at Zhang Shan.

　　"...No...I'm just excited!!!" Zhang Shan suddenly shouted, startling me. "Hahahaha! Finally I have a chance to step into Xuanmen! This life has not been lived in vain! Hahaha!"

　　"What is the Xuanmen?" I was very surprised to see Zhang Shan's excited look. What's so exciting about the Xuanmen?

　　"Haha, stepping on the Xuanmen is the secret skill of our seal holder. This kid has always heard his grandfather talk about it, but he has never walked it." Old man Qian looked at Zhang Shan with admiration.

　　"So even if he's not the seal holder, he can still leave?" I asked in a low voice, fearing that Zhang Shan would be unhappy if he heard it.

　　"Anyone can be one!" Zhang Shan heard it, turned around, and stared at me with his eyes wide open.

　　"Then why didn't you step on it before?" Seeing him so excited, I couldn't help but argue.

　　"Do you think Ta Xuanmen is a game for children? You just do it when I say so?" Zhang Shan was still looking at me, with two words written on his face: fool.

　　"Shanzi is right." Old Man Qian echoed, "Xuanmen is the dividing point between the Yang world and the Yin and Yang world, and it is also the place where the auras converge. When we enter Xuanmen later, it will be equivalent to being in the Yin and Yang world. There are some things I need to explain in advance, and you two must remember them clearly, otherwise, I am afraid we may not be able to get out alive!"

　　"So... why are we going there?" Well, this time it's my turn to be tongue-tied.

　　"The thousand-year-old unbreakable pass is actually the back door from the world of the living to the world of the Yin and Yang. It's just that this door can only be used for entry but not exit, so people in the world of the living may not be able to find it. But in the world of the Yin and Yang, every ghost will know it. They often hide at the pass, waiting for things that accidentally come in from the world of the living." said Old Man Qian.

　　"Since the thousand-year barrier leads to the Yin-Yang world, why don't we just take the formation map over there? Why bother looking for it?" This was the first time that Zhang Shan took the initiative to think of a way to save trouble.

　　"You can enter and exit the Xuanmen Gate freely. If we can bring things in, then someone else can bring things out. If the gate is not broken for a thousand years, then things sent in there will never come out. Don't ask me why. People have not figured out its cause and meaning for thousands of years. This is also the true meaning of its name, a gate that cannot be broken for thousands of years. Do you understand?" Old Man Qian acted like a popular science worker, instilling the "truth" of this world into us.

　　Chapter 39: Stepping into Xuanmen at Night

　　So this is what it means to be unable to break through the barrier for thousands of years! I have always thought it was some powerful mechanism that no one has been able to break through for thousands of years.

　　"Aren't you afraid that someone in the Yin and Yang world will use the Centipede Formation to do bad things?" I thought about it and asked worriedly.

　　"You are stupid. Things from the human world are useless there!" Zhang Shan couldn't help but teach me a lesson.

　　"Okay, let's talk while we walk. Is Dongxuanmen the closest?" After old man Qian's "knowledge class" was over, it was time for "actual combat exercises".

　　I also know Dongxuanmen, which is near Zijingshan Park.

　　Taking advantage of the fact that Zhang Shan was pestering the old man, I quickly ran down to tell Captain Yang who was waiting in the car that Liu Yunlong and the others would wake up soon, and asked him to go back and take care of them.

　　Anyway, the old man doesn't welcome him, so it's useless for him to stay here. Besides, we are going to step into the Xuanmen Gate soon, and I also feel it's awkward to have a policeman around.

　　After sending Captain Yang away, the two of them just came down from the city wall, so we walked slowly towards Zijingshan Park.

　　On the way, I cram on some relevant knowledge. No matter whether it is useful or not, at least it is fun to listen to, and it can also appropriately relieve the tense moment that is coming soon.

　　Zhang Shan still had an over-production of hormones. Ever since he heard that the old man was going to take him to the Xuanmen, his walking posture had changed drastically, causing passers-by who were walking towards him to not dare to pass by him. The powerful murderous aura covered an area of ​​several meters in radius.

　　Even though we walked very slowly, it only took about 40 minutes to get from the ancient city wall to the gate of Zijing Mountain. It was just past nine in the evening, and at 12 o'clock, there were still three hours left.

　　Ignoring the surprised looks of passers-by, the old man took out a compass slightly larger than his palm from his tattered coat and began to look at it carefully.

　　He not only looked, but also muttered as he walked. Zhang Shan and I had no choice but to follow him silently.

　　After entering the park, we walked west along the Jinshui River until we came to a small path. The old man stood at the end of the bridge, looked around, and called to us, "This is it. Wait! I'll go get some gear."

　　After saying that, the old man left the two of us and turned to walk towards the back street.

　　I know this road, it is called Shunhe North Street, and it does not belong to the park.

　　How do you explain this? Zijingshan Park is actually quite strange. It is not a complete green space, but is divided into East Park and West Park by Shunhe North Street.

　　This small road is not wide, at most about 10 to 20 meters. The entrances of the east and west parks of Zijingshan Park are facing each other on both sides of the road.

　　There were few cars in the past, and most people who knew about this path lived nearby. Now, there are so many cars in Zhengzhou that there is no peace here. During rush hour, the traffic is so congested... so congested that I have to thank him!

　　I remember that in the early years when the park still sold tickets, it was the most interesting to pass through here. When we came out of the East Garden and wanted to visit the West Garden, the ticket inspector guarding the gate would shout across the street: "Hey! Four more people are passing here! Count them!..."

　　We stood on the bridge, looking at the frozen river and breathing in the biting northwest wind. Just when we were about to freeze, the old man came back.

　　There were not many people visiting the park in winter, and it was almost eleven o'clock. The old man pulled us to a secluded place under a wall where the wind was not strong, and ordered, "Shanzi, take off your shirt!"

　　"Oh..." Although Zhang Shan felt strange, he took off his cotton jacket as he was told.

　　"I told you to take off everything!" The old man didn't even look at him, but took out a bottle of ink and a brush and placed them on the ground.

　　"Take off all your clothes? It's so cold!" Zhang Shan was not willing to do it. It was several degrees below zero now, and it was still cold to stand here wearing thick clothes. If I took off all my clothes, would I be willing to die?

　　"Don't you want to step into the mysterious gate anymore?" Old man Qian was not in a hurry. He said slowly while twisting the ink bottle cap.

　　"...I'll take it off...I'll take it off!" After thinking it over again and again, Zhang Shan finally took off his sweater and autumn clothes.

　　No matter how strong this guy is, he would be shivering with his arms crossed at this moment.

　　"Stand up straight! Turn your back to me!" The old man had already dipped the brush in ink and held it up and said.

　　After Zhang Shan stood still, the old man dipped the tip of his pen in ink and lightly touched the "ground circle" of the Wuwei Seal, and the stroke landed accurately on Zhang Shan.

　　"What are you doing?" I was very curious. What was this about? Body painting?

　　"I'm changing her pulse." Old Man Qian's hands did not stop, and he said while drawing: "The so-called pulse change is to use special means to cover up the true yin and yang ratio of a person's body."

　　"Then... I have to change it later too?" I couldn't help but shiver when I heard this. Just seeing Zhang Shan like this made me feel cold.

　　"You don't have to. We are the seal holders, and we are originally yin. Shanzi has relic blood all over his body, which is an extremely yang physique. If we don't change it for him, this little dog will never be able to enter the Xuanmen!" Old Man Zhang said, and he had already finished drawing the content behind.

　　I leaned over to take a look. Although I didn't know what it was, I felt that it was running along Zhang Shan's blood vessels and muscles, and it didn't feel awkward. This should be the modified "pulse".

　　After finishing the back part, the old man asked Zhang Shan to turn around and start painting the front part. He still had to touch the "earth circle" on the Wuwei seal before each stroke. But what surprised me was that the black dot on the wrist always disappeared quickly within two seconds.

　　The first part was much harder to draw than the second part. It took me nearly ten minutes to draw it. When I was about to mistake the figure standing in front of me for a zebra, the old man finally stopped drawing and said, "It's done!"

　　Zhang Shan had already been unable to bear the cold, and upon hearing what I said, he quickly snatched the clothes from my hands and tried to put them on.

　　"Oh! You can't wear it now! You have to wait until it's dry. Otherwise, won't it all be ruined if you wear it like this?" The old man hurriedly stopped him.

　　"Ah...then...how long...do I have to wait?" The guy's tongue was almost frozen.

　　"Well... there are a lot of people ahead, please wait another five minutes!" The old man didn't feel sorry for him at all.

　　"ah!……"

　　After a while, the old man checked again and again and found that it was basically dry, so he allowed Zhang Shan to put on his clothes. When this guy took the clothes from me, who was gloating, I felt that his skin was almost freezing.

　　The old man looked up at the sky and said, "Alright! I'm going to start setting up the Xuanmen. You two should watch carefully and don't let anyone interrupt me!"

　　I glanced at my phone and it was a quarter to eleven.

　　Zhang Shan and I stood at both ends of the small bridge across the Jinshui River, while the old man leaned over the ground in the center of the bridge and began to write something.

　　Slowly, the old man began to write in circles, and the more he wrote, the larger the area became.

　　Fortunately, it was already late at night and there was no one on the path, which saved us a lot of trouble.

　　Finally, at 11:58, Old Man Qian finished all his work, threw away his pen, put the lid on the ink bottle, and put it back in his pocket.

　　I looked towards the center of the bridge and found that the old man had drawn a pattern about three meters square. It looked a bit like the outline of the Bagua, but it was not the same.

　　This pattern is obviously made up of many tadpole-shaped characters. Although I don’t recognize any of them, I feel like I have seen them somewhere.

　　Chapter 40: Five Falls from the Sun

　　Old Man Qian and Zhang Shan were standing on the south side of the bridge. After calling me over, the old man faced us and said solemnly, "Entering the Xuanmen is no joke. Over the past thousands of years, countless people who have mastered the Yin have accidentally died in the Yin-Yang world. Although one of you holds the seal and the other holds the relic blood, you must know that two fists cannot beat four hands. Trying to be a hero, no matter when or where, is the stupidest thing to do! Especially you, Shanzi, you must remember this later. After you separate from us, you must not use your relic blood or have any wounds. Otherwise, the smell of the relic blood will attract all the ghost nightmares within a few miles! Remember, remember!"

　　"What? Zhang Shan wants to separate from us?" I was confused, but looking at Zhang Shan's expression, he seemed to have known this already.

　　"We are going to look for the thousand-year-old unbreakable barrier, and Shanzi wants to do his own thing." There was no trace of emotion in Old Man Qian's words at this moment.

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan remained silent, the old man asked again, "What do you think? Think carefully, you can choose not to go, and none of us will laugh at you! After all, it is quite dangerous for people with relic blood to step into the Yin-Yang world!"

　　"I'll go!" Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said firmly.

　　"Then why don't we go with him? Then we can take care of each other." I listened to the old man for a long time and thought that there was a way to solve the problem.

　　"No!" The old man poured a basin of cold water directly on my head: "No one can help him with what he wants to do. This is a necessary path for the Yin people!"

　　I was stunned. Zhang Shan was obviously going to pass an exam to become a qualified Yin Tong person!

　　The meaning of the old man's words was very clear. It was dangerous enough for us to go in. Zhang Shan was actually more dangerous than us. He was indeed not suitable to be a Yin-master.

　　"Don't go. It's not worth it." I thought about it and turned to persuade Zhang Shan: "It's not a matter of life and death. Why do you want to take this risk? Is it just to fulfill a meaningless wish?"

　　"You are wrong." Zhang Shan knew that I was kind-hearted and was not angry. Instead, he slowly said, "This is not a meaningless wish. Uncle, I am different from you. I didn't know who my parents were since I was a child. It was my grandfather who raised me. At least I think that my grandfather is the greatest man in the world, and his life is the only life I yearn for. I used to be proud of being able to take over his job, although this industry looks a bit scary. However, until one day, I realized that no matter how hard I tried in this life, I could not reach the height that my grandfather once reached. Do you know what this means? A dream was shattered. I remember that my grandfather once said that breaking into the Xuanmen is a basic requirement for a person who understands the Yin. From then on, I secretly made up my mind that no matter whether I can be like my grandfather, I will give it a try! So, this has been my motivation for living for more than ten years and my hope for the future!"

　　After saying that, Zhang Shan no longer looked at me, but looked straight ahead.

　　"Don't you know what's wrong with you? If you continue like this, long-term exposure to Yin energy will only accelerate the burning of your life!" I almost blurted out these words, but I held back in the end.

　　It is always a good thing for a person to have hope. Why do you have to shatter the beautiful dream?

　　I know Zhang Shan is actually extremely jealous of me in his heart. I can easily reach his level of skill and technique after years of hard work without any study or tools.

　　But what can we do about it? The seal holder is appointed by heaven, and no one has the right to choose.

　　"Good job, Shanzi! Your grandfather's love for you is not in vain! Now that you have made up your mind, let's go!" After saying this, Old Man Qian pulled us to his side.

　　Standing in the middle of the road south of the bridge, the old man rolled up his sleeves, closed his eyes and muttered something in a low voice. At first it sounded like a monk chanting, but after a while you would find that he was speaking very quickly.

　　Before I could hear what he was saying, the old man suddenly moved.

　　He reached into his coat pocket and grabbed something, then spread it horizontally in front of his feet and stepped on it. We hurried to catch up.

　　"The palm print steps on the Yin, the fifth drop is the first! The first drop, throw joy!" Old Man Qian raised his voice, full of confidence. This time I heard it clearly.

　　Looking down at his feet, what he scattered on the ground seemed to be a handful of red beans.

　　"Second fall, throw away the anger!" After the old man shouted, he grabbed a handful of yellow millet and scattered it on the ground. We stepped on it one after another.

　　"The third fall, throw away the sorrow!" This time it was another handful of rice.

　　"The fourth fall, throw the music!" Next comes the mung beans.

　　"Fifth move, throwing skills!" I was just wondering how many kinds of food the old man had bought, but I saw that he didn't throw anything this time. Instead, he took a step forward and said to me, "Xiao Wang, follow me!"

　　"Oh!..." I quickly followed his example, raised the index and middle fingers of my left hand, put them together, tapped the ground, placed them flat on my right arm above the Wuwei seal, and then drew a line forward. When I drew the Wuwei seal, I suddenly felt the cold air suddenly intensified.

　　Zhang Shan didn't do that, but stood by and watched us. I think maybe only the seal holder needs to do that?

　　When the old man saw that I had finished, he took another big step forward and said loudly: "No joy, no anger, no sorrow, no happiness, this is the boundless, the five falls from the sun!"

　　At this time, one of his feet had already stepped into the "circle" that had just been drawn.

　　Zhang Shan and I followed suit and stepped in.

　　"Whoosh~" As soon as I stepped into the circle, a gust of wind suddenly blew from behind. The force was so strong that it almost made me stumble.

　　After the wind passed, Old Man Qian took a deep breath and whispered, "One foot across the yin is yin and yang!"

　　As he spoke, he followed with his other foot and stepped in the very center of the "circle".

　　"Huh~" When Zhang Shan and I stepped on the center of the circle, a strong wind blew from the front, instantly blowing me to the ground.

　　The two winds were very strange, coming suddenly without any warning and disappearing without staying even a second longer.

　　"Done?" I patted my butt and got up from the ground. Seeing that the old man in front of me had turned around and walked out of the "circle", I couldn't help asking.

　　"It's over. We are now in the Yin and Yang world." The old man had a blank expression on his face. He walked back, bent down, and picked up some of the rice, millet, and mung beans that he had just scattered on the ground.

　　I was still wondering why none of these things were blown away by the wind. The old man asked us to stretch out our palms and divide the grains of several colors into three equal parts. In fact, he just pinched a little on our palms and said, "Eat it, otherwise you won't be able to regain your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Don't blame me when the time comes."

　　Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan and I hurriedly stuffed these things into our mouths and swallowed them with saliva, regardless of the fact that we had just stepped on them.

　　"Uncle Grandmaster... have we really stepped into the mysterious gate?" It seems that Zhang Shan and I have the same feeling. Except for the two gusts of evil wind just now, the road is still the same road, the street lights are on where they should be on, and off where they should be off, and the weather is still cold where it should be cold.

　　Everything around him remained the same. Even the "circle" that the old man had drawn on the bridge remained exactly where it was. It was hard not to suspect that he had stepped into the realm of yin and yang.

　　Chapter 41: The Test of Passing the Yin

　　"So what do you think? What should the Yin and Yang world be like?" Old Master Qian turned his head to look at us and asked with a smile.

　　“The world of Yin and Yang shouldn’t be…” The words came to my lips but I couldn’t continue.

　　Yes, what is the Yin and Yang world like? Who knows? It can't be like what is shown in Hong Kong movies.

　　In short, no matter what it is, no matter how I think about it, it shouldn't be what I see now.

　　This is absolutely no different from the "world of the living"!

　　"Shouldn't the Yin and Yang world be full of swords and fire, with wronged souls floating everywhere?" The old man teased me with some interest he got from nowhere.

　　"Then at least..." I had just said a few words when Zhang Shan behind me kept pulling me. Turning around, I followed the direction he pointed and vaguely saw a row of houses behind the green land and grove on the other side of the river.

　　"What's wrong? What's so strange about this house?" I felt he was making a fuss. I knew this row of houses. It seemed to be a residential building for some unit. One of Ni Qian's friends lived there.

　　"Look carefully!" Zhang Shan was still staring at it with a serious expression.

　　I had no choice but to take two steps forward and look in that direction.

　　Everything in front of me was pitch black, but the white building was still quite eye-catching.

　　It was already past midnight, and most people would have turned off the lights and gone to sleep, so there was no light on in any window.

　　"What are you looking at? Everyone turns off the lights and goes to bed!~" I looked again, but didn't find anything, and replied to Zhang Shan impatiently.

　　"Really? How did you see the lights turned off?" Zhang Shan still stared at the building and asked me provocatively.

　　"There's no light in the window, so that means the lights are off!" I don't know what this guy is talking about.

　　"Where are the windows?"

　　"You can't even see the window, and you still have the nerve to ask..." I stopped talking halfway.

　　I was going to point out the windows to Zhang Shan, but when I looked carefully, I really couldn't find a window! The first two times I looked around, there was no light coming out of the whole building, so it was obvious that the lights were not on.

　　Now I finally realized that although there was a forest between us, the leaves had almost all fallen off in winter, and there was not a single window on the shadowy building from top to bottom!!!

　　"This..." I was finally speechless. This is just a big blank slate! If I hadn't had preconceived notions, I would have known that this was a building. People who saw it for the first time would have thought it was just a six-story wall!

　　"Haha, have you found something different?" Old Master Qian came up from behind, patted my shoulder and said, "A house where ghosts live won't have windows. There will never be daytime here."

　　When we came to our senses, the old man said seriously: "Shanzi, the road ahead is up to you. As long as you get what belongs to you, come back here and wait for us. Don't run around! Remember!"

　　"Yes! Uncle Grandmaster!" Zhang Shan answered in a strong and powerful voice.

　　"Also, if we don't come back before the hour of Yin, you will step on the Xuanmen Seal and go back by yourself!" The old man continued in a rare tone that sounded a little pessimistic.

　　"Haha, no way! What can't be solved when you two seal holders are together? Uncle-master, you must take good care of Grand-uncle-master! I'm leaving now!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he zipped up his coat, turned around and walked into the depths of the alley.

　　"What is he going to look for?" I listened to their conversation, confused.

　　This guy asked me to take care of the old man. If the old man doesn't come to take care of me, he'll be very lucky!

　　"I don't know either." The old man sighed, looking at the back figure under the street lamp in the distance and said: "Every person who can communicate with the underworld must bring back an object that was lost here when he steps into the Xuanmen Gate to show his success. And this object also shows the fate and ending of the person who can communicate with the underworld. It is commonly known as the Wheel of Life."

　　"So what did you bring back?" I couldn't help asking out of curiosity.

　　Old Man Qian, a seal holder with such profound skills, must have naturally taken such an "examination" before.

　　"Haha, you may not believe me." The old man turned around and took me in the opposite direction, saying as we walked: "A flashlight."

　　"A flashlight?!" I never imagined it would be such a thing.

　　"Yeah, almost everyone brought back something different." The old man frowned, lost in deep memories: "I remember that it was forty years ago, in a small town at the foot of Taihang Mountain, your master and I took this test at the same time. We were poor back then, and I picked up a flashlight, but I didn't know what it was, so I brought it out in a daze. Your master and our two masters looked at it, but they didn't know either. It wasn't until several years later that a villager who went down the mountain to visit relatives in the provincial capital brought back several of the same thing, and then we knew that this thing is called a flashlight. Haha."

　　"So the flashlight represents your destiny and ending?" I was a little bit unbelievable.

　　"Yes, but I still haven't figured out what it means." When talking about this, Old Man Qian looked a little lonely.

　　"That's easy to guess! The flashlight symbolizes a bright future!" Seeing that the old man was in a bad mood, I made up a story just to make him happy.

　　"Haha~Okay! Just because of what you said, we will definitely make it right on this trip! The sooner we find it, the sooner we will solve it! Then I will treat you to a drunken feast!" The old man has crossed many bridges and walked many roads, and he is more open-minded. With a smile, he put aside all the negative emotions and cheered up again.

　　"Then what did my master bring out?" After I said that, I realized that this was the first time I took the initiative to treat old man Zhang Shixun as my master.

　　...Well, just shout! The old man can finally rest in peace.

　　"The things your master brought out are related to you." Old Man Qian looked at me and said mysteriously.

　　"Related to me? What is it?" I was very confused. Why would the things that old man Zhang brought out be related to me? Could it be that meeting me was his destiny?

　　"A mahjong tile with a nine-tube pattern on it," the old man replied.

　　"Nine bamboo sticks... is it related to me?" The more I listened, the more confused I became. How could a mahjong tile be related to me? I am the fifth child? No, I am an only child. Or did I meet him when I was five? No, even if old man Zhang stayed in the city hospital for more than ten years, he hadn't moved here when I was five.

　　"What was the predecessor of the Municipal Hospital?" Old Man Qian reminded me when he saw that I was confused.

　　"Zhengzhou No. 9 People's Hospital, referred to as the No. 9 Hospital (the real name is hidden for the plot. It does not represent the real hospital.)..." I said it casually. I have lived here since I was a child, so I am very familiar with it. The name was only changed a few years ago.

　　"That's it. What does Jiutong look like? Nine circles, which is Jiuyuan, and its pronunciation is similar to Jiuyuan." Old man Qian explained happily.

　　"This...isn't this too far-fetched?" I find it a little hard to accept. If this is the case, then there are probably too many coincidences in the world!

　　"Stepping into the Mysterious Gate and searching for the Wheel of Life are mysterious things in the first place. What is there to explain?!" Old Man Qian looked disdainful of my inquiring spirit. "Before your master met you, he didn't know whether his judgment was correct, nor did he know what he would encounter. He just happened to think of it, so he stayed there for ten years! It was not until he met you that he realized that all this was correct. It shows that everything has its own destiny."

　　Chapter 42: Special Constitution

　　"But why does meeting me prove that his original judgment and decision were correct?" I was still a little confused. There was a nine-cake engraved on the mahjong tile, not my face.

　　"Your master never told you that?" Old Man Qian was also a little surprised.

　　"say what?"

　　"Your physique is quite different from both of ours." The old man said, and then rolled up his sleeves and said, "Take a look at my Wuwei Seal. Is there any difference between it and yours?"

　　I looked carefully at his wrist and saw three dots of different sizes, with distinct layers.

　　Looking at my own, I found that among my three dots, the sky dot was the largest, while the two dots representing the human dot and the earth dot were very close in size. If you don't look carefully, you really can't tell them apart. I usually distinguish them according to the arrangement order that Old Man Zhang taught me.

　　"...What's going on?" I also want to know. Although I have seen the Wuwei Seal quite often recently, both in reality and in dreams, I have never paid special attention to it. Now that we are talking about this, I will ask for clarification.

　　The old man smiled and read aloud:

　　"Hundreds of sons are the gold in the sea, and two paths run together to control all souls.

　　What is destined to happen will eventually come true, and the magic sword should not be directed at good people.

　　There is a golden incense three feet above the forehead, which can help you without any action or seal.

　　Mortals can manage the affairs of heaven and earth, but the right path in the world is vicissitudes.

　　You have the appearance of being both a human and a ghost."

　　This passage, which sounds like a poem, was also read by him when he said goodbye to Old Man Zhang in Taihang Mountain. Could it be referring to me?

　　"What does it mean for humans and ghosts to run together?" Since it concerns my own destiny, of course I have to ask for clarification.

　　The old man was about to explain, but he found that we had already reached the main road intersection, so he had to change the topic and said, "I'll explain to you when we get out. Let's get busy first. No matter if we can't find it after a thousand years, we must get back here before the hour of Yin, otherwise we'll be trapped inside once the morning cries are over!"

　　I calculated that one hour is about two hours, and the end of Yinshi should be around five in the morning. There are still five hours left, which should be enough.

　　When I came to the main road, I took advantage of the street lights to find that all the houses and buildings had no windows. Only the big door below could prove that this was a building with an entrance and exit.

　　"How do we get there?" I followed the old man, so naturally I didn't have to think. I just did whatever he said.

　　"Where do you think the thousand-year barrier is?" The old man looked at me with a smile as he stood under the street light, as if testing me on purpose.

　　"I think... at least it should be in a place where no construction has been done for thousands of years? That way it won't be easily discovered." I tried my best to use my brain to analyze.

　　"Then where in Zhengzhou has no one moved for thousands of years?" The old man was further provoking me. It seemed that he also discovered my laziness and my inability to use my brain.

　　"...Chenghuang Temple! Ancient city wall!" I found that my brain was sometimes very useful. After thinking about it, I asked again: "But didn't you and Gao Yuan search for it in that area for several days without finding it?"

　　"That's why I came here to look for it because I couldn't find it!" Old Man Qian led me and said as we walked along the road.

　　"What does that thousand-year-old barrier look like?" I've heard this phrase many times in the past two days, but I don't know what it looks like. Is it a gate? Or a formation?

　　"I don't know either. I just heard about it from my master some years ago." The old man must have been helpless. I almost had a hundred thousand questions.

　　"Aren't there ghosts there? Why not go over and ask?" I saw a few figures wandering in the distance. I remembered that the old man had said that this place was a ghost nightmare. I simply went to ask around and everything became clear.

　　"Don't go yet!" The old man hurriedly grabbed me and said, "Let's look for it ourselves first, and then ask them if it doesn't work. There is no good or evil in the Yin and Yang world, and the ghost nightmares all act at will, so be careful not to cause trouble!"

　　"Oh..." I had no choice but to follow the old man and stroll slowly towards the ancient city wall.

　　The buildings and street scenes along the way were the same as in reality, except that there were no windows. Occasionally, there were still a few billboards, but the words on them had turned into crooked tadpole characters, just like the ones the old man had drawn on the ground just now.

　　I think this might be text for the dead.

　　I was stunned when I came to an empty space. I remembered that there should be a tall building here, but why was it flat now? The gate and everything else were still there, but the building seemed to have grown wings and suddenly flew away.

　　"This...what is going on?" I was very confused and had to ask the old man again.

　　"Haha, let me tell you!" The old man turned around and looked at the empty space, patiently explaining to me, "The building that was supposed to be here, because it used materials that ward off evil spirits as its foundation, or it was built after considering Feng Shui. Therefore, it does not exist in the Yin and Yang world. Any place that has been done based on Feng Shui does not exist in the Yin and Yang world, which ensures that ghosts cannot enter. Of course, it does not mean that the houses here will be haunted."

　　It turns out that haunted houses are not isolated cases but common. People and ghosts actually live under the same roof. I looked around again and saw that there were indeed a few tall buildings that I had always remembered, but I could no longer find them.

　　The old man and I were walking on the side of the road when we heard a horn behind us. Looking back, we saw a taxi slowly approaching.

　　When the car stopped in front of them, the young man driving the car leaned over and asked, "Would you like a ride?"

　　"Okay! Let's go to Chenghuang Temple!" I said as I pulled the door handle. It was so cold at night that my feet were already frozen. Although it was close, it would be nice to sit on it to warm up.

　　"Don't move!" The old man next to me just shouted, and I heard a "rip" sound, and I had already pulled down the back door of the taxi.

　　Holding the door in my hand, I was confused. What the hell is this made of? Not only is it light, but it's also so brittle?

　　At first glance, it seems unimportant, but the car door is actually made of paper!

　　No wonder the old man wouldn’t let me touch anything, the things here are nothing we can use!

　　"Living person?" The driver was stunned for a moment, then jumped out of the car and slowly approached us. A sinister smile gradually appeared on his face: "Hehe, I didn't expect that I would encounter such a dish." After saying that, he stretched his head out and licked his lips.

　　"What are you going to do?" Seeing his look, I couldn't help but step back.

　　The look on his face definitely doesn't show that he wants to learn from Lei Feng and do good deeds.

　　I saw this guy stopped talking, suddenly opened his bloody mouth and pounced towards me.

　　"Get out of the way!" I was still in a daze when old man Qian behind me pulled me to the side and kicked this guy in the stomach.

　　Remember that we had turned off the power of the Fearless Seal before coming in, but Old Man Qian has been absorbing the Pupil Seal for years, so all his brute force is his own, so he naturally brought it with him when he came in.

　　The force of the kick was quite strong. The man was stomped several meters away by the old man. After falling to the ground, he rolled twice before stopping.

　　"Wow! The old guy is quite strong! It seems he is still getting stronger!" I thought I had solved the problem, but the man didn't even take a break and directly got up from the ground. There was no expression of pain on his face after suffering a huge injury.

　　Chapter 43: To Save or Not to Save

　　After saying this, he walked closer and without stopping, the young man drove straight towards the old man.

　　Judging from the speed, strength and resistance he has shown so far, we are not even in the same league. Maybe he also saw that as long as I can get rid of this old man, the rest will be much easier for me.

　　Of course, Mr. Qian would not just sit there and wait for death. When he got close to the young man, he suddenly turned his body to the side, but did not move his feet. He put one hand on the young man's shoulder.

　　There was a dull thump, and before I could see what was going on, the old man pressed his knee into the young man's back and pinned him to the ground.

　　"Hmph, little kid, even though I'm in my seventies and still alive, you're still a few years away from playing with me." After grabbing the young man's hand and making sure that he was unable to resist, Old Man Qian spoke harshly.

　　After twisting a few times, the man realized that he could no longer move. He suddenly opened his mouth and shouted to the distance: "Come quickly! There are two living people here!..."

　　Although there were not many people walking on the street at that time, when they heard him shout, they all looked towards us.

　　"Shut up!" When Old Man Qian saw this situation, his face changed slightly and he shouted in a low voice.

　　"Old man! Where do you think this is? Although I can't beat you, you can't kill me either. Have you left all your abilities over there?" Although this guy was pinned to the ground and unable to move, he didn't look like a prisoner at all, and said with a sinister smile.

　　As we were talking, the guy in the distance began to approach us.

　　"Xiao Wang, get ready to run!" Old Man Qian had no choice but to let go of this guy, turned around and pulled me away.

　　"Come on! Don't let them run away! No matter who catches them, just give one to me!" The young man climbed up, but he obviously knew how powerful the old man was, so he didn't dare to get close. He hid behind the paper car and kept shouting.

　　The guys in the distance suddenly quickened their pace.

　　"Run!" Old Man Qian shouted and led me along the road.

　　After running for more than 200 meters, there was a junction in front of us. Turn right and walk a short distance to the ancient city wall. The old man took me around the corner without hesitation.

　　Before turning the corner, I looked back and saw that there were more than a dozen people following me about thirty to fifty meters behind me.

　　I turned around and looked for the old man in front of me, but I was stunned... He was gone!!!

　　What can I do?! He is in his seventies and eighties, but he is running too fast!

　　But I didn't dare stop and ran along the street for another ten meters. Suddenly, a hand stretched out from the entrance of a building next to me and pulled me in.

　　It was pitch dark inside the building. Just as I was about to shout, I heard the old man's voice next to me: "Don't make a sound! Wait until they catch up, then we can leave!"

　　As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a large group of people running over outside.

　　Fortunately, there are no street lights on this path, otherwise, at a glance, you can tell whether there is someone ahead or not.

　　After a long time, the old man finally let go of my mouth, walked to the door and leaned out to look.

　　"Wait a little longer, until they are far away, then we can go." The old man told me while looking outside. It seemed that there should be no "enemy" nearby.

　　"It's not like you can't beat him. Why are you running?" I finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked weakly while leaning against the wall.

　　The old man drew his head back and said, "I can beat them, but I can't kill them! These guys are not like us. They don't know pain or fatigue, and they need to eat and drink water. One or two is fine, but if a large group of them fight, I will be exhausted to death!"

　　"Oh..." I finally understood why the young man who was driving the car was not afraid of pain. Then I changed my mind and asked, "Why did he bite me?"

　　"Most of the creatures here are nightmares, or what people call wandering ghosts. They don't have many souls left, as they have all gone through reincarnation. When these nightmares see living people, they treat them like treasures, because living people have souls, and absorbing souls can greatly increase their power."

　　Hearing this, I couldn't help but secretly worry about Zhang Shan. It was the first time for both of us to come to this Yin and Yang world. Who knows if he would suddenly do something stupid like me, which would be the end of us!

　　After the old man finished speaking, he looked out again and called me, "Okay! Let's go. Maybe they won't see us after chasing for a while and will come back."

　　I had almost rested. Just as I propped myself up against the wall, a man's voice came from the darkness behind me: "Couple...could you...help me? My wife is about to give birth."

　　Although the voice came suddenly, it was gentle and didn't scare me much.

　　"Sorry, we have other things to do. Please find someone else!" Old Man Qian turned around and said firmly.

　　"It seems like... you two are hiding from people?" The voice in the darkness paused and said unwillingly.

　　"Hmph, don't threaten me. The thing I fear least in my life is being threatened!" This old man is really the same as Zhang Shan - fierce! He would rather die than surrender.

　　"I dare not! How dare I be so presumptuous to ask you for help?" The voice in the darkness softened a little, and then said: "But if you two are willing to lend a hand, I might be able to do you a small favor. As long as I know and can do it, I will definitely do it without hesitation!"

　　"Oh?" After hearing this, Old Man Qian finally became interested: "We are looking for the thousand-year-old barrier. Do you know where it is?"

　　"Haha, what's so difficult about this? Everyone here knows this?" the voice in the darkness said without hesitation.

　　"Where is he?" I couldn't help asking. It would save me a lot of time and effort if I could get the news from him!

　　"Please consider my request. If you are willing to help, I will tell you the truth!" It seems that this man in the dark has set a trap long ago and is not worried that we will not fall into it.

　　If you want to help, then tell me; if you don’t want to help, then don’t tell me. Anyway, we can’t do anything to him.

　　"I'm just wondering, why don't you look for someone else but us?" I felt like this guy was plotting something.

　　"I was just about to go downstairs to ask for help when I ran into you two standing at the door. Naturally, I looked for you first." The voice in the darkness answered so precisely that I was speechless.

　　"Do you really know where the Millennium Unbreakable Pass is?" The old man thought for a long time and finally spoke. From what he said, if this person really knew, it would be worth helping.

　　"Don't worry! If you help me, I will not only keep it a secret, but I will also personally bring you two to the place!" The voice in the darkness immediately gave the confirmation as soon as it heard that there was a chance.

　　"...Deal! Lead the way! If not, you'd better be prepared to be reduced to ashes!" The old man agreed readily and signaled the man to lead the way to pick up his wife.

　　After all, both sides were in a hurry. We were in a hurry to find and leave, and he was in a hurry to give birth to a child. No one wanted to waste time. Seeing that he finally agreed, the man hurriedly took us upstairs.

　　There were not only no windows in the stairwell, but also no lights. I groped my way up to the third floor with him, opened the door, and finally a little light came through from inside the house.

　　Chapter 44: Delivering a Baby

　　With the faint and flickering light, I finally saw the man's figure clearly.

　　He was only about 1.6 meters tall and looked to be in his thirties. He was skinny and thin, as if he had been taking drugs for a long time. His arms, including bones and flesh, probably didn't even weigh 100 kilograms.

　　As the door opened, a heavy female voice could be heard inside the room, constantly shouting in pain, accompanied by heavy gasps. It seemed that what the man said was true.

　　"Sorry... my wife may be a little heavy, so please bear with me." After letting us into the house, the man turned around and said embarrassedly.

　　Only then did I observe the furnishings in the house. Although the lights were not on, it was basically no different from that of an ordinary home, except for a tribute table placed where the TV was in the living room. There was nothing on the table, only two thick, large candles that were lit and flickered.

　　A woman's voice came from the inner room, and it was obvious that she was in great pain.

　　"How do you want us to help you?" The old man asked the man directly after observing the situation.

　　"Okay, okay. You two just help me carry her downstairs!" said the thin man as he led us into the inner room.

　　When I pushed open the door, the sound suddenly became at least twice as loud. There was also a strange feeling in the room.

　　The room was in a mess, with various plastic basins, kettles, cups, etc. thrown all over the floor. Clothes and quilts were also hastily piled on a large bed in the middle.

　　Under the quilt on the big bed, a woman was lying there with her eyes closed, yelling, "Ouch! I told you to find someone to help! You took so damn long. Are you planning to wear me out and then find someone young and beautiful?! Ouch! It hurts so much!"

　　Oh, how can I describe this woman? She is so fat... so fat that her facial features are squeezed together by the fat on her face, and you can't tell whether her eyes are open or closed.

　　The two arms exposed outside the quilt were definitely thicker than my thighs. I roughly estimated that even if this woman didn't weigh 300 pounds, she must weigh at least 250 pounds!

　　Looking back at the man, this couple is such a fucking perfect match!

　　"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious. Aren't we here to help? We'll carry you away right away!" The man came to the bed and advised her while helping her tidy up her clothes.

　　"Oh my God! How do we move this?" I muttered quietly behind Grandpa Qian.

　　"See what he says? Let's listen to him!" The old man said to me with his face slightly tilted and his mouth crooked.

　　"Can a dead person give birth to a baby? And send the baby to the hospital? Then what will be born?" This question troubled me for a long time. While the man was busy packing up, I asked the old man in a low voice.

　　"You ask me? I don't know either!" The old man whispered with the corner of his mouth: "This kind of thing only happens once in a hundred years, and we are caught up in it today. Let's see!"

　　After waiting for a while, the man finally finished cleaning up and said to us, "Who of you is stronger? Let's do this. The mattress under my wife is quite thick. The three of us with the strongest strength will pull two corners, and the other two will each hold one corner. Let's see if we can lift her down like this."

　　"Okay! We'll each take one. Old man, please take the trouble!" Even though the old man is very strong, I was really nervous when I mentioned him. He was really fat.

　　Old Man Qian said nothing, but walked over and pulled up the two corners of the mattress next to the pregnant woman's headrest, waiting for us to get in position so that we could work together.

　　"Okay, let's try it first!" The man jumped onto a corner of the bed, grabbed it, and when he saw that we were ready, he started to push.

　　The old man was very strong, and the skinny man was also very strong when he stood on the bed. When they lifted her like this, only my side couldn't keep up, and the pregnant woman in the mattress slid down instantly.

　　"Ouch!" The pregnant woman and I shouted at the same time. Just as she was about to fall off the bed and ride on me, the old man finally acted quickly and let down the corner of the sheet.

　　"This won't work! We have to think of another way!" The man jumped off the bed, frowning.

　　I was about to speak when I suddenly felt something wet and a little cold on the back of my hand. But it was very dark in the room and I couldn't see clearly, so I had to call them over and said, "Come and see what's on the back of my hand? Hey! There's a big piece on the bed sheet!"

　　The two of them came over to watch for a moment, and suddenly heard the old man say, "It's too late, don't lift it! The amniotic fluid has broken! Straighten the pregnant woman and prepare for the birth!"

　　"Ah...what should I do? No one knows how to deliver a baby!" The man was immediately at a panic.

　　"I can! Quick! Go get a basin of hot water!" After the old man gave the instructions to the man, he said to me, "Don't be idle either! Go get some clean sheets and quilts. It's cold! They'll be used to wrap the baby later!"

　　"Oh...oh!" Before I could come to my senses, I was pushed out by the old man.

　　Time passed by minute by minute, and I was extremely anxious outside, but they just didn't come out.

　　I'm not in a hurry to give birth, but it's almost three o'clock now, and the Yin hour will pass in two hours. By then, if we haven't found the thousand-year barrier, we will have to go back.

　　Finally, I was almost falling asleep staring at the two broken candles in the living room, when I heard a low roar from the woman in the room as if she was relieved, and then there was no more movement.

　　I couldn't help but walk over, push the door open a crack, and look inside. I saw Mr. Qian holding a baby in his hands and handing the baby to the skinny man.

　　The fat woman on the bed no longer had a painful expression on her face.

　　"Is it born?" I walked in and asked when I saw that it was done.

　　"Yes! It's born! Look, wife, it's a son! It's a son!" The man held the baby in his arms and happily turned his head to show it to the woman on the bed.

　　"He...why isn't he crying?" The woman was still gasping for breath.

　　"Yes, the child is neither crying nor moving. Can you take a look at what's wrong?" The man also found it quite strange and brought the child over to show Old Man Qian.

　　I have never seen what a newborn baby looks like, but I felt that this child was dark all over and his skin color was not normal. It might also be because of the lighting in the room.

　　"After a baby is born, it needs to be patted to separate its vocal cords that are stuck together before it can cry." Old man Qian said as he took the baby and prepared to demonstrate to the man.

　　After taking the child in his hands, the old man was stunned at first, then he quickly touched his neck, and suddenly his face changed drastically.

　　"What's going on?" I saw the old man's expression and hurried forward to ask.

　　"...This is a dead baby!" The old man's expression was extremely serious at this time.

　　"What?! Dead?!" Upon hearing this, the skinny man immediately snatched it away and examined it carefully.

　　"Let me see!" The fat woman lying on the bed struggled to sit up and asked the man to carry the child over.

　　Seeing the couple sitting at the head of the bed and carefully watching the child, I whispered to the old man, "Why is he dead? Is it a technical problem? Be careful not to blackmail us!"

　　"He died a long time ago. Do you think a dead person can give birth to a living person?" the old man replied to me in a low voice.

　　"Hehehe...hahahahaha!" The old man and I were thinking about how to get out of this situation, when the two people holding the children at the head of the bed suddenly laughed very strangely.

　　Chapter 45: Delaying Time

　　"Damn it! I've been fooled!!!" Old man Qian's first reaction was to turn around and run to the door.

　　I was still stunned there, looking at the two weird smiling faces, one fat and one thin, on the bed, and the purple-black dead baby sandwiched in the middle. My hair stood on end.

　　"Bang!" The loud sound of a door closing scared me back from my daze.

　　"The corridor is full of people!" As soon as I turned around, the old man came back.

　　"Hehe~ Can you still leave?" the woman said, picking up the child, sticking out her tongue, and licking the dead baby's face.

　　Although the room was dark, I could vaguely see that a large piece of something on the baby's face was taken off by the woman's tongue. The woman seemed to be chewing it with gusto.

　　"Hmm..." I started to feel a little nauseous and quickly covered my mouth and retreated behind the old man, not daring to look at the person sitting on the bed.

　　"Did you do this on purpose?" The old man stepped forward and asked, staring at the two people on the bed.

　　"It's probably a little too late for you to realize this now, old man!" The skinny man put on another expression at this time, which was much more sinister than the harmless look just now.

　　"Under someone's instructions? Or is there another purpose?" Old Man Qian was already standing in front of the skinny man, looking down at him.

　　"Is it still useful to ask these questions now?" The woman on the bed held the child and said slowly, "You should pay more attention to yourselves!"

　　"Can I go out through the main door?" I finally realized the seriousness of the problem and whispered in the old man's ear.

　　"No, the staircase and corridor are packed with people. We can't even squeeze through!" The old man didn't lower his voice. The two "fat and thin monsters" in front of him probably knew what he said.

　　"What should I do? This shabby place doesn't even have a window. I have nowhere to jump even if I want to!" I looked around the house. Not to mention a window, I was afraid I couldn't even find a decent weapon.

　　"Let me ask you one more question. Who ordered you to drag us here?" Old Man Qian still did not give up and hoped to dig out some useful information.

　　"Ahahahahaha!" The two of them laughed out loud in tacit understanding, as if they had heard a huge joke.

　　"Okay~ I know I can't ask the answer. How about this, if you tell me where the Millennium Unbreakable Pass is, I will leave you an intact body." The old man spoke more and more calmly, as if he was talking about a very ordinary thing.

　　Although I feel that I have reached a dead end based on the current situation, my hunch tells me that the old man will definitely have a way!

　　“Ahahahaha~” The woman’s face trembled with laughter. She no longer cared about the baby in her arms. She just lifted one of her legs, pointed at us and said, “I think you are crazy! What do you have to threaten us? Maybe we are afraid of you in the world of the living, but here, you don’t have the qualifications!”

　　"Yes, I can't kill you. I admit that. But it's more than enough for me to beat you so that you break your hands and feet and can't take care of yourself!!!" After saying this, Old Man Qian suddenly jumped up, grabbed the old-fashioned radiator next to him with his right hand, pulled it hard, and with a "bang" sound, he broke it off completely.

　　"What are you going to do?" The skinny man was stunned when he saw his powerful strength.

　　"I'm sorry, you are not qualified to ask me questions. No matter in the world of the living or here!" Old man Qian lifted up the over 100-pound cast iron radiator with one hand and slapped the man.

　　The man wanted to run, but the radiator was one meter square when laid flat. How could it be easy to hide at this time?

　　The crisp sound of broken bones reached my ears.

　　Looking at the man again, he had lost his head, and blood and brain matter were splattered all over the room.

　　He could no longer speak, but his body was still moving, and he was lying on the ground, touching things everywhere.

　　Old man Qian was like a butcher from hell. Without a trace of expression, he lifted up the radiator and smashed the man's limbs into pieces with a few clangs, leaving only a still squirming body.

　　"Ah!!!~~~~~~~~~" The woman screamed at the top of her lungs, but I don't think she was scared.

　　"Bang!" There was another bang, and the screams stopped. The fat woman's belly and their dead child were slammed against the wall by the old man. It was impossible to tell who was who.

　　Looking at the bloody "murder scene" in the house, I felt "full" again.

　　I was about to vomit with my hands covering my mouth when the old man came over and poked me in the ribs, saying, "Now is not the time to vomit. Find a way to get out of here first."

　　There was a sound of banging on the door outside the house. It seemed that the real purpose of the woman's scream was to notify the people who were ambushing outside to come in.

　　After being poked by the old man, my nausea was immediately relieved. I took two breaths and said, "How can we leave? There is not even a window here, and there are so many people blocking the door."

　　"If there is no window, just break one!" As the old man spoke, he walked to the wall at the head of the bed, raised the large piece of radiator with both hands, and smashed it against the wall again.

　　"Go find some things, make a fire at the door and stop them for a while. It would be best to set the whole house on fire." The old man smashed some things and then stopped to instruct me.

　　After much difficulty, he gathered a bunch of things together, lit a fire, and moved the gas tank from the kitchen to open it. When he returned to the house, the old man had already smashed a hole that was barely big enough for one person to pass through.

　　Although it is not big, it is enough for the two of us to get out of here. However, if it were Zhang Shan, it might not be that easy.

　　After two more hits, the old man dropped the radiator. I saw that the knuckles of his hands were cracked, and due to the light, I could only see a black area.

　　"Jump out!" The old man made way for the hole and motioned for me to jump first.

　　I leaned out and luckily there was no one downstairs. But this was the third floor, which was quite high. I hesitated for a moment, but closed my eyes and jumped down. If I didn't jump, I would die anyway, and it was the third floor. As long as I didn't fall headfirst, I wouldn't die.

　　Fortunately, after landing safely, I rolled twice, which basically relieved the force of falling.

　　I quickly made room for him. As soon as Old Man Qian jumped down, I heard a loud bang in the building, followed by sparks coming out of the hole.

　　The gas tank I moved over exploded at just the right time!

　　We didn't dare to take the main road anymore, so we climbed over the wall and jumped into another family compound. After making many detours and making sure no one was following us, we walked into a small path and continued to move towards the ancient city wall.

　　I was about to say something when I saw Old Man Qian staggering and almost falling.

　　"Are you okay? Do you want to take a rest?" I hurried forward, supported the old man and asked with concern. He can't fall down, Zhang Shan and I are counting on him to take care of us!

　　"Help...Help me! Keep going!...No...Can't stop! Time...is running out!" The old man was indeed injured, and even his breathing was very disordered. It was obvious that he had just been holding on with all his might.

　　"Sit down first! Rest for two minutes! Take a breath!" I ignored Old Man Qian's orders and forcibly pulled him to a hidden place under the wall, and helped him sit on the edge of a flower bed.

　　"...Alas! I'm old now, I can't help but accept it!" After sitting down and adjusting his breathing for a few times, the old man felt a little better. He sighed and said, "In the early years, when I encountered this kind of situation, at most I was just a little tired. Who would have thought that after not using it for more than 20 years, I would almost pass out this time!"

　　Chapter 46: On the Ancient City Wall

　　"What happened to you?" I still didn't know what was going on. It seemed that he was not injured just now. He just chopped others. If there was a problem, it was probably the old man's sudden increase in size and strength.

　　"Cui Yuan." The old man looked at his broken knuckles and simply said two words.

　　“Cuiyuan?” This was the first time I heard this word: “What is it?”

　　“It’s to stimulate the vital energy in your body, concentrate it instantly and allow you to control it freely. But the consequence is that your body will be extremely tired after stimulating the vital energy.” The old man finished speaking in one breath, and his breathing became disordered again. He had to close his eyes to adjust himself.

　　"That's great! When will you teach me? When the crisis comes again, I can help!" I got excited when I heard it. This skill is so powerful and practical!

　　"Haha, you can't do it now." The old man looked at me and smiled and said, "Strong power must be based on strong physical conditions. According to your current physical condition, even if you accelerate your vitality, your strength is only the strength of two or three normal people. And to put it bluntly, accelerating your vitality is burning your life. For example, if you accelerate your vitality for one second, it is equivalent to living for a day."

　　Seeing my expression changing from bright to dark, the old man asked again after he finished speaking: "How is it? Do you still want to learn?"

　　"No...no, let me exercise first!" I waved my hands quickly.

　　If it was the same strength as the old man and Zhang Shan, I would have urged them. But now it can only fight against two or three normal people. If something really happened, it would be useless.

　　And one second is equal to one day of life… I calculated that if I dare to rush a little longer, I will live one year less!

　　After sitting for more than a minute, the old man almost recovered, but he could only walk, and he couldn't muster even a little more strength.

　　After helping him stand up, I couldn't help asking, "Didn't they say that the guys here wouldn't die? Then why did you beat them to pieces just now? Can Cui Yuan kill Yan?"

　　"Haha, of course not." The old man pushed away my hand that was supporting him, indicating that he could do it. "They can recover slowly. What you see here is not real. Where do dead people get their bodies? It's just an illusion!"

　　In order to help the old man recover his strength as quickly as possible, I didn't dare to talk to him anymore. I just tried to find some easy places to walk, and the two of us quickly headed towards the ancient city wall.

　　After all, we only had an hour or so left, and we had to deduct at least 20 minutes to run back to the bridge in Stepin.

　　Finally, after more than ten minutes, we reached the foot of the ancient city wall.

　　After finding a relatively flat place, I dragged the old man up to the city wall.

　　"Look!...Look quickly!" Old man Qian was still a little out of breath, and it seemed that he would not be able to recover in a few days. Moreover, he was over 70 years old and still had to use the "Cui Yuan" move that burned his life, which made me, a young and strong man, feel ashamed.

　　"I'm on the west and you're on the east. Pay attention to every inch. Call me if you see anything abnormal!" Old Man Qian had already walked several meters away and turned back to shout at me.

　　"What should we do after we find it?" I lowered my head and took two steps, then asked curiously.

　　"Remember the location, and you can go back. Then send the centipede formation in from here in the world of the living, and our mission will be accomplished!" The old man didn't even turn his head this time, and it was obvious that he was very pressed for time.

　　I could only let it go and lower my head to try to find it.

　　There is no moon in the sky of the Yin and Yang world, and it is always as dark as ink. Fortunately, the street lamps under the city wall can still transmit some light, so it is still barely visible.

　　Soon, we arrived at the first intersection. The ancient city wall was cut off here, so we had to get off and cross the road and continue climbing up to search.

　　It's not that hard to find something, the hard part is that you don't know what you're looking for. I'm like a rag collector, not letting go of a plastic bottle or a garbage bag.

　　But what exactly is considered abnormal?

　　We had been searching a section of city wall that was several hundred meters long for half an hour. We were about to reach the intersection where the City God Temple was, but still found nothing.

　　I was just about to ask the old man if he should go to Chenghuang Temple to look for it. When I looked up, I saw a person standing on the big rock about ten meters ahead.

　　Although I can't see the old man over there, I'm sure he's not this person. Because this person is too thin, even thinner than the skinny man I just met, and he's no longer of normal build.

　　"Haha, stop looking. You don't even know what the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass looks like, so why are you still looking for it?" I was still in a daze, and the man standing on the stone actually spoke.

　　"Who are you?" The old man's voice came from the other side of the city wall. I hurriedly followed the voice and ran to his side. At this moment, the old man was already powerless. Regardless of whether I could do it or not, I still had to do my best to protect him.

　　"Don't you recognize me? Haha, it's normal that you forgot me. We have only met once or twice at most. But the guy next to you shouldn't have forgotten me, right?" The man in the distance said, and walked down from the stone.

　　Actually, I felt that he sounded familiar the moment he opened his mouth. But I hear so many people talking every day, and since they are not my acquaintances, it is difficult to remember who he is right away.

　　"What do you want to do? You might as well say it directly. Whether you are an enemy or a friend, show me Wan'er first." Seeing that I was still confused, the old man took the initiative to take over the conversation.

　　"Haha, no way? Even you can't remember it?" The man ignored Old Man Qian and continued to say to me: "But that's right, we didn't say much. I thought it might be helpful to let you take a look."

　　As he spoke, he walked down from the big rock and stood in a place where light came through from a street lamp.

　　“Zhao...Zhao Youde!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Although the light only illuminated half of his face, I am very familiar with this face. I can say that he is the biggest nightmare of my life!

　　From the dream in Taihang Mountain to the corpse-carrying curse, I stepped step by step into this world where it is difficult to distinguish between gods and ghosts. It can be said that it was all thanks to him.

　　No, to be more precise, it is Zhao Youde's nightmare. His body has been destroyed, and his soul has been put into the golden coffin by me. Now, only this nightmare is left.

　　"Oh~Is this the corpse-supporting curse that you were looking for a few days ago?" When Old Man Qian heard me read out the name, he naturally knew who the person in front of him was.

　　“Pa pa pa pa!” The sound of his applause came from the other side. “Not bad, not bad! Your memory is not bad. I hope my useless shell didn’t cause you any trouble.”

　　"What do you want to do?" Although I almost lost my life because of the corpse-carrying curse, it was also related to my own mistake. So when I saw him, I didn't have any special emotions.

　　"Nothing, I just happened to pass by and saw you guys were looking for... the thousand-year barrier, right? I wanted to help!" Although Zhao Youde said this, his expression didn't look like he was willing to help at all.

　　Chapter 47: So That's What Happened

　　"If you know, please tell us. We will remember your kindness!" Although this guy spoke casually, I didn't want to miss even a glimmer of hope. After all, half of the Yin hour had passed.

　　"I can tell you, but one of you has to stay here with me." Zhao Youde smiled and stated his conditions.

　　"Leave one? What does that mean?" I couldn't understand for a moment.

　　"Don't waste your words on him. He's playing tricks on us. Haven't you figured it out yet?" After listening for a while, Old Man Qian said, "Just passing by? Humph~ I'm afraid you've been waiting here for a while. If I'm not mistaken, you must have arranged that group of people! Deliberately trying to delay us!"

　　"He arranged it?!" I really didn't expect this.

　　The guy clapped his hands again and said slowly, "Qian Zheng is worthy of being the seal holder of the 800-li Taihang Mountains, as famous as Zhang Shixun. Even at such an old age, his mind is not muddled at all. How rare!"

　　"Humph, letting you praise me is no different from embarrassing yourself!" Old Man Qian was not at all subtle. "If I'm not mistaken, the elevator case at the city hospital two days ago was also your doing, right?"

　　"Haha, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. That Zhang Haitao was a bit embarrassing. I didn't expect that you guys would escape at the last moment." Zhao Youde directly admitted it.

　　I was shocked and angry when I heard this. I didn't expect that he was the one behind all these things. Did he have a grudge against me? That shouldn't be the case! It can be said that if I hadn't "helped" him when he was collecting the nightmare, he might not have been able to lock the soul in. This guy should be thanking me!

　　Thinking of this, I couldn't help but ask, "Then was it you who was behind the incident between my boss and his wife?"

　　"Oh~ trouble! Let me tell you this!" Zhao Youde straightened the suit he was wearing when he "left", stepped forward and said: "I will follow you when you come down from the mountain. Of course, I let the shell go by myself, don't blame the mountain! You two are really lucky, you are young and ignorant, but you actually broke the corpse-supporting curse. Awesome! Originally, I was planning to use the old man to destroy you. But one day, when I saw Zhang Haitao coming out of his garbage dump with something in his hand, I had a better idea. The chicken blood stone that can turn Yin was given to him by me. I won't tell you what happened next, you all know it. As for your boss lady, she didn't keep her word, so you can't blame me. This is the rule of the game."

　　"Then why are you doing this?" I really can't understand, what is his purpose in surrounding us and constantly plotting against us?

　　"Need to ask? Centipede Formation!" Old Master Qian rushed to answer.

　　"Haha, no way!" I didn't expect this farmer who had lived in the mountains all his life to actually speak classical Chinese: "If I wanted the Hundred-legged Formation, couldn't I just have robbed Zhang Haitao's directly? Why did I have to go through so many detours? He had already practiced the formation to the final stage, and I only needed to find two or three soul nightmares and stuff them in, and it would be done! No one would know, how great is that?!"

　　"Then who are you...?" I was completely confused. This guy kept talking and talking but never got to the point.

　　It's just like the skit about heart disease performed by Fan Wei and Zhao Benshan. I just want to know how I died. Don't keep talking about how I came into being.

　　Since the previous things have already happened, let's continue. First, make it clear what you want to do, and then we can discuss the next step.

　　"It's nothing, actually." Zhao Youde scratched his head and continued, "I just want to ask you to stay with me for a few days and help me with something. When the matter is done, you can go wherever you want, and we will go our separate ways."

　　"What's the matter?" I was getting more and more confused. What could he want from me? And how many days would he stay with me?

　　"Don't listen to his nonsense! If it was just for the sake of helping you, and he almost cost you your life several times, is that a request?!" The old man hit the nail on the head.

　　"Haha, old man, you're wrong to say that." Zhao Youde paced slowly in front of us and said, "There are many kinds of help. People have their own rules for helping, and we have our own set of rules for helping. We can't generalize!"

　　"... Tell me what you think. If you can help me, I will, as long as you tell us where the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass is first." I struggled for a long time, and finally made up my mind. As long as we can solve the problem of the Centipede Formation tonight, his request is not excessive, and I will help if I can.

　　Although we now know that this guy almost killed us several times, there is no other way. This is a deal, and everyone has to give in to the ultimate goal.

　　"It's not difficult. As long as you agree to go with me now, I will immediately tell Mr. Qian the location of the thousand-year-old barrier. What do you think?" When Zhao Youde heard that I was willing to give in, he immediately put forward the conditions.

　　"Hmph, kid, you think you can take someone away right in front of me? You really underestimate me, Qian Zheng, don't you?" The old man suddenly spoke up, pulling me behind him and saying, "Aren't you afraid that he will agree first, and then deal with you after I find out the location?!"

　　"Oh! Old man! Look at what you said, how dare I do that?" Zhao Youde immediately changed his expression to a flattering one: "If I'm not absolutely sure, I'll have to avoid you when I see you from a distance. But, after this "urging Yuan" today, I'm afraid you're powerless, right?"

　　The old man and I were both shocked. This Zhao Youde must have known all the circumstances before coming here to wait for us. He was determined to win!

　　"What are you planning? Tell me the truth. We'll meet each other soon. Do you want me to hunt you down for the rest of your life?" The old man lowered his head and thought for a long time. He said something soft but firm, trying to test Zhao Youde's bottom line again. "Yes, I don't have the strength now, but if I say run, I'm afraid that even if you call all the guys within a ten-mile radius, you may not be able to stop me. It's not a pleasant feeling to be locked in a golden coffin. Think about it!"

　　"Okay, now that you've said it, I know you're still on my side. Then I'll give you a brief overview." I really couldn't figure out what Zhao Youde was thinking. He was clearly in the upper hand at the moment, but he came up to try to succumb to old man Qian's weakness.

　　"This kid." Zhao Youde came closer, pointed at me and said, "He is more or less responsible for the recent series of events. I want to keep him for your own good. If I'm not mistaken, he has the appearance of both a human and a ghost, right? You must know this kind of person. If he stays in the human world, he will be a disaster!"

　　"You're talking nonsense!" I really couldn't help it. It would have been fine if this guy said something else, but after a few words he ended up calling me a nuisance.

　　Zhao Youde smiled and ignored me, then continued, "After six hundred years, the Centipede Formation has been seen again. Do you really think that it was done by that idiot Zhang Haitao? As the saying goes, people are made by the times. For these things to take shape, the right time, the right place, and the right people are all indispensable. If one day, you really let this kid find out the power in you, don't regret it then and dig a hole to bury yourself."

　　"Well... what you said does make some sense." The old man said, walked to my side, patted my shoulder and said: "Xiao Wang, I'm sorry for wronging you. If I can't take you away, then I can only choose to - kill you!"

　　After saying this, Old Man Qian put a dagger against my throat without waiting for me to react.

　　Chapter 48: Invincible Whirlwind

　　"Old man, what are you doing? Calm down!" There was a dagger pressing against my throat. I didn't even dare to swallow my saliva. I could only keep persuading old man Qian behind me.

　　"Hey! Old man, what are you doing? Can't we talk it out? Why do you have to use a knife? It won't be good for anyone if you kill him!" Zhao Youde saw that old man Qian suddenly turned against him, and hurriedly took two steps forward to persuade him. But his expression was obviously gloating, as if he wished that the old man would stab me right away.

　　In fact, I didn't hear a word he said. Because as soon as this guy opened his mouth, I heard the old man behind me whispered quickly: "Don't show any expression on your face! Listen to me carefully, we have been surrounded by them from behind. There is a pupil seal in my shirt pocket. Take it out at an angle where he can't see it. Then look for my signal. When all of them come over, absorb them immediately and wipe them out!"

　　I was still chewing on the meaning of his words when I heard old man Qian say loudly: "Don't try to play tricks on me! What are you planning? Do you think I don't know? This kid has a special body. You just want to use him to do something that reverses the order of yin and yang! If I kill him, you'll get nothing!"

　　"You're wrong about that. I really didn't..." While Zhao Youde was talking, the old man hurriedly said behind my ear: "Remember, you only have one chance! You must look at my signal! If we don't eliminate them all at once, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape. You have the physique of both a human and a ghost. You have one set of Wuwei Seal in the world of the living, and another set here, so the one you threw away before stepping into the underworld is just the one in the world of the living. Take the pupil seal, and absorb it the same way you did before!"

　　When the old man finished speaking, I had already taken out the seal from his pocket and held it in my left hand.

　　"Okay, then I'll do it reluctantly. It doesn't matter if he's alive or dead, it's just a matter of whether he follows me or I carry him on my back." Zhao Youde saw that we were both silent, and he seemed to have noticed something was wrong. He waved behind us and said, "Catch them!"

　　Immediately, there was the sound of rustling footsteps behind me.

　　Seeing that this move didn't work, the old man lost interest in continuing the performance. He moved the dagger away, pulled me back a few steps, and shouted to Zhao Youde: "Zhao kid, I don't care who ordered you to do this. You deserve to be here today. If you want to blame someone, blame your master for not explaining the dual-path physique to you clearly! Little Wang! Do it! "

　　"Okay!" I had already transferred the pupil seal from my left hand to my right hand, and was waiting for the old man's order, and immediately held this thing tightly.

　　"Hurry! Stop him!!!" Zhao Youde finally reacted quickly, saw through our intention, and immediately commanded the group of guys behind him to rush towards me.

　　The Wuwei Seal was spinning rapidly. But strangely, the black smoke from the pupil seal was not only absorbed into the Wuwei Seal, but also drifted to my limbs and chest and shoulders, condensing there.

　　I was still staring at the black smoke in a daze when the nightmares pounced on me. Several of them came up and pressed me to the ground.

　　They were still a step too late, and the useless pupil seal was just crushed by me.

　　Although I was pressed down and there were more and more people around me, I didn't feel uncomfortable because the feeling after absorbing the pupil seal this time was very different from before.

　　It's not that I don't want to move, but I don't want to move. The power and emotion brought by this pupil seal are so strong! I am like a drug addict, fully enjoying this moment of pleasure.

　　Suddenly, I felt something hard in my hand. I squeezed it hard and it seemed to be a hard stick... What was it? I clearly remembered that there was nothing in my hand just now!

　　Never mind, let's stand up first. Old man Qian is still beside us, don't let anything happen to him before it's too late, he can't stand the hassle right now.

　　In fact, those guys pressing down on me were nothing. I just arched my back suddenly and they were all bounced away in an instant.

　　When I stood up, I realized that I was holding an object made of black gas in my hand, about three feet long and as wide as four fingers put together. It looked like a sword, but also a bit like a knife.

　　All the important parts of my body were also shrouded in black air. Seeing the old man and Zhao Youde standing by and staring at me in a daze, I finally gave up the enjoyment and thought of the series of things that had just happened.

　　The guys who were bounced up just now got up again and rushed over. I avoided Zhao Youde's sight and made the shape and gesture of "get down" to the old man.

　　The old man reacted quickly. He crawled to the ground immediately, leaving Zhao Youde and his group of "henchmen" behind him.

　　"Go to hell!!!" I saw a great opportunity, so I swung the black thing in my hand and swung it at the group of people in front of me... no, to be more precise, the nightmare. I swung it at them.

　　"Whoosh~" Wherever the black stick passed, a strong wind immediately rose up on the ground, carrying sand, garbage, leaves, and stones, all blowing towards them.

　　After one turn, I found myself unable to stop, so I turned another turn. Before I could stand still, I turned another turn!

　　"No! Old man, run away! I'm out of control!!!" While I was still able to speak, I shouted to old man Qian beside me.

　　After saying that, I never stopped and started spinning around and around. Zhao Youde had already been blown away and he and his men were spinning around in circles in the sky following the strong wind I created.

　　Being in the eye of the storm, I could only look up at them. My feet were spinning like gyroscopes, sand and rocks surrounded the entire space, being continuously swept up into the sky and hitting those guys floating dozens of meters above my head.

　　I don't know how long it took, but I gradually felt the power in my body dissipating. It seemed that the effect of the pupil seal was about to wear off.

　　After spinning for hundreds of times, I finally got a chance to slam the black stick into the ground, stopping the spinning momentum. This "artificial tornado" immediately disappeared.

　　Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! As soon as I sat down in the hole several meters in diameter that I had dug out of, people started falling from the sky.

　　When almost everyone had fallen, I tried to stand up, but when I exerted force, I fell to the ground. The black stick in my hand had already disappeared with the vapor.

　　"Old man! Old man!" I climbed up the big pit and saw people lying on the ground all over the city wall. I didn't know whether they were dead or alive, so I had to sit on the edge of the pit and shout while searching.

　　"Stop shouting! You almost blew my old bones apart!" I just shouted twice when I heard the voice of Old Man Qian coming from the base of the city wall behind me.

　　I quickly got up and pulled him back up to the wall, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was blown down at the beginning, otherwise, after this round, the old man would probably have more breathing out than breathing in.

　　"You take a rest first, I'll go find Zhao Youde!" I helped the old man sit down against a tree, and turned to look for that guy. But the old man grabbed me again.

　　"Look at the watch first, what time is it now?"

　　Chapter 49 The Final Moment

　　I felt my pockets and luckily, my pants and cell phone were still there.

　　I took out my phone and saw that it was already 4:30! There was only half an hour left until 5:00, the last moment of the Yin hour!

　　Report this emergency to the old man immediately.

　　After a moment, the old man gritted his teeth, supported himself on the tree and stood up, saying, "There's no time! Retreat! Let's go back and think of another way!"

　　"That Zhao Youde..." I have been thinking about this guy in my heart. He must know a lot of things. If I find him, maybe all the problems can be solved. At that time, it doesn't matter whether I can find the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass or not.

　　The old man looked at the people lying all over the mountain and said, "How can we find him? It will take a long time to find him. Whether the bastard is willing to tell is another matter. Let's hurry up and leave! There is only one day a month when the moonlight is darkest. If we don't go back before the hour of Mao, we will have to stay here for a month!"

　　I thought about it and realized there was no other choice but to do this. I helped the old man down the city wall and hurried to the Q bridge where we parted.

　　At this point, the plan to find the thousand-year-old unbreakable pass has been declared bankrupt!

　　At this moment, I just hope that nothing happens to Zhang Shan again and that the three of us can return safely.

　　The way back was very peaceful. Although there were no obstacles, the old man was extremely exhausted after the "stimulation of the essence". He relied on strong willpower to walk all the way, taking a break every now and then. When we reached the small bridge in the middle of Zijingshan Park, it was already 4:55 in the morning.

　　After helping the old man sit down at the bridge head, I stood up and looked around. Sure enough, the most feared situation occurred, Zhang Shan was not here!

　　This means that he hasn't come back yet.

　　"What should I do? Zhang Shan hasn't come back yet!" I looked around but couldn't find any trace of Zhang Shan. There were only three minutes left until five o'clock, so I had to go over and ask old man Qian.

　　"Whether Shanzi comes back or not, we must leave before Mao time!" The old man frowned and said firmly.

　　"What should we do with him? We can't just leave him alone, right?" I had to leave Zhang Shan behind and I immediately became anxious. I could only come in once a month. When we came next time, would he still be alive?

　　"Xiao Wang, stepping on Yin is the only way for every practitioner. Since you have chosen this path yourself, you must be prepared to sacrifice your life for it!" Old Man Qian stood up with the help of the railing on the bridge, looked at me and said, "What's more, we are facing a powerful enemy and the hidden danger of the centipede formation. Time does not allow us to stay here for so long. I know that you and Shanzi have become brothers in life and death, but in the face of the overall situation, you must be able to distinguish between the important and the unimportant! I think Shanzi will understand us too!"

　　"No... No! I can't do this!" I could already tell that old man Qian wanted to keep Zhang Shan here. This was absolutely unacceptable to me.

　　"You go! You deal with things outside! I'll wait for him here!" I made the decision without much thought.

　　"Xiao Wang, you can't act on impulse..." The old man was about to come up to persuade me. But I interrupted him mercilessly, "Stop talking! There are only two minutes left! If Shanzi can't come back, you go first, and I will stay to find him. Wait a month, and you can come pick us up again!"

　　"Oh..." Seeing that I had made up my mind, Old Man Qian stopped trying to persuade me. He leaned against the railing next to him and closed his eyes to rest.

　　After making the decision, my heart gradually calmed down. It didn't matter if Zhang Shan didn't come back. At most, I could go find him after I sent the old man away.

　　Anyway, I can still use the Wuwei Seal here. Although my kung fu is not very good, it should not be difficult to protect myself.

　　In short, leaving Zhang Shan alone is impossible, even if you kill me!

　　He has saved me so many times in the past two months that I can't even count them myself. From finding the corpse-supporting curse, cutting off an arm to get blood, to a series of things that happened in the city hospital, this guy is no longer just an ordinary friend in my heart.

　　Well, it's just one month! Whatever the risk, we will face it together! I don't believe there is no river in this world that cannot be crossed!

　　As for the outside world, Mr. Qian and Gao Yuan are enough. Moreover, with the strong support of the Security Bureau behind Song Dongfeng, what can't be settled?

　　With only the last minute left, the old man stood up and walked towards the center of the bridge.

　　And I was still looking in the direction Zhang Shan left, hoping for a miracle to happen.

　　"Xiao Wang, don't think I'm talking too much. I want to advise you again." Old Man Qian took two steps forward and said to me with his back to me without looking back, "You are not suitable to stay here for a long time at the moment. I'm afraid that in the end, not only will you fail to help Shanzi, but you will hurt him instead!"

　　"Why? Just because I have that damn double-speed physique?!" Speaking of this, I couldn't help but feel a little angry. Thinking of Zhang Shan's abnormal expression every time he saw me absorb the pupil seal, it seemed that they all knew my difference, but no one was willing to tell me. Even Zhao Youde knew it!

　　"...Come back with me! After we deal with the Centipede Formation, I will pass on all my skills to you. With your qualifications, although it is exaggerated to call the wind and rain, it is not difficult to do anything you want!" The old man did not answer my question directly, but persuaded me again.

　　I was about to stop him from thinking about it once and for all when I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

　　I quickly turned around and saw a tall figure turning in from the corner in the distance and running towards here.

　　"Zhang Shan!!! It's Zhang Shan!!!" I shouted to the old man excitedly.

　　The old man was still so calm, without any excessive excitement on his face. Instead, he turned around and squatted down to work on the magic circle that he had drawn on the ground.

　　"Shan Zi! Speed ​​up! The time is almost up!!!" I couldn't help but wave and shout at Zhang Shan.

　　"Hurry up!!! Hurry up!!! Hurry up!!!" Zhang Shan ran out of breath and kept urging us. I wonder what he was anxious about?

　　But two seconds later, I knew the answer.

　　Zhang Shan turned into the small street and ran less than 50 meters when he saw countless people (nightmare) suddenly rushing out from the corner behind him and following closely behind him.

　　Oh my god! I was stunned on the spot. People were still pouring out of the street corner. I wonder how many there were?

　　"Don't... don't be in a daze! Set up the formation quickly!!!" Zhang Shan was less than 200 meters away from us. Seeing that I was still in a daze, he shouted at the top of his voice.

　　“Damn it! Someone has tampered with this formation and a corner is lost!!!…” The old man looked at it for a long time, turned around, and before he finished speaking, he saw this "huge scene" in front of him.

　　"What?!!!" I was shocked when I heard his words, and I quickly looked at the bridge behind me. Sure enough, there was a palm-sized area on the edge of the circular pattern with words, as if it had been wiped off by something, and it was completely black, and I could no longer see the original content.

　　"Hurry up and make up for it! Don't you have ink and a pen?!" I was almost going crazy. We had finally waited for Zhang Shan to come back, and if he couldn't come back because of this reason, then it would be so unlucky for the three of us!

　　The scariest thing is that there are so many people following us (nightmare), it would be strange if we are not torn to pieces!

　　"The ink and pen are thrown over there!"

　　Chapter 50 Return Safely

　　"The ink and pen are thrown over there." It is said that experience always makes the wisest. Although the old man was surprised, he was not very scared and continued to speak slowly.

　　"Then...what should we do? Don't you have any other solution?! We can't just wait here to die, right?!" I was almost going crazy. Seeing that Zhang Shan was about to run in front of us, if we were forced to leave this bridge, it would be basically hopeless to go back.

　　"There is a way... Are you afraid of the cold?" The old man actually had time to talk about this at this time. He asked me so much that I didn't know what to say.

　　"I'm afraid of death! Please think of a solution quickly! There are only a dozen seconds left!" I looked at my phone again. If I didn't think of a solution, I would really have no way to escape.

　　"Fortunately, I was careful and set up the formation on this bridge. Don't worry, as long as there is water within seven steps, we can escape!" said the old man, and he cut his finger with the dagger that was against my neck just now, and dripped water in the middle of the circular pattern.

　　"Come here! Follow my lead!" The old man handed me the dagger after dripping. I quickly followed suit, pricked my finger, and squeezed out some blood to drip onto the center of the circle.

　　At this time, Zhang Shan had already run close, and the people behind him were only three or five meters away from us.

　　I was about to hand him the dagger, but the old man snatched it away and said, "There's no time! Quick! Jump off the bridge! Remember, take big steps! Six steps, not one more, not one less!"

　　Who cares what the consequences of jumping down are at this point? I saw the old man had already grabbed Zhang Shan and ran towards the bridge, so I hurried to catch up.

　　Sure enough, six steps were just right. I jumped on the fifth step, stepped on the railing of the bridge, and jumped out with the last step.

　　Old man Qian had already taken Zhang Shan's blood. He jumped out of the railing, twisted his body, and swung his right hand. The dagger stained with Zhang Shan's blood flew past my ear and hit the center of the circular pattern in the middle of the bridge.

　　With three very quick “plops!!!”, we all fell into the Jinshui River.

　　A thin layer of ice had already formed on the surface of the river, and the freezing cold water soaked my clothes in an instant.

　　The cold came so suddenly that I couldn't help choking on the water. Fortunately, the river was not deep, and it only reached my chest and abdomen when I stood up. If it was deep enough to submerge me, I'm afraid the three of us would have to stay here today. Because we wear thick clothes in winter, the cotton clothes will be very heavy after being soaked in water, and we can't paddle at all.

　　As I just tried to stand up, I heard Zhang Shan shouting beside me: "Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm freezing to death!!!!!!!!!" The voice echoed far away in the silent night sky.

　　Suddenly, two beams of light shone down from the bridge, locking onto both of us.

　　"Who is it?! What are you doing?" Although the flashlight was blinding, I could still see what the person was wearing with the help of the street light.

　　It's the patrol! We're back!

　　In the patrol duty room, we were shirtless, wearing military coats to keep warm, sitting around a small solar heater, but we couldn't help shivering all over.

　　After all, our pants were still wet, and we couldn't take them off completely. It would be a bit embarrassing to sit naked in this transparent glass duty room. We had to endure it for now. Anyway, we notified Captain Yang by phone and asked him to bring some clothes to change.

　　Zhang Shan also briefly talked about his experience tonight: After separating from us, Zhang Shan's first goal was also the City God Temple and the ancient city wall. However, he was not familiar with the road. We took the shortcut to the west and reached the ancient city wall first, while he took the east and reached the City God Temple first.

　　Zhang Shan's original intention was that since we were just wandering around in the Yin, we would always run into our own fate wheel. In that case, we might as well explore the area around there first, so as to increase our chances of finding the thousand-year-old barrier.

　　He didn't encounter any danger along the way. While the old man and I were still busy "delivering" the baby for that family, this guy had already arrived at the City God Temple.

　　But when he arrived at the City God Temple, Zhang Shan was dumbfounded. Apart from the red brick and green tile wall outside, the front hall, theater, main hall and everything else inside had all disappeared!

　　When he said this, I already understood that it was exactly what the old man said before, that the City God Temple must be built in a location with excellent Feng Shui. So they have worked hard to ward off evil spirits, which naturally do not exist in this world of yin and yang.

　　However, Zhang Shan didn't know this.

　　He walked around twice, looking left and right, and there didn't seem to be any buildings inside. Anyway, he had to go in anyway, so he found a bungalow leaning against the wall outside and climbed up.

　　Squatting on the top of the wall, Zhang Shan was even more surprised. The area of ​​thousands of square meters inside the wall was empty. There was indeed nothing there.

　　Normally, most people would give up when they get here, because there is obviously nothing, so why bother studying? But Zhang Shan didn't do that. He had been following Mr. Zhang for many years and knew that what he heard and saw was not necessarily true. Only by touching and contacting it could he make the most accurate judgment.

　　So this guy just took a quick look, then turned over and jumped into the yard, starting to grope around bit by bit.

　　To be honest, there's really nothing to see. It's all flat land as far as the eye can see. Moreover, in the middle of winter, there's not even any grass.

　　Thanks to Zhang Shan, since he could see clearly on the flat ground in the middle, this guy just searched the invisible corners.

　　They searched all the way to the innermost part, which is near the main hall, and surprisingly, this guy found some unusual places.

　　To talk about that unusual thing, I have to first introduce the layout near the last hall of the City God Temple.

　　Zhengzhou City God Temple is located in the north and faces the south. It is not very big and you can walk around it in a short time. Apart from the corridors on the east and west sides, the main buildings on the central axis are the front hall after entering the gate, the theater in the middle, and the main hall and the palace at the back.

　　On the main road between the main hall and the sleeping palace, there are twelve stone beasts, six on each side, arranged in order, which are the twelve zodiac animals.

　　The twelve zodiac animals have the characteristics of Ming Dynasty stone carvings, with round and cute shapes. Over the past thousands of years, they have been rubbed black and shiny by people who came to burn incense. I remember climbing up there when I was a child.

　　The problem Zhang Shan discovered was one of the twelve zodiac animals.

　　The old man has already said that since treatment has been done to ward off evil spirits, it would naturally be done on the entire building or the entire courtyard. It is impossible to ward off evil spirits on the first floor of a building, but the evil spirits are gone on the second floor; or for a large courtyard, the feng shui of the east courtyard is good, but the feng shui of the west courtyard is not.

　　Feng Shui does not exist independently. It must rely on some man-made projects to reflect its basic value.

　　Therefore, Feng Shui and warding off evil spirits must be done as a whole. They will not be done piece by piece, and they will not drop any of the items and exclude them from the scope of protection.

　　However, what Zhang Shan saw was this irrational existence. The twelve zodiac animals should have stayed in the world of the living with the entire courtyard, and they could not be found in this world of the living and the dead.

　　But right now, one is missing - the zodiac sign of snake.

　　At this time, only this stone-carved zodiac snake stood alone in front of Zhang Shan.

　　Chapter 51: Watching chess in silence

　　"Could this be the barrier that has been unbreakable for a thousand years?" This was the first thought that came to Zhang Shan's mind.

　　If that was the case, then it was truly a case of a blind cat catching a dead mouse! He caught it right away.

　　But after going around in circles, Zhang Shan was confused.

　　Because in his mind, as well as in mine, a barrier that cannot be broken through for a thousand years must at least be a passage or a door, a box, a secret room, or something like that.

　　After all, objects from the world of the living can be sent in from here, but how can a round stone egg without any gaps on the top and bottom be used to transport things?

　　Take the elevator case of the city hospital, for example. The elevator is a means of transportation that can carry people up and down the stairs. Since it carries people, the elevator must not be solid, and there must be space for people to stand.

　　None of us has ever seen a pass that has not been broken for a thousand years. Now there is a stone lump placed here. If we insist that it is the one, it is possible. But the question is, how to transport the object in?

　　Putting aside the idea of ​​not breaking through the barrier for a thousand years, Zhang Shan had a second thought: "Could this be my destiny?"

　　However, it is said that those who went to the Mysterious Gate or searched for the Wheel of Destiny brought back only small gadgets, and no one has ever heard of anyone bringing back a big stone.

　　Zhang Shan thought about it, squatted down, held the zodiac snake in both hands, gathered all his strength and lifted it up, but it didn't move at all.

　　Although this zodiac snake is carved from a large stone, it is not too big, only three feet high and a little over one foot wide. Such a piece of stone should weigh no more than 200 to 300 kilograms at most.

　　It is already very heavy for ordinary people, but for Zhang Shan, it is completely manageable.

　　But after trying twice, Zhang Shan even used all his strength, but he couldn't move it at all, let alone lift it up.

　　This zodiac snake statue seems to have roots, integrated with the ground here, and cannot be shaken at all.

　　Zhang Shan tried to use something to smash the stone to see what was inside. He searched every corner of the wall, but apart from the zodiac snake, there was not even a large piece of soil.

　　In desperation, Zhang Shan had to note down the approximate location of the thing and then found a place near the wall to dig it out.

　　The possibility of the thousand-year barrier and the wheel of fate have been preliminarily ruled out, so does this zodiac snake have any special meaning? Or is it just staying here?

　　There was no one to discuss with, so Zhang Shan could only continue walking towards the ancient city wall with a head full of questions.

　　Only a few hundred meters ahead, he saw two people sitting face to face on the roadside under the dim street lights, with a small table in the middle. He didn't know what they were busy with.

　　Zhang Shan didn't want to pay attention to them and just walked over. But when he got closer, he found that they were two white-haired old men playing chess under the light of the street lamp.

　　Out of curiosity, Zhang Shan walked over slowly, hoping to see if there were any clues to be found.

　　Zhang Shan didn't recognize any of the tadpole characters on the chess pieces and chessboard. Fortunately, he had watched old man Zhang play chess since he was a child, and later he learned it. Gradually, the grandfather and grandson started playing against each other. Over time, Zhang Shan's chess skills were quite good.

　　The two old men didn't say anything about his approach, but just concentrated on playing chess.

　　Zhang Shan watched for a long time and basically knew which was the horse and which was the cannon from the moves of each chess piece.

　　And the strange thing is that the two old men did not move their own pieces, but the other side's pieces. In other words, they were using the other side's pieces to attack their own side.

　　The game had come to an end, with both sides suffering heavy losses and fighting fiercely. But the old man with the blue chess piece seemed to have the upper hand. Zhang Shan watched for a while and realized that the old man only needed to make three more moves to completely defeat the old man with the red chess piece.

　　As expected, the old man with the blue pieces followed the predetermined route and killed the opponent in three moves. At this time, he stroked his beard with joy and laughed loudly: "Hahaha~ What do you think? Not good enough? I told you! Without this talent, you can't beat me even if you play for another three hundred years! Bring me the stuff!"

　　"Bullshit!" The old man holding the red card looked at Zhang Shan unwillingly for a long time, then pointed at him and said indignantly, "If it weren't for that little bastard standing behind me to mess with me, would you have been able to beat me? It doesn't count, let's try again!"

　　As he said this, he was about to collect the chess pieces on the board.

　　"Hey! Don't move! You should accept the defeat when you gamble. How old are you? Why are you still like a child?" The old man holding the blue chessboard hurriedly protected the chessboard to prevent him from moving, in order to "protect the scene."

　　"That young man is a true gentleman who watches chess without saying a word. He didn't even cough, so how can you say that he is affecting you? You have no skills but you still find so many excuses. Hurry up and give me what you lost to me!" The old man holding the blue ball protected the chessboard with both hands and did not forget to say a fair word for Zhang Shan.

　　The old man holding red turned around and looked at Zhang Shan angrily. Unexpectedly, he turned his eyes and said to the old man opposite him: "Since I asked you to start over and you don't agree, how about this! Let this kid play a game with you instead of me. If you can checkmate him within fifty moves, I will admit defeat. How do you think?"

　　"Me? I... don't have time! I'm still looking for something!" Zhang Shan didn't expect that the old guy would turn around and push him out.

　　"You old thing, I think you are still determined to commit evil! All right! Just the two of us, this time I will make you admit defeat sincerely! Remember, after fifty steps, you can't deny anything you say!" The old man holding the basket agreed to the arrangement after a slight hesitation.

　　"But let's make a deal, this kid is doing this for me. If you can't kill him within fifty steps, the things will be mine!" Seeing that he agreed, the old man holding the red card hurriedly added conditions.

　　"How can that be? Whoever wins gets it! I won't kill him, so the thing should belong to this young man. Why should it belong to you?" The old man holding the basket was not stupid at all and bargained.

　　"...Okay!" The old man holding the red stamped his feet and agreed: "If it belongs to him, it belongs to him! As long as it doesn't belong to you, I'll be happy! Come! Sit here!"

　　As he said this, he stood up and tried to push Zhang Shan onto the small stool.

　　"No... Look... I really have something urgent to do!" Zhang Shan was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He never thought that he would be dragged into the water while standing here watching a game of chess.

　　"Okay, stop talking nonsense! People who stay here have all kinds of things to do, but nothing is urgent!" The old man holding the basket has already started to code again.

　　Zhang Shan looked at the old man who had played the red chess piece. He had pulled out a bench from under the chessboard, sat in the middle, and stared at Zhang Shan.

　　At this point, Zhang Shan didn't dare say anything more. He was afraid that if he said too much, he would be exposed and cause unnecessary trouble.

　　Anyway, there are only fifty steps, so I might as well finish them quickly and leave, and go find the thousand-year-old pass.

　　Both sides had already arranged their chess pieces, and Zhang Shan memorized what these strange symbols meant. Without asking the old man who was holding the blue chess piece, he took the red chess piece on the other side and made the first move.

　　Chapter 52 Winning the Bet

　　"Hmph~ You're using it as a cannon? I think~ instead of fifty steps, forty steps will be enough." The old man holding the blue cloth was quite disdainful when he saw that Zhang Shan's first move was the most common opening.

　　Sitting aside, the old man who had played the red chess piece earlier had no intention of "watching the game in silence" and kept saying: "What do you know? The more skilled the player is, the more ordinary the opening will be. This is called simplifying and being wise in appearance but appearing foolish..." He kept saying this and the old man who had played the blue chess piece frowned continuously, but he couldn't do anything about him.

　　Zhang Shan had already figured out what was going on after observing the previous game. The chess skills of these two old men were basically on par with his.

　　Moreover, he had already figured out the opponent's chess moves. The old man who played red earlier liked to make small moves, strangling the opponent in a small area and fighting a war of attrition.

　　The old man who played blue played a broad and coordinated move, like a famous general. He did not worry about the gain or loss of a single piece, but considered the overall situation.

　　On the one hand, he avoided direct confrontation with the old man holding red pieces, but on the other hand, he often suddenly rushed out from outside the encirclement, captured a piece and ran away, fighting against the opponent. This often made the old man holding red pieces so angry that he chased him fiercely, but in the end, he not only failed to get revenge, but was killed again.

　　This is exactly why he won the last game.

　　But no matter how Zhang Shan played, he actually had the upper hand at the beginning, because he had already figured out the old man's moves and could attack him based on his characteristics.

　　As for his chess moves, the old man with the blue piece would not be able to discover them until at least twenty moves later.

　　Their chess skills were similar to each other, and his opponent was unfamiliar with the game, so Zhang Shan didn't have to worry about losing within fifty moves.

　　Sure enough, after twenty moves, the old man holding the blue ball looked more and more serious. It seemed that he had not expected that this young man would have such profound and exquisite chess skills. He was really careless for a moment.

　　Fortunately, the game had just begun, and although both sides had suffered a small amount of damage, neither side was seriously injured. It was not difficult to win, it was just a matter of fifty or a hundred steps.

　　Ten minutes later, the two were getting busy. The old man holding the blue ball had just moved a horse across the river when he heard the old man sitting next to him shout, "Haha! Fifty steps! You lose!"

　　At this point, both sides had lost a horse and a cannon, so they were still evenly matched. However, Zhang Shan had eaten up all of the old man's pawns, giving him a slight lead.

　　"No, no! This game of chess must be finished!" Seeing that Zhang Shan was about to stand up and leave, the old man holding the blue ball hurriedly pulled him and said, "I just gave you a chance to find this young man to play for you. You have to give me a chance too, let us finish the game, and whoever wins in the end gets the item. Fifty moves don't count!"

　　"You!..." The old man Zhihong didn't expect that he would also act like a rogue.

　　"What do you mean by 'you'? Oh, you're just being shameless, so you won't allow me to be shameless for once?" The old man holding the blue cloth no longer cared about his face and retorted directly.

　　"Well... we're already at fifty steps. Should I just go on? You two can continue slowly?" Zhang Shan finally got the chance and asked in a low voice.

　　"No! Wait until we get off the water first!" Unexpectedly, the two old men shouted in unison this time.

　　"Play with him! I don't believe it! This time I will make him admit defeat with conviction!" The old man with the red pieces had already seen that Zhang Shan's chess skills were not bad, and it was not impossible for him to beat the opponent, so he said fiercely.

　　Helplessly, under the "threat" of the two old men, Zhang Shan had to continue with this unfinished game.

　　The further you go, the more careful you have to be with every step, and the longer it will take.

　　Although Zhang Shan had considered deliberately losing, he thought more deeply. First of all, since he was playing chess, he had to follow the rules. Deliberately giving up the game was disrespectful to his opponent. Moreover, he also wanted to know what the two old guys were betting on.

　　If it is a good thing, then just take it. As long as he wins, it is what he deserves. If it is a useless thing, he can choose not to take it, and then raise questions to force the two old men to help him find the thousand-year-old barrier.

　　After a long time, the whole game of chess has entered the final stage.

　　Although Zhang Shan only had one horse and one cannon left at this time, the old man holding the basket was not much better off. Apart from the cannon and the cannon, the soldiers and prime ministers next to the old general were all eaten up by Zhang Shan.

　　It can be said that at this time, the old man only has these three pieces left on the chessboard.

　　Zhang Shan had already planned a roundabout route. As long as he could tie up the old man's general and keep him on the defensive, in nine steps, he could completely kill the old man through the cooperation of general and general.

　　Three moves later, the situation on the chessboard was still under Zhang Shan's control. The old man holding the blue piece had lost his calmness and composure in the previous game and was launching a fierce attack on Zhang Shan's general.

　　After six steps, the old man may have realized something was wrong and was about to return to defend, but Zhang Shan deliberately exposed a flaw and exposed his horse under the old man's nose.

　　Seeing such an opportunity, how could the old man holding the blue piece not chase after him? Because once he captured Zhang Shan's horse, he would only have one 伡 left on the periphery, while the old man still had one 伡 and one cannon, and the situation could be reversed immediately.

　　Finally, on the eighth move, the old man holding the blue piece got what he wanted and captured Zhang Shan's horse.

　　"Haha~ There's only one left! Let's see how you fight me!" The old man who played blue was basically at a disadvantage throughout the whole game. He finally turned the tables at the last moment, so he was naturally very excited.

　　"General!" Zhang Shan called out the guard who had been hiding at the edge and placed him slightly to the left of the central axis, facing the old man's general.

　　"..." The old man finally realized that the price he paid to capture the horse was too high. Although he had the upper hand in numbers, Zhang Shan's general controlled the middle road, and his general was facing Zhang Shan's general on the left road. The extra generals and cannons were restrained and could not come back to help.

　　"...Ahahahaha! You lose! You lose!" The old man who had played red previously looked for a long time and was sure that his old rival was "dead" this time and there was no possibility of a comeback. He stood up and danced with joy.

　　"What are you laughing at! I didn't lose to you!" The old man holding the blue ball knew that he couldn't save the situation, but he couldn't save face, so he still fought back unconvincedly.

　　"So what? It shows that I have good vision! I saw that the young man is capable. If it were you, would you dare to let him replace you?" The old man Zhihong changed his previous attitude and wanted to hug Zhang Shan and take a bite of him.

　　"Young man! You're quite good! Come and spar with us often when you have nothing to do!" The old man holding the blue ball admitted defeat sincerely, and turned to the old man holding the red ball and said, "Where's the thing? Give it to the young man! Do you want to keep it all for yourself?!"

　　"Bah! Do you think I'm you? The young man won for me, I'm so happy! How could I care about this?" The old man holding the red card said, and took something out of his coat pocket, stuffed it into Zhang Shan's pocket, and said, "Here you go! You won it!"

　　Zhang Shan took this thing and looked at it, and he was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

　　It turns out that the two old men were playing chess and fighting over an apple for a long time!

　　The apple on this tree is only the size of a fist and is green. I don’t know if it is edible or not?

　　Chapter 53: The Ruffian and the Bully

　　Looking at the pitiful little apple in his hand, Zhang Shan said with a smile: "You two elders can eat it. I don't want any."

　　"Take it if it's given to you! If you give it back, do you want us to fight?" The old man holding the red candle glared at Zhang Shan and shouted.

　　"Haha, keep it! It's rare that you are willing to play with us two chess losers for half a day." The old man holding the blue ball was quite polite to Zhang Shan.

　　It’s not that the old man holding the red card has a bad temper, it’s just that the two people have different styles of doing things.

　　Zhang Shan had already seen this from his chess skills.

　　Seeing him still standing there in a daze, the old man holding the red chess piece asked, "Didn't you say you had something important to do? The game is over, why don't you move on? Do you want to play another game with me?"

　　"...Oh!" Zhang Shan finally remembered that he still had something important to do!

　　I quickly took out the phone I gave him and looked at it. Wow, it was already four o'clock and he had been playing chess for four hours!

　　"Young man, if you have any urgent matters, please tell us two old guys. Maybe we can help you~!" The old man holding the basket saw that his face was changing from bright to dark, so he took the initiative to ask.

　　"I'm looking for... a thousand-year barrier, do you two know about this?" Zhang Shan thought for a moment and asked directly. Time did not allow him to beat around the bush.

　　"Hey! I don't think it's a big deal! Find the thousand-year-old barrier, I tell you! Just go towards..." The old man holding the red ribbon was impatient and determined to find the thousand-year-old barrier. He immediately came up to point it out to Zhang Shan.

　　But before he could raise his arm, he was grabbed by the old man holding the basket.

　　"Haha, you've been searching for a thousand years but can't break through? Of course we know! But young man, this world of Yin and Yang has its own rules. No one will help you for no reason. If you want to find what you want, you have to pay some price." The old man Zhilan seemed to have suddenly become a different person and said in a sarcasm.

　　"Hey? I'm talking to you! How come you regret it faster than I do? You just said you would help others! How come you forgot about it in a blink of an eye?!" The old man holding the red card didn't seem to expect that the old friend next to him would suddenly do such a thing.

　　"Just tell me, as long as I can do it, I will definitely help you!" Zhang Shan knew it wouldn't be that easy, but having a deal would be more direct, saving him from beating around the bush and owing others favors.

　　"Haha! Great! That's great!" The old man with the blue cloth laughed up to the sky, and then said, "It can't be easier for you! This matter is definitely not difficult to handle!"

　　"...Oh~ I see! You old man, you really want to use some free labor!" After hearing the beginning, the old man Zhihong knew what the old man wanted to do. He looked Zhang Shan up and down and said, "Well, I think it's okay! This guy has a lot of strength!"

　　Zhang Shan, however, was totally confused. The two old men echoed each other and made him completely bewildered.

　　"Alright, alright! Let's get down to business! The young man is still busy!" The old man with the blue cloth felt a little embarrassed after his thoughts were seen through, and continued, "Listen carefully, it's not difficult at all. We two old guys were originally playing chess in the courtyard of the City God Temple in the west. I'm sure you saw it on the way here just now. That place is sparsely populated and quiet, and no one comes to disturb us. But in the past few days, a strange thing suddenly appeared there..."

　　"The stone-carved zodiac snake?" Zhang Shan couldn't help but ask when he heard this.

　　"How do you know?!" The old man Zhihong widened his eyes and looked at Zhang Shan.

　　"It seems you went in to take a look on the way here." The old man holding the blue pen didn't show much surprise. "Young man, if you're willing, help us move that thing to another place. Although I know nothing has happened yet, the heat it emits is enough to keep people away. So you can see that we two old guys are being forced to play chess under the street light."

　　"You mean... this zodiac snake suddenly appeared recently? How long has it been?" Zhang Shan finally understood what he meant. It turned out that the stone egg had not only existed for a long time but also just appeared.

　　"About three or four days." The old man holding the red wine answered quickly.

　　Zhang Shan calculated and it seemed to be the day we left the city hospital. However, at this time, he didn't know what all these meant, and naturally he didn't know that all these things were caused by Zhao Youde behind the scenes.

　　"Yo! Yo! Yo! I heard someone laughing from far away. You two old guys, why are you talking to strangers instead of playing chess here?!" The old man holding the basket was about to continue speaking but was interrupted by a man walking across the street in the distance.

　　"He is the leader of this area. Just keep quiet and listen to us. If you can get by, do so. If you can't, run! Go back to where you came from and don't stay here any longer. Do you understand?" Hearing this voice, the two old guys' faces looked unhappy. The old man Zhihong hurriedly whispered to Zhang Shan.

　　It seemed that the two old men had already realized that he did not belong here.

　　"Old man! Don't try to be clever, my ears are much better than yours!" The man said, and walked closer. In the light of the street lamp, Zhang Shan saw a bald man with a face full of flesh, looking at him evilly.

　　"Where are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?" The bald man stared at Zhang Shan without moving his face, and asked with a crooked mouth.

　　There was a mole at the corner of his mouth, which jumped up and down as he spoke, making people feel uncomfortable at first glance.

　　"Oh, he's from the north of the city! He just happened to pass by and saw us playing chess..." The old man holding the blue cloth was afraid that Zhang Shan would be exposed, so he hurried to answer.

　　"Did I ask you?!" the bald man suddenly shouted, and the two old guys were immediately frightened into silence.

　　Zhang Shan secretly laughed in his heart. It seems that such bullies and hooligans are everywhere. There are some in the world of the living, and there are also in the world of the living and the world of the dead!

　　"What are you laughing at? I'm asking you a question. Do you hear me?" After the bald man finished shouting, he saw Zhang Shan's mouth curled up slightly, as if he was actually laughing. He immediately got angry and walked up to him to protest.

　　"The north, the old man just said it." Zhang Shan's expression was still relaxed, and he looked at the bald man slowly and said.

　　If this guy had a temper, he would have kicked him long ago. But he didn't know the situation well and was afraid that if he did it, he would implicate the two old men.

　　"What are you doing here?" The bald man saw that Zhang Shan was tall and strong, and was not afraid of him, but became much more alert.

　　"Play." Zhang Shan said, looking at the two old men with a smile.

　　"Okay! How dare you play tricks on your grandfather!" No matter how good-tempered this bald man was, he couldn't hold it in anymore at this moment.

　　He had always been the one to play tricks on others before, but when had he ever been played tricks like this? Before he could finish his words, he raised his fist and punched Zhang Shan in the face.

　　Who is Zhang Shan? I always think that he should have inherited the true teachings of old man Qian. Old man Zhang Shixun is kind and amiable, but Zhang Shan did not inherit that. He is just like old man Qian, and likes to kick people.

　　Needless to say, before the bald man's fist could hit Zhang Shan's face, he was kicked more than two meters away by him and almost fell.

　　Both men were shocked. The bald man was shocked that Zhang Shan had the courage to fight back; while Zhang Shan was shocked that he failed to send him flying after kicking him with all his strength.

　　You know, with the old man's strength just now, he only kicked the young driver a few meters away. Zhang Shan was indeed far behind!

　　The people here are really not easy to mess with!

　　Chapter 54: Unexpected Situation

　　The bald man was stunned for a moment, but he was more filled with anger.

　　He shouted loudly and rushed towards Zhang Shan again.

　　Zhang Shan also knew that this guy was not easy to deal with, so he avoided his attack and used a small grappling technique on the bald guy.

　　What was even more unexpected was that the bald guy seemed to have practiced this move before, and the two of them were having a great time fighting on the side of the road.

　　Finally, after exchanging more than ten moves, Zhang Shan finally found a flaw, and with his hands, he locked the bald man's arms behind his back.

　　"Boy, you are going to be in big trouble today!!!" Although the bald man was restrained physically, he did not give in at all. After all, they were already dead, so what was there to be afraid of?

　　"Young man, hurry up and leave! You can't stop him!" The two old men kept persuading Zhang Shan from behind.

　　"Haha, who knows who will be unlucky!" Zhang Shan looked at the bald man cheerfully and said, "Didn't you guys just say there was a monster in the City God Temple? Let's go take a look now!"

　　"You...what do you want to do?" The bald man obviously knew about the existence of the zodiac snake. When he heard it mentioned, he immediately became nervous.

　　Zhang Shan saw this expression, which was exactly what he wanted! The bald man was nervous, which meant he was afraid of that thing. If he was afraid, there was a way to subdue him.

　　If he didn't find a way to get rid of this bald guy, Zhang Shan was worried that the two old men would not be able to live in peace after he left.

　　This guy's style of doing things is exactly like this. No matter whether you are a human or a ghost, as long as you are good to him, he will repay you tenfold or a hundredfold.

　　Without further ado, Zhang Shan lifted the bald man's arms that were stuck behind his back and pushed him forward easily.

　　The bald man had no choice. He couldn't go unless he broke both of his shoulder blades.

　　But the difficulty lies in that, no matter whether you are a human or a ghost, you can't break your own shoulder blade with your own strength. Even in this world of yin and yang, since you have a human appearance, you have to conform to ergonomics.

　　When they arrived at the gate of the City God Temple, the old man holding the red robe rushed forward to push the door open, but then walked back and waited for them to go in first, as if there was something extremely terrifying inside.

　　Zhang Shan wanted to laugh. The door was just open, and he was climbing up and down like an idiot.

　　After entering the courtyard, the bald man kept trying to retreat. The closer he got to the stone statue, the more scared and nervous he became. But he had no choice but to move forward because someone was holding him back. Compared to the two men, Zhang Shan had the upper hand in strength, so he had no choice but to move forward.

　　Finally, the two of them came to the front of the zodiac snake. The two old guys probably couldn't stand the cold air emitted by the snake, so they stood ten meters away and refused to come over.

　　"Dude... buddy! We can say that we don't know each other without fighting. Let's forget it this time! We will be friends when we meet next time!" As the bald man walked up to the zodiac snake, his legs trembled constantly. He finally gave in and dared not say any more harsh words.

　　"Haha, I'm afraid it's a little difficult for me to believe you." Although Zhang Shan didn't know why he was not afraid of the zodiac snake, for now, it was enough to know that the bald man was afraid.

　　What's more, he also wanted to try out what kind of power this zodiac snake had that could make these ghost nightmares not even have the courage to approach.

　　Ignoring the bald man's pleas and curses, Zhang Shan exerted force and pressed his upper body against the stone statue.

　　"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" As the bald man touched this thing, he immediately screamed heart-wrenchingly.

　　"What are you yelling for?!" Zhang Shan hurriedly pulled the bald man up again. If he kept yelling like that, he would definitely attract all the guys nearby.

　　But when the bald head was mentioned, Zhang Shan was stunned, because the "person" he was talking about now had only half of his body left, and the side that was previously attached to the zodiac snake, including the skin and clothes, was still left on the top, as if it was glued.

　　At this time, the bald head in Zhang Shan's hand only had skin on the back of the head, and the front... was a mess, making people want to vomit.

　　The lips were torn off along with the skin on his face, and the bald man could only make "ugh" sounds.

　　Zhang Shan had never expected this to happen. This zodiac snake statue was so powerful. Shocked, he had to slowly loosen his hands that were twisting the bald head.

　　Because the skin on the front half of the bald man's body had been stuck to him, after he regained his freedom, he stumbled forward and this time fell on the zodiac snake.

　　The "ugh" sound rang out again, making the three onlookers feel uneasy.

　　After a while, white smoke came out of the stone statue, accompanied by a sizzling sound, as if something was frying.

　　After a while, under the stunned gaze of Zhang Shan and the two old men, the bald man disappeared completely with the last puff of white smoke, as if he had evaporated. Only some pieces of clothing and two shoes were left on the ground.

　　However, there is not a single trace of the zodiac snake left on this stone statue.

　　"This... My God, it's reduced to ashes!" The old man Zhihong was stunned for a long time before he stammered.

　　Zhang Shan was terrified. Fortunately, he was special, otherwise he might have been the one burned to death.

　　"Hmm?...What's that smell?" The old man holding the blue cloth was about to speak, but suddenly he pouts his nose and starts sniffing around.

　　Finally, he locked his target on Zhang Shan's left palm.

　　Zhang Shan raised his hand and saw blood pouring out! He then remembered that when we went to the crematorium to rescue Wu Guoxiao the night before, the stretcher cut both of our hands.

　　At this time, due to the fierce fight with the bald man just now, the wound that had just healed opened again.

　　"...Such a strong bloody aura!" The old man Zhihong also discovered that the smell came from Zhang Shan, and came up to him and said, "Young man, what's your physical condition? Why is your bloody aura so strong? Be careful not to attract those hungry ghosts!"

　　Zhang Shan then remembered what Grandpa Qian had told him when they broke up: that no bleeding should be shed, otherwise the nightmares within a ten-mile radius would come looking for him.

　　"Hurry up! Let's get out first! We can't stay here for long!" The old man holding the blue cloth had obviously thought of this and immediately led the two of them to the gate.

　　As soon as I walked out of the City God Temple, I saw many people in the distance following the smell and walking towards here. The closest one was only a dozen meters away.

　　"Go back!" Seeing this, the old man holding the blue cloth made a prompt decision, turned around and closed the door again.

　　"Young man, run away quickly! It will be too late if you delay any longer!" The old man holding the red scarf pulled Zhang Shan and said nervously.

　　"Then you guys..." Zhang Shan was still a little hesitant. The two old men treated him very well, and he was afraid that if he left, they would suffer.

　　"Don't worry about us! 'Bald Mole' has been reduced to ashes, and they will only put the blame on you. What's more, what can they do to us two old guys? They can't kill us, and they can't hurt us. At most, they can't play chess in peace." The old man holding the blue cloth knew what Zhang Shan was thinking and advised him.

　　"Well... take care of yourselves!" Just as Zhang Shan finished his words, the wooden bolt supporting the door from the inside was broken and the people outside rushed in at once.

　　"Run!" Seeing that he still didn't leave, the old man with the red sword stepped forward and pushed him hard.

　　Zhang Shan didn't dare to hesitate any longer. He immediately ran to the corner of the wall, followed the path he had just climbed out, and climbed back up to the top of the wall.

　　Looking back, the surging crowd had just drowned the two old men. In the chaos, I could just barely hear the old man holding the red banner shouting, "If you can't break through the barrier for a thousand years, you will just..." But I couldn't hear what was said behind him clearly.

　　“Louder!!!” Zhang Shan was finally about to find out where the Millennium Unbreakable Pass was. How could he be willing to leave just like that?

　　But the noise became more and more chaotic, and the old man's words could no longer be heard.

　　The person in front of him had already reached the corner of the wall. If he didn't run now, he would have no chance. Zhang Shan had no choice but to turn around, jump off the wall, and run away.

　　Chapter 55: Troublemaking Expert

　　"Then what?" Seeing Zhang Shan stopped here, I couldn't help but ask.

　　"Then I'll just run back. I'll come back when I see you guys!"

　　"Then... where is the Thousand-Year-Old Pass?" This is the most important thing, and what everyone wants to know the most.

　　When Zhang Shan was asked about the thousand-year barrier, he immediately looked annoyed: "Oh! It's all my fault! I should have asked them earlier!"

　　"Shan Zi, don't force it! Some things are just the result of chance, you can't blame anyone else." Old man Qian sat at the outermost edge, closed his eyes to rest, and said calmly.

　　"Why are those two old men so nice? Why are they helping him?" I never understood this. In my opinion, those who stay in the Yin and Yang world are not good people.

　　"Uncle Grand Master, if my guess is correct, they should be souls, right?" Zhang Shan answered my question while asking Old Man Qian.

　　"It seems so. They don't want anything from you and they are kind-hearted. They are definitely souls." After saying this, Old Man Qian pondered, "But there are really not many souls in the Yin-Yang world. It is a blessing for them to live there in peace!"

　　"Are you convinced just by staying in that crappy place?!" I just came out and I didn't have any good impression of that place at all.

　　"Haha, then what do you think is a blessing?" Old Man Qian opened his eyes, turned his head and looked at me and said, "Reincarnation? Humph, I don't think it is a blessing. People come to this world to suffer hardships. When you are old, you will know! If you can only live one life, don't come back a second time."

　　After saying this, the old man seemed extremely tired and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

　　There was silence for a moment. Zhang Shan and I were carefully pondering the meaning of the old man's words.

　　After a long time, I got annoyed and asked Zhang Shan, "Where is the apple you won?"

　　"Look! Here it is. Fortunately it's not crushed!" Zhang Shan said as he took out an apple from his wet coat and handed it to me.

　　This apple is ordinary, really. It doesn't even look good. It's one of those "crooked and inferior" apples. But its color is bright green. If it's in the sun, it's so bright that it's hard to open your eyes.

　　"Could this be what you're looking for? That fate..." I guessed, looking at the apple.

　　"The Wheel of Destiny, I think it should be. Anyway, this kind of thing is very mysterious. If you say it is, it is; if you say it is not, it is not, haha." Zhang Shan raised his head, stretched his neck, and continued: "But, what exactly does it mean? I haven't figured it out yet."

　　"Do you even need to ask that?!" I answered without hesitation: "Apples represent peace and safety, and pears represent separation, right, old man?"

　　"Don't talk nonsense about other people's fate!" Old man Qian said directly, which made me shut up obediently.

　　But Zhang Shan felt a little relieved after hearing what I said. He hummed a little tune and tried to stand up and stretch his body.

　　"Bang!" As soon as he stood up, the door of the duty room was pushed open, and two people rushed in from outside. The one in front was Captain Yang, and the one behind... was actually Liu Yunlong!

　　"Liu, are you awake?!" I saw that he was "alive" again and hurried to greet him happily.

　　"Damn it! My throat hurts so bad! I must sue this hospital! They dared to put him under control for such a trivial matter! I think the medical institutions here need to be rectified..." Liu Yunlong shouted at the top of his voice as soon as he entered the room. This guy's throat was also injured by the ventilator.

　　Seeing that no one said anything, Liu Yunlong searched around and asked, "Our boss came here in a hurry, but he didn't even let us buy a bottle of water! Is there anything to drink?... Damn! An apple would be fine too!"

　　Until he saw I was holding an apple in my hand, he snatched it away and started to eat it while talking.

　　"Hey! Don't eat it!!!" Zhang Shan and I shouted at the same time.

　　Unfortunately, Liu Yunlong moved too quickly, and he was close to the enemy. By the time he heard the shout, he had already bitten off a piece.

　　After just two bites, the guy suddenly stopped chewing and looked at me with wide eyes.

　　"What's wrong?" I was also very worried. Can the apples I brought back from the Yin and Yang world be eaten?

　　"Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!" Liu Yunlong spat out the residue in his mouth before he could say anything.

　　"Where did you pick this apple? It's half-ripe! Try it, it's sour! I tell you, you old bastard, you keep lying to me all day long, and one day..." This guy was still talking nonsense, and he didn't notice that Zhang Shan next to him had already filled up his anger bar and was about to use his ultimate move.

　　"...You have to compensate me for the apples!!!" Zhang Shan suddenly pushed me and Captain Yang aside and grabbed Liu Yunlong by the collar. But looking at his expression, he was obviously more sad than angry.

　　"Shanzi, stop for a moment." I was waiting to see the two of them PK with glee, when the old man who was sitting with his eyes closed in the back finally stood up and spoke: "The fate of each person who walks in the underworld is different, and not every piece can be preserved for a long time. This is just an ordinary apple. It only tells you a piece of information. Once you understand it, it will no longer have any value. Xiao Liu, take a bite and regard it as fate!"

　　"...Yes, Uncle Grand Master!" After hearing this, Zhang Shan hesitated for a long time and had to let go of Liu Yunlong and took the half apple back from him.

　　"…What's going on? It's just an apple! Don't worry, Lao Zhang, if you want to eat it, I'll buy you a few pounds of good ones tomorrow! Imported ones! Let's eat our fill!" Liu Yunlong had no idea what had happened from beginning to end, and he was still talking nonsense.

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan ignored him, I had to come up and take the initiative to talk to Liu Yunlong to ease the awkward situation.

　　"Are you... okay?" I looked him up and down. After all, I was still afraid that this guy would change after eating something "over there".

　　"What's the matter?... By the way, you old bastard, I want to tell you something serious. Tomorrow I plan to sue this hospital together with those two archaeology professors. Misdiagnosis! Medical malpractice! Didn't you have an intubation too? The four of us will sue together!" Liu Yunlong had been sleeping for two days and was becoming more and more irrational.

　　"Hey, hey! I'm asking you, did you have any special feeling after eating the apple just now?" I was too lazy to talk nonsense with him and asked directly.

　　"What's wrong with the apple? Didn't you wash it?... Damn! You're playing tricks on me again!"

　　“…”

　　Since Captain Yang brought new clothes, Mr. Qian was too embarrassed to say anything. After taking the clothes, he turned his back to me and asked me to thank Captain Yang on his behalf.

　　Although the old man didn't associate with government officials, he couldn't stand wearing soaked clothes on the streets in the coldest days of winter, no matter how healthy he was. He had to change his clothes, so he owed him a favor.

　　I briefly reported what happened tonight, which was considered an explanation. Of course, I didn't say anything about Zhang Shan, but only mentioned the failure of finding the thousand-year-old barrier, and told them that there was nothing in the passage under the theater of the City God Temple. Gao Yuan hypnotized the three of them just to avoid being disturbed.

　　Captain Yang listened with great interest. Once you experience something like this, it's hard not to believe it again. But it's not his business, so he just listens for fun.

　　After changing into clean clothes, we decided to disperse on the spot. Zhang Shan returned to his construction site, and Mr. Qian was even more carefree, not telling us where he was going. He just told us to take some time to go to the City God Temple today to take another look at the stone-carved zodiac snake, and by the way, pay attention to the clues of the thousand-year-old pass and Zhao Youde.

　　Chapter 56: Attempted Murder

　　Liu Yunlong and I have to go to Wu Guoxiao tomorrow morning. We were supposed to go two days ago, but we slept for so long. It's not a good idea to keep putting it off. We have to deal with the aftermath properly.

　　Another thing is that I am afraid that Wu Guoxiao will be used by Zhao Youde to deal with us again. We are in the open, and that guy is in the dark. It would have been fine if we didn't know before. Now that we know, it's not a good idea to be so nervous all day long.

　　Rather than looking for a thousand-year barrier, I would rather deal with Zhao Youde first. This guy's existence directly threatens the safety of our lives.

　　But what is his purpose? If we can know this, it will be of great help to us. We can even expose the guy's conspiracy in advance.

　　By the time everything was arranged and I walked out of the duty room, the sky was already slightly white.

　　We calculated that it was five o'clock when we returned from the Yin-Yang world. It was almost seven o'clock now.

　　Since we couldn't sleep, we decided to finish the work first. Anyway, we didn't feel sleepy after sleeping for two days and two nights.

　　Liu Yunlong and I ran to the roadside to drink a bowl of spicy soup, and then walked slowly towards our company. Generally speaking, no matter how busy Wu Guoxiao is, he will stay in the company for a while when he goes to work in the morning, after all, he still has to arrange his work for the day.

　　When I arrived at the company, my colleagues had just arrived and hadn't seen me for three days, so they surrounded me and asked me all kinds of questions.

　　After explaining everything to them, I asked about Wu Guoxiao's recent situation. I was shocked to find out that Wu Guoxiao and Tian Shangjun hadn't come to work for three days! And no one answered the phone.

　　I know Tian Shangjun didn't come, and I'm afraid he will never come again. But Wu Guoxiao hasn't come for three days, which is very strange. In other words, no one has seen him since we rescued him at the crematorium the night before last.

　　Fortunately, the company is full of old employees and can operate even when the boss is not around.

　　So where can this guy go?

　　After waiting for about an hour, it was basically certain that he would not come today, so Liu Yunlong and I decided to go to his house to have a look. Being widowed in middle age is one of the three great misfortunes in life, as long as you don't think too much about it.

　　Half an hour later, we knocked on the boss's door again.

　　Liu Yunlong knocked and shouted for a long time, but no one answered, so he took out a bunch of things and started to feel around.

　　"What are you doing? Are you planning to go in?" I saw clearly that the guy was holding a bunch of keys in his hand. At this moment, he was comparing the keyhole with each key.

　　"I can't find it anywhere, but you won't let me in? If this guy commits suicide in the house and the place stinks, no one will know!" Liu Yunlong said confidently.

　　"Do you have a search warrant? You're breaking into a private house." I wasn't stopping him from coming in. I was just arguing with this guy on purpose.

　　Liu Yunlong stopped his "work" and turned to me and said seriously, "Your brother's face is the search warrant! What's wrong? Not convinced? If you're not convinced, go and sue me! If you're not convinced, don't come in when I open it!"

　　"Alright, alright! Stop joking! Drive! I'm waiting to go home and sleep!" We've been together for a long time, and I know that usually in this situation, he would get angry, so I stopped teasing him to prevent him from doing something even more ridiculous.

　　After working for nearly five minutes, Liu Yunlong finally opened the door of our boss's house.

　　We tiptoed in, closed the door, and began to search the house.

　　Soon, we searched every room, but could not find any trace of Wu Guoxiao. In the middle of the living room, there was an altar with a photo of Tian Shangyun on it.

　　There was a burnt smell in the house, which clearly indicated that paper money had been missing not long ago. But we couldn't tell how long it had been. All we knew was that Wu Guoxiao had come back.

　　"I'm just wondering! Where could this old guy go? Could it be that he got the bad news and became mentally ill?" Liu Yunlong turned around and found nothing, so he started muttering.

　　In fact, since Wu Guoxiao is here, I am not afraid to face him. After all, although Tian Shangjun’s death has something to do with us, we were not the ones who killed her.

　　What I fear most is that I won’t be able to find him, because then it’s very likely that I’ve been used by Zhao Youde.

　　I was standing by the dining table, not knowing what to do, when I saw a half-opened box of Zhonghua cigarettes on the corner of the table.

　　The cigarettes in my pocket were soaked in the river this morning, and I hadn't had time to buy more. When I saw it, I instantly felt the urge to smoke. I picked up the cigarettes and the lighter next to it and was about to light it.

　　"Wait!" Just before lighting the fire, Liu Yunlong suddenly reached out and held me down.

　　I saw this guy snatch the lighter and then turned to walk towards the kitchen. Following his route, I was horrified to see that the knob under the gas stove in this open kitchen was half open!!!

　　Liu Yunlong turned the knob back, turned off the air valve, and slowly opened the window. When he turned around again, I was already sweating all over.

　　"You old bastard, quit smoking! Bad habits kill people!" Liu Yunlong said earnestly.

　　I was still in shock. Fortunately, he found me in time. If I had come in and looked for a cigarette, I'm afraid that what would be left now would be two charred bodies lying on the ground.

　　I slowly sat down at the dining table with the help of a chair and began to observe the box of cigarettes.

　　If I guess correctly, this box of "Zhonghua" should be specially prepared for me by Wu Guoxiao. Although he is the boss of the company, he has a lot of this kind of cigarettes, but basically they are used as gifts and rarely smoked by himself. He personally prefers Dihao, which costs ten yuan a box.

　　In the past, when we had nothing to do, we often gathered together at the entrance of the company or in his office to smoke. He also knew very well about my smoking addiction.

　　When I opened the cigarette box, I found a card inside, just big enough to fit in.

　　When I took it out and looked at it, the content still surprised me, even though I was mentally prepared:

　　My dear brother Ziqi:

　　I'm glad to hear from you.

　　If you are still alive when you see this card, then congratulations! Our account is now settled. You saved my life before, so I will let you go now.

　　If you haven't read the letter yet and I heard the explosion, it doesn't matter. I will pass on the message to you later. We are colleagues and I can't bear to see you die unjustly.

　　But the revenge for my wife's murder must be taken! Don't ask me how I know this. Anyway, don't wait any longer, I won't be back. Take care!

　　Wu Guoxiao

　　…

　　The card is not big and the words on it are densely written, but it is indeed our boss's handwriting.

　　The thing I was most worried about finally happened!

　　If I say that this matter has nothing to do with Zhao Youde, no one will believe it!

　　After Liu Yunlong looked at the card, he threw it on the table and said, "Okay! Old bastard, you're a murderer again! You're really good at taking the blame! But don't worry, this Wu Guoxiao is suspected of attempted murder. I will notify the team to file a case and put him on the wanted list!"

　　I sat at the dining table, still speechless. The current situation is really one crisis after another.

　　This Zhao Youde! I must pull him out and ask him clearly! What on earth does this bastard want to do? !

　　PS: My father-in-law and mother-in-law are visiting tonight, so the updates on the 1st and 2nd will be unstable. I wish you all a happy new year!

　　Chapter 57: Deadly Zodiac

　　As soon as he left the boss's house, Liu Yunlong called Captain Yang.

　　"Hey! Boss, I have a case of attempted murder here! I almost missed you just now!" Liu Yunlong was still talking nonsense, but Captain Yang interrupted him with a high-pitched voice: "Attempted murder means that the person is not dead yet! If he is not dead, come here quickly! I have two cases of successful suicide here! Don't hang around outside!"

　　"Suicide? Two of them?" Liu Yunlong could hardly believe his ears.

　　"Chenghuang Temple! Come quickly! We are seriously short-handed!" Captain Yang said, and was about to hang up the phone, but I stopped him: "Captain Yang, wait a minute! How did they die?"

　　"He died by bumping into his head after burning incense!" Captain Yang answered directly and clearly.

　　"Where was he hit and killed?" I snatched Liu Yunlong's phone and asked.

　　"Aren't there two rows of stone carvings of zodiac animals in front of the main hall? He was killed there!" Captain Yang was quite impatient with my question.

　　"...Zodiac sign: Snake?" I thought of Zhang Shan's earlier description and immediately connected the dots.

　　"How did you know?!" This time it was Captain Yang's turn to be surprised.

　　"Wait until I get over there! Immediately impose martial law there! No one is allowed to approach the zodiac snake statue!" I said, and without paying attention to Captain Yang's shouts of "Hello...Hello", I hung up and immediately called Zhang Shan.

　　After notifying Zhang Shan to meet at Chenghuang Temple, we had to temporarily put aside Wu Guoxiao's matter and rush there immediately.

　　In my mind, these two things are more like one. Once Zhao Youde is dealt with, everything else will be easy. By then, no matter how capable Wu Guoxiao is, he won't be able to make much of a difference.

　　Zhang Shan’s construction site was not far from the City God Temple. When we arrived, he was already chatting with Captain Yang and Song Dongfeng downstairs of the theater.

　　"How is it? Is there any connection with last night?" This was the first question I asked Zhang Shan when I met him. What I meant was: Is there any connection with the zodiac snake that I saw in the Yin and Yang world last night?

　　Zhang Shan didn't say anything, but just made the number "eight" with his hands.

　　On the way here, I had already briefly told Liu Yunlong what happened last night. I'm sure Zhang Shan, now that he's here, will also explain it to Captain Yang and Song Dongfeng.

　　So when the number "8" was shown, everyone understood that there was probably a connection between them!

　　"I have a question." As soon as the body was taken away, Liu Yunlong stared at the stone statue and asked, "How can we prove that this zodiac snake is related to the two suicide cases?"

　　"There is currently no evidence pointing to a connection between the two." Captain Yang, a veteran criminal police officer, analyzed carefully, "The deceased were passing by here, looked for a while, and then suddenly bumped into it. If we want to find out the connection between them, I'm afraid we have to ask the deceased himself."

　　As soon as Captain Yang finished speaking, Song Dongfeng's phone rang. After a moment, he came back with a sullen face and said, "Captain Yang's guess is correct. According to the family members, the two deceased had encountered bad things. One of them came here specifically to burn incense, and the other came here to relax after a quarrel at home in the morning."

　　"What does this mean?" I still didn't quite understand. If people committed suicide when they encountered unpleasant things, there would be very few people left in the world.

　　"This shows that the two of them are at least pessimistic." Zhang Shan took over the conversation and said, "If my guess is correct, this stone statue should be able to confuse people's minds, or aggravate pessimism, greatly increasing the victim's suicidal thoughts."

　　"Isn't this too exaggerated?... Can people die from just looking at it for a while?" Liu Yunlong glanced at the stone statue next to him and immediately looked away.

　　"Of course, this is just our initial speculation." Team Leader Yang patted him on the shoulder and said, "The specific situation still needs more careful analysis. However, before the truth comes out, it is best for no one to touch this stone statue again."

　　"...It's better to destroy it. Keeping it will only bring disaster!" Zhang Shan looked at the statue for a long time and said with a determined look.

　　We didn't think there was anything wrong, but Captain Yang obviously frowned and said, "Everything else would be easy to deal with, but the key is that this is a cultural relic, and you can't just destroy it." After that, he looked at Song Dongfeng again.

　　Song Dongfeng naturally understood what Captain Yang meant, and continued, "It will take at least three days to report it to the higher authorities. Moreover, it is just our speculation at the moment, and there is no direct evidence pointing to this place, so it may be difficult."

　　“We can’t just leave it here and continue to harm people, can we?” I don’t know what they want to do when they first affirm and then say there is nothing they can do.

　　"From now on, close the City God Temple, assign people to guard it around the clock, and select the armed police soldiers with the best psychological qualities. Do this until the day when the approval comes from above." Captain Yang looked at Song Dongfeng again and expressed his thoughts.

　　"Can't we move away first? Find a place to hide." Although Liu Yunlong didn't dare to look at the stone statue, his mind was still working.

　　"No, we tried it just now." Zhang Shan continued, "Five strong soldiers and I tried to lift it just now, and it was just like over there, as if it was growing on the ground. We couldn't move it at all."

　　"Then dig down!" I also found it a little unbelievable. If this kind of thing happened in the Yin and Yang world, it would be fine, but in the world of the living, it is really hard to explain.

　　"This is a huge project!" Song Dongfeng patted my shoulder and said, "We need to dig without damaging the surrounding buildings. By the time we dig it out, I'm afraid the approval from above will come."

　　At this point, I had nothing to say. I could only agree to their arrangement and temporarily block the Chenghuang Temple.

　　However, there was a small disturbance in the final duty arrangement. Liu Yunlong insisted on taking duty, and I was 100% worried. But since it was his own idea, Zhang Shan, Captain Yang, and Song Dongfeng were too embarrassed to say anything, and my single-handed opposition was futile.

　　As a result, Liu Yunlong was scheduled for later in the afternoon.

　　However, this time Zhang Shan took the initiative to ask to follow Captain Yang to check on the condition of the deceased, while Song Dongfeng was busy arranging guards and duty matters.

　　I followed them out of the gate of Chenghuang Temple when suddenly a little boy rushed up to me, grabbed me and asked, "Brother, do you have three moles on the back of your hand?"

　　Although I still didn't know what was going on, I could only squat down and ask him patiently, "Yes! It's me! What do you want to talk to me about?"

　　"Then roll up your sleeves and let me see." The little boy was very cautious. He refused to give in until he was sure he could see it.

　　Helplessly, I pulled my sleeves up, revealing the Wuwei Seal, and after the little boy was sure he had seen it, I asked, "Okay, have you seen it? Tell me, who asked you to look for me?"

　　The reason I asked this was actually very simple. What could a child know? The seal of inaction? He even knew who among the three of us had it. It was obvious that someone had specifically told him about it.

　　"This is for you!" When the little boy saw that I was indeed the person he was looking for, he stuffed a note into my hand and turned and ran away without waiting for me to ask any more questions.

　　Chapter 58 Mysterious Date

　　Seeing the little boy running away, I had no choice but to unfold the note in my hand.

　　The area is not large, only about one finger long and wide, and there are a few words written on it using something unknown: See you at the huge rock on the city wall in half an hour.

　　Zhang Shan and Captain Yang, who were walking in front, also saw the conversation between me and the little boy. They had already surrounded us.

　　"Who is it? Do you need him to accompany you? So that you can have someone to look after you." After reading the whole story, Captain Yang was the first to express his concern.

　　"...I don't know...could it be Wu Guoxiao...or Zhao Youde?" When I mention these two people, I am quite worried. After all, they have the same goal, which is to take my life.

　　"Haha, go ahead and don't worry! Zhao Youde doesn't dare to come out during the day." After reading the note, Zhang Shan was not worried at all. He smiled and said, "As for Wu Guoxiao, don't worry! Without Zhao Youde supporting him, he is nothing!"

　　Seeing that I was still hesitant, Captain Yang said to Zhang Shan, "It's only an hour anyway, why don't we go with him? It's not far, and as the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry!"

　　"If I say no, then no! You still don't believe me?" Zhang Shan pushed Captain Yang forward as if he didn't care at all, saying, "Who is my uncle-in-law? Can he be ambushed? If someone wanted to harm him, they would have done it as soon as he left the house. Only a fool would wait until they meet up to do it."

　　Captain Yang thought so too, turned around and told me to be careful, then was carried by Zhang Shan into his jeep.

　　As I watched the car speed away, I was puzzled. Could Zhang Shan be so sure that I would be safe?

　　I wanted to turn around and go in to ask Liu Yunlong to go with me, but then I thought, it’s too shameless for a grown-up like him to not even dare to go on a date in broad daylight!

　　Laughing at myself, I just took a step to leave when I heard chaos inside the City God Temple.

　　Just as I was about to push the door open and go in to take a look, I saw several armed police soldiers carrying a person running out.

　　The person being carried was also wearing camouflage clothes and his face was covered in blood. Liu Yunlong and Song Dongfeng followed behind.

　　"What's going on?!" I hurriedly pulled Liu Yunlong and asked.

　　"Damn! This zodiac snake is too weird!" Liu Yunlong stopped and said when he saw that I was still standing there. "This soldier on duty on the first shift had not been standing there for ten minutes when he suddenly bumped into it headfirst. If it weren't for the quick action of his brother next to him, this would have been the third person's life! Fortunately, the bump wasn't serious, but I think it was at least a concussion!"

　　I felt cold sweat on my back. If you say there is nothing strange about this stone statue, even an atheist would not believe it.

　　After arranging to send the soldier to the hospital, Song Dongfeng came back and said with a sad face: "What should we do? If not, let's put the whole compound under martial law! I don't think it's safe for anyone to stay nearby."

　　I have no objection. At least this way, I don’t have to worry about Liu Yunlong’s safety.

　　"The problem is, there is a construction team in that tunnel!" Liu Yunlong was not afraid of trouble at all: "Besides, the people from the Municipal Bureau's Identification Division will be here soon, you have to let them in? There were two murders this morning, so there will definitely be several waves of people coming today."

　　Song Dongfeng finally had nothing to say. You can keep strangers away, but those who are coming are all related personnel. Although the situation is serious, if you block everyone from entering, it will be very offensive to coordinate. "

　　I suddenly remembered my own mind-clearing spell, which seemed to be particularly effective for situations like hypnosis and unconsciousness. So I took the initiative to say, "I have a method, but I don't know if it works yet. How about we try it?"

　　The two naturally had no objection. So I called a soldier on duty, tapped the mantra on his forehead, and told him to pay special attention to the people around him.

　　After the soldiers came to the side, I called Liu Yunlong again, chanted the mantra for clearing the mind, and told him the same words.

　　After making the arrangements, Song Dongfeng and I hid aside and watched for half an hour. Seeing that nothing unusual happened, we felt relieved. It seemed that the mind-clearing spell was effective.

　　But I still don't know how long this spell will last, maybe a day, maybe just a little while. In any case, this is not a solution, I can't stay here for the next few days to cast spells on them, right?

　　I looked at the watch and saw that there were only a dozen minutes left before the paper date. For safety reasons, I asked Song Dongfeng to find two soldiers and asked them to keep an eye on Liu Yunlong and the other person next to the zodiac snake. Only then did I step out of the City God Temple with some concern.

　　The city wall is very close to the City God Temple, so I just walked there.

　　As for the huge stone on the city wall, it was the stone where I found Liu Yunlong and the two experts sitting.

　　On the way, I kept thinking, who is it? Judging from Zhang Shan's expression, it shouldn't be Zhao Youde or Wu Guoxiao, otherwise he wouldn't leave so calmly.

　　Since Zhang Shan knew it wasn't those two guys, that meant he had probably guessed who it was?

　　As for the person Zhang Shan knew, could it be... old man Zhang Shixun?

　　Will it? According to Zhang Shan, his grandfather had gone into the mountains a few months ago to look for a good feng shui site, and I always thought that I would never see him again.

　　Climbing up the city wall, gradually, a figure came into my sight.

　　It wasn't until I got closer and confirmed who was in front of me that I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

　　The person next to the boulder turned around, saw my expression, and cursed with a straight face: "You little brat! What are you laughing at?!"

　　"Haha, I didn't expect that you are so thin-skinned." I felt so embarrassed that I finally laughed out loud.

　　The person in front of him was old man Qian, whom he had just separated from for more than two hours!

　　No wonder Zhang Shan was not worried at all. It seemed that he had already guessed that this was the old man's work.

　　I finally understood why the old man asked someone to deliver the message even though he knew we were there. He must have owed Captain Yang a favor and was too embarrassed to meet him, so he came up with this idea.

　　But what I couldn't understand was why the old man was in such a hurry to find me after just a while of separation? Did he find the thousand-year barrier? But why did he only call me and not Zhang Shan?

　　“Okay… I won’t laugh anymore!” Seeing that the old man’s face was getting darker and darker, I didn’t dare to be too presumptuous and tried my best to stop smiling.

　　"Do you think I called you here in this way because I was afraid of seeing the policeman?" Who is old man Qian? He could see through my little tricks at a glance.

　　"Humph! You underestimate an old guy like me." Seeing that I didn't say anything, the old man knew that he had guessed it right, and continued: "I saved his life. Even if that kid gave me a hundred sets of clothes, he would not lose anything!"

　　"Then who are you?" After hearing what the old man said, I felt that I had thought too simply, and my expression became serious.

　　"Sit down!" Old Man Qian pointed at the big rock beside him. After I sat down, he paced in front of me and said, "The reason I asked you to come here alone is to tell you something. These things require you to make choices and complete them."

　　"Go ahead." I no longer dared to joke and waited for the old man's instructions.

　　"Well, let me tell you the first thing first. Remember, you must not tell Shanzi about this!" The old man saw that I took it seriously and said with satisfaction: "Do you know what Shanzi's fate wheel means?"

　　Chapter 59: Criticism of the Wheel of Fate

　　"Well, let me tell you the first thing first. Remember, you must not tell Shanzi about this!" The old man saw that I took it seriously and said with satisfaction: "Do you know what Shanzi's fate wheel means?"

　　"That apple?" I didn't expect the old man to talk about this right away, and my mind was confused for a moment. "Doesn't the apple represent peace and safety?"

　　"Haha, if only it were that simple!" The old man finished laughing, then sighed and said, "I just thought of this possibility, so I came to you right away. Although it is not appropriate to judge other people's fate, Shanzi is your master's only relative after all, so I have to worry about him a little more."

　　"What did you guess? Go ahead and tell me!" The old man talked for a long time but didn't get to the point. I couldn't wait any longer.

　　Old Man Qian stopped walking around, sat down next to me, looked ahead and asked, "Do you remember that reckless guy of yours just now? He took a bite of Shanzi's apple as soon as he came in. What did he say at that time?"

　　The old man was talking about when Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang came to deliver dry clothes to us. This guy had a sore throat and was looking for water everywhere. Finally, he snatched the apple from my hand and took a big bite.

　　"…He seemed to say at that time that the apple was half-ripe and sour?" I tried to recall.

　　"That's right! If I'm not mistaken, Shanzi's life wheel does not mean safety, but unfamiliarity." Old man Qian still stared at the front and spoke word by word.

　　"Not familiar? What does that mean?" I listened for a long time but still didn't understand.

　　"Alas..." The old man sighed again, this time turning his gaze back to me and said, "Uncooked means half-cooked. Shanzi is only half-cooked!"

　　Boom! My brain exploded.

　　Zhang Shan can only live half his life? ! ! !

　　That means...he doesn't have much time left?!

　　"How is this possible?!" I couldn't believe what old man Qian said. "Old Zhang is strong and healthy, and he has no problems at all. How could he only live half his life?!"

　　"Is there really nothing wrong? You know that, don't you?" The old man looked at me and asked.

　　I was silent. It would be wrong to say that Zhang Shan was flawless.

　　Not only does he have a problem, but it's a serious problem!

　　It takes ten years of taking a silver gallbladder to prolong life. This is not an ordinary disease.

　　"So what you mean is... Zhang Shan won't be able to get through this time?" I asked unwillingly.

　　We agreed that after two days, when the wages are paid at the end of the month, we will go back to the mountain to find his master and the silver. Could it be that he can't even survive these few short days?

　　"Of course, I'm just guessing." The old man saw that I was extremely nervous, patted my shoulder and comforted me, "No one knows what the Wheel of Destiny represents until the last moment. We can only guess."

　　"So do you guess more correctly or wrongly?" I asked only the key points.

　　"I've only guessed twice, one was my own and one was Shanzi's." The old man told the truth.

　　"So... you haven't guessed it right yet?!" I asked this mainly to comfort myself. The old man said he had only guessed twice, and I was probably wrong the last time. Because I remember him saying that he still didn't know what the flashlight he brought back meant.

　　But this time, who dares to say that they will definitely guess wrong? Because there are almost no previous cases to refer to!

　　"No... I have to go back with Zhang Shan right away!" In a trance, I stood up by pressing on a big rock and was about to leave.

　　"Sit down!" Old Master Qian pulled me and said sternly, "Listen to me, it's not too late for you to make a decision! Whether you go up the mountain or solve the problem first, it's up to you! You can't even take care of yourself, and you're still worrying about others. How come you two are both in the same group?"

　　After sitting down again, I motioned for the old man to continue.

　　"Let's put Shanzi's matter aside for now. After all, most of it is my guess, and we still have time to investigate and save the situation." Old Master Qian looked at me and said, "But I always think that if we can solve the current problem, then Shanzi's fate will also have room for relief."

　　"What's happening now?" I kept thinking about Zhang Shan's "half-life", and my mind was a mess at this moment.

　　"Why does Zhao Youde want to kill you so much? Don't you want to know?"

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, the old man continued, "Because you have the seal of both a human and a ghost. The so-called human and ghost double-chi means that the two seals representing the human circle and the earth circle in the Wuwei seal are equal in size. The Wuwei seal is composed of three circles: heaven, earth, and human. The smaller the seal, the smaller the ability. For ordinary seal holders, the human circle is the largest, the earth circle is the second, and the heaven circle is the smallest. Two seals of equal size mean that you have almost the same abilities in both realms."

　　"So Zhao Youde wants to kill me?" This is the first time I've heard of this man and ghost together.

　　"Of course not." The old man frowned and continued, "This seal can be found in the "Dream Record". There is only one person in history who has the same seal as you. He was the one who broke through the bottleneck and successfully practiced the Hundred Legs Formation in the early Ming Dynasty. If I guess correctly, what Zhao Youde wants is not your life, but your body that can be both a human and a ghost!"

　　"My body?!" I thought about it again and again, and what the old man said seemed to make some sense. In the Yin and Yang world before, I remember on the city wall, Zhao Youde said: He doesn't care whether I live or die, either I voluntarily follow him, or he carries my body and leaves.

　　"What does he want my body for?" Although I figured this out, I still don't understand why he did this?

　　"At the moment, I can't figure out what he is going to do. But at least one thing is certain, there is someone behind Zhao Youde." Old Man Qian cleared his throat and continued, "That Zhao Youde, you have been to his home and met him. He is a farmer who grew up in the mountains. He has lived for more than 30 years and is still sick. He has not been to school much and has never been to a big city. How come he suddenly knows everything? Don't you think it's strange?"

　　"Maybe... he learned it himself after coming here with me?" I explained insincerely.

　　"Knowledge can be learned, ways of doing things can be learned. Even the news about your special physique, can he learn it?" The old man denied my conjecture with just one sentence.

　　"So what you mean is... someone told him specifically?" I began to understand what the old man meant.

　　"So, we have to investigate! We have to investigate thoroughly! Once we know who is behind him and what he wants to do, we can take the initiative to act. Not only can we rescue you, but we may be able to temporarily block Shanzi and buy some time." Old Man Qian said affirmatively.

　　"How do I check?"

　　"That's the second reason why I called you here." The old man paused and said, "To know what he wants to do, there are two ways."

　　Chapter 60 Two Plans

　　"Which two?" I heard that there was more than one method, which seemed like it shouldn't be a difficult task.

　　The old man stretched out his hand in front of me before asking, "Where is the dice that I gave you?"

　　"Oh...here it is!" I quickly rummaged through my pockets to find the thing and handed it to the old man.

　　"This dice~!" The old man held it in his hand, raised it up to the sky and said, "My master gave it to me. What information is recorded in it, I have only heard people talk about it, and no one has ever seen it. But now, you can see it, I don't think it's accidental. As the saying goes, there is a plan in the dark. At this critical moment when the centipede formation reappears in the world, you can see it, which must have a deeper meaning. Perhaps, the root of all things can be solved by it."

　　I didn't dare to look at the dice, I just stared at old man Qian and asked, "But I've looked at it for two lifetimes. I didn't find anything! It just floated through one person after another. And it only lasted one day, and that person died. It seems that it's meaningless!"

　　“These six lives and six worlds, the front ones may not make sense, but I think the further back you go, the easier it will be to find clues. Maybe seeing the last one can solve our current confusion. Even if not, I think since the centipede formation has appeared inside, there is at least a way to destroy it.” The old man still stared at the dice under the sun.

　　"Then how about I continue watching now?" Although I was very reluctant to do so, since the old man said it should help, I didn't mind giving it another try.

　　It’s not that I hate watching this dice, but I’m always killed in it, and that feels really painful.

　　"There's no rush now!" Old Man Qian pressed me and said, "Wait until the afternoon, call Shanzi over, and we'll protect you and then go find out what's going on!"

　　Now that I have made the decision, I am happy and relaxed. This time is different from the last time. With the old man by my side, I can do whatever I want after entering. If there is any danger, he can pull me out in the first place.

　　This is the first time in recent times that I have taken such a worry-free adventure.

　　"What about the second method you mentioned?" I felt relaxed and remembered what the old man had just said: there was another way.

　　"If this method doesn't work, let's move on to the next one!" The old man didn't answer directly. He stuffed the dice back to me and said, "Tell me what happened in the City God Temple this morning!"

　　If the old man hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten it. I quickly told him everything, including Zhang Shan and Captain Yang's speculations.

　　"Hmm..." After I finished speaking, Mr. Qian thought for a long time before he said in a deep voice, "Shanzi's guess should not be far off. This technique and situation should be a kind of hypnosis, which is called something in psychology... psychological suggestion!"

　　Hearing the old man say this, I was in awe. I didn't expect that a traditional Chinese ghost walker could actually know these terms in Western psychology!

　　"Why are you looking at me? I don't have gold on my face!" The old man turned around and was startled when he saw my burning gaze.

　　"You... are amazing! You even know the term 'psychological suggestion'?!" I said this sincerely, because in my mind, although Chinese sorcery and Western psychology have many similarities, they are each independent systems and do not like each other.

　　"Hmph! You kids have so much to learn. As the saying goes, the opponent is the master. The psychology passed down by our ancestors is much more advanced than theirs, and has a wider range of applications. But for thousands of years, just for the principle of keeping it secret, they have made the originally simple things more and more complicated. The only purpose is to make it difficult for outsiders to understand or learn! On the contrary, Westerners are much more pragmatic. Nails are nails, rivets are rivets, and since I have come up with a name for it, I want people to know it! Therefore, the simpler the words of explanation, the better, so that people can understand it at a glance." The old man was very angry when he said this.

　　"Yes! Yes! Then what's the story behind the stone statue in this City God Temple?" I didn't dare interrupt the old man who was complaining, so I could only follow him and go back the same way.

　　"See? I know what's going on without seeing!" Although the old man had regained his consciousness, his temper had not yet subsided. "Go back later and take a closer look. There should be some very inconspicuous lines on the snake's back. If there are, just wipe them off and everything will be fine!"

　　"Is it that simple?" I couldn't believe it. A whole group of people, including criminal police, charlatans, and national security agencies, were no match for an old man whom they had never even seen.

　　"Let me tell you this!" Seeing that I didn't believe him, the old man explained, "When people see the color white, their first feeling is cold. Since you were a child, the snow you have seen is white, and snow is cold, so your subconscious mind tells you that white is cold. There are also some graphics that, when people see them, some will feel dizzy, some will vomit, some will get excited, and some will feel uncomfortable. These are all reflected in the brain's subconscious after seeing them visually, and ultimately cause physiological reactions."

　　I was stunned by what he said, but I understood it all. The old man spoke very straightforwardly, but I felt that these words were a bit out of place coming from his mouth.

　　"If I guess correctly, there will be a pattern on the back of the zodiac snake that is shaped like pine needles and has thorns everywhere. It is called the Luwu Pattern." The old man said with certainty.

　　"Oh...but how come that thing appeared in the Yin and Yang world? And it can't be moved or removed." I remembered that I seemed to have forgotten to tell the old man this, so I quickly added it in.

　　"Can't move?..." When Old Man Qian heard this, it was obvious that he had connected something with his expression, and he frowned and thought.

　　After thinking for a long time, the old man finally looked up and said, "Xiao Wang, let's do this! Go back and make sure there are no lines on the snake's body. If there are, don't wipe it yet! I'm going to go find Gao Yatou and ask her to do something. If I guess right this time, maybe I can catch a big fish!"

　　Seeing the old man stand up and leave, I hurriedly asked him about the effectiveness of the Qingshen Mantra.

　　The old man's answer reassured me. The Qingshen Mantra on the Wuwei Seal would gradually lose its effectiveness when the sun and moon alternated. If I wanted to keep it going, I had to cast it again.

　　In other words, if you light it during the day, it will remain effective until dark; and if you light it at night, it will naturally not expire before dawn.

　　I made an appointment with the old man to meet in the afternoon, and we both went about our own business.

　　Watching the old man walk directly north into the desolate area of ​​the city wall, I also quickly hurried towards the City God Temple.

　　Chapter 61: A stroke of genius

　　Although Mr. Qian said it so confidently, I still had doubts before I saw it with my own eyes. Liu Yunlong and the soldier on duty were always worried until I saw them standing there in peace.

　　When I ran into the City God Temple, I saw many policemen in wide-brimmed hats and uniforms crowded in the courtyard. Some were taking photos, some were picking up things with plastic bags, and some were surrounding Song Dongfeng and Liu Yunlong to question them. It was really lively. Only the armed police soldier on duty with Liu Yunlong was still standing there with his gun, paying attention to everyone who approached the zodiac snake.

　　Seeing that Liu Yunlong and the other two were still alive, I finally felt relieved. I found an empty corner, sat there smoking, and waited for the police to leave.

　　It was almost noon when they finally finished their work and left. Zhang Shan and Captain Yang also came back. Captain Yang knew that I had gone to the appointment and asked me about the situation.

　　Since it was the old man's order, I told them everything.

　　Of course, except for Zhang Shan’s fate wheel, I would never tell you anything until it is finally confirmed.

　　After hearing me finally tell the old man's guess, Zhang Shan couldn't wait to run over and search the back of the zodiac snake with his head down.

　　After a moment, he raised his head and called us, "Come and see! It really is there! Grandmaster Uncle guessed it right!"

　　When everyone heard this, they all gathered around and carefully looked for those pine needle-like patterns.

　　Since it really existed, and I had listened to the old man's words early on, I lost interest and just followed at the end.

　　...But...it seems like I missed something.

　　"Hey! Boss, are you okay?" I was still thinking about what was wrong when I heard Liu Yunlong, who was surrounded by the zodiac snake in front, asking Captain Yang repeatedly.

　　At this time, Captain Yang stared at the stone statue with a dull look in his eyes, repeating words like "unfilial" and "damnable".

　　Oh!!! I suddenly realized what I had forgotten! They all rushed up to see, someone must be hit! Liu Yunlong and the soldier were not afraid because they had the Qingshen Mantra.

　　But it’s hard to say about Zhang Shan, Song Dongfeng and Captain Yang!

　　I quickly glanced at the other two. Zhang Shan looked normal, and he was slowly moving towards Captain Yang. As for Song Dongfeng, he was always in front of me, but now he had his back to me, so I couldn't see if he was confused.

　　Captain Yang's voice was getting louder and louder, and he was beginning to become increasingly anxious.

　　Then I remembered that I had to use the spirit-clearing spell to wake him up, so I quickly dipped my finger in some saliva and rushed forward.

　　At this time, Captain Yang, being pulled by Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan, kept struggling, trying to crash into the zodiac snake. He kept shouting, "I am such an unfilial person. I don't come home for ten days or half a month. What's the point of living!"

　　Fortunately, Zhang Shan was much stronger than him, but he could only barely hold Captain Yang down.

　　When I rushed over, Captain Yang suddenly became quiet again. He looked at Zhang Shan while panting and said, "Okay, it's okay! I'm fine, let go!" His voice was calm and gentle, completely different from his hysterical appearance just now.

　　Seeing that Captain Yang had indeed calmed down and stopped struggling, Zhang Shan slowly let go of his hand.

　　No one expected that the moment Captain Yang waited for Zhang Shan to be completely released, he suddenly jumped back, and when he raised his arm again, there was a pistol in his palm.

　　“Boss!!!”

　　"Old Yang! Calm down!!!"

　　Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan saw that Captain Yang had raised his hand holding the gun to his neck, and they thought of what he was going to do next. They rushed forward.

　　But Captain Yang had already expected that someone would come to snatch their guns, so how could he let them do as they wished?

　　Captain Yang's finger had already pulled the trigger, but none of us could get the pistol.

　　At this critical moment, a gun barrel suddenly extended from behind Captain Yang's head. He gently lifted up the muzzle of the gun that was aimed at his temple.

　　"Bang!!!" A gunshot rang out, and Captain Yang's bullet finally failed to kill him and flew into the sky. At the same time, Zhang Shan had already knocked him to the ground.

　　As soon as they fell, the person behind Captain Yang was revealed. It was the soldier who was on duty with Liu Yunlong!

　　Without thinking too much, I hurried over and cast a spell on Captain Yang's forehead. After more than ten seconds, he finally regained consciousness.

　　"Ouch... I'm being crushed to death! What are you two doing? Get up quickly!" As soon as Captain Yang recovered, his face was full of pain, because at this moment, Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were both pressing on him, one holding his arm and the other holding a pistol.

　　"Okay, okay! It's okay! I've ordered!" Seeing that Zhang Shan still didn't dare to let go, I had to tell him repeatedly that there would be no more accidents this time.

　　The three men stood up, not caring about the dirt, and sat on the ground, gasping for breath. That scene just now was too dangerous! It was really thanks to the quick reaction of the armed police soldier, otherwise Captain Yang would have died!

　　"Damn it! This thing is too weird! Boss, don't wait for the letter, let's just wipe it off!" Liu Yunlong said while panting.

　　Captain Yang didn't answer her, but stared behind me and shouted, "Xiao Song!!!"

　　Yes! After he reminded me, I thought, where is Song Dongfeng? I was busy saving Captain Yang and ignored him. You know, he doesn't have the Shangqing Divine Mantra, so he is likely to have the same reaction as Captain Yang.

　　We quickly turned our heads and followed Captain Yang's gaze. Song Dongfeng had already jumped up from four or five meters away. His target was the zodiac snake!!!

　　It’s over!!! It’s completely over this time!!!

　　Seeing that Song Dongfeng had already left the ground, the three of us were sitting on the ground, and I, the closest one, was about four or five meters away. Although not far, if a person standing still suddenly exerted force to catch a person who was running and jumping, could he reach it?

　　I have closed my eyes, unable to bear to watch this scene.

　　"Bang!!!" Another gunshot followed.

　　I opened my eyes quickly, but saw that at this moment, Song Dongfeng had been shot with a bloody flower on his right shoulder. But it was this shot that saved his life.

　　After the bullet hit his body, the impact caused him to tilt forward, and his head just happened to pass by the stone statue from above. Then, his whole body, with inertia, hit the zodiac snake firmly.

　　But it doesn’t matter anymore. A broken bone is better than a smashed head!

　　I ran over immediately, and while Song Dongfeng was lying on the ground and hadn't gotten up yet, I cast a spell to clear his mind on him.

　　Turning around, he saw that the person who fired the shot was the armed police soldier who had just saved Captain Yang's life.

　　"Young man! You're amazing! What's your name?" Captain Yang was stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses from the shock. He stood up, patted the soldier on the shoulder and asked.

　　"Chen Dong!" The soldier first stood at attention, then answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

　　At this point we all knew that the reason he shot was not to kill Song Dongfeng, but to save his life.

　　If saving Captain Yang just now was just a coincidence, then shooting to save Song Dongfeng at this moment was a stroke of genius that combined wisdom, adaptability, and technology.

　　It is conceivable that if he had reacted a little slower or his marksmanship was a little worse, the outcome would have been completely different. As the saying goes, the more skilled you are, the more courageous you are!

　　Chapter 62: Dice Dream Romance (9)

　　"Good! Very good! Young man, do you plan to go back to your old profession after retirement?" Captain Yang loves money like his life, and at this moment he doesn't care about anything else and is determined to recruit this soldier.

　　Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong and I were still worried about Song Dongfeng, so we all gathered around. At this time, some people outside had heard the gunshots in the inner courtyard, and several armed police came running over.

　　Zhang Shan roughly checked Song Dongfeng's injuries. In addition to the bullet wound in the right shoulder, there were also several bruises, all caused by the final collision with the stone statue. Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries.

　　What surprised us even more was that the bullet that hit Song Dongfeng's shoulder went right through the gap between his clavicle and shoulder blade without injuring the bone!

　　In my opinion, this is more like a kind of luck, belonging to Song Dongfeng and the soldier.

　　"It's okay! Your injury will heal in ten days or half a month!" Seeing Song Dongfeng regain consciousness, Zhang Shan comforted him.

　　"Tell Lao Yang...I want this man! Don't let him...snatch him from me!" The first words Song Dongfeng said were actually an attempt to recruit that soldier.

　　The three of us smiled bitterly at each other. These two people are a perfect match!

　　After asking someone to take Song Dongfeng to the hospital, we gathered around the zodiac snake again. Of course, this also included the soldier named Chen Dong.

　　"My great uncle said that we should keep this thing?" Zhang Shan had always been the one who proposed to destroy it, so he was quite dissatisfied with Mr. Qian's order.

　　This Luwu pattern is really amazing! However, since the old man ordered that the pattern on it cannot be erased for the time being, Liu Yunlong has just arranged for people to find the partitions used for construction. Anyway, the relevant personnel have almost all arrived, so let's surround it first.

　　"I have a question!" Liu Yunlong saw that no one spoke after Zhang Shan finished speaking, so he took the initiative to say to me: "Xiao Chen and I are protected by you, so we will be fine. But Lao Zhang was neither protected nor infected, so what's going on? And those people who took photos and collected evidence just now were also fine?"

　　Before I could say anything, Zhang Shan said, "This kind of thing also depends on the person. If you are in a good mood and don't have any burden or pressure, then naturally there will be no negative emotions in your heart. Its principle should be to make the people who see it instantly amplify the negative emotions in their hearts. When it reaches the peak, it makes people feel that there is no way to solve the problem unless they die. As for those policemen just now, they are not like us, deliberately looking at this pattern. In addition, there are so many people, their attention is relatively dispersed, so there will be no problem."

　　"So you mean you're the only one who's happy every day? We're all the others who are sad and gloomy?" Liu Yunlong was quite disdainful after hearing this.

　　"I'm not saying anything about you, you definitely won't know how to do it! If you don't believe me, let my uncle-master remove the curse for you and try?" Zhang Shan took the rare opportunity to joke with Liu Yunlong.

　　"Do you think I'm stupid?..."

　　"Okay, let's get down to business!" I quickly interrupted their bickering and gave the old man his final instructions.

　　Soon, the construction partitions were delivered, and we fenced off an area of ​​more than ten square meters to conceal our presence. We also sent several soldiers to guard the area to prevent anyone from peeking out of curiosity.

　　For safety reasons, I also cast the spirit-clearing spell on these soldiers.

　　Shortly after lunch, Mr. Qian arrived as expected.

　　He first looked at the zodiac snake carefully from top to bottom, and then asked Liu Yunlong to find a secluded place. I knew that I would soon return to the dream of the dice.

　　Arriving at Song Dongfeng's office, Old Man Qian explained to Captain Yang our next plan: for the next two or three days, he and Zhang Shan will take turns to protect me when I enter the dice. He asked them to send people to pay attention to the outer perimeter security, and at the same time, arrange a few more people in plain clothes to patrol outside the City God Temple 24 hours a day. If they find any suspicious people, they will arrest them first.

　　I think the old man is making a big fuss. Isn't it just a nap? Why is it so grand? Of course, after waking up again, I realized that the old man did this for another reason, which is what he called "catching a big fish."

　　"Okay, Xiao Wang, before you go in, there are a few things I need to tell you." After everything was ready, Old Man Qian brought a bowl of black water to me and said solemnly, "Even if it's a dream, you may still die in there! So, don't do anything that will cause trouble. You must always remember that you are just a spectator. Come and drink this bowl of magic water. Whenever your thoughts and emotions change, your body will react, and I can use this to determine whether to pull you out."

　　I took the bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp. Fortunately, there was no strange taste.

　　Liu Yunlong stood aside, with a nostalgic look on his face, and said to me: "Rest in peace, old bastard!"

　　"Fuck you!" I just felt a little nervous, and then what this guy said made my heart tremble again.

　　Taking out the dice, I rotated it to the "three o'clock" position and looked carefully inside through the small circle.

　　…

　　Black, endless darkness...

　　I looked up and saw that there was light. Although the moon was covered by dark clouds, only a vague outline was revealed, but after gradually adapting to the environment, I could still tell where I was.

　　"I" was walking on a fairly spacious gravel road, with towering trees about ten stories high on both sides.

　　"Huh? What's going on? How can my body not obey my commands?" I suddenly said this and scared myself.

　　How can I scare myself? That’s because of two reasons: first, it’s not my voice; second, I didn’t even want to say it.

　　After the shock, I tried to move again. As expected, this time my body no longer obeyed my command, and I gave several movement commands in succession, but there was no response.

　　"Oh...it seems I'm really tired! No, I need to find a place to rest. It's not a good idea to keep rushing like this!" I didn't know what to do, and my body started talking to itself again.

　　As I watched the owner of this body walking along a path deeper into the woods, I gradually began to understand.

　　In the first life, he was a baby, his mind and body were not perfect, so it was normal that I could not control him. In the second life, although he was a teenager, I would probably have died by then, so I could control him at will.

　　In this third life, although we still don’t know his face, from his voice he is only in his twenties, in the prime of life, with no problems both mentally and physically.

　　Because of this, while he was clearly conscious, I was afraid I could only be a spectator, watching things happen without being able to change anything.

　　I'm afraid that the moment he looked up at the sky just now was just a moment of distraction.

　　To be clear, I only have one thought that belongs to me. As for the others, I don’t even have the right to roll my eyes.

　　If everything else is like this, it would be really boring!

　　(For the sake of convenience, the owner of this body is always replaced by "I" in quotation marks.)

　　As I followed the path to the foot of a mountain, I didn’t expect that there was a house with lights on not far ahead.

　　When I got closer, I found that this was an abandoned mountain temple. The courtyard wall had long been dilapidated. Inside the house without a door, there was a bonfire, and three people were sitting around the bonfire, grilling game they had just hunted.

　　Chapter 63: Dice Dream Romance (10)

　　"Brothers! I am going to Beijing to take the imperial examination and passing by here. It is getting late. I wonder if I can stay for one night? Can you please?" I said loudly while standing outside the dilapidated temple.

　　It turns out he is a scholar!

　　Several people who looked like hunters looked up.

　　"Oh! You're a scholar!" The bearded man sitting in the middle saw me and said, "Come in! We met by chance. This place doesn't belong to us. Anyone who wants to stay here can. You should ask the mountain god inside if it's convenient or not!"

　　"Hahahaha!" After saying that, the three big men laughed heartily and then drank the wine in the broken bowls in their hands.

　　I seemed to hear the sound of this "scholar" swallowing saliva in his throat. It seemed that the owner of this body was hungry.

　　The hunter sitting outside finished his drink, stood up, and came over to help me get my things. I then noticed that I was carrying a small bamboo stand on which were pens, inkstones, and a number of books.

　　I've only seen this thing on TV and I don't really know what it's called.

　　I wanted to laugh when I saw the scholar tying his robe into a knot, revealing his dirty pants and shoes, and sitting cross-legged on the ground.

　　If I just looked at these equipments, I would really think I was Ning Caichen!

　　But I wonder if Nie Xiaoqian would be interested in such a dirty and sloppy Ning Caichen?

　　"It's cold at night, have a bowl of wine to warm yourself up!" The bearded man opposite handed me a broken bowl. I took it and drank it all in one gulp without hesitation.

　　As for the taste, it’s pretty average, and the alcohol content doesn’t seem to be very high.

　　"Haha! That's great!" The bearded man was delighted to see me being so forthright. "I've never seen a scholar like you before! You don't have any sour taste at all! Great!"

　　"Haha." The scholar said, and took the half piece of roasted hare handed to him. He gnawed it and said, "Zhihuzheya, that's what I say when I'm full and have nothing to do. I'm starving now, and my stomach is empty. I'm afraid I'll be starving to death by the time I say it!"

　　"Hahahaha!" This immediately caused the three hunters to burst into laughter again.

　　When he raised his hand to eat, I could clearly see that the seal of "Wuwei" was particularly conspicuous on the scholar's right wrist.

　　"Eh?" The bearded man was talking when he turned his head and saw the scholar's right wrist. He grabbed it and asked, "I didn't expect... May I ask your name? Who is your master?"

　　It seems that this bearded man has seen the person who holds the seal, so he is so concerned about the Wuwei Seal.

　　The scholar wiped his greasy mouth with his dirty sleeve and replied, "My younger brother, Han Sheng, lives in Henan. I learned everything from my father!"

　　"Oh? That's so disrespectful!" Unexpectedly, this scholar wasn't a talker, and the bearded man suddenly became sour.

　　"Brother, do you know my father?"

　　“I don’t know him!”

　　"Then you are...?" The scholar was a little confused.

　　But I had already guessed that the bearded man seemed to have mistaken the scholar for the seal holder, so he asked about his master. However, judging from the scholar's behavior at this time, he did not know that his "birthmark" was the Wuwei Seal that had been passed down since ancient times, and thought that the bearded man was asking him who he read the book from.

　　"Brother, do you really not know what this mark on your wrist is?" The bearded man pointed at the scholar's right hand holding the rabbit meat and asked, staring into "my" eyes.

　　"Brother, isn't this just a birthmark? What other origins could it have?" Before the scholar could say anything, another hunter next to him asked.

　　After staring at "me" for a long time, the bearded man probably realized that this scholar really didn't know what his Wuwei Seal was, so he could only say, "Nothing, it's just that I've seen someone with the same birthmark as you, so I just asked casually. Come, have a drink!"

　　At that moment, several people stopped talking about this and started drinking happily.

　　I was extremely anxious, because this bearded man obviously knew something, but he refused to tell me, and I had no idea how to ask him.

　　It was not until midnight that the few people had eaten and drunk their fill and gradually felt sleepy. They added more firewood to the campfire, found a place sheltered from the wind in the ruined temple, spread some hay and animal skins, and lay down on the ground to sleep in their clothes.

　　I didn't want to sleep at all, but I had no choice but to follow the scholar and close my eyes.

　　In the darkness, I was extremely anxious. Based on my experience in the past two lives, I could only stay here for about a day each time. If I just stayed up all night like this, wouldn't it be a waste of time?

　　Gradually, I heard the scholar's snoring, which made me even more anxious. But who would have thought that in such a hurry, I actually opened my eyes following an instruction!

　　I propped myself up on the ground and sat up. To my amazement, I could move again! And this time it was completely under my will!

　　…What’s going on?!

　　I thought about it for a long time, and it should be that when this scholar fell asleep, his mind also rested, so when he was resting, I could control him at will.

　　Without giving it any more thought, I quickly got up, straightened my clothes, and quietly walked out of the temple alone.

　　Finally I could see whatever I wanted, and I turned around to observe the surroundings.

　　This dilapidated temple is at the foot of the mountain, with a steep cliff behind it, plunging straight up into the dark night sky. The night in the mountain is extremely quiet, except for the occasional owl calls, no other sounds can be heard.

　　After watching for a while, I decided to go back and ask the bearded man. Maybe I could get some useful information from him.

　　I stepped into the ruined temple again, and when I walked to the bonfire, I was stunned.

　　The three hunters who were lying here just now were gone! The animal skins they laid out before going to bed were still on the ground.

　　What is going on?!

　　I was just about to look for them when a breeze blew in, carrying with it a strong scent of osmanthus.

　　After searching the dilapidated temple for a while, I indeed couldn't find them, so I had to follow the scent and walk out of the temple.

　　After walking for dozens of meters following the scent of the flowers, I suddenly saw a person appear under a big tree not far ahead.

　　Out of curiosity, I slowly walked towards the man.

　　As I got closer, I could see clearly that the person standing next to the tree was actually a woman. She was wearing a veil, with her back to me, and her shoulders were shaking, as if she was crying.

　　"...Miss, why are you alone in this deep forest in the middle of the night?" After thinking for a long time, I tried my best to ask in a tone that they could understand.

　　Hearing my question, the woman turned around.

　　She was really crying. Although one hand was wiping her tears, covering most of her face, her pointed chin and high nose were enough to prove that she was a beauty.

　　What surprised me even more was that… under the thin green veil on her body, there was actually nothing on! Her seductive body was immediately visible.

　　"Wuwu~... I was just molested by three men dressed as hunters. After they satisfied their desires, they found an opportunity to escape. You must save me!" The woman barely stopped crying, put down her arms and walked towards me.

　　But when she lowered her arms and I saw his appearance clearly, I immediately stepped back.

　　Chapter 64: Dice Dream Romance (11)

　　What a close call! If she hadn’t turned around, I might have really believed what this woman said!

　　What about three hunters raping her, what about running away when she got the chance. Anyone would believe her, but she met me, and I am afraid that only I can see through her conspiracy.

　　The woman in front of him was the fifth wife of the mansion——Yan Xinling!!!

　　At this moment, she is nothing more than a nightmare.

　　Seeing me retreat, the woman stopped in surprise. Although she was quite surprised by my behavior, she still did not give up the intention of seducing me. She deliberately passed her hands over her breasts and placed them beside her lower abdomen, causing those two things to tremble. It seemed that she wanted to cover up her shame, but in fact, she wanted to attract my attention.

　　But in my eyes, she is probably more poisonous than snakes and scorpions at this moment. How can she be interested in observing these things?

　　"Why are you so cautious, sir? Are you afraid that they will come after us?" Yan Xinling glanced at him and said in a charming voice, "Don't worry. It will take them at least half an hour to catch up with us. Just take me to a safe place. I will obey you no matter what happens~!"

　　Humph! Are you kidding? I just got up a few minutes ago and they have been chasing you for more than an hour? Are they all Speedy?!

　　"What did you do to the three of them?" I didn't intend to get entangled with this woman. Her purpose was very clear. In the middle of the night, a female ghost was running around without clothes to seduce men. She said she didn't hurt anyone, but her colleagues didn't believe her!

　　I'm afraid the three hunters have already been killed by her.

　　"What did the master say? How come I don't understand?" The woman was walking and talking. Just as she took a step, she pretended to fall and tried to lean on me.

　　I quickly dodged and she missed my target and fell to the ground, still posing in a very seductive posture.

　　"Hmph, stop acting! Fifth Concubine!" I looked at the woman on the ground and said coldly.

　　Since she doesn't admit it, why not just talk it out, maybe I can get some information. Otherwise, if I just pretend to be nice, I might lose control.

　　Fortunately, this body is not mine, so there seems to be no physiological reaction at the moment.

　　"Huh? Who are you?!" When Yan Xinling saw that I actually knew her background, she immediately put away her coquettish look and asked in a stern voice.

　　"Haha, long time no see~ Don't you recognize your whole family?" Although I was joking with her on the surface, I had already made preparations secretly.

　　Fortunately, before entering this dream, the old man taught me a few tricks, which should be more than enough to protect myself.

　　"Damn Taoist priest?!" Yan Xinling got up from the ground and looked at me with eyes full of hostility, and even a little bit of fear.

　　"No, the stinky Taoist priest is still alive and he can't possess other people's bodies." Before I could say anything, she muttered to herself again.

　　"No need to guess, I'm not a Taoist priest. I just don't know to what extent you have practiced the Centipede Formation?" I didn't want to waste time talking to her, so I tried to get as much as possible out of her.

　　After hearing the words "centipede formation", Yan Xinling was obviously more surprised and took a step back on her own initiative.

　　"You are... the person who had sex with You'er in the mansion! Who are you?!" After thinking for a moment, she finally remembered.

　　"It doesn't matter who I am, and I won't get in your way. You just need to tell me who the Taoist priest was who sold the Centipede Formation to the master, and how to find him." I really didn't intend to care about her affairs. As long as I found that Taoist priest, maybe I could find out how to find the Thousand-Year Indestructible Pass or other ways to destroy the Centipede Formation.

　　"Hmph! Don't be so generous. Do you think I'm afraid of you? I just recruited those three people, and with you, I'll be done soon!" Yan Xinling's eyes changed, and she rushed towards me after she finished speaking. But this time, she was full of murderous intent.

　　My left thumb had been pressed on the circle of the Wuwei Seal for some time. When I saw her rushing towards me, I quickly clenched my left fist and swung it forward.

　　After a dull thud, Yan Xinling landed a few meters away. I was also surprised at my own strength, as I was able to force her back.

　　It seems that what Mr. Qian said was right. I am no worse than him, I just don't know how to use it.

　　"Hmph! Just a trivial trick. Do you think I can't deal with you with this ability?" Yan Xinling was about to launch another attack when suddenly an eagle's cry was heard from the sky.

　　"Okay! Since you don't want to embarrass me, let's stop first." After hearing the eagle's cry, Yan Xinling suddenly returned to her extremely charming and charming expression, and said to me with a seductive look: "Can't we stop being so hostile? I suddenly don't want to fight. If you don't want to comfort me, then I have to find another man! But next time we meet, you have to treat me well! ~"

　　After saying this, she raised her snow-white arms and waved them, slowly disappearing from sight.

　　I quickly opened my spiritual eyes, but saw nothing.

　　"Huh! She runs so fast!" I couldn't help but curse under my breath. I finally managed to lock the thread, but she ran away!

　　Besides, it seems like she was the first one to show hostility, not me?

　　I don't plan to look for those three hunters anymore. It seems that they have been killed by her and may have been captured by the centipede formation by now.

　　While it's still night and I can still move, I should hurry and chase after Yan Xinling.

　　After the ghost girl left, the sweet-scented osmanthus scent gradually dissipated, so it might have been brought by her. I think if I follow the scent, there is still hope.

　　I turned around and went into the temple to get the scholar's stuff. After all, I was using his body, so I couldn't throw away all his belongings, after all, he still had to go to Beijing to take the exam.

　　As soon as I stepped into the temple, I heard someone behind me say loudly, "Supreme Lord! Did you see a woman passing by just now?"

　　When I heard the voice, I turned around and saw a Taoist priest standing in the open space outside the temple. He was wearing a gray robe, but his face was not clear.

　　"Ah? What did you say?" I pretended not to hear clearly, wanting him to come closer.

　　"Haha, I'm asking, have you seen a woman staying here just now?" The Taoist priest was indeed obedient. He took a few steps forward and asked again in a higher voice.

　　This time, with the light of the campfire as a backdrop, I was finally able to see the Taoist's appearance clearly.

　　He didn't hold a whisk like other Taoists, but two swords on his back. He had a mustache, triangular eyes, and wrinkles on his face, and he looked quite old.

　　What surprised me the most was his figure and height. This Taoist priest was over two meters tall, taller than Zhang Shan. But he was skinny and bony. In addition, he was wearing a Taoist robe, and he stood there like a telephone pole.

　　"I didn't see anything. How could a woman come here alone in the dark and desolate place? Could it be that the Taoist priest found a female ghost?" I deliberately said that I didn't see anything, trying to trick the Taoist priest into talking.

　　“Haha, whether it’s a human or a ghost, you’ve never seen one before, okay?” Seeing me shaking my head, the Taoist priest clasped his hands together, bowed slightly and said, “Then I won’t bother you anymore, you’re leaving now! Supreme Heavenly Honored One!”

　　I didn't expect this electric pole to leave without saying anything. Just as I was about to say something to stop him, I saw the Taoist priest glanced at the ground in the temple before turning around and walking towards me again.

　　Chapter 65: Dice Dream Romance (12)

　　"So the donor has friends. Could you please ask them? Maybe they saw what you didn't see." The Taoist priest clearly saw the traces of three people sleeping on the ground. Although he was asking me, he was looking around.

　　"They are hunters in this mountain. I met them when I was staying here at night. I don't know where they are now. Maybe they went up the mountain to hunt?" Before the Taoist priest came closer, I knew what he wanted to ask. I had already prepared a draft, and my words contained both true and false content, so I didn't worry that he wouldn't believe me.

　　"Oh?" The Taoist finally stepped into the temple, bent down, reached out and lifted a piece of animal skin at his feet, revealing the bow and arrows underneath.

　　"If you go hunting without weapons, you don't know what you're going to hunt." The Taoist priest stood up and looked at me with a smile.

　　"You ask me, who should I ask?" I didn't expect his observation to be so meticulous, so I had to bite the bullet and said, "I just said that they might have gone hunting, just a possibility. I just woke up and there was no one here."

　　"Donor, you are not telling the truth!" The Taoist priest was still looking at me, with a growing smile on his face.

　　I simply ignored him, pretended to be angry, and packed up my books, writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. At the same time, I was thinking about how to get useful information from this Taoist.

　　Seeing that I ignored him, the "telephone pole" didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and started walking around in the dilapidated temple, looking here and there.

　　As I packed my things, I stole glances at the Taoist priest from time to time. If I'm right, he should be the Taoist priest who sold the Hundred-legged Array to Cheng Mansion. Now that the Hundred-legged Array is almost complete, it seems that he intends to take it back with interest. That's why he pursued Yan Xinling so closely.

　　The Taoist priest turned around and around, and soon he came to the statue of the mountain god. After a while, he came out with a large quilt-like thing in his hand and threw it in front of me.

　　When I looked closely, I found that they were actually three human skins with clothes on! The flesh and bones inside had long disappeared.

　　Their faces were wrinkled without bones, and it was hard to tell who they were. But judging by their clothes, they were obviously the three hunters sleeping here.

　　Although I don't belong to this world and I just met them, but the people who were drinking and eating meat together just now ended up like this in the blink of an eye, which makes people feel sorry for them.

　　Among the three hunters, the bearded one was the oldest, and the other two were at least in their thirties. They must have elderly and young people in their families. They were killed in the wilderness. I'm afraid that from now on, their families will never know whether they are alive or dead.

　　Needless to say, it must have been Yan Xinling who did it!!! I happened to get up and leave at that time, otherwise I would have been killed by her.

　　Although I knew it was her before, I didn't feel anything until I saw the body. Now, I was filled with anger! What I hated even more was this centipede formation!

　　"See? This is what the woman you want to protect did." The Taoist said, throwing three human skins into the bonfire, and then took out a small bottle from his arms, opened it and poured it in. Suddenly, the flames jumped up high and burned violently.

　　"What are you doing?!" I was a little angry when I saw him burning the body.

　　The Taoist ignored me, made a hand gesture, and spoke to the fire. After a while, he turned around and said, "You don't want them to be left to die in the wilderness, do you? I have performed a simple ritual for them to help them to rest in peace."

　　Seeing that my expression eased a little, the Taoist asked, "How is it? Can you tell me now? You should think it through. Don't waste your bright future on a woman's belly! And don't be like them, who didn't even know how they died in the end!"

　　I knew whether I was intentionally trying to shield Yan Xinling or not, but the Taoist didn't know. He thought I was bewitched by her and was hiding it and refusing to tell her.

　　However, I think Yan Xinling's days are over! If she continues to act like this, she will definitely kill more people!

　　After thinking it over, I decided to make a deal with this Taoist.

　　After making sure there were no loopholes, I told him the conditions: "I can help you catch that woman, but you have to tell me something you know."

　　I didn't tell him that I knew Yan Xinling and that I knew they were fighting over the Centipede Formation.

　　It was obvious that the Taoist's goal was the Centipede Formation in Yan Xinling's hand. If I told him directly, he would definitely worry that I was trying to snatch it, and he would probably kill me before he found Yan Xinling.

　　"Oh? What's the matter?" The Taoist priest became interested when he saw that I had other intentions, but at the same time he became alert.

　　"I want you to tell me how to find the thousand-year-old barrier!" In fact, I have several questions in my mind, but after thinking about it, this one is the most reliable and practical.

　　If he can tell me how to find the thousand-year barrier, then my trip will not be in vain. After returning, as long as I can find it according to the method and send the centipede formation in, it will be a success.

　　As for Zhao Youde, I always felt that he was here for the centipede formation. As long as I destroyed that thing and then found a way to capture him, the legend of the centipede formation reappearing in the world would be put to an end. I could also go back with Zhang Shan in peace to find the silver slipper and fulfill my wish.

　　As for the wheel of fate, it is hard to say. It depends on whether God will give me face. At least I have to do what I can. How other things develop is not something I can control.

　　"What are you looking for that thousand-year barrier you haven't broken through?" When the Taoist saw that I knew so much, his alert level immediately increased.

　　"Don't ask me, and I won't ask you. As long as I help you catch that female ghost, we can each get what we want. You take what you want, and then tell me where the Thousand-Year-Old Impenetrable Gate is, and I'll leave right away!" Of course I wouldn't tell him what I wanted to do, and even if I did, he might not believe it.

　　"Haha, you're the only one who can do this? A poor scholar?" The Taoist took a step back, looked me up and down, and said, "How can you help me catch a female ghost?"

　　"Just this! Isn't it enough?" As I said that, I rolled up my sleeves and revealed the Wuwei Seal.

　　"You are the seal holder!!!" The Taoist was obviously surprised, and then asked: "How much do you know?!"

　　"I've said before, except for the thousand-year barrier, I don't care about anything else!" I didn't specify how much I knew, so it wasn't like I was lying to him.

　　"You just want to know why you can't break through the barrier for a thousand years?" The Taoist was obviously a little skeptical.

　　"No, it's about finding a way to last a thousand years! I think you should know." I corrected.

　　"That's all? You'll never break your promise?"

　　"I will never break my promise!"

　　"Okay!" said the Taoist, extending his right palm.

　　I was stunned for a moment before I realized that he wanted to high-five me. So I readily stretched out my right hand and clapped hands with him three times.

　　"Okay! Next..." The Taoist was about to say something when he heard a few eagle cries in the sky far ahead.

　　"Let's go! The prey has taken the bait!" The Taoist priest had my help, and was obviously full of confidence. He quickly walked towards the eagle's cry. I finally understood why Yan Xinling was being chased so closely by him. It turned out that there was such a "scout" in the sky.

　　After running for about two miles, they gradually heard the sound of gurgling water. The Taoist's face became more and more excited.

　　Finally, after running a few hundred meters, we found Yan Xinling in front of a stream.

　　At this moment, she was already dressed, but she was standing in front of the stream in a daze.

　　The stream was not very wide, only a few meters. I was wondering why she didn't dare to cross it, but the Taoist priest next to me smiled smugly and said, "Don't waste your energy, Fifth Concubine. I have already set up barriers upstream for hundreds of miles. You can't cross it!"

　　Yan Xinling turned around after hearing that. Although her expression was relatively normal, she couldn't hide a hint of panic.

　　Chapter 66: Dice Dream Romance (13)

　　"Hand over your things and I will let you go!" The Taoist was not in a hurry to attack Yan Xinling. Instead, he stood ten meters away from her, blocking all the woman's ways.

　　"Humph! Is it possible?" Although Yan Xinling had no way to escape, she refused to let go: "I have worked hard for ten years to achieve today's results. Give it to you? Don't dream!"

　　The Taoist laughed loudly as if he had heard a very funny joke. He pointed at Yan Xinling and said, "I have been chasing you for five years, and it was not until today that I forced you into a desperate situation. Do you think there is still hope of escaping?!"

　　"Then let's give it a try!" Yan Xinling said, and suddenly rushed upstream along the river.

　　When the Taoist saw her move, he immediately pressed forward. But no one expected that Yan Xinling and the other Taoists would stop where they were and then rush down to the river where I was.

　　Just with this sudden change of direction and stop, a standard basketball dribbling move, the Taoist was immediately slowed down by half a beat.

　　Seeing Yan Xinling rushing towards me, I immediately prepared myself and punched her. Of course, I used the power of the Wuwei Seal.

　　The woman had suffered from my punches before, so seeing the powerful force of this one, she dared not resist and retreated.

　　"You!!!" Yan Xinling ran up and down, then retreated back to where she was, pointing at me in anger and unable to speak. If it weren't for me just now, she might have really escaped.

　　The Taoist walked back, and looking at his expression, he was also quite scared. If Yan Xinling escaped again, it would be too late to catch her again. Moreover, the Hundred-legged Formation was at a critical juncture. If this female ghost really practiced it, he would probably be the one being chased everywhere.

　　"Why do you want to help him?!" Yan Xinling held it in for a long time, then glared at me with resentful eyes and asked.

　　"Because we are all human beings, and you are just a nightmare." I looked at her with a smile.

　　"Hmph! When a person is bad, no nightmare can compare to him! Be careful, or you might end up getting nothing and losing your life!" Yan Xinling shouted at me viciously.

　　"Don't bother worrying about this, Fifth Aunt. As long as you return my things to me, I will never go back on my word! I will let you go immediately. As for how to divide the benefits, we can discuss it between the two of us!" The Taoist was very careful in his words and did not mention the Centipede Formation in front of me.

　　"Then there's no room for negotiation!" Yan Xinling knew very well that if she didn't hand over the Centipede Formation, today would not end well. And she definitely wouldn't hand it over.

　　"Has Fifth Concubine really thought it through?" The Taoist was still asking the question, but he had already drawn the long sword from behind.

　　"Hey, Taoist, look at what you said! How dare I fight you?" The woman's face suddenly changed, and she instantly changed into a look and tone that was a hundred times more charming than before, and began to take off her clothes. "I am a weak woman, and it's only because you two have taken a liking to me. In this beautiful day, why don't we enjoy it first~ and then talk about the rest~!"

　　Her voice seemed to have a kind of fascinating power, and even I felt a little dazed when I heard it. The Taoist beside me had already made a secret move, with eyes on the nose and nose on the heart, and he was muttering something in a convincing manner.

　　At this time, Yan Xinling took off all her clothes again, took two steps forward and said, "Although I don't have a stunning appearance, I am good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Can I sing a song for you two to soothe your ears?"

　　After saying that, without waiting for us to express our opinions, she started singing.

　　After just two sentences, I knew what Yan Xinling was going to do. Her every move, every frown and every smile revealed strong sexual innuendo. He was trying to confuse the two of us so that he could escape or even kill us.

　　But I don’t understand why I am not affected by her charm. Although my mind is a little agitated sometimes, I have never lost my mind.

　　As Yan Xinling started to play the music, the Taoist's expression became even more serious. He even closed his eyes and concentrated on reciting something. But beads of sweat still oozed out of his forehead, and it was obvious that he was struggling to resist.

　　No! If this goes on, even if the Taoist doesn't die, I'm afraid he won't be able to catch Yan Xinling in the end. After thinking it over, I decided to help him and force Yan Xinling to stop singing. Then the Taoist's dilemma will be solved naturally.

　　So I squatted down and pulled out a handful of weeds from the ground. After straightening them, I used the Heavenly Round Power of the Fearless Seal to throw them towards Yan Xinling.

　　These weeds were like arrows, flying straight towards the woman's face at an extremely fast speed.

　　Although Yan Xinling kept watching me squatting, pulling out the weeds, straightening them, and throwing them out, she had no way to stop me, because if she moved, the music would inevitably be incoherent, and that would be a failure.

　　Her target was still the Taoist priest, because she knew I couldn't stop her.

　　Seeing the blade-like grass leaves flying towards her, Yan Xinling dared not to stand still any longer. After all, she didn't dare to bet on whether the things the seal holder sent out with the Wuwei Seal would cause harm or not.

　　As the woman sang, she tilted her head slightly when the rhythm slowed down, avoiding the grass leaves.

　　Don't underestimate this. Although she dodged easily, her singing stopped after all. The Taoist immediately seized this opportunity, raised his voice and chanted a few spells, then shouted: "Break!"

　　Yan Xinling's voice was interrupted again. This time, she knew that her singing was completely ineffective, so she simply stopped.

　　The Taoist finally got a break. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and didn't bother to talk, just breathing heavily.

　　"Since I'm destined not to escape today, I'll take two people with me!" Yan Xinling said, reaching behind her and taking out a one-foot square object that looked like a chessboard.

　　It was a centipede formation! And at this moment, the formation was inlaid with the Yin-transforming chicken blood stone!

　　Seeing the centipede formation, the Taoist's breathing, which had just been smooth, became rapid again. I knew this was a sign of impatience. But he couldn't rush in immediately, because if he was not careful, it would end up with both sides being destroyed.

　　"What? Are you scared?" Yan Xinling was quite satisfied when she saw our expressions, and continued, "Then I'll let you see the power of the Centipede Formation! Ahahahaha!"

　　As she spoke, she exerted force with her hands and threw the chess record into the air.

　　"Quick! Stop her!" I saw the Taoist still looking up in a daze. I hit him and rushed towards Yan Xinling.

　　Although I don't know what method can be used to activate the Centipede Formation, but since this woman has revealed it, there is only one purpose, which is to set up the formation.

　　The Taoist finally came back to his senses from his trance. He put his little finger in his mouth. After a sharp whistle, a huge black eagle suddenly flew from the sky.

　　The eagle's wingspan was two meters square. As the sound of the Taoist's whistle changed, it swooped down to the Zhenpu in mid-air, then lifted itself up, grabbing the Zhenpu with its claws without deviation. After circling in the sky, it flew to the Taoist's side.

　　“Hahaha! Didn’t expect that, did you?” The Taoist took the spell sheet dropped by Black Hawk and held it in his hand, feeling extremely proud: “My centipede formation is finally back! Let’s see what you can use to fight me?! Ahahahaha!”

　　After Yan Xinling was shocked, she was left with endless regret. She had never expected that the situation, which seemed to be about to win, would suddenly take a turn for the worse, and she didn't even have the chance to show her trump card before she was defeated.

　　"Okay, I've given you the formation map, can I go now?" Yan Xinling finally gave up after struggling repeatedly. Obviously, she was destined to not be able to take it back in front of the two of us.

　　As the saying goes, if you have the green mountains, you will never run out of firewood. This woman is quite smart.

　　"Wait!" Yan Xinling had just taken a step forward, and I was still struggling whether to let her go, but the Taoist stopped me and said, "Did I tell you to leave? Besides, it seems that you didn't hand over the formation manual on your own initiative, did you?"

　　Chapter 67: Dice Dream Romance (14)

　　"What do you want? Do you think your words don't count?!" Yan Xinling suddenly became nervous.

　　Indeed, if the Taoist insisted on not letting go now, she would have no way out.

　　"Master, please forgive her when you can. As long as she swears not to hurt anyone again in the future, let her go." Although I was helping the Taoist, he went back on his word and it was embarrassing for me.

　　"Haha, I didn't say I wouldn't let her go." The Taoist looked at me and smiled, "But, ask her not to hurt others in the future, can you ask her if she can do it?"

　　I stared at Yan Xinling, waiting for her answer.

　　But she refused to speak.

　　"So, if you let her go, it will hurt others. Should you protect those innocent people? Or should you protect her? You choose!" It seems that the Taoist has already made an excuse and he doesn't worry that I won't help him.

　　"Then what do you want to do with her?" I was a little confused. If I keep her, it won't go against our earlier promise; but if I let her go, I'm afraid she will hurt others again.

　　Yan Xinling probably already knew how to practice the Hundred-Foot Array. Who can guarantee that she wouldn't practice another one if the Taoist took it away? If that were the case, it would be a big sin to let her go!

　　"You can give her freedom, but you can't let her come into contact with mortals anymore. This is the only way to fundamentally stop her from continuing to harm people." What the Taoist said made a lot of sense, and even I didn't know how to object.

　　"You mean..." I began to understand. He wanted to give me some space, but he couldn't have any contact with ordinary people. Could it be that he wanted to...

　　“Haha, lock her up in here! It’s her only place to go!” said the Taoist, holding up the Centipede Formation’s suppression pattern.

　　"No! I won't go! I promise you, I will never kill anyone again! I will never practice the Centipede Formation again! You can ask me to do anything! Just don't lock me up!" Yan Xinling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly changed her expression when she heard that she was going to be locked up in the formation. She kept backing away while speaking.

　　"Humph!" The Taoist held up the book of punishment, and then pressed forward and said, "You don't want to return these hundreds of lives? Who will? I will never let you stay in this world!"

　　"Is there no other way? I don't think this thing is a good thing. If you lock her up again, won't it add to the evil?" I followed the Taoist priest and spoke as if I didn't know the situation.

　　"Are you just going to continue watching her harm the people?!" The Taoist suddenly turned around and yelled at me.

　　"Hmph! That's a very high-sounding statement." After a brief moment of anxiety, Yan Xinling regained her composure. "Back then, you came to me in order to break through the bottleneck of the Hundred-legged Formation! Don't you think I don't know? Even if I'm a nightmare and you're a human, aren't our goals the same? It's just that I kill people directly, and you kill people through me!"

　　"Haha, no one forced you. You chose your own path. Now you blame me. Isn't that a bit far-fetched?" The Taoist was not angry. He blocked Yan Xinling with just one sentence.

　　Yes, if she had not been greedy back then, maybe she would still be the most favored fifth concubine in the Cheng Mansion. She would not have died, and she would not have practiced the Hundred-foot Formation.

　　Everyone who has come to this point today should not blame others. Flies don't bite seamless eggs. Examine yourself more often. What is wrong? Because no one forces you. If you don't want to, what can you do even if you point a gun at your head?

　　As the saying goes, don't blame others for adding to your worries. If you do good things and do a good job, how can you worry?

　　"Okay! I admit it! I know that I chose my own path, but are you just going to watch him complete the centipede formation?" Yan Xinling seemed to have given up hope, but the last sentence was said to me.

　　"I..." I didn't know how to answer her. This woman had indeed done too many evil things. It would not be unfair to beat her to death. After all, dozens of lives had died in her hands. Although I was reluctant to lock her up in the centipede formation, I had already sworn with the Taoist priest that I would not ask for anything other than the information I wanted.

　　"Donor, please think twice. We have an agreement!" The Taoist reminded me at the right time.

　　Yes! If I regret it now, how can I explain it?

　　Seeing that I was about to get the information about the thousand-year-old barrier, how could I give up? !

　　"That's enough! I'm content with what you said just now! I know that I have committed many sins, but if you let me enter the formation, I would rather disappear into thin air!" Seeing that I didn't say anything, Yan Xinling knew that her only hope was shattered.

　　After saying that, she smiled at me, turned around, and jumped into the stream in front of her.

　　Without any sound, Yan Xinling's body was like a bubble. The moment it touched the water surface, it instantly shattered and turned into countless tiny particles, flowing downwards along with the trickle.

　　"What happened to her?" I rushed to the river, but couldn't find any information about this woman, so I couldn't help asking.

　　"The Three Pure Remains is the supreme barrier of Taoism. Any soul nightmare that encounters it can only go around it but not break through, otherwise it will end up being reduced to ashes." The Taoist walked up to my side and said while looking at the pitch-black night on the other side of the river.

　　"Okay, I helped you get the Hundred-foot Formation. I've done what I said. Can you keep your promise?" I didn't want to say anything more to the Taoist. This combination was originally a deal. Although I eliminated a nightmare that did many evil things, the person I helped was not a good person either.

　　Yan Xinling brought this upon herself, but the Taoist's instigation was the key. It was he who pushed Yan Xinling step by step into the abyss.

　　I don’t know how to evaluate myself. Did I do the right thing or the wrong thing?

　　"Oh?! Look at my memory! I almost forgot! Come, come closer and listen!" The Taoist put away the book, pretended to be embarrassed, raised one hand to his mouth, and waited for me to put my ear closer.

　　I was anxious to know the information about the thousand-year-old barrier, so I slowly turned my head and approached the Taoist without suspecting any trickery.

　　Just as I got close to his mouth, I felt a chill in my chest. I looked down and saw that a delicate dagger had been completely embedded in my left chest, with only the handle sticking out.

　　"You..." I pulled back and looked at the Taoist in front of me in disbelief.

　　Why did he want to kill me?!

　　“Haha, are you wondering why I want to kill you?” The Taoist loosened his hand, leaving the dagger in my chest, and then said, “I’m sorry, I broke my promise! I think you know what we have robbed, and I also know what kind of impact a thousand years of impenetrable barriers can have on the centipede formation. So, based on these two reasons alone, I can’t let you go!”

　　I finally understood that sometimes the truth can really be regarded as a lie by others.

　　This is like me asking a murderer where the government office is. Even if I repeatedly assure him that I am not going there to report him but for other reasons, he will not believe me.

　　So, in order to avoid future troubles, he had no choice but to kill me.

　　Alas... I have been very careful not to mention the word centipede formation, but I can control my own mouth but I can't control Yan Xinling's.

　　However, the Taoist wanted to kill me, and I'm afraid it wasn't just after he heard about the leak of the centipede formation. Earlier, he burned the bodies of the three hunters in the ruined temple, saying that it was for salvation. I felt something was wrong at the time.

　　Now I finally remembered why Yan Xinling wanted to kill them? Wasn't it to practice the Hundred-legged Formation? Since all the nightmare souls were taken into the formation, what else could be saved? !

　　In other words, the Taoist did this just to pretend to be a righteous person and gain my trust.

　　He is indeed a person who thinks things through carefully and does everything perfectly!!!

　　The clue can be seen from the fact that he tried every means to get Yan Xinling to practice formation for him.

　　"Now that you understand, let's get going! This time I promise you that I will give you a complete Soul Nightmare and I won't charge you. It's my reward. Hahaha!" After the Taoist finished speaking, he reached out and pulled out the dagger, wiped the blood off my coat and put it in his arms. He ignored me who was still standing and turned around to walk upstream along the stream.

　　Chapter 68: Dice Dream Romance (15)

　　Damn it! I was really careless this time!

　　I've been busy for so long, but I'm just making things easier for others! What's the difference between me and Yan Xinling? !

　　Watching the Taoist's back as he walked away, I felt that the signs of life were also fading away. Fortunately, he didn't wait to collect his soul. But it's a pity for this scholar, who died in an unclear way... and those three hunters... Oh...

　　The body finally collapsed and fell into the stream.

　　Fourth Generation

　　I was awakened by a loud noise. I looked up and saw that this was definitely the most crowded scene I had ever seen! It seemed like a market, with vendors selling vegetables, fruits, snacks, etc.

　　Both sides of the street.

　　Those who come to the market are also pushing and choosing the goods they need.

　　At this moment, I was sitting in a relatively remote corner of the market. There was a table in front of me. In addition to writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, there was also a tortoise shell, several copper coins and a bronze mirror.

　　A gust of wind blew, and something seemed to be rustling in my ears. Turning my head, I saw a small flag supported by a wooden stick stuck behind me, with four big characters "Iron Mouth Divination" written on it.

　　Oh~~~It turns out it’s another fortune teller this time!

　　But what I really don't understand is why sometimes I can control this body, and sometimes I can only stare at it. However, based on my experience in previous lives, this has a lot to do with the thoughts of the owner of the body.

　　I won’t talk about the first life because I was too young. In the second life, I came when the child named “You’er” was about to die or had just died, so his thoughts left and my thoughts came in. But in the third life, I could only control the scholar after he fell asleep.

　　In this life... I took my pulse - it was beating, which means I'm not dead.

　　Since he's not dead, he's probably asleep.

　　I picked up the bronze mirror on the table and looked at myself. ... Alas, it was really difficult for him to have such a noble appearance. He had a mustache, dead fish eyes, a flat nose, and a mole at the corner of his mouth, and there was even hair growing on the mole.

　　Putting down the mirror, I thought to myself: Forget it, just pretend I didn’t see anything just now.

　　Just when I was feeling uncomfortable, three people walked past me, talking.

　　"Wait!" I shouted when I heard their voices.

　　"Huh? Is the Taoist priest calling us?" The three men turned around, and the bearded man in the middle looked at me and asked.

　　I also stared at the three of them, not knowing what was going on.

　　I didn't recognize the two people next to me, but the bearded man in the middle was clearly one of the three hunters I met in my previous life! However, he was not wearing hunting clothes at this time, but a coarse cloth shirt.

　　I also heard it from their voices when they passed by.

　　What on earth is going on? Is time going backwards? Why did someone who was clearly dead in the previous life appear again? Or did I see it wrong when I came in? I went through the fourth life first, and this is the third life?

　　That shouldn't be the case! If I could watch it backwards, Mr. Qian would have just let me watch the last life. Why would he go through so much trouble? I died twice!

　　"Master?" Seeing that I was staring at them in a daze without saying anything, the bearded man waved his hand in front of my eyes and said, "If you have nothing to do, we will leave now!"

　　"Sir, wait a moment!" When I saw them were about to leave, I finally came to my senses and in my excitement I even used the later generations' way of addressing ordinary men.

　　"Sir?" The bearded man was also stunned, then he looked at me and smiled, "You are the first person who calls me Sir in my entire life! I didn't expect that a rough guy like me who has lived for more than 30 years and can't even write my own name, still has people calling me Sir!" After that, several people laughed.

　　I didn't feel embarrassed at all. Since I met them, it didn't matter who was in front and who was behind, I would help them if I could. After all, there were three lives at stake!

　　"Come! Let me tell you your fortune!" I thought of what to say and asked them to come to my stall.

　　"Come on! You should look for those rich young men and women. Who would come to tell fortunes for poor people like us?" The bearded man said with a frown when he saw me getting ready.

　　"Haha, I won't charge you any money. It's all free!" I was trying to save them, so it was also a favor to repay them, so naturally I wouldn't ask for money.

　　"Then we won't watch it either!" said a young man next to the bearded man.

　　"Haha, if I'm not mistaken, this brother's last name should be Ma, right?" I pinched my fingers pretentiously and said casually.

　　Actually, I didn’t know the bearded guy’s name. I didn’t ask him when we were drinking together, and he didn’t tell me. But when we went to sleep, another young man shouted to him, “Brother Ma, sleep inside. It’s less windy and warmer there!” I happened to hear it.

　　"How did you know?!" The three people were surprised to see that I was right, and surrounded me without waiting to be greeted.

　　"Haha, don't ask, this is a secret!" I pretended to be profound and said, "Actually, when I saw you three, I knew you were eating mountain food. There's nothing extra, I'll just tell you one thing, make sure you remember it!"

　　Hunters naturally eat mountain food. I said this on purpose, on the one hand to increase the sense of mystery, and on the other hand to throw out something else so that they can completely believe me.

　　"Please tell us! We will keep it in mind!" The bearded man no longer had a playful expression on his face, and said seriously.

　　"Okay! Be sure to remember this!" I said, rolling up my sleeves to reveal the Wuwei Seal on my right wrist.

　　Anyway, I have discovered that in every life, it must be the person who holds the seal who speaks.

　　"If one day in the future, you are hunting in the mountains and meet someone with the same mark on his wrist as me at night, remember to leave him immediately, the farther the better! And never go back! This concerns your life!" I said, raising my arm and putting it in front of his face so that he can see it clearly.

　　After seeing off the bearded man who thanked me profusely, I didn't feel relieved because I didn't know if my advice would work. But he died anyway, perhaps because he didn't remember my advice.

　　But since he is in front of me, I cannot help but say these words.

　　It seems that everything is God's will.

　　Perhaps what modern theologians say makes some sense. Human reincarnation is not restricted by time and space and can take place in any era and any place.

　　Of course, it may be that I am the only one who does not follow the time rules.

　　I was staring at the bearded man's receding back in a daze when a group of people dressed similarly passed by him and walked towards me.

　　"Zhou Tiezui?" A man who looked like a leader asked me after they stood in front of the stall.

　　"Ah?" I was unable to react and didn't know how to answer.

　　"What? Don't you know who you are? Our master wants to see you! Bring your stuff and come with us! Don't worry, you will get the money for the divination!" It is obvious that this head of the family is used to being arrogant. He has no manners at all and speaks very rudely.

　　"Who is your master?" I was still not used to my current identity, so I asked with the attitude of knowing as much as possible.

　　"Why are you talking so much nonsense? You'll know once you get there!" The head of the family guards finally lost his patience and came up to pull me away.

　　Chapter 69: Dice Dream Romance (16)

　　Seeing that he was about to use violence, I naturally would not stand idly by. I exerted force on my arm and the guy flew out sideways.

　　There was a loud crackling sound, and a nearby stall selling porcelain was smashed to pieces.

　　"Ouch! Old man, I think you are looking for death! Come on! Beat him half to death first! Leave half of him to go back to see the master!" Rubbing his sore butt and standing up, the head of the family generals gave the order to launch a general attack on me.

　　As soon as he raised his hand just now, I realized that this fortune teller must have practiced before, and might have some understanding of the Wuwei Seal.

　　The family guards immediately rushed up and pounced on me.

　　At first I just dodged, not wanting to make a big fuss, which would have hindered my search for clues. But the more these guys couldn't hit me, the angrier they became, with some holding knives, carrying poles, and benches, all trying to kill me.

　　Since they want my life, don't blame me for killing them, otherwise all my fortune-telling skills will be wasted.

　　I have never learned martial arts and I don't know how to fight, but these people's movements were not fast in my eyes, so it was easy to avoid them.

　　I had no choice but to follow suit and imitate the boxing matches on TV. I first dodged and then rushed out with a punch from the side.

　　After about ten seconds, these five or six generals were all knocked to the ground by me without exception.

　　Of course, I didn't attack too hard, they just couldn't continue to attack hard at the moment.

　　"You...just wait and see!" The leader of the family saw that the few of them were not enough for one dish of mine, so he ignored his subordinates lying on the ground and yelling, and ran to the end of the market, covering his butt.

　　After the battle, all the vendors nearby gathered around and said, "Zhou Tiezui, you've gotten into big trouble this time! Run away! The Cheng family is the richest family in this area of ​​500 miles. Even the prefect has to bow and scrape when he sees them. If you provoke them, they will tear you into pieces..."

　　"Wait! Whose house are you talking about?" I asked, grabbing the arm of someone next to me.

　　"The Cheng family!"

　　"...Cheng family...How many wives does the old man of the Cheng family have? What is his son's name?" I thought of the Cheng family in my second life. Could it be the same thing?

　　"The fourth room! His favorite son is called Cheng Tianyou." This person had a weird look on his face. I was about to die, but he was still interested in asking these things.

　　"Oh..." I suddenly realized, have we really returned to ten years ago? This is too chaotic!

　　"Let's go! It will be too late if we don't leave now!" Seeing that I was still standing there in a daze, the people around me helped me pack up my things and pushed me to go out.

　　“Don’t be anxious! I’m not going anywhere!…” I protested, but there were too many “kind-hearted people” and they pushed and shoved me to the entrance of the market.

　　Although it is easy to knock them down, they are kind-hearted after all, how can I bring myself to do this!

　　I was just wondering why I couldn't get them to help me. A group of people came running from a distance. They looked like constables. They were dressed the same as those in TV dramas, with a big "Capture" character on their chests. The head of the Cheng family's guards followed behind them.

　　"Catch him!" When the gang saw me, one of them who looked like a leader shouted, and then a group of detectives rushed up.

　　The people who had helped me before immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

　　"Zhou Tiezui, someone reported you for beating civilians in the street? Is this true?" The person who shouted earlier saw that I was tied up obediently, and his face felt proud, and he spoke more kindly.

　　I had no intention of resisting. Since I knew it was the Cheng Mansion, I had to go there. Because I could find out about the Taoist who sold the Hundred Legs Formation to them.

　　I weighed it up and thought that with my current physical condition, it would probably be difficult for me to defeat the Taoist priest from ten years ago.

　　Little guy, I will destroy you this time! I will also pry out the information of the thousand-year-old barrier from your teeth.

　　"That's right!" I agreed readily.

　　"Ah..." This time it was their turn to be stunned. They thought I would make some excuses, but who knew I would confess without even being tortured.

　　"Ahem... well~" The captain coughed while covering his mouth to hide his embarrassment, and said, "Since you admit it, I won't make it difficult for you. I'll give you two choices. Either you go to Mr. Cheng's house and have your fortune told or have your feng shui checked; or you come back to the yamen with us. Make your choice!"

　　"Then... I'll go to Cheng's house." I pretended to be reluctant. If I said I really wanted to go, it would be inconsistent with what I said just now.

　　"That's it! It would have been better if you had just followed me obediently, but you had to be tied up now. I tell you, once you enter the Cheng Mansion, you can't act like a donkey again. If you anger Mr. Cheng, no one can protect you! Also, you have to pay for breaking so many of their things! No matter how much Mr. Cheng rewards you, you have to give half of it to compensate for their losses!" The captain kept instructing me on the way.

　　Escorted by a group of constables, they left the market, turned a few street corners, and came to a relatively spacious and sparsely populated road. There was a large courtyard in the distance, but only a few corners of the building could be seen from the outside, all blocked by the green courtyard wall.

　　When we arrived at the main entrance, the gate was closed, with a large gilded plaque with the words "Cheng Mansion" inscribed on it. There were lanterns hanging on the pillars next to it, and a few servants standing below to guard the gate.

　　A constable came forward to inform the servant, and after a while, the side door opened, and several people planned to force me in.

　　"Wait! I want to ask you a question." Although they were pulling me, I refused to leave. I stood there and said, "Did Mr. Cheng invite me here? If so, please untie me first and I will go in by myself. If not, I'm sorry, I'd better go back!" After saying that, I turned around and wanted to leave, and several people couldn't stop me.

　　"Okay, okay! I'll untie you!" The captain had no choice but to agree.

　　In fact, I behaved very obediently to him along the way, and even hinted that part of the reward money from the Cheng Mansion would be used specifically to honor him. This guy was very happy and kept praising me for being sensible.

　　Anyway, the money is not mine and I can’t take it with me. It doesn’t matter who I give it to.

　　After I was untied, the captain repeatedly told me to behave myself and that he would be waiting outside. He seemed to be very responsible, but in fact he was afraid that I would run away after I got out and not get any benefits.

　　I straightened my clothes again, and put all the things that the people at the market had helped me put away into a large saddle bag, which was carried on the back of a servant as he led me into the mansion.

　　Walking on the side corridor, I still remember some of the scenery inside the palace.

　　Soon, we arrived at the front hall, which was right in front of the hall where we had dinner together last time.

　　The hall was full of servants, and sitting in the middle was Master Cheng, looking exactly the same as the last time I saw him.

　　"Hahahaha, Zhou Tiezui! They say you have a weird temper, but seeing is believing!" Master Cheng saw me from afar and laughed, "You didn't even take the money when it was handed to you, which shows how weird you are! Someone, come here! Find a seat and serve tea!"

　　"But your way of hiring people really broadens my horizons." I couldn't help but say sarcastically after sitting down.

　　"Haha!" Master Cheng laughed even more exaggeratedly. "Those bastards deserve to be punished. They think they can walk around like a tyrant in my Cheng Mansion? Little do they know that there are always people who are better than you. Good job! We have to teach them a lesson!"

　　Seeing that I smiled but said nothing, Master Cheng continued, "Okay, let's get back to the point and tell me why I invited you here today."

　　Chapter 70: Dice Dream Romance (17)

　　Seeing that I smiled but said nothing, Master Cheng said, "Okay, let's get back to the point and tell me why I invited you here today." He didn't look at me, but looked up at the eaves and continued, "As you can see, my house was built only a few years ago. Although it covers nearly a hundred acres, it has not been peaceful this year. People in the house have fallen ill one after another, and no matter how many doctors we have invited, it's useless. This time, it's my youngest son again. I have no other intention in inviting you here. I heard that you have traveled a lot and have seen a lot. Come and see if there is anything dirty in this house, or it would be good to ask for something to protect the house."

　　"Can I ask a question first?" When Master Cheng said this, I basically understood what was going on. At this time, he was eager to find someone to look at the Feng Shui of the house or to ward off evil spirits. So the Taoist came here and sold the centipede formation to him, saying it was a magical artifact.

　　"Just ask!" Mr. Cheng said readily.

　　"Has a wandering Taoist priest ever been to your house?" I thought about it and could only ask this. However, judging from the current situation, it is more likely that he has not come yet. Otherwise, he would not have invited me.

　　After asking this question, everyone looked at me strangely.

　　After a long while, Master Cheng finally said, "Aren't you a wandering Taoist priest? You have been in our city for more than two months. Everyone within a radius of ten miles knows that there is an iron-mouthed Taoist priest!"

　　I was stunned, and looked down. Isn't this a Taoist robe? There is a big bagua embroidered in gold thread on the chest.

　　I am that Taoist?!

　　impossible!!!

　　He doesn't have the Wuwei seal on his arm , but I do. This thing can't be removed just by saying it.

　　Besides, I just looked in the mirror and there is no similarity between us at all, and I am not two meters tall.

　　He waved his hand and dismissed this ridiculous idea.

　　"Haha, could it be that Master Zhou had his head hit by my men?" Master Cheng joked when he saw my strange behavior.

　　"Do you want me to... look at the Feng Shui?" I forced myself not to think about so many messy things and deal with the current situation first.

　　"Yes, it's a good prediction. I will give you ten times the fee!" Mr. Cheng agreed generously.

　　"Then...shall I take a look around first?" I stood up as I spoke.

　　In fact, it doesn't matter whether I see it or not. I just need time to think of a way to fool Mr. Cheng. Then after I go out, I can either wait for or look for the Taoist priest.

　　After walking around the mansion, I pretended that I had come up with a plan. I remember that I put all the things in my bag in a bag. I would go back and take one of them and say it was something that could temporarily block the disaster. I also warned them that there would be a disaster in the mansion soon, but my magic power was limited, so they should seek help from others. Then I went out and waited for the Taoist priest to come. When the time came, I would beat him up so that he couldn't take care of himself!

　　After thinking of a solution, I didn't feel like continuing to shop, so I went back to the front hall to get my knapsack.

　　"Master Cheng, I have taken a general look at the situation of your mansion. This is not a Feng Shui problem, but an evil spirit has occupied this mansion." I sat down, took a sip of tea, and began to talk nonsense to him: "I just happened to see a few mysteries and was able to discover them."

　　"Ah?!" Master Cheng's face changed drastically when he heard what I said. He stood up, walked in front of me and said, "Does the Heavenly Master have any way to drive away that evil spirit?"

　　"Alas, to be honest with you." I pretended to be helpless and said, "I am not well-trained and my magic power is low, so I can't compete with him. I hope you can find someone else to help me." Seeing his face turn gloomy, I hurriedly continued, "However, I have a small thing here that can ensure that your family will be safe within one day and no bloodshed within three days. I am giving it to you as a gift, as a little compensation for my incompetence!"

　　After that, I reached into my bag and took out the biggest thing. I handed it to Master Cheng and said, "This thing can take care of a hundred acres. Just hang it on the beam in the hall... Oh! No!!!!!"

　　As I was speaking, I lowered my head to glance at the thing in my hand, then immediately took it back and gave Mr. Cheng, who was holding out his hand to take it, a long wait.

　　It’s not that I’m stingy, but the thing in my hand… is the formation diagram of the Centipede Formation! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

　　Damn it! What the hell is going on?! Am I really that Taoist priest?!

　　That's not right! He and I are totally different!

　　But why is the formation diagram of the Hundred-legged Formation in my hands? ! ! !

　　I have no way to explain what is happening before my eyes! But the formation map in my hand tells me that this is all real!

　　"Zhou Tiezui! What do you mean?!" When Master Cheng saw me taking back the thing I handed to him, he couldn't save face anymore. He asked me with a sullen face.

　　"No! I can't give you this! Let's change it. I took the wrong one, the wrong one!" I said as I quickly stuffed the formation map back, wanting to find another one to give him.

　　But Master Cheng held my hand and said, "What if I really want this?"

　　It seemed that he mistakenly thought that this was a good thing and was reluctant to give it to him.

　　I also stood up and said to him in all seriousness: "This thing is an ominous thing. I really took it by mistake just now. You must believe me!"

　　"Really? Are you afraid that I can't afford the money?" Mr. Cheng smiled and waved his hand.

　　A servant came up behind him. Master Cheng didn't avoid me and said to the servant, "Go and ask!" After receiving the order, the servant turned around and left.

　　"Master Cheng, listen to me, I really don't mean that..."

　　"One thousand taels of silver, is that enough?" Old Master Cheng interrupted me directly.

　　"This is such an ominous thing!" I definitely can't sell it to him!

　　"Two thousand taels!" Mr. Cheng continued to bid.

　　At this time, the servant came out from the back again, walked behind Master Cheng, and said, "That's exactly it!"

　　"Are you sure?"

　　"Absolutely not!"

　　"Okay!!!" After hearing this, Master Cheng said to me without blinking, "One hundred thousand taels!!!"

　　I was so careless that I took out something I had never seen before without even looking at it.

　　At this moment, I really want to slap myself twice!

　　Since I can't make you talk, let's go! If I give you the centipede formation, wouldn't I be the culprit? !

　　So I ignored Mr. Cheng, put the bag on my shoulder, and started to walk out.

　　"Hmph! Zhou Tiezui, the Cheng Mansion is not a place where you can come and go as you please!" When Master Cheng saw that I was about to leave, he stepped back, clapped his hands, and dozens of people rushed out and surrounded me.

　　I looked at the scene and to be honest, I didn't take it seriously. I still had confidence in this fortune-telling skill. One person against dozens of people would just take a little more effort.

　　At this time, Master Cheng behind the human wall finally advised me: "Zhou Tiezui, if you know what's good for you, just leave that thing behind. I will return you the 100,000 silver coins without losing a cent. But if you are still so stubborn, and I force you to take it away, I won't have that much money to give you!"

　　"Do you know what this thing in my hand is? Are you coming to snatch it?" I didn't want to argue with him about whether to sell it or not. What's the point of arguing with someone who can't buy it but snatches it away?

　　But I always have a feeling that Mr. Cheng seems to have some plan for stealing the centipede formation.

　　Chapter 71: Dice Dream Romance (18)

　　"I don't need to know, are you determined not to sell it?" Mr. Cheng was too lazy to argue with me anymore.

　　"Not for sale!" Actually, I feel the same way. If you want to fight, fight early. Why say so much nonsense!

　　"Okay! Listen to my order! No matter if this man is dead or alive, you must snatch his things first! Whoever gets it first will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!" Master Cheng issued the order for the general attack.

　　"Yes!" After the family generals agreed loudly, they rushed towards me like hungry tigers.

　　This group of family generals are obviously not comparable to those servants just now. They are very agile and it seems that they have practiced more or less.

　　I still used the standard boxing posture, moving among the crowd and knocking them down with a punch when I got the chance.

　　In less than a minute, more than twenty people were lying on the ground.

　　Since the other side had more people, I didn't hold back this time and made sure to kill them one at a time without getting up again.

　　After a while, the open space in front of the hall was filled with people lying down. I almost had no place to stand. Only the outermost circle was left with a few people standing here and there.

　　"Hahahaha! Come on! Do you think you're great just because you have more people?" I was in high spirits fighting, and when I saw that they had lost their morale, I couldn't help but provoke them.

　　When I was young, I was weak and was bullied by others all day long. I have never had such a good fight since I was a child. I didn't expect to have such a good time here.

　　"A bunch of useless trash! Charge!" Master Cheng angrily supervised the battle in the hall, but his soldiers were already frightened out of their wits, and none of them dared to move forward.

　　"Haha! Old man, stop yelling that useless thing." I was so proud that I forgot who I was. In fact, this fortune teller was about the same age as Mr. Cheng. "I think you should come down. Let's have a fight. Maybe you have a chance to win." I said and walked towards him.

　　As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. Although I don't want to hurt him, I have to ask the old man to help clear the way when I leave the Cheng Mansion today.

　　But after just two steps, I stopped. Although I was a little out of breath, I felt my heart throbbing, as if it was going to go on strike.

　　No good!!! They poisoned the tea!

　　I remembered that after I "inspected" the house just now, I drank the tea they handed to me.

　　But why did they want to harm me? At that time, when we were still a couple, they wouldn't have done such a thing, right?

　　My heart was beating fast and slow, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I couldn't even walk at this point, and everything in front of me was blurry.

　　No! I must destroy the centipede formation first! While I was still conscious, I sat down on the ground and took out the formation map from my bag.

　　I wanted to smash it with force, but I had no strength in my hands.

　　The guards of the Cheng Mansion had already noticed the abnormality here. They rushed over one by one and pressed me to the ground.

　　And the centipede formation fell in front of me.

　　In my blurred vision, I saw a tall figure coming from far away, approaching me and picking up the centipede formation.

　　"No... don't touch it... this is... an ominous thing!" I said intermittently using my last bit of strength.

　　"You poisoned me?!" At this time, it seemed that Master Cheng also walked over and asked the tall man. The height difference between the two was almost half. It can be seen how tall this man is!

　　...Could it be that "telephone pole"!!!

　　The master finally spoke, and his voice was familiar: "He is my master, how could I do such a thing? He has a problem with his heart."

　　Damn it! It was a heart attack! I lost because of a heart attack when I was sure to win!

　　Also, that "telephone pole" turned out to be the fortune teller's apprentice!

　　I couldn't help but feel sorry for the fortune teller. Why did he accept such a wicked person as his apprentice? However, maybe the fortune teller's mind was not righteous, otherwise how could he have a hundred-legged formation?

　　At this time, "Telephone Pole" walked up to me and helped me up.

　　At such a close distance, I could see the face of the person in front of me clearly. Who else could it be but the guy who stabbed me? !

　　"Master, rest in peace!" said the electric pole, then stretched out his big hands and covered my mouth and nostrils.

　　I was filled with hatred! I died twice at the hands of this bastard!

　　I was just about to use my last bit of strength to bite him, but suddenly I felt my soul being pulled out of my body, moving further and further away from my body, floating straight into the darkness.

　　"Wow!" I finally felt like I could breathe again, and I sat up and gasped for air. I almost suffocated to death just now!

　　"Uncle Master, you're awake!" Zhang Shan's familiar voice rang in my ears. I opened my eyes and saw that I was back! At this moment, I was lying on the sofa in Song Dongfeng's office, with Zhang Shan sitting next to me.

　　"Well...how long have I slept?" I asked Zhang Shan, trying my best to put aside the memories of my dream.

　　"Three days." Zhang Shan counted with his hands, and then continued excitedly: "I originally planned to let you finish the dream, but my uncle just caught a big fish, and things may be much easier to deal with later, so I decided to wake you up temporarily. After all, the dream of the dice is not as safe as the real world."

　　"Fishing? What fish?" I didn't understand what he meant.

　　"Haha, come on, let's go and take a look!" Zhang Shan said, helping me up from the sofa and said, "I think you will be very happy to see this fish!"

　　Confused, I followed Zhang Shan out of Song Dongfeng's office. It was already dark. We walked through the courtyard and came to the City God Temple.

　　Although I slept for such a long time, I didn't have any adverse reactions except that my legs felt a little weak. After a few steps, the blood flowed faster, and I pushed away Zhang Shan's support and tried to walk on my own.

　　Then we came to the open space behind the main hall, where the stone carvings of the twelve zodiac animals were. Although there was no light here, many flashlights were turned on. There were at least 20 to 30 people standing there, including Mr. Qian, Captain Yang, and Liu Yunlong. Even Song Dongfeng, who had just been injured, came back with an arm hanging.

　　As I gradually got used to the darkness outside, I realized that there was another person squatting among them. As I got closer, I saw this person and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Mr. Wu?!"

　　The one squatting in the middle was Wu Guoxiao! At this moment, he was being held down by the armed police soldier Chen Dong and Liu Yunlong, with a depressed expression.

　　"Why are you here? Why are you arresting him?" The first question I asked was to Wu Guoxiao, and the second question was to Captain Yang and the others.

　　"Remember that Mr. Qian asked people to patrol outside?" Captain Yang took over my conversation and said, "Just now, two soldiers on duty went around the northeast corner of the City God Temple and saw this guy burning paper and incense at the foot of the wall, so they pulled him back."

　　"Today is the seventh day after my wife's death. Can't I burn some paper to commemorate her?" Although Wu Guoxiao was controlled, he was not convinced. He also knew that if he just burned paper and lit incense, we couldn't do anything to him.

　　"Alright! Let's all disperse!" Mr. Qian said at this time: "Shanzi, go and wipe off the Luwu pattern on the snake's back. We will continue the last day of patrol tonight!"

　　Captain Yang immediately gave the order and we took Wu Guoxiao to Song Dongfeng's office.

　　On the way, I whispered to Zhang Shan, "What on earth is going on?"

　　Chapter 72: Just a Little Bit

　　"Haha, if we talk, Grand Master is still better!" Zhang Shan pulled me to a corner and whispered, "Grand Master saw the "Slaughter Membrane" on the snake's back that day and knew it was man-made. The reason why he didn't let it be wiped off was to catch the big fish of your boss..."

　　It turned out that three days ago, after I entered the dream, Mr. Qian immediately made some changes to the snake's back. After he added some things, the "Slaughter Me Mark" temporarily lost its effect during the day. Afterwards, the City God Temple ended the martial law on the surface, and it was still open to the public during the day, and the stone zodiac snake was no longer fenced off.

　　Because we don't know who is behind this, we can only do this for now. The purpose of the other party's killing pattern is simple, to create chaos, or to make a feint to the east and attack in the west, to confuse the audience.

　　But when the Luwu Mark loses its effect, they will definitely come to check. During the day, there are many people and eyes everywhere, and it is not safe to lie on the snake to check. So when they see that the Luwu Mark is still there, but it has lost its effect, they will definitely take remedial measures.

　　So the old man fully grasped the other party's psychology and sent people to patrol outside the City God Temple 24 hours a day.

　　Sure enough, this method worked wonders. Wu Guoxiao was caught red-handed while performing a spell outside. The old man said that he was performing a spell to strengthen the effectiveness of the Slaughter Mark.

　　"Did someone really teach him?" When I heard this, I basically understood everything, but an unfortunate news was also confirmed - Wu Guoxiao was probably used by Zhao Youde.

　　"Given your boss's stupid brain, do you think he learned everything on his own?" Zhang Shan said, and led me into Song Dongfeng's office.

　　At this time, Wu Guoxiao was sitting alone in the corner of the room. Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong, Chen Dong and I were sitting in the front, while the old man, Captain Yang, and Song Dongfeng were sitting on the sofa in the back.

　　"Tell me about it! Why are you here to burn paper for your wife? And today doesn't seem to be the seventh day yet?" Captain Yang naturally has an advantage in interrogation, and none of us, including the old man, can get a word in.

　　"What does it have to do with you where I want to burn it?" Wu Guoxiao stared at us fiercely and said, "My wife died tragically in the police station, and I haven't settled the score yet. How could you arrest me again in the blink of an eye? What are you going to do? Do you want to keep me quiet?!"

　　No one expected that Wu Guoxiao would be so good at making excuses. With just one sentence, he made Captain Yang so choked that he didn't know what to say.

　　After all, Tian Shangjun died in the police station, and the cause of death was unknown. Even if it was considered suicide, the police station allowed a person to commit suicide successfully under the surveillance of many parties, so they must be held responsible.

　　What's more, we all know it was murder, but as long as Wu Guoxiao denies it, there is nothing we can do. Yes, you said it was murder, but where is the suspect? Where is the murder weapon? Just eight bloody words on the wall? How can we explain it when we don't know who it was?

　　In short, the public will never understand this matter and will definitely stand on Wu Guoxiao's side. All the pressure is on Captain Yang and the police station.

　　"Haha, young man, do you think it's satisfying to be dominated by him? Do you know who that lame man in a suit is?" Seeing that Captain Yang had also lost his temper, Mr. Qian said while sitting on the sofa.

　　"What did you say? I don't understand!" Although Wu Guoxiao said this, his expression clearly showed a hint of surprise, because he probably didn't expect that we all knew Zhao Youde.

　　However, it can be seen from this expression that it was indeed Zhao Youde who was manipulating Wu Guoxiao behind the scenes.

　　"Do you know this person?" The old man said, and took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and threw it towards us. Zhang Shan took it and I saw that it was a two-inch black-and-white photo. The person on it was Zhao Youde.

　　Of course, this was taken when he was alive.

　　"...I don't know him." After Zhang Shan showed him, Wu Guoxiao denied it again.

　　"Let me tell you, he is not a human being now, he is a...ghost! You are just a chess piece of his. After he uses you, he will throw you away immediately!" Zhang Shan put away the photo and tried his best to speak in words that Wu Guoxiao could understand.

　　"Hmph! Are you trying to trick a three-year-old kid?" Wu Guoxiao said with disdain.

　　"Huh? I'm just curious! What benefits did they promise you to make you work so hard?!" Liu Yunlong had already become impatient and asked, pulling Wu Guoxiao's collar.

　　"Hmph!" My boss just ignored him and totally ignored this guy.

　　"You..." Liu Yunlong was not someone who could stand teasing, and he got angry all of a sudden.

　　"Xiao Liu, stop!" Captain Yang reminded him at the right time, preventing him from making any further plans.

　　At this time, Song Dongfeng came forward, holding a pile of things in his good left hand, and threw them on the small square table in front of Wu Guoxiao, saying, "Take a look, this is the real cause of your wife's death! There are confessions, signatures, and photos of the scene. Don't say we lied to you after reading this!"

　　It turned out that the cause of Tian Shangyun's death was suspicious. At the time, Wu Guoxiao was only given an official explanation, saying that she committed suicide by swallowing glass. The responsibility is still being further investigated. But he was not shown the specific circumstances or the crime scene.

　　From this pile of documents, from Tian Shangyun's confession to the photos taken at the scene, it can be basically determined that she was killed by Zhao Youde because she leaked the agreement with him.

　　Wu Guoxiao glanced at the pile of documents and didn't want to look at them, but the first one was a photo of Tian Shangyun's death scene, with eight blood-red characters on the wall: "If you go back on your word, you deserve to die." He hesitated for a moment, then finally picked up the documents and looked through them one by one.

　　We didn't say anything, and by the time he saw the end, his hands had already begun to tremble slightly.

　　"I...my wife...was killed by that man?" Wu Guoxiao finally put down the documents in his hand and asked us stutteringly.

　　"The facts are in front of us. I think there is no need to explain further, right?" Song Dongfeng said confidently.

　　"This... this is impossible! Mr. Zhao... Mr. Zhao is a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering! You lied to me! This is absolutely impossible!!!" Wu Guoxiao became more and more excited as he spoke, and suddenly he stood up by pressing the table.

　　Since there were three masters here, the old man, Zhang Shan, and Chen Dong, we did not handcuff Wu Guoxiao or anything like that. This was also to create a relatively relaxed interrogation environment, hoping that he would confess voluntarily.

　　After all, this guy was bewitched by Zhao Youde, and he didn't do it willingly.

　　"Sit down!" Seeing Wu Guoxiao suddenly get excited, Liu Yunlong took a step forward and tried to push him back into the chair.

　　"Impossible! I don't believe it! You are the murderer! Mr. Zhao will avenge Shang Jun! As long as he gets..." Wu Guoxiao refused to sit down, cursing and struggling.

　　But just as he got to the crucial point, Chen Dong suddenly punched the guy in the chest. He was out of breath, not only stopped talking, but also fell back into the chair.

　　"What did you say just now? What can Zhao Youde do as long as he gets it?" Zhang Shan also walked forward, stared at Wu Guoxiao who was sitting on the chair and gasping for breath, and asked sternly.

　　"I won't tell you!" Wu Guoxiao said breathlessly, covering his chest.

　　"Haha, okay! Just be stubborn, I have at least ten ways to make you talk!" Zhang Shan said, taking out several plastic tubes from his pocket.

　　I stretched my head to look and saw acupuncture needles, a tube filled with cotton balls, some black powder... and in another tube, there was a small insect that I couldn't name. It was long and thin, like a centipede, but it only had four short legs.

　　"You...what do you want to do?!" Wu Guoxiao saw these things and probably had a premonition that something unfortunate would happen to him. He trembled and tried to retreat. But Liu Yunlong and Chen Dong held him aside, making him unable to move.

　　Chapter 73: Traitor Appears

　　Looking at the things on the table, my scalp went numb, let alone Wu Guoxiao.

　　Zhang Shan pretended to open the tube of acupuncture needles, took it out and placed it in front of Wu Guoxiao, wiping them one by one, trying to deepen his fear and break down his psychological defenses.

　　"You...you are interrogating me by torture! Be careful or I will sue you!" Wu Guoxiao stared at the acupuncture needles intently, with beads of sweat already seeping out of his forehead.

　　"Sorry, I'm a policeman, he's not!" Liu Yunlong pointed at Zhang Shan with a sly smile and said, "Forget it! You won't be able to find him even if you sue him! We are at best accomplices, so just deduct half a year's bonus. I accept it!"

　　"Whether you want to tell it or not, it's up to you now!" After Song Dongfeng finished speaking, he walked back to the other end of the room, sat down and drank tea leisurely with Mr. Qian, Captain Yang and others.

　　"No... No! If I tell you... I will die!" Wu Guoxiao began to waver.

　　"Oh? Just now you said that he was a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering, how come he turned into a murderer in the blink of an eye? I have never heard of a Bodhisattva killing people!" Liu Yunlong seized the loophole in Wu Guoxiao's words and attacked his beliefs from the side.

　　Captain Yang finished a cup of tea, put it down and said, "Don't worry, every failure is a learning experience. As long as you are willing to tell us, we will provide you with 24-hour protection until the case is closed! We will not let him take advantage of you again."

　　"It's...it's useless! You can't deal with him!...No! I can't say it!...I want...I want to rely on Mr. Zhao...rely on him to regroup...I want to become the richest man in China!" Wu Guoxiao struggled for a long time, and finally chose to stand on Zhao Youde's side.

　　The richest man in China... I can't help but admire Zhao Youde. He knows what people want, and he takes targeted actions so that people will think they have a common goal and will not easily give it up.

　　"This is your last chance. Tell it out yourself later and don't regret it!" Zhang Shan said, and went to get the plastic tube containing the bug.

　　"Hey! Lao Zhang, are you really going to torture him to extract a confession?" Liu Yunlong asked worriedly as he looked at Zhang Shan's posture.

　　"Are you kidding me?" Zhang Shan glanced at him and said, "We are going to use a sneaky method to interrogate him. Do we really need such low-level methods? Just wait and see! I guarantee that he will be comfortable and confess everything in less than ten minutes!"

　　Holding the plastic tube in his hand, Zhang Shan shook it vigorously. The bugs inside seemed to be stimulated and began to crawl around on the tube wall at a very fast speed.

　　"Hold his head! Leave the left ear to me!" Zhang Shan was quite satisfied with Xiao Chong'er's performance and instructed Chen Dong and Liu Yunlong.

　　"What are you doing? Don't do anything stupid!" Wu Guoxiao struggled desperately as he saw his doom coming. But how could he defeat Chen Dong, who was a member of the armed police?

　　Seeing Zhang Shan opening the lid and about to pour the bugs into Wu Guoxiao's ear, I got goose bumps all over my body and quickly lowered my head, not wanting to watch anymore.

　　As soon as I lowered my head, I heard two muffled bangs, followed by the sound of glass breaking.

　　I heard movement behind me, and when I looked up quickly, the scene in front of me was something I had never expected.

　　At this time, Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were huddled against the wall, their heads hanging down, and it was unclear whether they were dead or alive. Chen Dong had just smashed the glass on the window behind him, turned around, grabbed Wu Guoxiao, took off the submachine gun on his back, and pointed the barrel at us.

　　"Chen Dong! What are you doing?!" Captain Yang stepped forward and asked loudly.

　　Chen Dong just smiled without saying a word. He threw Wu Guoxiao out of the window first, then pointed a gun at us and slowly flipped out.

　　Although Song Dongfeng's office is on the first floor, this is the location of the Chenghuang Temple Management Committee. In order to be consistent with the ancient buildings next to it, the rooms here are also antique from the outside, with low and large windows and no anti-theft nets.

　　We watched him pull Wu Guoxiao up and slowly disappear into the darkness, but we were helpless. We had all seen Chen Dong's marksmanship, and it was almost impossible to do anything under his nose.

　　Finally, when he could no longer see the two of them, Captain Yang rushed to the window, took out his walkie-talkie, and observed the situation outside.

　　"Stop Chen Dong and Wu Guoxiao! Quickly!!!" Captain Yang roared into the intercom.

　　Who could have thought that a red-blooded armed police soldier would suddenly turn against the enemy, not only kidnapping the only person who knew the truth, but also injuring Zhang Shan.

　　After giving the order, Captain Yang and Song Dongfeng both pulled out their pistols and chased after them. Only Mr. Qian remained calm. He walked up and observed the situations of Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　After several massages, the two people gradually woke up.

　　"Damn! What happened?" Liu Yunlong asked about the situation as soon as he woke up. Chen Dong attacked suddenly and moved so fast that he didn't even know how he got hit or by whom.

　　"We were all tricked by that guy!" Zhang Shan stood up with the help of the wall, his face not looking good. But he finally saw who was the one who did it.

　　It was just that the distance was too close and his attention was on Wu Guoxiao, so Chen Dong succeeded in a sneak attack. Otherwise, with Zhang Shan's skills, even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't faint after one move.

　　"This soldier is definitely not a simple person! Alas, I was careless!" The old man came to the window, looked at the dark sky outside, sighed and said.

　　After a while, Captain Yang and Song Dongfeng returned empty-handed. This was also within our expectations. With Chen Dong's skills, even if he ran with Wu Guoxiao, few of us could catch up.

　　"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! I don't care which unit he is from! Even if you have to dig up all his ancestors, you have to find out all the secrets of this Chen Dong!!!" After Captain Yang entered the room, he threw his pistol on the table and started yelling into the phone.

　　Just when they were about to figure out the other party's purpose, someone unexpectedly showed up. Whoever was in this situation would be anxious! Besides, the fact that Tian Shangjun committed suicide in the police station was still under investigation. If the case was not solved as soon as possible and an explanation was given to the higher-ups, it would not be so easy to end it once the news media that did not know the truth found out.

　　"No need to check all his ancestors~" Old Master Qian said, "Just ask the people around him if there has been any abnormality with Chen Dong in the past few days, and you will know."

　　Captain Yang acted immediately and found several armed police officers who were still on duty. They were in the same squad as Chen Dong and should have some information that we didn't know.

　　After asking around, there was nothing to be gained. The only thing worth noting was that on the morning after Lu Wu Wen lured and killed the two civilians, they were notified to come here for reinforcement. Before leaving, Chen Dong suddenly said that he had a stomachache and needed to go to the toilet.

　　Another point is that although Chen Dong had good skills when he was in the army, they were not top-notch. This seemed inconsistent with the marksmanship and quick wit he demonstrated that day.

　　After asking everyone, we sat in the room, you looked at me, I looked at you, not knowing what to do. Liu Yunlong grasped the only doubt and asked, "Stomachache...what does it mean?"

　　“It’s impossible to explain shit! Is this guy really himself or not?!” Captain Yang’s head was about to explode.

　　"No." Mr. Qian was still sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and said slowly: "I'm afraid that after he came out of the toilet that morning, he was no longer Chen Dong."

　　"Then who could he be?!" Song Dongfeng asked.

　　Chapter 74: Strange Things

　　"Then who could he be? Zhao Youde?" Song Dongfeng asked.

　　"The possibility of Zhao Youde is low. In my estimation, that little bastard doesn't have the ability to possess a human body. Anyone who has this ability must have at least a hundred years of experience." Old Man Qian directly denied this possibility.

　　"Could it be... the person behind Zhao Youde?!" I suddenly remembered what the old man said before, how could Zhao Youde, an uneducated mountain man, know so many things? There must be someone behind him pushing him.

　　"That's reliable!" Zhang Shan first confirmed my guess, then turned to ask the old man, "Let's not talk about who this Chen Dong is. Does he have the ability to predict the future? Has he been lying in ambush in the armed police force? Even if he possessed Chen Dong that day, Captain Yang and Xiao Song almost died that day. As an enemy, why did he help them?"

　　"How can we obtain important information about the enemy without winning their trust?" Song Dongfeng's mind worked quickly.

　　Liu Yunlong then asked, "Then why did he save Wu Guoxiao today? If he was afraid that we would learn of Zhao Youde's conspiracy through some means, wouldn't it be more convenient to just kill him? Why did he take him away?"

　　"Haha." Mr. Qian stood up with a smile and said to Liu Yunlong, "Young man, with Xiao Wang and I here, we can find out whether Wu Guoxiao is dead or alive. So, taking Wu Guoxiao away is also a last resort."

　　It seems that Liu Yunlong's judgment was correct. The ultimate purpose of Chen Dong sticking to us all the time was probably to prevent the news from leaking. I remember that when Wu Guoxiao was excited just now, Liu Yunlong couldn't hold this guy down, so Chen Dong knocked him down with one punch.

　　This move seemed to be intended to silence him, and we did not consider other aspects. But the punch just interrupted Wu Guoxiao's insane babbling and effectively prevented him from leaking the news.

　　"If I just let them run away like that, where will I put my face?!" Seeing that no one said anything, Captain Yang started complaining again.

　　"Okay! You've been busy for a few days, go back and take a shower and have a good sleep! We'll talk about it tomorrow!" Grandpa Qian walked up to us and patted our shoulders one by one, as if he was reviewing a troop, with a very relaxed expression.

　　"Old man, please stop making trouble! How can I sleep in this situation?!" Captain Yang still had a worried look on his face.

　　"Whether you sleep or not is your business. I'm going to sleep anyway, it's up to you whether you want to sleep or not!" Old man Qian and Yang had always been at odds with each other, but now they were temporarily tied together for the same goal.

　　"Do you have any good ideas? Can you give us a hint? Then we can sleep more comfortably!" Song Dongfeng didn't think that Mr. Qian was interrupting.

　　"Okay, let me make it clear first. I'm telling you this because I feel bad for Xiao Wang and Shan Zi." The old man said without hesitation, "Tomorrow night, I promise you can take down their lair, okay?"

　　Seeing that we were still asking questions, the old man waved his hands and said, "Alas! That's all I can say! The secret cannot be revealed! Who knows if there is a second undercover agent? I'm going to find a place to sleep! You guys, sleep if you want!"

　　After saying that, he pushed the door and walked out without caring about our expressions.

　　After a moment of silence, Zhang Shan shouted out the window: "Uncle Taishi, how can we contact you tomorrow?"

　　"When the time comes, I will come to find you!" Old Man Qian's voice sounded outside the yard.

　　The people in the room looked at each other in bewilderment. The cold wind blew through the broken windows and poured into the room. Liu Yunlong shuddered and asked Captain Yang tremblingly, "Boss, should we go back to bed too?"

　　"Sleep your head!" Captain Yang was in a very bad mood at the moment, and he cursed directly: "Everyone go to Wu Guoxiao's house and turn it upside down! Look for any suspicious items! And that Chen Dong! Check him out! Tomorrow morning, I want to know all the accurate information about them in the past year!"

　　Well, I looked at Liu Yunlong and saw him sticking out his tongue. I guess he won’t be able to sleep tonight.

　　"Uncle-master, what about us?" Zhang Shan came up and asked.

　　"Let's go to bed! Your great uncle has already said so, why don't we go to bed?!" I glanced at Liu Yunlong and answered Zhang Shan loudly.

　　A look of great resentment shot over there.

　　I counted and realized that I hadn’t been home for almost five days. If I didn’t go back, my mother might not even remember that she had me. After expressing my deep sympathy and condolences to the comrades who continued to fight on the front lines overnight, I “escaped” from Chenghuang Temple with Zhang Shan.

　　As soon as I left the house, I took a taxi and headed straight home. As for Zhang Shan, he had plenty of energy, so bus No. 11 was enough.

　　Fortunately, it was just after ten o'clock when I got home. I talked to my mom and grandma about how I assisted the police in solving the case these days (because Captain Yang called home before and said that I was helping them solve the case). Then I went back to my room and lay on the bed. Only then did I realize that no matter how good the place is, it is not as good as my own doghouse!

　　I took out everything in my pocket and placed it on the table beside the bed, and finally I had a peaceful sleep.

　　The next day, I woke up at dawn. I didn't dare tell my family that I had resigned, but I took a day off because I was too tired from "assisting with the case".

　　I was sitting on the bed and stretching comfortably, but the scene on the table made all movements stop.

　　Last night before going to bed, I took out my phone, keys, money and other things and put them on the table, including the dice. In order to avoid accidentally seeing it, I deliberately put it in an inconspicuous corner.

　　That corner is just behind the pupil seal that the old man under the bridge gave me.

　　The reason why I was stunned at this moment was that I didn't know when they moved to the middle of the table, and the dice had been "eaten" half by Tongxi!

　　I picked it up out of curiosity and found that the number on the dice was no longer visible. The two of them now looked like... a piece of sugar cube dropped on a chocolate ball that was about to melt.

　　I tried to bend it, but it was very solid and didn't move at all.

　　It's broken! Tong Xi ate the dice! There are still two lives to go! What should I do? !

　　Without even bothering to wash my face or brush my teeth, I took Tongxi, put on my clothes, ran out of the house, took a taxi and went straight to the City God Temple.

　　I called Zhang Shan on the way and told him to come over quickly.

　　When we arrived at the City God Temple, Mr. Qian had not returned yet and no one knew where he was.

　　But I was so anxious that I couldn't sit still, because Tongxi had already "swallowed" most of the dice. If it was a little later, I might not be able to see it at all.

　　Finally, Zhang Shan came over. I quickly showed him the things.

　　After looking at it for a long time, Zhang Shan frowned and said, "How strange! These things can absorb each other? I have never seen it before!"

　　"Don't sigh! Is there any way? If this continues, the dice will be gone!" I had to be anxious. Zhao Youde and his men's purpose might be hidden in the last two lives. At this moment, it was obvious that no information could be obtained from the dice.

　　Zhang Shan frowned and thought for a long time before he uttered two words: "No."

　　It seems that our plan to obtain useful information from this dice has finally failed!

　　Chapter 75 Biological Tracker

　　At present, we can only hope that the old man will keep his promise tonight - to raid Zhao Youde’s lair and capture him in one fell swoop!

　　When it was dark, Old Man Qian finally came back with a burp.

　　I rushed up to him and told him about the incident of "Tong Xi eating the dice". The old man was also confused and said that he had never seen such a situation, nor had he even heard of it.

　　He took out the pupil seal and showed it to him, but he couldn't see anything. In fact, after lunch, the pupil seal had completely absorbed the dice, and at this time, there was no trace of the dice from the outside.

　　Seeing Zhang Shan and I speak so confidently, the old man knew that he had run into a problem that he couldn't solve, so he had no choice but to hand me the pupil seal and said, "Don't worry about that for now! As long as our operation tonight is successful and Zhao Youde is captured, everything will be easy!"

　　"Don't keep us in suspense! How can we find them?!" Liu Yunlong, who had big circles under his eyes, couldn't help asking.

　　Judging from his current expression, he has probably attributed the reason for his inability to sleep entirely to Wu Guoxiao and Chen Dong.

　　"Depend on this!" Old Master Qian said, and took out a transparent glass medicine bottle from his arms, and there seemed to be something inside.

　　Liu Yunlong and I took a closer look and found a small insect about two centimeters in size. At first glance, it looked like a wasp, but its body was dark in color, its wings were slightly larger than those of a wasp, and there were golden stripes on it.

　　The most important thing is the tip of its butt, there is a small part that seems to emit a faint light.

　　"What is this? A firefly?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but say.

　　"Yes! This is a firefly, but it's not an ordinary firefly!" The old man also looked at the little guy in the bottle, and then said: "There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies in the world, and this kind, we call it 'twin mushroom'. This kind of insect, after hatching eggs, there will always be a particularly large one, one gold and one silver, like twins, and the gold must be male and the silver must be female. Just like many human twins have telepathy, this twin mushroom stays together for life. If you take away the male insect, the female insect will die within a day; but if you take away the female insect, the male insect will emit light of varying strengths depending on how far away they are. The farther away, the darker the male insect, and vice versa, the closer, the brighter. Until the two insects appear within a radius of dozens of meters at the same time, the male insect will keep flashing to attract the female insect to meet. Therefore, many people who walk in the dark take advantage of this point and use special methods to prolong their lifespans in preparation for tracking or finding targets in the future."

　　"Oh... so you put the female insect on one of them?" I suddenly realized. No wonder the old man was not in a hurry last night! It turned out that there was a biological tracker to help.

　　"Then...are these two considered as close relatives getting married?" Liu Yunlong held it in for a long time before uttering this sentence.

　　"Hahaha! There are quite a few insects that marry their close relatives!" The old man put away the bottle and continued, "If it weren't daytime and these insects are afraid of light, I would want to go find them right away."

　　"Since it's already been put there, why didn't you go look for it last night?" Zhang Shan asked puzzledly.

　　The old man handed him a messenger bag and said, "What I want to know is their lair. If we chased them last night, even if we found them, it would most likely be a temporary place. In order to ensure that we can catch them all at once, I need to catch them all in one fell swoop when they let their guard down!"

　　At this point, we have to admire Mr. Qian's foresight. Every step he took was so steady and perfect.

　　"Then let's go find it now?!" Liu Yunlong immediately became interested when he heard there was a chance.

　　"No hurry, no hurry!" The old man was still able to keep his composure. He ordered again: "At present, there are at least three known opponents, Zhao Youde, Wu Guoxiao, and Chen Dong. Chen Dong is considered an expert. We need to send more, but not too many. I think it will take only four of us, Shanzi, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Liu, and call your captain Yang. Five people will be enough! Get ready and bring all your weapons. We will set off in an hour and a half!"

　　"Ah?! We have to wait for more than an hour?!" Liu Yunlong protested immediately.

　　I walked up to him, pushed him, and said with a smile, "Why don't you take this time to catch up on some sleep! We won't bring pandas to the battlefield!"

　　In Song Dongfeng's office, Captain Yang was also very excited when he heard that the old man had such a magic weapon. He wanted to grab it immediately and search for it. But under the insistence of several of us, he had to take Liu Yunlong to the next meeting room to take a nap.

　　Zhang Shan, Song Dongfeng, the old man and I sat in front of the coffee table, drinking tea and chatting.

　　"Grandpa, you said that if you wanted to know what they were doing, there were two ways. Now the first one is no longer possible, so what is the second one?" I had been thinking about this question for a long time, and now that I had nothing to do, I asked.

　　"Haha, it doesn't hurt to tell you now. Since the dice are gone, there is only one way left, that is, you, go into your own golden coffin and bring out Zhao Youde's soul. Then you will naturally know what he wants to do!"

　　"The golden coffin... can you go in and out of it?" It was the first time I heard that a golden coffin could be entered and exited.

　　"Well...theoretically, it is possible." The old man said with a serious expression: "But so far, although there have been people who have tried to enter in history, no one has ever come out alive."

　　Oh my goodness! I was secretly shocked. What's the difference between this and going to die? !

　　Fortunately, the old man has a way to find them now, otherwise, I really have to go in and take a look? !

　　"Uncle Grand Master, why do we have to find Zhao Youde's soul to know what he wants to do?" Zhang Shan was quite puzzled by this.

　　"This is very similar to the situation of the twin mushrooms just now." Old Man Qian explained: "Whether it's Zhao Youde's soul or nightmare, to put it bluntly, they are the same person. When these two guys stand together, the seal holder has a secret technique that can allow them to exchange their thoughts and make up for the parts that the other party doesn't know. So..."

　　"So, as long as we bring Zhao Youde's soul to Yan, even if that guy won't say anything even if he is beaten to death, we can still know what he wants to do from his soul." Song Dongfeng continued with the old man's words.

　　"Yes! That's exactly what I mean!" The old man confirmed his inference.

　　This reminds me of Gao Yuan's soul and nightmare. They could know what the other was thinking with just a look and a gesture. It turned out that the old man had done something about it before!

　　"But that's not necessary now!" The old man patted my shoulder and said, "Once we catch that sick boy tonight, I'll have plenty of ways to make him talk! Let's ask him everything we can!"

　　Although the old man never brags, I still have a little worry that at least tonight will not go as smoothly as we imagined.

　　This Chen Dong is the biggest unknown at the moment.

　　It was almost ten o'clock and the old man finally finished drinking the pot of Tieguanyin. He told us to wake up Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong, and then go to the yard to find him.

　　By the time the five of us had gathered, the old man had already taken out the golden mushroom of the Gemini Mushroom and just waved his hand gently and said, "Let's go!"

　　The five of us took advantage of the darkness of the night and filed out of the side door of the City God Temple.

　　Chapter 76: Finding the Cave Entrance

　　If you meet a careful person, you will find that there are two submachine guns among our group of people. However, there are no pedestrians on the street in the deep winter.

　　Before the old man went out, he fed the golden mushroom some food. Now it was no longer lying motionless as before. Not only was the light on its tail significantly stronger, but there was also a faint sound of its wings vibrating.

　　Standing on the side of the road, Liu Yunlong couldn't help but ask the old man, "Grandpa, you said that this twin mushroom can only be clearly sensed within a hundred meters. Zhengzhou is so big, where should we start looking? Will this night be enough for us?"

　　Zhang Shan and I are not afraid, because we know the old man, he will not make such a low-level mistake. But Liu and Yang are not like us, they need an explanation, or more precisely, a direction.

　　"Haha, Xiao Liu, let me ask you, if you were Chen Dong, where would you hide?" Old Master Qian was in a particularly good mood tonight. He was not in a hurry. He stopped by the roadside and chatted with Liu Yunlong.

　　"Need I ask? Somewhere with fewer people? He's wearing a paramilitary uniform and carrying a gun. He's too obvious a target. He must not be seen by anyone." Liu Yunlong answered straightforwardly.

　　"Which places have fewer people?" the old man asked.

　　"The outskirts of the city! Um... the only thing in the city is the park!"

　　“Is it likely to be in the suburbs?”

　　"…It shouldn't be big. Not only will it be inconvenient for them to go in and out, but they will be more easily exposed on the road!" Liu Yunlong began to speak.

　　"So where is the rest?"

　　"garden……"

　　"Haha, got it?" The old man stepped forward and patted Liu Yunlong on the shoulder, then continued, "There are only four or five parks in the city, right? And those that are too far from here are unlikely to be there; as for the rest, are they enough for us to use for one night?"

　　Liu Yunlong stopped talking. If they just wanted to find a park, it would be much easier.

　　"But!" The old man saw that we all understood, and just after taking two steps, he turned back and said, "I still want to walk on the city wall first."

　　Naturally, no one would object. The four of us combined don't have half the experience of the old man in this matter. We just do what he says, and that's all.

　　After a while, we climbed onto the city wall and, following the old man's instructions, lined up in a row, with two people three meters apart, and began a carpet search.

　　Of course, the old man and I have also opened our spiritual eyes in order to find Zhao Youde's whereabouts.

　　Liu Yunlong walked around boredly while making up a story: "Old man, don't you have a female ghost? If you let her out and let her float around, everything will be clear. Why do you need this stupid method?"

　　If he hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten about Gao Yuan, so I asked the old man, "That's right, where is Gao Yuan? You wouldn't have..." I didn't dare to say the second half of the sentence, because I was afraid that the old man would just suck her away after using her. This has always been a thorn in my heart.

　　"Haha! You little brat!" Old Man Qian pointed at me and laughed, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Don't worry! I let Gao go three days ago. She might have been reincarnated by now! We can't always trouble them with our human affairs."

　　After hearing what the old man said, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she should have left long ago. What else in this world is worth her lingering on?

　　Let us solve our own problems!

　　As I was walking, the old man next to me suddenly stopped moving. I turned my head and saw that the light emitted by the golden mushroom was much brighter than before. Could it be that...

　　"Pay attention to the surroundings! Expand the search with this place as the center!" The old man immediately ordered. Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong loaded their guns, while Zhang Shan and I held the "killing sticks" that he had made before coming out.

　　I saw him and Liu Yunlong use this thing in the Municipal Hospital. At that time, they were like a stick in their hands, looking down on everyone!

　　But after searching the area within a radius of a hundred meters, I didn't see any of the target persons, let alone a wandering soul.

　　"Xiao Wang, do you feel anything is wrong? It's unusually peaceful tonight!" The old man came to my side at some point and whispered.

　　"Well, could it be that all the souls have gone to a meeting?" I knew what he meant, because only the two of us could see these things.

　　"Haha, I'm not afraid of them having a meeting. I'm just afraid that there is some other hidden secret!" The old man said as he glanced around.

　　"What's going on?" I asked in confusion. Could it be that someone has captured all the wandering ghosts?

　　Just as the old man was about to continue, Liu Yunlong came over with a submachine gun and complained, "Damn it! We've searched everywhere within a hundred meters! There's not even a single hair. If we continue to look, we'll have to go door to door in the residential buildings and check!"

　　It is definitely unrealistic to check door to door, and they won't hide there.

　　But the strange thing is that this golden mushroom is indeed brighter than before, which means that the silver mushroom is nearby!

　　"Look again! Carefully, be sure to look carefully! Even if we can't find anyone, we must find the other twin mushroom!" The old man did not give up. At the same time, he also thought of the worst situation, that is, the silver mushroom that had been planted in advance had been discovered by Chen Dong and others and abandoned here.

　　Although I thought of this section, I couldn't say it because it would be too demoralizing! We couldn't give up until we found it!

　　"Damn it, if I had known earlier I should have called an excavator to flatten it right away! I have to see if they are really hiding underground!" When Liu Yunlong heard that he had to search again, he kept muttering to himself and turned and left.

　　But both Old Man Qian and I were suddenly shocked.

　　Yes! Underground?! Why didn't I think of that? There is a tunnel nearby! Although the old man has never been there, Gao Yuan has been there and must have reported it to him.

　　"Xiao Wang! Is the tunnel nearby?" The old man looked at me, his eyes full of hope.

　　Yes, none of us want to see the situation where we find another twin mushroom hiding in the bushes, and the tunnel at the moment is the only possibility.

　　"...I don't know. It's too dark, and I can't see the reference points from that day." I looked around, but I wasn't sure. "But I remember there was a big rock not long after I climbed up. As long as I find it, I can locate the approximate location of the tunnel exit."

　　After hearing this, the old man did not answer, but immediately climbed to the top of the city wall and looked around with squinting eyes.

　　"Is it that piece?" After I climbed up, the old man pointed to Captain Yang's location not far to the south and asked.

　　In terms of vision, although I am not nearsighted, there is still a big gap compared to the old man's night owl eyes. Helplessly, I had to walk over quickly, and after confirming it, I turned around and shouted, "This is it!"

　　"The cave entrance?" Captain Yang scratched his head and said after listening to my explanation, "I really don't know! I was only focused on saving you guys at the time. I never heard anyone mention who sealed the cave entrance! But the exit in the City God Temple has been filled up because they were afraid the building would sink."

　　I thought to myself, this is the end. If we can't find this exit, won't we have to dig that side again with great effort? But even if we dig it up, if they are really hiding underneath, they would have heard the wind and fled long ago.

　　Although Chen Dong and Wu Guoxiao may not be able to escape by blocking two exits, our ultimate goal is to catch Zhao Youde. For a nightmare, it seems that there is no need to have a way to escape, right?

　　Chapter 77: Eating a Lot

　　In other words, we can only enter from here stealthily.

　　Gathering everyone together again, I carefully recalled what happened that day: After I climbed out of the cave, I saw Liu Yunlong and two archaeological experts sitting on this stone not far to the south. In other words, the place where the old man and I were standing just now should be near the exit of the passage!

　　Under the gaze of the four of them, I was under a lot of pressure. After searching for a long time, I finally determined the location of the cave entrance, but when I pulled away the dead grass and looked inside, I still saw a hard adobe wall.

　　"Are you sure it's here?" The old man saw me knocking here and there, and thought that I must have determined the location of the cave entrance, so he couldn't help asking.

　　"It should be here, the error should not exceed three meters!" I clearly remember that the first thing I saw after coming out of the cave was the piles of garbage at the base of the city wall.

　　There was a broken bench in the garbage pile facing the hole, which was particularly conspicuous at the time. At this moment, I had already seen the broken bench.

　　Although Zhengzhou is windy in winter, the bench is not a light object and is not easily blown away. Moreover, this place is very remote, and I believe that no one will be wandering around in the past few days. As for going down to the garbage dump at the foot of the city wall, the chance is even smaller.

　　Therefore, the entrance to the cave must be here without a doubt!

　　After getting the approximate range I had drawn, the old man started from the northernmost end, standing on the halfway slope of the city wall. Every time he moved a little south, he stomped his foot down hard.

　　We have all seen his strength. This kick, if not a thousand pounds, must have weighed at least eight hundred pounds. He really left a mark with every step. Even if the cave entrance was sealed artificially, as long as it was not filled up completely, it would definitely be discovered.

　　As the old man continued to move south, my heart became heavier and heavier. I saw that there were only two or three steps left to the southernmost point I had judged before, but there was still no movement under my feet.

　　Finally, after the old man stomped twice, there was a loud crash, and a section of the city wall close to the south end collapsed, revealing a small hole that was only wide enough for one person to pass through. It was exactly the passage I walked out of that day!

　　Finally, they saw the entrance and everyone felt relieved.

　　The old man was obviously quite excited. He jumped down from the roof and said cheerfully, "No wonder the brightness didn't increase no matter how hard I looked. It turns out that these kids are hiding down there! I knew my little bug couldn't be wrong! See, haha!"

　　After the excitement, we sorted out our equipment again. Zhang Shan and the old man led the way in front, Liu Yunlong and I were in the middle, and Captain Yang was responsible for covering the rear.

　　Everything was ready. Zhang Shan waved his hand, turned on the flashlight, and we walked into the cave in order.

　　The passage was no different from when I entered a few days ago. The wind was whistling from inside to outside, as if there was a high-power electric fan in front.

　　After turning a few corners, the passage gradually widened, and a few minutes later, we arrived at the center of the passage - the large stone cave.

　　The golden mushroom in Mr. Qian's hand was indeed getting brighter and brighter, indicating that the silver mushroom was nearby. This also made us more vigilant. If the silver mushroom was there, Chen Dong and Wu Guoxiao would not be far away from us.

　　"Huh? What do you see on the wall?" Although Zhang Shan's military flashlight can shine very far, it does not disperse the light, so we can only see things near the beam of light.

　　Following his guidance, we also discovered that there seemed to be something inlaid here and there on the wall of this big hole. When the flashlight beam shone through it, it could actually reflect a strange light, a bit like the twinkling stars in the sky.

　　After scanning around, I found that they were everywhere in the cave. There were also a few spots faintly visible on the cave wall not far from us.

　　We all walked over curiously. Zhang Shan found a piece. I leaned forward to take a closer look at this shining thing. Half of it was inside the earthen wall of the cave, and half was exposed outside. The light outside was dark and had some arcs, which was quite similar to the pupil seal.

　　Zhang Shan tried to reach out and touch it. After a while, he picked one off, held it in his hand, turned around and said, "This... isn't this the pupil seal?!"

　　"Well... I was wondering why everyone came here since it was so peaceful outside tonight!" The old man took it from Zhang Shan, looked at it, and handed it to me.

　　Seeing Tongxi again, I was so excited that I couldn't control myself.

　　Although there was another one in my pocket at this time, it was the only one that made the exception. It not only "ate" the dice, but also had no reaction when I tried to suck it up several times.

　　I held the seal that I had just taken off in my hand. I tried to hold it back for a long time, but finally I couldn't stand the temptation anymore. While they were discussing something, I put my right hand behind my back, sucked in the seal and crushed it.

　　…Awesome! An indescribable energy instantly flowed through every part of his body.

　　This is the feeling I want! This is the power I want!

　　“Uncle Grand Master, are you saying that all the nearby souls are concentrated here?…” Zhang Shan and the others were still looking around and discussing, but I had already dug out several pupil seals nearby and started to “eat them like crazy”.

　　Just as I was about to dig the sixth one beside me, I suddenly felt a strong wind behind me, and I quickly stretched out my hands to block it. With a "crack", the "killing stick" with the talisman tied to it broke.

　　I looked up and saw that the person who hit me was Zhang Shan!!!

　　"Old Zhang! Are you crazy!!!" Liu Yunlong was stunned for a moment, and hurried to grab the remaining half of the stick in Zhang Shan's hand.

　　"Look what he is doing?!!!" Zhang Shan pushed Liu Yunlong away like a madman, raised the half-broken wooden stick and tried to hit me on the head.

　　"Whoosh" the wooden stick, carrying a strong wind, came straight towards his face.

　　Under normal circumstances, the force he used this time would definitely take my life, or even cause my head to explode.

　　Mr. Qian and Captain Yang also realized that the attack was very fierce and wanted to rescue me, but they were helpless because it happened suddenly and the wooden stick was less than a foot away from my head. I was about to be killed on the spot, but they were powerless to do anything.

　　However, I said, if it was under normal circumstances, it would really happen. But at this moment, I just absorbed five pupil seals, how could it be as he wished? !

　　Everyone's eyes were dazzled, and before they could see what was happening, the half stick was already in my hand. The blow to my head that I had imagined did not happen.

　　Zhang Shan stared blankly at the wooden stick in my hand, not knowing what was happening for a moment.

　　"Bang!" I threw the stick to the ground and yelled at Zhang Shan, "Are you having a fever?! Do you know what will happen if you hit me like this? Do you want to kill me?!"

　　"You...how many did you absorb just now? You are not allowed to touch any more! I'm warning you!" Zhang Shan stopped being dazed and pointed at my nose.

　　"Pah!" I waved my hand to open his arm and sneered, "Huh! You are my father? And you order me around?! How does this bother you? Why do you have to intervene?"

　　You can't blame me for being angry. You can talk to me nicely or even scold me. Who made me owe you something? Right? He came up and beat me to death! Is there anyone who does things this way? !

　　"You!..." Zhang Shan stared at me, his eyes full of resentment. After a moment, he probably realized that he had gone too far, so he took a few breaths and said with suppressed emotion: "Anyway, you can't absorb the pupil seal anymore."

　　This time his tone was much calmer.

　　But, it seems a little late.

　　If he had been like this from the beginning, I would have listened to him. But this guy clearly wanted to kill me just now, so I had to ask for clarification.

　　Chapter 78: Rifts

　　"Why not? They're everywhere here. What's the harm if I eat a few?" He was holding back his temper, but my temper flared up again.

　　"Xiao Wang, Shanzi is doing this for your own good. Tongxi really can't..." Mr. Qian stepped forward and was about to persuade him, but I interrupted him and said, "For my own good? You saw it just now. He almost killed me! Is this what you call doing this for my own good?"

　　Looking back at Zhang Shan's gloomy expression, I challenged him again, "Humph! Killing me is for my own good? Then why don't you change your name and let me do you a favor once?"

　　"You!!!" Zhang Shan was about to reach out to hit me again, but was quickly pulled back by Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang standing beside him.

　　"Old Zhang, you are a little excited. Can't we just talk it out nicely? It would be uncomfortable for anyone to be so harsh right from the start!" Liu Yunlong persuaded him while pulling him.

　　I ignored them and turned around to pick up the sixth seal on the wall.

　　The feeling after inhaling is so wonderful! The sense of satisfaction and confidence has long made me unable to extricate myself. Now, after seeing so much, how can I just stop? It would be better to inhale them all at once!

　　Little did they know that this was the beginning of their fall into the abyss.

　　"Stop right there!!!" Seeing that I was still trying to absorb, Zhang Shan's emotions, which had just calmed down, suddenly exploded again. He pushed Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang away and yelled at me.

　　At this moment, I had my back to everyone. When I heard Zhang Shan's roar, I just sneered and didn't even look back at him. I was about to reach out for the pupil seal.

　　As soon as his hand touched it, he heard Captain Yang behind him suddenly shouting, "Shan Zi!" followed by the sound of the bolt being pulled.

　　There was a sound of footsteps approaching quickly behind me, and then something cold pressed against my head. I knew it was the barrel of a submachine gun.

　　"If you dare to touch Tong Xi again, I guarantee that your head will explode!" Zhang Shan's cold voice sounded behind me, but to me, it seemed to be mixed with a hint of trembling.

　　"Shan Zi! Calm down! Aren't they just a few pupil seals? What's the big deal? Tell me, why?" Old Master Qian also realized that things were not that simple, and asked while persuading him.

　　"Grandpa... before he left, Grandpa told me that my uncle has... a physique that allows him to practice both Taoism and dual cultivation... If... If one day he can't control the temptation of the Tongxi... then let... let me kill him!" Someone asked, and Zhang Shan finally couldn't hold it in anymore, and told the reason in a trembling voice.

　　After saying this, he actually started sobbing.

　　"This... why is this?" Old Man Qian asked in confusion.

　　Zhang Shan sniffed hard, took a few breaths, still pointing the submachine gun at the back of my head, and said, "Grandpa said that people who pursue both paths are half yin and half yang, unlike us ordinary people, who have more yang. The pupil seal is a yin object. As long as he absorbs too much of the pupil seal, when the yin is greater than the yang, the whole person's physique and personality will change. At that time, he will become a completely different person, doing all kinds of evil and harming the world! So, no matter who it is, even if it is my grandfather, in this situation, I will kill him!"

　　Everyone was silent. No one had expected that absorbing too much of the Pupil Seal would have such consequences!

　　"Xiao Wang, did you hear that? You really can't absorb it anymore! Listen to Shanzi and take your hand away!" After listening to me, Grandpa Qian tried to persuade me while pulling my arm.

　　"Don't listen to his nonsense!" I dodged the old man's outstretched hand and said, "Humph! I know that he has always envied me for having the Wuwei Seal and those skills that he will never be able to learn in his lifetime. He is afraid that one day I will surpass him, take over the mantle of old man Zhang, and turn to protect him. That's why I made up this story to tell you. Old man, aren't you also a Soul Eater? When did you change?"

　　In my past, I should have shut up. But for some reason, I always felt like I was being wronged, and I wanted to argue with Zhang Shan to the end. The more he told me not to do something, the more I wanted to do it!

　　"You!..." Zhang Shan was once again so angry at me that he was speechless.

　　"Didn't Shanzi say it? You are pursuing two paths at the same time, unlike me. I still prioritize Yang energy! It's okay to absorb some." Old man Qian hurriedly explained for Zhang Shan.

　　"Fuck the two paths!!! Do you think I want it?? Do you think I want this bullshit Wuwei Seal?!" I finally couldn't help it and vented all my resentment: "Ever since I met old man Zhang two years ago, look at what my life has become! I lost my job, I can't go home all day, and I'm hunted by hordes of demons and monsters. I have to get involved in your shit! What's in it for me? Huh?! What's in it for me?! What do I want to live for? Now, it's just a few broken glass beads, and even you want to kill me. Fine! Come on! I'll let you hit me! I tell you, I'm determined to suck it today!!!"

　　After saying that, I reached out to the pupil seal again.

　　"Don't move!!!" Zhang Shan pressed the barrel of his gun against my head and warned me again: "Uncle Master! Don't force me!"

　　The old man, Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang on the side never expected that such a tricky situation would occur as soon as they entered the cave. They could only watch helplessly.

　　Just as the stalemate was going on, the golden mushroom hanging on the old man's collar suddenly lit up and flashed, attracting everyone's attention, including Zhang Shan and me.

　　"This... they are coming!" Old Man Qian was stunned for a moment, and finally understood what was going on.

　　"Pa pa pa!" A series of applause came from the darkness of the cave. Then came Zhao Youde's voice: "Oh my! It seems that we showed up at a really unfortunate time. As soon as we arrived, we saw a scene of hostility! Tsk tsk tsk, what's wrong? Tell us what conflicts you have, and we will help you resolve them! Don't use knives or guns, it will hurt the harmony!"

　　Hearing his voice, Zhang Shan and I forgot what was happening in front of us and turned around. Captain Yang picked up the flashlight that had just fallen on the ground and shone it over. In the darkness, Zhao Youde, Wu Guoxiao, and Chen Dong stood out from the crowd and stood ten meters in front of us.

　　The old man looked at them, then looked at the pupil seal with a full hole, and seemed to think of something, and asked: "Did you do this?"

　　"Haha. The old man is old but his mind is still sharp!" Zhao Youde limped forward and replied, "In order to invite our new friend, how can we not spend some money? This is called...what is it called?...Right! The more gifts, the less blame!"

　　New friends? I was still confused when I found that Liu Yunlong, Zhang Shan, Captain Yang and the others turned around and looked at me.

　　"Are you talking about me?" I asked, pointing at my nose.

　　"Who else could it be? Haha! What do you think? Is this gift to your liking?" Zhao Youde said confidently.

　　I was silent. I couldn't say for sure. That was fake. But you want me to be with him? Sorry, I'm not crazy!

　　"Don't rush to agree." At this time, Chen Dong stood up and said, "Take your time to think about it. All the pupil seals here are prepared for you. As long as you want, you can come anytime! We will never stop you! And don't worry, we don't need you to do anything, and you don't have to accept our favor, just do what you need to do!"

　　In other words, these pupil seals are all given for free! ... I am beginning to be tempted, this deal... no, to be more precise, this is a free gift!

　　Looking at the wall of pupil seals, I have begun to consider whether I should discuss it with them.

　　"Chen Dong!" Captain Yang, who had been holding his breath, finally couldn't help it when he saw him talking. He stepped forward, pointed at him and asked, "Who are you?! There's no need to hide it now. Tell us the truth!"

　　Chapter 79: Turning sides at the last minute

　　"Haha, I am Chen Dong, and Chen Dong is me!" The man in the armed police uniform opposite answered very straightforwardly.

　　No matter who he said he was, we could accept it. But he actually said he was still Chen Dong, which was unexpected.

　　"Then... why do you want to help them? Do you know who that cripple is?" Team Yang pointed at Zhao Youde and asked in confusion.

　　"You're wrong about one thing." Chen Dong, relying on his skill and courage, walked between our two groups and pointed at Zhao Youde and said, "It's not me who helps them, it's them who help me!"

　　Until now, I have been recalling Chen Dong's accent. He really looks like someone, but I just can't remember who he was. The only thing I can be sure of is that I had never seen this face before three days ago.

　　At this moment, after he finished speaking, he stood there, with his chest puffed out and his head held high, one hand placed in front of his lower abdomen, the other hand behind his back, and his feet standing in an unsteady manner, with quite the demeanor of a monk.

　　"You...you are..." I finally remembered! Although I have never seen this person, this posture is very familiar to me! "You are the tall Taoist priest!!!" I pointed at him and shouted. This guy killed me twice, and his every move left a deep impression on me.

　　"Well! It seems you have seen the dice?" Chen Dong turned over and looked at me with a smile.

　　“Xiao Wang, you said he is the Taoist who practiced the Centipede Formation in Six Lives and Six Worlds?” Old Master Qian stepped forward and asked me for confirmation in a low voice.

　　The third and fourth lives, I roughly talked to the old man about it before coming out tonight, so he naturally knew that Taoist priest.

　　"Haha! Excuse me! I just made a little gadget, but you treat it as a treasure. I am so ashamed!" Chen Dong laughed when he heard the old man's question.

　　"What...you said...you said that dice..." When the old man heard him say that, he seemed to be hit suddenly, and his body swayed and he almost couldn't stand. Zhang Shan quickly came over and supported him.

　　"Yes! The dice only contains some memory fragments that I think are important. Saving them will only help me recover my memory in each life." Chen Dong continued to attack Old Man Qian.

　　No wonder! It turns out that there is no such thing as six lives and six worlds! I was wondering how it is possible that there is time that can be exchanged between two lives? It turns out that these are just his memories.

　　"You... have already mastered the Centipede Formation, which clearly allows you to achieve eternal life. Why... why do you need to reincarnate again?" The old man asked, panting, as if he had aged several years in an instant.

　　"Centipede Formation?" Chen Dong touched his nose and smiled, "The centipede is powerful, and I have always wanted to find it back. But reincarnation is for a higher pursuit."

　　"What pursuit?" Even Zhang Shan wanted to know what this guy wanted to do.

　　"Haha, please forgive me for keeping you in suspense for now." Chen Dong looked at me and said word by word: "How is it? You know the general situation. Have you thought it through? This deal is worth doing!"

　　We all know that he is talking about the Mandong Pupil Seal.

　　"Don't agree to him!!!" Zhang Shan supported the old man and turned around and shouted at me.

　　A hole full of pupil seals, I can absorb them without asking for anything in return, where can I find such a good thing?! I even thought that after absorbing enough, I would try to subdue the three of them, which would be considered as redemption, and Zhang Shan and the old man would not be embarrassed to do anything to me.

　　"You really don't have any requirements?" To be on the safe side, I still wanted to confirm it again.

　　"Uncle Master! You are crazy!"

　　"You old bastard! Are you planning to rebel?!"

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong stopped me at the same time.

　　"Hahaha!" This was exactly what Chen Dong wanted to see. He laughed up to the sky and said to me, "I've already said it. If we really want to talk about conditions, there is one that is very easy. It's that within a month, you have to help me deliver something to Taihang Mountain. That's all. How about it, not difficult, right? However, your friends don't seem very happy that you're doing this. I'm embarrassed to interfere with how to solve it. You have to figure it out on your own!"

　　After saying that, he walked back to Zhao Youde and Wu Guoxiao, folded his arms and looked at me.

　　Everyone looked at me, wanting to know my final decision.

　　The atmosphere gradually solidified in silence. After a while, Zhang Shan saw that I refused to speak, so he suddenly turned around, pointed his gun at Chen Dong and said, "I'm going to kill you first, you demagogue!"

　　"Da da da!" Several bullets hit the top wall of the cave. It turned out that it was Mr. Qian next to him who pushed the gun barrel away.

　　"Remember our goal! Catch them alive!" The old man whispered, and then said to me: "Xiao Wang, make a decision! Be careful of your eternal damnation!"

　　"Xiao Wang, you should think twice! Dealing with them is like courting disaster!" Captain Yang also advised me.

　　"You old bastard, if you dare to agree to this, I will break up with you!" Liu Yunlong walked up and threatened.

　　This time, Zhang Shan said nothing, but just stared at me with his cold eyes.

　　"It's just... just a gift?" I couldn't resist the temptation of Tong Xi and asked again. If it doesn't hurt others and it's just a gift, then why can't I do it?

　　Of course, Chen Dong also said just now that if we catch them later, it will be easier for me. But since he dared to say so, he must be prepared.

　　Before Chen Dong could answer, Zhang Shan once again pointed the gun at me and asked, "Have you made up your mind to continue absorbing the Pupil Seal?" This time, his voice was extremely cold, without a trace of emotion.

　　I knew that if I admitted it, he would pull the trigger immediately.

　　"Why are you so stubborn?!" I couldn't help it and cursed him in a low voice, "Whether he agrees or not is secondary. You asked me to buy some time to absorb a few first, and then we can catch them. Isn't that okay? How come you don't understand?!!!"

　　"No, you are the one who doesn't understand!" Zhang Shan's tone was still cold. He walked in front of me, still not putting down the gun, staring into my eyes and said, "I don't care what terms they negotiate with you, and I don't care whether I can catch them or not. I only care about one thing, that is, you must not absorb even one pupil seal again!!!"

　　"Okay, I understand your good intentions, but please try a different approach next time when you discuss an issue with me!" Before I finished speaking, I had already exerted force on my legs and instantly dodged Zhang Shan's gun and rushed out of the fan-shaped encirclement of Captain Yang, Liu Yunlong and others.

　　Before I rushed out, I had already pulled out another pupil seal with my hands behind my back and absorbed it. It was just that it was dark here, and they had to divert their attention to prevent Chen Dong's sneak attack, so no one noticed.

　　As soon as I paused, I stuck my hands into the soil beneath my feet, transferring the absorbed power into the ground, and shouted, "Everyone, come out!!!"

　　Suddenly, wisps of black smoke began to emerge from the ground and gradually condensed. When the black smoke turned into human shapes, I looked along the faint light and saw that there were hundreds of people behind me.

　　Of course, at least Zhang Shan, Captain Yang, Liu Yunlong and Wu Guoxiao should not be able to see these nightmares.

　　To be honest, I don't know how to summon these nightmares. But the so-called confidence after absorbing the pupil seal comes from this. It seems that there is a voice in my heart telling me: What do you want to do, how do you want to do it? It's all right! As long as you want it, you can definitely do it!

　　Everyone was stunned. They didn’t know what I wanted to do?

　　Chapter 80 Whose Mistake Is It?

　　"Xiao Wang! What are you doing?!" When Mr. Qian saw this scene, his face suddenly changed drastically and he rushed forward and asked me.

　　Before I could say anything, a man next to me came up to me, stared at me and asked, "You were the one who called us out?"

　　"If you don't want to be put into a golden coffin, just listen to my instructions!" I was very dissatisfied with his attitude.

　　"Huh! The seal holder? So what? Whether you can take us in depends on your ability!" The nightmare felt insulted when I didn't even look at him. Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stretched out his arm and grabbed my throat.

　　"Looking for death!" I finally turned around and stretched out my right hand to him.

　　Although he was in front and I was behind, my strength and speed were much higher than when I first entered the cave. I was the first to arrive. Before his fingertips touched my throat, my right hand had already penetrated this guy's body.

　　"Break!" With a low roar from me, the nightmare suddenly turned into a puff of black smoke again, and... it was gradually absorbed into it by my Wuwei Seal.

　　"This..." Everyone, including me, was stunned again. In addition to the pupil seal, I can also absorb nightmares? !

　　I was in a daze when another ghost came up from behind me, looked at me and said, "I haven't seen a seal master who can control ghosts for many years. May I ask what you can do for me, Ghost Master?"

　　"Ghost Master?" This is the first time I've heard of this term, but... it seems pretty good! It sounds pretty loud.

　　"Haha, we all respect the person who holds the seal who can control ghosts as the Ghost Master. As long as you give an order, we dare not disobey." The nightmare answered respectfully.

　　Well, whether it’s a ghost master or a ghost disciple, it doesn’t matter as long as they can help me solve the problem.

　　After thinking for a while, I pointed to the front and said, "Control the three people on the left first!"

　　There was no response. In just a moment, more than twenty nightmares floated to Chen Dong, Zhao Youde and Wu Guoxiao and surrounded them.

　　It’s okay that Wu Guoxiao can’t see; it’s understandable that Zhao Youde is quite nervous; but as for Chen Dong, although he is a mortal body now, I’m sure he can see these guys.

　　At this moment, he still had the same confident posture as before, with his arms around Xi'an's chest, looking at me happily.

　　"... Damn it! Old bastard, are you high from the medicine you took? What are you doing here giving orders? Hurry up and think of a solution..." Liu Yunlong saw that I was talking and fighting, but couldn't see anything else, so he walked up to me and cursed.

　　Mr. Qian said nothing, busying himself in his arms for a while, and then patted the three of them on both temples. Liu Yunlong immediately swallowed his words and retreated obediently to Captain Yang's side.

　　I know that they can all see these nightmares now.

　　"Why don't you go up? Tie them up first!" I saw Zhang Shan standing still and couldn't help but urge him.

　　"I don't need the results you achieved by relying on this kind of force!" Zhang Shan said firmly without even looking at me.

　　"You!..." This time I was so angry that I couldn't speak. What time is it? If I still care about these cause and effect relationships, won't I miss a great opportunity in vain?

　　"Old Zhang, listen to me." Liu Yunlong understood everything as soon as he saw it clearly. He came up to Zhang Shan and said, "You are very nice, old bastard. There is a way out. You should take it! Catch them. Let's solve the external problems first, and then deal with the internal conflicts!"

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan didn't say anything for a long time, Liu Yunlong had to retreat to the back again, still muttering: "Okay, I didn't say anything!"

　　"Okay! If you don't do it, I'll do it myself!" I was too lazy to argue with him anymore. Anyway, I had to control Chen Dong and the others first.

　　I raised my right hand and was about to give an order, but Chen Dong lowered his arm, looked at me and said, "Want to know where the Millennium Unbreakable Pass is? I can tell you right now!"

　　"Where is the thousand-year-old pass?!" Before I could say anything, Mr. Qian hurriedly walked up to Chen Dong and asked.

　　"It's right here!" Chen Dong still had a relaxed expression on his face. He stretched out his left hand and pointed to the ground.

　　"Impossible! I checked here, there is nothing here!" When Mr. Qian heard this, he knew he was playing a trick on us. Yes, if he wanted to get the Hundred-foot Formation, how could he tell us that it would take a thousand years to break through? He even deliberately led us in. Isn't this asking for trouble?

　　"Oh? May I ask if you have ever seen what the thousand-year-old barrier looks like? Or have you come to see it in person? What if you haven't?" Chen Dong said leisurely, not looking like someone whose lie had been exposed.

　　"I have never seen it. If you have the guts, let us see it! Let me, an old man, open my eyes too!" Old man Qian obviously believed that it was impossible for the barrier to be broken through for a thousand years to be here.

　　"Haha, you don't need to provoke me. I was planning to take you to see it. How about it? Come with me?" After saying that, Chen Dong turned around to leave, but the group of nightmares surrounded them in a circle and stopped them. He had no choice but to turn around and gave me a helpless expression.

　　I wanted to ask the old man for his advice, but we are clearly in an advantageous position now and we are not afraid of what he might do. So I waved my hand at the group of nightmares and said, "Leave them some room to go. If they make any small moves, stop them first!"

　　So, under the leadership of Chen Dong, we slowly walked deeper into the cave, followed by a "group of thugs" of about 100 to 180 people.

　　In fact, it was only about a hundred meters. When he reached a small cave entrance, Chen Dong stopped, turned around and said, "The barrier that has not been broken for a thousand years is in here. It is a bottomless place."

　　"This... this is the entrance to the passage under the City God Temple Opera House!" I followed the light of the flashlight and recognized this place.

　　When we first discovered this entrance, Liu Yunlong and his team marked it with chalk along the way, so I have seen a big "Shang" character on the entrance.

　　Behind this cave entrance is a deep pit with a small diameter. I remember that when I first met Gao Yuan here, I almost fell down.

　　"Make it up! Keep making it up!" When I saw him say it was this place, I couldn't help but sarcastically said, "We sent someone to take a look, and it's not here at all!"

　　"Is it a soul that was sent?" Chen Dong said this, and we were all shocked. Gao Yuan had never met any of the three of them, and we had never mentioned it. Logically, he should never know.

　　Seeing that we were silent, Chen Dong smiled and continued, "You failed because the one you sent was not a human, but a soul."

　　"Impossible! That girl can't and wouldn't dare to lie to me!" The old man seemed to have figured something out and said to us.

　　"Of course, she didn't lie to you!" Unexpectedly, Chen Dong directly confirmed the old man's statement.

　　Then... why? If this place is a thousand-year barrier, since Chen Dong said so, Gao Yuan couldn't lie to the old man, why did she know it was so but didn't say it?

　　Then there is only one other possibility, unless this is not the place!

　　Seeing our disbelief again, Chen Dong shrugged and continued, "Old man, I told you, you are bad because you sent a soul instead of yourself. If you came in person, you might have been discovered long ago. But you were too busy and couldn't split yourself up, so you sent a soul to investigate. This gave me an opportunity. With just a little bit of manipulation, I can be 100% sure that the person you sent will never be discovered."

　　Chapter 81 The melee begins

　　"Why?" I really couldn't understand how he could escape the search of a soul?

　　"Haha, if you often come into contact with evil-repelling talismans, you will know." Chen Dong looked at me and explained with interest: "There are many kinds of evil-repelling talismans. Some can prevent ghost nightmares from approaching, some can directly collect ghost nightmares, and some can make them unable to touch. But there is another kind, which we often use, which can prevent ghost nightmares from seeing the objects with this talisman."

　　"You mean... you put... a soul-avoiding talisman at the entrance of the cave?!" the old man finally understood and asked with wide eyes.

　　“Hahahaha…” Chen Dong laughed and said, “Of course, I just made a slight change to make this talisman more concealed. Even if people come here, they won’t be able to find it if they don’t look carefully! They will only think that this is a naturally formed deep pit.”

　　"This...how is this possible! I didn't even think of this..." The old man was briefly absent-minded again. It seemed that he had completely believed what Chen Dong said.

　　"Haha, often the most common and simplest practices can produce unexpected results." Chen Dong spoke with great pride.

　　"You just point to a pit and say yes? I don't believe you are so capable! You think of everything one step ahead. Do you think you are Zhuge Liang?" Liu Yunlong still didn't believe it and pointed at Chen Dong sarcastically.

　　"How about this, to verify whether this place is really a thousand-year-old barrier, it's very easy, one living person is enough." Chen Dong was not angered by Liu Yunlong, and said with a finger.

　　But he was speaking to Mr. Qian.

　　Before we understood what he meant, Chen Dong suddenly took a step back and came to Wu Guoxiao's side. He stretched out his hands, one hand holding Wu Guoxiao's collar, the other hand holding his belt, and just like that, he swung forward and threw our boss's 170-80 kg body out.

　　Right on cue, after our boss was thrown into the hole, he first hit the wall and then fell down.

　　"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Wu Guoxiao's heart-wrenching and desperate cry came from the deep cave.

　　"What are you doing?!" By the time we realized it, Wu Guoxiao had already fallen down.

　　Chen Dong was very skilled in martial arts. His retreat, grabbing and throwing all happened in an instant. Although those nightmares had my orders, he was targeting his own people after all. They didn't touch us, so the "thugs" didn't react at all.

　　No one expected that Chen Dong would throw Wu Guoxiao down! What on earth did he want to do?

　　"Look, old man, now you can tell whether it's true or not, right?" After Chen Dong finished speaking, he stepped back about ten steps with his hands behind his back, and Zhao Youde followed closely behind him.

　　The old man was very obedient. He hurried forward, squatted down at the entrance of the cave, and observed carefully.

　　In order to prevent Chen Dong from suddenly attacking, I sent some more nightmares to stand between them and us.

　　After a long while, the old man turned around and said to us with a sullen face: "He is right. This place has been unbreakable for a thousand years!"

　　"Why? How did you know?" I was extremely curious and rushed forward to look into the deep pit below. It was pitch black inside with nothing in it.

　　"No living thing is allowed to pass through the barrier for a thousand years. So, when a person falls in, the passage will be like a meat grinder, slowly forcing out the person's blood, water and all signs of life. The deeper you go, the more is forced out. You will know if you smell it." The old man explained.

　　I sniffed hard, and sure enough, there was a strong smell of blood.

　　Wu Guoxiao had not been injured before, and Chen Dong had just used up all his strength when he threw him, and after hitting the vertical wall, his force was just used up. Therefore, even if he had broken his nose or mouth on the wall and bled, there would not be such a strong smell of blood.

　　However, this guy is really too cruel! Once Wu Guoxiao is useless, he will be sacrificed as a test subject while talking.

　　It seems that this Taoist's temperament has not changed over the years, and he is still so cold-blooded and ruthless.

　　"Chen Dong! You actually dared to kill someone in front of me. Do you know that you will be held legally responsible for this?!" Captain Yang could no longer hold back. For a criminal policeman, killing someone in front of him was the biggest provocation.

　　I was about to issue an order to subdue Chen Dong first. But the old man stood up and shouted, "Chen Dong! I admit that you are more scheming than me. But even a wise man can make mistakes! In order to delay time, you told me the location of the thousand-year-old barrier, but have you ever thought about it? Where is the centipede formation? It's in my hands! Do you still want to take it back?!"

　　After saying that, the old man reached behind his back and took out the formation diagram of the Centipede Formation.

　　"What do you want?!" Chen Dong became nervous when he saw the centipede formation. Perhaps he had always thought that the old man would not wear such an important thing on his body all the time, so he was not on guard.

　　"Hehe, it's okay. I'll destroy it first!" The old man let go of his hand before he finished speaking. Everyone watched helplessly as the centipede formation fell into the thousand-year-old barrier.

　　"Old thing!" Chen Dong finally got angry. With just one step, he rushed out of the encirclement and headed straight towards Old Man Qian.

　　"Stop him!" I also hurriedly gave the order, asking those nightmares to chase and intercept him.

　　Although the old man is also very skilled, even comparable to Chen Dong, for safety reasons, I cannot let him take this risk. After all, this is no longer a simple exchange, but a fight of life and death!

　　Chen Dong didn't know what means he used, but every nightmare that approached him was instantly bounced away and flew far away as soon as it touched this guy's iron fist.

　　Although these nightmares did not stop his momentum, they still slowed down his speed. By the time this guy approached the pass that had been impenetrable for a thousand years, Old Man Qian had already retreated to a safer place.

　　"Hahaha! If you have the guts, just jump down and reach it! It's okay, you will definitely find it! But you can only use it over there!" The old man finally fulfilled his wish and was in a good mood. Under the cover of Zhang Shan and others, he excitedly stimulated Chen Dong.

　　"Have you thought about it? Do you want to help me?" Chen Dong was standing at the checkpoint, but he suddenly became quiet. He suddenly changed the subject and spoke to me slowly.

　　"I don't think this is necessary?" I thought about it and said. Now the situation is very clear, the hidden danger of the centipede formation has been eliminated, and he is still surrounded by us, so it seems that there is no need to discuss any conditions.

　　As long as I catch Chen Dong, all the seals in this cave will be mine, and no one can stop me.

　　"Are you so confident?" Chen Dong looked at me and smiled.

　　I had a bad feeling in my heart because I realized that during this round of fighting, we had overlooked a person - Zhao Youde! Where is this guy now? !

　　"Xiao Wang! Watch out for your back!!!" Old man Qian, with sharp eyes, suddenly shouted at me.

　　Because I didn't stand with them after I ran out to avoid Zhang Shan, at this time, the old man and Zhang Shan were standing in one corner, Chen Dong was standing in one corner, and I was standing alone in one corner. Between the two of us were the summoned nightmares.

　　Hearing the sound, I hurriedly turned around, but saw Zhao Youde's face with a sly smile.

　　Chapter 82: Invalid Order

　　Just now, in order to stop Chen Dong, I sent out all the nightmares behind me. It can be said that now I am the only one at the back.

　　When I turned around, Zhao Youde's annoying expression was just half a meter in front of me.

　　Seeing me looking at him, Zhao Youde bared his mouthful of yellow teeth and stretched out his fists to hit me.

　　To be honest, if it was in the past, I might have been afraid of him. But now, as I watched him slowly attack me, I didn't even have the interest to fight back, and I just reached out and grabbed his two fists.

　　"Huh?" I was stunned as soon as I squeezed his hand. This guy was holding something hard in his palm. Looking at Zhao Youde again, he still had a smiling face. How could this look like a fight?

　　Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, he suddenly shrank back and pulled back the hand I was holding.

　　I looked down at my hands and saw two more pupil seals!

　　The desire that had just been suppressed due to the sudden incident was suddenly ignited again.

　　Why would I even consider it? In a flash, he absorbed this pupil seal again.

　　"I think you are hopeless!!!" Zhang Shan hesitated for a moment, loaded the gun and pointed it at me.

　　I knew he was really going to shoot this time.

　　I don't know what to do? Hide or not?

　　After a light "ding" sound, it was followed by "da da da", and a series of bullets hit the wall beside me.

　　I don't know if they found out, but at least I saw that the "ding" sound came from a small stone hitting the gun barrel. And this stone was fired by Chen Dong.

　　Seeing me looking at him, Chen Dong smiled at me and said, "Remember, you owe me a favor!"

　　In fact, I didn't hear anything at all. My mind was full of the moment when Zhang Shan shot me. This guy actually wanted to kill me! I have been tolerant of him time and time again, and even gave him a way out, but I didn't expect that this big fool would not only not appreciate it, but also want to kill me!

　　"Mr. Zhang, do you have to get rid of me first before you can feel at ease?!!!" I was too lazy to think about it anymore, so I stared at Zhang Shan and asked word by word.

　　Zhang Shan just stared at me and didn't show any intention of saying anything, but it seemed to me that what he said hit the nail on the head.

　　"Xiao Wang, calm down! That's their strategy to sow discord!" Mr. Qian and Captain Yang advised me at the same time.

　　"Humph! A plot to sow discord? Can a plot to sow discord control the gun in his hand?" I didn't think so, and shouted at them, "This is the third time he has tried to kill me, and you are still speaking for him? Do you see clearly? It's not that I want to go against him, it's that he insists on killing me! Come here quickly! This guy has gone crazy, and he might even kill you in a while!"

　　A few seconds passed and no one was willing to move even a step.

　　"Grandpa...what do you mean?" I asked Old Man Qian.

　　"Little Wang, stop absorbing the Eye Seal! Come here!" The old man spoke to me in a soft voice.

　　I looked at Liu Yunlong again.

　　"Old bastard, Lao Zhang is doing this for your own good!" Although Liu Yunlong did not express his opinion, I can tell from his tone and motionless state that this guy is not going to compete with me.

　　I didn't even ask Captain Yang. He and Zhang Shan have always been on the same page.

　　"Okay! Okay! Okay!" I said "Okay" three times in a row, and finally made up my mind. "Since you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust! Zhang Shan, until now, I, Wang Ziqi, have a clear conscience! Today, I will give you my three lives, and we will owe each other nothing from now on! Come on!"

　　"Here!" a group of nightmares responded loudly.

　　"Kick these four people out!" I gritted my teeth and gave the order.

　　It was a long time later that I realized that I had actually consumed an excessive amount of pupil seals, and my mind was in a highly sensitive and excited state, and I had lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

　　"Fuck! You old bastard! Are you going crazy?" Before Liu Yunlong could finish his protest, my "group of thugs" had already forced their way in front of them.

　　"Be careful!" The old man was quick to pull Liu Yunlong away and shouted, "We can't leave Xiao Wang here alone! We have to hold on!"

　　Zhang Shan had already handed the submachine gun back to Captain Yang, pulled out his "killing stick", and rushed into the crowd to start hacking and killing.

　　Under the leadership of the old man, Liu Yunlong also opened a retreat route for Zhang Shan and Captain Yang to prevent them from being surrounded.

　　Watching them fighting in the encirclement, I felt bad. After all, we had a bond of life and death. But when I thought about how Zhang Shan tried to kill me three times, and even the last time, if Chen Dong hadn't intervened, I might have become a corpse. I was so angry.

　　But luckily, I just let these nightmares drive them away, so they don't have to fight for their lives.

　　I don't know when Chen Dong came to my side, looked at the fighting scene in front of me, and said to me: "You'd better be careful not to hurt them when fighting like this! How about I help you drive them out?"

　　"You don't need to care about our business!" Although I was against Mr. Zhang Shan and the others at this time, I was not crazy enough to ask Chen Dong to help me. If he took action, the nature of the situation would change completely.

　　I think I can still distinguish this clearly.

　　"Haha, okay! It's up to you, but you'd better be careful that you can't stop fighting!" Chen Dong looked at me meaningfully and said nothing more. I let him stand beside him.

　　After watching for a while, I found something wrong. How could these nightmares be trying to drive them away? They were clearly attacking their vital points. Liu Yunlong had been in danger several times. If it weren't for Old Man Qian who helped him at the last moment, this guy would have died a long time ago."

　　"Stop!" Seeing this situation, I quickly gave the order to stop the attack.

　　A scene that made me break out in a cold sweat appeared. Not a single person, no, not a single nightmare listened to me. They continued to attack fiercely.

　　"I told you to stop! Did you hear me?!" I ran forward and shouted.

　　Still no one stopped, and these guys' attacks became even more ferocious.

　　"I told you to stop, are you deaf?!" In desperation, I ran behind the crowd, grabbed a man who had just been beaten out by Zhang Shan, and asked sternly.

　　What's annoying is that this guy didn't even look at me. He got up and rushed forward again.

　　I was so angry that I used my right hand to kill him like before. But I didn't expect that this guy suddenly disappeared, and appeared two meters away in a flash, leaving me empty-handed.

　　This... Could it be that the effect of the pupil seal has worn off? I hurried to the wall, dug out two pupil seals, absorbed them and did the same thing, but it still didn't work. Although the nightmares I hit fell away, I didn't cause any substantial damage to them.

　　I finally started to regret it. I never expected that everything would turn out like this and get completely out of control.

　　A hand was placed on my shoulder, and Chen Dong's voice rang behind my ear: "Look, I advised you a long time ago, but you didn't listen. Now you can't control yourself, right?"

　　I pushed his arm away, turned around and asked, "Are you the one behind this?!"

　　Chen Dong on the opposite side still had a confident smile on his face, and said slowly: "You recruited the ghost soldiers, and you gave the orders. Now that they are disobedient, you blame me?!"

　　I was speechless. Yes, I chose my own path, who can I blame?

　　"You must have a way! Make them stop!" Although Chen Dong did not say that he could do it, but given the current situation, even if he was not the mastermind, he must have done something behind the scenes.

　　"Haha, sure! ~ Still the same condition, help me deliver something to Taihang Mountain. Not only can I help you save them, but all these pupil seals in the cave will be yours! How about it?" Chen Dong made the request again.

　　"What?" I had to start considering his conditions because at this point, there was no other choice.

　　Chapter 83: Total Defeat

　　"What?" I had to start considering his conditions because at this point, there was no other choice.

　　"Don't worry, it's not any of your heads. It's not something that breaks the law in the world, and it's very easy to carry!" Chen Dong gave me a reassurance.

　　"...Okay, I promise you, bring the things here!" I hesitated for a moment, but had to agree and stretched out my hand to him.

　　"Haha, you just have to promise to go to Taihang Mountain within a month. I will give you the things when the time comes." Chen Dong patted my palm and continued, "Come with me first, let me get something, and I'll let you go." After that, he turned and walked to the side.

　　Turning my head to look at the people fighting, I had to quickly catch up with him.

　　Arriving at the pass that had been unbreakable for a thousand years, Chen Dong stood still, then squatted down and groped for something on the pass.

　　Looking at his back, a thought quickly arose in my mind: If I suddenly exert force and push him down at this moment, will I be able to change the current situation?

　　But then I thought, if I kill him but fail to solve Zhang Shan's trap, won't we be in a melee? And this guy is so confident squatting with his back to me, maybe he has a backup plan. If I can't push him down, it may cause our agreement to be invalid. Not only will I be unable to solve the siege, but I will also have another powerful enemy, which is even more unprofitable.

　　What's more, although I am not a gentleman, I don't think I have the courage to secretly kill someone.

　　After struggling for a long time, until Chen Dong stood up again, I didn't dare to carry out this bold idea.

　　But when he turned around, I was stunned, because what Chen Dong was holding in his hand was the centipede formation that the old man had just thrown away!

　　"This... How did you get it out?!" I was amazed. If it was something that had been thrown down for a thousand years, how could it be pulled out again? How is this possible!

　　"Haha, just a little trick!" Chen Dong waved what he had in his hand towards me. It was a bunch of thin silk threads, randomly wrapped around the centipede formation. And he was holding one of these silk threads.

　　Although I don't know how he did it, it was obvious that it was these silk threads that stopped the centipede from falling.

　　As I was staring blankly at it, I noticed something slowly crawling up Chen Dong's right shoulder. It was as big as a fist, with eight long hairy legs... This... This turned out to be an oversized spider!

　　Seeing that I saw the spider, Chen Dong smiled and stretched out his hand to tease it, saying: "I don't have any other hobbies. I usually like to raise some small things. You know what, they can really come in handy at the critical moment!"

　　I understand everything! Although we fought happily, it turned out that it was all part of Chen Dong's plan! The reason why we were able to find the cave entrance and come in was that we had already walked into the trap they set.

　　Chen Dong first collected all the nearby souls and placed them in this cave. Then he used the silver mushrooms of the twin mushrooms to attract us. It seems that he is very familiar with my physique. Before they appeared, he had already created a rift between me and Zhang Shan.

　　When they appeared, Chen Dong seduced me step by step, trying every means to drag me into the water. During this period, there were two points that seemed to be forced by him, but in fact they were implied:

　　First of all, after Chen Dong was surrounded by us, he revealed the location of the thousand-year-old pass. At that time, it seemed that he was trying to buy time to break through, but in fact his main purpose was to get the location of the Centipede Formation.

　　He knew very well that we had been looking for the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass for several days, and our purpose was very clear, which was to send the Centipede Formation in. Once Master Qian knew the location of the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass, he would immediately take out the Centipede Formation and send it in.

　　The centipede formation is an object after all, not a radar transmitter. No matter how powerful Chen Dong is, he can't figure out where it is, so he can only use this method to make it appear automatically.

　　Whether it works or not, we will know once we try it, and we will find out that we have been fooled.

　　Then, he threw out Wu Guoxiao to verify the authenticity of the thousand-year-old pass. But this was just an appearance. The deeper meaning was that while surprising us, he took advantage of the gap to quietly send out the spider to weave a web a little below the pass to stop the centipede formation that fell immediately afterwards.

　　As expected, the old man was fooled. After a brief surprise, he immediately took out the centipede array and threw it in, and it fell on the spider's newly woven web.

　　I just don’t know what kind of spider this is. The spider silk is so tough. The centipede array must be at least more than a pound, but it can actually carry it!

　　As for why those ghost soldiers didn't listen to me, there is no need to think about it now. It is very likely that they didn't listen to me from the beginning, but just created such a scene under the instructions of "certain people".

　　It can be seen that every step we took after entering the cave was carefully planned and arranged by Chen Dong. This person is really terrible!

　　Therefore, it is impossible to expect him to order those guys to stop. He is just delaying time to prevent me from joining in and causing unnecessary trouble.

　　I confirmed these things in my mind twice, and every point fits perfectly. It seems that my guess is completely valid. I looked up at Chen Dong again. He was wiping the centipede formation with great interest and had not noticed my changes yet.

　　No, I have to act now! Otherwise, once his energy returns, we won't even have a chance to resist.

　　I pretended to look back anxiously at the battle behind me, and slowly approached the wall. There were five pupil seals connected here, which I had observed long ago.

　　Using my body to block Chen Dong's sight, I dug out and absorbed these pupil seals one by one. After absorbing five, I didn't look back, and rushed forward into the crowd. Suddenly, those ghost soldiers flew all over the sky, and were either thrown out or kicked away by me.

　　In fact, these could not cause any harm to them, but my goal was achieved - soon, I rushed to Zhang Shan and the others.

　　"Let's go! We've all been fooled! Chen Dong has pulled out the centipede formation again! Let's get out first!" I pulled the old man and was about to retreat. Behind us was the passage we came in through.

　　"What did you say?!" I clearly felt the old man's whole body tremble. He pinched my wrist so hard that it hurt. I asked loudly, "You said he fished out the centipede formation again?!"

　　"Yes! He used spiders to weave webs at the pass and blocked the centipede formation that you were about to throw down!" I knew the old man wouldn't believe it if I didn't explain it clearly, so I had to tell him the reason.

　　"Let's go quickly! Once he activates the Centipede Formation, we won't be able to escape even if we want to!" I saw the old man standing there in a daze after hearing what I heard, so I urged him again.

　　"No! We must not let the centipede formation fall into his hands! We can't leave! We must fight back!" Seeing that they were all retreating, the old man pushed me and rushed back.

　　"What's going on?" Captain Yang saw me coming back and hurried over to ask.

　　"We'll talk about it when we have time! Protect the old man!" I saw Old Man Qian rushing towards Chen Dong behind the crowd like crazy, and hurriedly pulled them to follow him.

　　But there are too many nightmares, and it is already difficult for us to resist them. How can we rush forward?

　　After a lot of effort, when we rushed to the Millennium Unbreakable Pass, Chen Dong's voice came from behind the crowd: "Stop!"

　　Finally, these nightmares stopped charging and surrounded us in a fan shape, with three layers inside and three layers outside.

　　"Haha, do you still want to fight to the end? You have already been defeated miserably!" Chen Dong suddenly rose up from behind the crowd, probably because he stepped on something.

　　Chapter 84 The Truth Revealed

　　"Give me the gun, I guarantee I can blow his head off!" Liu Yunlong observed for a moment, found a shooting angle, and said in a low voice.

　　"Don't be anxious, let's wait and see the situation! Since he dares to stand so high, he is not afraid of our shooting." The old man asked him to be patient.

　　"Wang Ziqi, my proposal is still valid. You are not planning to go back on your word, are you?" No one expected that after winning a "complete victory", Chen Dong would actually negotiate terms with me!

　　Is this guy out of his mind?

　　"What do you mean?!" I felt like he was just playing a game of cat and mouse at this point.

　　"If you are willing to save their lives, I think this deal is worth making, right?" Chen Dong said confidently.

　　"Come on! Would you be so kind as to let us go?! Stop talking nonsense!" The old man didn't believe it at all.

　　"Why not?" Chen Dong smiled and continued, "I have taken what I should have taken. Now I am not bragging, you have lost the strength to fight with me. So what does it matter whether I kill you or not? Will an elephant get angry with an ant that wants to kill it? Haha, don't be angry, I am just stating my position."

　　Although it was very frustrating to hear, I admit that there is some truth in what this guy said.

　　I thought about it and walked straight towards the nightmares surrounding us.

　　"You old bastard! Are you having a seizure again? Come back quickly!" Liu Yunlong tried to pull me from behind, but I blocked him.

　　Under Chen Dong's instructions, these nightmares made way for me.

　　Walking to the base of the wall, I dug out another pupil seal, wiped off the dirt on it, stared at its smooth surface for a long time, and then said, "You mean, if you let us go, these things will belong to me, and then I only need to help you deliver one thing to Taihang Mountain, right?"

　　"That's right!" Chen Dong affirmed.

　　"Clang", Zhang Shan said nothing, pulled the bolt again and aimed it at me.

　　"Haha, did you see that? How dare I agree to you? There's a gun pointed at my head!" I shrugged and said to Chen Dong with a wry smile.

　　"What's the problem?" Chen Dong jumped down from a protruding rock, walked up to me and said, "How about I help you deal with it? Drive it away or something? Whatever you say, I'll do it!"

　　I looked at Old Man Zhang Shan and the others over there. They didn't say anything and were waiting for my choice.

　　"Can I ask you a question first?" I looked at the centipede formation in Chen Dong's hand and asked, "Who are you? I know you are the Taoist, but how did you get the centipede formation? How did you practice it with Yan Xinling? Also, what are you looking for besides the centipede formation?"

　　The questions I asked may sound silly at first, but they are all crucial questions. Through them, we can gradually solve the mystery of the centipede formation. Maybe we can even explore its deeper meaning and ultimate purpose.

　　"Haha! Want to know? Okay! I'll tell you!" To be honest, I don't dislike Chen Dong, even though he is ruthless and a complete villain. But he is such a villain that he is so open and honest that it makes people helpless.

　　Clearing his throat, he continued, "Speaking of this centipede formation, it's not mine, but my master's."

　　"Your master is Zhou Tiezui?" Of course I knew who his master was. I also knew that it was he who designed to kill his master and thus seized the Centipede Formation.

　　"Zhou Tiezui is just his pseudonym. My master's real name is Zhou Qiao." Chen Dong said frankly.

　　"Zhou Qiao... Zhou Qiao... your master... is the one who used the Hundred Legs Formation to escape from Zhu Yuanzhang's pursuit!? Isn't he... isn't he dead?" Old Master Qian muttered for a long time and suddenly raised his voice and asked.

　　So that's how it is. Chen Dong's master was actually the apprentice of the man who assisted Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the world... Well, it's a bit confusing to say this.

　　I gradually remembered some relevant information. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, the creator of the Hundred-legged Array was persecuted and his entire family was executed. At the last moment, he asked his most trusted disciple to escape with the Hundred-legged Array. However, this person was eventually caught up by the pursuers and executed on the spot.

　　So the old man asked this question.

　　"A trick, this should be easy for a seal holder, right?" Chen Dong raised his head and continued what Old Man Qian said: "Of course, after Zhu Yuanzhang confiscated his property, he did not find the centipede formation. He knew that as long as this thing was still in the hands of others, he would not be able to sit on the throne, so he sent out elite troops to hunt down my master day and night. And my master also knew that if he didn't find a way to get rid of the centipede formation, no matter where he escaped, he would be caught up one day. No matter how powerful a person is, how can he fight against a million troops? So after escaping for six days, my master found a man, cast a spell to disguise him as himself, and gave him the centipede formation. Then he deliberately let out the news that he was here. Finally, the pursuers found the place, killed the impostor immediately, took away the centipede formation, and went back to report to Zhu Yuanzhang."

　　"Then how come your master still has the Centipede Formation? Could it be that he has also been swapped?" I was very surprised. In the dice dream, I saw that Zhou Qiao had the Centipede Formation on him.

　　"The Centipede Formation is real!" Chen Dong said as he paced slowly in front of me, "Zhu Yuanzhang has countless talented people around him. If he brought back a fake Centipede Formation, it would definitely be discovered. So my master had no choice but to give it up completely. But he also learned a little bit of the practice method from his master."

　　"What about this centipede formation?..." I pointed at the formation diagram in his hand and left the sentence halfway through.

　　"This is the one from back then!" Chen Dong understood what I meant very well: "In fact, there are only two truly successful Hundred-legged Formations, the one my master used, and the other one is this one."

　　"Who is your master?" Even Zhang Shan couldn't help but wonder who this master who assisted Zhu Yuanzhang was.

　　"Haha, do you still need to ask?" Chen Dong said with a proud look: "My master's surname is Li, and his courtesy name is Baishi!"

　　It turned out to be Li Shanchang, who was called "the reincarnation of Xiao He" by Zhu Yuanzhang! He was a high-ranking official in his life and was appointed as the right prime minister. However, in the 23rd year of Hongwu, he was investigated for being a member of Hu Weiyong's party and more than 70 people in his family were killed.

　　"But... I remember that Yan Xinling had already mastered it. Why does she have to start over again now?" The more I asked, the more problems I found.

　　"That was intentional." Chen Dong simply answered every question: "Every time I reincarnate, I will disperse some of the soul nightmares inside to prevent someone from picking them up and making a big deal out of it. Okay, I've almost finished asking questions, right? Isn't it time for you to make a decision?"

　　"One last question!" I saw that he was gradually concentrating, so I hurriedly asked, "Besides the Centipede Formation, what else do you want?"

　　“Hahahaha!” Chen Dong laughed again and replied, “I’ve said it before! I can’t tell you now, but as long as you go to Taihang Mountain, I will…”

　　Just as he looked up and laughed, I had already crushed the pupil seal in my hand, and when my strength and speed reached the peak, I suddenly rushed forward, passed by Chen Dong's body, and took away the centipede formation in his right hand.

　　Chapter 85: Fate Comes True

　　Under normal circumstances, this sneak attack might not have been successful.

　　But Chen Dong happened to be laughing and didn't take me seriously. After all, Zhang Shan had shot me before, so he might be confident that he could win me over.

　　In addition, I absorbed the pupil seal. These three factors together constitute the main factors for snatching the town book from him.

　　Chen Dong's reaction was not ordinary. When I grabbed the centipede formation, he had already noticed it and tried to grab me. But I was too strong and he found that he couldn't stop me, so he quickly changed his grip to a palm and hit me on the back with a dull "bang".

　　Thanks to this guy's palm, I was able to move even faster. I just touched the ground with my toes and rolled in front of Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan was quick-witted and pulled me behind him immediately.

　　"Little King!"

　　"Old bastard!"

　　The old man, Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong immediately surrounded me.

　　After Chen Dong hit me with that palm, I felt the blood in my chest churning, as if something was blocking it. At this moment, I finally couldn't hold it anymore and vomited with a "wow". Liu Yunlong's pants were all over it.

　　"Blood... Lao Wang, you are injured!" Liu Yunlong was immediately panicked when he saw the bright red color on his pants.

　　"Old...old man...I have snatched the Centipede Formation back from you!" I released my arms that were protecting my chest, revealing the formation pattern of the Centipede Formation.

　　"Good! Good! Good job!" Old man Qian looked at me with mixed feelings of sadness and joy.

　　"Back off!" Zhang Shan suddenly shouted. I turned my head and saw that the nightmares were charging again.

　　It seems that Chen Dong is really angry this time.

　　Liu Yunlong held me up and took two steps back before turning around and shouting, "No! There's no way out! There's a checkpoint further back!"

　　"There is an upward passage on the left side of the pass, we can hide in it first." I remembered the road I took when I came down, and it was indeed possible to hide there for a while. But the way back was blocked, and hiding all the time was not a long-term solution.

　　But at this moment, there is no better way, we have been completely surrounded.

　　Zhang Shan and the old man were responsible for the rear guard, Liu Yunlong pulled me down the cave and climbed onto the left step. Then came Captain Yang. I saw him holding a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. I couldn't help but gasp and remind him: "The edge is very slippery, be careful not to drop the flashlight, this is the only light source we have left. I dropped the flashlight here last time."

　　"What did you say?" The old man suddenly poked his head in and asked me.

　　"I said be careful with the flashlight." I answered surprised that he was still interested in asking these questions even though I was so nervous.

　　"..." The old man gave me a meaningful look, turned around, and suddenly shouted: "Chen Dong! Tell your minions to stop immediately, or I will really throw down the centipede formation this time!"

　　"Stop!" Chen Dong outside was indeed obedient. After his men had stabilized, he said, "I gave you a way out, but you didn't take it. Are you trying to find your own death?! I'm not afraid to tell you that I have set up another ice barrier ten meters below the pass. Without a thousand pounds of strength, you can't even think of breaking it! If you don't believe me, just try it!"

　　"Haha, I believe it!" The old man said with a smile, "I knew this day would come, so how could I not have thought of your tricks? You have calculated for hundreds of years, do you really think you are foolproof? I tell you, you missed one last thing, which is human nature!"

　　"Human nature?" Chen Dong was also confused and didn't know what the old man was talking about.

　　"Yes, human nature!" Mr. Qian continued, "You are a man without humanity. If you are unwilling to do something, you think that others will not do it either. I tell you today, you are wrong! You are completely wrong! You will pay the price for this mistake!"

　　"Uncle Grand Master..." Zhang Shan looked at the old man blankly, not knowing what he wanted to do.

　　"Xiao Wang." Old Man Qian turned around and said to me, "Do you remember what I told you when I stepped into the Yin and Yang Realm? What is my destiny wheel?"

　　“……” I sat on the ground, trying hard to recall.

　　I vaguely remember the old man saying that he brought something out at that time, which the mountain people at that time had never seen before.

　　"...Flashlight!!!" It's a flashlight!!! I remembered! No wonder the old man reacted so strongly to what I said just now. Could it be that he...

　　"Old...old man! You can't do this! His main purpose is not the centipede formation! It's not worth it!" I hurriedly stopped the old man.

　　When the old man heard that I had dropped a flashlight down there, he understood that the time had finally come to test his fate. In other words, the old man's fate would be the same as that flashlight, falling down from here.

　　"Haha, whether it is true or not, the Centipede Formation should not exist in this world. Chen Dong does not have the secret to practice the Centipede Formation. As long as I bring it into the Yin and Yang World, the Centipede Formation will be eradicated from then on. I think it is still worth it. Besides, except for me, who else among you has the strength of a thousand pounds?" The old man said very calmly.

　　"Let me go! Give me a pupil seal!" How could I watch the old man go to his death? He said desperately.

　　"Xiao Wang, how many years do I have left to live? Why are you arguing with me?" The old man raised his hand and motioned for me to listen to him. "Although I know it is irresponsible to leave you here. But I have no other choice. But I believe that you can get out alive!"

　　After saying that, the old man took out another thing from his arms.

　　This is... This is a grenade! Where did he get this thing? !

　　The old man stuffed the grenade into Zhang Shan's hand and said, "I found this thing in Xiao Song's office. I think it might be able to help you. Alas, I'm old now. It's time to take a rest. Let's say goodbye now."

　　"Zhang Shan! Stop the old man quickly!!!" I ignored the severe pain in my chest and stood up to stop him.

　　It was obvious that Old Man Qian was going to jump down holding the Centipede Formation, use the momentum to stomp on the ice barrier set up by Chen Dong, and eventually send it into the Yin and Yang Realm through the Thousand Years Indestructible Barrier, preventing the Centipede Formation from ever returning to the human world.

　　But the price we paid for this was that after the old man broke the ice barrier, due to the ten-meter height difference, we had no rescue or protection measures, and the cave wall was slippery, so we were bound to fall in with him.

　　So, this is totally suicidal!

　　After listening to what the old man and I said, Zhang Shan gradually understood and reached out to pull him.

　　But the old man had already made preparations, so how could he get what he wanted?

　　The old man stretched out his hand and pointed at Zhang Shan, and the guy stopped moving. At the same time, he smiled and said to me, "Xiao Wang, when you become powerful in the future, remember to come down and see me often."

　　After saying that, Mr. Qian leaped and jumped down. At the same time, Zhang Shan also regained his mobility.

　　"Old man!!!" I rushed forward and tried to grab him, but my fingertips just touched the old man's wrinkled face.

　　"Live well!" The old man's final words came from deep inside the cave. Then, after a burst of muffled sounds, there was no more sound.

　　"Kill them!" After a brief silence, Chen Dong finally became furious and ordered his "thugs" to charge again.

　　Zhang Shan had already taken the opportunity to take out several pieces of talisman paper, wrapped the grenade with three layers inside and three layers outside, and then handed it to Captain Yang, saying, "Throw it at the bastard's feet!"

　　Captain Yang did not hesitate and pulled the safety ring as soon as he took it. He held it in his hand and said to Zhang Shan, "Jump in quickly!"

　　Finally, after Captain Yang threw away his grenade and jumped in, there was a loud "boom" outside. In an instant, rocks of all sizes and colors flew around, hitting people and causing pain.

　　Since we were hiding on the steps inside the cave, the explosion did not affect us, but it did blow those nightmares into pieces.

　　It seems that this is all thanks to the talismans that Zhang Shan pasted.

　　After a long time, the echo in the cave gradually dissipated, and we stood up with the support of each other.

　　The Centipede Formation was eventually sent into the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass, and Old Man Qian suffered the same fate.

　　Looking at the dark gate in front of me, my heart ached like a knife. I didn't expect that the old man would end up like Wu Guoxiao.

　　Why? Isn't it said that God is fair to everyone? Why did such a kind old man end up like this? On the contrary, that stinky Taoist priest was allowed to reincarnate repeatedly in the human world and live freely? !

　　If you fall into the thousand-year barrier, the only possible outcome is that you will never be able to be reborn.

　　I remember the old man once said that if he had the right to choose, he would not reincarnate as a human being over and over again, as he would suffer in every life.

　　Perhaps, this is the final destination he wants?

　　As he was staring at the pass in a daze, Captain Yang suddenly shouted, "Oh no! The cave is about to collapse! Run up quickly!"

　　Chapter 86: Survival from Desperate Situation

　　Just as I was about to look up, I felt some fine soil falling on my head.

　　"Isn't the upstairs sealed off?" I asked hurriedly when I saw them climbing up the stairs.

　　Captain Yang came up to me, grabbed me and shouted, "Don't dawdle! It will collapse if it does! We will probably be buried before we get halfway along the road we came here! Let's go up first! Whether we can get out depends on God!"

　　After saying that, he and Liu Yunlong held me on each side and climbed up.

　　After walking a dozen steps, large pieces of rocks began to fall from behind. It seemed that the grenade had loosened the already fragile structure of the cave roof, and it was about to collapse.

　　Finally, he looked back at the thousand-year-old barrier, only to find that it had long been submerged in darkness.

　　Goodbye, old man. I turned around, pushed away their support, and climbed up with great pain.

　　The good thing is that we are always moving upwards. But the bad thing is that the speed of the collapse is like chasing us from behind, pressing us all the time. From the initial gap of more than ten steps, it has been shortened to a few steps now. Right behind me, rocks of different sizes keep falling down.

　　If we go to a closed area and this trend doesn't stop, we will just have to wait for death.

　　It seems that we can only take a gamble and see if God favors us.

　　Finally, under the illumination of Captain Yang's flashlight, we vaguely saw a gray brick wall not far ahead, which was probably the end of the road.

　　Finally we reached the place where we had blocked off the area earlier. Captain Yang quickly turned around and pulled us over, shouting, "Hold your heads and squat along the wall! We still have a chance of survival!"

　　After roaring for nearly half a minute, it finally quieted down. But these few tens of seconds seemed longer than a century to us.

　　I let go of my arms that were holding my head. The place was filled with choking dust. I quickly opened my coat and put my nose and mouth on it to filter it out.

　　No one could speak in this situation, it was extremely quiet.

　　I didn't dare open my eyes. I just buried my head in my clothes and breathed the air as carefully as possible.

　　After an unknown amount of time, Captain Yang's voice sounded again: "Okay, guys, I think we've avoided the first level."

　　I looked up and saw that the flashlight was on. I began to observe the situation here.

　　Thank goodness, the collapse miraculously stopped two meters behind us! A huge rock weighing at least a thousand pounds just happened to block it, preventing the landslide from spreading.

　　I have to say, we are really lucky!

　　Captain Yang roughly checked everyone's condition. Fortunately, except for the palm strike on my back from Chen Dong, the three of them were basically not injured.

　　Finally relaxing, I felt the burning pain in my chest again.

　　Zhang Shan, who was leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, moved over, also leaning against the wall, looking forward, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

　　I smiled. I was satisfied that this guy could say sorry to me! So I said, "You are right. You don't need to tell me. I know what I was like just now."

　　Zhang Shan raised his head and looked at me in surprise.

　　I grinned at him and continued, "Let bygones be bygones. Let's make it clear that next time this happens, I can't guarantee that I can resist the temptation a second time. You must stop me in advance! It's better to knock him out than to kill him, right? Haha!"

　　Zhang Shan was stunned for a moment, then he showed his big white teeth and stretched out his right hand towards me.

　　"Snap!" I also stretched out my right hand and hit his palm with a loud and crisp sound.

　　"Hmm..." After the high-five, a sharp pain came immediately, and I couldn't help but curl up into a ball, covering my chest.

　　"Relax, let me see!" Seeing that I was so badly injured, Zhang Shan quickly squatted down to check.

　　After a moment, he asked, "Are you feeling chest pain or stuffy?"

　　Beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on my head, and I could only nod in affirmation.

　　"Well... this Chen Dong is really powerful. I guess you have internal injuries!" Zhang Shan said with a frown.

　　It seems that this is the case. I was wondering why the front hurts when the back is hit? It seems that the injury is inside.

　　"Old bastard, you're not going to die, are you?" Liu Yunlong also came over and asked with a concerned look on his face.

　　I wanted to scold him, but it was so painful that I could hardly breathe, so how could I open my mouth?

　　Zhang Shan symbolically slapped him and said, "Don't talk nonsense! You won't die! Have you read too many martial arts novels? You have internal injuries, but they are healing slowly."

　　After a while, I finally recovered from the aftereffects of the high-five. Although I was still short of breath, at least I could still bear the pain for now.

　　Seeing that I was getting better, Captain Yang turned off the flashlight and said in the dark, "Okay, let's discuss our future plans!"

　　"Boss, there's no need to turn off the lights during this discussion!" Liu Yunlong protested.

　　"Alas..." Captain Yang sighed and said, "Now that we are trapped here, we have to save everything. Not to mention flashlights, even the air we breathe has to be planned!"

　　"It's not that exaggerated. Can't I just make a phone call?" Liu Yunlong said as he took out his mobile phone. The faint light on the screen reflected on his face, and we could clearly see this guy's expression.

　　"Damn it!" Two seconds later, the guy angrily closed his phone.

　　No need to ask, no signal.

　　It's blocked so tightly, it's good enough to have some space for ventilation, what else can you ask for?

　　"How thick is this wall that was filled in later?" I leaned against the wall and asked Captain Yang. If it was thin, we might be able to open a passage quickly.

　　"It's a lot! It was filled in the first place for reinforcement to prevent the buildings above from sinking. Two large trucks were used just for bricks. You can imagine how thick it is, and they're all solid." Captain Yang poured another basin of cold water on our heads.

　　After hearing this, I leaned my head against the stone wall, not knowing what to do. My only chance to save myself was denied, and it seemed that I could only wait for others to rescue me.

　　Fortunately, we could feel a little air flowing through the cracks in the bricks, so we didn't suffocate to death. That was pretty good. But how long could we last without water or food?

　　After discussing for a long time, we finally reached a consensus: the possibility of escaping on our own is almost zero. So we must try to conserve our energy and endure as much time as possible to wait for rescuers.

　　How to conserve energy? The answer is simple: sleep!

　　Once a person enters a sleeping state, all functions will gradually slow down, so they can naturally last longer. In addition, the oxygen intake will also decrease after falling asleep, so try to keep the oxygen concentration in the air here high.

　　So, we decided to take turns from now on, one person on duty for four hours, and the other three people sleeping. The person on duty only needs to pay attention to whether there is any sound coming from above. In this way, each person takes a turn every twelve hours, and the rest of the time is sleeping.

　　Although we had to conserve our energy, no one could sleep at this time. Everyone wanted to be the first on duty. Until finally, Zhang Shan overruled the others and pointed out that Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong had not slept last night, and I was injured, and ordered us to rest quickly in a semi-forced manner. He would wake up Captain Yang in four hours to take over the shift.

　　Everyone then quieted down, found a comfortable position, and tried to fall asleep.

　　Chapter 87: A Long Conversation

　　Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong hadn't slept for two days and one night. They were both very careless and started snoring not long after lying down.

　　I couldn't fall asleep because of the tightness in my chest and the dull pain.

　　After lying sideways for a while, I was just considering changing my position when I heard a slight sob beside me.

　　It was Zhang Shan who was crying, and it seemed to be directly related to the old man's death.

　　Alas... Zhang Shan, this iron-blooded man who could cut off his own arm without even a frown, was crying like a child at this moment. How much pain must he have buried deep in his heart? !

　　I remember this was the second time he cried today. The first time was when he decided to kill me, he couldn't help crying and telling me the reason for killing me. Alas... For the first time, I realized that I was really a worry for others. Since I have already stepped into this circle, why can't I face it bravely? Running away will only hurt myself and the people around me.

　　It seems that there is nothing wrong with being a person like Mr. Zhang and Mr. Qian.

　　But how can I explain this to my family and Ni Qian...

　　I didn't know how to persuade him, so I could only endure the pain and remain motionless.

　　If you want to cry, just cry. It's no good to keep it in your heart. Who says men can't cry? If I wasn't afraid that Zhang Shan would find out, I would have cried with him.

　　I cried for two minutes, and the sobbing gradually became quieter. I was just about to take the opportunity to turn over, but I heard Zhang Shan whispered: "Can't sleep? If you can't sleep, don't pretend."

　　I knew she was talking about me because Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong were still snoring loudly.

　　Sitting up straight, I put my hand on my chest and said, "I didn't mean to hear you cry! I just can't sleep because of the pain."

　　"Haha." Zhang Shan nudged me with his elbow and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't care. You can't see it anyway. Is your chest feeling better? If you can't sleep, just talk! I heard that chatting can distract your attention and relieve pain."

　　Yes! The pain of the chest injury can be relieved, but what about the pain of the heart? I thought of the old man again, and my nose suddenly felt sore.

　　"Actually, I've been thinking about this." Zhang Shan paused and said, "You said the old man had grenades, why didn't he take them out earlier? Why don't we take care of Chen Dong's group first, and then find a way to break the ice barrier?"

　　Yes! Why didn't I think of that? The old man could have used the grenade first and then cast the magic circle. This was related to his own life, he couldn't have not considered it! But why did he have to reverse the order?

　　"This... maybe he's afraid that Chen Dong is too powerful and not only will he not be killed, but the grenade will be wasted instead?" This is the only plausible reason I could think of.

　　"It's possible, but I don't think it's the main reason." Zhang Shan thought for a moment, then continued, "The old man had obviously planned to take this route a long time ago. Didn't you notice? When he mentioned that flashlight, his tone was so calm. How could he sound like he had just made up his mind to die?"

　　"The flashlight... is the old man's life wheel." I muttered. It seems that he knew that he would not survive today.

　　The old man has been dealing with these ghosts and nightmares all his life. How many people who do this don't believe in fate? Since he knows his fate, the old man will definitely abide by it, even if no one forces him, he will do so.

　　Because he believed that this was destined! This was an ending that no one could change!

　　Is there any better outcome for him than martyrdom?

　　"Yes! Since you have chosen this path, there is no reason for Grand Master Uncle not to abide by it. I'm afraid it's the same for us." Zhang Shan let out a long sigh. He obviously guessed that the old man was seeking death on his own initiative, and sighed.

　　There was a moment of silence, and neither of us knew how to comment on the old man's final action.

　　Zhang Shan took a few deep breaths and then whispered, "The old man's fate wheel is a flashlight, and it was finally verified. Then what is my apple? Do you think that Liu's bite will change my fate?"

　　I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, although Zhang Shan is smart in ghost matters, he is a mess in other aspects. Don't tell him! Regardless of whether the old man's guess is right or not, the silver slipper and the half-ripened apple are not things that can be said casually. I can't make a conclusion about Zhang Shan's life so early. What's the point of living then? Even if he is brave enough, I'm afraid he can't stand this kind of mental torture.

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything, Zhang Shan continued to ask: "What are you thinking about? Do you know something?"

　　"Ah?! No!" I quickly pulled myself back from my distraction and changed the subject: "I was thinking, when we first met the old man, he seemed to be at odds with your grandfather, but why was he willing to help us later? Also, how did he get the Hundred Legs Formation in his hands? Why was he willing to give it to Zhang Haitao?"

　　In fact, these are all questions that have always puzzled me, but I have no time to ponder them these days. I can only keep them in mind. Now that I have a rare moment of free time, I might as well ask them all at once so that Zhang Shan can give me a quick explanation.

　　Of course, the more important thing is to stop him from dwelling on the apple. If I think about it a few more times, he probably already knows it even if I don't say it.

　　"Speaking of this matter, I actually know something about it. Do you want to hear it?" Zhang Shan turned his head and looked at me.

　　After receiving my affirmative answer, Zhang Shan cleared his throat and said, "According to my master, this is what happened...

　　It turned out that Mr. Zhang, Mr. Qian and Zhang Shan’s master, the man I had seen in my dream, were brothers in the same school and all of them were orphans.

　　There were constant wars in that era and orphans were everywhere. They were lucky enough to be chosen by their master among a group of children and brought to the mountains.

　　It is said that Zhang Shan's great master was also a remarkable man. He participated in the Boxer Rebellion and was so invulnerable to swords and guns and had an indestructible body. The old master was very good at all these things and was also a big leader.

　　Of course, the master relies on his real skills, unlike those scammers who only use fake tricks.

　　In the later period of the Boxer Rebellion, the old master gradually discovered that this organization had deviated from its original purpose of "supporting the Qing and destroying the foreigners" and had become a group of thugs who harbored filth and burned, killed, and looted under the banner of the Boxer Rebellion.

　　So after a battle with foreigners, the old master pretended to be dead in the battlefield and escaped. Because he was a leader, and the Boxers were all over the Yellow River Basin at that time, it was not possible to run away. The old master could only use a little trick to fake his death and escape.

　　But after escaping, he did not dare to go straight to his hometown, fearing that someone would find him and bring unnecessary trouble. So the master wandered around the world, earning a living by performing rituals for others while looking for his successor.

　　On the way of wandering, the master took in Zhang Shan's master, old man Zhang and old man Qian. Among the three, Zhang Shan's master was the oldest and the oldest, so he was the eldest brother, followed by old man Zhang Shixun and the youngest was old man Qian.

　　It was not until Henan was liberated that the master took them back to Taihang Mountain. At this time, the three of them were almost adults, so the master taught them all his kung fu.

　　Since the master himself was not the seal holder, but he knew the physiques of his three apprentices, he went down the mountain to visit the Central Plains after liberation, and brought back two things a year later. One was the "Dream Record" in my hand, and the other was the Centipede Formation Manual.

　　The good times did not last long. Just when the three men had reached adulthood, in the fifth year after the founding of the Republic, the old master, who had not taken care of his health when he was young and had become ill from overwork, also died that spring due to his old age.

　　Before leaving, the master called his three disciples to his side and formally passed on the "Dream Record" to them. He also passed the Centipede Formation Array to his eldest brother, Zhang Shan's master, and told him to keep a close eye on it for the rest of his life and never let it fall into the hands of people with bad intentions.

　　Chapter 88: So That's What Happened

　　In the second year after the old master left, Mr. Qian was invited to go down the mountain to perform a ritual. After he came back, his temperament suddenly changed and he reached out to ask for the formation diagram of the centipede formation.

　　Zhang Shan's master followed the old man's will and naturally would not give it to him. Who knew that when Mr. Qian failed to get it, he had a fight with him after a few words.

　　Among the three brothers, Old Man Qian was the youngest, so naturally he got no advantage and was defeated after a few moves. Old Man Zhang Shixun wanted to go forward to persuade him, but Old Man Qian got stubborn and stood up and left, and he could not be called back even if he was called.

　　Three days later, when Master Qian appeared again, he asked Master Zhang Shan to compete again, with the Hundred-legged Formation as the stakes. Whoever won would get the Hundred-legged Formation, and the other party would not be able to ask for it again.

　　Master Zhang Shan was young and energetic at the time, so he agreed without thinking. Since he had defeated him in just a few moves three days ago, with such a short interval, he couldn't be much stronger.

　　Who would have thought that after just a few moves, Old Man Qian took out a pupil seal, absorbed it, and instantly knocked Master Zhang Shan to the ground.

　　Seeing this, old man Zhang Shixun wanted to step forward to stop the fight, but was misunderstood by old man Qian, who knocked them down as well. The two men just lay on the ground, watching him take the centipede away.

　　Before leaving, Mr. Qian left a message: "I am doing this for your own good."

　　No news from him since then.

　　Zhang Shan's master lost the competition and felt that he had failed to live up to his master's last words. He became disheartened and passed on his skills to old man Zhang Shixun. From then on, he lived in seclusion in the mountains, concentrating on studying pharmacology and never asked about the affairs of the underworld again.

　　It was not until Zhang Shixun came to Zhengzhou more than ten years ago that the two met by chance. Although they did not fight, they said many unpleasant things to each other, and their relationship was completely severed.

　　After hearing this, I roughly understood what happened. It turned out that Mr. Qian had stolen things and betrayed his master.

　　"But...your master and your grandfather are actually brothers. What's going on?" I asked in confusion.

　　"What's the problem?" Zhang Shan said disapprovingly, "My grandfather is my grandfather, and my master is my master. Their relationship is theirs, and they are not related to me. One is a grandfather and grandson, and the other is a master and apprentice. What's the problem?"

　　"Then what should I call your master?" The more I listened to him, the more confused I became.

　　"Call me Uncle Master!... Oh? That's not right. I call you Uncle Master, and you call me Uncle Master, Master... Then shouldn't I call me Grand Master, Master?" Zhang Shan became confused as he spoke.

　　"Hehehehe. Come on, stop calculating. It's already a mess, the more you calculate, the more confused it becomes! You can only blame your grandfather for letting you worship his senior brother as your master, and then accepting me as his apprentice." I laughed at him while enduring the pain.

　　Generally speaking, an apprentice is of the same generation as a son, and a grandson is of the same generation as a disciple's grandson. But usually, the generation of relatives and the generation of the master are two different things. It stands to reason that if Mr. Zhang had accepted me as his grandson, this would not have happened, but he had no apprentices, so he naturally could not accept a grandson, so this was a last resort. Mixing the generations of relatives and the generations of the master together, it would be strange if it wasn't confusing!

　　"Okay, okay! Where were we just now?" Zhang Shan said as he patted his head to stop thinking about these things.

　　"Speaking of which, before Mr. Qian left, he said it was for the good of both of them," I reminded.

　　"Oh! Yes, before we came out this time, Master once told me that he had thought about it for many years, and gradually understood the reason why Mr. Qian had to seize the Centipede Formation. If I am not mistaken, he must have encountered some powerful enemy when he went down the mountain that time, or he got some news, and he was afraid that they would be trapped in the Centipede Formation. So he took the Centipede Formation away at all costs, with the purpose of keeping his two senior brothers out of it." Zhang Shan thought for a while and said so.

　　"It's possible...but this is just your master's speculation. Are you so sure that he did this because of this?" I still had some doubts.

　　Zhang Shan smiled and said, "Haha, Master said that although Mr. Qian never said a word, we will know his attitude once we try him. If he doesn't come to help us when we are in trouble, then he is wrong. As long as he comes to help, Master's guess will be right!"

　　After Zhang Shan said this, we both tacitly stopped talking.

　　If it is true what his master guessed, then Mr. Qian has been loyal and brave all his life! Not only did he save his senior brother's life when he was young, but he also saved the lives of his senior brother's apprentice when he was old. What a famous person! He is always giving!

　　I don't know what words to use to describe this kind of personality.

　　As I thought about it, tears began to flow unconsciously.

　　Old man, rest in peace!

　　In the darkness, I felt Zhang Shan raise his arms and rub his face. It seemed that he was crying too.

　　"Then tell me, who was it that forced Mr. Qian to escape with the centipede formation?" I thought I should talk. At least it would distract our attention and prevent him from bursting into tears, which would wake up Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong.

　　"Chen Dong?" Zhang Shan's mind was not slow at all this time.

　　"Whether it is true or not, I'm afraid the only way to know is to ask Chen Dong himself." I said helplessly, but then I changed my mind and asked, "Since the old man was willing to sacrifice his life and loyalty to his fellow disciples to hide the Hundred-legged Array, why was he willing to sell it to Zhang Haitao? This doesn't make sense!"

　　"That's all I know. As for why it was given to Zhang Haitao, I'm afraid only my uncle Tai Shi knows." Zhang Shan replied to me helplessly.

　　After talking for a while, I gradually felt my chest relieved. I tried to stand up and move around to speed up blood circulation so that the injured area would not be congested.

　　I took just two steps when my stomach started to growl. I thought to myself, oh no, I’m already hungry after being trapped here for a short while, how long can I hold on?!

　　Soon, four hours were up. Zhang Shan and I were talking excitedly. Seeing that Captain Yang and the others were sleeping soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake him up, so I just continued to watch over him.

　　What made me feel most relieved during the conversation was that Zhang Shan finally agreed that after we get out of here and adjust for two days, we will go back to Taihang to find his master.

　　Old Master Qian has been dead for a thousand years, and according to the mountain people's customs, we want to call his soul back and build a cenotaph for him, which can be considered as a return to his roots.

　　But the old man is trapped in the Yin-Yang world from now on, and his soul cannot be called back. According to Zhang Shan's idea, he can just go back and build a tomb for him, and that's the only way.

　　I was listening to him telling stories about his childhood when Captain Yang woke up. Seeing that we had not called him after the time had passed, he complained for a while. We had no choice but to shut up and go to bed.

　　The days passed one by one, but luckily we had cell phones and knew the time and date.

　　In fact, it is better to have nothing. If you don’t know the time, you will just pass it by blindly. But you know what day it is and what time it is, but you still can’t receive any news from the outside world. You can imagine how anxious you feel.

　　Chapter 89: Surviving a Disaster

　　Thank you old friends for your continued support, and new friends for your encouragement in "Blood Oath City God". Tonight will be the last chapter of Blood Oath City God. The story is not over yet, and many suspense remain to be solved. I hope everyone will continue to pay attention to the fourth and final part of the story - "Going to Taihang Again"

　　3

　　2

　　1

　　Chapter 89: Surviving a Disaster

　　On the fourth day, our request was finally met - Liu Yunlong's phone ran out of battery. Zhang Shan and I lost our phones before we were trapped. And Captain Yang's phone was already low on battery and had already stopped working on the first day.

　　From then on, we lived a life where we didn’t know what year it was.

　　On the fifth day, several people were so hungry that they began to search all over their bodies for something to eat. Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong contributed their belts one after another.

　　As for the water source, we started drinking our own urine on the third day. Fortunately, I had a plastic bag in my coat pocket, so we took turns using it. By the sixth day, we couldn't even urinate.

　　About forty or fifty hours after the cell phone ran out of battery, Captain Yang turned on the flashlight again, and we used the little time to look through what we had to eat.

　　Captain Yang checked his submachine gun and said, "Come on, everyone! I'd rather starve to death than be shot! If anyone dares to think of this, I'll use one of the ten most cruel tortures of the Qing Dynasty on you first!"

　　"Boss, you are breaking the law knowingly! Police officers abuse lynching, which is a serious crime!" Liu Yunlong said weakly, staring at my pair of leather hiking shoes.

　　"I'm doing this for your own good!" Captain Yang was still a little confident. "Being trapped isn't scary, what's scary is losing hope! Then we're really done for!"

　　"...You old bastard, are these shoes made of real cowhide or fake cowhide?" Liu Yunlong was still staring at my shoes, with a green light in his eyes.

　　I was about to reply when Zhang Shan, who had been keeping his ear pressed against the brick wall, suddenly shouted, "Listen! Listen! Someone is calling us outside!!!"

　　We have thought about this situation countless times, heard it in hallucinations, and it has been shattered countless times. So once we get used to it, we don’t feel that excited anymore.

　　Liu Yunlong ignored Zhang Shan and kept asking me, "Old bastard, you don't have athlete's foot or tinea pedis, do you?" It seemed like this guy was determined to eat my leather hiking shoes today.

　　I wanted to crawl over and listen. Although there were countless false reports of military intelligence, it seemed that Liu Yunlong and I were the ones who loved to do it, and Zhang Shan and Captain Yang almost never did it.

　　I slowly climbed to the base of the wall. Captain Yang and Zhang Shan were already lying there listening, so I quickly found a crack.

　　The breeze blew in my ears, so I couldn't hear the outside sounds clearly. But along with the sound of the wind, it seemed that there was really a voice of shouting! Although I couldn't hear what was said, it was definitely correct!

　　I looked at Zhang Shan and Captain Yang again, and their expressions were extremely serious at this moment.

　　Could it be... true?! They really came to rescue us!!!

　　"Hey!!! We are down there!!!" My voice had long been hoarse, and at this moment I shouted at the top of my lungs like a broken gong.

　　"It's useless. They're so loud up there that we can't hear them clearly. Do you expect them to hear you?" After listening to this, Captain Yang leaned back against the wall and continued, "We can only hope that they find this place and remember to dig it up to have a look. Then we still have a chance of survival. Otherwise, even if they find us, I'm afraid they won't know we are down there."

　　As Zhang Shan was listening, he suddenly rushed over and pushed me down on Captain Yang.

　　"Shan Zi, what are you doing? Don't be upset!" Captain Yang shouted nervously.

　　I got up and saw that Zhang Shan had snatched Captain Yang's submachine gun. Was he going to commit suicide?! This guy poked the barrel of the gun into a large gap between the brick wall and the stone wall, and then said, "Cover your ears!"

　　"Da da da!" Before I could even raise my hand, this guy fired out a whole volley of bullets.

　　Oh~! Then I realized that he wanted to make a loud noise to attract the attention of the higher-ups!

　　In this enclosed space, the sound was particularly harsh. It took me a long time to recover. I quickly crawled to the side of Zhang Shan and put my ear close to listen carefully.

　　Unfortunately, there was no more sound outside.

　　"No...it shouldn't be like this! This sound is definitely louder than our shouting, there's no reason why they can't hear it!" After a long while, Captain Yang finally gave up, leaned against the wall, and kept muttering.

　　After a while, Zhang Shan gave up. He sat back down and said, "Brothers, hold on for a few more days!"

　　There was silence in the small space. We all knew that if they searched here and didn't hear our cry for help, then the hope of coming back would be very slim. Even if they remembered again, it would take at least several days.

　　The problem is that we have been here for at least six days. Let alone a few days, I am afraid it is hard to say how many hours.

　　Liu Yunlong suddenly stood up with the help of the wall, stepped on me and walked to Zhang Shan. "Old Zhang, give me the gun! I can't stand it anymore!"

　　Zhang Shan shook his gun and said with a smile: "We have used up all the bullets. Even if you want to die now, there is nothing you can do. Haha!"

　　"..." Upon hearing this, Liu Yunlong completely lost all his energy and fell back to the ground.

　　Yes, with our current strength, I’m afraid we can’t even die by banging our heads against the wall.

　　Captain Yang turned off the flashlight again. In the darkness, I could only fall asleep in a daze.

　　This time, I actually had a dream.

　　In my dream, I came to a construction site where Zhang Shan was working hard. I wanted to pull him aside and tell him that he didn't have much time left and to follow me, as there was still a glimmer of hope.

　　Who knew that there were all kinds of noise mixed together on the construction site, and no matter how loudly I spoke, he could never hear clearly.

　　So I got angry and looked for the source of the noise. When I found one, I knocked the person making the noise to the ground. In the end, there was only the sound of an electric drill. After I knocked the person holding the electric drill down with a punch, the electric drill continued to work on its own.

　　I was extremely curious and was about to go forward to see what was going on, but Zhang Shan stopped me.

　　"Uncle Master! Uncle Master! Wake up!" This guy's voice came clearly into my ears at this time.

　　When I opened my eyes, it was indeed Zhang Shan who was pulling me.

　　"What!" I protested, rubbing my eyes.

　　At least I don’t feel hungry when I’m sleeping, but as soon as I wake up, that feeling of hunger comes over me immediately.

　　"Uncle master! Did you hear that? The sound of an electric drill! Electric drill!!!" Zhang Shan pulled me and said excitedly.

　　"It's just an electric drill! If you unplug the power cord, it will just... be an electric drill!!!" I finally woke up completely and pricked up my ears. Sure enough, the sound of an electric drill came from above me!

　　Although the volume was still not loud, this time it was clearly heard by our ears.

　　This... is definitely not an auditory hallucination!

　　Liu Yunlong was also woken up by Captain Yang. We excitedly put our mouths close to the gap and shouted loudly.

　　At this time, hunger and thirst are nothing; the hope of rebirth can cover everything!

　　The sound of the electric drill lasted for at least half a day, and finally stopped. We could already feel that the sound was getting closer and closer to us.

　　"Captain Yang! Ziqi! Are you in there?!" We all thought that the sound of the electric drill was the most beautiful music in the world, but it suddenly stopped. We looked at each other in surprise and heard Song Dongfeng's voice coming from outside.

　　"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" We were so excited that we couldn't answer his questions properly. We just shouted unconsciously. After we had shouted enough and had no more energy, Zhang Shan briefly told the outside world about the situation.

　　After a brief exchange, the sound of the electric drill was heard again.

　　We were all in an extremely excited state, not knowing that the little energy we had left would soon be completely exhausted. Now it was just the desire to survive that was more important than anything else, and this belief was supporting us.

　　Just when I felt I couldn't hold on any longer, the wall in front of me finally collapsed.

　　Suddenly, many rays of light shone in, blinding us and making it impossible for us to open our eyes.

　　"Close your eyes! Don't open them! Hurry! Carry them out!" Song Dongfeng's kind voice sounded in his ears.

　　I finally couldn't hold on any longer and passed out.

　　Because I know we are saved!

　　Go up Taihang again

　　Chapter 1 Rescue

　　Two days later, I woke up in the hospital and the first people I saw were my mother and Ni Qian.

　　Of course I won't get into a fight, I'm lucky to be able to come out alive. But the "underground love affair" that I have been hiding well has finally been exposed.

　　My mother scolded me in a very measured way, and then started discussing marriage with us.

　　Finally, she said she was tired, and then she remembered that it was already past dinner time, so she left us here and ran home to cook.

　　The girl looked at me straight and didn't say anything for a long time.

　　In order to break this awkward situation, I had no choice but to ask, "Where are Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong?"

　　"Why don't you ask me first?" Ni Qian's first sentence made me blush.

　　"Oh...are you okay? I...I'm fine too." I reacted and quickly added.

　　The girl glanced at me and said, "I asked, is there any point in you talking again?"

　　Well, no matter what I do, it won’t work! This is a mistake, I better admit it!

　　"I'm sorry! I... just woke up, and my mind... is a little confused." I had no choice but to apologize and explain while scratching my head.

　　Ni Qian stood up from the chair, sat down beside the bed, stared at me with her big eyes and asked, "Have you ever thought about what Auntie said just now?"

　　"I..." To be honest, I have never thought about getting married. I am a poor man now, my family has no money and no power, to put it bluntly, I am just a commoner in a big city. How can I get married with a salary of 1,200 yuan a month?

　　"Okay, you don't have to make a decision for now." Seeing my embarrassment, Ni Qian immediately changed the subject: "I'll give you time to think about it. But there is another thing, have you ever thought about it? I can wait for you to make money, wait for you to be successful in your career, wait for you to be willing to get married, these are nothing! But you can't do such dangerous things all day long. You have your own profession and job, why do you want to risk your life with these policemen? What I want is a peaceful and happy life, not living in fear every day. Every time you leave home, I don't even know if you can come back alive at night."

　　I was silent again, not knowing how to explain this chaotic and complicated situation.

　　But in the current situation, it is absolutely impossible to let it go! After all, Zhang Shan's life is still hanging in the balance, how can I rest assured?

　　To say it or not to say it? I am always struggling.

　　If I don’t tell her, I certainly won’t be able to explain to the girl; if I tell her, will she think I’m a monster or a psychopath?

　　After hesitating, Ni Qian stood up silently.

　　"Are you... leaving?" I looked at her, not knowing how to ask.

　　"I think we both need some time to think about whether this relationship can continue." Ni Qian carried me on her back, wiping away tears as she said, "I didn't expect things to turn out the way they are today. What kind of person are you? I only realized today that I knew nothing about you."

　　"Girl..." I sat up and tried to pull her, but she avoided me and said with her back to me, "Can you give me a few days? I need to think about whether being with you is the life I want."

　　After saying that, she didn't look back and walked towards the door.

　　Just at this moment Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan were pushing the door open.

　　"Hey! Sister-in-law, are you leaving?" Liu Yunlong went up to greet them warmly, but he didn't expect to be met with a cold shoulder. Ni Qian didn't even look at them, just brushed past them and left the ward.

　　"What's going on? Did you have a fight?" Liu Yunlong asked curiously, sitting in front of the bed.

　　I waved my hands to indicate that it was nothing, and asked, "Are you all okay? Where's Captain Yang?"

　　"Hey! Don't mention it! Our boss is a workaholic. He pulled out the needle early this morning and went back to the team to write a report. If I hadn't pretended to be unconscious, I might have been taken away with him." Liu Yunlong looked frightened.

　　The three of them chatted for a while, and then I learned about the rescue process.

　　The next morning after we left, Song Dongfeng knew something was wrong. After all, the ghost nightmare can only come out at night, and we should have called him even if we were done. But now not only is everyone's phone unreachable, but Liu Yunlong and Captain Yang have not returned to report to the team.

　　So he began to deploy a small number of personnel to investigate our situation in the city.

　　On the third day, he finally realized that something serious was going to happen, so a large-scale investigation began. In three days, the Municipal Bureau mobilized nearly 2,000 people to search for our whereabouts in various parts of the city, and even sent a large number of people to search the underground pipe network and air-raid shelters in the old city. Even some abandoned factories and warehouses in the suburbs were searched, but there was still no sign of anyone alive or dead. Song Dongfeng was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

　　It was not until noon on the sixth day that Song Dongfeng found that the water he drank had a strong earthy smell and was a little turbid. After asking, he learned that this situation had been going on for four or five days. Finally, he suddenly realized what was going on and quickly sent people to search for the tunnel under the City God Temple.

　　The reason why this guy thought of it was because there was an ancient well in the courtyard of their management office, which was said to have been dug in the Ming Dynasty. Not only has it not dried up for hundreds of years, but the water quality is also very good. They usually drink water from the well. If the water quality suddenly became turbid, there is only one possibility, that is, there was turbulence below, which had a certain impact on the well.

　　Since the tunnel had been sealed before, he thought it was impossible for us to go down there. We checked the city wall and found that no one had touched the other exit.

　　When we dug it up, we found that it had collapsed. We asked the earthquake monitoring department and found that there had been no earthquakes in Zhengzhou recently. Then we realized that the situation was not that simple.

　　So they returned to the City God Temple, opened the previously sealed hole, and shouted for a long time. But the seals were too many and too thick, and there was chaos outside, so they couldn't hear our response.

　　Just as they were about to call it a day, the person closest to them seemed to hear a very faint sound coming from inside. It was Zhang Shan shooting. But he was not sure. When the search and rescue team asked the man to sign a guarantee, he backed off and said that he might have heard it wrong.

　　Because we were buried too deep, even the life detectors used for rescue could not detect any signs of life below, and no one could guarantee that the man had heard it. This included digging up the newly reinforced tunnel, which was likely to damage the buildings on the ground, and the rescuers had to report to their superiors.

　　There was no other way. After the search and rescue team withdrew, Song Dongfeng found the man to find out the situation, hired a dozen migrant workers and two high-power impact drills, and used his authority to forcibly dig the tunnel under the City God Temple Opera House overnight.

　　Finally, after working hard all night and digging about halfway, he finally heard a cry for help from below.

　　After hearing this, I couldn't help but gasp. Fortunately, Zhang Shan fired the gun in time, and it was also thanks to Song Dongfeng. If it were someone else, who would dare to do this?

　　But Zhang Shan was obviously thinking about something else. After listening to Liu Yunlong's story, he continued, "I've always wondered why they couldn't see the hole we collapsed when they searched the city wall? It should have been very conspicuous!"

　　Chapter 2 It's not over yet

　　"Tsk! What's the big deal? It's because they didn't look carefully! I don't even bother to talk about those people." Although Liu Yunlong is a public servant, he still disdains the work efficiency and style of the "relevant departments".

　　"No, I don't think it's that simple. It's too unreasonable if we can't even see a big hole. And Song Dongfeng said very clearly that they went to check the hole specifically. So it's impossible that we can't see it." Zhang Shan said seriously.

　　"So what you mean is... someone blocked the cave entrance on purpose?" I slowly understood what Zhang Shan wanted to say. "Who could it be? Apart from Chen Dong, we don't have any other enemies at the moment... Are you saying that Chen Dong is not dead yet?!"

　　I was shocked as I was talking. I thought that after coming out of the tunnel, all the problems should have been solved. All that was left was to go back to Taihang with Zhang Shan.

　　If Chen Dong is really not dead, then we probably still have some "good days" to live.

　　"We are just guessing. Anyway, it's already buried now, and you can't dig it up to see. We'll know in a few days whether it's true or not." Zhang Shan stretched and continued, "Don't think too much about the future, just take it one step at a time. He has been reincarnated for hundreds of years, and he can go wherever he wants. We don't have time to waste on this. Let's just wait for him to come to us on his own initiative!"

　　I think so too. Although we know that Chen Dong will find ways to harm us again, we can't just do nothing from now on and chase him to the ends of the earth. Then how can we live like this?"

　　"Is it not possible to issue a wanted order?" Liu Yunlong was a man who liked to take the initiative. Waiting was not his style.

　　"A nationwide wanted notice must be reported to a department or higher level unit." Song Dongfeng came in at some point and suddenly said from behind, "Given Chen Dong's current harmfulness and the impact he has caused, he is not qualified. Besides, we don't have the power to influence upwards. Besides, even if the higher-ups approve it, once a nationwide wanted notice is issued, it will be considered a discredit to your city bureau within the system. You have to think it through!"

　　Seeing that Liu Yunlong didn't say anything, Song Dongfeng smiled and patted him, then walked up to me and asked, "How is it? What are your next plans?"

　　"Just wait~ What else can I do? I can't catch it, and I can't find it?" I said with a sigh.

　　"Old bastard, I have something else to ask you." Liu Yunlong changed the subject and talked about another topic: "I heard from Lao Zhang that you have a special function of a coffin like the old man, which can collect ghosts and souls. Then why didn't you use it? If the fight started that day, wouldn't it be the four of us who were left to besiege Chen Dong alone? And would it lead to the situation today?"

　　I was stunned. It’s not that I didn’t want to accept it, but I had never thought about it at all!

　　It seems that except for that time in the city hospital, I didn't know what went wrong and easily took away Gao Yuan's nightmare. Besides that, I have never had the experience of controlling the golden coffin again.

　　After all, I used to be very resistant to being a charlatan, and I would not do these things if I could avoid doing them.

　　However, just because I can't remember it doesn't mean that Mr. Qian can't remember it either. He didn't accept it, and there seemed to be other reasons for remembering it.

　　As expected, Zhang Shan answered for me, "It's not that they don't want to take it, but that they can't! Grand Master follows the path of soul devouring. What he has been improving is only his own potential. The golden coffin has long been unusable. As for my uncle, he has only been in contact with it for two months and has not yet mastered the method of controlling the golden coffin. However..." After saying that, Zhang Shan looked at me and said, "Don't have this idea. Even if you absorb more soul seals, your golden coffin will not disappear because you have a special physique. Do you understand?"

　　After hearing this, I was very depressed. I thought this method could help me have fewer nightmares in the future and strengthen my physical fitness, but it turned out that this was not the case at all!

　　But I have also thought about whether to take this road or not. Just like what the old man once told me, no matter what the outcome is, the most important thing is to take the step in front of you. When you go step by step according to your own will, even if the result you reach the end is not what you want, then well, looking back, you will always accept it.

　　Because the road is yours to walk.

　　After staying comfortably in the hospital for another night, we said goodbye to this comfortable life early the next morning and returned to the real world.

　　If it's up to me, we can prepare today and go up the mountain tomorrow. The New Year is coming soon, so we should get things done quickly so that everyone can have a peaceful New Year.

　　As for Chen Dong, don't think about him for the time being. Even if this guy wasn't killed in the explosion, he probably won't be much better off. How can he be left alone for two or three months?

　　Of course, this is just my wishful thinking.

　　But Zhang Shan still couldn't bear to part with his salary for this month, and insisted on waiting for two more days. I tried my best to persuade him, even offering to pay for it, but he still refused to give in.

　　There is no other way. I thought about it. It is almost the end of the year and Ni Qian will probably go home soon. Our problem is a thorny issue. It is better to wait a few more days, solve all the troubles, and go into battle with a light load.

　　I rested at home for a day and made up a lie, saying that the company would hold an annual meeting at a resort at the foot of Taihang Mountain in Jiaozuo at the end of the year and it would take a few days. My mother didn't suspect anything and saw that I had just come back from a near-death experience and was afraid that I would have psychological trauma, so she agreed without hesitation. I hope to take this opportunity to relax and adjust myself, and not have any sequelae.

　　In fact, she, Zhang Shan and I didn't know that the place we were going to was just another gate of hell.

　　The next day at noon, I went to Ni Qian's rental house to look for her. This girl quit her job after she was scared by her spirit last time, and now she stays at home and surfs the Internet every day. Anyway, the Chinese New Year is coming soon, so I can look for a job after the New Year.

　　When she opened the door and saw me, the girl didn't react at all. She let me in and continued playing on her computer, ignoring me.

　　After sitting there for a long time, I didn't know what to say. After thinking it over, I finally asked, "The New Year is coming soon. Aren't you going to prepare some New Year's goods to bring home?"

　　"No need for that. I'm a moonlighter anyway. I saved up some money with great difficulty, but I've spent it all in the past half month since I went out of work. It's good enough if I can save some money to buy the train ticket!" The girl replied coldly without even turning her head.

　　"Oh...then when are you leaving? I'll see you off!" Only then did I realize that the questions I could ask were very few.

　　"The day after tomorrow! You don't have to see me off. I'm going with my two sisters!" Ni Qian still didn't look back.

　　"Oh..." I was about to ask her when she would be back when someone knocked on the door.

　　I quickly ran over and opened the door. There were a man and a woman standing outside, about ten years old.

　　"Excuse me, are you renting out this house?" the boy asked warily when he saw that the person who opened the door was also a man.

　　Chapter 3 The Love Is Over

　　"Rental house? No!" I was puzzled. Ni Qian and Hong Xia lived well, and they had already paid a year's rent in advance. They had only lived there for a few months, so it was impossible for them to move out just like that!

　　"Oh, sorry, we may have found the wrong one." The boy turned around and was about to leave. The girl next to him pulled him aside and asked, "Are you at Room 25, Building 11, Yard 34, Honghe Road?"

　　"...Yes." I was even more puzzled. The address was correct. Could it be that someone was playing a joke on me again, writing false information and posting it everywhere on telephone poles? That's not right! If they were playing a joke on me, they wouldn't post Ni Qian and her address. At most, they would make a fake seal or a fake certificate, and leave my mobile phone number below.

　　I remember one time Liu Yunlong handed me a piece of self-adhesive paper torn off a telephone pole and said, "Old bastard, I know you learned this in your major, but you have to use it in the right place! Fortunately, I saw it, otherwise you would have to explain the problem! You can't do this job anymore!"

　　I took it with a confused look on my face, and saw that it said: "ID card, divorce certificate, college and university diplomas from all over the country, fast processing! Pick up in three days, free door-to-door delivery within the city! We also sell pistols, **, and provide same-sex massages..." There was a string of mobile phone numbers below, and it was mine.

　　Then I remembered that I was drinking and playing cards with my colleagues in a bar a few nights ago. In the end, I lost all my money. They told me to hug someone's thigh and call him uncle if I lost again. In the end, I didn't do it, so they threatened to retaliate. Who knew that a group of bears would play so hard! No wonder these people looked at me with strange eyes in the past few days. It turned out that they were waiting to see me laugh!

　　"That's it!" The girl handed me the note and said, "Look, right? This is the place the person on the Internet left for me!"

　　"I told you, this place isn't for rent! Okay? Sorry!" I looked at the note and saw that it was this household's name, but it didn't say it was for rent, so I had to push them out and was about to close the door.

　　"Hey! Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?" Ni Qian rushed out of the house, pushed me aside, and immediately put on a smile and said, "Yes, yes! It's for rent! He just came back from a business trip today, so he doesn't know yet. Come on, come in and take a look!"

　　I was full of questions, and only after the girl sent the two of them out did I pull her aside and ask, "You want to transfer the house? Then where are you going to live after you come back from the New Year?"

　　"Did I say I was coming back?" Ni Qian looked at me, still with the same cold expression as when she first entered the door.

　　"If you don't come back...what should I do if you don't come back?" I didn't know how to express it for a moment, and asked with a stupid face.

　　The girl glanced at me, turned around and went back to the house, saying as she walked: "It depends on your decision!"

　　"Me? What do I decide?" I followed her back into the house.

　　Ni Qian sat down in front of the computer chair, turned around, looked at me, and said word by word: "It depends on what kind of life you decide to live. My uncle is a policeman. Every time he went out to handle a case, my aunt and sister looked worried. So, I swear that I will never marry a policeman in this life, because the life after marriage will not even get the simplest guarantee of peace."

　　"But I'm not a policeman!~" I protested in a low voice.

　　"But what you have been doing these days is a hundred times more dangerous than the police!" Ni Qian suddenly became excited, widened her eyes and yelled at me: "Do you think I don't know what you have been doing these days? Liu Yunlong told me everything! You are indeed not a policeman, but why do you always follow them and get involved? Chasing those murderers all day long, don't you know how dangerous it is? Just like this time, if I rescued you two days later, would you still have the guts to stand here and talk to me now?!"

　　"Liu Yunlong...just wait and see!" This guy actually betrayed me! I will definitely settle the score with him later!

　　"Don't change the subject! Is this Liu Yunlong's problem? This is your problem!" Ni Qian had her own words to say and was not affected by me at all: "My requirements are not high. Although they probably dragged you there, I didn't ask you to break off your relationship with Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan. You should meet, eat and play as usual. I just want you to be at ease and do your job well. Is that too much?"

　　"No... not too much." I started to sweat. In fact, everything the girl said made sense, but the most terrible thing was that Liu Yunlong only told her the general situation, that is, the superficial rhetoric, and he did not tell her the actual core reason. As a result, Ni Qian misunderstood everything.

　　For things like this, you should either not say a word, or explain everything clearly without missing a word. Being half-hearted is the most harmful.

　　I guess he also took into account the girl's ability to accept, fearing that the news would spread and cause a certain degree of panic. Moreover, regarding the centipede formation, including Zhang Shan and I, everyone has signed a confidentiality agreement. Unless there are special circumstances, it is strictly forbidden to disclose it to anyone!

　　"Humph, you also know it's not too much?" Seeing that I was quite honest, the girl's expression improved a little, and then she continued: "Then will you listen to me in the future?"

　　"Listen...listen! But..." I wiped the sweat off my face, held up a finger, and said, "For the last time! Give me the last special approval! The day after tomorrow, I will go to Taihang Mountain with Zhang Shan and have a chat with his master. After I come back, I will never get involved in these things again, okay?"

　　Ni Qian's expression, which had just improved, suddenly turned gloomy again: "No! If you say no, then no! I won't believe you anymore about this! You always lie without thinking. Who knows if you guys are going there to arrest people or to fight?!"

　　I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I heard that. We are not gangsters. Are you going to come over and grab our territory? !

　　After saying all the nice things, making promises and swearing, Ni Qian finally gave in: "Let me trust you this last time, okay! But you have to wait until after the New Year and until I come back! You left before the New Year, and you went up the mountain. I can't contact you for ten days or half a month. Do you plan to let me have a good New Year?!"

　　Although what the girl said made sense, this matter had already been delayed for too long. Zhang Shan's ten-year deadline was about to expire, and it would take another month? If he died before he even got to the mountain, I would regret it!

　　Seeing that I didn't say anything again, Ni Qian seemed to realize something. Her face instantly turned dark. She turned around and started playing on the computer again.

　　After a few seconds, she added, "Don't say anything. If you must go before the New Year, then open the door and walk out now. Never come back again!"

　　I had just made up my mind to tell her the whole story even if I had to risk being accused of leaking secrets. Maybe after she understood the whole story, she would let me off the hook. But she kept saying the word "New Year", which made me hesitate again.

　　That's right, the Chinese have always been joyful and solemn about the New Year. Why should I say something that will disturb people at this moment?

　　Besides, Chen Dong's case should not be resolved yet, and we will probably meet again. I also don't want the girl to receive a notice from the Public Security Bureau to identify the body one day.

　　Why would a man who doesn't even know whose hands are holding his life still cling to a girl all day? This is clearly naked selfishness and possessiveness at work!

　　After thinking it over, I decided that I had to go before the New Year. And if I didn't settle Chen Dong, I would never explain the whole series of events to Ni Qian.

　　After making up my mind, I stood up silently, without saying a word, and walked towards the door.

　　Chapter 4: Departure Today

　　When I got to the door, I unlocked the security door, but I heard the crying voice of the girl in the inner room: "Go! Never come back! Just pretend we never met!"

　　At this moment, I really don't want to just leave like this. But I finally realized that the burden on my shoulders is no longer so light. I must fight for what I should fight for, and I can't keep what I should give up even if I want to.

　　Everyone has his own criteria for choosing what is more important.

　　But I have to do this, I have no choice.

　　Coming out of the building and breathing the cold air outside, I felt a little dizzy. Obviously, this was not caused by the difference in temperature, but the pain of losing love was suffocating me.

　　Maybe if I choose Ni Qian today, I will have a completely different life in the future - I will get married, have children, and live a happy life. But can I feel at ease if I do this? I really can't imagine what kind of mood I would be in if I received the news of Zhang Shan's death one day?

　　Maybe these are just my wishful thinking. My special physique means that I have to deal with these dark things for the rest of my life. What does it matter if I marry and have children? Can I stop those eyes and greedy desires in the dark?

　　Again, the road is your own. Life is not a two-way street. It will not give you more than one version to choose from. When you reach the end, you will find that every step you take, no matter the outcome, is right.

　　Because the wrong choice has never happened.

　　Two days later, Zhang Shan and I quietly boarded a bus to Jiaozuo.

　　Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong, we didn't inform anyone, but Song Dongfeng knew about it. Before getting in the car, he handed me two work permits from the "Chenghuang Temple Management Committee" and said, "Take them. No matter what, it's easier to get things done with a suitable identity. You can even return them to me after you come back!"

　　At this point, I naturally have nothing to say. Looking at Zhang Shan, this guy took a look, took the book with his name on it from my hand, and put it in his pocket.

　　After saying goodbye to Song Dongfeng and sitting in the car, I started to have random thoughts again.

　　The girl should have already boarded the train back home, and I think she might not come back.

　　For two days, I have lost my appetite. Although I have been in love before, I was young at that time and I forgot it easily. Only Ni Qian left the deepest impression in my heart. She understands me, tolerates me, and can even endure all her curiosity for love, just hoping that one day I can honestly return home and stay by her side. Telling those bizarre, thrilling but funny stories.

　　But I can't give her anything.

　　It is true that fate plays tricks on us.

　　God gave me such a good girl, but also gave me a very special body. The existence of these two things happens to conflict and contradict each other.

　　In the end, I chose the latter.

　　Some people may ask, didn’t you say before that you had no choice? Why did you say now that you chose the latter?

　　Yes, I know, it's contradictory.

　　It seems like there is a choice, but in fact there is no choice. This is life. Life will not allow you to try another choice after trying one.

　　In my opinion, life is not only a process, but also a goal. Who can judge a person's life until the day he dies?

　　Life is like Rome, and all roads lead to each other. Your choice is just a different path, so there is no right or wrong.

　　Right or wrong is just a concept that people impose on themselves, just to satisfy the classic saying "If I had only..."

　　Therefore, once you have made your choice, you are the only judge, no one else can judge you, because the road is yours, not someone else's.

　　Even if you are judged, what can you do? You will not have a second chance to choose. This is what I want to say.

　　However, I would also like to point out that there is no right or wrong path, but that does not mean you can do whatever you want. You must at least have a correct outlook on life, society, and values.

　　If a person who wants to commit a crime reads these words of mine, and then does something stupid, and is finally caught, he tells the judge that I told him that as long as he chose the right path, you cannot judge me!

　　I'm sorry. I don't admit it!

　　It is obvious that he has got even the most basic outlook on life and values ​​wrong. What else is there to say?

　　Yes, if his life goal is to go to jail, then it's easy to say, no matter whether it is murder, arson, robbery, stealing money, digging up people's ancestral graves, any choice is right! The goal is very consistent! No matter which of these he does, he can achieve his goal.

　　Having said so much, it is enough for everyone to remember this last sentence: All roads lead to Rome. The road is secondary, Rome is primary. Rome can be a glorious paradise or a dirty hell.

　　I was thinking about all sorts of things, but the bus was still not moving. The person sitting in front of me couldn't help asking the driver, "Master, it's been five minutes since the departure point, why hasn't the bus started yet?"

　　"There's still one person who hasn't arrived yet. We were told to wait a moment!" the driver said helplessly.

　　I turned my head and saw that the seat next to ours was still empty. I don't know who he is, but he is so arrogant that he asked me to wait for a long-distance bus. If he has the guts, why doesn't he drive there? It's not far.

　　Sure enough, everyone in the car suddenly became noisy.

　　"Isn't this guy too arrogant? He made a whole carload of people wait for him!"

　　"You must be joking. If you have the guts, just drive there yourself! You're keeping us waiting here like idiots in this new year!"

　　“…”

　　Anyway, there are all kinds of opinions.

　　Zhang Shan and I smiled but didn't say anything. No matter what, they have the ability and we don't, so we have to wait.

　　The people sitting in the front rows were cursing, but suddenly they all fell silent. Zhang Shan was sitting high up there, so he looked forward and patted me, motioning for me to look too.

　　I straightened up and looked forward, and saw that at the door of the bus, the driver was staring outside with wide eyes, but because of the first row of seats blocking his view, he could not see what was going on over there.

　　However, it was not completely invisible. A hand stretched out from the door, raised high, and in the hand was a small booklet like a driver's license, which was opened and facing the car.

　　"What is that?" I squinted my eyes and looked at it for a long time, but I couldn't see what was printed on it.

　　"Police officer's ID." Zhang Shan has good eyesight and could see clearly the contents of the notebook.

　　Oh! It suddenly dawned on me that no wonder the excited crowd suddenly fell silent. It turned out that the person they were waiting for was a policeman!

　　The problem is that this policeman is a bit too overbearing. A whole car of people are waiting for you, but you don't even get in the car when they arrive, and you use your identity to calm the situation. Even Liu Yunlong is not so arrogant~!

　　When everyone in the car was quiet, the arm put away the police officer's ID and said as he got into the car, "I'm sorry, everyone. The Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team is on a business trip to investigate a case. I'm sorry for wasting your time!"

　　After hearing this voice, I realized that I had underestimated Liu Yunlong! He is indeed a model of daring to think and do!

　　Who else would be standing at the car door if not him? !

　　Fifth, North to Taihang

　　This guy glanced inside the car, and when he saw us, he immediately came over cheerfully, sat down in the empty seat, and started to curse, "Damn you two, you didn't even tell me you were going up the mountain! If I hadn't gone to find Lao Song this morning, you would have gotten away like this! That's so fucking mean!"

　　Zhang Shan smiled but said nothing. It seemed that he had already guessed that it would be Liu Yunlong. I didn't have his good temper, so I immediately said, "We two will do our own thing, and you will do your job. You are not our leader, so there is no need for me to report to you, right?"

　　"Don't try to trick me!" Liu Yunlong didn't intend to argue with me at all. He interrupted me and lowered his voice, "You are still in danger now. Someone must protect you at all times! This is a special mission assigned to me by the higher-ups!"

　　"Haha, it seems like you are the one who always needs protection?" Zhang Shan leaned his head against the back of the chair and said with his eyes closed.

　　"...Fuck! Lao Zhang, I don't like what you said. No matter how useless I am, I am better than Lao Wang, right?" Seeing me pouting, Liu Yunlong suddenly became excited, stood up and pulled me and said, "What's with that expression? If you are not happy, let's get off the car and compete! Driver, don't leave in a hurry! Let's get off and compete first!"

　　"Oh, all right! Just be quiet for a while! Be good and we'll take you there. Otherwise, we'll throw you down right now!" When Liu Yunlong heard what I said, he immediately sat back in his seat like a defeated rooster, and threatened me, "You're so cruel! We'll settle the score when we get there!"

　　Seeing that the driver was still staring at the three of us with wide eyes, Zhang Shan waved his hand and said, "Let's go, Master! We are waiting impatiently!"

　　After being delayed for nearly ten minutes, the long-distance bus finally drove out of the station and headed towards its destination.

　　To be honest, the weather today is not very good, it is always gloomy.

　　After leaving the city, a strong wind suddenly blew, and yellow sand and printed materials of various materials flew all over the sky. Since it had not rained for dozens of days, the dust and sand raised by the strong wind made the visibility on the road less than 100 meters, and the driver had to drive very carefully.

　　Normally the journey to the Yellow River Bridge takes less than 40 minutes, but today it took nearly an hour, which shows how strong the sandstorm was.

　　At the toll booth, the toll collector reminded the driver: "It's windy right now, your car is high, please drive in the middle!"

　　"Okay, okay!" The driver agreed readily, paid the money and drove towards the Yellow River Bridge.

　　After we got on the bridge, visibility improved and the driver drove faster and faster. Although the wind was still strong, the weight of our car was there, so we were not afraid of being blown into the river.

　　I was driving in the middle of the road when a car appeared in front of me, driving slowly in the inner overtaking lane at a speed of less than 60 kilometers per hour.

　　Our driver kept honking the horn from a distance, signaling the car in front to move to the driving lane so that we could pass. But the car seemed to be deliberately making trouble, and no matter how much it honked, it just refused to give up the passing lane.

　　Finally, they got close and the driver had no choice but to turn right, planning to overtake the car on the driving lane.

　　The winter in Zhengzhou is always northwest windy, and our car was heading due north. Just when we were side by side with the car, a strong wind suddenly blew and blew the whole car body to the right.

　　Suddenly, I felt that the two left wheels of the bus were off the ground. Looking out of the window, I could no longer see the road below, but the Yellow River water filled with floating ice.

　　There was an immediate cry of surprise from inside the car.

　　Fortunately, the driver was experienced and stepped on the accelerator immediately. After rushing past the car, he quickly turned left. Thanks to the short wind, the car finally found balance and turned right after running on two wheels for a few meters.

　　A car full of people had just escaped from the gates of hell. Fortunately, everyone knew what had happened, and they all blamed and cursed the car.

　　Liu Yunlong's face turned pale, and he glared at the man and said, "Damn it! I must write down the license plate of this car! If I don't punish him, I won't be called Liu! Damn it, what is this! This trip of ours is really...really...what do I say?"

　　Zhang Shan, who had been resting at the back, still closed his eyes and said meaningfully: "What a good start!~"

　　After saying that, he lowered the backrest again and simply fell asleep with his arms crossed, not caring at all about what had just happened.

　　After nearly two and a half hours on the road, we finally arrived at the terminal of this long-distance bus.

　　Since Zhang Shan's master lived in Shanjia Village deep in the Taihang Mountains, it was definitely impossible to reach the mountain that day, but we had to at least reach Banyan Village where Zhang Shan lived before dark. Then we would hike to the top of the mountain the next day, because there was no access to any means of transportation there.

　　Although we only had to go to Banyan Village, we had to hurry. I remember when our company organized a trip there two years ago, the bus drove directly to the entrance of the village and it took nearly eight hours. What's more, we had to change buses twice?

　　Standing in the square in front of the station, Liu Yunlong was shivering with cold: "Damn it! How come it's so much colder here than in Zhengzhou, just across the Yellow River?! Lao Zhang, your hometown is ridiculous, and you can't even go there directly?!"

　　Zhang Shan smiled and said, "You'll be in trouble later! The higher you go, the colder it gets. Who told you to follow us? We didn't invite you."

　　I pulled my clothes tighter and looked around. This city is indeed cold. It is estimated to be around minus ten degrees Celsius at the moment, at least four or five degrees lower than Zhengzhou! It's not far away, only one or two hundred kilometers away, why is the temperature difference so big? !

　　"How long will we have to stay on the road?" I couldn't help but ask Zhang Shan.

　　"It takes three hours to take a minibus from here to Wuquan Town at the foot of the mountain. Then we need to find a tricycle in the town to go up the mountain to Banyan, which will take more than an hour." Zhang Shan said, looking at the big clock on the roof of the station, and then continued: "If we hurry, we should be there before dark."

　　"Oh my God!" Liu Yunlong protested as soon as he heard it: "On this day, you still want to ride a tricycle? If I can't get to your house, I'll be like a popsicle!"

　　"Who told you to wear so little? You care more about style than warmth!" I glanced at him. This guy was wearing a pair of thin jeans. Although he was wearing a thick coat on his upper body, it was not a cotton-padded jacket. He was wearing a shirt underneath. He didn't even wear a sweater or a wool vest.

　　"Damn! I didn't know we were going on a long journey today! Do you think I'm stupid? It's all your fault! If you had told me earlier, I would have worn something thicker!" As soon as he heard me take over the conversation, Liu Yunlong immediately shifted the blame to both of us.

　　Seeing that I was too lazy to pay attention to him, this guy came up again and said with a playful smile: "How about Boss Wang lend me two or three hundred first? So that I can buy two sets of thermal underwear first?"

　　"You don't even bring any money with you when you go out?!" I stared at him with wide eyes. Now, I slowly began to admire this guy. He is really strong!

　　"I'm in a hurry to get out! Am I the kind of brother who goes out without money and just eats other people's food?!" Liu Yunlong was a guy who couldn't be ignored. He was getting more excited as he spoke.

　　"You know what, you really look like her!" Zhang Shan suddenly interrupted, making me laugh out loud.

　　"...Fuck! Lao Zhang, you also have a dishonest side!"

　　"You! Just keep it cold! It's healthier!"

　　"...You two are greedy guys!"

　　Chapter 6: Small Town Stationing

　　Unable to resist Liu Yunlong's soft and hard persuasion, we bought him a thicker down jacket at the mall next to the station. Then he felt that it was troublesome to carry the original jacket, so he found a courier, packed it and sent it back to the team.

　　Of course, I also paid the postage for him.

　　After standing for half an hour, I finally waited for the last bus to Wuquan.

　　Liu Yunlong didn't bring any money with him and asked me to buy his ticket. He never said anything good about me while sitting in the car and kept talking nonsense. We had nothing to do anyway, so we just argued with him.

　　It seemed like the weather here was not the same as that in Zhengzhou. We were driving along peacefully, but suddenly fog started to fall in the middle of the day. Visibility decreased again, and the car speed gradually slowed down.

　　Although the minibus was very worn out, it was driving very fast. I thought we would arrive before 3 o'clock, but the fog slowed us down.

　　By the time we arrived at Wuquan Town, it was just getting dark.

　　We didn't feel anything in the car, after all, there was air conditioning. But when we got out of the car, Liu Yunlong and I were stunned. It was so cold!

　　According to my current estimation, at least in Zhengzhou, I have never felt such a temperature since I was a child, it should be around minus 20 degrees Celsius. In addition, we didn't eat lunch in order to hurry, so we had no calories left and were shivering with cold.

　　Seeing our embarrassed appearance, Zhang Shan shook his head and said, "Forget it! Let's find a place to eat first, stay here tonight, and go up the mountain early tomorrow morning."

　　"Let's go...let's go! Hurry up...it's important!" I was shivering with cold, but I said it stubbornly.

　　"If you want to go... go by yourself! Old... old bastard, I... can't hold on any longer! If I go up the mountain now... I must... die halfway!" Liu Yunlong had already surrendered.

　　"Haha, there's no need to rush tonight." Zhang Shan advised me, "Besides, the mountain road is difficult to walk on. It's foggy and dark, and no one is willing to take us up there!"

　　Since I couldn't leave, I put my worries aside. The three of us found a dumpling restaurant on the street, ordered some random food, and ate heartily. I was already starving, so anything tasted good at this time.

　　After eating and drinking, Liu Yunlong suggested taking a shower, saying that he had been running all day and a shower would not only relieve fatigue but also keep him warm.

　　Although Wuquan Town is a small place, it is named after the five hot springs, and everyone in the area knows about it. However, there are many springs at the foot of the mountains, so it is nothing special.

　　I was just about to say that Liu Yunlong was willing to spend money even though he didn't bring any, but the owner of a small restaurant nearby heard us and interrupted us, saying, "If you guys want to take a hot spring bath, you've really come at the wrong time! It's snowing all around, and in Henan alone, there has been a drought for more than 60 days. The springs in the hot spring resorts in town have been dry for many days. If you want to take a bath, you may have to go to the villages below and find those privately built resorts. Maybe there are still one or two that may have water."

　　"Oh? So there are quite a lot of people taking a hot spring bath here?" I became interested and started chatting with the boss.

　　It was late, and it was so cold, there were no people in the town. We were the only customers in the restaurant, and the boss had nothing to do, so he moved a small stool over and took a half-bottle of white wine, and chatted with us while we drank.

　　"Speaking of our Wuquan Town, although it cannot be compared with the Baiquan at the foot of the mountain, it is rare and quiet. Moreover, our terrain is higher. You should know that there are many springs here, and hot springs are not easy to find." Speaking of his home, the shop owner looked proud. "Our Wuquan Town is dozens of miles in radius, and you can't count the large and small hot springs with two hands. Not only is the water quality good and rich in various minerals, but the crops grown with spring water are also stronger than those grown in other places."

　　"But..." The boss took a sip of white wine and sighed, "There's nothing anyone can do about this drought that hasn't happened in decades!"

　　After dinner, the three of us walked out and wandered aimlessly on the street. After chatting with the boss for a long time, Zhang Shan and I drank two more bottles of wine each. We wanted to get rid of the alcohol and find a hotel to stay in.

　　Not only was there no one on the streets of the town, but even the street lights were not turned on. The fog was still all around us, and it seemed to be thicker than when we first arrived. It was estimated that the visibility was less than 20 meters.

　　"What kind of crappy place is this? Why do I feel like this is a zombie town?" Liu Yunlong muttered as he walked, "It's OK if there are zombies! Look, not only are there no living people, there's not even a dead person!"

　　"Haha, because there are springs here, the humidity is much greater than other places." Zhang Shan said while looking for a hotel. "Just now when I came out of their hotel, I saw a thermometer hanging at the door. It's already minus eight degrees Celsius inside the hotel. Guess how cold it is outside now?"

　　"Twenty degrees?" I guessed. It was really cold at this time. Although we had just drunk a lot of white wine, we still couldn't resist the damp and cold environment.

　　"Hehe~ It's only low, not high!" Zhang Shan snorted and said, "This is not normal fog, it's ice fog. It can only form when the water in the air is frozen by the cold air when it is close to minus 30 degrees. Of course, the humidity here is high, so it may not need to be that low, but it's not much different."

　　"Wow! 30 degrees below zero?" Liu Yunlong was amazed. "Henan can have such weather?! It's so cold and humid, why doesn't it snow?"

　　"It will snow." Zhang Shan looked up at the sky. In fact, he couldn't see anything because the fog was too thick. "If I'm right, it will snow tonight or tomorrow!"

　　"It's good to snow! If it snows, the crops will be saved!" I heard that the drought has lasted for more than 60 days. Although people in the city don't feel much about it, a snowfall is indeed much needed for farmers and crops!

　　"The problem is that we are in trouble! I would rather God wait a day longer for the rain to fall!" Zhang Shan said with a sigh.

　　"Why?" I didn't understand again. Zhang Shan grew up in the mountains, and he knew the importance of crop harvest to farmers. Instead of looking forward to the rain coming earlier, he wanted it to stop for a while.

　　"Old Wang, you are such a city bumpkin!" Liu Yunlong doesn't drink, and he was freezing cold at this time, but he still taunted me: "Once it snows, the mountain road will be impassable and the mountain will be closed. We can't go up, understand?"

　　"Ah! No way?!" I was shocked and looked at Changshan. If this was true, then a lot of time would have been wasted!

　　"Yes, Liu is right! If it snows, we have to wait until the snow melts completely before we can go up." Zhang Shan said solemnly: "If it snows heavily, we may not be able to go before the New Year."

　　"This...this...then how did you walk on the mountain when it snowed before? You wouldn't have to wait until the snow melted before going down the mountain, right?" I didn't expect things to get worse and worse.

　　"Of course!" Zhang Shan said affirmatively: "The food stored in our mountain is enough to last until the next spring planting season. If it snows heavily, we will not go down the mountain."

　　I was unwilling to give up, so I asked again, "What if we walk up there ourselves? Didn't you say that the mountain road only takes an hour and a half to walk? It's not that far, right?"

　　"It takes an hour and a half to go up the mountain road. You'd be lucky if you can make it in one day. You have to know that you're going up the mountain!" Zhang Shan patiently explained to me, "What does it mean to close the mountain? Not only cars are not allowed to go, but people are not allowed to go either! To tell you the truth, the road to our Banyan Village in the 800-mile Taihang Mountains is definitely not the most precipitous, but it's definitely in the top three. Whenever it snows, militiamen are guarding the main roads and no one is allowed to pass! If you force your way through the checkpoint, you will be locked up."

　　Chapter 7: Lost in the Dark

　　"It's okay! We have special documents! How can they not let us pass?" I took out the document given by Song Dongfeng and waved it at them.

　　"Old Wang, there's nothing urgent for you! Why are you in such a hurry to go up there?" Liu Yunlong was unwilling. He was already thin and not resistant to the cold, and when he heard that I was planning to hike up the mountain, it was good enough that he didn't fight with me.

　　"How can there be no emergency? Is it extremely urgent or..." I was so excited that I almost told them about Zhang Shan's situation. Seeing that they were looking at me with strange eyes, I quickly changed the subject and said, "The Chinese New Year is coming soon! We can't go up here. We can't spend the Spring Festival here, right?!"

　　"There are still more than ten days left! Why are you in such a hurry?" Liu Yunlong said with disdain after hearing my reasons.

　　"Yeah, don't worry, safety comes first. It's the most dangerous to walk on mountain roads in the snow." Although Zhang Shan agreed with Liu Yunlong, he also advised me: "Besides, it hasn't snowed yet! This is just my guess. Maybe it will be a sunny day tomorrow morning, and we can get there before lunch!"

　　I know he is just trying to comfort me. This guy has lived in the mountains for thirty years, and his grandfather is a half-immortal. He can't even read the weather! Since Zhang Shan said so, it must snow tonight!

　　I was thinking of some other way to persuade them to go up the mountain as soon as possible, but Zhang Shan suddenly stopped and whispered to us: "Look ahead?!"

　　I looked in the direction he pointed, but saw nothing but darkness and thick fog.

　　"What? I can't see it!" Liu Yunlong also didn't see it and muttered.

　　Zhang Shan stopped talking and led us to tiptoe forward for more than ten meters. He hid behind a pile of bricks on the side of the road and said, "Look again. Do you see it?"

　　I looked hard again, and then I saw two figures looming in the thick fog in the distance, walking slowly forward hand in hand. Soon, they plunged into the thick fog and could no longer be seen.

　　"Old Zhang, when did you become so wretched? Two young people are dating out at night, and you want to peek at them?" Liu Yunlong said sarcastically to Zhang Shan after seeing clearly.

　　"What you're looking at is shit!" Zhang Shan scolded Liu Yunlong and then said, "You just focused on watching them holding hands! Didn't you see that they were both barefoot?"

　　"No shoes?!" I repeated his words. Going out without shoes in this kind of weather is definitely a mental disorder! It would be a miracle if your toes didn't freeze off!

　　Therefore, there must be something wrong with these two people!

　　"Ah? Could it be a ghost?" Liu Yunlong became nervous when he heard Zhang Shan say that.

　　"You can't see it even if it's there!" I rolled my eyes at him and asked Zhang Shan, "What should we do? Go and take a look?"

　　"Yes!" Zhang Shan answered affirmatively without any hesitation.

　　The three of us chased carefully for a few dozen meters until we saw two people walking on the road in the distance ahead. We slowed down and followed them twenty meters behind.

　　Looking at the two people carefully at this time, I found that they were not wearing shoes! They were just walking barefoot on the ground. And although they were wearing clothes on their upper body, they did not seem to be wearing outer pants on their legs, but gray tight pants, which should be worn under woolen pants or cotton pants.

　　Although they had their backs to us, it was obvious that they were a man and a woman, because one had long hair and the other had short hair, and the short-haired one was much stronger than the long-haired girl.

　　Wuquan Town is a small place at a crossroads. Just when we felt that we were about to leave the town, the two people in front of us finally stopped under the high red-tiled wall of a courtyard, facing the wall.

　　Because they turned sideways, we were afraid of being discovered, so we quickly hid under the gate of a farmer's house nearby.

　　"What are they planning to do? Coming here to meditate?" Liu Yunlong, who could never hold back, asked Zhang Shan.

　　"I don't know, but he is definitely not an ordinary thief." Zhang Shan couldn't come to a conclusion either.

　　It's definitely not a thief! Even the dumbest thief knows it's cold. In the night with more than 30 degrees below zero, he ran out barefoot to steal things? It's amazing that he could think of it!

　　After several seconds, Liu Yunlong couldn't help it anymore, so he bent over and stuck his head out to take a look.

　　"Huh?" After looking for a few seconds, the guy straightened up and walked out.

　　"Hey! Come back soon! Be careful not to get discovered!" I hurriedly whispered to him.

　　"How could I find you? There's no one here!" Liu Yunlong turned and yelled at me.

　　Seeing him go out, there was no point in hiding any longer, so we walked out. When we looked forward, we were stunned: the two people who had just been standing facing the wall were now nowhere to be seen!

　　This shouldn't be possible! I think the wall in front of us is at least several hundred meters long, and there are only a dozen meters between us and them, and there is no fork in the road. How can two people just disappear? !

　　We came to the wall and observed for a long time, but didn't find anything unusual. I was wondering how two people could disappear out of thin air, and when I looked up, I found a series of footprints on the red wall, which were clearly caused by bare feet.

　　"Look, look!" I quickly asked them to look up.

　　Liu Yunlong observed for a moment and said in amazement: "This... This is too amazing! The two of them walked over this wall?!"

　　At first I only noticed the two footprints in front of me, but after he reminded me, I looked up again, and sure enough! Just like when we walked on flat ground, there were footprints every half a meter on the three-meter-high wall, and they were full-length!

　　What does the full palm mean? It means that these two people walked on the wall just like they were walking on flat ground! They just walked up from the base of the wall, keeping parallel to the ground, and climbed to the top step by step, and finally reached the other side of the wall.

　　This is so weird! It doesn't conform to the law of gravity!

　　"Is this a joke to us?" Liu Yunlong didn't believe what was happening and thought someone was playing a prank.

　　"Do you have any acquaintances here? How could you let them come out without shoes in the middle of the night to tease you?" I asked him blankly.

　　Zhang Shan motioned for us to be quiet, and then said: "No matter what, when encountering such a thing, for us ghost walkers, there is no reason not to ask. If they are practicing martial arts, then we will find out, confess the crime and leave; if someone is practicing some evil magic, then we have to intervene!"

　　"How do you want to manage it? Climb over and take a look?" Liu Yunlong asked, staring at the footprints.

　　"I'll let you two go up first, and then you can take a look at the situation!" After Zhang Shan said this, he paused and motioned for me to step on his knees and shoulders to go up.

　　It’s also thanks to this guy’s height, otherwise, even if Liu Yunlong and I stacked together we wouldn’t be able to reach the top of the three-meter-high wall!

　　I had to wear thick clothes in winter and finally climbed up. I found that the inner wall of the courtyard was well built! There were big red lanterns hanging on the ancient corridors, and the open air was full of small bridges, flowing water, and rockeries. There was even a small bamboo forest behind the corners of the wall.

　　After a while, Liu Yunlong also climbed up, took a look, and said, "Hey! It looks like a hot spring resort!"

　　Chapter 8 Human Traffickers

　　"How did you know?" I asked him curiously. There was no water here at all, so how could he tell that it was a hot spring resort?

　　"See it? Look at that cement platform!" Liu Yunlong said, pointing to the nearest rockery where there was an artificial stone platform. The terrain inside was obviously lower than the outside, and it surrounded the rockery without leaving any opening.

　　It seems that his guess was correct. This should be a hot spring resort, but there is no water at the moment. It has dried up long ago.

　　"What are you two looking at? Are you looking for someone?" Zhang Shan shouted to us in a low voice from under the wall.

　　"Oh..." I just remembered the purpose of climbing up, and hurriedly looked around. But more than a minute had passed since we found the two people coming in, and there was no sign of them? !

　　Just as I was about to tell Zhang Shan that he couldn't find them, Liu Yunlong pulled me again and pointed down and said, "Look over there! Could they have gotten in?"

　　I squinted and saw, under the illumination of the red lanterns, a large black hole on the corner of the rockery near us. One person would be enough to crawl in. Did they really crawl in?

　　"What's going on?" Zhang Shan asked impatiently from below.

　　"I'm not sure! I'm afraid I have to go down and take a look. Why don't you come up?" I squatted on the wall and turned to say to him.

　　"You two get out of the way! Make room for me!" Zhang Shan said, then took a few steps back, took a running start, stomped on the wall three times, stretched out his hand, and grabbed the top of the wall.

　　I was just about to reach out to pull him up, but this guy arched his head upward with great effort and flipped over easily.

　　"...Wow, that's pretty good! Lao Zhang, I didn't expect a big fool like you could have this skill? Sometime you can teach me!" Liu Yunlong squatted aside and watched with envy.

　　"Let's not talk about this for now! What's going on?" As soon as Zhang Shan came up, he looked around.

　　I pointed at the black hole and said, "We searched the entire yard but couldn't find it. I guess it crawled in from there."

　　"Let's go! Let's go down and take a look!" Zhang Shan jumped down without hesitation, holding onto the wall.

　　Seeing him go down, we had no choice but to jump down as well. Fortunately, the ground under our feet was soft because of the trees planted there, so we didn't hurt our feet.

　　I sneaked up to the entrance of the black hole and found that there was a layer of welded iron fence on it. It seemed that it was locked originally. I didn't know whether it had been opened long ago or was just opened by those two people.

　　The diameter of the cave is at least 1.5 meters. Although it is large, the inside is like a tumor, and the walls are full of round stone lumps. However, it is still easy for a person to crawl in, even Zhang Shan.

　　"What is this hole for? Where does it lead to?" I looked at it for a long time, but I still had no idea why there was a big hole here. Moreover, this rockery was obviously moved here by humans at a later stage, so it is impossible to make a big, ugly hole there.

　　"I guess... this should be the outlet of a hot spring!" Liu Yunlong said after observing for a long time.

　　"Well, what Liu said is reliable this time! This is a water outlet. Although it is opened in the rockery, it extends underground." Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong's inferences were surprisingly consistent.

　　"Water outlet? Then why did they crawl in there? To soak in the hot spring?" I was a little bit incredulous. If I had climbed over the wall and seen someone practicing evil skills, setting up an altar and casting spells, even if it was a mass grave, I could accept it. But I didn't expect that someone would actually be willing to crawl into the hot spring outlet.

　　"Who are you asking? Just climb in and take a look and you'll know!" Liu Yunlong glared at me.

　　"Damn! Why don't you climb?!" I was about to mock him, but I saw a red dot flashing in the grass of the rockery behind the cave entrance. Because it was not facing us, it was really hard to see without careful observation.

　　I quickly pointed it out to them.

　　"Camera?" Liu Yunlong looked at it for a long time but still had no idea what it was.

　　I don't think it's possible to put a camera here. Why put a camera here? To see who will steal the spring water? Besides, customers won't be happy to have a camera in the bathing area!

　　Zhang Shan was much more direct than the other two of us. Plus, he was taller, so he simply stepped on the hole and reached out to take the red dot out.

　　This thing is strange, not big, just the size of a matchbox, a little thicker than a matchbox, with a black plastic shell. There is nothing on it except a small red light. There is also a wire connected to the end, I wonder where it extends to?

　　"This thing...I seem to have seen it somewhere..." Liu Yunlong snatched it away and looked at it left and right.

　　Before they figured it out, they both afraid that the red light might hurt someone, so they didn't look directly at it.

　　"...Oh!~ I remember it!" Liu Yunlong studied it for a long time, and suddenly said: "I saw it at the safety equipment exhibition in October last year. It is a low-cost but very effective..." As he spoke, Zhang Shan was pulling the wires at the back, trying to see where it was connected.

　　No one expected that Zhang Shan, who was standing in front, pulled it hard, and his elbow just happened to touch the "small box" held by Liu Yunlong. He lost his grip and it fell to the ground.

　　"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!..." In an instant, alarms sounded throughout the hospital.

　　"...alarm." Liu Yunlong didn't pick it up, but stood there and said depressedly.

　　"...Damn! Is this an alarm? Why didn't you tell me earlier!?" I was speechless. What's the use of the alarm if it goes off!

　　"Damn it! Is this my fault?" Liu Yunlong yelled at me amid the alarm: "If Lao Zhang hadn't insisted on pulling that wire, would I have fallen to the ground?!"

　　"Let's run!" When Zhang Shan saw that he was in trouble, he pulled us up and tried to climb over the wall to run away, but was stopped by Liu Yunlong instead.

　　"Why are you running, Lao Zhang? We didn't steal or rob. I was planning to find the police station here. This is great. It saves me a lot of trouble." Liu Yunlong signaled us to be patient and just sit there and wait.

　　Although the place is small, people's reactions are very fast. After just over half a minute, twenty or thirty people rushed in from the door at the end of the antique corridor. Some of them were wearing camouflage uniforms, and some even had guns in their hands!

　　Of course, the guns were all pointed at the three of us.

　　"Liu, are we going to run into gangsters?" I was frightened when I saw the gun barrel. In the pitch-black night, we couldn't even see the face of the man holding the gun.

　　"Don't move! Listen to what they say first, then we can make the next decision." Liu Yunlong also saw the gun and immediately instructed us.

　　He certainly didn't expect that a small alarm could attract so many people! They were all holding weapons in their hands, which showed that they were well prepared! Did they seem to have come here at the last minute?

　　"Listen up, people in front!" A voice suddenly came from the crowd at the gate: "Raise your hands immediately! Hold them above your head and squat down!"

　　"Do as he says!" Liu Yunlong said in a low voice when he saw that we were both looking at him.

　　At this moment, with dozens of guns pointed at him, even the agile Zhang Shan had no choice but to be at the mercy of others.

　　After we squatted down, several people soon approached us from the side.

　　Finally, one of them came over and grabbed my wrist, twisted it behind my back, and said as he handcuffed me, "You are such a heartless bunch! What else can you do? Human trafficking! Aren't you afraid of retribution?!"

　　Chapter 9: Caught Again

　　"Human trafficking?" Although I knew they would do this, I still struggled to stand up. He could say we broke into people's houses and robbed them, but human trafficking...what does that have to do with anything? It's not even close!

　　Liu Yunlong was also shouting over there: "Don't worry, don't worry! We are one of us! We are from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau!"

　　"Huh?" Several people were stunned at the same time, and one of them shouted over there: "Director, he said they are from the Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau!"

　　Footsteps were heard and two more people came over.

　　I looked up and saw that the two people walking towards me were not wearing police uniforms, but they were wearing large cotton-padded police jackets with shoulder straps, police numbers and everything, so they should not be fake.

　　"Are you from the Municipal Bureau?" A middle-aged man walking in front of us looked at us and asked, "Where's your police ID? Show it to me!"

　　"It's here, it's here!" Liu Yunlong struggled to stand up, slowly lifted his clothes to indicate that he had no weapon, and then reached into his underwear pocket.

　　This guy fumbled around for a long time but couldn't get his police ID out. I couldn't bear it any longer and squatted on the ground, urging him, "Can you hurry up? Lao Zhang and I are still torturing him!"

　　"Oh no...oh no!" Liu Yunlong finally gave up the search and said to me with a sad face, "They are all in that coat. They were sent back to Zhengzhou together!"

　　"You!..." I really didn't know how to describe him.

　　"You little brat! Are you trying to play tricks on us?" The man standing behind Liu Yunlong (probably also a policeman) had already lost his patience and kicked him in the leg, making Liu Yunlong kneel on the ground.

　　Zhang Shan couldn't hold back any longer after seeing the situation. He stood up in an instant and pushed the two people who were holding him back away.

　　"Don't move!" Immediately two guns were pointed at him, and Zhang Shan didn't dare to move.

　　Just when I was at a loss of what to do, I suddenly remembered that before leaving in the morning, Song Dongfeng gave each of us a work ID from the Security Investigation Bureau. That thing should be more useful than the police officer ID!

　　Thinking of this, I immediately looked up and said, "He forgot to bring it, I still have it here!"

　　The "director" standing in front of me looked at me and said, "I'll give you one last chance. If you still want to take advantage of the loophole, be careful! Which pocket is it in?"

　　With his tacit consent, I stood up. Since I was handcuffed, I could only turn my left side towards him and said, "Go ahead and take out the pocket on the left side of your down jacket!"

　　"...Chenghuang Temple Management Committee?" After looking through the light of the flashlight, the man raised his head and looked at me for a long time, and suddenly said, "Take them all away!" After that, he put the work permit into his pocket.

　　"Hey? I said, did you see clearly? You saw clearly but why don't you let me go?!" I was very surprised and shouted at him. But this guy ignored me.

　　"Alas, in this small place, they may not recognize the certificate. There are confidentiality regulations, and they are not qualified!~" Liu Yunlong walked side by side with me and explained.

　　"Don't talk!" The man who was holding Liu Yunlong hit him on the back with the butt of his gun and shouted.

　　None of us three dared to say a word and we followed them all the way to the police station in town.

　　This town is really small. The town government office building has four floors in total. The first and second floors are the police station and post office, the third floor is other external departments, and the fourth floor is the office area. The office area sign at the door alone is dazzling.

　　After entering the police station, they took the three of us to a room on the second floor that contained an iron cage, opened our handcuffs, confiscated our personal belongings, and then left.

　　"Tsk~ You're arresting criminals with this level of skill?" Liu Yunlong didn't care about the situation at all. He looked around and started to comment: "This is so unprofessional. They just locked the three of us together. Aren't you afraid of collusion?"

　　I glanced at him and said, "What? You want to detain them separately and then torture them? Let them go to the bathhouse or do the horse stance?"

　　"Oh? You've improved!" Liu Yunlong stared at me with wide eyes and said, "You've only been in there twice, and you're very skilled! 'Going to the bathhouse'... Humph, I don't think they can afford that kind of money!"

　　I was about to retort, but Zhang Shan pushed us apart and said, "Alright, alright! It's already this late, and you still have time to bicker! If you still have the energy, stop now!"

　　I also felt that it was pointless to argue with this guy, so I walked to the corner, sat down, and rested against the wall. Fortunately, there was heating in this building, so the room was quite warm, so I didn't have to worry about being cold even if I fell asleep.

　　"Don't worry! Someone will be here soon. We just need to make a phone call and everything will be solved!" Liu Yunlong also sat down next to me, stretching and saying, "It's good here! It's a big room with heating, and it's free, but there's no bed, it's uncomfortable!"

　　The strange thing is that more than an hour has passed since the clock on the wall, and no one has come into the room. The three of us are not in a hurry. We plan to stay here for the whole night anyway, so it doesn't matter where we sleep. We all leaned against the wall and dozed off.

　　We were woken up by a noisy sound. When we opened our eyes, we saw four people in police uniforms standing outside, one of whom was hitting the iron fence with a baton.

　　"Oh! Oh! It's time to wake up! You are so careless, you can sleep even in this situation?" Seeing that we opened our eyes, the man stopped knocking and "ridiculed" us.

　　"I want to make a phone call!" Liu Yunlong became alert when he saw someone coming in, and stood up and said while holding the railing.

　　"Bang!" The man with the baton hit the boy's hand that was holding the railing without saying a word. If the boy hadn't dodged quickly, one or two of his fingers would have been broken.

　　"Go back and talk! Don't touch the iron fence with your hands!" After failing to hit us, the man became even angrier and yelled at us.

　　"Damn it! Just wait! Just wait!" After being beaten again and again, Liu Yunlong became angry. He stepped back while pointing at the policeman and threatening him.

　　Seeing that we were no longer talking, the "director" came up to us and said with a stern face, "Okay, let's cut to the chase. If you're willing to confess now, you can get a lighter sentence. Otherwise, wait until tomorrow when the city bus comes to pick you up. Once you get there, if you confess when you can't bear it anymore, you won't get any bargains!"

　　"Municipal Bureau?" When Liu Yunlong heard that a large organization was going to intervene, he immediately had an idea and asked, "Who will come from the Municipal Bureau?"

　　"What? You still expect the director to come and pick you up in person?" The director was confused and amused by his question.

　　Liu Yunlong's eyes rolled, and a plan came to his mind. He said, "How about this! Please call the Criminal Investigation Department of Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau to verify. My name is Liu Yunlong. Or you can call the leaders in your bureau and read the certificate you confiscated to them, and they will understand."

　　"Young man! Your delaying tactic is really not very clever!" The director shook his head and said, "You want me to release him just based on a name? You know I've already given you two chances! Besides, what if you are really a police officer? There are so many people who know the law but break it now! Now that we have caught him red-handed, how can you deny it?"

　　"Please! Where did the dirty money come from? I don't have even a dime on me, what dirty money are you handing over?" Liu Yunlong knew their tricks very well. They were just trying to trick him into confessing, and he didn't fall for it at all.

　　"Haha, you probably don't know yet?" The director walked back and forth outside the iron fence and said, "Didn't you kidnap two children, a boy and a girl, last night? They later crawled out of the spring on their own."

　　"What?!" Liu Yunlong and I expressed our surprise in unison.

　　Chapter 10: Prison Break Plan

　　If we follow what he said before, we can temporarily consider it as an inducement to confess. But the words "climbed out again" made me doubt my judgment.

　　When we saw the man and woman, there were only three of us around. Liu Yunlong was an expert at tracking and anti-tracking, needless to say, and after I absorbed several pupil seals a few days ago, my senses were enhanced in all aspects. Even if we focused on the man and woman, if someone was following us nearby, they would not escape our eyes and ears.

　　Besides, it was very cold today, and they had no grudges against us, so the possibility of "fishing enforcement" was almost zero.

　　Therefore, we can be sure that the last words of this "director" must be true, and the two young men really crawled out again. But I don't know what happened? !

　　"That's easier! You go ask them and then you'll know whether we did it or not?" Liu Yunlong thought quickly and found a solution immediately.

　　"Haha, what a pity! You must have thought that this day would come, right? You drugged them and they won't remember anything when they wake up." The director said as he took a sealed tape from the person behind him, which contained some red powder.

　　I know this thing, it belongs to Zhang Shan. He carries some cinnabar with him almost every day, in case of danger, he can use it to draw talismans. I didn't expect them to find it.

　　Seeing that we were all looking at the bag of cinnabar, the director stared at Zhang Shan and said, "This was found on you, right? Although it hasn't been tested yet, you must know what it is, right?"

　　Well! It seems that this uncle mistook cinnabar for anesthesia!

　　Zhang Shan smiled and didn't comment. But after he finished laughing, he asked, "I just want to know one thing, have you set up an ambush to catch us?"

　　Yes! I have always wanted to ask this question, but I haven't had the chance yet.

　　If they hadn't arranged it in advance, how could they have surrounded us in just 20 or 30 seconds? Even if the town was small, it would take at least 3 to 5 minutes to run from the police station to the hot spring villa.

　　If they had planned this in advance, that would be even more strange! Even if someone wanted to harm us, they shouldn't have asked the police to come! Our identities are special, and they will know it sooner or later. Using the police to deal with us is definitely a bad move!

　　"To tell you the truth! We had already set up an ambush, but we didn't know who we were going to catch before we surrounded you!" The director said proudly, "Since the first child disappeared last week, we started investigating and found that the first two children were lost after walking towards the hot spring villa at the north end of the town at night. So we decided to ambush in the fog tonight to see if we could catch any fish. Who knew that you would take the bait on the first day!"

　　The three of us were extremely depressed after hearing this. These two things were totally unrelated, but we were actually involved. Do you think it's unbelievable?! What's even more ridiculous is that the person investigating the case turned out to be the suspect!

　　"If I tell you the whereabouts of the other two children, what preferential policies will there be?" Zhang Shan's face suddenly changed, and he walked forward and asked.

　　"Where are the two kids?" The director was immediately alerted when he heard that Zhang Shan was going to confess. You know, he has only caught us "suspects" so far. If we don't confess and are taken away by the Municipal Bureau tomorrow, it means that half of the honor will be taken away for nothing. Naturally, he will not be willing to accept this!

　　But once we confess, he will have someone with a confession tomorrow morning, and the Municipal Bureau can take him away if they want. At least the credit can't be taken away from us.

　　"I can tell you, but I have a condition!" When I saw Zhang Shan smiling sinisterly, I knew that this director was going to be in trouble.

　　"What conditions? As long as they don't violate my principles, you can tell me." As for this director, at least he has principles and positions, what he lacks is case handling experience.

　　"I...this..." Zhang Shan deliberately didn't say the following words and looked at both of us at the same time.

　　"Okay, talk to me alone!" The director was eager to make a contribution, and in his excitement he never imagined that even if one of the suspects wanted to redeem himself, he would not whisper in front of other accomplices so openly.

　　He did not suspect anything and slowly approached the fence, in front of Zhang Shan.

　　"My condition is..." Zhang Shan's voice became lower and lower. When the police station chief came within his arm's reach, the guy suddenly stretched out his arm, pulled him into his arms, and at the same time grabbed his throat with his other hand.

　　"What are you doing?!" The three policemen behind were suddenly panicked, but unfortunately they didn't have guns, so they had to rush up to rob the person.

　　"Don't move! If anyone moves again, I will dig out one of his eyes!" Zhang Shan said, and put his finger on the director's right eye.

　　Sure enough, after he shouted, no one dared to move.

　　"You have to think carefully, can you bear the responsibility for doing this?!" Although he was detained, the director still maintained the character of a people's policeman.

　　"Stop talking nonsense! Ask them to open the door first!" Zhang Shan ignored him and directly put forward the conditions.

　　"The key is with the person on duty downstairs. We don't have it with us." said one of the three men.

　　"You, come here!" Zhang Shan pointed directly at the person closest to the door. After he came over, he said, "Uncle Master, search his waist. There is a bunch of keys, one of which is on this door!"

　　I touched the man's waist as he said, and sure enough, there was a bunch of keys hanging on his belt. It seemed that Zhang Shan had already remembered who locked the door, and this guy had been planning to run away since he came in.

　　I took the key and asked him to stand back, and I started to try one by one. Fortunately, there were only a few keys on the top, and when I tried the fourth one, there was a "click" and the big lock of the iron fence opened.

　　Liu Yunlong, who had been silent, was now unhappy: "I say, Lao Zhang, why are you doing this again? Can't we talk it out calmly?"

　　Zhang Shan pinned the director against the iron fence and motioned for the two of us to go out and restrain him. Then he let go and said, "I don't like the feeling of being locked up. Besides, did they give you a chance to explain?"

　　It was our turn to support him as two thin guys. The director struggled symbolically, but found that our strength was not much different from that of the "big guy", so he had to give up the idea of ​​escaping.

　　After taking off his belt and tying Liu Yunlong tightly from behind, we turned around and found that the other three men had been lying on the ground, motionless, without anyone noticing.

　　"Lao Zhang! Are you playing too big?!" Liu Yunlong took a look and hurried forward to check.

　　"Don't worry! I will be careful when I attack him. He will wake up on his own in a while." After saying this, Zhang Shan walked up to the director and looked at him straight in the eyes.

　　"You...you will bear the consequences of all this!" The director swallowed and said when he saw us all gathered around him.

　　"Wrong! You are the one who should take responsibility!" It's rare for Zhang Shan to joke with others, but it seems a bit inappropriate now.

　　"...Me?" The director didn't understand what we meant and looked surprised.

　　"You'll understand in a moment! Don't apologize to me then! Apologizing is useless, I tell you!" After checking the three people, Liu Yunlong found that they were just slightly fainted. He was relieved and walked over to say.

　　Looking at the director's expression, I guess he is almost thinking the three of us are crazy.

　　Chapter 11: Escape in the Mist

　　"Let me ask you something!" Zhang Shan's face suddenly turned gloomy, and he asked sternly, "You just said that two children were lost last week. Is that true?"

　　"Huh! Is it fun to ask this? Ah!!!" The director decided that we were the suspects and was too lazy to answer. But Liu Yunlong pinched him hard and told him to speak honestly. But this guy was caught off guard and screamed in pain, so I quickly covered his mouth.

　　After all, as they are within the same system, Liu Yunlong doesn't dare to go too far.

　　"Is there really such a thing?" Zhang Shan stared at him and asked word by word, which put a lot of pressure on the director.

　　"Yes, there are two." I guess he thought it was no secret, so after I slowly let go of my hand, he admitted it readily this time.

　　Zhang Shan was about to ask more when he heard a hurried sound of people coming up the stairs outside the door.

　　Oh no! It must be the "director" who yelled and attracted the people downstairs!

　　"Retreat! Go through the window!" Zhang Shan acted decisively, pushed open the window next to us, and signaled us to jump out first.

　　"Oh! I think this is not necessary, right? They're all under control. Why don't we just call back and ask their leader to come over and explain everything clearly?!" Liu Yunlong was having a great time in there and didn't want to go out.

　　I remember Zhang Shan once said that the smaller the place, the more those who eat government food are ruthless. After all, Zhang Shan knows our situation and their situation well. If he said he wanted to run away, there must be a reason.

　　"Someone come quickly! The suspect has killed someone and escaped from prison!" Seeing that we had a disagreement and no one was paying attention to him, the director suddenly shouted.

　　"Fuck! What the hell are you yelling about?" Liu Yunlong turned around and cursed him while being pulled by me.

　　As soon as the three men jumped down from the second floor, they heard a "bang" from upstairs, and the door was knocked open. Then the chief shouted, "Chase! Chase! He jumped out of the window!"

　　We were already at the corner of the street, and I looked back and saw the upper body of a man leaning out of the lighted window. Before I could see what he looked like, he raised his hand and fired three shots at us!

　　Fortunately, we had already run several dozen meters away. I guess this guy's shooting skills were not good to begin with, and he lost his accuracy in panic. All three shots hit the ground two meters away from us.

　　Even so, we were still scared and broke into a cold sweat.

　　No wonder Zhang Shan ran away first! These guys really dared to shoot!

　　Fortunately, there was heavy fog tonight, so we didn't care about the direction and ran for a few hundred meters. We turned in two directions and stopped to rest after making sure no one was catching up with us.

　　"I say... are you two sick?" Liu Yunlong propped himself up on his knees, panting and cursing, "You had to run away from a well-kept heated room. Now we have lost our money, our cell phones, and we don't even know where we are!"

　　I looked around and sure enough, it was pitch black. Not only were there no buildings nearby, but even the ground beneath our feet was no longer the asphalt road of the county town, but a dirt road.

　　"What should I do? Go back?" I was at a loss and asked Zhang Shan for his advice.

　　"We can't go back! They must be searching the whole town for us. These guys, huh! Do you think they dare not kill us on the spot?" Zhang Shan was not in favor of going back at first.

　　"If you ask me, you shouldn't have done that just now! What should we do now?..." Seeing that we were both staring at him, Liu Yunlong had to wave his hands and changed the topic, "Alright, alright, I won't say anything! How about this? Let's go back and find a phone, call back and explain the situation clearly, and have their superiors notify us as soon as possible."

　　"It's so cold at night, where are you going to find a phone?" I remembered that I had just finished dinner and went out to buy cigarettes. I walked all the way and didn't see any shops or stores open. It seemed that it was too cold and people were too lazy to do business, so they closed early in the morning.

　　"Just find a house, rush in and use it first! Anyway, we have even beaten the police, so what are we afraid of?" Liu Yunlong said without thinking.

　　"Are you done yet? If you hadn't been so stupid as to send your police officer ID and that tattered cotton-padded jacket back together, would we have been in this trouble?!" I finally couldn't help it and retorted to him, and this guy immediately became much more obedient.

　　Seeing that he finally stopped talking, I said, "I always feel that it's a bit too much to go and rob a phone. Three big guys broke into a private house at night. They are ordinary people! As for the police, they were wrong first. When they figure it out, they can't blame us. These are two different things of different nature and concepts!"

　　"I think we should evacuate!" Zhang Shan thought for a long time and said with a sigh, "Let's find a place to hide first and wait for the fog to clear."

　　We stopped hesitating, turned around, and continued to move forward gropingly.

　　As we walked away from the town, we gradually found that the fog was getting thicker and thicker. At the end of the walk, the people behind us had to hold the clothes of the people in front of us to prevent us from getting separated.

　　It is no exaggeration to say that at this moment, you can't see anything one meter away.

　　I don't know how long we walked. I was just thinking of stopping for a while. This way of walking was not a good idea. What if there was a well or a manure pit under our feet? Wouldn't we all fall in one after another?

　　Zhang Shan, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and said, "There is a house here."

　　“Is anyone living here?” This was my first reaction.

　　“…There should be no one here.” Zhang Shan turned sideways, making room in front of him, and I saw the outer wall of the house.

　　This is a house made of mud and bricks. The roof is not bad, at least it is made of mud tiles. I don't know how big it is, but the strange thing is that I walked along the two walls and didn't find a window.

　　Finally, when we followed Zhang Shan to the third wall, we touched the door of the house.

　　"This..." Zhang Shan looked at the door of the house and hesitated.

　　"What's wrong? Is there a lock that can't be opened?" I leaned forward to take a look curiously.

　　"Look!" Zhang Shan didn't say why, but showed me the black curtain hanging outside the door.

　　Because the fog was so thick, I had to get close to my face before I could see a big word "甸" written in white paste on the black curtain.

　　"Ding!" My heart skipped a beat. This word is not something you can just use casually! Could it be...

　　Once again, I felt the hairs on my back stand up.

　　Although I have seen many ghosts and nightmares in the past two months, I am not really afraid of them. After all, they look like humans and can talk, just like living people. But I still cannot overcome my fear of corpses. Especially after the corpse-supporting curse incident, no matter whether they are moving or not, as long as they have died, my scalp tingles when I think of them.

　　"This should be a temporary burial house in the village!" Zhang Shan said, pinching the cloth curtain, "I think we will have to stay here with the dead tonight."

　　"Ah?!" My hair stood on end, and I discussed with Zhang Shan: "Can't we go to another place? Since we're already in someone's village, let's find a place to stay!"

　　Zhang Shan said as he lifted the curtain and pushed the door open: "It's so foggy. Do you know which direction the village is? Houses that are covered with fog are usually far away from the village. It's so cold tonight. If we keep walking, we'll freeze to death outside..."

　　"Liu, please say something! Is it okay for us to live here?" Seeing that Zhang Shan was determined to live here, I had to ask Liu Yunlong for help, hoping that he would stand on my side.

　　This guy became much more obedient after I yelled at him just now, and he always followed me at the back. Now when he should have spoken, he didn't say anything.

　　Chapter 12: Renting a Room for the Night

　　Before Liu Yunlong could say anything, Zhang Shan exerted force and with a "creak", the door of the funeral room was pushed open!

　　Suddenly, a smell of enzymes hit me in the face. Because the room had no windows, even if there was no fire inside, it was still much warmer than outside in this weather.

　　"Even the morgues in the countryside aren't locked?" I asked curiously.

　　"Lock! But this..." Zhang Shan bent down and picked up the fallen black lock from the ground, and then said: "The lock is fine, but the lock buckle is connected. I don't know who broke it."

　　"Hey! Liu, say something!" I saw that there was no response from behind, so I couldn't help but reach out to him. I grabbed this guy's arm and said, "Say something, can't we not live here? Why are you... wearing so little!"

　　I bought this guy a thick down jacket this morning, but when I grabbed his elbow just now, I found that it was just a thin layer of clothing. I was surprised and quickly looked back.

　　But when I turned around, I could no longer see Liu Yunlong in front of me! An old man with wrinkles on his face was standing face to face with me. His mouth was half open, with no teeth in it, and only a few sparse hairs on his head.

　　The scariest thing was the old man’s eyes. Although they were open, his eyeballs were gray. Even in such a bad day, I couldn’t see where the pupils were.

　　"Ah!!!~~" I finally couldn't help but screamed, and quickly stepped back, but was tripped by Zhang Shan who was squatting on the ground, and fell over.

　　"What's wrong? What's wrong?!" When Zhang Shan saw me fall over, he quickly stood up, turned his head, and saw the old man in front of him.

　　"Wow!" The guy was also startled and subconsciously dodged backwards.

　　"...Hmm?" After seeing the old man clearly, Zhang Shan stopped and reached into his pocket. After searching around, he realized that everything in his pocket had been confiscated.

　　There was no way, luckily Zhang Shan reacted quickly. He was just stunned for a moment, then bit his finger and turned around to point at my forehead.

　　"What are you doing?!" I dodged the blow, stared at him and asked, "Why are you clicking on me? Click on him!"

　　"Ouch! Come here, if he runs away, we will be in trouble again!" Zhang Shan looked anxious.

　　"You can come over, but you have to explain the situation clearly first. How can this happen? You're asking for help if I don't say anything!" After making sure that he was not crazy, I said this while moving forward.

　　"Okay! Just watch!" Zhang Shan said, turning around and pointing a finger at the old man's forehead.

　　Whoosh! I saw a flash before my eyes, and the old man quickly took two steps back, dodging Zhang Shan's finger, as if he had teleported.

　　"I can't touch him! He follows you! He won't move unless I touch you! Do you understand?" Zhang Shan turned around again and said to me word by word.

　　"Oh... why?" I was curious and had to find out the truth.

　　"Let me light it first, otherwise he will run away after absorbing enough negative energy!" Zhang Shan stamped his feet anxiously.

　　"Oh..." I walked up to him reluctantly and let him touch my forehead.

　　With a thud, when we turned around, the old man was lying straight on the ground.

　　"What's going on?" I went over to help Zhang Shan lift the old man up, only to find that his body was straight and hard.

　　"This old gentleman is in the room!" Zhang Shan said as he lifted it.

　　"Ah?! Dead person!" I was so scared that I trembled and threw the body on the ground.

　　"Hey! Hey! What are you doing? Lift it up quickly!" As soon as I let go, Zhang Shan was left holding the old man's upper body in front of him, unable to exert any strength.

　　Suppressing the fear in my heart, I slowly raised my legs again. Then I remembered that I had forgotten the important matter when the old man appeared just now, and hurriedly asked Zhang Shan: "Where is Liu Yunlong?!"

　　Zhang Shan lifted the old man up and carried him into the house, saying, "He should be lying inside. We'll know when we see him."

　　I entered the house and it was pitch black. Fortunately, I usually carry two lighters with me wherever I go, just in case I run out of fire. One of them is placed with my cigarettes, which was just taken away by the police. The other is a small metal Zippo lighter that is always attached to the side of my hiking shoes, where there is a secret pocket for lighters.

　　Just now outside, it was all thick fog, and it was useless even if I lit a fire. But here, after lighting a fire, I could see the layout of the room clearly.

　　As for its layout, it is really difficult. There are only four walls and the room is only a dozen square meters. Apart from a door, two wooden beds and a tribute table, there is nothing else.

　　Of course, there was a person lying on one of the beds. I walked closer and saw that it was Liu Yunlong.

　　I used the "Spirit Clearing Mantra" to wake him up, and this guy was also extremely strange. According to Liu Yunlong, he knew everything when he came to the house and walked along the wall, but after turning a corner, he remembered nothing. When he woke up again, he saw the two of us in front of him.

　　After putting the old man back on the bed, I tapped him a few times with the power of the earth to prevent him from getting up again. Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong started a fire in the corner of the room.

　　Gathering around the fire, Zhang Shan said, "Don't be afraid, this is a normal phenomenon. After a person dies, the common saying is that the yang energy is gone, and the body begins to turn yin. Therefore, anything that touches something with more yin energy than yang energy can have a certain impact on the body depending on the energy size. For example, there is a saying in the countryside that cats cannot touch corpses because they will resurrect. Why do they resurrect? It is because cats are yin animals, and they can have an impact on corpses. And uncle, since your body constitution is more yin, and you absorbed a lot of pupil seals in the past two days, it will naturally have some impact on the corpse. And this strong yin energy is enough to make the corpse follow you around."

　　"..." I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. It turned out that I was the one who asked him to fake the corpse!

　　"Damn! Lao Wang, with your conditions, you can definitely go and drive corpses!" Liu Yunlong exclaimed.

　　"Haha, yes, the same principle applies to corpse driving. The corpse driver uses various means to cover up his own Yang Qi and emit a large amount of Yin Qi, so that he can guide the corpse forward." Zhang Shan affirmed Liu Yunlong's statement: "It's just that this Yin Qi must be much greater than the Yin Qi of the corpse itself in order to suppress it. If it is too small, the corpse will choose to absorb it. So, this is why the corpse will behave crazy after the cat causes the corpse to resurrect."

　　It turns out that the cat caused the corpse to resurrect because the corpse wanted to kill the cat. Since it couldn't catch the cat, it would kill it if it was caught alive.

　　After talking about the zombies, we started discussing where to spend the night.

　　I would rather die than sleep here! Just imagine, with a corpse lying next to me that could stand up at any time, and discussing the resurrection and driving of corpses for a long time, it would be strange if I could sleep! Fortunately, Liu Yunlong also felt a little scared. He had only heard of the resurrection of corpses but never seen it, and it was too much of a psychological burden for both of us.

　　Zhang Shan couldn't argue, so he said, "Okay! Let's go for a walk and give it a try. But I have to make a promise first. If we can't find it, don't blame me if we freeze outside until dawn!"

　　In fact, in our opinion, we would rather suffer from the cold outside than stay in here!

　　Chapter 13 No Way Out

　　After putting out the fire, we slowly retreated, closed the door, and walked forward one after another.

　　But this time I won’t stand in the middle no matter what, so that I don’t have to know when someone else will replace me later.

　　So the formation became Zhang Shan in front, Liu Yunlong in the middle, and me at the end.

　　It’s better to be at the end! Even if there is something behind me, I can stay put and let them look back first.

　　After walking for a while, I felt something cold falling on my face. I looked up and found that it was snowing sparsely.

　　It seems that Zhang Shan's prediction came true! I just hope it doesn't snow too hard. If the mountain is closed because of this snow, it will be terrible!

　　Although it was snowing and the fog had thinned a little, it still didn't seem to have dissipated, and you still couldn't see anything a few meters away.

　　After walking about two hundred steps, Zhang Shan suddenly stopped, causing the two of us who were following him to bump into each other.

　　"I say, Lao Zhang, don't brake so suddenly!" Liu Yunlong complained, covering his nose which was sore from the collision with Zhang Shan from behind.

　　"Haha, it looks like someone is lonely and wants us to keep him company!" Zhang Shan said, stepping aside and motioning us to look forward.

　　Looking closely, just five or six meters ahead, there is a house in the blur. It has no windows, but a door in the middle. On the black door curtain, there is a big white word "甸", which is particularly eye-catching!

　　"Why are we walking back again? How did you lead the way?" Liu Yunlong didn't understand and continued to complain.

　　"Ghost wall?" I have encountered this situation twice and am very familiar with it, so I asked Zhang Shan.

　　"Eighty percent!" Zhang Shan didn't have any special expression, he was unusually calm.

　　"Ah? What should we do? Are we going to be trapped here to death?" This time it was Liu Yunlong's turn to be at a loss.

　　"There is a way, let's try it! I also heard about it, I don't know if it works." Zhang Shan said, squatting down and grabbing a handful of soil, then walked to the wall of the hut and pulled out some dead grass.

　　Then, he took us to the back of the hut. After he pointed it out, I realized that the hut had two doors. One was in the front, with a black curtain, and people could go in and out. The other was in the back, in the middle of the wall, only as big as a palm, and was made in a very realistic way. It was for the so-called "ghosts" to go in and out.

　　Because of the thick fog, the soil I just grabbed was still a little damp. Zhang Shan rolled it up and pasted it on the "back door" all at once, then turned around and came to the front of the house. He stuck a straw two steps outside the main door, and finally asked me to draw a circle on the door with my saliva.

　　After finishing all this, Zhang Shan clapped his hands and said, "Alright! We'll use some grass as incense. Please bear with us! When we get back, we'll burn some more paper money for you! Let's go!"

　　After saying that, he roughly calculated the direction and led us into the darkness with snow flying all over the sky again.

　　The snow was getting heavier, but we were in tacit agreement and no one spoke. In this situation, if we couldn't get out, we would only have two options: either spend the night in the burial house or freeze to death outside.

　　I was too lazy to ask Zhang Shan about what he had just done. I guess he was not in the mood to explain at the moment. Anyway, we would know the answer if we kept going.

　　This time we were sure that we were walking in a straight line, because every few steps Zhang Shan would stick a piece of dry grass into the ground. Although some people would say that if it was a big circle, there would be no problem.

　　But don't forget that we are currently on a country road surrounded by farmland. Who has ever seen a large circular road in rural China?

　　This is not the CBD!

　　Ten minutes later, we stopped in front of the funeral home for the third time.

　　"It doesn't work? Or did you not do it properly just now?" I asked Zhang Shan.

　　"...Shouldn't do that!" Zhang Shan thought for a long time with his chin in his hand, then suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Hey! Look at my memory! The trap I set just now was a very polite way to stop him. It meant that you should not tease us, and we will not bother you. Let us go, and then we will burn incense and give him money. It was like politely locking the old man in the room and asking him to come out after we were far away..."

　　"What's the result? The old man got angry?" Liu Yunlong interrupted before Zhang Shan finished speaking.

　　"Let's not talk about whether he is angry or not. I just want to lock him in the room. The premise is to make sure that the old man is in the room." Zhang Shan said embarrassedly: "I didn't think of this just now. I closed the door before letting the old man's soul in. If he is outside, he will definitely follow the Yin energy of the master uncle!"

　　"How about I talk to him directly?" I said, and was about to open my spiritual eyes.

　　Zhang Shan quickly grabbed my arm and said, "Don't worry! You have too much Yin energy right now, and we have been walking in this wilderness for a long time. He is definitely not the only one we have attracted. It is better not to look at him, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble!"

　　"Why don't you dig up the mud, invite the old man in, and then paste it up again?" Liu Yunlong suggested.

　　"You think this is playing mahjong? If you find you played the wrong card, can you take it back?" Zhang Shan glanced at him and said, "All tricks can only be used once on the same thing. If you use it again, it will not work. This is called 'not going against the will'!"

　　"This won't work, and that won't work either. What do you think we should do?" Liu Yunlong got angry and ignored everything, pushing all the decision-making power to Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan stood there looking at the ground without saying anything. After a long while, he finally looked up and said, "It seems we can only spend the night in this room! We can leave only when it's daybreak."

　　"What if the day never comes?" I asked worriedly. Although the ghost walls I encountered before were only for a short time and in a limited space, this time was different. There was no obstacle in the vast mountains. Who knew where we were trapped?

　　"Don't worry about that. The wall will disintegrate at dawn!" Zhang Shan said confidently, "Look at the snow on the ground. It's getting thicker and thicker. If we were trapped in a fixed space and time, this wouldn't happen."

　　We both looked carefully at the snow on the ground again, and it was indeed getting thicker.

　　We were relieved, but we had to face a new situation - the night was long, and it was still early for dawn. If we stayed out all night, we would either die or become popsicles! But the current situation was very clear. Let alone moving forward, even if we wanted to go back to the town and fall into the trap, we couldn't find the way.

　　There was no other choice, so we had to bite the bullet and follow Zhang Shan into the funeral room again.

　　The old man's body still lay quietly in a corner. We closed the door and lit the firewood. We had to admit that it was still warm here!

　　But there was a dead person lying next to him. Under the reflection of the flames, the shadow on the wall jumped and was extremely ferocious. Liu Yunlong and I stared at the shadow, always very nervous, afraid that the old man would suddenly sit up. But Zhang Shan had his back to it, so he didn't see it.

　　After sitting by the fire for a while, his body gradually warmed up. Zhang Shan opened the door again and looked at the snow outside. It was already more than two fingers thick.

　　"Go to bed! It's getting late!" Zhang Shan closed the door and came back, moving the brazier to the corner and said.

　　Liu Yunlong and I looked at each other, and neither of us dared to sleep.

　　I have seen many dead people, but who would dare to close their eyes peacefully when sleeping next to a dead person, especially a dead person who just ran around with me outside?

　　Chapter 14: Life on the line

　　"What? You still want me to stand guard for you two?" Zhang Shan saw our expressions, looked back, understood, and said with a pout: "A seal holder, a criminal policeman and a professional from the Security Investigation Bureau, is actually afraid of this? Isn't it embarrassing to tell others?!"

　　"Fuck! Do you think we are you?" Liu Yunlong never suffered any loss, and immediately replied: "This is not the first time, I am not mentally prepared!"

　　"Haha! Then you two take your time to get ready. I'm going to sleep first!" Zhang Shan said, and without paying attention to our reactions, he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

　　"Hey, Lao Wang, how about... I go to sleep first?" Liu Yunlong said, nudging me with his arm as he saw Zhang Shan seemed to be sleeping soundly.

　　"Don't worry..." I held him back and said, "I'm wondering who did that tonight and the two missing children? Is there really someone trafficking people?"

　　"Why do you want that?" Liu Yunlong said disdainfully, "Let's call their leader tomorrow morning. Once the matter is made clear, those who need to go up the mountain can go up the mountain, and those who need to investigate the case can investigate the case. This matter has nothing to do with us!"

　　"That's not necessarily true!" Zhang Shan, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened his mouth and said.

　　"If you can't sleep, don't pretend! We won't ask you to be on duty!" Liu Yunlong said angrily: "Then tell me, what does this have to do with us?"

　　"I don't know either. We'll know tomorrow if we ask. Let's go to sleep!" Zhang Shan never opened his eyes. He turned his head to the side and was completely silent.

　　"What nonsense!" Liu Yunlong muttered while trying to find a suitable sleeping position.

　　After a while, they both started snoring. This was really hard for me, seeing three people lying opposite me, two of them were breathing, and one was not, how could I sleep? !

　　But what the director said about the "missing children" case is indeed strange!

　　Child trafficking is not uncommon, but the strange thing is where the children disappeared. If they really crawled into the hot spring, where did they go? Are they still alive now?

　　Who is it? What method did they use? They can run over by themselves? They can even walk on the vertical wall?

　　All this does not seem like a normal case of human kidnapping or trafficking.

　　Also, why did the two children who had clearly gone in tonight come out again? Is this directly related to our discovery? Where does that mysterious water outlet lead to?

　　Too many questions are circling in my mind. I tried to start from a relatively simple place to uncover the truth, but I found that the information I currently have is pitifully little.

　　As dawn approached, I no longer cared about that dead old man and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

　　I slept well that day and didn't open my eyes until I woke up naturally.

　　The house was still pitch black, but a ray of light coming from under the wooden door told me that it was daybreak.

　　He wiped his eyes and tried hard to find Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong, but he could see nothing.

　　Just as I was about to stand up, I suddenly realized that there seemed to be something blocking my view very close to me. Of course, this was purely a feeling, because I couldn't see it at all.

　　To be safe, I stretched out a hand and slowly reached forward.

　　But just as I raised my arm, before I stretched it out, I touched something thirty centimeters in front of me.

　　It was cold to the touch, so I turned my palm over and touched it with my fingertips, only to find that it was actually a person's chin! There was even a sparse beard on it.

　　"Zhang Shan? Liu?" I tentatively asked the name of the person in front of me, but there was no response.

　　Who could it be? There is no one else in this room except the three of us... Could it be... that damn old man? !

　　I plucked up my courage and touched upwards again... As expected, the skin on the face was not only rough but also covered with wrinkles. This was definitely not one of them!

　　"Are you still not awake? Do you want to come and keep me company?!" Before I could react, a strange and old voice suddenly sounded from the other side.

　　It is indeed that old man!!!

　　"Ah!!!" I screamed and sat up. The room was still pitch black. It turned out to be a dream!

　　Fortunately, after rubbing my eyes, the light coming through from under the wooden door allowed me to barely see what was inside the house.

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were fast asleep, while the old man was still lying on his wooden bed, not moving at all.

　　The firewood in the brazier had long been extinguished. As soon as I stood up, I felt dizzy. I immediately reached out to hold on to the wall to avoid falling.

　　What's going on?! I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath while observing the situation in the house.

　　When I saw the charcoal brazier, I finally understood. Since there were no windows in this room, the air circulation was originally not smooth. In addition, we lit fires to keep warm, which increased the consumption of oxygen, especially the carbon monoxide produced after the fire was extinguished. In a space with no air circulation, it is easy to poison people.

　　Thinking of this, I didn't have time to think about anything else and hurriedly leaned over to check on Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　Zhang Shan was fine, after a few slaps on the face, he woke up in a daze. Liu Yunlong was not as strong as him, and it was not until I pinched his philtrum for a long time that this guy finally opened his eyes.

　　"Oh my god! Is there an earthquake?" Liu Yunlong sat back on the ground before he even stood up.

　　I didn't care about the cold at the moment, I opened the door quickly to let the air in. It was still snowing outside, but the fog had long gone, and the snow, more than a foot thick, made the entire hillside look pure white.

　　"That was a close call! It should be almost noon now!" Zhang Shanshan stuck his head out to look at the sky, and said with lingering fear.

　　Then I remembered the dream I had just had. If the old man on the "bed" hadn't woken me up in time, there would have been four corpses in the room in a short time.

　　After listening to my story of how I woke up, they both said they were lucky.

　　I sat at the door and rested for a long time before I recovered, but my limbs were still weak. Fortunately, I chanted the mantra of clearing the mind, so I didn't feel dizzy or nauseous.

　　Before leaving, at Zhang Shan's suggestion, the three of us lined up in a row and kowtowed three times respectfully towards the old man's body inside the house.

　　We don't know how else to express our gratitude for saving our lives? !

　　After closing the door gently, the three of them walked towards the road, one step deep and one step shallow.

　　"Look! There is a village below!" As soon as he returned to the main road, Liu Yunlong saw a group of houses on the hillside not far away.

　　The snow was quite heavy. If it wasn't noon and every household was not cooking, and there were no wisps of smoke, I might not have noticed this place.

　　"How do we go? Should we go back to town first or go downstairs to take a look?" Zhang Shan turned and asked me.

　　I thought about it and said, "We are all hungry. Let's go downstairs and find something to eat! And by the way, find a phone to contact the city. Otherwise, we will be arrested if we go back now."

　　With the goal set, we no longer hesitated and followed the road towards the small village a few hundred meters down the slope.

　　Chapter 15: The Great God of the Small Village

　　As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the village, we saw three people running towards us with gongs and drums.

　　"What? Line up to welcome us?" Liu Yunlong was confused when he saw the scene.

　　As we got closer, we realized that they were not coming for us at all. When they passed by us, they just glanced at us and continued to run forward. As the New Year was approaching, many people came to visit, and they probably thought we were someone's relative.

　　Fortunately, there is a small department store that provides cooking services in this village, right at the entrance of the village.

　　We called Song Dongfeng at the small shop and asked him to be responsible for smoothing out all the links. After we ordered a few dishes and sat down, we thought of a problem at the same time - no money!

　　While in police custody last night, all personal belongings including cell phone, keys, wallet, etc. were confiscated, even the stack of yellow paper and cinnabar that Zhang Shan had on him were not spared.

　　Of course, the only exception is the Zippo lighter on the upper of my shoe.

　　What should I do? I definitely can’t eat and dine for free. I’m a small business and I can’t bear to do that.

　　Make another call and ask Song Dongfeng to notify them to send the money? ... This is a bit too embarrassing. The people from that small police station made us suffer so much yesterday. If we come to beg them again today, we will be embarrassed to settle the score with them later.

　　Just when he was at a loss, Liu Yunlong smiled mysteriously, took off one of his shoes, put it on the table, took out the insole, and then took out a hundred-yuan bill from it!

　　"... Great! You actually still have some in stock!" I was surprised. He had long claimed that he didn't bring any money, but now he actually took out a hundred-dollar bill! This is...

　　"What? You can hide a lighter but I can't hide money?" Liu Yunlong said proudly, not caring about the lie he had told before.

　　"You guy..." I pointed at him, not knowing what to say.

　　"Alright, alright!" Liu Yunlong impatiently slapped my hand open and said, "This is a hundred dollars to save your life! If I hadn't hidden this little money, have you ever thought about how we would get out later?"

　　I was silent. It was true that life-saving money should be used for life-saving purposes. It was not excessive for him to save it and take it out now.

　　"Do you have this hobby usually?" Zhang Shan was also stunned and asked him casually.

　　"Whenever you go on a long journey, this is a must!" Liu Yunlong said with great sorrow: "This is all based on experience gained from losing my wallet!"

　　"You police officer, and someone dares to steal from you?!"

　　"Shit, I wasn't born a police officer! Wasn't it okay to lose it before?!"

　　“…”

　　Soon, the dishes came. Although the grocery store owner cooked the food himself, you can't expect delicacies from land and sea in a small place. A plate of scrambled eggs with green onions, a plate of fried pork slices with potatoes, a plate of mapo tofu, plus a bowl of fried peanuts and a bowl of egg soup. It was a standard four dishes and one soup, which was also in line with national standards.

　　Maybe we were hungry, the cooking skills of the owner of this small shop were really good. We were enjoying our meal when we heard the sound of gongs and drums coming from the road leading into the village.

　　Judging from the time, it should be the people who ran out just now, and then they came back.

　　When the owner of the restaurant, who was watching us eat from behind the counter, heard the gongs and drums, he couldn't help but sit still, as if nails were stuck in his stool.

　　Zhang Shan and I saw all of this. Who was this person? Why were they all so excited?

　　Finally, after struggling for several times, the shop owner stood up, moved to our table shyly, and said shyly: "Three brothers, I have something urgent to do right now. Can you please pay for the meal first? Then I will go do my business and you can enjoy your meal here."

　　"Haha, this is really interesting!" I looked at the boss and laughed, "You ran away, and instead of locking up all the things in this store, you asked us for the meal. Even if we paid the bill, we could just take two packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of wine from you when we left. Which one do you think is a bigger loss?"

　　"Hey..." The shop owner just wanted us to pay the bill early so he could leave, but he didn't consider that once he left, no one would be watching the shop. He looked at our meal again. We had only eaten less than half of it. If we didn't finish it, he would definitely not be able to kick us out. After standing by the table for a long time, we had to run to the door and look out.

　　The sound of gongs and drums was getting closer and closer, accompanied by the shouts of several people: "Come quickly, everyone! Master Liu has arrived! Those who have made wishes can fulfill them, and those who are sick can come to see a doctor! If you don't come today, you will have to wait until the beginning of next spring! ..."

　　The shop owner couldn't bear it any longer, so he walked back and said, "Hey guys, I trust you three for once. There are no such people in our 800-li Taihang Mountains! When you finish eating, just leave the money on the table. I can't wait and leave now!"

　　After saying that, the boss turned around and was about to leave. Liu Yunlong quickly grabbed him and asked, "Hey! Wait, wait! Don't be impatient. Let me ask you, who is that 'Master Liu'?"

　　"You don't even know Master Liu?!" The shop owner looked impatient. "He's become quite famous in the county these days! He made this snow happen with his magic!"

　　"Come on! You all believe this? The country has been breaking superstition for many years, and you are still doing this?!" Liu Yunlong shook off his boss' arm and said disdainfully.

　　"Don't talk nonsense!" The boss immediately became unhappy when he heard his tone: "What do you know?! Master Liu calculated the exact date and time of this heavy snow more than ten days ago, which is more accurate than the weather forecast! Can an ordinary liar do that? Besides, Master Liu performs rituals for the deceased in every village and treats the sick for free, and never charges a penny. Would an ordinary liar do that?"

　　"Oh? There are such kind-hearted people? Then let's go and take a look!" I became interested and said to Zhang Shan.

　　This situation is indeed rare. In modern society, such people have been classified as feudal superstitious. It is worthwhile to find out the truth about "Liu Shangren", who does a lot of charity without asking for money.

　　"Go quickly if you want to! If someone in our village hadn't passed away a few days ago, Master Liu wouldn't have come at all!" The boss said as he ran out, "It's at the mountain temple at the west entrance of the village. If you go too late, you'll miss it!"

　　"Hey! How much is the meal cost?!" I remembered this and shouted hurriedly.

　　"Twenty! I have a hundred in change on the counter, you can find the change yourself!" The boss's voice was already twenty meters away.

　　"Twenty... Did this guy make a mistake?" Liu Yunlong and I stared at the table full of dishes. Four dishes, a soup, and a big bowl of rice, only twenty yuan?! A dish cost less than four yuan. If it were in Zhengzhou, it would cost at least fifty or sixty yuan!

　　"Haha, these things are all grown by the mountain people themselves, where do they come from?" Zhang Shan ate the last bit of scrambled eggs, threw down his chopsticks and said, "Let's go! Take a look!"

　　"Do you really want to go and see it?" Liu Yunlong asked while drinking soup.

　　"Alas... Look at the snow outside. We slept until noon again." Zhang Shan looked outside and sighed, "It's already afternoon. We definitely can't go up today! We're free anyway, so why not join in the fun! If he's really an expert, we'll pay him a visit and learn from him; if he's a fake, we'll destroy his tricks to prevent him from bringing harm to the village."

　　"I think it's okay!" When Liu Yunlong heard that there was a place to smash, he immediately became interested. Seeing that I was still eating, he grabbed the chopsticks and said, "Oh my brother, stop eating! Go away!"

　　Chapter 16 It Was Him

　　I paid the shop owner and got the change, and helped him close the shop door. Then we followed the footprints and walked towards the west end of the village.

　　In fact, in our opinion, this "Liu Shangren" is probably a liar! This kind of people are nothing more than fooling the people and defrauding money and sex. It's just that he is a little special - he doesn't take money. But this is just an appearance, he must get what he wants from other channels.

　　The common people may be easy to fool, but it is not so easy to escape the "eagle eyes" of the three of us.

　　From a distance, I could see a group of people gathered at the end of the road, three layers deep inside and three layers deep outside. Ren Zhangshan was 1.9 meters tall, and even if he stood on tiptoe, he couldn't see what was going on inside.

　　"I say, Lao Zhang, even if he is a liar, how can he predict snow more accurately than the weather forecast?" I couldn't figure this out, so I kept asking as we walked.

　　"What's so special about that?" Zhang Shan said disdainfully, "When have you ever seen me look at the weather forecast? Our 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization has so many talented people and secret techniques! How can those broken boxes that can read temperature, humidity and wind direction be compared? Looking at the sky is just the most common means. I can just pick up a few random things and take a look. I can definitely predict the weather in the next three days more accurately than the weather station. Do you believe it?"

　　"Oh, I love what Lao Zhang said!" Liu Yunlong rarely cooperated with Zhang Shan and said, "My grandfather is like this. He has had rheumatoid arthritis for many years. Every time his legs hurt, he knows it will rain the next day. Other weather stations are not as accurate as him!"

　　"Bullshit! Your grandfather is just sick! It's not some great skill!" I criticized him.

　　"Damn! What's wrong with being sick? Being sick is also a skill, and it's more accurate than the weather station! If you have the ability, get sick too and let me see!..."

　　We were arguing and had already walked to the outskirts of the crowd. We saw the man who had just struck the gong standing on a high platform, shouting, "Fellow villagers! Uncle Zhou was a blessed man, with four generations living under one roof! He died of natural causes, which is a happy funeral!"

　　After hearing this, I finally knew that the old man who saved our lives was named Zhou.

　　Clearing his throat, the man continued, "We are really blessed by Grandpa Zhou! Is it so easy for Master Liu to come here?! There is always someone walking in the Taihang Mountains, which is a hundred miles in radius. He is already too busy to take care of everything, and it is a blessing for the village that he is willing to come here! I know that some of you have seen Master Liu in other villages in this town and made wishes. Today is a good day to fulfill your wishes! If you are sick, come and see him! Master Liu said that he will not charge you a penny! He will just prescribe a prescription and you can go to the town to get the medicine yourself!"

　　When he said the last sentence, the people below immediately cheered.

　　The more he talked, the more we wanted to see what this Liu Shangren looked like. But these villagers surrounded the place so tightly that no one could get in or out.

　　The three of us were about to squeeze in when we heard cheers again. We looked up and saw the man with the gong walking away, followed by another man. This man was wearing a gray Taoist robe with a big Tai Chi on his chest and a high bun on his head. At first glance, he really looked like an immortal. He must be the "Master Liu".

　　But when he stood still and looked up, I was stunned.

　　Isn't this... isn't this... isn't this the eerie old man who stuffed two pupil seals into my hands under the railway tracks at Beizhakou? !

　　I quickly turned my head to look at Zhang Shan and the others.

　　Now the old man was standing on a high platform and could see everything clearly from a hundred meters away, so naturally the two of them could see it too.

　　I thought they would be as surprised as I was. But when I looked over, I found that although Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were also staring at the old man, their faces were still calm, and they didn't look like they knew him at all.

　　At this time, the old man started to speak, but his tone and voice were completely different from the last time we met him: "Fellow villagers! You have worked hard for a year! ..."

　　"Hey! Hey! Can't you see it?" I said, nudging Zhang Shan with my elbow.

　　"What did you see?" Zhang Shan turned his head and looked at me blankly.

　　"This is the old man who gave me the seal under the Beizhakou Bridge! Don't you recognize him?" Looking at Zhang Shan's expression, it didn't look like he was joking with me at all.

　　"Old Wang, you haven't recovered from the gas poisoning at noon yet, right?" Liu Yunlong mocked me from the side, "It's not like we haven't seen that old man before. This guy is at least 20 years younger than him!"

　　"What? This is impossible!!!" I looked up at the "Mr. Liu" again. He must be over seventy years old, with a face full of wrinkles, and his facial expression was weird when he spoke.

　　I looked at Zhang Shan again, and from his expression I could tell that this guy agreed with Liu Yunlong. In other words... I was wrong? ... Impossible! The two times we met before, I was very close to the old man, almost face to face. How could I not remember what he looked like? !

　　I guess Zhang Shan also saw that I didn't seem to be joking, and his face gradually became serious as he asked, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

　　"It's broad daylight, how could it be wrong!" I replied without even thinking.

　　"This is strange..." Zhang Shan held his chin up again, staring at the person on the stage, thinking deeply.

　　"Fellow villagers, I will pray for you and diagnose your illnesses during the day, and I will perform a ritual for Mr. Zhou in the evening. So if you have something to do, do it during the day. I can't...can't receive you in the evening." Although he was standing at the end of the crowd, Zhang Shan was tall and strong after all. The "Master Liu" on the stage saw Zhang Shan and interrupted him when he was halfway through his words. After he finished speaking, he quickly looked away.

　　But his panic at that moment was seen by the three of us.

　　"How about it? Is it correct?" I saw Zhang Shan and the old man exchanged glances and said proudly.

　　Even if they saw another face, for two unrelated people, would they be so flustered after just one look that they would forget what they were going to say next?

　　Such a reaction can only represent one possibility, that is, the "Mr. Liu" on the stage definitely knows us!

　　So, from this look and action, Zhang Shan could tell that what I saw was the real situation.

　　"There's something wrong with this old guy!" Even Liu Yunlong noticed that something was wrong.

　　"What you saw... was really the old man under the bridge?" Zhang Shan thought about it and confirmed with me again.

　　"Absolutely. I don't know what he looked like when you saw him. But in my eyes, he is that old man, absolutely!" I said with certainty, using the word "absolutely" twice.

　　"Well... it seems that he used a disguise method combined with illusion or hypnosis, so that people can't see his true face." Zhang Shan finally believed what I said and said.

　　"Then why is it that only Lao Wang can see it?" Liu Yunlong asked curiously.

　　"Master uncle may have too much Yin energy. He can suppress the Yin energy of things that are Yin, making this guy nowhere to hide!" Zhang Shan explained, and then continued: "This old man is definitely not a good bird! No matter what he plans to do, we have to find a way to expose his disguise first!"

　　"That's easy! Go up and charge him with spreading feudal superstition and take him away first. Then we'll find a place where there's no one and interrogate him in detail!" Liu Yunlong said as he squeezed into the crowd.

　　Chapter 17: Strike First

　　I quickly grabbed him and said, "Are you trying to kill yourself? You don't even have an identity, how can you just go up and arrest people?!"

　　"Uncle Master is right!" Zhang Shan pulled Liu Yunlong back and continued, "Look at the expressions of these villagers. They have already believed it. If you go up rashly like this, I will tear you to pieces before I even say I will arrest you!"

　　"Damn it! I'm a policeman, who dares..." Liu Yunlong was halfway through his words when he remembered that he didn't even have a police officer ID, so he had to walk back with his head down.

　　"What should we do? We can only watch him cheat people here and we can't do anything about it!" Turning around, the guy muttered unwillingly.

　　"Let's not expose him now. Didn't he say he wasn't leaving today? Let's go visit this 'Master Liu' at night when no one is around!" Zhang Shan said with a smile as he looked ahead.

　　"Aren't you afraid that he will run away?" I asked worriedly.

　　"Why are you running? We can't recognize him!" Zhang Shan said while winking at me.

　　...Oh! ~ I suddenly realized that since this guy disguised himself so well, he was not afraid that we would see through him. Besides, even if he wanted to cheat, there were so many people around in the daytime, and he had already said that he would not take any money no matter what he did. There was no need to worry that he would do anything out of line.

　　If he had to take action, he would definitely choose tonight to get what he wanted.

　　Since we decided to stay and see what this "Liu Shangren" was going to do, we didn't rush back to town, but turned to the small department store we had just visited, took a bottle of white wine and two taels of tea from the owner, and ate them with peanuts while talking.

　　"You say...he doesn't charge for medical treatment or prayers, how can we tell whether this guy is a liar or not? Don't end up shooting yourself in the foot." I said after thinking for a long time, taking sips of white wine.

　　"Well... the reason is unknown, which is also a major reason why we can't expose him in front of so many people." Zhang Shan took a sip of the wine in the glass and continued, "But, what exactly does he want? I have guessed a little bit."

　　"Do you know? What does he want?" Liu Yunlong and I couldn't help but wonder.

　　Zhang Shan and I three have always been together. He has never acted alone and has never seen this old guy before. How come we didn't know but he did?

　　"Haha, you are not stupid, but you are used to thinking in the way of ordinary people." Zhang Shan said with a smile: "You should know that what we have experienced in recent days is not something that ordinary people can understand. So, let go of the thoughts in your head and don't box yourself in..."

　　"Okay! Just tell us how you knew and what he wants to do! Why are you talking like a university professor and not getting to the point?" Liu Yunlong urged impatiently, holding a teacup.

　　"Let me ask you, what was the old guy doing when we first met him?" Zhang Shan put down the cup and asked directly without beating around the bush.

　　"...under the Beizhakou Bridge...liar!" I followed his line of thought.

　　"How to lie?" Zhang Shan asked again.

　　"I know that! It seems like he used that pupil seal to exchange some things with people or ghosts. Didn't I almost lose a hundred days of my life by him?" Liu Yunlong answered quickly.

　　"Haha, where does the pupil seal come from?" Zhang Shansan asked.

　　“Tongxi... Are you saying that this old guy came to the mountains specifically to collect Tongxi?!” I finally figured it out.

　　I was wondering why this old man was so kind, running to where the dead were? It turned out that he was coming for Tong Xi!

　　"If that's the case, isn't it easier to deal with? We just need to tell the villagers about this situation. Aren't they superstitious? If they knew the old guy had bad intentions, wouldn't they tear him to pieces?!" Liu Yun said confidently.

　　"Okay! But the question now is, you and him, who is more trustworthy?" I've thought of this a long time ago. Not everyone knows what the pupil seal is, so you can say it is anything you want. If this "Master Liu" didn't have his hard-earned "people's project" before, and we happened to run into each other today, maybe we could have a chance of winning if we had a verbal fight.

　　But now the word has spread in the area of ​​100 miles that he is a "half-immortal" and a "master"! How can it be easy for the three of us who have just arrived to bring him down with just a few words? !

　　"Damn! Don't compare me with him!" Liu Yunlong got angry whenever he mentioned this old man. To be honest, he was almost cheated out of 100 days of his life. For a person, that was more painful than being cheated out of 10,000 yuan.

　　"But you have to admit that everyone here believes and listens to what he says, while it's good enough if someone listens to what you say, don't expect them to believe it." I don't think this is an insult to Liu Yunlong, because even he knows that this is the truth.

　　The three of us were drinking and talking, and after a while we heard a noise coming from far away.

　　"Bang", the door of the small grocery store was suddenly pushed open. We turned our heads and saw the store owner rushing in with dozens of people.

　　In just a moment, the three of us were surrounded by them.

　　Everyone stood still, and one of the leaders asked the shop owner, "Are they the three?"

　　"Yes! It's them! These three people have been in our village for half a day. They didn't say who they were looking for or what they were doing. They just stayed in the store and refused to leave!" The store owner stood nearby and reported to the leader.

　　"Hey! How can you talk like that?!" Although it was not clear what they were going to do, Liu Yunlong could not hold back when he heard his tone: "What do you mean we won't leave? We paid for our meals, so we can leave whenever we want! It's only natural! Are you planning to do something that requires you to make a timetable or something and report to us?"

　　"You..." The shop owner was about to retort, but the leader stopped him with a wave of his hand. He turned to us and said, "You guys have misunderstood. We have no choice but to do this. The New Year is coming soon. In the past few years, there were always people losing things in the village when the New Year was approaching. This year, we have no choice but to register every friend who comes to the village. So, I hope you can tell me clearly who you are looking for and what you are doing here."

　　"We..." Liu Yunlong just finished two words and couldn't continue. Yes, we didn't come here to look for anyone. We got lost in the fog last night and accidentally walked into this village.

　　Seeing that Liu Yunlong had no further comments, I quickly tried to smooth things over, "Haha, it's like this. We also heard that 'Master Liu' was coming to our village today, so we came all the way from town to pray for the safety of our family."

　　"Oh? So...you are here to pray for blessings?" When the leader heard what I said, he immediately put on a strange expression and asked.

　　"Oh, yes, yes!" Liu Yunlong immediately echoed.

　　"In that case, I can only apologize to you and tell you that Master Liu is only here to pray and see doctors for our villagers today. No outsiders will be received! Get out!" The leader's face suddenly changed, and after he finished speaking, he waved his hand to make way, signaling us to get out!

　　"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious. Why are you all like this? We came here specially!" I saw that something was not right and thought that I must have said something wrong just now, so I quickly said something softly.

　　"Stop talking nonsense! It's useless! Master Liu just said that you three are not good people! He is kind-hearted and will not bother with you. Leave quickly! Otherwise we will notify the police in town!" Someone in the crowd behind suddenly said this.

　　"Who said that? Huh?! What did you say just now? Are you going to suffocate to death if you don't say anything?!" The leader became furious when he heard these words, and started cursing at the people behind him.

　　Well! It turns out that this old guy is afraid that we will ruin his plans, so he wants to strike first!

　　Chapter 18 Catching a Turtle in a Jar

　　"Damn it! What kind of shitty superiors are you! You want to chase us away before we even meet each other? Does he have a grudge against us?!" Liu Yunlong got anxious when he heard this. He didn't care about pretending anymore and stood up and shouted at the people.

　　"Hahahaha!" Laughter suddenly broke out in the crowd.

　　"What are you laughing at?! What's so funny?!" Liu Yunlong was a little scared by the laughter.

　　The leader suppressed his expression and said, "You'd better leave quickly! If we have to chase you away, it will hurt the relationship!"

　　Zhang Shan and I looked at each other. Liu Yunlong's words had almost exposed us. It was impossible not to leave now. Although we were not afraid of these villagers, if we were to stay by force, we would definitely have a conflict with them.

　　Therefore, for safety reasons and in order not to alert the enemy, we can only choose to withdraw temporarily.

　　Without any hesitation, I gave the money for the wine and tea to the shop owner, and pushed Liu Yunlong through the crowd and out of the shop.

　　The group was afraid that we would turn back, so they followed us all the way until we came out of the village entrance and walked another two miles. Then they stopped and "watched" us walk towards the town.

　　As we walked, I asked Zhang Shan depressedly, "What should we do? Just go back like this?"

　　"Of course we can't leave!" Zhang Shan looked back at the crowd in the distance and said, "Anyway, we've had enough to eat and drink. Let's find a place to warm up first. When it gets dark, we'll come back to look for that old guy."

　　We stopped only after we turned a corner and lost sight of the people. We found a sheltered spot at the foot of the mountain, lit a fire, and waited for the night to fall while we kept warm.

　　While warming themselves by the fire, Liu Yunlong asked Zhang Shan, "Where can we find him after dark? We can't sneak back into the village and ask every household, right? Will these ignorant people tell us?"

　　"It's not us who go looking for him, but he who comes looking for us!" I said, pointing to a small house on the hillside not far ahead.

　　That is the "Lianfang" where we stayed last night.

　　"Why is he here in the middle of the night?" Liu Yunlong still doesn't understand the three levels of relationship between me, Tongxi, and that old man.

　　"Only where there is a soul can there be a pupil seal!" Zhang Shan explained to him with a smile.

　　"Oh... then what are we going to do? You two can tell me the bottom line first! So that we can take care of each other later!" After Liu Yunlong understood, he asked Zhang Shan.

　　Yes! How to catch him? What to do after catching him? I have never thought about this question.

　　Looking at Zhang Shan, this guy smiled mysteriously and said, "Simple! You two wait here for a while, I'll go find some helpers and tell you when I come back!" After saying that, this guy ignored our confused faces, stood up and walked away.

　　It was indeed fast. In less than five minutes, Zhang Shan came back with a beverage bottle full of fine sand in his hand.

　　As we watched, Zhang Shan poured the fine sand out of the bottle, carefully sifted it, picked out some debris, and finally put it back into the bottle, only one-third of the original amount remained.

　　"...What are you doing?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but ask as he watched Zhang Shan pierce his finger again and put blood into it.

　　"Haha, let's try 'catching a turtle in a jar' tonight! Come on, put some in there too." Zhang Shan said, handing me the small half bottle of fine sand, motioning me to put some blood in as well.

　　To be honest, I hate pricking my finger to draw blood. It hurts, and you have to squeeze it hard after pricking it, otherwise it won't come out. But if you prick somewhere else, the blood will flow too much and you won't be able to stop it, which is really a troublesome problem.

　　After squeezing two or three drops in with great difficulty, I gave it back to Zhang Shan. This guy took it and started shaking it non-stop, apparently trying to mix our blood with the fine sand evenly.

　　"Hey, it's done!" Zhang Shan shook his arm for a long time, put down his arm and said, "With Zhiyang's relic blood and the blood of the man with the human-ghost double-stroke palm print, let's also use a 'human wall' on him this time!"

　　Seeing that we both looked dazed, Zhang Shan had no choice but to come closer and whispered, "In a moment, you two will..."

　　We finally waited until dark. In order to avoid exposing our target, we had to put out the fire and sneak towards the "collection room" on the hillside under the cover of night.

　　It gets dark early in winter, and in the mountains, it was already dark just after 5 a.m. We squatted in a field 30 meters away from the "collection room", quietly waiting for the "willow master" to arrive.

　　It was pitch black very quickly. Compared to last night, it was the same whether there was fog or not. Without fog, you could see 20 to 30 meters, but with fog, you could only see about 10 meters. Anyway, as long as there was no moon, you couldn't tell the direction no matter what you did.

　　We were at a very blurry distance from the door of the burial room. We could have gotten closer, but Zhang Shan said that for safety reasons, we were afraid that our movements would attract the attention of "Master Liu", so we had to hide as far away as possible.

　　The reason we hid from him was because the room only had one door and no windows. Once he entered the room, we could block the door and we would be safe! We would never let him run away.

　　As soon as it got dark and the sun was no longer shining, the temperature at the foot of the mountain began to drop sharply.

　　Just when we were trembling, our hands and feet were numb, and we were about to give up, Zhang Shan suddenly whispered, "Here we go! Hold your breath for half a minute!"

　　I held my breath and tried to look forward, and I could barely see a person walking slowly on the path on the right. The person's whole body was black, with only a little bit of light on his chest.

　　As for the face, it was completely invisible.

　　Most people's upper and lower body are always separated, pants are pants, and cotton jacket is cotton jacket. If the upper and lower body are integrated, and there is a brighter color on the chest, there is only one person like this, and this person is the "Liu Shangren" wearing a Taoist robe we saw at noon! The white on the chest is the Tai Chi pattern on the Taoist robe.

　　He walked to a place about ten meters away from the funeral room, and suddenly stopped, first observing the room in front of him, and then turned his head to look at us.

　　The three of us didn't dare to look any further, so we quickly retracted our necks and buried our heads in the weeds.

　　Because I was holding my breath, after a while I felt like someone was pressing on my lungs. I couldn't help but raise my head slightly to look, only to find that the "Man on the Willow" had disappeared.

　　"...Gone...Will you notice that we ran away?" When Liu Yunlong saw me raise my head, he also raised his head and gasped, and asked.

　　"It shouldn't be the case. At most, he is a little suspicious. How can he be so powerful?" I comforted myself.

　　Zhang Shan did not draw a conclusion right away, but observed for a while, then pulled us together and walked cautiously towards the funeral room.

　　When I came to the place where the "Man on the Willow" had just stood, I could clearly see a row of footprints leading to the door of the house.

　　He went in after all!

　　Putting our worries aside, we immediately moved towards the funeral room.

　　The division of labor had been agreed upon earlier. Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were responsible for cleaning the area several meters in front of the burial room door in the shortest possible time, clearing away all the snow and leaving the ground clear, and they must not let "Master Liu" in the house hear it.

　　I took the fine sand, half of which was mixed with the blood of two people, and went around to the back of the house. I first blocked the "small door" at the back, then climbed onto the roof and sprinkled the fine sand evenly on the tiles on the roof.

　　What we do may seem simple, but it is not easy to get the job done without making any noise.

　　Finally, just as they had cleared the snow in front of the door and were about to take the next step, there was a "creak" and the door of the house was pushed open from the inside.

　　Chapter 19: True Colors Revealed

　　Finally, just as they had cleared the snow in front of the door and were about to take the next step, there was a "creak" and the door of the house was pushed open from the inside.

　　Thanks to Zhang Shan's quick eyes and hands, he took advantage of the fact that the big black door curtain with the word "甸" on it had not been lifted yet and quickly scattered the half of the sand in his hand in a semi-arc shape on the ground that had just been swept outside the door.

　　Because the sand mixed with our blood has a strong Yang energy, it can trap anything with Yin energy. But because the Yang energy is too strong, it will disperse when it comes into contact with water, so we must first sweep the snow clean before scattering it on top to form an effective partition.

　　As for the roof, its area is small, and I need to spread it a little so that the target will be trapped inside the house and cannot be broken out. That's why I spread it there without cleaning it.

　　Just as Zhang Shan finished drawing the semicircle, the curtain was lifted and the person inside stepped out. It was none other than the "Man on the Willow"!

　　"Why are it you?" He stood in front of the door, staring at us with a look of surprise and a hint of anger.

　　Liu Yunlong met him and was stunned for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "We are here to pray for you! We heard that you are busy during the day, so we had to follow you at night."

　　Since the window paper between us has not been broken yet, "Master Liu" is probably afraid of angering us and bringing him unnecessary trouble, so he had to frown and say, "I've already said during the day that I will come here tonight to perform a ritual for Mr. Zhou and to help his soul to be reborn. No one is allowed to disturb me. Why don't you just listen?" At the end, although his tone was still polite, his voice and expression were already stern and he had the urge to lose his temper.

　　"We had no choice. We were waiting for you at noon, but the people in their village said that the three of us were from other villages and wouldn't let us see you. Now they've driven us out!" Since he was confident that we wouldn't recognize him, Liu Yunlong decided to have some fun first. While diverting the old man's attention, he bought time for Zhang Shan to repair the broken part on the ground.

　　"Master! Great Immortal! Please be kind and give us a hand! The three of us have been waiting for you outside for the whole afternoon!" Liu Yunlong is a talented actor. He even squeezed out a tear when he spoke.

　　I guess the old man was also confused. Looking at Liu Yunlong's expression, it didn't look like he recognized him at all. Moreover, he was very proud of his disguise skills and concluded that we were unable to expose it.

　　But the problem is, he knows our situation to some extent. There are three of us, two of us are good at trickery, and one of us is a seal holder. With such a team, it is not a big deal and there is nothing that cannot be solved. Why would we need to ask others for help? !

　　So, he stared at Liu Yunlong for a long time before saying, "Well... I'm really busy tonight, and please respect the old gentleman in the house. Let's talk about anything tomorrow morning!" After that, he turned around and went back to the house, closing the door.

　　I almost laughed out loud. Tell us tomorrow morning? I'm afraid we won't be able to wait until tomorrow morning. As soon as we agree and go back, this guy will be gone before midnight.

　　Although we had already made all the arrangements, Zhang Shan was in no mood to wait for him outside. He took two steps to the front of the house and pushed the door open.

　　That "Master Liu" was really sitting still, lighting incense on the incense table on the inner wall. When he saw the three of us forcibly intruding, he finally got angry and said with a stern face: "What do you want?! Is this the attitude of asking me for help?!"

　　Liu Yunlong wanted to continue talking to him, but I stopped him. It's already this late, what else is there to talk about? Just talk about it and deal with it as it should be dealt with. What are a group of people doing in the funeral room in the middle of the night?

　　Letting go of Liu Yunlong, I walked forward and said to the old man cheerfully, "You should know who I am. Do you think you can fool us with this little trick?"

　　The old man was visibly shocked, but he still held out a glimmer of hope and said, "I don't understand what you mean!"

　　"Okay, old man, they think you're a middle-aged man, but that doesn't work on me." I pointed to my eyes and continued, "You look the same as you should, and I see you the same as you should!"

　　When the old man heard what I said, his eyes started rolling around and it seemed that he was trying to find a way out.

　　Zhang Shan had made all the arrangements long ago, so he was not afraid of him escaping. He said slowly, "We don't care who you do business with, what kind of business you do, or how you do it. But don't let us see it. I have only one problem - I like to meddle in other people's business..."

　　Just as he was about to finish his words, he saw the old man suddenly sway and rush towards the door.

　　Although Zhang Shan said it was foolproof, Liu Yunlong and I were still worried that he might run away, so we hurried to the door, only to see the old man standing in the circle covered with sand. He tried to rush left and right, but couldn't get out.

　　Seeing us chasing out, he flashed a yellow light again and passed through Liu Yunlong's crotch into the house.

　　"Bang!" This time, it hit the small door at the back of the house that was specially opened for souls.

　　"Ouch! Why are you guys still hanging around?" The old man knew that he really couldn't escape this time, so he simply sat on the ground, covering the bump on his head and shouting.

　　"Haha, you admit it?" Zhang Shan walked over, squatted in front of him and said, "I said, we don't care what you do. But you are such a shameless old man. We haven't even said we wanted to find you, but you chased us out first!"

　　"...Oh, I'm just afraid that you will ruin my business!" said the old man while rubbing the bump on his head.

　　"Okay, let's not talk about the past!" Zhang Shan clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "There are still three questions. After you answer them, you can leave. The first question is - what on earth are you?"

　　"Pfft!" I couldn't help but laugh. How could he ask that? If he asked someone what he was, he would have pointed at his nose and scolded him.

　　"I...are you sure you don't want to mind my business?" The old man looked at Zhang Shan and asked cautiously.

　　"No matter!" Zhang Shan answered straightforwardly.

　　"Don't you want my life?" the old man asked again.

　　"Why do we want to kill you? I'm a policeman!" Liu Yunlong said hastily.

　　"…The police are useless. If they only deal with murder cases, my death would be in vain." The old man muttered softly.

　　"Although we are ghosts, the underworld has its own order. As long as you don't kill anyone, we shouldn't care about what you do. Do you believe me?" Zhang Shan said to him.

　　"Alas...if I don't tell you, you will definitely not let me go. All right!" The old man thought for a moment, patted his butt and stood up and continued, "My name is Liu Yazi, and I am from the Taihang Mountains..."

　　"You're going to talk nonsense again, aren't you?!" When Liu Yunlong heard him start, he couldn't help but walk up to him, grabbed his collar and scolded him: "Even though you're an old man, I'll still beat you up if you don't tell the truth!"

　　"No, no! I'm telling the truth!" The old man quickly covered his face and begged for mercy.

　　"Liu, let him finish his words first." I held Liu Yunlong and signaled him not to rush into action.

　　The old man saw me pulling Liu Yunlong back, so he continued: "My name is Liu Yaer. My mother said that I was born when the willow tree sprouted, so I was given this name..."

　　Chapter 20 A Fox

　　After hearing what the old man said, we were really shocked. No wonder Zhang Shan asked what he was? It turned out that the old man in front of us was not a human being!

　　...Well, or rather, half human, half demon.

　　This Liuyaer was originally a yellow-tailed fox from the Taihang Mountains. When he was two years old, he stepped on a trap set by a hunter while out hunting. He was about to die, but was met by an old man who went up the mountain to collect herbs. He saved him and brought him home.

　　After the old man cured her, Liu Yaer knew that if the old man had not saved her, she would have been dead in the wilderness. Seeing that the old man had no children and was alone, she decided to stay and accompany him, as a way of repaying his kindness.

　　One of them was a human and the other was an animal, so naturally they could not communicate. But the old man saw that he would always come back after he let him go back to the mountain, so he stopped chasing him, and the man and the fox lived together in the mountains.

　　After all, the old man was old and had no relatives around him. After two years together, the old man's body became weaker and weaker. He used to go up the mountain to pick some herbs and then go down the mountain to exchange for some things to improve his life. But later, the old man was no longer able to climb the mountain. He could only plant some easy-to-grow crops in a vacant lot behind his house to barely take care of his own food and drink.

　　As for Liu Yaer, he could often catch rabbits, mice, snakes and other animals in the mountains, so the old man didn't need to worry about him.

　　Finally, on the eve of a New Year, the old man accidentally sprained his waist when he went to the well to fetch water, and he could not get up at all. What was even more worrying was that they lived in the deep mountains, with no houses within a few miles, and they could not find anyone to help.

　　Liu Yaer saw it and was worried. Finally, on the third day, he took advantage of the old man's sleep and sneaked down the mountain to ask for help.

　　But no matter whether he came to the village or the town, when people saw him, they either arrested him or beat him.

　　After running away for a whole day, he failed to bring anyone with him and had to return to the mountain by himself.

　　Since the old man had been collecting herbs all year round, Liu Yaer had followed him for several years and naturally knew some pharmacology and medicinal properties. After watching the old man reluctantly eat a bowl of sweet potato porridge and go to sleep, he couldn't bear to watch the old man die like this, so he decided to go up the mountain to collect herbs himself to save the old man's life!

　　But he was a fox after all, and he only knew the basics of many medicinal herbs. He could only pick the precious ones like ginseng and ganoderma lucidum, and bring them back to the old man in his mouth.

　　Fortunately, he has lived in the mountains for many years, and Liu Yaer can reach the cliffs that people cannot climb. Therefore, many precious medicinal herbs that have grown for thousands of years have been eaten by the old man.

　　Thanks to these things, the old man survived until the summer of the following year.

　　At this time, he had collected all the precious medicinal herbs within dozens of miles, and when he went out again, he could no longer go back and forth on the same day.

　　One day, the old man called him to his bedside, stroked him and said: "You may not know that you have been picking herbs for me for the past six months, and you have been holding them in your mouth from time to time. These spiritual things have long been spiritual after being swallowed by you with saliva. My time is coming to an end, but you have dragged me on for so long. It's enough! I only ask you one question now - do you want to be a human being? A real human being!"

　　Surprisingly, Liu Yaer actually understood what the old man said and nodded.

　　"Haha! That's easy!" The old man stroked him and said kindly, "Listen carefully. Under the persimmon tree behind my house, there is a blood soul fruit. You dig it out and divide it into two halves at midnight tonight. You take half and I take half. We eat it together. In this way, you can live in my body and become a 'person'."

　　Liu Yaer understood that the old man knew that his time was coming to an end, so he was willing to give his body to him.

　　But the old man also put forward a condition, that is, after Liu Yaer becomes a human, she must help him find his son who was lost at birth. No matter whether it is in the underworld or the world of the living, he must find the whereabouts of his son.

　　That night, they each took half of the Blood Soul Fruit.

　　When Liu Yaer woke up the next day, she found that she had entered the old man's body. Her own fox body seemed to be asleep, lying next to him motionless, with a heartbeat and breathing.

　　The old man finally told him that if one day the oil lamp in this body ran out, he could come back here, turn back into a fox, and continue his life.

　　"You mean... you are originally a fox, but this body... belongs to someone else?" When I heard this, I couldn't believe my ears. This was too incredible!

　　"No, I am who I am." The old man said, "My body was given to me by an old man, so it belongs to me. If someone gives you something, do you say it is yours or someone else's?"

　　I kept silent. It made sense, but... why was it so awkward to apply it to a person?!

　　"...I'll take the exam! That's bullshit! If I believed you, I would be a pig!" Liu Yunlong was stunned for a long time and started cursing.

　　"Believe it or not, I've said it anyway." After the old man said this, he made a nonchalant expression, meaning that he would leave it to us to do whatever we want.

　　"I believe it!" Zhang Shan suddenly blurted out these two words, which scared us.

　　Liu Yunlong waved his hand in front of his eyes and asked, "Are you stupid? Or have you been deceived by him? You can believe this bullshit reason?!"

　　Zhang Shan opened Liu Yunlong's hand, stretched out three fingers and said, "I believe him for three reasons. First, his body belongs to Yin, while normal people must be dominated by Yang. Of course, Master is an exception among exceptions; second, his body movement speed is absolutely not something that ordinary people can have, which has broken the limit of the human body; third, according to the "Dream Record", the reason why he has such a swift body movement is the symbiotic reaction between animals and humans after eating the blood soul fruit."

　　"This... this is too ridiculous!" Liu Yunlong simply couldn't accept the situation where an animal turned into a human being, so he simply leaned against the wall in anger and stopped talking.

　　"Well, even if you were originally a fox, the old man gave you such a good opportunity, why didn't you repay him by helping him find his son and running around collecting the pupil seals?" In fact, I had already believed it 90% in my heart.

　　Since humans have soul nightmares, why can't animals have them too? All living things are equal! ~

　　"Who said I didn't look for him?!" Liu Yaer (I thought about it and decided to call him by his real name even though he looked old, to avoid confusion) stared at me with wide eyes: "I am now half a human being. Apart from some small tricks, I don't have any other abilities. China is so big, and the old man doesn't even know his own son's name. How can I find him without the help of these souls?! I collect them, send them out to look for him at night, come back to report in the morning, and continue collecting during the day. I only keep each soul for three months, and let them go when the expiration date expires. And they join voluntarily, isn't that too much?"

　　Oh~~ It turns out that he was collecting pupil seals everywhere just to get the soul to help him search for the whereabouts of the old man's son.

　　"Then why did you lie to him about his life span?" I pointed at Liu Yunlong and asked him.

　　"I want to extend the life of this body!" Liu Yaer became more and more excited as she spoke: "What if this body dies before I find the old man's son? Wouldn't I have failed him?!"

　　"Then it's fair to the person whose life you took?" I heard this and I really admired him. Who would have thought that a fox could have more feelings and principles than many people? But I couldn't help but say it.

　　Seeing that he lowered his head and said nothing, I had to change the subject and said, "She was lost just after she was born and didn't even have a name. There are no clues at all, so how do you find her?" Even I felt that the old man was making things difficult for Liu Yaer.

　　Chapter 21 Are You All Crazy?

　　"Of course there are clues!" Liu Yaer said, sniffing Zhang Shan and said, "The old man's bloodline, which has been passed down since ancient times, contains the same blood as yours."

　　"What?!... Relic blood?!" Zhang Shan and I were both shocked. This relic blood is not something that everyone has. The chance of carrying it is one in hundreds of thousands. There may not be many people in the entire Henan Province.

　　"... old man... how many years has the old man's son been missing?" I suddenly thought, Zhang Shan is an orphan!!! Could he be... the probability is already terribly high!

　　"Well, according to the old man, it's been about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years." Liu Ya finished speaking, and then added: "That's what he told me three years ago."

　　"Sarira blood... can also be inherited?!" I don't remember seeing this in medical books. If it can be inherited, then why is it called a rare blood type?

　　"No, if we simply refer to 'panda blood', there is no hereditary phenomenon. But relic blood is also divided into several types due to the strength of the positivity. I just said that the smell of his blood is very similar to that of an old man, but it is hard to say whether it is true or not... You are not an orphan, are you?" Liu Yaer explained to us patiently, and suddenly thought of this possibility, staring at Zhang Shan and asked.

　　"Then how can we tell whether it is or not?" This is what I was more curious about, so I answered him in a disguised way.

　　"This requires him to follow me to the old man's home. There are things the old man left for his son. We'll know once we try it!" Liu Yaer said affirmatively.

　　"Stop! Wait!" Liu Yunlong, who was leaning against the wall, suddenly came over, pointed at Zhang Shan and asked, "Since you can smell the odor on him, why didn't you tell me the first two times you met? Now that there is no way to escape, you tell me so fluently!"

　　"Please...Brother! If it were you, I would come up and say that I was helping someone find his son, and it might be you. Would you hit me?" Liu Yaer shrugged and said helplessly.

　　But it makes me want to laugh to see an old man in his sixties or seventies calling a boy in his early twenties "big brother".

　　"Damn! Don't call me big brother! You're more like my uncle!" Liu Yunlong probably couldn't stand it when he saw his appearance.

　　"How far is the old man's residence? I want to go and see!" Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and asked.

　　"Lao Zhang! Are you crazy?! We can't believe what he says!" Liu Yunlong hurriedly stopped him and said, "Once you open this barrier, it will be difficult for us to catch him again!"

　　"This day...are you in a hurry to know?" Liu Yaer glanced at the nearly one-foot thick snow outside the house and said in embarrassment.

　　"Hmm!" Zhang Shan looked at him intently, completely ignoring Liu Yunlong's opinion.

　　"Once it snows and the temperature drops at night, the main road will be more dangerous than the small road! Can't we wait until the snow melts?" Liu Yaer actually frowned and suggested waiting until the snow melted before going up the mountain.

　　"Yeah! Do you think this will work..." I walked to Zhang Shan's side, wanting to persuade him to go up the mountain to find his master first, and then go. But then I thought, what could be more important to Zhang Shan than finding his relatives? So I had to swallow the second half of my words.

　　"How far does the old man live?" Zhang Shan glanced at me. Although he didn't understand why I stopped talking halfway, this was not what he was thinking about. Instead, he turned around and asked Liu Yaer again.

　　"About 80 miles of mountain road." Liu Yaer lowered her head and calculated, then continued: "I'm talking about the straight-line distance. If it were normal, we could get there in two days if we walked fast, but now... I'm afraid it will take five days, and it's very dangerous after the snow!"

　　"You've been running in the mountains since you were a child. Isn't there any shortcut?" Zhang Shan stared at him and asked.

　　"No...no." Liu Yaer's answer obviously paused.

　　"Is there really such a thing?!" Zhang Shan knew how to detect his expression and asked word by word.

　　"...No! No, it's too dangerous, you can't go! Otherwise you will all die in there!" Liu Yaer said firmly.

　　"What if I insist on leaving?" Zhang Shan returned to his lazy tone and asked seemingly indifferently.

　　In fact, through several months of contact, I found that the more he acts like this, the more he wants to do it!

　　...It's over! This is obviously a side issue! Who would have thought that we caught a liar and found out that Zhang Shan has a father?! What should we do?

　　As the New Year was approaching, I was anxious to bring Zhang Shan back to find Yin Liuzi, but I didn't expect that he would try his best to see someone with whom I didn't even know what relationship he had.

　　What should I do?! ...No, I must stop him! At any cost!

　　"Zhang Shan, calm down first and listen to me. This is not worth it." I made up my mind and said before Liu Yaer, "The old man's residence is there anyway, and he won't run away. Why don't you go there anytime? Besides, Liu and I are following you. You should be willing to go by yourself for this kind of thing, right? Why don't we go upstairs to find your master first? After I ask him a few questions, Liu and I will go down the mountain to celebrate the New Year, and you can follow Liu Yaer to the old man's residence. We won't be in your way, isn't that good?"

　　I tried to persuade him in a tone that I thought was gentle.

　　Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked Liu Yaer, "You don't need to tell me where the shortcut is. Just tell me, can I get there in one day?"

　　"It's possible if it's fast, but the prerequisite is that you have to be alive." Liu Yaer paused and answered him.

　　"Okay! Let's go back to town tonight and try to get up the mountain tomorrow. If that doesn't work, you can go down the mountain the day after tomorrow, and I'll go with him! Anyway, both the main roads and small roads are dangerous, so it doesn't matter where we go." After hearing this, Zhang Shan turned around and said to us.

　　"Fuck, you're risking your life!" Liu Yunlong was immediately unwilling. He was about to scold him, but I stopped him. I said to Zhang Shan: "Okay! It's OK, but I have a condition. If I really can't go up tomorrow, I want to go there with you!"

　　"Fuck! They're crazy! They're all fucking crazy!" Liu Yunlong walked around the room cursing, "Are you all just bored?! You're risking your life to check on someone who has nothing to do with you so far! Are your heads getting squeezed by the door?!"

　　Zhang Shan was silent for a moment, and then he said calmly, "You are not an orphan, so you won't understand my feelings."

　　I don't understand it either, but once Zhang Shan has made up his mind, no one can change it. So, since he won't listen no matter what I say, I might as well go with him so that we can look after each other.

　　And this Liu Yaer, he had just met her, who knew how much truth there was in her words? If Zhang Shan was deceived by this guy, it would be too late to regret it.

　　Zhang Shan said nothing more, but walked out the door, kicked open a hole in the arc-shaped barrier, and said to Liu Yaer, "Go! Remember to meet us in town tomorrow night!"

　　"Okay! Thank you! You are good people! But listen to my advice, let's wait until the snow melts and then take the main road!" Liu Yaer walked outside and did not forget to turn back to persuade Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan smiled and did not respond to his words. Instead, he said, "Change to a younger skin tomorrow! Don't always act like an old man. It makes us feel uncomfortable!"

　　Liu Yaer also smiled, sighed, said nothing more, turned around and disappeared into the night.

　　"I say, Lao Zhang, did you take the wrong medicine today? You're letting him go now. Aren't you afraid that he'll cheat you? And take the opportunity to run away?" Liu Yunlong came up and said in confusion.

　　"Haha!" Zhang Shan turned around, put his arm on Liu Yunlong's shoulder and asked him, "He said he is a fox, do you believe it?"

　　"Half-believing and half-doubting!" Liu Yunlong didn't know what he meant by asking this.

　　"That's incredible! If you can even believe that a person is a fox, what else can you not believe?" After Zhang Shan said this, he led us back to the main road and walked towards Wuquan Town.

　　Chapter 22 Reluctant Revenge

　　It was past dinner time when we arrived in town. The three of us had been freezing in the snow for half a day and were already starving. But no matter how hungry we were, we had to first retrieve the things that were kept in the police station.

　　From a distance, I could see that the police station at the corner of the street was brightly lit, and there were people standing guard at the door.

　　As we approached, the person at the door seemed to see us. He was stunned for a moment, then turned around and ran into the house.

　　"They're not going to arrest us again, are they?" Liu Yunlong was worried when he saw what was happening.

　　I didn't think so, because the task was given to Song Dongfeng. In my impression, that guy has never messed up anything. As long as he is given a task, he will definitely complete it with quality and quantity!

　　As expected, as soon as we reached the police station door, the "director" from last night came out with all his men in a line, apparently to welcome us and apologize.

　　Seeing this scene, Liu Yunlong felt relieved, stepped in front of us, clasped his fists and said loudly: "Director, how are you?"

　　"Oh my! Look at what I can do! I'm just responsible for the flood that washed away the Dragon King Temple!" The director came up and grabbed Liu Yunlong's hand and said, "Please, since we are all from the same system, please show some mercy!"

　　"Mr. Director, that's so easy to say!" I walked up to him and said sarcastically, "Then we should thank you for your kindness!"

　　"Oh? What do you mean?" When the director saw that I was actually being polite, he thought they had benefited from some kind of favor and looked at me with great joy.

　　I smiled and said, "If it weren't for the fact that one of us had poor marksmanship last night and missed several shots, the three of us would have become wandering ghosts by now. Don't you think this is showing mercy?"

　　When the director heard this, his face immediately drooped. After a few seconds of careful consideration, he finally weighed the pros and cons and shouted to the back: "Chen Erjin, come out!"

　　As he shouted, a scoundrel-looking young man came up from behind. Although he was wearing a police uniform, the buttons were not buttoned, and the red sweater underneath was exposed. His straight clothes made him look like he had just been in a war.

　　"Did you fire those shots last night?!" the director asked sternly when he saw him approaching.

　　"No...no, Second Uncle, how could I dare!" Chen Erjin said as he wiped his nose with his sleeve, but it wasn't wiped clean and there was a long sniffle left.

　　It turns out that this guy is a relative of the director!

　　"Stand up straight!!!" Seeing that he was already sloppy, and this guy had betrayed their relationship, the director suddenly became furious and yelled, "Look at you! You don't look like a public official at all! Didn't you fire the gun? Okay, take out your gun and show it to me! Our bullets are all numbered, ten per person, and we can tell at a glance whether the gun was fired or not!"

　　"Not that serious, right? Second Uncle?" Perhaps Chen Erjin saw that we were smiling all the time and thought we were trying to please him. He hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation at all. He glanced at the three of us and said, "It was just a few shots. We didn't hit anyone. Let's send them away quickly. It's so cold..."

　　"Bang!" The director slapped the guy in the face before he finished speaking. He pointed at him and cursed: "You son of a bitch! You're still talking nonsense at this time! Do you know who those people you shot last night? They were..." Halfway through his words, he remembered that we were all in a confidential unit, so he had to change his words: "Hand over your gun! If there is a bullet missing in it, tell your father to prepare things for you in prison!"

　　"This...Second...Second Uncle, I...I..." When Chen Erjin heard that they really needed to check the bullets, he immediately panicked and couldn't even speak clearly.

　　"Don't call me second uncle!" The director interrupted him directly and said, "I promised your father to run this errand for you. I was really blind! I can't do anything good, but I'm more likely to cause trouble! Hand in all your things tomorrow morning, and you don't have to come again!"

　　"Uncle! I...I...I won't dare to do that again!" Chen Erjin completely collapsed. His legs softened and he knelt down. He hugged the director's thigh and cried, "Uncle, please forgive me! I will listen to you in the future! If you tell me to go east, I will never go north!..."

　　The three of us laughed as soon as we heard this. He was a complete illiterate! How could such a person be a policeman? How could public security be improved?!

　　The director was so angry at his cowardly look that he kicked him over and said, "I'll forgive you? Who will forgive me? It was my own decision to let you go home! If they didn't want to, imprisoning you for ten or eight years would be the least of your punishment! I..."

　　He was about to continue, but Liu Yunlong stopped him and asked, "Is this your nephew?"

　　"My eldest brother! He has been uneducated since childhood. His father begged me for a year to get him a job as an office clerk in the police station. He was not allowed to carry a gun, but the rascal insisted that it looked good to carry one, and he begged me to apply for one. He has only been carrying it for a few days, and he has caused such a big trouble for me!" The director said while panting. He looked very angry, and I didn't know how much of it was real and how much of it was just for show.

　　"Okay, okay! It's not easy for young people to find a job." Liu Yunlong changed the subject and pretended to be a good person, "It's better than having nothing to do and stealing and robbing, right? But I think he needs to improve his cultural knowledge before he can barely be qualified for his current position. For the time being, he can just do some work like serving tea and cleaning the toilet!"

　　The director was stunned for a moment and said, "We... have special cleaners to clean the toilets."

　　"Oh?" Liu Yunlong pretended to be enlightened and said, "I heard from my colleague yesterday that you guys are seriously overstaffed! Do you want to reduce the number of staff? Or hire another toilet cleaner?"

　　How could the director not understand what he meant? If he didn't follow Liu Yunlong's instructions, not to mention his nephew, even he himself would be forced to clean the toilet at best, or even kicked out of the house at worst. It would definitely not end well for him!

　　"Chen Erjin, did you hear that? This is the leader from the National Bureau pleading for you. Stay in the institute and sweep the toilets first! Why don't you thank the leader?!" The director kicked his nephew who was sitting on the ground and shouted.

　　"Yes! Yes! I do it! Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!" Chen Erjin was probably almost scared. He usually showed off his power in the town because his uncle was the director. Who would have thought that just three young people came and made his uncle, who always had the final say, bow and scrape. Only then did he realize that he had offended someone he shouldn't have offended.

　　"Why don't you get up now? What a mess!" Seeing that he was still sitting on the ground, the director kicked him again. He immediately raised his head and put on a humble look, saying, "It's cold outside, you three should come in and talk!"

　　"Are you coming in?" I nudged Liu Yunlong from behind and asked in a low voice.

　　"Of course!" The guy turned around, looked at me and said, "At least we have to let them take care of our dinner and accommodation! Otherwise, we'll just be living targets for that bastard to practice shooting at!!"

　　I thought so too. This request is not excessive at all. Besides, we can't find fault with them. To take revenge? They can do it, but we can't! Besides, after all, we are on the same system as Liu Yunlong. If we shut down the system, it will not be conducive for him to work down there in the future.

　　We followed the director all the way to his office on the second floor. Once we entered the room, we discovered that all of our personal belongings were placed on the old man's desk.

　　We put away our things and exchanged a few more pleasantries. Just when we were at a loss for words, the director suddenly changed his expression, bowed to us, and said with tears in his eyes: "Three officers! I know you are very capable. You must help me this time!"

　　Chapter 23 Shocking Case

　　"I say... your last name is Chen too, right?" Liu Yunlong frowned when he saw him like this, "Old Chen, how come your family members have the same name? The nephew kneels down to worship his uncle, and you really treat us like gods? Let me tell you, although you did not enforce the law properly yesterday, it was for the sake of handling the case after all, and we have nothing to say. We have been running around outside for a day and a night, at least let us have a full meal first, right?"

　　"Ouch! Look at my stupid brain!" Upon hearing this, Director Chen slapped his head and said, "I'm too impatient! Let's eat first and talk while we eat!"

　　"You'd better tell me what happened first! I won't go to eat if you don't!" Zhang Shan, who had been silent all this time, said at this time.

　　"Hey! Lao Zhang, everyone knows about this kind of thing, what's there to say?" Liu Yunlong pulled Zhang Shan and whispered.

　　"No, no, I do want to talk about something else!" Director Chen said quickly, embarrassed.

　　"Oh? Tell me about it?" Liu Yunlong also became interested. He thought Director Chen was still asking us to "show mercy", so he held Zhang Shan down and stopped him from talking. In fact, we didn't intend to retaliate against him from the beginning, at most we just ridiculed him a few times.

　　I didn't expect that this old guy really had other things to do.

　　"Well... those two kids last night, do you still remember them?" Director Chen hesitated for a long time before speaking.

　　This happened only one day later, so of course I remember the two people who were "suspected of being hypnotized", a man and a woman who were walking barefoot on the street, climbed into the water outlet of the hot spring villa, and finally climbed out incredibly.

　　Seeing us nod, Director Chen continued, "They...they got lost again in the second half of the night!"

　　"What?!" Liu Yunlong and I exclaimed in unison.

　　"How did it get lost?" Zhang Shan remained calm and immediately asked.

　　"These are brother and sister. According to their family, after they went back home last night, although it was a false alarm, they were afraid that...that person would come back for revenge, so they lived in the same room with their parents. Who knew that when they woke up in the morning, everyone else was fine, except for the two of them, who were missing again." Director Chen gave a brief report.

　　"Possibility? Which one is more likely? And there is also a simulated route." When Liu Yunlong heard that there was a case, he immediately returned to his criminal police nature. He no longer shouted that he had to fill his stomach first.

　　"This is why I'm begging you!" Director Chen said helplessly, "If we had concluded that it was human trafficking, it would be understandable, but with the doors and windows closed and other people in the house, she was able to run out without making a sound. How can you tell me? I've never seen such a situation before! As for this route... we found a button on the little girl's clothes at the outlet of another hot spring resort."

　　After saying that, he took out a pink button from his pocket and handed it to Liu Yunlong.

　　Liu Yunlong looked at it for a long time, then handed it to Zhang Shan and said, "This thing is useless except telling us where they have been!"

　　"Are all the underground hot springs in the town connected?" Zhang Shan asked Director Chen, looking at the button.

　　"This... this has never been verified." Director Chen thought for a moment and said, "But according to the old people, it is said that this is the case. It is said that one year the Japanese came to raid the area, and there happened to be a severe drought like this year, so the Japanese drove all the strong laborers, the elderly and children in the village into the hot springs. Then they built a fire outside and blew smoke into it, choking the people to death. Then a few days later, water came and washed the bodies out again. Alas... I heard from the survivors that the scene was too tragic! Almost everyone was scalded from the inside out! But the strange thing is that although some people were driven in from the water outlet on the mountain, they were washed out from the water outlet at the bottom of the mountain."

　　"Well... that is to say, all the water outlets are likely to have something in common, and they are of a size that people can pass through. So it doesn't matter which outlet you enter from." Liu Yunlong understood what Zhang Shan meant.

　　Although we still don't know why the child is missing and where he is, including the water outlet last night, we once thought it was just a temporary transfer point. The purpose is to hide temporarily and move to another place when it is safe.

　　But once it is proven that there is communication inside, the basis for the outlet as a transfer point becomes much weaker, and the possibility of a transportation channel is greatly enhanced.

　　The only thing we don’t know right now is where this place leads to?

　　"So, everyone, please help us!" Director Chen said pitifully again, "Four children were missing in three days. Our town has never handled such a big case before! If I don't solve the case as soon as possible, I won't be the director anymore!"

　　"Humph! You solved the case just to keep your position as director?" I ridiculed him.

　　"Old Wang, don't get involved in personal feelings right now. The important thing is to buy time to rescue the children!" Whenever he encounters a case, Liu Yunlong seems like a different person.

　　Under normal circumstances, if someone provokes him, he will force the other person to beg for mercy.

　　"Okay! But there is one thing I want to make clear." I spread my hands and said to Director Chen, "You have to understand that we are not helping you. We are only intervening in this matter for the sake of the lives of the four children!"

　　"That's right! The child is more important!" All Director Chen wanted was our assistance in handling the case. As for the motive, it didn't matter. Because to him, the result was the same.

　　"So what should we do next?" Liu Yunlong was very motivated, but he had no idea yet.

　　"What else can we do? Let's go and take a look!" I had already guessed that given Zhang Shan's personality, he would definitely go and take a look first. Forget about eating for the time being.

　　Sure enough, after listening to me, this guy said nothing, gestured for Director Chen to lead the way, and then walked downstairs.

　　After a while, we arrived at another hot spring resort.

　　The decoration here is obviously not as luxurious as the one yesterday. Moreover, one of the two is at the west end of the town, and the other is at the east end, respectively controlling the main roads in and out of the two sides, which can be said to be a superior geographical location.

　　When I saw their hot spring outlet, I found that it was different from the one I saw last night. The outlet of their hot spring looked exactly like a spring. Although it is dry now, I can imagine that when there was water, it must have been bubbling up continuously.

　　However, this spring is located in a separate small courtyard, surrounded by reservoirs, so it doesn't look like it is for people to take a bath.

　　After asking Director Chen, I learned that the hot spring here is located at a low altitude, so the water temperature is generally around 60 degrees. This temperature is unbearable for human skin, so it must be cooled here before it can be released for bathing.

　　The house we stayed at last night was located on high ground, so the water temperature was ten degrees lower than here, which was just right, so it could be built directly next to the bathhouse.

　　After looking for a long time, I couldn't see anything special. However, the water outlet of this house is larger in diameter than the one last night, but theirs goes down diagonally, while this one goes straight up and down, more like a well.

　　"...Okay, go prepare some ropes, flashlights and self-defense equipment. Is half an hour enough?" Zhang Shan lay beside the "well" and looked inside for a long time, then stood up and said to Director Chen.

　　"What are you going to do? You don't want to go down, do you?" Without waiting for Director Chen to say anything, I asked Zhang Shan.

　　"Yeah, how can we find people if we don't go down?" Zhang Shan said as if it was a matter of course.

　　Chapter 24 This Zhang Shan

　　"I'm testing, I'm testing, I'm testing! You're really crazy!" Liu Yunlong said "I'm testing" three times in a row, shook his cheeks and scolded him: "I thought you were getting better, but who knew you were getting crazier! Do you know how dangerous it is to go down there? Didn't you hear what Lao Chen said just now? Once you get out of the water, you'll be burned into white strips of meat in an instant!"

　　"Isn't there no water? What are you afraid of?" Zhang Shan didn't listen to him at all.

　　"I say, Old Zhang, don't be so anxious. We don't even know whether the child is down there or not. Why are you rushing down?" I also opposed Zhang Shan's risky action. It was too risky!

　　"Yes! The water comes at any time, and it has never been certain since ancient times. Besides, it snowed last night, so we must not go down!" Although Director Chen was anxious to solve the case, he understood that solving the case was important, but compared with the lives of the three of us, it was obvious which was more important.

　　"Then we have to go down!" Zhang Shan became more excited after we persuaded him: "We will know if the child is down there once we go in! You have to understand that if there is really water coming, it will mean four lives! You just wait up there! I will go down by myself!"

　　After saying that, this guy didn't even wait for the rope. He snatched the flashlight from Director Chen and was about to hold on and go down.

　　"Hey! Hey!..." Seeing his posture, the three of us stepped forward and grabbed him.

　　"Don't be anxious, listen to me, and then decide whether to go down or not!" I thought of a solution in a hurry, and pulled Zhang Shan and said, "Even if they kidnapped the child, they should have moved away by now. Are they still waiting for you to go down and catch them? First of all, you must understand that the purpose of going down is to find clues. Your own safety is the most important. If you fail to save others, you will be the first to be saved. Think about it carefully! If you really want to go down, prepare everything, and I will accompany you tomorrow morning! Is this okay?!"

　　"I'll accompany you tomorrow morning!" Liu Yunlong also raised his hand and said.

　　"...Okay! Then let's set off early tomorrow morning on time!" Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a long time, and finally agreed, patting our shoulders and saying.

　　Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

　　Coming out of the hot spring villa, it was not too late, and the streets were full of young people playing snowball fights. Director Chen insisted on treating us to a meal. Listening to Liu Yunlong and him being polite, I turned my head and saw two figures flashing by at the corner of the street in the distance. They looked very familiar.

　　This is... I hurriedly took a few steps forward, opened my eyes wide and looked, but I saw nothing more.

　　However, I am very familiar with that tall figure, she looks like... like Ni Qian! And the short figure next to her, who walks unsteadily, actually looks a bit like Zhao Youde!

　　This...how is this possible?

　　I was about to chase after him, but Liu Yunlong grabbed me.

　　"Where are you going? The restaurant is over there!" The guy looked at me with confusion.

　　"I...I..." I didn't know how to imitate him. Was it my illusion? Besides, just looking at the back, there were indeed too many people who looked like him.

　　Following them, I finally couldn't help but take out my cell phone and called Ni Qian.

　　The call went through, but there was a long wait before the answering tone came.

　　Could it be that the girl deliberately didn't answer my call?

　　But the scene just now was like a thorn in my heart. I had no choice but to call Sister Hongxia, who rented a house with Yatou.

　　It was not until I heard my sister's repeated assurances that she had seen her get on the car with her own eyes that I finally felt relieved.

　　"What? Are you missing your sister-in-law?" Liu Yunlong saw me making several phone calls in succession, and came up to me and said, "You! A man should be able to bend and stretch. No matter what the reason is, if you have a quarrel, find a chance to admit your fault, and then be a little romantic. After the storm, the sky will clear up, and there will be nothing to worry about! When two people are together, one has to give in to the other. Life is not a boxing match. There is no point in refusing to admit defeat..."

　　I smiled at him helplessly. If only this matter was as simple as he thought!

　　It seems that I have been in a state of high tension recently. Is it my eyes that are blurry? I secretly planned to come back here to soak in the hot springs for two days after finishing my business in Zhangshan. It's too tiring!

　　After having a full meal that night, Director Chen arranged for me to have a comfortable night's sleep in the town government guesthouse.

　　The next morning, I was sleeping soundly when I was woken up by the slap. When I opened my eyes, it was Chen Erjin, the director's nephew.

　　Seeing me sitting up, he hurriedly said, "Leader, my second uncle asked you to go to the hot spring entrance! The big leader who came with you got up early in the morning and went to get his equipment!"

　　"What?!" I was startled and woke up completely. I quickly put on my clothes and woke up Liu Yunlong next door. We didn't even have time to wash our faces or brush our teeth. We just rushed out with our pants in our hands.

　　It snowed again last night, and the roads were icy. I finally ran to the hot spring resort I visited last night, but the person on duty told me that they had come here first and then went to the one to the west.

　　When we ran to the hot spring resort where we had entered the night before, Director Chen and a few of his followers were left at the cave entrance.

　　"Where's Lao Zhang?! Didn't we agree to go together last night? You..." Liu Yunlong knew that Zhang Shan had most likely gone when he saw the situation, and asked Director Chen in a stern voice.

　　"I... I have no choice. Leader Zhang came to me early in the morning and told me not to tell you and that he would go by himself. As soon as I saw him go, I immediately asked someone to call you." Director Chen said with a look of grievance.

　　"Something happened! Just wait and see! I tell you..." Liu Yunlong pointed at him and tried to argue, but I stopped him and asked, "How long has he been down there?"

　　"Probably just over five minutes!" Director Chen calculated the time and replied.

　　"What did he bring?" I saw they had all kinds of things in their hands.

　　"A short piece of rope, a flashlight, and a machete. Do you want to go in too?" Director Chen said, handing me the flashlight in his hand.

　　"Nonsense! Hurry up, give us all you have!" Liu Yunlong ordered while taking off his coat.

　　"Why did you change your destination to go down from here? Didn't we agree to go to the one in the east last night?" I asked Director Chen while we were setting up the equipment.

　　"Leader Zhang went to take a look this morning and said it was too deep. Since it's all connected, we can just go down from here. We can also leave an extra section of rope inside for backup." Director Chen answered truthfully.

　　Zhang Shan is really getting more and more outrageous! We both agreed to go down with him, and he agreed last night. Who knew he would change his mind in the morning?

　　Although we know he is doing this for our own good, if we put ourselves in his shoes, how can we feel at ease if we let him go down on his own?

　　As he spoke, Liu Yunlong had already taken a flashlight and a pistol and crawled in first.

　　Before entering the cave, I asked Director Chen one last question: "You have lived in this town for so many years. Will it cause the hot spring to suddenly overflow after a snowfall?"

　　"Hmm..." Director Chen thought for a moment and said, "Although this kind of dry situation is rare, it has occurred twice in recent years. Generally, there will be water the day after it rains. But it's hard to say when it snows. I don't think it will be too slow, so you'd better get out as soon as possible. It's too dangerous in there! The water will flood up at any time. Even if you are not scalded to death, you will drown."

　　My heart skipped a beat. It had already been the third day since the snow fell. I mustn't take his words for granted!

　　He stopped talking and after I gave him a few brief instructions, he turned on the flashlight and slowly moved deeper into the water, following the water outlet.

　　Chapter 25: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (1)

　　I had taken a look at this cave the night before. It looked like an internal organ full of tumors, with semicircular stones covering the entire wall. Lying on them, it hurt my belly and chest.

　　I hadn't noticed it before, but when I shone a flashlight on it, I saw that these stones are actually colorful, red, green, blue, yellow... all kinds of colors.

　　This should be the result of long-term immersion in the minerals rich in hot springs.

　　The water outlet extended slowly into the ground at an angle of about 45 degrees. However, the further we went down, the wider it became. Originally, it was only big enough for one person to crawl in, but now there was a gap about one foot wide above our heads.

　　After climbing down for a while, we were able to move forward in a half-squat position. Although this increased our speed, it was a bit tiring, just like doing horse stance. But more importantly, my chest finally felt better, as it was really painful just now!

　　After several hundred meters, we gradually felt a faint light ahead. It was not until we passed a V-shaped ridge that the cave finally became clear.

　　This is a space as big as a regular basketball court. The walls of the cave are filled with fist-sized stone balls, one next to the other. I guess people with trypophobia would go crazy seeing this. Even I couldn't help but get goosebumps all over my body.

　　But what surprised us was that under the illumination of the flashlight, this place actually emitted a faint yellowish light, which looked quite comfortable.

　　Liu Yunlong and I turned off the flashlights together, and then we found that the light was enough to illuminate the entire cave. With the reflection of the light and some small puddles that had not yet dried up, the entire space presented a dreamlike feeling, as if all kinds of colors were flowing.

　　"Damn! Even if this place is done in the future, it would be nice to develop it and come here for a visit!" Liu Yunlong exclaimed as he looked around.

　　I wiped the sweat off my head and asked him, "Don't you think it's a little hot here?"

　　Indeed, when we came down, we took off our cotton-padded jackets to ensure that they would not hinder our movements, including Zhang Shan’s cotton-padded jacket, which we saw him throw outside.

　　At this time, the temperature here is at least 10 degrees above zero. Compared with the outside, the temperature difference is more than 20 degrees. Plus, we have been exercising for a long time, so we are bound to sweat.

　　"It's OK, I can bear it. It will probably get hotter the further we go inside." As Liu Yunlong spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs to make it easier for him to sweat.

　　Putting these dazzling colors behind us, we walked around the cave carefully and found that there were four entrances, one of which was where we came in, and we didn’t know where the other three led to.

　　"What should we do? Lao Zhang must have entered one of them. How do we find him?" I looked into each of the three holes, but didn't find anything special, so I asked worriedly.

　　"That's easy. Just look for the marks he made!" Liu Yunlong pretended to be experienced and said, "He must have made some marks before entering the cave to prevent him from making the wrong path when he comes back."

　　"Are you stupid?" I looked at him and said, "Even if he was going to do it, he would do it at the exit on the other side of the hole. Is it just for the ball at the entrance? It's already in, why would he make a hammer mark?!"

　　"Oh..." This guy made me embarrassed, so I had to keep silent and look for other clues.

　　When I walked to the cave entrance closest to where we came from, I suddenly discovered that behind a pile of stone eggs, there was a black object of unclear shape placed in an inconspicuous corner.

　　Liu Yunlong was called over, and when he shone a flashlight, he saw a pile of furry things. Could it be that there were living things in there?

　　We didn't know what it was, so we didn't dare to get close. Liu Yunlong fumbled in his pocket for a long time, found a one-yuan coin, and threw it at the mass. Although it hit the target, there was no reaction.

　　Is he dead?

　　We both got a little bolder and slowly moved closer. When Liu Yunlong picked up the mass with a flashlight, we both started to curse Zhang Shan.

　　Who would have thought that this furry thing was actually Zhang Shan’s sweater!

　　This guy probably came down here and felt too hot, so he took off his sweater, put it aside, and continued on his way.

　　It's really embarrassing that two grown men were so scared by a sweater that they dared not move forward.

　　But finding Zhang Shan's clothes made things much easier. He must have taken off his sweater and continued through the nearest cave entrance. Since no one was chasing him, the chance of him leaving a mark in front of one cave entrance and then going through another was too small.

　　Even if he was afraid that we would chase him, Zhang Shan would never do this. If he did so, it would obviously point us in the wrong direction, and things would be worse.

　　Amid Liu Yunlong's constant cursing, we both continued to explore deeper along the hole next to the sweater.

　　As he was walking, he heard a "pop" sound in front of him, as if Liu Yunlong had slapped him.

　　"What's wrong?" I asked quickly.

　　"It's okay! There are leeches here!" Liu Yunlong said, turning around to show me what he had in his hand.

　　Leeches are scientifically known as leeches. They grow and reproduce in inland freshwater areas. They have a sucker on the front and back, and feed on animal blood. They have high medicinal and medical value in traditional Chinese medicine. I remember a friend of mine once had his finger cut off by someone. He put a leech inside and reattached it.

　　Leeches are very common in rural China, and they can be found in almost any place with water. Almost everyone who grows lotus roots or rice has been sucked by them.

　　It is said that once a leech is attached to you, it is very difficult to pull it off. If you don't care, it will even burrow into your skin. There are only two ways to get rid of it: either burn its tail with fire or let it listen to the bray of a donkey, and it will loosen its grip and fall off.

　　Of course, I heard this from the elderly. For us city kids, this kind of thing is rare.

　　Although I have seen leeches before, I am not sure whether this thing in front of me is a "little vampire"? In terms of size, it is obviously much larger. When it is not sucking blood, it is as thick as a thumb and as long as a finger.

　　Also, ordinary leeches are gray-green and dark gray, but the one in front of me is dark red and emits a faint light.

　　"Is this a leech?" I asked, thinking of this.

　　"What else could it be other than this? I pulled it off from my calf. Look, it's all my blood!" Liu Yunlong said as he twisted it with his fingers. The little thing kept spewing blood in his hand.

　　"Alright, alright! Throw it away! Are you disgusting?" I didn't want to watch any more, so I threw the thing in his hand to the ground and said, "Be careful when you walk. This place is wet and humid. It's not surprising to see this thing."

　　"Then do you think they will still be alive when there is water? Won't they all be cooked?" Liu Yunlong was quite interested in the little bugs.

　　"Maybe this thing has a high ability to withstand heat! It can live in such hot water." I chatted with him as we walked.

　　A few minutes later, we arrived at the water diversion point on the next level.

　　This place is about the same size as the space above, including the tumor-like stones, which are much larger and no longer so frustrating to look at.

　　And it’s brighter here than up there, almost like turning on a light, so there’s no need for a flashlight.

　　Of course, it's hotter here too. I'd say it's almost 20 degrees.

　　Chapter 26: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (2)

　　"Old Zhang, take off one more piece of clothing, or we'll see him naked later!" Liu Yunlong looked around and soon found another dark object in a corner, so he walked towards it.

　　"Come here! Let me see, are you taking off your undershirt or your pants this time?" Liu Yunlong walked up to it, squatted down and was about to pick up the thing.

　　I kept looking at the thing without moving it, because I clearly remembered before going to bed last night that Zhang Shan's dark clothes were only a cotton-padded jacket, a sweater and outer trousers. The autumn clothes and autumn trousers were a set of dark gray warm clothes specially given by Director Chen.

　　He threw the cotton jacket outside and the sweater was in the first hole.

　　Zhang Shan was a very particular person, and he was always very meticulous about his housekeeping. So even if he took off his sweater, he would fold it neatly.

　　But the black mass in front of me didn't look like a pair of pants. Besides, it wasn't hot enough to take them off, so who wouldn't take them off first?!

　　Therefore, there is only one possibility, this thing is definitely not Zhang Shan's! At least it is not his clothes!

　　However, Liu Yunlong was too reckless. Relying on the faint light in the cave, he walked straight over without even turning on the flashlight.

　　"Don't move!" Just as his fingers were about to touch the mass, I finally reminded him.

　　"Ouch!" Liu Yunlong was startled by my sudden shout, but luckily this guy reacted quickly and his hand did not touch the thing, but instead moved forward.

　　Of course, as he jerked forward, in order to avoid falling, the guy had to step up with his back foot and turn it into his front foot. But in the process, his shoe still kicked the mass.

　　"What are you doing? You're so jumpy!" The guy complained to me before he even stood still.

　　But my attention wasn't on him at all.

　　After Liu Yunlong finished speaking, he stopped and saw that I was just staring at his feet motionlessly, so he quickly looked down.

　　"Oh my god!!!" The guy looked down for two seconds, then suddenly shouted wildly and ran towards me.

　　It turned out that after I reminded Liu Yunlong just now, this guy accidentally kicked the black thing, and then the thing broke apart and scattered all over the ground.

　　I thought it was something fragile and was just kicked to pieces by him, but when I looked closely, I saw that each piece was still slowly moving, which scared me to death.

　　"What is that?!" I asked Liu Yunlong hurriedly when I saw him running over.

　　"Damn it! What else could it be? It's the same leech as before, a big bunch like this, at least hundreds of them!!!" Liu Yunlong said, making a shape the size of a basketball with his hand.

　　When I heard him say that, all the hairs on my body stood up.

　　At this time, we looked back and saw that after this group of things dispersed, they were like headless flies, running around in an area of ​​one meter in radius, which made people feel a little disgusted.

　　"They won't come up and bite us, will they?" Liu Yunlong stared at that place and asked me while pulling me aside.

　　"It's hard to say. Try to stay away from them. Let's try to find Lao Zhang first!" I said, taking a step to the side, trying to get around these disgusting guys.

　　But as soon as I took a step, I found that these little bugs suddenly stopped moving, and all of them pointed their bodies towards me.

　　...Damn! Could it be that they can sense sound or vibration?

　　So I took another cautious step... and this time it was great! After being stunned for a second, the insects suddenly rushed towards us, a black mass on the ground, turning over one stone lump after another, looking like they could jump.

　　"Damn it! What did you do?!" Liu Yunlong was immediately panicked when he saw the scene and stood there in a daze.

　　"Still looking! If you keep looking, you'll become a mummy!" I knew things were not going well, so I grabbed him and ran towards a cave behind us. At this moment, I didn't care if we were going the wrong way or not! I just ran first!

　　"Ouch!" After running for a few steps, Liu Yunlong suddenly let out a strange cry and fell behind.

　　"What's wrong? What's wrong?" I turned my head and saw this guy sitting on the ground, and I knew that something special might have happened.

　　"Damn this broken stone! My ankle is sprained!" Liu Yunlong said as he tried to stand up, but found that he could not exert any strength on his injured right foot.

　　There is almost no flat ground here, only semicircular stones. We walked very carefully before, so it's no wonder that we sprained our ankles when running now.

　　I turned on the flashlight and shone it backwards, and found that although the insects were not as fast as us, they were already three meters away.

　　No, running like this is not the way to go! Even if we have good legs, we get tired sometimes, and who knows when they will rest?

　　I had no choice but to take off my sweater and cast the fire control spell again...

　　Once...twice...three times...this damn fire control spell never works when I need to use it!

　　"Stop studying your broken stuff! Let's use the traditional method first!" Liu Yunlong said as he took off his sweater, soaked it in the puddle under his feet, and then shook it. The sweater hit the stone wall with a crisp "pa pa" sound.

　　I just remembered that Zhang Shan had said before that because I had absorbed too much pupil seal recently, the Yin Qi was too heavy. Before I mastered the Wuwei Seal, some spells that required Yang Qi to activate would temporarily fail, such as the Fire Control Spell.

　　Seeing that the insects were about to run towards us, I helped Liu Yunlong up, soaked my sweater, and after pulling it up, I aimed at the area where the insects were most concentrated and swatted it.

　　"Plop!" Suddenly the water on the sweater mixed with the body fluids in the leech's stomach splashed everywhere.

　　After Liu Yunlong stood firmly, he also swung the "weapon" in his hand and started hitting hard.

　　Fortunately, these insects were not hardy, and the sweater dipped in water did have a certain killing power. Within five minutes, we basically killed them all.

　　But these hundreds of swings made us both sweat profusely, and we leaned against the wall and gasped for breath.

　　Thinking back to the scene just now, I am indeed a little scared. Although we both wore thick clothes, these leeches are very smart. They know how to get into the trouser legs, find the edge of the socks and squeeze in.

　　As a last resort, we both raised our legs and kicked the protruding stones on the wall in between beatings, squeezing them to death inside. Now our calves were in excruciating pain.

　　Looking around now, there were splashes of insect fluid everywhere. I couldn't tell what color it was. Anyway, it was all over the ground, on the walls, on our bodies, on our faces... It was sticky and disgusting. Fortunately, it didn't have any smell.

　　Under our feet was a sea of ​​black leech corpses, their bodies had been broken into pieces, leaving only a thin layer of skin.

　　We took a few steps back, and because we had exerted too much effort, our legs went limp and we both sat on the ground. We didn't even care that our hands were stuck in the puddle because we were so exhausted, more exhausted than running 3,000 meters!

　　"Huh?" Liu Yunlong looked at me strangely as soon as he sat down.

　　"What?" I asked, looking at his painted face.

　　"Where's my sweater?" the guy suddenly said.

　　"Isn't it?" I pointed at a black thing in front of his feet.

　　"Oh...where's your sweater?" the guy asked again.

　　"Why are you asking this? Do you still want to wear it? It's not disgusting enough!" I held up the sweater in my hand and showed it to him, saying, "Look at what it has become? You're wearing it when it's all sticky?!"

　　"Both of our sweaters are here... then what is this?" Liu Yunlong said as he pulled out an object from the puddle beside him with his left hand.

　　Chapter 27: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (3)

　　As I watched, the guy raised his left hand and brought out an object about one meter long.

　　I saw that this thing was dark red all over, with wrinkles all over it. At first glance, it really looked a bit like a sleeve or a trouser leg.

　　...But after looking at it for a second, I would rather believe that it is a worm!

　　"Ah!!!" Liu Yunlong also saw clearly what was in his hand, threw it to the ground, turned around and crawled backwards.

　　After all, I didn't catch that thing, so I was still calm. I sat there and wanted to see whether it was dead or alive.

　　How many years does it take for a leech this big, thicker than my arm and more than three feet long?!

　　But I still miscalculated, this is a live thing! It may have been lying in the puddle without moving, but when Liu Yunlong caught it and threw it, it suddenly became excited, bent its body on the ground, and actually left the ground like a slingshot, flying straight towards my face.

　　Fortunately, I was about to stand up, and my hands were not on the ground. Seeing it flying towards me, I quickly raised my hands and closed them, trapping the giant leech in mid-air.

　　Only after I was sure that I was restrained did I turn my face back.

　　What caught my eye was a suction cup as big as a palm, with a small hole in the middle and a circle of teeth densely surrounded by it!

　　Do leeches have teeth?

　　When the creature realized it couldn't bite me, it started to struggle uncontrollably in my hand, with such force that I almost let it slip out of my hand.

　　"You...you should throw it away quickly!" Liu Yunlong saw me pinching it and kept urging me from behind.

　　"How can I throw it away? It will come back to bite me even if I throw it away!" I didn't know what to do. Just after I finished speaking, I was hit in the face by the other end of this guy. It felt like a big slap in the face and it hurt like a burning fire.

　　The situation is really a bit of a dilemma! If we let it go, it will definitely bite us again. It is so big and has the ability to bounce. I can't guarantee that I can catch it at the critical moment every time. But if we don't let it go, we can't kill it by pinching it. The suction cup is disgusting. I dare not even look at it!

　　This guy has been flailing around for more than ten seconds, and I feel the strength in my arms gradually disappearing. When I was swatting at its "little grandchildren" (the previous group really looked like grandchildren in terms of size), my arms had already run out of strength. Now I finally managed to accumulate a little bit, but it is about to be exhausted again.

　　Just as I was worrying about what to do, a figure suddenly rushed from behind and came to my side. Before I could see who it was, I felt a chill on my face and the leech in my hand fell to the ground.

　　I quickly wiped my face with my hands, and it was covered with that sticky dark red liquid. I almost vomited out last night's meal.

　　"Who told you two to come down?!" Zhang Shan's familiar voice sounded beside him.

　　I turned my head and saw that person squatting next to him. Who else could it be but him?

　　The guy was holding a two-foot-long machete. He had already chopped the giant leech into two halves, which fell to the ground.

　　I didn't bother to talk to him. I quickly got up and found a puddle nearby to wash my face, otherwise I really couldn't hold it anymore.

　　After washing his face, he turned around and Liu Yunlong had already started talking to him. Zhang Shan said, "You two are so brave! I brought some self-defense tools with me, but you guys came down with a flashlight each!"

　　"Yes!" Liu Yunlong pulled out a pistol from his waistband and said, "I have a gun, but it's no better than your machete!"

　　"Humph!" Zhang Shan said disdainfully, "This is not your first day using a gun. Tell me, do you dare to shoot in this small, sealed space? Aren't you afraid of being killed by a stray bullet?!"

　　"..." Liu Yunlong was completely speechless.

　　"How is it? Have you found any clues?" I walked over and asked Zhang Shan.

　　"I was just about to go downstairs when I was attracted by your voices. If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have lost this pretty boy!" Zhang Shan was still very angry.

　　I didn't want to argue with him about this matter. After all, we were both concerned about each other's safety. What was there to argue about? I had to change the subject and pointed at the dead insect on the ground and said, "What is this? How come I've never seen it before?"

　　Zhang Shan didn't say anything, but walked over, squatted on the ground and examined it carefully.

　　"Didn't you meet me on the way here?" I saw from his expression that he didn't look like he knew me.

　　After a moment, Zhang Shan stood up and shook his head and said, "I've never seen it... But I once heard from my master that there is a kind of insect that naturally likes to live in boiling water. It's called... the red flame leech!"

　　"Isn't this a leech?" Liu Yunlong also came over and said.

　　"It's a leech, but it's the legendary leech!" Zhang Shan said seriously.

　　"What do you mean?" I was a little confused by what he said.

　　"The red flame leech is also a kind of leech, but it only lives in hot, humid and dark places. Because of the difference in living environment, it is rarely found, so people think it only exists in legends." Zhang Shan picked up the half-dead insect body and said as he looked at it: "Well... I heard from Master that the red flame leech is not only red in color, but also has teeth. It seems that this thing should be it, right!"

　　"You mean... this thing is not afraid of heat? It's not even afraid of fire?!" I couldn't help but be shocked when I heard that. It seems that I have never heard of any animal on earth that can withstand high temperatures.

　　"Not really, it's just that the temperature they can survive is unbearable for humans. If the temperature is too high, they will die, after all, they are made of meat." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked me, "You didn't light a fire to burn them just now, did you?"

　　"I wanted to light it, but I didn't." I answered truthfully.

　　"Oh~It's okay, it's okay!" Zhang Shan patted his chest and kept muttering to himself, as if he had escaped a disaster.

　　"Can't this thing be roasted and eaten?" Liu Yunlong asked in confusion.

　　"You can grill them if you want, but you must not grill them here!" Zhang Shan looked at the two of us and said, "The cave walls here are covered with phosphorus, alum, and sulfur. If we light a fire, the three of us will surely die! So, don't shoot unless it's absolutely necessary!"

　　Goodness! I was shocked again when I heard it! Fortunately, I had a lot of Yin energy in my body and didn’t light it just now, otherwise it would have become a roast suckling pig by now!

　　Liu Yunlong also stuck out his tongue and changed the subject: "But this thing has grown too big, hasn't it? It's almost become a spirit!"

　　Zhang Shan threw away the dead body of the red flame leech in his hand and said, "Who knows? No one has been to this place for thousands of years. Maybe there are even bigger ones! But it's a pity. If it doesn't break, and I take one away, I'm afraid my master will be so happy to see it!"

　　"What's so good about this thing? Can it be a treasure?!" Liu Yunlong immediately asked the question I was about to ask.

　　"Of course!" Zhang Shan said seriously, "Leech are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. The red flame leech is a sacred object for healing! It is very effective in treating injuries and strokes! What a pity that you guys beat them to pieces!"

　　"…Is it valuable?" Liu Yunlong looked at the "corpses" on the ground and swallowed.

　　"The red flame leech has only been seen in ancient books, and no one has ever seen one alive. Do you think it is valuable?" Zhang Shan knew what this guy was thinking and said to him.

　　"That is to say... I just need to take some out... and that's how much I say!" Liu Yunlong's eyes had begun to glow green.

　　"What are you thinking about! This thing is so rare, there may only be this one nest, let's wipe them all out! Stop dreaming!" I interrupted his dream of getting rich at the right time and said, "Hurry up! Director Chen said that water may come at any time, let's explore it again, and if it doesn't work, we can go back!"

　　Seeing Zhang Shan nod, we didn't delay any longer. We saluted the "gold" on the ground and continued to walk deeper.

　　Chapter 28: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (4)

　　"Because the temperature in the hot spring is too high, it is still a mystery what the red flame leeches eat to sustain their lives. But judging from what happened just now, they have strong attack power." Zhang Shan recalled the records about this strange insect as he walked: "Although leeches survive by sucking blood, there is obviously no source of food for them here..."

　　"Wait! Could it be that those children were eaten by them?!" Liu Yunlong suddenly thought of this possibility.

　　"No way?" I thought for a moment and said, "Even if it eats it, what about the clothes? Can clothes be eaten? This thing isn't that big, can it eat a whole child?"

　　"They are a big family, can't they share the food?" Liu Yunlong started arguing with me again.

　　"Okay! But tell me? Did these bugs trick the kids into coming down there so they could eat them?" I stared at him. Even with my toes, I knew that if they had that ability, they would have conquered the world long ago!

　　"It's nothing strange that the child just wanted to play and ran in by himself!" Liu Yunlong still didn't give up.

　　"You're just talking nonsense! Be careful or they'll eat you too!" I said to him with a sidelong glance. This guy started to talk nonsense when he ran out of words. You know, every hot spring outlet is surrounded by a hot spring resort. With high walls and courtyards, how can a child just come in?

　　What's more, how the two children climbed up the wall remains a mystery to this day.

　　As Liu Yunlong said, the further we went down, the hotter it got. The temperature was almost reaching the "midsummer". The pants of the three of us were already soaked. Fortunately, we only wore a pair of thermal pants and a pair of outer pants, so we didn't feel any inconvenience in moving, so we didn't care.

　　I remember reading in a book that hot springs have groundwater with a higher temperature than the local area because they are very close to the earth's core heat source.

　　I was a little nervous when I thought that there might be hot lava flowing not far from my feet. It seemed that I had never seen lava in my life!

　　But even though you want to see it, it’s better not to see it here!

　　Finally, after walking for nearly three minutes, we arrived at the water diversion outlet at a lower level.

　　The space here is obviously much smaller. Zhang Shan wiped the sweat off his head and said, "We can't go any further! If we go any further, we'll be risking our lives! Let's start from here and walk back while carefully searching for clues!"

　　In fact, after standing in the middle and looking around, we found that there was no other entrance here except the road coming down from the back.

　　...The problem is...this shouldn't happen! If there is no other outlet, where does the water come from? !

　　If the water is flowing out from other openings on the two upper floors, then the only possibility is that we are going the wrong way! It seems that the bottom is not necessarily where the water flows out.

　　Zhang Shan was unwilling to admit that he had spent a lot of time on the wrong road, so he turned on the flashlight and said, "The closer you get to the water outlet, the more minerals there are on the cave wall, and the brighter it is. It's obviously brighter here than up there, so turn on your flashlights and look carefully!"

　　As soon as we turned on our flashlights, Liu Yunlong suddenly shouted, "Look here, look here!"

　　Following the beam of light in his hand, I saw a small piece of red and black object on the ground three meters ahead. The color of the object was similar to that of the surrounding stones. It would be hard to see it without taking a photo.

　　Liu Yunlong limped over. This time he was very brave. He stood by, took a look, then bent down and picked up the thing.

　　"Let's take a look! Old Zhang, you are right. This place is indeed suspicious. We may not have taken the wrong path!" Liu Yunlong said as he turned around and threw the thing to Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan caught it, and I hurried over. When he opened his palm, I saw that it was a red plastic toy car with black wheels!

　　"Hmm...it looks like there's no escape!" Zhang Shan took a look, handed it to me and said, "This shouldn't belong to the two kids from the night before. The youngest of them must be sixteen or seventeen years old. They wouldn't be able to play with this kind of thing. It must belong to one of the two kids who were lost before!"

　　"This shouldn't be something the child dropped on purpose, right?" I took it and said as I looked at it.

　　"Probably not." Zhang Shan walked over to Liu Yunlong and continued, "A child playing with this kind of toy must be very young, and it's hard for him to have mature thoughts and ideas. But how it fell here is hard to infer at the moment."

　　"Enough, it's just a small broken toy, why are you two so busy studying it?! Come over here and take another look!" Liu Yunlong walked a few steps forward from where he found the toy car, stopped by the wall, and turned back to say to us.

　　Since the rock wall in front of him was slightly concave, it was hard to see clearly even with the flashlight, so Zhang Shan and I had no choice but to walk over there.

　　I took two steps and when I shone the flashlight downwards, I accidentally saw two round things beside Liu Yunlong's feet, hidden in the dark shadow at the bottom of the depression.

　　"Wait!" I quickly pulled Zhang Shan to stop.

　　Ever since I saw the oversized red flame leech just now, I found myself somewhat sensitive and afraid of things that look like leather tubes.

　　"Liu, don't move so quickly. Take a close look at what's under your feet." Without waiting for them to ask, I told Liu Yunlong that there was something underneath and told him to wait until he could see it clearly.

　　When this guy heard what I said, he was stunned on the spot. After hesitating for a long time, he dared to lower his head and look down.

　　"Old... Old... Old Zhang!" After a moment, Liu Yunlong turned his head and said to Zhang Shan with a trembling voice: "Now... we... we are rich! But... you two must... pull me over first!"

　　"What are you two trying to do?!" Zhang Shan didn't see it and didn't know what we were talking about. He frowned and was about to go over.

　　"Don't go over there!" I shouted hurriedly.

　　"Don't come over!" Liu Yunlong shouted hurriedly.

　　Zhang Shan was so frightened by the two of us that he froze. He took half a step and then stood there, turning his head to look at me with a question mark on his face.

　　In fact, when Liu Yunlong lowered his head in a daze just now, I knew that the pile under his feet was probably another nest of red-flame leeches.

　　"There are red flame leeches under Liu's feet! Be careful not to scare them!" I reacted and reminded Zhang Shan.

　　"Huh?" Zhang Shan finally realized what was going on. He quickly squatted down and shone the flashlight towards Liu Yunlong's crotch.

　　His flashlight was better than ours, it was the kind of wolf-eye tactical flashlight used by the police, very focused. But it would have been fine if we hadn't looked at it, but when he shone it, the three of us were stunned.

　　Sure enough, there were at least two red flame leeches lying at Liu Yunlong's feet, and they were even bigger than the one just now! The one I could see the outline of was almost as thick as a thigh, turning back and forth several times, coiled there.

　　Originally they were lying quietly, curled up in a corner, but when Zhang Shan turned on the flashlight, they were awakened immediately, and now they all raised their upper bodies, opened their suckers full of teeth, and explored everywhere.

　　"Damn it!... Lao Zhang... I hate you!" Liu Yunlong's legs went weak when he saw this scene.

　　"Be quiet!" I quickly reminded him. I don't know if these insects have eyesight, but they have a strong sense of sound. Fortunately, just as Liu Yunlong finished speaking, I called him again, and these red flame leeches just shook their "heads" twice, and finally headed towards me and Zhang Shan.

　　"Bang!" Zhang Shan suddenly slapped the ground with a blade, which immediately raised the group of guys' alert level to another level.

　　"Bang!" Zhang Shan saw that it worked and immediately clapped again. At the same time, he said to me, "Be careful, I'm going to lure them over here, just don't get bitten!"

　　Seeing that all the insects were heading towards the source of the sound, Zhang Shan no longer hesitated. He knocked three times in a row, then half-crouched down, ready to go.

　　Chapter 29: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (5)

　　Sure enough, this chaotic sound immediately aroused the ferocity of the red flame leeches. After finding the direction, they all rushed towards Zhang Shan.

　　...Wow! I counted them! There were three in total. The one I saw earlier was indeed the largest one, rushing in front. The other two followed closely behind, but they were only one size smaller than the one in front, and nearly twice as big as the one I caught.

　　Looking at their big suckers covered with teeth, I even suspected that they could swallow my head in one bite!

　　"Damn it! Lao Zhang, at least leave an intact body!" Liu Yunlong escaped from danger. He turned around and saw Zhang Shan standing with his sword drawn, looking like he was ready to kill people. He hurriedly reminded him.

　　Fights often only last for a moment. When the three red flame leeches came close, Zhang Shan suddenly jumped up and kicked the largest one away, then raised his knife and cut the one on the left into two pieces.

　　At this time, the one on the right had also rushed in front of him, shrank on the ground, then bounced straight up and flew towards Changshan's face.

　　"Be careful!" I couldn't help but exclaim. The distance between this bug and Zhang Shan was too close! There was no chance for him to breathe.

　　Who is Zhang Shan? He didn't even look at him. After cutting off the first red flame leech, he just lay on the ground. Just as he fell back a little, the one on the right just flew over the original position of his head.

　　Zhang Shan's reaction was not slow at all. Although he was lying flat, he just turned the handle of the knife in his hand so that the blade was facing inward, and raised his hand to slash upwards.

　　Without any suspense, the red flame leech that was flying over his head was broken into two pieces silently.

　　With a somersault, Zhang Shan stood up with the knife in his hand.

　　Three seconds... less than three seconds. It could be said that he had dealt with the two smaller red flame leeches almost in an instant.

　　The biggest one, after being kicked away by him, fell back to where it was. It raised its "mouth" upwards and bit Liu Yunlong's crotch.

　　“Ahhhhhhh!!!” Liu Yunlong was so scared that he didn’t dare to close his legs and ran around everywhere.

　　But if you look closely, you can see that the bite of the red flame leech did not bite his flesh or important parts, but just hung on his crotch.

　　"Ahhhhh!!! Come and help!!! There's still a live one!!!" I estimated that this largest red flame leech must be at least ten or twenty kilograms. Liu Yunlong naturally couldn't run fast with it, so he jumped and shouted at us.

　　"Haha." Zhang Shan walked towards him and said, "Didn't you say to leave one alive? If we are going to keep one, let's keep the biggest one!"

　　"I don't want to keep it anymore! I don't want it anymore! You'd better find a way to get it down!!!" This guy seemed to be really scared, and his voice was a little hoarse.

　　"Don't move!" Zhang Shan walked up to him, stretched out his hand to hold Liu Yunlong's shoulder and said, "Don't move. The more you move, the looser its mouth will be. When it feels like it can't hold on any longer, it will give you another bite. Then you can expect to cry!"

　　"Oh oh!" When Liu Yunlong heard this, he didn't dare to move and stood there shaking all over.

　　It's not that he's timid, I don't think he would have blinked an eye in a gunfight with robbers. But the fear of the unknown is enough to make a courageous person lose his composure for a while.

　　Zhang Shan slowly squatted down and poked the guy with the handle of his knife. Seeing no reaction, he hit it hard on the body with the blade.

　　Seeing that there was no movement for a while, I became bolder and slowly moved closer.

　　"Oh... this is troublesome!" Zhang Shan stopped slapping it, squatted there and said, "It won't let go, what should I do? You can take off your outer pants!"

　　"Are you…are you kidding me!" Liu Yunlong said in a trembling voice, "It bit everything…except the meat! You want me to be naked!?"

　　"Pah!" "Ouch!" As soon as this guy finished speaking, the red flame leech suddenly opened its mouth and swept its tail across Zhang Shan's face.

　　Fortunately, Zhang Shan reacted quickly and raised his knife to block it. Unfortunately, it hit the blade. If it was a little sideways, this guy would have been cut in half.

　　Immediately afterwards, the huge red flame leech took advantage of the gap left by Zhang Shan's dodge and rushed out extremely quickly, disappearing into the darkness of the waterway in the blink of an eye.

　　"This thing actually has intelligence?! It even knows how to run away!" Zhang Shan supported himself and stood up, extremely surprised.

　　"My pants!!!" Liu Yunlong just looked at his crotch and cried out in pain.

　　We looked closely and found that a palm-sized piece of his pants had been torn off by the red flame leech just below his crotch. Fortunately, he was wearing warm autumn johns inside, so they were not torn. Otherwise, he would have become a pair of "open-crotch pants" worthy of the name.

　　"My genuine Jeep hiking pants! More than 500 yuan!" Liu Yunlong still cried out in pain.

　　"Come on, just be content that your penis wasn't bitten off!" I went up to comfort him and then asked Zhang Shan, "Do you want to chase that guy?"

　　"Why are we chasing it? We are not here to hunt!" Zhang Shan said, and walked to the depression where Liu Yunlong had originally stood, turned on the flashlight to check what was going on.

　　"This...something's wrong here!" As soon as he turned on the flashlight, I could see that this depression was very special. It was not like other places which were filled with round stone eggs. Instead, it was filled with various angular pieces of gravel.

　　"That's what I wanted to show you just now." Liu Yunlong finally gave up his pants and walked over to say, "Look here, doesn't it look like a passage that was supposed to be there, but ended up being blocked?"

　　"Well... don't tell me, it's very likely... barking!" Zhang Shan said as he reached out to touch the pile of stones. But after just one touch, he felt as if he was burned and quickly pulled his hand back.

　　"What's wrong?" I didn't understand his series of reactions and reached out to touch the stone wall.

　　If we only look at it from our side, the stones are stacked very neatly, almost forming a vertical plane. Therefore, the possibility of natural formation is very small, and it must be artificially piled up.

　　But what was behind it? Why did they go to so much trouble to block it?

　　"Oh! It's so hot!" As soon as my hand touched the stone, I felt a burning sensation from my fingertips and quickly retracted my arm.

　　"No wonder, I was wondering why those red flame leeches are all here." Zhang Shan sucked his burned fingers and said, "It's the hottest here, and it's the most comfortable for them, so they all come here to keep warm!"

　　"But even though it's hot here, it shouldn't be hot enough to burn the stones, right?" I felt the temperature around me, it was at most 30 or 40 degrees, not much higher than body temperature.

　　"What's behind it? Just tear down the wall and take a look," Liu Yunlong suggested.

　　Zhang Shan thought for a moment, picked up the machete in his hand, observed the stone wall again, chose a place with more small stones, inserted the tip of the knife, and tried to pry a small piece off to see the situation.

　　This stone wall is really solid! Zhang Shan poked with the tip of his knife for a long time before he managed to squeeze in a crack.

　　Because the stone wall was too hot, he dared not touch it with his hands. Zhang Shan was also afraid that he would lose control if he pushed it down violently, so he had to use force little by little, up and down, left and right. After a long time, he finally pried off a thumb-sized piece of broken stone.

　　Chapter 30: Exploration into the Center of the Earth (6)

　　After prying it off, we all looked at the small hole in the stone wall, but because the stone was too small and the wall was much thicker than it, we couldn't see anything.

　　"…This is useless. Let's get a bigger piece!" Liu Yunlong looked at it for a long time, then straightened up and said.

　　"If that doesn't work, then pry another piece from here?" Zhang Shan also knew that the piece was too small and useless. He then used the tip of the knife to push the slightly larger piece next to the small hole.

　　As I pried, I gradually discovered that some water drops were seeping out from the cracks in the stones.

　　"Stop! Stop! Stop! Don't move!" I looked around again and found that several stones near the gaps were soaked by water, so I quickly asked Zhang Shan to stop prying the stones.

　　The two men didn't know what was going on. They looked up at me and were about to speak when water suddenly spurted out of the small hole that had been pried open, immediately wetting a small area of ​​Zhang Shan's clothes.

　　…After looking at the water spout, the three of us looked at each other again. Almost at the same time, we noticed the fear in each other's eyes.

　　"...Run!!!" Zhang Shan took a last look at the small stone cave where the water column was getting bigger and bigger, and took the lead, raising his legs and running towards the road down, without even taking the knife.

　　"Hey, wait for me! I just sprained my ankle!" Zhang Shan and I had already turned around and ran several meters away, but we heard Liu Yunlong's cry for help from behind. Turning around, I saw that the guy had just taken two steps.

　　There was no choice. Zhang Shan didn't care whether Liu Yunlong was willing or not. He ran back, carried Liu Yunlong on his shoulders, and continued to run back.

　　It turned out that when the water was leaking just now, the three of us thought of one thing at the same time, the most terrible thing!

　　This was originally a hot spring waterway, but there was no water at this time.

　　Why is there no water? There are two possibilities. One is that it is really dry and there is no water; the other possibility is that the water outlet is blocked.

　　I won't talk about why it was blocked, but just now after the first stone was pried off, water began to seep out. As Zhang Shan pried the second stone, the whole stone wall gradually loosened until this delicate balance was broken and water finally began to spray out.

　　Where did the water come from? Of course it was hot spring water! Otherwise, the stone wall wouldn't be so hot. You know, there is a boiling hot spring behind it!

　　If you don't run now, when will you run?!

　　Once the entire wall collapses, we won’t be able to run away, as we’ll probably be burned to death in an instant!

　　"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Zhang Shan was carrying Liu Yunlong and urging me from behind.

　　It’s not that I don’t want to walk fast, but the ground here is bumpy and uneven, making it really inconvenient to move.

　　I finally ran to the next floor, but I was stunned.

　　"Where are we going?" I asked anxiously. When we came down just now, we had a fierce battle with the red flame leech, and we happened to run into Zhang Shan. We forgot to mark the way, and now there are three openings leading upwards, and we have no idea which one to go.

　　"Never mind! It doesn't matter which way we go! We don't have time to waste here!" Zhang Shan took a look, chose the nearest entrance, and continued to run upwards.

　　I had just taken two steps when I heard a rumbling sound coming from behind.

　　"Hurry! Hurry! The stone wall collapsed! The water is overflowing!" Liu Yunlong lay on Zhang Shan's back, and did not forget to urge me behind him.

　　It would have been fine if he hadn't said anything, but after he started yelling, I suddenly felt like a monster was chasing me. My legs and feet became unsteady and I almost fell down two or three times in a row.

　　"It doesn't matter, we still have time!" Zhang Shan is really amazing. He carried Liu Yunlong without even taking a breath, and he even turned his head to talk to me: "These two layers of space need to be filled with water before they can continue to flow upwards. In a few minutes, they will not be able to catch up with us!"

　　I was running pretty fast up there, but I didn't know what was going on when I came down, so I didn't dare to rush that fast. Now it was more important to escape, so I didn't have time to look around. The faster I could run, the more hope I had of survival.

　　After a while, we returned to the top floor.

　　At this time, from the waterway below, I could already feel a strong heat wave pushing me from behind. There was also a pungent smell in the humid air.

　　"Hurry! Hurry! We'll be at the top soon!" Zhang Shan was already panting slightly. He simply didn't bother looking for the mark he had made before, and instead went into a nearby water outlet.

　　I was just about to follow in when I suddenly felt a huge force hitting my right leg. I couldn't stand still and immediately fell to the ground at my side.

　　I looked down in panic... Oh my god! The giant red flame leech that had just escaped was biting my pants at the knees and shaking them violently.

　　"Go to hell, die, die!" The most important thing at this moment was to escape, so I didn't care about being afraid anymore. I freed up my other leg and stomped hard on the suction cup on the top of its head with the heel of my shoe.

　　"If you can't break free, stop struggling! Go back to the ground first!" Seeing that I was hit again, Zhang Shan quickly turned around, grabbed the collar of my clothes with his other hand, and pulled me up backwards.

　　"Ouch! Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!" There are small stone bumps on my back, which hurt me a lot.

　　Zhang Shan had to stop and put Liu Yunlong down again. When he turned around, I had already stood up with the help of the wall.

　　Of course, there was still that red flame leech on his knee.

　　"Don't move!" Seeing Zhang Shan raising his leg to pull it, I hurriedly stopped him, raised my hand and used the "Spirit Clearing Mantra", using the power of the earth's roundness, and poked my finger right in the middle of this thing.

　　Sure enough, after being touched by me, the red flame leech trembled a few times, finally loosened its suction cup and teeth, and lay on the ground motionless.

　　"Hey! Take it with you! It's very valuable!" Liu Yunlong shouted when he saw us turning around to leave.

　　"Are you kidding me! This thing is so heavy, can you carry it?!" I glared at him and said.

　　This red flame leech must be at least 15 or 16 pounds if not 20 pounds. He wants to run away with a big **? I am crazy! Zhang Shan didn't bother to pay attention to him. He put the guy under his armpit and continued to climb up.

　　Liu Yunlong also knew that at this moment, let alone resisting that thing, he would have to rely on others to resist it! He had to shut up.

　　Finally, there was light ahead, and we felt the hope of life again. No one spoke, but we climbed up harder.

　　But the closer they got to the cave entrance, the narrower the waterway became. This was neither the outlet from the night before nor the one from last night. The entire waterway was crooked and in some places Zhang Shan had to put Liu Yunlong down and breathe hard to squeeze through.

　　I was watching from behind, secretly worried, "Don't get any smaller! If it gets any smaller, not only will Zhang Shan not be able to get out, but we will be trapped to death underneath."

　　After a lot of effort and turning two more corners, the light became brighter and brighter, and Zhang Shan finally stopped. Then, a clanging sound came from diagonally above, which sounded like it came from an iron fence.

　　"No! We can't open it! The entrance is locked!" Zhang Shan turned around reluctantly and said to us.

　　"Then I'll go back! It's still not too late to find the original route now!" I was at the end, and without waiting for their consent, I walked backwards, wanting to return to the first level of the watershed and find the path I had taken before.

　　But the water rose much faster than we expected. As soon as I ran to the first floor, the oncoming heat wave almost made it difficult for me to breathe.

　　The cave wall was wetted by water vapor and no longer glowed. I turned on the flashlight and saw that the water had already flooded up. Although it was not deep, it was almost half a foot thick, and white mist was everywhere.

　　There is no way we can get through this! Unless we are willing to burn our feet!

　　Chapter 31: Dreams Failed

　　"Let's go back! Give me more time, maybe we can open it!" Zhang Shan rushed over and saw the situation, and immediately pulled me back.

　　Now we have to act decisively to gain the little time that is left.

　　Judging from the current situation, in a few minutes, the hot spring will rise to the outlet. If we are not able to get out from the sealed iron fence by then, we will be scalded to death or drowned.

　　We climbed back up and shook the iron fence desperately, but it couldn't be loosened. The water outlet was narrow, so we couldn't get close to it, and Zhang Shan had no leverage, only his arms, so no matter how strong he was, he couldn't do anything.

　　"Help! Help!" Just when we were at a loss, Liu Yunlong, who was sandwiched between us, suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs.

　　"Stop shouting. He was shaking the iron fence so loudly and no one heard the sound. Who else do you expect to come?" I said helplessly at the bottom.

　　"That's not certain! If you shout, someone might come; if you don't shout, you'll definitely die!" Liu Yunlong didn't think so. He turned around and said to me, then shouted: "Help! Help! If no one comes, someone will die!!!"

　　I thought about it and it made sense. If I shouted, there was still hope. If I didn’t shout, there was no hope at all.

　　Just as he was about to open his mouth to shout with him, a dark shadow suddenly flashed out from behind the fence outside, startling Zhang Shan who was shaking the fence hard.

　　"I was wondering where the noise came from. Turns out you're hiding here." An old man's voice came from the shadows.

　　When we saw him, we were overjoyed! This old man showed up just in time! I wanted to rush over and hug him and take a few bites.

　　"Open the door! Let us out!" When we saw someone outside, the three of us shouted in panic.

　　"I can let you go!" The old man said slowly and calmly, "You have to tell me first, why are you here?"

　　While he was talking, I turned around and shone my flashlight. The hot spring had already flooded into the waterway. I was afraid it would cover my head in a minute.

　　"Open the door first! I'll tell you in detail when I get out!" Zhang Shan didn't dare to provoke him, so he had to follow the old man's thoughts.

　　"Well, I won't fall for your tricks!" The old man was not confused at all, and his mind was working very fast! "Oh, I'll open the door, but I'm no match for you guys, so I can just run away!"

　　"Grandpa! The hot spring water is coming in! If you don't open the door, we will all be scalded to death in there!" I shouted as I watched the water level rising higher and higher.

　　"Oh?" The old man looked inside after hearing what I said, and then said, "Boy, don't play tricks, tell me quickly! Otherwise I will call the police. This hot spring has been dry for more than a month. You come here just like that, are you the Dragon King?"

　　"Call the police! Call them! Call them quickly!" When the three of us heard that he wanted to call the police, we wanted to call them immediately. There was no way we could communicate with this old man!

　　The old man was a little surprised and looked at us speechless for a moment. He thought that we would confess immediately after hearing that we were going to call the police, but who knew that these three "silly guys" were waiting for him to call the police!

　　"Open the door quickly! The water is really coming up! If you don't open the door, we will all be scalded to death inside! I tell you, you will be guilty of indirect murder then!" Seeing that the water was only a few meters away from my feet, I had to scare the old man.

　　"Is the water really coming?" The old man asked again when he saw that we didn't seem to be lying to him.

　　"Smell it! It's all water vapor!" Liu Yunlong reminded him to judge for himself.

　　The old man was skeptical and put his face close to the water outlet. After a moment, he suddenly stood up and ran out while shouting, "Haha! The water is coming! The water is really coming! Wife! Wife! The water is coming! We can open for business now!"

　　"Hey! Hey! Don't go! Open the door for us first!" Zhang Shan hurriedly shouted to him.

　　"Go on! Open it yourself! Haha, wife, the water is coming! Open the door to welcome the guests!..." The old man ignored everything else, reached into his waist, took out a bunch of keys, threw it to Zhang Shan, and his voice became farther and farther away.

　　"This old man... I really admire him!" Zhang Shan muttered while looking for the key.

　　"Hurry up! I can't hold it anymore!" The water had already reached my feet, and I could only push Liu Yunlong upwards with all my might.

　　"...It's open, it's open! Ouch, don't push!" Zhang Shan tried several times and finally opened the big black lock on the iron fence and was the first to get out.

　　By this time, my shoes were already wet.

　　Finally, when our hearts were about to jump out of our throats, the three of us climbed out of the water outlet one by one in a panic.

　　He was lying at the bottom of the pool, gasping for breath, when the steaming water rushed out of the outlet.

　　"Ouch!" Liu Yunlong and I were not able to dodge in time and were more or less scalded. We screamed and crawled back to the edge of the pool.

　　"Pah!" As soon as we climbed up, we heard something fall into the water from behind, splashing a lot of water.

　　Turning my head, I saw that it was the red flame leech that I had caught just now. It was washed out by the water and was floating there, motionless.

　　"Quick! Lao Zhang! Fish it out!" Liu Yunlong got excited when he saw this guy. He struggled to get up and look for salvaging tools.

　　Zhang Shan knew the value of such a big red flame leech very well, so he naturally wanted it. He immediately found a bamboo pole nearby and tried to hook the creature.

　　"Be gentle! Be gentle! Don't poke it open, or it will be worthless!" Liu Yunlong couldn't find any tools, so he could only watch Zhang Shan use a bamboo pole to push the red flame leech over little by little.

　　I had no interest in this stuff, I just watched them busying themselves there.

　　Seeing that it was only one meter away from the shore, Liu Yunlong was eager to try to pull it ashore. Who knew that the effect of the red flame leech being immobilized by me just now disappeared at this moment. It suddenly turned over, splashing water, and the hot spring water splashed all over Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan.

　　While the two were covering their faces in pain, this guy just turned around, found the water outlet, and disappeared in a flash.

　　"Hahahaha!" I sat aside, looking at their embarrassed expressions and laughing.

　　"Damn it! The gold I got just ran away like that!" Liu Yunlong put down his hands that were covering his face, feeling distressed. Seeing me gloating over his misfortune, he immediately pointed the finger at me: "Old Wang, you are such a jerk! You watched him run away and you didn't stop him! You don't care about the money, but we do!"

　　I stopped laughing, spread my hands and said to her, "Come on, stop it! The water is so hot, why don't you go down by yourself? You can't catch it and blame me! That's enough! If it's not yours, you can't get it even if you want it. You can't force it. ~"

　　"Forget it, uncle-master is right. I don't have that luck. I'm already satisfied to have seen the legendary red-flame leech! Let's go!" Zhang Shan was not too depressed. He stood up, dusted off the dust on his body, and walked out.

　　When we were leaving the compound, we happened to run into the old man who was leading his whole family, running to see the water in great joy. I returned the key to him, and the old man didn't even ask us what we were doing. He just said a few polite words like "Welcome to the hot springs", and then left us behind and led his family into the compound.

　　Chapter 32 Toy Cars

　　When we returned to the police station in the small town, it was already in chaos.

　　Director Chen was arranging people everywhere to make phone calls. When he saw the three of us walk in, he was stunned for several seconds, then rubbed his eyes vigorously, only then was he sure that he was not seeing things. He was so happy that he felt more pleased than if he had been promoted three levels in a row.

　　It turned out that they had been guarding the earliest water outlet until the water suddenly overflowed, and then they realized that something was wrong. Moreover, the water temperature was so high, under such circumstances, the chances of us getting out alive were almost zero.

　　Director Chen, realizing the seriousness of the problem, immediately called everyone together. What for? Calling the higher-ups! Notifying everyone one by one. Although the three of us were "already dead", such a big thing was not something their small town police station could handle. The earlier they reported it, the better their reputation would be.

　　We were halfway through the call when we got back to the caller, so we had to call them all again. The old man had wanted to sell it well first so that he would be punished less, but he ended up getting scolded again when he got there.

　　If I call back now, I'm sure I'll get a scolding. He just called to say he's dead, and I haven't even left yet, and now he calls again to say he's not dead. I'm sure he'll scold me!

　　But Director Chen no longer needs to worry about it. As long as we are fine, he is not afraid even if he is scolded a thousand times.

　　When we were asked about the four missing children, we were speechless again. Although the toy car almost proved that they disappeared in the same way and stayed in the same place, there was no other information or clues that could help solve the case.

　　But there was no other way. Since we had accepted the job, there was no reason to give up halfway. We had to ask Director Chen to find out about the situation on the mountain while investigating the source of the toy car.

　　While Lao Chen was out on business, we stayed in his office and repeatedly looked through the files related to this "serial kidnapping case."

　　As I was flipping through the pages, I suddenly realized that, although these four missing children were from three different families and their ages ranged from eight to seventeen, they had one thing in common - they all had the surname Shan.

　　I quickly told Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong about this discovery.

　　"Hmm... the surname Dan is not common. Could there be a connection between them?" Liu Yunlong pondered.

　　"No, the surname Shan is not uncommon here." Zhang Shan heard him say this and continued, "Shan comes from the surname Ji. Do you know King Cheng of Zhou, Ji Song? He is the grandson of King Wen of Zhou and the son of King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa. It was this Ji Song who, after ascending the throne, granted his youngest son Zhen the title of Shanyi, which is now in the southeast of Mengjin County, Henan Province. So Ji Zhen's clan took the title of the fief as their surname and changed it to Shan. Later, several branches crossed the Yellow River and came to the foot of Taihang Mountain. So there are many people with the surname Shan here! My master's village is called Shanjia Village."

　　When he said that, I remembered that I had heard the name Shanjia Village when I dreamed of his master before.

　　"Could this be related to your master's village?" Liu Yunlong asked after listening.

　　"It shouldn't be!" Zhang Shan thought for a moment, then continued, "Even if Chen Dong is not dead, what's the point of arresting people from my master's village to deal with us? They are strangers and not our relatives, so why not arrest anyone?"

　　"Yes, and besides, when the first child was lost, we hadn't even decided on the itinerary, but Chen Dong knew that we would settle here? He's amazing!" I looked at the file and added.

　　"That's weird..." Liu Yunlong scratched his head and said, "Even if it's very common here, this isn't Shanjia Village. If you randomly pick anyone with the surname Shan..."

　　As he was speaking, a police officer pushed the door open and saw us all there. He said, "Three leaders, the owner of the toy car has been found. Do you want to meet him?"

　　"Let's go and take a look!" Liu Yunlong was obsessed with solving the case like guessing a riddle. He didn't care who was responsible, as long as they were involved, he would not let them go. As he said this, he walked out of the house.

　　On the way, I heard the police officer say that the child with the toy car was the second one among the four to be lost.

　　We arrived at a place that looked like a meeting room. Outside the door, we heard a middle-aged woman crying loudly: "Oh my child!... Who is this bastard!... Woohoo... How can they do such a heartless thing!..."

　　When I walked in, I saw a man and a woman sitting on the sofa against the wall. They were in their thirties. The woman had already burst into tears. Although the man's eyes were also red and swollen, he still endured it and supported his wife by the side.

　　"Okay, stop crying! The leaders of the Municipal Bureau are here to handle this case. You must answer carefully whatever they ask!" After the policeman who brought us here said a few words, he saw that the woman's emotions had eased, so he took the initiative to leave.

　　We moved three chairs over and the three of us sat opposite the two of them. We waited until the woman was sure she had stopped sobbing before we started asking her questions.

　　The man next to us looked at us with a look of distrust in his eyes.

　　It's no wonder. The three of us are not very old. Zhang Shan is probably in his thirties. He doesn't have any worries at this age. You can't tell from his face.

　　"Is this toy car your child's?" Seeing that the woman had finally stopped crying, Liu Yunlong pointed at the toy car in his hand and asked.

　　"It's our child. I wonder where the leaders found it?" The man took care of his wife's feelings and spoke up.

　　"In..." Zhang Shan was about to speak, but Liu Yunlong pinched him from behind and said, "We found it by chance in an empty house on the edge of town. Can you tell me in detail how your child got lost that day?"

　　I know Liu Yunlong has no other intentions in doing this. Zhang Shan is good at fighting, and Liu Yunlong is naturally the boss when it comes to handling cases. The reason why he wanted to stop Zhang Shan was just because he was afraid that this guy would be straightforward and expose the real location, which would bring an extremely heavy blow to the child's family.

　　After all, no one dared to go into the hot spring outlet. When the parents knew about it, it would be hard not to think badly. When they got emotional, it would be difficult for us to ask them questions later.

　　The couple calmed down and gave us a brief account of how their child went missing five days ago:

　　After dinner that day, the child played with his car in the yard. When the woman called the child to do his homework twice, she could still hear the answer from the yard.

　　When she called out for the third time, there was no response. The mother became a little angry and walked out of the house to bring the child back.

　　But when she opened the door, she was dumbfounded. There was no trace of her son in the yard.

　　They thought the child was mischievous and had hidden himself or had run out to play, but the couple searched the town all night and couldn't find him. Only then did they realize that something serious had happened, and they hurriedly called the police.

　　Since that night, there has been no news from the child.

　　After hearing this, the three of us looked at each other in bewilderment. This was just an ordinary missing person case. The child was lost at night when no one was watching him. There was nothing special about it.

　　If there is anything special about it, it is only because the place the child went to after he went missing was quite special. But this is of no help in solving the case.

　　"Nothing else? Think about it again." Liu Yunlong was stunned for a moment before asking.

　　"Gone. From the last time he promised me to the time I left, less than half a minute passed. He was lost just like that. Wuuwu..." The woman started crying again as she spoke.

　　"Think about it again, what happened before dinner? Did the child have any special behavior? Or did he meet any special people or things?" I continued to ask, unwilling to give up.

　　Chapter 33 Good News Bad News

　　"...If you put it that way, then I remember one thing, which is..." The man stopped talking halfway, hesitating, not knowing whether he should say it or not.

　　"It's okay, just tell me! We won't tell anyone else what you said today! Don't worry!" Liu Yunlong saw that there was a chance and immediately comforted him.

　　"...Before dinner that day, the sun had just set and it was not yet completely dark. I came back from the fields and walked to the door of my house, and I heard our kid talking to someone in the yard. But when I entered the yard, the kid was the only one eating candy." The man paused, then continued: "I asked the kid who he was talking to, but he had candy in his mouth and couldn't speak clearly. I didn't take it seriously at the time. It's normal for a child to talk to himself. You see... does this count as..."

　　"Do you still remember what the child said to himself at that time?" Liu Yunlong asked.

　　"...I don't remember! I didn't care about it at that time, so how could I remember it?" The man thought for a long time and said in annoyance.

　　We asked some other questions but couldn't find any breakthrough, so we had to send them home and wait for news.

　　After the two of them left, I asked Liu Yunlong, "Did you find anything?"

　　“If I have to say one, I think it’s probably related to the child’s self-talk,” Liu Yunlong said uncertainly.

　　"He's not necessarily talking to himself." Zhang Shan stretched his neck and interrupted.

　　"You mean... he is talking to the soul or nightmare?!" I immediately understood what Zhang Shan meant.

　　"Can't ordinary people see those things?" Liu Yunlong had some exposure to them. He and Zhang Shan couldn't see them without special methods, so naturally he asked this question.

　　"That's for adults. Children can see a lot of it. As long as those people are willing, they can see it." Zhang Shan said, leaning back in his chair.

　　"Then... who could it be? Chen Dong is not... Zhao Youde?!" I jumped up at once. If it was really Zhao Youde, then... then could the backs of him and Ni Qian that I saw last night be true? ! But... my sister clearly said that she saw the girl's car drive away, this shouldn't be right!

　　"Don't guess blindly. You're just scaring yourself! You haven't even seen a ghost, and you're already taking it for granted!" Liu Yunlong pulled me to sit down again.

　　"Well, uncle, you don't have to be too nervous. Zhao Youde is not the only one who did bad things." Zhang Shan also comforted him: "Anyway, nothing is clear now, let's wait and see! Even if it is Zhao Youde, you can't find him, right?"

　　I thought so too. If you are really worried, then you can ask Song Dongfeng to use his connections to find her home phone number and call her to find out what is going on. "

　　After being bored for a long time and still unable to figure out anything, we left the house and planned to go to the street to find something to eat.

　　As soon as I got downstairs, I saw Director Chen walking in from outside with a happy face.

　　"Wow, look at your enthusiasm, have you solved the case?!" Liu Yunlong greeted with sarcasm.

　　"Hehe!" Director Chen saw us laughing foolishly, not caring about the thorns in Liu Yunlong's words, and even joked with us: "One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

　　"Whatever, just say what you want to say first." Liu Yunlong was a little depressed. He didn't expect to tease others, but he was teased instead.

　　"Then let me tell you the good news first!" Director Chen's smile faded slightly, and he stopped in front of us and said, "A suspect has just been arrested in the kidnapping case!"

　　"Oh?" We all became interested and asked, "Who is it?"

　　"Jiang Yigui, the scrap collector at the west end of the town!" Director Chen said proudly.

　　“……”The three of us looked at each other in surprise.

　　"Where's the clue?" Liu Yunlong asked hurriedly. What he meant was, how did you find out?

　　"Hehe, what a coincidence!" The case finally had a clue, and it was their own clues that found it. Director Chen's confidence was obviously strengthened: "This morning, when our people were investigating, they saw Jiang Yigui's little girl wearing a new blue cotton jacket for boys. Someone thought it looked familiar, and thought that this cotton jacket, from the color, style to the pattern on it, was exactly the same as the one worn by the first lost child. So we went to his house to ask. We thought that this old guy had picked it up somewhere, but when we pushed open the door of their small shabby house, guess what? The bed in the middle of the room was full of money, and the old guy didn't even take the rags, and was counting the money there! When we controlled him and counted it, there was a full six thousand yuan!"

　　"That's all?" Liu Yunlong asked when he saw him stop, because these things were not enough to make him a suspect.

　　"Of course!" Director Chen continued, "Human trafficking often happens in our mountainous area. So we know the price. It's 5,000 for girls and 7,000 for boys. Starting from the age of six, the price will be reduced by 500 for every three years older. The money in his hand is probably the stolen money from trafficking four children! And most importantly, this guy can't explain the specific source of the 6,000 yuan!"

　　"Even if it's stolen money, it's not enough!" I calculated it. The minimum amount for each child is 5,000 yuan. If they are older than that, another 2,000 yuan will be deducted for each person. That's 12,000 yuan in total. 6,000 yuan is far from enough!

　　"Don't be impatient, listen to me!" Director Chen was in high spirits, and interrupted me cheerfully, "We estimate that Jiang Yigui is at most a troublemaker, and there must be other people behind the scenes instructing this old guy! He took the lead in kidnapping the children, and then handed them over to the people behind the scenes. Those guys transported the children to more remote places and sold them at high prices, and what they gave him was just a small amount."

　　"Nowadays, it shouldn't be difficult for a rag collector to save five or six thousand, right?" Liu Yunlong thought, supporting his chin.

　　"The problem is that this old guy likes to gamble!" It seems that Director Chen knows Jiang Yigui's background very well. "His family was not poor in the early years, and there were many people and land in the family. Who knew that this guy got addicted to gambling just one year after getting married, and lost all his family property in less than five years. His parents were mad at him and his wife ran away with someone else. This guy always borrowed money and never paid it back. His brothers and sisters stopped associating with him. In the end, he was left alone with his two daughters, living in a shabby yard at the west end of the town, and living by picking up rags. On weekdays, this old guy would go gambling if he had a lot of money. If he didn't have enough money, he would buy some wine and get drunk at home for two or three days. He would not even collect any rags! Do you think he can save money?!"

　　"So what did he say?" Zhang Shan interrupted.

　　"Hmph~ What else can I say? The cotton-padded jacket was picked up, and the money was picked up too!" Director Chen snorted, meaning that he didn't believe what he said at all.

　　"Then what about the toy car we picked up at the hot spring outlet? This Jiang Yigui is also from your town, right? He would know that going into the hot spring outlet is a life-threatening situation?" I seized on this point and asked Director Chen.

　　"Hey! People are crazy about money, and they can do anything." Director Chen thought it was natural. "Don't worry, we will start preparing for a surprise interrogation immediately. As long as this old guy makes a move, we will know everything! We will try to make him collapse before tomorrow morning! We will also have enough time to chase a few children."

　　"Okay, we won't care about the rest! Just remember one thing: torture is strictly prohibited!" Seeing that he had no intention of inviting us to join the interrogation, Liu Yunlong wisely chose to let it go.

　　"Don't worry! With you big leaders here, who can we hide our little tricks from? We promise to do it cleanly and never do anything!" Director Chen patted his chest and made the promise. Perhaps he was afraid that we would feel a little disappointed, so he added, "You guys go eat first! I'll go get ready. The trial will start after lunch. If you are interested, you are welcome to supervise!"

　　"We won't participate! All the credit goes to you... Alas! Alas! Don't go. There's still some bad news you haven't told me yet!" When Liu Yunlong saw him turn around and leave after he finished speaking, he hurriedly grabbed him and asked.

　　Chapter 34 Military Restricted Area

　　"Ouch! Look at my brain!" Director Chen was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and patted his forehead and said, "It's not bad news. This morning, a lot of soldiers were brought to the mountain. They said there was an emergency in a village up there and they went to rescue. Then, starting this morning, the mountain was temporarily closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave."

　　"What?!" I was immediately anxious. If I was not allowed to go up the mountain, how could this work? Did I have to go to that old man's house with Zhang Shan?

　　"Why are you in such a hurry, Lao Wang? Who are we? Who can stop us?" Liu Yunlong came up to me and patted my shoulder and said, "With our ID, even if the leaders come, we can squeeze in!"

　　"Ladies and gentlemen, I have brought you the news. As for how to arrange it, I will not interfere." Director Chen saw that we all had different expressions on our faces, and said, "I will not accompany you any longer. Of course, if you can't leave today, you can come back, and I will cover all your food and lodging! I'm leaving first!" After saying that, he rushed into the police station in a hurry without waiting for us to express our opinions.

　　"Let's go! Let's eat first, and then we'll go take a look!" Liu Yunlong pulled me and said as we walked out.

　　After eating something on the street, we followed Zhang Shan to the intersection leading up the mountain.

　　Sure enough, there were two armed militiamen standing at the entrance of the mountain road, dressed like bears. When they saw us approaching, they quickly stretched out their hands and said, "The mountain is closed due to heavy snow. For your safety, you are not allowed to go up the mountain these days. Friends, go back!"

　　"We are from the Criminal Investigation Team of the Municipal Bureau. We have discussed with your Director Chen. We have a case on hand and we need to go up the mountain to collect evidence immediately. We will bear the consequences ourselves and will never implicate you!" Liu Yunlong shook my "Chenghuang Temple Work Permit" for a while, then quickly put it away and said in a high-sounding manner.

　　"Oh..." The militiaman standing in front of them was obviously stunned, and said, "We have no problem. We can let you pass. However, there is another military sentry not far up. Whether you can pass or not depends on how you communicate."

　　"Then don't worry, we will naturally find a way!" Liu Yunlong said confidently, and led us up the mountain.

　　You won't know until you walk. Once you walk, your heart will race. This snowy mountain road is extremely difficult to walk on! The slopes are steep and the bends are wide. Even when walking, I slip every three steps and fall every five steps. There were several times when I slipped and slid down a long way in an instant. If this place was not at the foot of the mountain, I would have fallen to my death.

　　As a result, it took us more than an hour to get from the town to the back of the mountain, a three or five mile mountain road that usually takes ten to twenty minutes to walk.

　　From a distance, I could see a relatively spacious area ahead, which was fenced off. Several soldiers with guns and wearing military coats were walking back and forth behind it.

　　Soon, they also saw us and became alert.

　　When we were about 20 meters away from the sentry post, the soldiers had already loaded their guns. One of them shouted at us, "Stop! Don't go any further. The area ahead is temporarily designated as a military management area. No outsiders are allowed to enter!"

　　"We are affiliated with the Ninth Department of the General Staff of the State Staff, and this is our work ID!" Liu Yunlong was prepared. He held up my work ID and shouted to the other side.

　　"...You, come here with your ID and raise your hands above your head!" After a brief conversation, several soldiers agreed to let Liu Yunlong go over to communicate.

　　"Here you go! Go ahead! This is your ID." Liu Yunlong stuffed his work ID into my hand and said, "Listen to them, raise your hands, and don't make any sudden movements!"

　　"...You guy, you didn't even bring your ID when you went out, and you just followed us around!" I muttered, raised my hands, and slowly walked towards them.

　　I walked closer and handed my ID to a soldier who looked like the squad leader, and then I was about to put my arm down.

　　"Hold it up! Don't move!" they shouted as soon as they saw me retracting my arms.

　　"That's not a big deal~!" I gave a helpless smile. Even though I was complaining, I still obediently raised my arm up again.

　　"...Is this your ID?" The squad leader looked at it for a long time, closed the book, handed it to me and said, "Okay, put your arms down first!"

　　"Isn't there a photo on it? Can't you see it?" I took it and said unhappily.

　　"It's true that the seal is from the Ninth Department of the General Staff, but we're not very familiar with the unit 'Zhengzhou City God Temple Management Committee', so I'm sorry, we can't let you pass!" Although the squad leader said it politely, he didn't give any face at all when he did it.

　　"Have you heard of the Security Investigation Bureau? The Confidential Incident Investigation Bureau!" I reminded him.

　　The monitor then shook his head.

　　"...Then what do you have to do to let us pass?" I was at a loss and had to ask him for a solution.

　　"As long as our superiors give the order and specify that you three can enter, that's fine." The conditions the squad leader mentioned were not very difficult.

　　"No problem. Tell me the contact information of your superiors." I took out my phone and continued, "It's best if they are at the regimental level or above. I'm afraid they will also..."

　　I stopped talking halfway because my cell phone had no signal!

　　"Haha, in this military-controlled area, ordinary mobile phones have no signal, so you have to think of other ways." The squad leader looked at me happily.

　　"...Hey? Don't you have a walkie-talkie? Just lend it to me!" I saw a walkie-talkie on the shoulder of one of the soldiers' coat, and hurriedly said.

　　"I'm sorry, we can only accept orders and do not have the authority to report to our superiors." The squad leader decisively rejected my request.

　　"...Then aren't you making things difficult for me? You know there's no signal, so how can you ask me to contact anyone? You have tools, but you won't lend them to me!" I was a little angry. It took me more than an hour to get here, but I couldn't get through.

　　"So, please go back first, all three of you. Come back after you contact my superior!" The squad leader finally spoke his true feelings.

　　"You..." I was so angry that I was speechless.

　　"Uncle-master, let's go if it doesn't work!" Zhang Shan shouted from behind when he saw that I had been negotiating for a long time without any result.

　　"Can you tell me what happened up there?" I had no choice but to ask.

　　"Sorry, no comment!"

　　"avalanche?"

　　"Sorry, confidential!"

　　"… a major case?"

　　"Sorry, confidential!"

　　"Is it related to Slate Village? You can always tell me, right?"

　　"Sorry, it's all confidential!"

　　"...Okay, bye!" I completely lost my temper, rolled my eyes at them, turned around and walked back.

　　"What's going on?" Liu Yunlong and the others couldn't hear what I said clearly, so they asked hurriedly.

　　"It's useless. No matter how many nice things I said, they said that without notification from our superiors, no one, even the Lord, is allowed to come!" I said through gritted teeth, feeling very angry.

　　"Then let's contact their leader!" Liu Yunlong said as he took out his cell phone.

　　"It's useless, there is no signal in the military control area!" I felt like the squad leader at this moment, and began to make Liu Yunlong helpless.

　　"... Damn it!" Liu Yunlong was unwilling to give up and dialed another number, only to find out that he really couldn't get through.

　　"Then let's go back! Wait until we contact someone, or wait until they withdraw, then we'll go up." Zhang Shan was determined to go to the old man's house where Liu Yaer was staying. It didn't matter to him whether he could go up or not.

　　"Hey? Do you think this will work?" Liu Yunlong was fiddling with his phone when he suddenly pulled us to the side of the cliff and said, "Let's go around behind them from below, then climb up, and we can get on top, right?"

　　Chapter 35: Town Gathering

　　"Are you kidding?! Are you looking for death?" I looked around. Although this place was not high, only 20 to 30 meters from the ground, it would be easy for someone to fall to death.

　　"Besides, if you want to climb up, you need a rope, right? Do you expect someone to throw a rope down to you?" I continued to deny without waiting for Liu Yunlong to respond.

　　"Haha, let's go! Even if someone throws a rope from here, you think it will be easy to walk down there?" Zhang Shan also looked down and said, "Don't think it's flat down there. It will take you at least a day to walk from the town to here! There is no road down there."

　　There was no choice but to turn around and leave. If looks could make people faint, these soldiers would have fallen down long ago.

　　More than an hour later, the three of us stumbled back to town. It turned out that going down the mountain was more dangerous than going up. If we were not afraid of flying out, we would have just sat on the ground and slid down.

　　When we were almost at the town, my cell phone finally got a signal, and I quickly contacted Song Dongfeng, wanting him to help coordinate and ensure that we could get up the mountain as soon as possible.

　　But for the first time, this guy's phone couldn't be reached, which left us at a loss as to what to do.

　　Seeing that it would be dark in just over an hour, we were at a loss. We had been in this town for three days, but not only had we not made any progress, the situation was getting more and more complicated. From the "willow man" to the child kidnapping case, to the military closing the mountain, it seemed that this remote town had not calmed down because of the snowfall. There were all kinds of people and all kinds of emergencies.

　　It really fits Liu Yunlong's joke - wherever we are, there will be unrest!

　　The police station was conducting a surprise interrogation of a kidnapping suspect, and we didn't want to get involved, so we didn't plan to go over.

　　But it’s so cold, I can’t just walk around the streets all the time.

　　Just as they were discussing whether to find a place to warm up first, a man's voice sounded behind them: "Three brothers, are you planning to go up the mountain?"

　　Turning around, I saw a handsome young man standing in the street. Although the clothes he was wearing were a bit old-fashioned, he was definitely not older than Liu Yunlong and me.

　　"...What's the matter?" Zhang Shan looked at him with confusion, and there was a hint of caution in his words.

　　"Haha, I know a small path that can take you up. I wonder if you guys are interested?" The young man smiled at us and said slowly.

　　"Oh? Could it be that we have met someone kind-hearted? Tell me, what are the conditions?" Liu Yunlong didn't believe that he was so willing to help.

　　"Hey, it's so cold today and it just snowed. It's not too much for me to charge you a little money for guiding you, right?" The young man was not embarrassed at all when he saw through Liu Yunlong and simply admitted it openly.

　　"Tell me, how much?" Zhang Shan never likes talking nonsense.

　　"This big brother is still straightforward! Not much, just this number!" The young man stretched out his right hand, opened his palm, and made a five.

　　"Fifty? Okay! Let's go!" Liu Yunlong saw that the price was right and agreed immediately without bargaining.

　　It turns out that the money spent was not his!

　　"Hey, big brother, what are you talking about? On this day, on this road, at this time, fifty will be enough?" The young man said to Liu Yunlong without moving, "You look like generous people, why do you care about this little money? Just add a zero!"

　　"Five hundred?!" Liu Yunlong just took a step and stared at him with wide eyes, saying, "Why don't you just go and rob?! Five hundred just for leading the way! If money was so easy to earn, I would lead the way every day!"

　　"Haha, don't be anxious! Even if the deal fails, there is still friendship." The young man continued cheerfully, "The main road, the road that people often take, is naturally not worth this price. If you take the winding mountain road, I will take you there, and asking you for a piece of it will be like blackmailing you. But this road is different. Not only is no one aware of it, but there will definitely be no soldiers guarding it. You can go wherever you want..."

　　"Okay, okay, stop teasing them!" I suddenly interrupted the young man without waiting for him to speak.

　　The young man was obviously stunned, and looked at me in surprise and said, "You can see this?!"

　　"I didn't actually notice it." I told the truth, pointing to my nose and said, "I smelled it!"

　　"...Your nose is almost as sharp as mine...I'm really impressed by you!" The young man's expression became noticeably gloomy, and he said helplessly.

　　Liu Yunlong looked at us, talking to each other, but he couldn't understand anything. He couldn't help but ask, "Lao Wang, what's going on? Do you know each other?"

　　"We've had enough fun, let's get down to business! How about 'Master Liu'?" I looked at him and emphasized the last three words.

　　This young man was Liu Yaer.

　　In fact, I couldn't recognize him at first because of the makeup he put on this time.

　　But for some reason, in the past few days, my sense of smell, hearing, and vision have been significantly enhanced. This should be the credit of those pupil seals.

　　So, when he appeared, I felt a faint smell lingering around. I can't say whether it smells good or bad. But there is one thing, normal humans, like Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan, don't have this smell. Of course, you want me to blindfold myself and rely on my nose to judge whether it is Zhang Shan or Liu Yunlong standing in front of me? I haven't reached that high level yet.

　　At first I thought he was a ghost or a nightmare, but I immediately dismissed the idea. Not only could Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong not see him, but it was still afternoon, broad daylight, and it was impossible for a ghost or a nightmare to run around at this time.

　　Then I thought of Liu Yaer, because we had agreed last night to meet in town today.

　　But I couldn't be sure at the moment, so I kept quiet and continued observing.

　　After watching for a while, I finally discovered that this young man was extremely similar to Liu Yaer in terms of the way he spoke, his small movements, and his facial expressions.

　　You know, it is not difficult for a person to disguise himself as another person, but it is difficult to turn off his original subconscious movements and postures. These movements are formed through years of habit, and they cannot be changed just by saying so.

　　It's like a person who is used to crossing his legs. Even if he changes his body and face, he will probably still cross his legs first when he sits down.

　　This is a subconscious habit.

　　So, after discovering and confirming these small movements , I immediately judged that the young man in front of me was Liu Yaer!

　　"You...you old guy are really good at it! You can change anything you want! Can I learn it? Come back and teach me!" Liu Yunlong walked over, looked around, and exclaimed.

　　"What are you talking about? I'm only four years old!" Liu Yaer said with a smile, "This is a very common disguise technique, but no one is learning it now. If you want to learn it, I can teach you! You will learn it in three days, and the fee is one thousand a day!"

　　Oh, I understand now. Although he used a high-level sleight of hand yesterday, it was a magic after all, so I could see through it. Today, this guy just painted on his face to change his appearance, and even if I have a sharp eye, I can't see it.

　　"... Damn, are you obsessed with money?" Liu Yunlong became depressed when he heard that he would have to pay more.

　　"Okay, let's get down to business!" Zhang Shan looked up at the sky and said, "How long will it take to get up the mountain by the small path? Can we get there before dark?"

　　"Don't be in a hurry. Let me ask you a question first. I just saw you coming down the road from Banyan Village. Are you going to Banyan Village first? Or are you going to my benefactor's house first?" Liu Yaer changed her playful expression and said seriously.

　　Chapter 36: Small Money Scam

　　PS: After careful reading by several netizens including Tianya Jinse Sanhexian, Liu Yaer's age is now changed to six years old. All websites are hereby notified. Thank you everyone!

　　Chapter 36: Small Money Scam

　　"Can your secret passage lead to Banyan Village?!" When I heard him say that, my hope was instantly rekindled.

　　If I can really get through, I don't mind taking a walk.

　　"Yes, do you see those two hills?" Liu Yaer said, pointing to two mountains of similar height behind the town, and then said: "The road is in the middle of these two mountains, and Banyan Village and my benefactor's home are respectively halfway up the two mountains. So, as long as we can pass the Huangya Ridge in the middle of the mountain and get to the back, we can go anywhere we want!"

　　"Huang Ya Ridge?!" Zhang Shan was visibly shocked when he heard these three words.

　　"Haha, you've heard of it too? That's rare. Nowadays, very few people know about Wild Crow Ridge." Liu Yaer was not at all surprised by Zhang Shan's reaction.

　　"Could it be... that this place really exists? I thought it was just a legend!" Zhang Shan had a look of disbelief on his face.

　　Liu Yaer said disdainfully: "Of course, most legends are based on facts. Things that are imagined out of thin air cannot stand up to scrutiny!"

　　"What is Huang Ya Ridge?" After listening to them talking for a while, Liu Yunlong and I didn't understand what was new and couldn't help asking.

　　"Huang Ya Ling is a village." Zhang Shan told me, and then immediately turned to ask Liu Yaer, "I grew up in the mountains nearby, so why don't I know about it?"

　　"Think about it! Such a big thing happened back then, how could the higher-ups not know about it?" Liu Yaer paused, then continued, "This kind of thing can neither be explained nor handled, so we can only make up a pretext and get away with it."

　　"Military restricted area?" Zhang Shan suddenly came up with this word.

　　"Yes! You will know if you observe carefully. It is said to be a military restricted area, but have you seen any troops coming in or out over the years?" Liu Ya reminded Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan was silent, obviously comparing Liu Yaer's words with his memory to test their authenticity.

　　"What exactly is going on? Can you please let us figure it out first?" Liu Yunlong listened in confusion for a long time and couldn't hold it in any longer, so he said angrily.

　　"It's a long story. I'll tell you in detail later." Liu Yaer looked at us and said seriously, "I'll ask you one last time. Wild Crow Ridge is very dangerous. There's almost no way back. Do you really want to leave?"

　　"Let's go!" Zhang Shan and I answered firmly at the same time. Although our answers were the same, our goals were obviously different.

　　"...Can I figure this out first before making a decision?" Liu Yunlong raised his hand weakly.

　　"Well, Liu, you wait for me in the town! When I finish my work, we can go back together." I discussed with him. Since it was dangerous, he shouldn't be allowed to go with us.

　　"Damn it! I'm already here, and you want to kick me out? No way! I didn't say I wouldn't go! Damn it, how big of a deal?!" Liu Yunlong became unwilling when he heard what I said.

　　I regretted a little. How could I have forgotten this guy's temper? If I had known earlier, I would not have said that. Maybe I could have persuaded him to stay in town. Now, there is no hope at all. Once this kid makes a decision, no one can pull him back.

　　"Let's go, let's go! Hurry up! We can talk on the way!... Well, where should we go first?" Since Liu Yunlong had decided to go, he didn't think too much about it and began to urge to hurry up.

　　"Haha, don't be anxious. That's right. Where are we going first? Let's make a deal. Are you going to Banyan Village or to my benefactor's house?" Liu Yaer also asked, standing aside.

　　"This...what's the difference?" I looked at him, puzzled. "No matter where we go, we have to pass through Wild Crow Ridge anyway, so we can talk about it after we pass it!"

　　"No, no! It's not the same!" After hearing what I said, Liu Yaer hurriedly waved his hands and said, "If you go to my benefactor's house, I will not only provide you with protection, but also lead the way for free; if you want to go to Banyan Village, I'm sorry, it will cost you one thousand five hundred yuan! If you want to seek protection, I will add another one thousand fifteen!" After that, he spread his palms towards me.

　　"What...what do you mean?" I was confused again. Why did this guy suddenly talk about money again?

　　"Haha, I went to my benefactor's house to see if the big guy is really my benefactor's son. This is what he told me before he left, so of course I have to do it. But if we go to Banyan Village, I only have the obligation to lead the way, and of course I have to charge some hard work fees!" Liu Yaer said to me happily.

　　"You just said five hundred, how come it has doubled in just a moment?!" Liu Yunlong said unhappily.

　　"I said five hundred per person. For the three of you, of course it's fifteen hundred!" Liu Yaer kept her hand stretched out, without any embarrassed expression.

　　"You..." I looked at him, speechless. It seemed that this guy was really obsessed with money!

　　"After passing Huangya Ridge, is it closer to go to Banyan Village first, or to the old man's house first?" Zhang Shan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked.

　　"Well...it takes another five or six hours to get to Banyan Village, but it only takes two hours to get to my benefactor's house." Liu Yaer thought for a moment and replied.

　　"Okay! Let's go to the old man's house first!" Zhang Shan said decisively.

　　"Okay! Give me fifteen hundred yuan!" Liu Yaer still didn't move and stretched out her hand.

　　"What are you doing? We said we would go to the old man's house first, and you still want money?!" Liu Yunlong said as he was about to hit his hand.

　　Liu Yaer quickly shrank back, took a step back, and said with a sly smile: "Deposit! I brought you here, and when the time comes, you will go to Banyan Village, and I can't beat the three of you. Isn't it a waste of effort?!"

　　"Damn, you're such a fox! Do you think we are all like you?" Liu Yunlong looked depressed and helpless.

　　"Then I don't care! This is the price anyway. Once you leave my benefactor's house, I will return you every penny. Think about it for yourself! Go or not!" Liu Yaer didn't worry at all that we wouldn't pay, because apart from him, we had no other way to go up the mountain for the time being.

　　"Okay, okay! Here you go!" I said, taking out money from the inner pocket of my cotton-padded jacket and counting out fifteen bills for him. When the guy saw the money, his expression changed immediately and he took it happily.

　　Seeing him counting money, Liu Yunlong couldn't help but sarcastically said, "You are also the famous 'Master Liu' in the area. You must have a fortune of millions, right? How can you be so happy with such a small amount of money?"

　　"Who told you I'm here to make money?" Liu Yaer raised her head and said with a serious face, "I have the instruction of my benefactor not to use my magic to deceive the people without permission! How could you see with your eyes or hear with your ears that I asked for money from others?!"

　　"Damn, you're asking us for money now!" Liu Yunlong finally got hold of something.

　　"What's wrong with charging you for leading the way? I didn't use any magic, and I didn't lie to you!" Liu Yaer argued.

　　"You haven't even shown me the way yet, but you've already taken my money. We don't know whether you've cheated us or not." Liu Yunlong was unyielding.

　　"Tsk! Okay! Even if I give you the money, I still don't want to go! You can go find whoever you want!" Liu Yaer stuffed the money back into my hand and said pretending to be angry.

　　I still gave him the money, and with the idea that since I had given it, I should make peace with it, and started discussing practical issues: "No more quarreling, I trust you! The money has been given, how are we going? What do I need to prepare?"

　　"Hey, there's nothing to prepare." Liu Yaer took the 1,500 yuan, counted it over and over again without even looking at the three of us, and said, "Find some flashlights, we'll set off right away!"

　　"Leaving today? Is there still time?" I looked down at my watch. It would be dark in about an hour. It would be great if nothing went wrong when walking on the mountain road at night!

　　Chapter 37: Legend of the Wild Crow

　　"That's right! There's miasma everywhere in Huangyao Ridge during the day, and you can't get through at all. It's better at night. So, you have to go at night!" Liu Yaer put away the money and said.

　　"Have you been there? Don't talk nicely and fail when you get there!" Liu Yunlong didn't get along with him at all and would ridicule him whenever he got the chance.

　　"Humph, you must be joking!" It was probably rare for someone to be willing to joke with Liu Yaer. "I was born next to the Wild Crow Ridge, and I know the roads there like my own home! I can even walk out with my eyes closed!"

　　"Then why is it dangerous for us to leave, but not for you?" Liu Yunlong asked.

　　"He used to be a fox!" Zhang Shan interjected at the right time.

　　"It's not dangerous for me to leave now! The smell on me is different from yours, and the things inside won't bother me!" Liu Yaer said proudly.

　　I believe this because he does have a certain aura that ordinary people don't have.

　　In order to save money, we went back to the police station and got three flashlights, and Liu Yunlong also brought out a pistol. In order to reach Huang Ya Ling before sunset, we didn't even have time to eat, so we just bought a few breads and put them in our pockets, and the four of us hurriedly moved towards the gap between the two mountains.

　　On the way, Liu Yaer couldn't stand the questioning from Liu Yunlong and me, so she had to tell the story of Huang Yaling from the beginning. Zhang Shan didn't really understand it, so he just listened along.

　　It turns out that Huangya Ridge is not a mountain range, but a narrow valley sandwiched between two mountains.

　　The name of Huangyaling is not passed down from ancient times. No one knows what it was called before. This name is the general term used by people nearby to refer to this area after liberation.

　　Because the area is filled with smoke all year round, once people or animals step into the area, they will get lost and take days and nights to get out; in serious cases, they will mysteriously disappear and never be heard from again. Only crows can come and go freely here without being affected in the slightest.

　　Later, there were more and more crows, and the mountain got its name as Wild Crow Ridge.

　　The history of Huang Ya Ling is just like its name, not very old. According to legend, more than a hundred years ago, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, officials were corrupt and people were living in poverty. Coupled with the constant invasion of foreigners and the rise of local forces, many urban residents were forced to move their families to the mountains. On the one hand, they could avoid war, and on the other hand, they could live off the mountains. As long as they had two acres of land, they could plant in spring and harvest in autumn. No matter how difficult it was for a family, at least they would not starve to death.

　　As more and more people gathered at the foot of the mountain, many of the later comers had no choice but to continue migrating upwards, into the depths of the mountains where the jungle was denser.

　　It was at this time that Huangyaoling gradually had a permanent population.

　　In fact, this place has not been desolate since ancient times, because it is located right between two big mountains. In the early years, many hunters, herbalists and businessmen who traveled around the mountains to collect goods often passed by here.

　　But the good thing about this place is that the narrow valley runs from north to south. Although it is sandwiched, it is not lacking in sunshine, and the four seasons are distinct. It is not far from the foot of the mountain, so it attracts more and more people to move here and settle down.

　　In a few years, the valley that had been silent for millions of years had more houses and people coming and going. It was so lively! It had become a major traffic route with a market every day. Anyone who lived in the nearby mountains would come to the Wild Crow Ridge at least once or twice a month.

　　As the saying goes, people are afraid of being famous, pigs are afraid of being fat, and a big mouth can't hide a good place. As more and more people know about Huang Yaling, more and more people want to come here.

　　Be it for taking refuge or making a fortune, this place has begun to be idealized by people.

　　But no matter how big the valley is, it is still a valley, and there will be a time when there is no place to build a house. Moreover, the mountain passes on both sides of the Wild Crow Ridge are very strange, with a very steep downward angle, and no house can be built until the foot of the mountain.

　　So the place soon became crowded.

　　I don't know which year it was, but in an ordinary family in Huangya Mountain, the boy grew up and reached the age to get married. However, because he was ugly, no girl was willing to marry him.

　　The parents made a lot of efforts to arrange this, but no matter which girl they were from, as soon as they saw his son's appearance, they turned around and ran away in fear. It was not uncommon for some girls to cry on the spot out of fear.

　　It was not until later that I heard that in some villages deep in the Taihang Mountains, due to the extreme poverty, many families with daughters were willing to marry them off in exchange for food and seeds, and they were absolutely not picky about the host family. As long as they were sent away, whether they were a maid or a wife, the natal family would never ask.

　　To put it bluntly, it was like selling one's own daughter. Not only could it buy food for a few years, but it also saved the family from having to feed themselves.

　　When the old couple heard about such a good thing, they didn't even think twice. They immediately packed up some belongings and took their son to the mountain to look for a wife.

　　After two months of trekking through mountains and rivers, they finally fell in love with the daughter of one of the families in a small mountaintop village with only a dozen households, more than a hundred miles away from Huangyaling.

　　As expected, when the family heard that the man from the mountain was looking for a blind date, they immediately agreed! And the conditions were incredible - they only needed two dollars and a bag of wheat seeds to let their daughter go with them.

　　They had been going up the mountain all day, so naturally they didn't bring any wheat seeds. The old couple thought about it, since they would be relatives in the future, and they only spent one tenth of the twenty dollars they brought up the mountain, so they decided to be generous and gave the family three dollars, letting them go down the mountain to buy seeds themselves.

　　The family was so happy that they let them take their wives down the mountain that day. You have to know that at that time, one dollar could buy more than just a bag of wheat seeds.

　　On the way down the mountain, the old couple looked at their newly "bought" daughter-in-law, and they were so happy. Although the people in the mountains were not so delicate and a little rough, they were good at everything. What's more rare is that this daughter didn't dislike their son's appearance at all. Whatever the old couple asked her to do, she would listen to them and never be lazy.

　　After returning home, the old couple held a three-day banquet on the Wild Crow Ridge, inviting everyone in the valley to have a meal. This was considered as an official announcement that their son had a place to stay in the future.

　　It was reasonable to say that their happy life had begun. In less than a year, the daughter-in-law had a child. The old couple smiled every day.

　　After ten months of pregnancy, when the baby was born, everyone was stunned. His wife gave birth to a freak baby without arms and legs! ! ! Except for a body and a head in the middle, there was nothing else. At first glance, it looked like a big meat worm!

　　The old couple thought they would be able to enjoy the happiness of family life soon, and were filled with joy, but who knew that it was a bolt from the blue. The old man could not hold on on the spot, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

　　This is not uncommon, as people at that time did not know how to do prenatal checkups or take folic acid. It was not uncommon for a freak baby to be born.

　　Although the child had no limbs, he looked pretty good in other aspects. He cried loudly, had distinct facial features, and his internal organs were normal. He even had all the little things a boy should have. If he really wanted to feed him, he might be able to survive.

　　This is what the saying "extreme joy brings sorrow" means. The old man died after only a few days. After this double blow, the old lady was also bedridden. A month later, she followed the old man and left the family of three behind.

　　Chapter 38: The Legend of the Wild Crow

　　This ugly boy was really nice to his wife. Although the old couple passed away one after another, he neither beat nor scolded his wife. They lived as usual and took care of the weird son together, but he always looked unhappy.

　　Some people will say that he shouldn't have scolded his wife in the first place, and that the husband is also responsible for giving birth to such a fetus. Yes, that's the truth! But don't forget that it was a hundred years ago, and the feudal system of male superiority and female inferiority still existed, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to marry this wife.

　　So let’s not talk about medical and scientific evidence. If a child was born wrong in that era, it was the woman’s fault! He was able to stick with her and not beat or scold her, which was truly commendable.

　　Of course, the ugly boy's temperament also had something to do with it. He had been ugly since he was a child and had been looked down upon since he could remember. Being bullied by children of the same age, he naturally had some inferiority complex.

　　To put it nicely, he is tolerant of his wife. To put it bluntly, he is a cowardly person by nature.

　　Since the old couple died, the ugly boy has been walking around in Huang Ya Ling, and there are always people gossiping behind his back. They all say that his wife is not a human, but a mountain spirit from Taihang, who just borrowed their family to continue the family. Now that the child is born, their family is naturally useless, so the mountain spirit wife took the lives of the old couple one after another, and the next one is her husband.

　　And when that freak grows up, he will become a demon.

　　After hearing this many times, the ugly boy will inevitably feel depressed. What do most men like to do when they are depressed? Everyone knows - drink!

　　At first, the people of Wild Crow Ridge were more restrained and didn't say anything to his face. But after a while, they found that no matter what rumors reached the ugly boy's ears, he never responded.

　　Gradually, people became bolder. Some naughty children even made nursery rhymes about their family affairs. Whenever they saw the ugly boy on the street, they would chase after him and sing non-stop.

　　Whenever this happened, he would always keep his head down and say nothing.

　　If you want to say that things are not going well at home, it really is true that misfortunes never come singly. One day four months later, the ugly boy got drunk again. On the way home at night, I don’t know what happened? He staggered to the mountain pass and fell down from the top. It was not until a few days later that people who went up the mountain found that his arms, legs and head had been eaten by wild beasts. It was a horrible sight.

　　The whole town of Huangyaling was in an uproar: a woman from the mountains married into the family, and not only did she give birth to a monster, but she also killed three people in the family within half a year. A good family was gone in the blink of an eye. People were saying all kinds of things.

　　Those who had previously thought that the next character in the fable would be the ugly boy now stood up straighter because they guessed it right!

　　So the news that this mountain woman was a mountain ghost and gave birth to a monster spread quickly.

　　Not only that, some wandering Taoists and monks (most of them were fake, of course) who passed by Huangya Ridge heard about this incident and thought it was profitable, so they encouraged people, saying that Huangya Ridge would never have peace until the evil monster was eliminated, and that the evil woman must be executed and a grand ritual must be performed to eliminate this disaster.

　　Of course, there were also kind-hearted people who secretly told the daughter-in-law early on that someone was going to harm them and their son, so they should run away quickly before they could unite!

　　But I don’t know whether this daughter-in-law was hurt or she just couldn’t bear to leave her parents-in-law and husband who treated her well. No matter how the neighbors persuaded her, she just refused to leave!

　　Finally one day, led by several monks and Taoists, many residents of Huangyaling rushed into her house in the middle of the night with torches held high, dragged the mother and son out of bed, and took them to a platform halfway up the mountain outside the north entrance of Huangyaling.

　　The monks and Taoists first pretended to chant scriptures and perform rituals, then stripped the woman naked and nailed bamboo sticks into her joints and palms, meaning to lock her soul so that she would never be reborn.

　　As for the baby boy, he was placed on the firewood pile at the other end of the platform. After seven days, when the woman's soul was completely sealed, they were burned to death together.

　　No one knew what this woman was thinking. She endured all kinds of torture and torment in the seven days, but she gritted her teeth, said nothing, and managed to get through it.

　　Until the last day, when the bamboo sticks were pulled out of her body, the woman was left with only one breath left.

　　Seeing that the time had come, they carried her to the firewood pile and were about to light it, but the woman said her first words: she wanted to die with her child in her arms.

　　The people in charge discussed it and felt that it was okay to meet her reasonable request, so they put the baby boy into the woman's arms.

　　But when the woman held the child, she seemed to suddenly have strength and muttered a lot of words that no one could understand.

　　As people looked at each other in bewilderment, the woman's last words were clearly heard by everyone present: "I, Yao (her husband, the ugly boy's surname is Yao), swear by the blood of mother and son that anyone who slanders or harms my family with words or deeds, and anyone present today, will be killed for a thousand days! From today on, this place will only accept dead things for a hundred years, and will not touch living things. Anyone who dies here will be my slave for a hundred years, and will not be reborn unless they fall into heaven!"

　　The general meaning is, I swear with my and my son's blood today, curse those who slandered my family, did these things to hurt me, and all the people present today, none of them will live for a thousand days. And from now on, this valley will only accept dead things for a hundred years, and will not interact with living things. And those who die here will be my slaves for a hundred years, and will not fall into the cycle of heaven, and will not be reborn.

　　After saying that, the woman bit her son's neck in front of everyone present and sucked the baby boy's blood in big gulps.

　　The crowd was suddenly in a panic. Those in charge tried frantically to light the firewood pile, but they didn't expect that the woman, who had been gathering her strength for a long time, suddenly flipped over and fell from the platform into the forest below with the child in her arms.

　　This platform can also be considered a cliff, and the forest below is at least a hundred meters away. Falling from this height would definitely mean death.

　　But how could the people who had just been frightened by the curse let them go? They had to find the woman's body before they could feel at ease.

　　But after sending several groups of people to search the forest below the platform for three days and three nights, they still couldn't find the bodies of the woman and the baby boy. They just disappeared out of thin air!

　　Fearful rumors began to spread among the crowd again, saying that this woman was of great importance, and that they had angered the demon in the 800-mile Taihang Mountains, and that all of them would die within three years.

　　Gradually, some people began to consider whether to move away from the Wild Crow Ridge. Of course, there were also those who were not afraid, as they had already taken root here. If they moved away, where else could they go?

　　But on the sixth night after the woman jumped off the cliff, before the first wave of people who wanted to leave had time to leave, the entire Wild Crow Ridge was surrounded by a strange fog. This fog was very interesting. You could barely see clearly in the valley, but at the north and south mountain passes, it was so thick that even your voice could not be heard.

　　Logically speaking, Huangyaling is well ventilated all year round, and Henan's climate is mainly dry, so it is abnormal to have fog at this time.

　　After waiting for two days, the fog still did not dissipate, so some people could no longer sit still and began to rush out in groups. But without exception, all those who walked out of the mountain pass never returned!

　　At the same time, people outside were also amazed by the wonder of the Wild Crow Ridge. Those who tried to enter always returned to where they were after wandering around for a few days. Occasionally, one or two people went in, but they were never heard from again.

　　From then on, Wild Crow Ridge became a forbidden area within a radius of 100 miles, and no one dared to approach it anymore. As for whether those people in the valley were still alive, no one knew.

　　"Wait!" Hearing this, Liu Yunlong felt that something was wrong, so he asked Liu Yaer, "Since no one knows, how did you know? Could it be that your fox grandmother's fox grandmother told you?"

　　Chapter 39: Desolate Mountain Valley

　　"Don't forget! Some people escaped at that time!" Liu Yaer said seriously.

　　"Aren't they all dead?" Liu Yunlong asked curiously.

　　"Who said they are all dead?" Liu Yaer's eyes widened. "Those who got out simply couldn't contact the people inside anymore, so there was no news. Of course, most of them died, but there were still a few people who survived. There is one thing you overlooked. The woman's curse is that anyone who slanders my family with words or does anything to hurt them, as well as those present today, will be put to death for a thousand days! But there are some people who neither slandered nor did anything to hurt their family, and they were not watching the scene that day. So these people are not within the scope of the woman's curse. As long as they run, they can still get out!"

　　We suddenly realized that these people might be the neighbors who persuaded the woman to leave. They survived and passed down the story of Wild Crow Ridge.

　　"What's next? There should be more to come, right?" Seeing Liu Yunlong shut up, I continued to ask Liu Yaer.

　　Over the next few decades, the once bustling Taihang thoroughfare, Huangyaling, was hidden in fog all year round, and no one ever went there again.

　　In other words, no one who has been there has ever come out again.

　　Every day, people living at the foot of the mountain can only see flocks of black crows flying through the thick fog halfway up the mountain.

　　I heard from the elders that crows are messengers from the underworld, and that place has long since become the territory of the underworld. Therefore, no one calls this valley by its previous name anymore, and it is now called Wild Crow Ridge.

　　It was not until shortly after liberation that the movement to destroy the four olds began, and gradually spread to Wuquan Town.

　　When those people heard that there was a cursed valley in the mountains, what would they think? Such a huge tumor of feudal superstition still remained in the heartland of New China, which was absolutely intolerable!

　　The local authorities quickly organized a team of hundreds of people, and despite the opposition of the elderly, they went into the mountains to "clean up" Huangyaling.

　　As everyone could guess, the team wandered around the northern pass of Huangya Mountain for three days and three nights but failed to get in, and lost several people for no reason. It was said that those people were about to die, and their yin energy was getting stronger, so they accidentally entered Huangya Mountain.

　　This was a big problem. The organizers hurriedly reported it to the town, the town reported it to the city, and the city reported it to the province. When the province heard about this, they immediately dispatched troops to the mountains to help with the "clean-up."

　　The ending was exactly the same. After wandering around the mountain pass for a few days and losing a few people, the main force returned in defeat.

　　The incident finally alarmed the top leaders. After fully understanding the situation, the leaders issued an order to designate the area within a few miles of Huang Ya Ridge as a military restricted area due to the study of special geology. They said to the outside world that the reason for Huang Ya Ridge was the special geology, not some nonsense such as a curse.

　　Anyway, people within a hundred miles have not dared to approach the Wild Crow Ridge for decades, and whether it is closed or not has no impact on their lives.

　　In the first few years, the authorities were just pretending to be nice, often bringing in truckloads of troops to station at the foot of the mountain pass and guarding it. Once the old people who knew the real situation left, the young people naturally accepted the fact that it was a "military restricted area with special geology."

　　Gradually, there was no need for troops to garrison there anymore, and all that was left was a section of barbed wire to demarcate the blockade area.

　　"What a terrible curse!" After Liu Yaer gestured to finish speaking, I couldn't help but shiver and said with a deep breath.

　　"Hey~ What's the big deal? The woman cursed the person who harmed her, not us. It shouldn't be difficult to get past her, right?" Liu Yunlong said according to his understanding.

　　"No, just like Liu Yaer said, if you want to go in, he is not cursing you, and you still have years to live. Then you can't go in!" Zhang Shan also sighed and said, "As long as you can go in, you don't necessarily have to decide what the ending will be!"

　　"Then how can we get in?" I couldn't help but ask.

　　"Haha~ Don't worry, the mountain man has his own clever plan! You'll know when we get there!" Liu Yaer smiled mysteriously and said nothing more.

　　"Uncle Master, you two don't need to do that. Just find a way to make Liu and I carry Yin energy that can just cover up the Yang energy, and we can enter and exit freely." Zhang Shan said as he walked aside.

　　"You big guy are so boring! Do you think you know a lot? Can't I just tease them?!" Liu Yaer suddenly looked angry.

　　Zhang Shan just smiled and said nothing.

　　"Are there still people alive there?" I found myself becoming more and more interested in adventure projects. Those unknown things and scenes always arouse my endless reverie.

　　"Hmm... I can't remember!" Liu Yaer thought for a long time and said embarrassedly: "Since I gradually regained consciousness in my benefactor's body, I only have a very limited memory of the fox."

　　"And you still say you remember the way?!" Liu Yunlong stared at him with his eyes wide open.

　　"What kind of road is there? It's just a valley several hundred meters long and a hundred meters wide, with houses on both sides and a road in the middle." Liu Yaer said disdainfully.

　　"Come on, do you think it's that easy to switch the thoughts between the two species?" Zhang Shan looked up at the sky, which was already completely dark. He asked Liu Yaer, "Just remember the way from here to Beishankou. How far is it?"

　　"We are almost halfway there. In another hour, we will reach the bottom of the mountain pass and outside the restricted area blocked by wire." Liu Yaer said affirmatively without hesitation.

　　The group then stopped talking. In order to save power, only Zhang Shan kept his flashlight on. They quickened their pace and headed towards the northern pass of Huangya Ridge.

　　The nights in the mountains are really depressing, but fortunately there is a moon tonight. With that little bit of moonlight, we are not blind and can vaguely see some obstacles ahead.

　　Although it was very cold, we were still on the road and didn't feel any problem.

　　About twenty minutes later, we came to the edge of a neatly arranged shrubbery. Liu Yaer had pointed out this forest to us when we were at the foot of the mountain. As long as we passed this forest, we would reach the border of the Wild Crow Ridge and the barbed wire fence.

　　Liu Yaer looked back at the three of us, sighed and said, "Your cotton-padded jackets are quite expensive, right?"

　　"It's not expensive, just a few hundred dollars, what's the matter?" I asked curiously. He must have a reason for asking this suddenly.

　　"If you're not afraid of the cold, you can take off your coats first and hold them in your arms, and then put them on after we pass the woods. Otherwise... you three will have to leave your coats here today!"

　　"What do you mean?" Liu Yunlong was very confused.

　　"Let's go! It's okay, the important thing is to hurry!" Zhang Shan didn't care. He didn't even take off his coat and walked into the bushes in front of him.

　　I thought about it and decided not to take it off. It was too cold. I was relying on this cotton-padded jacket to keep warm. If I took it off, I would freeze to death in this small forest.

　　Seeing the three of them coming in one after another, I stopped hesitating and followed them in.

　　As soon as I entered, I immediately understood what kind of trees were planted in this grove. The tallest was no more than three meters, and they began to branch out more than one meter above the ground. Although the leaves were gone in winter, those thin branches were everywhere, weighing us down so that we couldn't even stand up straight, and we could only crawl on the ground with our backs bent.

　　Although I was very careful, I had not climbed a few dozen meters when I heard a "rip" sound and the right shoulder of my coat was torn by a very hard twig. The cotton inside was immediately exposed, and the white patch was hanging on the tree.

　　I felt so distressed. This down jacket was useless! No wonder Liu Yaer suggested that we take it off before leaving.

　　But I don’t want to wear it, it’s too cold!

　　Chapter 40 Preparation

　　This forest is so annoying! After entering, you can't see the end in front of you, and you can't see the sky above you. There are small branches everywhere. Even turning your head has to be done with your eyes closed, otherwise you will poke your eyes.

　　I don't know how many branches I broke or how many holes I got on my clothes. When my back was so sore that I could hardly stand it any longer, we finally got out from the other side.

　　"Oh my! ... Huh, huh! ... Oh my god!" Liu Yunlong panted and complained, "It looks so small from the foot of the mountain, at most two or three hundred meters, how can it be so long? Did you take a detour, Lao Zhang?"

　　"Oh... why didn't you say it's far away at the foot of the mountain?" Zhang Shan was a little out of breath, and continued: "If it were on a globe, you could point a finger a hundred thousand miles away!"

　　I didn't get involved with them, but stretched my back and looked around.

　　This forest is indeed planted very neatly. I wonder if it can be considered another barrier separating Wild Crow Ridge.

　　When I was almost at the edge of the forest, I found a light layer of fog. When I walked out of the forest, I felt that the fog was not as thick as I had imagined. I could still see clearly 20 to 30 meters away. Although I couldn't see farther, it was because it was dark.

　　"Hey? Where's Liu Yaer?" I looked around and didn't see the barbed wire. I turned around to ask Liu Yaer, but found that he was not around. Only Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan were left arguing with each other.

　　"Ah? I haven't seen him! He was just here!" The two men were stunned and no longer cared about the arguing. They said with stupid faces.

　　"Where did he go?..." I was immediately extremely anxious, and turned on the flashlight to look everywhere. We finally got here, if he was nowhere to be found, how could we get in? !

　　"I told you! This guy has no good intentions. Look, he left us here, took the money and ran away!" Liu Yunlong instantly elevated the incident to a political level.

　　"No, if he wanted to cheat us, he should have just not come today. It would have been better for him to just run away after being released yesterday!" I rejected Liu Yunlong's idea.

　　"He came back just to cheat you of your money! I told you not to give it to him so early!" Liu Yunlong was still muttering angrily.

　　I glanced at him and said, "When did you say not to give him money?!"

　　"Who is this? So annoying? The person hasn't even left yet, but he's already been labeled as such?" Liu Yaer's voice suddenly sounded behind Zhang Shan.

　　I quickly turned my head and saw him hiding happily behind Zhang Shan.

　　However, Zhang Shan also had a confused expression, and it seemed that he didn't know when this guy came back again.

　　"Hey, please make a sound when you go to the toilet! Don't make us jumpy." Liu Yunlong said sarcastically when he saw him coming back.

　　"Who said I went to the toilet?!" Liu Yaer rolled her eyes at him, flashed out from behind Zhang Shan, and said, "I worked so hard to find something to block the sun for you two, but someone said I was here to cheat you out of your money! Do you want to go over~ or do you want to go back?" As he spoke, he raised his hands, each holding a strange-looking insect.

　　"Hey~ I'm just kidding, don't be so petty like a woman!" When Liu Yunlong heard that this was related to whether he could enter the valley, he immediately softened his attitude and said, "You, 'Master Liu', have you not seen all kinds of storms and waves? How can you be so angry at a word from an ordinary person like me? As the saying goes, a prime minister's stomach can hold a boat, and a master's stomach can raise a sail. You have a big heart! How can I not know that?!"

　　"Hmph!" Liu Yaer snorted, "I was planning to charge you a little more money, but forget it, you're so sweet! Come on, one for each of us!"

　　I saw that the two insects were quite large, so I quickly moved forward to take a look.

　　"What is this?!" Liu Yunlong walked closer and shone the flashlight on it, but he didn't dare to reach out to take it because the bug was really scary.

　　Following the light, I could see the insects clearly. Liu Yaer held two antennae of the insects with her index fingers and thumbs. They were hanging there, about four or five inches long, with round heads but slender bodies, shiny shells on their backs, no wings, and a few legs kicking randomly in the air.

　　To be honest, there is nothing scary about this bug itself. It looks a bit like a cockroach, but its size... is ten times larger than an ordinary cockroach!

　　"Hey! You're such a big guy, why are you so timid? Can it eat you? Take it, don't run away!" After Liu Yaer said this, she rushed directly in front of Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　"Pointing to the compass louse?" Zhang Shan took the oversized "cockroach" from Liu Yaer, took a look at it, and asked uncertainly.

　　"Oh? I didn't realize you knew so much, big guy!" Liu Yaer patted Zhang Shan's shoulder, with an expression as if she was educating a junior, which made people laugh.

　　"This...how do I use it?" Liu Yunlong imitated Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer, took the "big cockroach" with two fingers, and asked with a grin.

　　"Eat it!" Liu Yaer turned her head to look at him with a smile on her face.

　　"What...what? Eat it?!!!" Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan's faces changed instantly. It was scary enough just to hold such a big insect, and to eat it raw? It would be a miracle if it didn't kill people!

　　"Are you...kidding me?! Let me eat...this...ugh!!!" Liu Yunlong looked at the "big cockroach" in his hand and couldn't help but dry-heaving before he could finish his words.

　　"Of course I was joking! Haha, who told you to say bad things about me behind my back just now!" Liu Yaer told the truth when she saw Liu Yunlong in such a mess.

　　"...You are so cruel!" Liu Yunlong's stomach was empty. He vomited for a long time but nothing came out. He had to stand up and said while wiping his mouth.

　　"What kind of bug is this?" This is the first time I have seen such a large insect, and I couldn't help but ask.

　　"As for the compass louse, I've only seen it in one of my master's atlases. It's said that it can be used to predict the trends of Feng Shui, hence the name compass louse. I don't know much about the other things." Zhang Shan said, scratching his head.

　　"Don't look at me, I don't know either." Seeing that we were all looking at him, Liu Yaer quickly waved his hands and said, "I only know that there are such things in places where corpses are hidden. But it tastes really good! I've eaten a few before." As he spoke, he smacked his lips twice.

　　"Ugh!..." Liu Yunlong had just felt a little better, but after hearing what he said, he covered his mouth and started vomiting again.

　　"Okay, okay, tell me quickly! How to use it?" Looking at Liu Yunlong's miserable condition, I felt a little bit reluctant and asked Liu Yaer urgently.

　　"Easy! Here, give it to me!" Liu Yaer said, taking the compass louse from Liu Yunlong's hand, stepping on the ground with her foot, and then pulling out the two tentacles of this guy with her hand.

　　He raised his foot. The big bug was probably frightened. It used its calves to exert force and quickly escaped into the darkness.

　　"Come here and lower your head." Seeing that Liu Yunlong was feeling better, Liu Yaer called him.

　　No one knew what tricks he used, but he quickly stuffed his tentacles into Liu Yunlong's hair. He clapped his hands and said, "Alright! We only need to wait for a while. When the Yin Qi starts to emanate from your bodies, we can enter the valley!"

　　Immediately afterwards, Liu Yaer helped Zhang Shan insert the tentacles into his hair.

　　We took advantage of this opportunity to eat the bread we brought with us, which was enough to stave off hunger. Liu Yunlong might have been too stimulated just now, so he lost his appetite after eating only a little, and ended up eating all the food at Zhang Shan's stomach.

　　Chapter 41: Breaking the Net and Entering the Valley

　　After more than half an hour, Liu Yaer came close to them and sniffed them respectively, then stood up and said, "Okay, the yang energy is already very weak, let's go!" After that, he led us into the mist ahead.

　　As we walked, we realized that the barbed wire fence was about a hundred meters ahead of us. If it was daytime, we would have seen it long ago.

　　When we got under the barbed wire, we looked forward and saw that the fog began to thicken noticeably a few meters inside. It was all white and we couldn't see anything clearly. It seemed as if we were surrounded by the barbed wire as well.

　　Looking up, I saw that the barrier was about five meters high, and the diameter of each gap was large enough for a hare to pass through.

　　The iron wire is made of good material and is almost as thick as my little finger.

　　"We don't have any tools, so we can only climb over it." Zhang Shan looked at the thorns on the top and said worriedly, "Be careful when you climb over it! It's okay if your cotton-padded jacket is torn, but if your pants are torn, you'll be in trouble!"

　　"Tsk~ you're the only one who can do that!" I responded to him as I started to climb up: "I've been an expert at climbing walls and flying over rooftops since I was a kid, this is nothing but a piece of cake!"

　　As we were talking, we both turned over quickly.

　　After landing, I turned around and saw Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer in front of me.

　　"Hey? How come you are so fast? When I started climbing, you two hadn't even started yet!" I asked curiously.

　　"Brother..." Liu Yunlong pointed behind me with a painful expression and said, "There is a big hole there. Why are you two wasting so much energy?"

　　I turned my head and saw that there was indeed a hole a few meters away. It was big enough for an adult to crawl through, even for someone as big as Zhang Shan.

　　It turned out that we were so busy looking up that we didn't even think of observing the situation of the nearby barbed wire.

　　"So you just keep silent and wait for us to make a fool of ourselves, right?" I said depressedly.

　　"...Ahahahaha! I see you two are climbing so enthusiastically, I'm sorry to disturb your fun!" Liu Yunlong finally couldn't hold it in anymore and said with a big laugh.

　　"When did the two of you become so unconvincing? He doesn't say it, and you don't say it either!" I looked at Liu Yaer again, and this guy was also laughing secretly beside me.

　　"Haha, okay, let's go! Liu Yaer lead the way!" Zhang Shan looked at it again and again, found it funny, and said happily.

　　Although we were about to enter a dangerous, mysterious and unknown area, fortunately we had prepared ourselves well in the early stages and did not feel nervous. We checked our equipment and headed into the thick fog.

　　"Follow me closely!" Liu Yaer led the way and said seriously, "No matter who you see in here, what you see, or what you hear, don't believe it! Remember! Although I can help you, don't cause trouble yourself! Also, you must not separate!"

　　"Did you hear that, Lao Wang? I'm talking to you! Don't make trouble!" Even in such an environment, Liu Yunlong did not change his nature of finding fault.

　　"Stop talking so much nonsense!... Ouch! Look, this compass louse is bigger than the previous one! There must be a lot of juice in its stomach!" I finally caught a handle and hit back at Liu Yunlong viciously.

　　"...Ugh!" The guy thought about it, covered his mouth again, and reacted.

　　After entering the thick fog, we could not see anything except the blurry figures of the four of us. This was a bit like the fog the night before, but the difference was that here there was a smell of death everywhere.

　　Of course, this is just my feeling.

　　Zhang Shan simply turned off the flashlight. It made no difference here whether it was on or not. Only Liu Yaer's flashlight shone backwards, pointing out his approximate location to us.

　　After walking for a long time, we could no longer tell east, west, south, and north. We just knew we were going up. Liu Yunlong couldn't help asking, "Did I say we were there? Didn't you say there was fog only at the pass, but not inside? So we haven't passed the pass yet? Are you lost?"

　　Liu Yaer's voice came from the front: "Please be patient! I also need to recall! Now my nose is not working well, otherwise I wouldn't have to put in so much effort!"

　　After searching for more than half an hour, Liu Yaer stopped and said to me, "Old Wang, you have a good nose. Come and smell it. Is there a smell between osmanthus and blood?"

　　I followed his instructions, walked forward, and focused my attention on my nasal cavity... It's amazing, there really were two scents mixed together, but they were very faint, and if no one reminded me, they would definitely be ignored.

　　After walking a few more steps, the two auras became more and more obvious as they moved forward.

　　After receiving my affirmation, Liu Yaer said excitedly, "That's right! We are very close to the mountain pass, so follow closely and don't fall behind!"

　　To help him, Liu Yaer and I stood side by side, moving in one direction based on our noses to judge the smell, and communicating from time to time to correct deviations in the route.

　　"There's wind! Can you feel it?" After walking for a while, I suddenly found that there was a stream of air that was actively pouring into my nostrils. Although it was very weak, it was definitely there.

　　Liu Yaer stood there, closed her eyes and felt it for a moment, then said, "Good wind! Wind means we are very close to the mountain pass!"

　　"Is there wind?" Liu Yunlong fanned his hands twice. "Are you kidding? How can there be fog if there is wind? It would have been blown away long ago!"

　　"Liu, now that you are here, you can no longer judge things with common sense." I turned my head and walked forward while "educating" him earnestly.

　　I took just two steps and before I had time to look back, I bumped into the willow buds in front of me.

　　"Ouch!" I screamed exaggeratedly, and hurriedly held Liu Yaer with my hand and said, "Liu Yaer, please go! It's dark and you can't see anything..."

　　"Ah? You called me?" Liu Yaer's voice suddenly sounded two meters away on the right.

　　…

　　This... When I turned around just now, I still remember clearly that Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan were standing behind me. And Liu Yaer was beside me... Then who was in front of me? !

　　I was frozen for a moment, but I still held the man with both hands and didn't dare to let go. What if he ran away?

　　After calming myself down a bit, I turned around... and opened my eyes.

　　What came into view was a dried-up corpse. Although the eyes were open, the eyeballs were long gone. The skin on the face had obviously been dehydrated for a long time and turned dark brown.

　　"Oh my God! Lao Wang... why are you holding a dead body?!" Liu Yunlong was walking fast and had already seen the situation ahead. He shouted and exclaimed.

　　"Come on! He bumped into me!" As soon as this guy interrupted me, I forgot about being afraid, took a step back and argued with him.

　　"What?"

　　"Can corpses move?"

　　When Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer heard what I said, they immediately came over and were on full alert.

　　"Move your ass!" Liu Yunlong walked around us, looked back, and said, "Look behind you! This guy is tied to a stick, how can he move?!"

　　"Ah?" I was very surprised. Did I hit it? This is too weird, right? After hearing what Liu Yunlong said, I quickly leaned over to look behind the corpse.

　　Chapter 42 How is it possible?

　　When I took a look, I realized that there was a pillar as thick as an arm standing behind the corpse. Three hemp ropes passed through the knees, waist and armpits, fixing it there. At first glance, it looked like the corpse was standing by itself.

　　It seems that I really hit it!

　　Feeling relieved, we turned on the flashlights and carefully observed the mummy.

　　Although nearly a hundred years had passed, the clothes worn by the corpse were still as smooth as new, without even a trace of tear.

　　This was obviously a military uniform, with the top and pants in a uniform blue-gray color, but there were neither medals or armbands, nor were there any unit numbers embroidered on it.

　　The corpse was holding a spear in his hand, but it fell to the ground after I bumped into it. Zhang Shan picked it up and looked at it from left to right, feeling very curious.

　　"What kind of gun is this? This is... too simple! The homemade hunting rifle I used before was more advanced than this." Zhang Shan fumbled for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was.

　　"Let me take a look! The weapons expert is here, and you don't understand anything, so why are you looking at it blindly..." Liu Yunlong said, snatched it away, and began to study it with Liu Yaer's flashlight.

　　"... Damn! Martini!?" Liu Yunlong just took a look and his eyes suddenly lit up. He put his eyes against the gun barrel and looked inside.

　　"Isn't Martini a drink?" I asked curiously. Is there a gun called this?

　　"You are ignorant and unskillful!" Liu Yunlong glanced at me, then immediately turned his gaze back to the gun and continued, "The full name of this gun is the Henry Martini gun, named after the rifle patent invented by Henry and the lifting and locking bolt patent invented by Martini. It was officially adopted by Britain in the late 19th century. The Shandong Machinery Bureau and Sichuan Machinery Bureau of the Qing government also manufactured it in the following years."

　　"Oh...it looks fine! Can it be used?" I saw that the barrel of the gun was black, and even the wooden buttstock was intact. Maybe it could fire a loud noise.

　　"Tsk tsk, I'm just wondering!" Liu Yunlong said as he studied it, "No matter which part or component you look at, it's all so well preserved, it's almost as good as new! But after all, it's been over a hundred years! How is it possible that there isn't even a single rust spot?"

　　"Maybe it's because of the climate here that the objects will not be damaged." Zhang Shan looked around and said.

　　"…It shouldn't be!" Liu Yunlong continued, "Even in a vacuum and dust-free environment, it can only slow down the oxidation rate. It's impossible to say that there is no change at all. This gun looks like it has just been wiped. It's incredible!"

　　"Then just take it first! ~ Maybe it can come in handy when there is danger!" I didn't know much about weapons anyway, so I said casually.

　　"Come on! Count on it?" Liu Yunlong patted his waist and said, "It's not as accurate as my little pistol, and the firing rate is so slow!"

　　"Do you still remember this body? Has it been tied here all the time?" Zhang Shan took the opportunity to ask Liu Yaer.

　　"...I have some impression of it, and...it seems there is more than one of it." Liu Yaer recalled while walking to the left, and we had to hurry to follow.

　　Sure enough, after walking more than 20 meters, there was an identical person standing in the thick fog, tied to a wooden stake with three strands of hemp rope, holding a gun in his hand, as if he was standing guard.

　　"Hmm...it seems that this is the outpost of the northern pass of Huangya Ridge?" Zhang Shan speculated.

　　"Yes, we should be able to reach the valley not far ahead!" Liu Yaer said, taking the lead and leading us forward.

　　Liu Yunlong was walking beside me, panting. I turned around and saw that he was still holding the "old gun". I couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say this thing is useless? Why are you still carrying it when it's so heavy?"

　　"It's useless to shoot, but it's a good thing to collect!" Liu Yunlong said seriously: "A Martini that is so well preserved, with the production year on it, is worth a lot of money!"

　　I curled my lips and said, "If you don't mind the weight, just take it!"

　　"Although we don't use it to shoot, it can be used as a hammer if we are in danger!" Liu Yunlong rolled his eyes and said to Zhang Shan, "Don't you agree, Old Zhang? I think this thing is just right for you! Why don't you take it first?"

　　Zhang Shan smiled, took it and slung it over his shoulder.

　　"Big guy, don't be fooled by him! This guy must think it's too heavy, so he asked you to carry it for him!" Liu Yaer saw through Liu Yunlong's thoughts at a glance and complained directly.

　　"Look at what you said! Am I that bad?" Liu Yunlong quickly said, "Old Zhang, if there's danger, just use it! If I break something, I won't blame you!"

　　Soon, the fog became thinner and thinner, and we finally reached the north pass of Huangya Ridge, and the scene inside the valley came into view.

　　"...Oh my God! Are we taking the right road?" Liu Yunlong was surprised when he saw the situation in front of him.

　　Not only him, but the three of us were also stunned.

　　How can this be a valley that has been abandoned for a hundred years? Even if you say it is a modern town with an ancient charm, we will believe it!

　　On both sides of the road in the valley, there are densely distributed wooden houses. At this time, lanterns are hung in almost every courtyard and door, making the valley brightly lit.

　　"How...how is this possible?" I couldn't believe my eyes. After a hundred years, even if the house didn't collapse, the lanterns should have gone out, right?

　　But each one looks like it was just lit.

　　"Is there anyone alive?" Liu Yaer seemed to have no clear memory of what happened inside, and she muttered to herself.

　　"Impossible! Listen!" Zhang Shan continued, "It's so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Could there be someone there?"

　　"But... the lights are so bright at night that we can't see anything from the bottom of the mountain?" I said, and looked up. Only then did I realize that a few dozen meters above me, a thick fog dyed red by the lanterns was floating overhead. Although a gentle breeze kept blowing in the valley, it showed no sign of dispersing.

　　It turned out that the entire Wild Crow Ridge was wrapped in this fog.

　　"We'll know if there's anyone there if we go in and take a look!" Liu Yunlong saw that it was bright inside and was not afraid. He took out his pistol and walked towards the room closest to us.

　　The first house in the mountain pass was built in an open style. From a distance, you can see that it is a two-story building. The second floor is supported by more than a dozen large wooden piles. The first floor has no walls and is completely transparent from front to back. There is only a stove under the stairs with teapots on it. There is a large shed in front of the building, with several wooden tables and more than a dozen benches underneath. Some of the tables are empty, but some are filled with tea bowls and teapots.

　　"It looks like a place to drink tea and rest." Walking under the shed, I saw the light yellow liquid in the tea bowl and deduced.

　　"Well... I have seen this type of building in the town in the early years. They are usually located at the main intersections. The first floor is for drinking tea and resting, and the second floor is a private room for receiving distinguished guests." Zhang Shan affirmed.

　　Liu Yunlong walked to a table with tea bowls and a teapot, touched the teapot with his hand, then immediately retracted his hand, looked at us with horror and said, "Hot...hot!"

　　"What?!" Zhang Shan and I were shocked and immediately rushed to the table. I touched the teapot and he touched the teacup.

　　After a moment, our faces became as ugly as Liu Yunlong's.

　　What on earth is going on?! A village that has been abandoned for nearly a hundred years. When we entered, we did not see ruins and desolation. Instead, we saw a normal scene. It was really incomprehensible!

　　Seeing that the three of us were looking at him, Liu Yaer shrugged helplessly and said, "Okay! From now on, don't ask me! My memory of Wild Crow Ridge ends at the two bodies at the mountain pass. I can't remember anything else!"

　　Chapter 43: Time Disorder

　　"Is there anyone there?!!!" I couldn't accept what I saw, so I shouted loudly.

　　But the only answer I got was the empty echo of the valley.

　　"Illusion?!" Zhang Shan, with sweat already starting to appear on his forehead, looked at me and said.

　　Yes! Why didn't I think of that?! Hearing him say that, I quickly used the Wuwei Seal and used the Qingshen Mantra to point at the center of my eyebrows and both temples.

　　After doing all this, I closed my eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again... The lights were still on, and the house, table, chairs, tea bowls, and teapots were all there.

　　"…Is this all true?" Looking at my expression, Zhang Shan had already guessed the result.

　　Everything in front of me seems to be real! Could it be that time has stopped here?

　　But where are the people? Where have all the people in the valley gone?

　　Even the tea in the cup has not cooled down in the past hundred years. How to explain the two mummies at the mountain pass? Is the curse of time only imposed on humans?

　　"Don't think about it if you can't figure it out!" Zhang Shan took his hand off the table, tightened the gun strap on his back, and said, "It's definitely not normal here, and it's definitely not as simple as what we see! Just do as Liu Yaer said before, hurry to Nanshankou and get out before dawn! No matter what you see, as long as it doesn't provoke us, ignore it."

　　"Yes, if you are not surprised by the strange things, the strange things will defeat themselves!" I echoed Zhang Shan.

　　"Let's go, we must get out before dawn! Otherwise, once the sun comes out and the miasma rises, we will be stuck here!" Liu Yaer also reminded in time.

　　"How far is Nanshankou from here?" Liu Yunlong asked.

　　"It should be more than two miles! Not long!" Liu Yaer replied.

　　"That's only ten minutes..." Liu Yunlong said, taking out his cell phone and glancing at it. He suddenly exclaimed, "What! Two twenty-five!"

　　"Are you kidding me?" I couldn't stand this guy's constant startling. I remember when I came out of the bush, I looked at my watch and it was not yet ten o'clock.

　　It took no more than half an hour to get through this thick fog, so how could it be past two in the morning?!

　　I took out my cell phone and looked at it. I was also stunned. The clock showed 2:27. My watch was two minutes fast, which meant that Liu Yunlong and I were at least on the same time.

　　"It seems that we have lost our judgment of time in the fog. This fog is not simple!" Zhang Shan said with his chin in his hand.

　　"Impossible! You said it took half an hour to walk through the fog?" Liu Yunlong didn't believe it at all. He turned around and asked Liu Yaer, "Have you ever encountered this situation before?"

　　"I don't know. I haven't noticed it." Liu Yaer answered truthfully.

　　"How come you have such a lack of sense of time!" Liu Yunlong rolled his eyes at him.

　　"Have you ever seen a fox wearing a watch?!" Liu Yaer retorted to him unhappily, and the guy immediately shut up.

　　Seeing that they both stopped talking, I said, "Let's assume that we walked in the fog for so long. We went in at 10 o'clock and came out at 2:20, which took a total of four hours and twenty minutes. If we want to get out, shouldn't we also reserve the same amount of time? Don't end up being trapped in the fog, that would be a big loss!"

　　"Yes, we must rush out of the fog before sunrise! The miasma in the fog is the thickest!" Liu Yaer affirmed.

　　"What time does the sun rise in today's weather?" I turned around and asked Zhang Shan again.

　　"…Probably around seven in the morning." Zhang Shan calculated and replied to me.

　　"Well... that is to say, we have to leave at least four hours and twenty minutes to be safe. It's not even half past two now..." I just figured it out, but I was stunned.

　　"You mean..." Liu Yunlong also figured it out, staring at me with wide eyes, "We still have four hours and thirty minutes... but the time for activities here... is only ten minutes left!?"

　　I didn't reply to him, just nodded.

　　"Damn! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" We exchanged glances and finally realized that the situation was not good. Liu Yunlong shouted, and the four of us immediately ran towards the Nanshankou on the other side.

　　"Ding!~~~" As soon as I ran to the second house, I heard the sound of an old-fashioned clock ringing from inside.

　　"Wait!" I stopped and called to the three of them, "There's a clock in this room, go in and check it. Maybe we'll find something. We rely too much on the time on our phones!"

　　My idea is that things like mobile phones are easily affected by the environment. Maybe when we enter the fog, the electronic clock will be disturbed. If there is a mechanical clock, it will be helpful for us to judge the time accurately.

　　"Oh! Don't bother to check the time! Let's go! We are just passing through here and we are not doing any business. Why do you need to check the time?" Liu Yunlong urged impatiently.

　　"I'll listen to my uncle, right?" Zhang Shan agreed with me. "Although the journey is not long, who knows what might happen. I think it's unlikely that we can get there safely. It won't hurt to have an accurate idea of ​​the time."

　　"...Okay, I surrender to you!" Seeing that we ignored him and had already entered the yard, Liu Yunlong had no choice but to follow us in with his head hung.

　　The layout of this courtyard is quite similar to the previous teahouse, but from the decoration to the display of furniture inside, it is obvious that it is at least two levels higher.

　　The first floor was fenced off, leaving only a gate, and the second floor was much larger. There were carved tables and chairs inside. At the back was a counter, with various wine jars behind it.

　　"Is this a restaurant?" I saw a wall covered with bamboo boards with the names of dishes written on them.

　　"It looks like there's no escape!" Zhang Shan said, sitting down at an eight-immortal table with wine jars and wine bowls. He smelled the wine in the bowl and exclaimed, "What a nice smell! This kind of pure grain wine brewed using ancient methods is hard to find nowadays!"

　　I ignored him and focused my attention on the large mechanical grandfather clock on the counter.

　　When I walked in, I could see the clock hand clearly. It was pointing to a minute past two-thirty.

　　Is our watch working? Is it really half past two?

　　"I say!" Liu Yunlong walked up to me and said, "It's no use comparing it with this watch! Think about it, the time in here is like it's paused, how can it be accurate!"

　　"No!" I looked at the clock and murmured, "I'm not afraid that it's not as accurate as ours, I'm afraid that it's too accurate! Look, it's exactly right!"

　　"So what if it's exactly the same? That doesn't mean anything!" Liu Yunlong curled his lips.

　　...No, that shouldn't be the case! Time stopped? I don't believe it! Is there anything that can compete with time? But for safety's sake, we'd better not delay any longer!

　　When I turned around and was about to go out, I saw Zhang Shan holding a wine bowl, with a bulging mouth, as if something was stuffed in it.

　　When this guy saw me looking at him, he quickly moved his throat and swallowed what was in his mouth.

　　"What did you do?" I said as I walked over. It was obvious that there was only a little wine left in the bowl.

　　"It's okay, I'll try it! Hehe." Zhang Shan wiped his mouth embarrassedly.

　　"Are you crazy, Lao Zhang? You dare to put the food here into your mouth?!" Liu Yunlong stared at him with wide eyes.

　　"It's not bad...why can't I drink it?" Zhang Shan muttered softly.

　　I then realized that I had overlooked one thing. Zhang Shan was good in everything. He was a good friend and willing to help me. He was serious and determined in doing things and never hesitated. But when he saw this wine, he couldn't control himself. I remember that every time I had a meal, before I drank two liang, the rest had already gone into his stomach.

　　To say that this guy is a hard drinker is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's not far off.

　　You can't let him see the wine. If he sees it, he'll have to drink it!

　　Chapter 44: Want someone? Want life?

　　"Stop drinking and go!" I acted like an elder and lectured Zhang Shan, "Can't you change your bad habits? You get drunk as soon as you drink!"

　　"Hehe!" Zhang Shan's smile was somewhat forced.

　　He's already drunk, what else can I do? I can't get him out.

　　"Let's go, let's go! Hurry up!" Liu Yaer came out from behind the counter while Liu Yunlong and I were surrounding Zhang Shan, and said happily as she walked towards the door.

　　"Wait!" It would have been fine if this guy didn't say anything, but once he spoke, Liu Yunlong stared at him: "What do you have in your arms? Let me see?!"

　　"Ah? What did you say?" Liu Yaer pretended to be innocent and turned around to look at us.

　　Even a fool could see that this guy's cotton-padded jacket was bulging and must be stuffed with something.

　　"Come here!" Liu Yunlong said, and walked towards him.

　　"Oh! Let's go quickly, don't waste time! There are only a few minutes left!" Liu Yaer was obviously afraid that Liu Yunlong would get close to him, so he jumped out of the yard.

　　"Crash!" Before Liu Yunlong could get close, the guy just jumped out of the door and a pile of white things fell out of his coat.

　　We were all stunned there. After a moment, Liu Yunlong came closer, bent down to pick up a piece of silver from the ground, took a look, and shouted to Liu Yaer, "Great! You stole so much silver! Tell me, where did you get it from?!"

　　"...Oh! No one wants it anyway! Why don't you give it to me? Right?" Liu Yaer rolled her eyes and said with a smile.

　　"You are stealing! Put them all back!" Liu Yunlong's sense of justice was immediately vented, and he pointed at him and said.

　　"Are you crazy?" Liu Yaer was also anxious, staring at him and said, "Oh, you took a gun off the body, can't I take some money out of it?!"

　　"I... mine are someone else's relics! Yours are property, which are two different things!" Liu Yunlong was interrupted and stammered.

　　"Alright, alright! Are you two done yet?" I really didn't have time to listen to the two people's argument, so I yelled at them, "What time is it? Still arguing about this! Old Zhang, go! Don't sit there!" In the past, whenever there was a disagreement, Zhang Shan would always come out to smooth things over. But this guy was like a different person today when he saw the wine, and he just stayed at the back without saying a word.

　　"Lao Zhang?" I turned around without hearing his answer.

　　When he turned around, he was really shocked. Zhang Shan had disappeared in just a few seconds!

　　I hurried to the table where he had been sitting, and saw the little bit of wine he had drunk was still there. I touched the chair, and it was still warm, but I couldn't find the man.

　　"Hey? Where's Lao Zhang?" Liu Yunlong heard me calling Zhang Shan, turned around and found that this guy was gone. He couldn't help but ask while scratching the back of his head.

　　I looked around the building in a short period of time, and apart from a back door, I really couldn't think of where he could be hiding.

　　But when I walked up to the door, opened it, and looked out, I saw only an empty back street path.

　　"Look, look! We told this guy not to drink, but he insisted on drinking! Something must have happened!" Liu Yunlong suddenly became impatient and searched the house for any trace of Zhang Shan.

　　"Did you see anything?" Although I was more anxious than Liu Yunlong, at least I was still calm. I stared at Liu Yaer and asked.

　　Because he was the only one facing us when they were arguing just now, so Liu Yaer should be able to see any movements made by Zhang Shan.

　　“…No.” Liu Yaer also realized the seriousness of the situation and said seriously, “Before I left the hospital, he was still sitting there. But just now Liu Yi chased me and ran out, and I didn’t see him anymore.”

　　"Don't listen to this guy's nonsense!" Liu Yunlong glared at Liu Yaer angrily and said, "Who knows, he might have bad intentions! He is not of our race, so his heart must be different!"

　　"What do you mean? Say it again if you dare?!" Liu Yaer was completely enraged by this guy. She stood up and shook, and silver coins of various sizes fell down in a crackling manner.

　　"Stop!" I was also completely furious! Seeing Zhang Shan suddenly disappear, the two of them were still here to have a personal grudge. It was simply too ungrateful!

　　"Find Zhang Shan first, and talk about it after you find him!" I glanced at both of them and said coldly.

　　"Are you kidding me?!" Liu Yaer was not happy when she heard it. "There are only a few minutes left, and you guys are still wasting time looking for someone. Aren't you afraid that you will all die here?!"

　　"If you can't find Zhang Shan, who are you going to take to your benefactor's house?" I didn't expect him to be so hard-hearted, and asked in confusion.

　　"Although going to my benefactor's house is important, it is not as important as my life! Sorry, I can't keep you company!" Liu Yaer decisively chose not to go with us. She didn't even pick up the silver on the ground and turned to leave.

　　"Listen to my advice!" Liu Yaer took two steps, stopped and said to me, "Nothing is more important than your own life. Come with me while you still have time! How can you guys fight against the century-old curse of Wild Crow Ridge?"

　　"Zhang Shan is still here, how do you want us to leave?!" I said with a frown.

　　"You people are just stupid! You can hardly take care of yourself, yet you still have to think about others!" Liu Yaer muttered in a low voice.

　　"Wrong!" Liu Yunlong suddenly pointed at him and said, "We humans do this because we have emotions! We know how to think about others, we know what is important, what comes first, what should be done, and what should not be done. For family, friendship, and love, we can even sacrifice everything we have! This is why humans surpass other species! You won't understand!"

　　"Liu'er!" I was deeply touched when I heard him say that. After thinking for a moment, I said, "You go out with Liu Ya'er first! Wait outside. I'll find Zhang Shan and go out and meet you guys right away!"

　　I owe Zhang Shan a life, and I should pay him back. But Liu Yunlong doesn't need to do that.

　　"Get lost!" Liu Yunlong pointed at me and cursed, "What the hell are you talking about? Zhang Shan is a brother to you, but not to me? I've already said this much, do you think I'm going to leave?! We came out together, and I'm the only one going back. How are you going to let me explain this?!"

　　This guy's way of expressing his feelings is indeed unusual. I knew I couldn't persuade him, so I had to walk up to him, patted Liu Yunlong on the shoulder, and apologized.

　　"Okay! Then go ahead and look for it!" Liu Yaer looked at us puzzledly for a long time and said, "Anyway, I have said it, it's up to you whether you listen or not. I think that staying alive is the most responsible thing to do! Whether it's life or life, think carefully!"

　　"Go away! We don't blame you!" I continued, "Different people have different standards for what it means to be responsible."

　　"I'm sorry I can't see you off!" Liu Yunlong said coldly, completely losing hope in him.

　　Liu Yaer stood at the gate, gave us a last meaningful look, and ran south. If he left now, he might have just enough time to get out.

　　"Liu..." I looked at Liu and said embarrassedly, "This matter... I didn't expect it to be like this..."

　　"Why are you talking about that?" Liu Yunlong punched me in the chest and said, "Why are you acting like a woman! Lao Zhang, we have come all the way here, what haven't we experienced? Would I abandon you and go on my own?! Besides, how much time it will take to get out is just your preliminary estimate, is it reliable? I don't believe it! If God wanted to take our lives, he would have done it a long time ago. Why would he wait until today?!"

　　"...Okay!" I realized that I had indeed thought too much. "No matter what, let's find Lao Zhang first! Let's have the baby together!" After saying that, he extended his right hand to Liu Yunlong.

　　"Let's die together!" Liu Yunlong also stretched out his right hand and hit me.

　　Chapter 45: Another Lost

　　Since we have decided to stay and look for Zhang Shan, we are no longer in a hurry. Ten minutes is definitely not enough. We will not leave until we find him. Time is nothing.

　　"How to find it? I'll take your advice!" Liu Yunlong seemed quite relaxed and asked me while rubbing his hands.

　　"Just search them one by one!" I really couldn't think of a good idea, so I could only use a stupid method. Anyway, there weren't many houses in this valley, so it wouldn't take much time.

　　"Let's go! I'm in front, just watch out for your back!" After Liu Yunlong said that, he took out his pistol, pulled the bolt, and was the first to walk out of the yard.

　　The few adjacent houses on the south side were all residential houses, and they were not very big, so they were searched quickly.

　　"...Old Wang, do you think time has really stopped inside the Wild Crow Ridge?" Liu Yunlong pushed the door open and looked inside while chatting with me, perhaps to ease the depressing atmosphere.

　　"To be honest, I don't believe that time can stop." I thought for a moment and said, "Since ancient times, how many people have studied time, but who has succeeded?! Time is the only force that cannot be resisted."

　　"Then how do you explain what's inside?" Liu Yunlong asked me, looking at the rooms.

　　"Maybe... it's an illusion that we can't crack yet; maybe, it's just a special space created by the curse. In short, no matter who it is, he can't stop time." I still firmly believe in my judgment and don't think that these are things that have existed for a hundred years, because they do not conform to the laws of physics.

　　Apart from anything else, the two mummies on the outside are good evidence.

　　"Then do you think that Lao Zhang lost his money because he drank that bowl of wine?" Liu Yunlong pushed open a large door and asked me casually.

　　"Eighty percent!" I smelled a strange smell coming out of the house and couldn't help frowning. "But we can't blame Lao Zhang entirely. If we come here, like Liu Yaer said, we are doomed to go there without returning. No matter what the reason is, it will cost us our lives. Even if Lao Zhang doesn't touch that bowl of wine, there will be a third bowl and a fourth bowl until he can't help but touch it."

　　"Well... I understand what you mean." Liu Yunlong walked around the room, then turned to me and said, "Just like the centipede formation, he will use your weaknesses to lure you in, and in the end, you will run into the muzzle of the gun."

　　I nodded in agreement, but said with some concern: "What I'm most curious about now is where did the original residents go? Liu Yaer said that basically all the people were trapped here in the end, but where are the people? Except for the two sentinels at the mountain pass, I haven't seen any other people."

　　"Come on, isn't it good if there's no one? If there are people, they're just corpses. It's been so many years?!" Liu Yunlong said with a sneer.

　　Since we had been in a private residence just now, we rushed in without even looking around. When we got inside, we found that behind the long L-shaped counter were small grids, each with a label on it.

　　Oh... no wonder the room smelled so strange when I entered just now, it turned out to be a Chinese medicine shop!

　　"Bang!!!" I was looking around the room when Liu Yunlong suddenly fired a shot outside. The bullet flew out just a few inches in front of my face.

　　"There's someone outside!!!" Liu Yunlong rushed out with a gun in hand without waiting for me to react.

　　By the time I rushed out of the house, this guy had already run more than ten meters along the wall of the pharmacy towards the path inside.

　　"Who is it?!" I asked him hurriedly.

　　"I don't know!" Liu Yunlong didn't even turn around, but ran and shouted, "He escaped into the backyard of the pharmacy! You go to block the front door, and I'll climb over the wall from the back!"

　　"...Oh!" Hearing him say that, I hurried back into the house and closed the door from the inside. There happened to be a scale on the counter, and after taking it in my hand, I felt a little relieved.

　　The light was on in the room, so I could definitely see what was there.

　　There was a door at the other end of the counter, which seemed to lead to the back of the house. I was afraid that something might happen to Liu Yunlong, so I ran over and opened the back door without thinking too much.

　　This... After I pushed open the door, I was stunned. Behind the door was the backyard of the medicine shop. It was not a big place, only about 100 to 200 square meters, but it was filled with dozens of coffins of varying sizes.

　　I rubbed my eyes...Yes! They were indeed coffins.

　　I turned around and looked into the house again...and sure enough, there was indeed a pharmacy in front!

　　Could it be that the boss of this company sells both medicine and coffins? Isn't he afraid that people will think that taking his medicine will kill them?

　　I shook my head to get rid of all the absurd thoughts in my mind, and suddenly realized - where is Liu Yunlong? !

　　This guy should have jumped into the yard! But where are the others? !

　　"Liu?" I called him as I walked toward the center of the courtyard. But everything returned to deathly silence.

　　Every coffin in the yard was brand new, some even had their paint still wet, I didn't think anyone would be put in them. But when I came to a small coffin with a half-open lid, I couldn't help but take a look inside.

　　But suddenly, all the blood rushed to the head.

　　There was actually a person lying inside!!!

　　I subconsciously took two steps back. I was a little surprised. How could there be someone lying in the new coffin? !

　　Because the courtyard was large and the oil lamps in the corridor were dim, I couldn't see who was inside. But... could it be Liu Yunlong?

　　Thinking of this, I suddenly felt hopeful. It was very likely him! Otherwise, it would be unreasonable for this guy to disappear after jumping in!

　　It's Liu Yunlong, it must be him! That's right!

　　My mind was in a mess at the moment, how could I have the energy to think things through? Since I was sure that it was Liu Yunlong inside, I didn't think about it anymore and rushed over to open the lid of the coffin.

　　There was a short man lying inside. Judging from his clothes, they were definitely not modern. His skin was the same as the two sentries at the mountain pass, without any moisture and gray-brown in color.

　　Unexpectedly, I was wondering where everyone had gone, but in the blink of an eye I saw them here.

　　"Impossible... This is not Liu!... Where is Liu?!" I kept muttering to myself, and in a blink of an eye I opened the lids of several coffins around me.

　　Sure enough, there was a person lying in each coffin, but without exception, all of them were dehydrated mummies, and none of them was Liu Yunlong.

　　It wasn't until I pushed open the last coffin that I gave up completely.

　　The situation I least wanted to see happened. Even Liu Yunlong was nowhere to be seen, and I was the only one left!

　　Leaning against the coffin, I really didn't know what to do next.

　　First, Zhang Shan suddenly disappeared, then Liu Yaer left us because of a different stance. Now, it's Liu Yunlong again. Are we really going to be left here, forever?

　　No! I won't give up just like that! Even if I have to dig deep into the ground, I will find them! You said Zhang Shan only has half a life left? Humph, I really want to fight!

　　Although we cannot change time, we can definitely change our destiny!

　　After calming down a little, I was about to think about what had just happened, but I heard a rustling sound behind me.

　　Chapter 46: Fighting the Enemy Alone

　　Turning around, he saw the mummy in the coffin behind him shaking all over as if it had been electrocuted.

　　...What's going on?! I quickly looked at the other bodies nearby, and the bodies inside were all the same, shaking like sieves.

　　Oh no! It looks like he's trying to fake his death!

　　I didn't dare stay any longer, so I ran back to the front hall and tried to open the door to go out.

　　I pulled twice, but the door wouldn't open even though it wasn't locked! ... Damn it! It would be a ghost if no one had done anything wrong!

　　While cursing in my heart, I picked up a chair next to me and smashed it against the carved window next to the gate.

　　These houses still retain their original appearance, and the windows are not made of glass, but white translucent oil paper. I guess if I go up there, it will definitely be broken.

　　"Crack!" After the sound, my palm hurt. But I saw that one of the chair legs was broken, while the window was intact, without even a spot of paint peeling off.

　　I realized, if they didn't want me to go out, why would they leave a window for you to smash?

　　There was a loud banging noise in the backyard. I knew without looking that it was the sound of the coffin lid that I had just pushed open falling to the ground.

　　There was no choice but to run over and try to close the back door to stop them from coming in.

　　But when I ran to the back door, I saw a dried corpse crawling towards the house, stuck in the door frame. I decided immediately that I had to go out to the yard, there was still a glimmer of hope. If I stayed in the front hall, they would rush in and there would be no place to hide!

　　Without any more hesitation, I stepped on the guy's head and rushed into the backyard.

　　...Wow! Almost all the mummies crawled out of their coffins. Perhaps they sensed the presence of living people, and they all looked at me with their empty eye sockets.

　　Damn it, let's fight! I pulled out the scale from behind my waist and took a look. It was really a bit pitiful. You may have seen the small copper scale for weighing Chinese medicine. It is short and thin. To put it bluntly, it looks like chopsticks for frying dough sticks.

　　But this is the only thing I have that's worth mentioning right now.

　　Whatever! It's better to have something than nothing! Seeing a mummy staggering towards me, before it could make a move, I turned the scale upside down and stabbed it into the guy's left eye socket.

　　After kicking it over, I rushed to a corner nearby where there were fewer mummies, intending to knock them over one by one.

　　There happened to be a large water tank in the corner with half a tank of water in it. This time I learned my lesson and wet my right wrist first, then used the scale rod to sweep it over the Wuwei seal, and then touched them after it was stained with water. Every time I touched a mummy, I dipped it again.

　　It’s quite effective. I knocked three or four people down and they couldn’t stand up for a while.

　　But the mummies were getting more and more around me, and soon I didn't even have time to get some water. In the midst of the crisis, I suddenly had an idea, and I reached out to scoop up a handful of water, not caring whether it was dirty or not. After drinking it, I raised my right wrist, put my lips on the ground, and then sprayed it forward.

　　"Puff!" After spitting out a mouthful of water, the dried corpse in front of him suddenly fell down.

　　This is a great idea! I didn't expect that my impromptu invention would actually work wonders.

　　But... the ones behind me immediately made up for it.

　　I was just about to try again when a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the opposite wall: "Lao Wang! Come over here quickly! I'll pull you up!"

　　"Liu Yaer!!!" I looked in the direction of the voice and saw his image as a "young man" on the wall.

　　Finally seeing my own people again, I was filled with strength. I saw a gap on the left, which was obviously sparser than the middle and right sides, so I sprinted towards it.

　　There is only one mummy here. As long as I kill it, I can break out of the encirclement and go around to Liu Yaer.

　　Although this guy looked stupid, he had no intention of letting me pass. He took a staggering step forward and blocked my way in an instant.

　　"Get out of here!" I yelled, grabbing the scale bar and poking it towards it, accurately inserting it into the throat of the mummy.

　　But this time I forgot to borrow the power of the Wuwei Seal. Although it was shaking, it did not fall down. Instead, it grabbed the scale bar.

　　I pulled twice but failed to snatch it. Damn, I don't want it anymore! It's not enough to give it to you! Then I kicked it in the crotch, kicking its small body of several dozen kilograms away. After accelerating, I kicked under the wall and grabbed Liu Yaer's outstretched hand.

　　They worked together and finally climbed up the nearly three-meter-high wall.

　　Looking at the mummies swarming below, my heart was pounding. It wasn't because I was scared, but because I was tired. If it weren't for Liu Yaer, I would have died here today!

　　"You... why are you back again?!" I asked him, gasping for breath.

　　"Why can't I come back?" Liu Yaer said as if it was a matter of course. "I am a human being now! Da Liuer is right. If you are a human being, you should behave like a human being!"

　　"Aren't you afraid of dying here?" I didn't expect him to be so nice all of a sudden.

　　"What are you afraid of?! At worst, I can go back to being a fox! I'm still alive anyway!" It turns out that this guy is prepared for any eventuality.

　　However, it was not easy for him to do this! The opportunity to be a human being is not easy to come by.

　　After jumping off the wall, Liu Yaer looked around and asked me, "Where's Da Liuer?!"

　　"I don't know..." I told him roughly what happened just now, and this guy frowned after listening.

　　"You've been here before, so think carefully about what's abnormal and then we'll start from there. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time if we continue searching without any clues!" I said anxiously when I saw that he didn't say anything.

　　“…Follow me first!” Liu Yaer thought for a moment and pulled me out from the path next to the pharmacy.

　　"What are you doing?! There are mummies inside!!!" I saw him turn to the main entrance again and reach out to push the door, so I hurriedly stopped him. If this door is pushed open, then they will all be released!

　　"Don't worry! Just follow me, you won't have to bother me!" Liu Yaer turned her head and smiled at me, then reached out and took out a piece of paper from her arms.

　　Unexpectedly, the door of the Chinese medicine shop was easily pushed open from the outside. It seemed that there was nothing blocking it.

　　When we returned to the house for the third time, there were two mummies wandering around inside. When they smelled our presence, they immediately came over staggeringly.

　　Liu Yaer was not in a hurry at all. She tore the piece of paper a few times with her hands, then put it in front of her chest with both hands and muttered something.

　　Seeing the corpse getting closer and closer, he was still not in a hurry, and I was a little unsteady. Just as I was about to rush over to help him block it, this guy just finished reciting the words, "Puff!" blew a breath into his hand.

　　When I looked again, the piece of paper had turned into a big gray and white rabbit!

　　Liu Yaer grabbed its ears, muttered something, then put it on the ground and said, "Go!"

　　As soon as the rabbit broke free from his restraints, it ran towards the yard outside the back door.

　　What was even more strange was that the two mummies seemed to have sensed the presence of a new smell and immediately turned around and chased after us towards the backyard, ignoring us.

　　After they all went out, Liu Yaer walked over slowly, closed the back door, and then bolted it.

　　"What kind of magic trick are you doing?" I asked curiously.

　　"Hey, this is not a magic trick! It's an escape technique!" Liu Yaer said happily: "The rabbit escaped from nearby."

　　"Escape technique?" It's the first time I heard of it.

　　Chapter 47: A Century-Old Question

　　"If you think of it as a magic trick, that's fine!" This was obviously not the time to chat, so Liu Yaer continued, "Watch the door, I'll find some medicine!"

　　"Why are you looking for medicine?" I asked puzzled.

　　"It's better to be prepared!" Liu Yaer said as she pulled the small boxes of Chinese medicine around: "If we really get out too late, we can find some detoxifying medicines, so we can last a little longer!"

　　When this guy came back to the door, he had already put a lot of medicine in the pockets of his cotton jacket.

　　I closed the door gently and used my saliva to draw a simple barrier on it to prevent the mummies from escaping.

　　When I turned around, Liu Yaer said, "Why don't we go to the platform at the south entrance of the valley first? Maybe we'll find something there."

　　He was referring to the place where the residents of the valley finally executed the mother and son of the Yao family.

　　I looked at my watch. It was five minutes to three in the morning. If we follow the time we calculated earlier, we can say that we can't get out. We might as well give it a try and find the vital point of the Wild Crow Ridge. If we break it, there might be a glimmer of hope.

　　Without further hesitation, we gave up searching the houses on both sides of the road and walked quickly towards the southern exit of the valley.

　　Two miles is not far, and we arrived at the South Mountain Pass a few minutes later. Looking down from here, the fog was getting thicker a few hundred meters away, but there was a small path on the left not far away, going up along the mountain.

　　"It's here!" Liu Yaer looked around, turned on the flashlight, and led me onto the path.

　　The path was very narrow, with a mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other. After walking a few steps, Liu Yaer stopped, stepped aside, and motioned for me to go first.

　　"What?" I looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

　　"You are the seal holder, and your yin energy is heavier than mine. If you walk in front, it won't be easy to provoke some guys." Liu Yaer said seriously.

　　I don't have much to say. Although I know a little about the use of the Wuwei Seal, I still know very little about other aspects. So I can only agree with what he says.

　　The two men switched positions and continued to move upwards.

　　Turning a corner along the mountain, at the end of the slope, I finally saw this legendary platform.

　　Surprisingly, there were torches hanging on the cliffs here, lighting up the entire platform like daylight.

　　At first I thought there was no one here either, but after looking around, I found a person kneeling with his head down next to a pile of firewood at the end.

　　"Be careful!" Liu Yaer reminded from the side, and we slowly walked towards the man.

　　When I got closer, I found that the man was naked, with disheveled hair, his hands tied to a cross-shaped wooden stake, and his body covered in blood. I couldn't tell whether he was dead or alive.

　　We looked at each other, what on earth is going on?!

　　Judging from their body shapes, they are at least not Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan. Besides, their hair is not that long.

　　"Haha, I didn't expect that in the last year, someone could still come in alive." We were still in a daze when the man suddenly looked up and spoke.

　　...It's a woman! Could it be...

　　"You are Yao?!" I was surprised. I remembered Liu Yaer said before that Yao was tied up and had stakes nailed to her joints.

　　"Haha." The woman shook her head weakly, revealing her appearance, and said to us: "It's rare that you are so calm after coming here. Can you discuss a question with me?"

　　This woman is not actually beautiful. Although her hair covers her face shape, her nose is a bit flat and her lips are a bit thick. To be honest, she looks like an ordinary rural woman. She can't be associated with the legendary "mountain spirit" in any way.

　　"What's the problem?" Liu Yaer asked, staring at her.

　　"Don't be nervous. I know you have a lot of questions, so why don't we talk about them first!" Mrs. Yao looked at the two of us, with a smile on her face that was very inconsistent with her current situation.

　　"Do you want us to help you down first?" I saw that she was not just tied up. There were bamboo sticks on her palms, elbows and collarbones, which passed through her skin and nailed to the wooden stakes behind her.

　　"No, I did it on purpose!" Yao looked at me gratefully and continued, "This will allow me to think about things calmly."

　　"What are you thinking about?" I was puzzled. Is this the only way to think clearly?

　　"You tell me..." Yao's face began to show some pain. "Why do people like to point the finger of guilt at others? Why do people not only face the crime calmly after accusing innocent people, but also kill them so coldly and cruelly? Why is there so much injustice in this world? Why do good people not live long, but bad people can trample on kind people with a pretentious attitude? Is this what human beings are like? Is human nature good or evil?"

　　I understand now. It turns out that she still can't get over the fact that she was forced to death by everyone in the valley.

　　"Of course people are inherently good, Mencius said that!" Liu Yaer rushed to say.

　　"Haha, little fox, have you really figured out how to be a human being?" Yao regained her faint smile and looked at Liu Yaer and said, "Mencius said that human nature is good, but Xunzi also said that human nature is evil. Who is right?"

　　"Uh..." Liu Yaer was suddenly speechless. After all, he had not read many books.

　　"Are you really a mountain woman?" I looked at Yao in disbelief. From the time we first met until now, her conversation and knowledge did not seem like a mountain woman at all.

　　"Alas... I have nothing but time in these hundred years. In order to get the answers to those questions, I have read every book in this valley several times." Yao paused and continued, "But no book can explain it clearly. But I don't have time to wait. Now that you are here today, I must get the answers to my questions!"

　　"Why? You've been waiting for a hundred years, why are you so anxious now?" Liu Yaer wanted to buy us a suitable opportunity from the side so that we would not be deeply trapped in her problem.

　　"The hundred-year curse is about to expire!" Yao said excitedly, "Although I can lock them up for a while, I can't lock them up forever. When the spring comes next year, this place will be reduced to ashes! I won't accept this! Either give me an answer, or we will be buried with our whole family! This is the fate of these people."

　　We then remembered that her curse was only for a hundred years. Although Yao wanted to kill everyone here, it seemed that if she didn't get the answer, all the dead souls here would follow her and turn to ashes, and never be reborn.

　　"What if we can't answer you?" Liu Yaer asked again.

　　"Then you will be buried together! Including your other two friends!" Yao said to us harshly without any consideration.

　　"…What if we figured it out?" I thought about it and asked.

　　Whether human nature is good or evil is a question that has been discussed for thousands of years. In fact, no matter from which perspective, it can be considered wrong, it all depends on how the person concerned understands it.

　　China has been teaching people for thousands of years that human nature is good. Even though Yao had never been to school, she knew this simple truth through osmosis.

　　But until the day he was forced to die, his outlook on life became distorted and he no longer believed that human nature was good. In other words, Yao subconsciously believed that human nature was evil, so she had such a great grudge that she trapped these dead souls for nearly a hundred years.

　　One might ask, if she already knew the answer, why did she ask?

　　Obviously, what she wants to do is to go against the view that has existed for more than 2,000 years, to overturn it! To prove that everything she does is right!

　　Chapter 48: Losing Gamble

　　"If you can prove that people are not selfish and that there are many kind people, I will let you out!" Yao said expressionlessly.

　　Hearing him say that, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan were not in danger at this time. But... I still want to give her a try.

　　"Are you so confident that you can keep us here?" I asked Yao with a deliberately nonchalant look.

　　"I'm using the Mother-Child Blood Curse, you absolutely can't break it!" Yao was full of confidence. "Also, you're not safe right now, do you want to give it a try?"

　　"What do you mean?" I looked at his expression, and I could sense a hint of chill in it. I couldn't help but take a step back. Just as I was about to put my left hand on my right wrist, an arm rushed out from the side and blocked my way.

　　When I turned my head, Liu Yaer was looking at me with a sly smile on her face.

　　"You..." I looked at him in disbelief. Even if this guy didn't join us, he didn't have to betray the country, right? !

　　"Haha." Yao looked up and laughed, "He is not your friend! The little fox may have escaped by now."

　　"...Haha." I also suddenly lowered my head and laughed. "I knew it a long time ago. The reason why I didn't reveal it was to find you, the 'master'."

　　After saying that, I just snapped my fingers with my right hand, and the "Liu Yaer" next to me immediately fell backwards and lay on the ground. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a piece of wood.

　　Humph, when this guy first pulled me up the wall, I knew there was something wrong with him!

　　All creatures with strong yin energy cannot touch the Wuwei Seal. I remember that when old man Zhang pulled me, I was bounced away, let alone Liu Yaer?

　　When he pulled me up the wall, I stretched out my right hand, but he grabbed my wrist without any injury, so I was wary of him.

　　Although I didn't understand why he was not afraid at that time, I understand now that this is a piece of wooden stake that has been cast a spell. It is a dead object and is naturally not afraid of my Wuwei Seal.

　　Another time, when we were walking up the mountain along the path, this guy was clearly walking in front of me, but he insisted on changing positions with me, which once again caught my attention. After changing positions, I deliberately walked close to the cliff, and observed every move behind me through the shadows cast by the flashlight on the cliff. Whenever this guy wanted to get close to me, I pretended not to care and took a big step forward, so that it never found a chance to attack.

　　At the same time as the change of position, I cast a Revelation spell on it, but I added a little more effort, and it must wait for my signal before it will take effect.

　　The signal, of course, was the snap of fingers.

　　“Hahahaha~!” Seeing that I had dealt with the enemy lurking around me, Yao suddenly laughed out loud: “Not bad, not bad! You are indeed the person I’m looking for!”

　　"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you now and break the curse of Wild Crow Ridge?" I ignored her neurotic remarks and walked closer to Yao and asked.

　　"Don't you understand yet?" Seeing me approaching, Yao said calmly, "My mother and I cast the curse together, so this is my territory. No one can break it unless I agree!"

　　"Oh? Then I really have to give it a try!" I actually don't know much about what she called the "mother and child blood curse", but now that there is such a good opportunity, I would rather take a risk.

　　After saying that, I pointed at Yao's eyebrows.

　　"Puff!" With a muffled sound, a piercing pain suddenly came from the fingertips.

　　I looked again and all that was left was the cross-shaped wooden stake.

　　"What a pity!" I was still in a daze when a voice came from the top of the firewood pile beside me. Turning my head, I saw that Yao had changed her appearance. She was wearing women's clothes from the late Qing Dynasty and holding a swaddling cloth in her arms.

　　"Although the seal of inaction is powerful, you can't kill me!" Yao said with a smile, "Desolate Crow Ridge is my curse, so this place is me, and I am this place. Once I turn to ashes, everything here will cease to exist, including you! However, if you really want to die here, I can let you beat me to pieces."

　　"...Do you think I will believe it?" I said this on the surface, but I was horrified in my heart. If it was really like what she said, then I would be completely passive.

　　Yao stood up and in a flash, she was in front of me.

　　"You can try! Don't worry, I will never hide!" Yao actually offered herself to him. She changed to a miserable expression and said, "For a hundred years, I have been unable to leave the valley because of this curse. I cannot bear to see my parents-in-law and husband buried under the mountain. I have to endure endless torture every day. Do you think the life of a ghost is easy? Even if the hundred years are coming, I can't escape the end of the blood curse. Maybe being beaten by you is the best relief! One more day means one more day of pain. Come on, do it!"

　　After saying that, she slowly closed her eyes.

　　"Hmph!" How could I give up such an opportunity? I secretly activated the Wuwei Seal.

　　Everything was ready. All he had to do was use the power of the earth circle combined with the power of the sky circle to hit Yao's heavenly gate and lock her into shape. The rest was to wait for her to turn to ashes.

　　But for this last point, I hesitated and didn't dare to click.

　　If it is really as Yao said, then once I point my finger, won't everyone be buried with her? ! Those souls and nightmares trapped here are fine, at least the three of us are still alive, we can't just disappear with her.

　　"What? You don't dare anymore?" Yao waited for a long time, but there was no movement. She opened one eye and looked at me and asked.

　　"...Okay! I admit defeat!" I finally thought about it and decided that this bet was not worth making, because I knew Yao's experience and her thoughts at the moment. I could almost judge that what she said was true, and she would really do it. If I clicked on it, everything here might cease to exist as she said.

　　Why bet on a game that has less than a 50% chance of winning?!

　　"Tell me! What do you want in exchange for letting us go?" I had to reconsider Yao's previous proposal.

　　"Haha, I gave you a chance, but you gave it up yourself." Yao smiled and said, "In fact, these guys have been imprisoned by me for a hundred years, and they have already paid their dues. Now I don't hate them. But I just want to know, is human nature more evil or good?"

　　"Of course there are more good people in this world!" I replied to her directly.

　　"Then I have to ask." Yao raised her eyebrows and continued, "Why are we women destined to be tools for carrying on the family line from birth? Why can my father sell me to someone he has never met for a bag of grain seeds? Why do all the people in the valley watch the tragedy happen, not only do they not help, but also add insult to injury?"

　　I was silent. I admit that Yao's life was indeed miserable. She was poor when she was young, and finally married into a good family. She thought she could live a stable life, but she didn't expect that just because of a freak, the whole family would lose their lives.

　　However, sympathy is sympathy, and I can't sacrifice our lives just because of my sympathy for her.

　　"Okay!" I thought about it and realized that I didn't have the ability to prove human nature. But I could change the question and maybe there was still some room for maneuver.

　　Chapter 49 An unexpected decision

　　"It's not hard to prove you're wrong. But the hard part is, there's no one else here except us. How do you want me to prove it?" I saw Yao's brows gradually frowning, and it seemed that she hadn't thought of this, so I struck while the iron was hot and continued, "But I can prove that not everyone is as selfish as you think. Under special circumstances, for friendship, family affection, and love, even an ordinary person can sacrifice everything for others, including his or her own life!"

　　"Oh? Haha, this is the first time I've heard of your point of view." Yao seemed to have heard an unbelievable joke. "Anyone who has an idea is thinking about himself?! Isn't what you said too far-fetched?"

　　"No, it's not far-fetched at all!" I immediately told him how Zhang Shan cut off his arm to get blood in order to save me.

　　"Well, your friend is indeed a man of blood!" After listening to me, Yao praised Zhang Shan and then changed the subject, saying, "But what does this mean? If he can do this for you, can you do the same for him?"

　　"Why not?!" I straightened my chest and said loudly, "If I have to sacrifice myself to save him, I will never hesitate!"

　　"Oh?" Yao suddenly perked up, took a step closer, looked me in the eyes and said, "Are you sure you can do this?"

　　"I am sure!" I stared back at her without hesitation. At this time, there must not be any inconsistency with my emotions.

　　"Okay!" Yao stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped back and said, "I see determination and loyalty in your eyes. Go call your friends and go quickly! You still have time!" After that, she turned and walked towards the edge of the cliff without looking at me again.

　　"Why...why?!" I thought she would take my life, but I never expected that this woman would change her attitude in an instant and let us go!

　　"I can see your heart." Yao said calmly facing the night sky on the edge of the cliff, "So, you can't fool me just by looking at the surface. There are very few people like you. Although I, Yao, did heinous things in the past, I don't kill people indiscriminately. Some people deserve to die, and some don't. So, leave quickly before I change my mind! Your friends are in the town, find them, and leave Wild Crow Ridge before dawn. I won't stop you anymore!"

　　"...You are a good person!" I walked behind her, thought for a moment and said, "I also want to advise you, let go! Leave here and go to where you should go."

　　"No, you don't understand. I have no choice." Yao still didn't look back. "The hundred years are coming. Whether I let you go or not, there is only one ending. The one who swore the blood curse of mother and child is destined to vanish into thin air. As long as I don't let go, everyone here will be buried with us mother and child!"

　　"You no longer hate them, so why are you still doing this?" I asked in confusion.

　　Yao paused for a moment and replied, "I don't want to discuss the good and evil of human nature with you, but that doesn't mean I admit I'm wrong. It's just that I think people like you shouldn't die. And those ghosts here, since they weren't good people when they were alive, why should we let them reincarnate as humans? If they live again, they still won't be good people. So, I want to make them disappear from this world completely!"

　　It seems that Yao believes that human nature is evil.

　　"Let's go! You can't control what's happening here!" Yao finally turned around and looked at me and said, "You'd better not say a word and go find your companions! There's not much time left until dawn, and you still have to spend time waking them up."

　　...Well, I can't even protect myself, why should I bother with these trivial matters? I comforted myself, took a last look at Yao, and turned to walk down the slope.

　　Human nature is really a complicated thing. Does that mean that those who forced the Yao mother and son to death were all evil people? I don't think so.

　　In that era, people's understanding of the world played a key role. Ignorance always makes people do stupid things.

　　When I reached the mountain pass, I looked for a long time but couldn't see any trace of Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　This Yao, you should just send them to the west! But you insisted that I go find them by myself and then think of a way to wake them up. What a waste of time!

　　There was no choice but to walk back along the road while looking for their traces.

　　We were about to return to the north entrance of the Wild Crow Ridge, but still hadn't seen either of them. I began to wonder: Is this woman lying to me? Maybe she had no intention of letting us go, and was just playing a cat-and-mouse game with me.

　　...But why did she do this? Wouldn't it be simpler to kill them all at once? Why go to so much trouble!

　　Since I can't figure it out, I can only attribute these behaviors to Yao's psychological abnormality to a certain extent.

　　When walking past a house next to the pharmacy, a crisp "pop" sound suddenly came from inside.

　　"Who?!" I immediately became alert.

　　"Zhang Shan? Liu'er?" I pushed open the gate and called their names.

　　No one answered.

　　"Bang!" I was considering whether to go into the house when I heard another crisp knocking sound from inside.

　　I quietly came to the door, pushed it open a crack and looked inside.

　　…Oh my god! Through the crack in the door, I saw a dried corpse sitting on a throne in the middle of the room, with a chess set in front of it!

　　Oh, I was wondering why this sound was so familiar! It turned out to be the sound of chess pieces hitting each other.

　　Are these two mummies playing chess?! This is too ridiculous!

　　...No, I better leave quickly! Otherwise, if I get entangled by them, how can I have time to look for those two guys?

　　Just as he was about to close the door gently, there was a sudden movement inside. An arm stretched out from the side blocked by the door and moved a piece on the chessboard.

　　But when I saw this scene, I didn't think of leaving because this arm had flesh and blood and normal skin color, and it was obviously the arm of a living person!

　　No need to look! There are living people inside, so why should I be afraid? I kicked the door open and rushed in.

　　"Old Zhang?!" When I saw that the person sitting on the other side of the door was actually Zhang Shan, I suddenly understood. It seems that Yao didn't lie to me!

　　But... this guy acted as if he didn't see me, still concentrating on the chessboard. He didn't move at all when he shouldn't have made a move.

　　"You still have time to play chess?! Let's go!" I watched from the side for a while, and when I saw that the "two people" were no longer moving, I pointed at the mummy first, then I walked over with confidence, and said while pulling him.

　　Zhang Shan seemed to be nailed to the chair. No matter how hard I tried, he had no intention of going with me.

　　...Oh~ I remember what Yao said just now, I have to find a way to wake them up, it seems that I am really "nailed"!

　　Without any hesitation, I immediately cast the mind-clearing spell on him.

　　Half a minute later, this guy still didn't react at all, and didn't even blink.

　　What was going on? I was puzzled. Fortunately, I took everything I could with me on this trip up the mountain, including the Dream Record.

　　But after looking through it for twenty minutes and trying several different methods, Zhang Shan still showed no sign of coming to his senses.

　　Damn it! If you don’t wake up, forget it! I’ll carry you out! I’m strong now, so it’s no problem to carry him.

　　I tried to pry Zhang Shan's arm again, but this time, the force I used was so strong that his cotton jacket was pulled aside, exposing the flesh on his chest.

　　Chapter 50: Fatal Downfall

　　Huh? No! This guy was originally wearing a turtleneck sweater, how come it's gone now?

　　Confused, I pulled open the collar of Zhang Shan's clothes and found that he was not only shirtless but only wearing a cotton jacket. In addition, there was a black line as thick as a little finger extending straight upwards from one point above his navel to the center of his chest.

　　I tried to rub it off, but it didn't come off. The line is clearly under the skin and definitely not drawn on.

　　So where did this come from?

　　I remember last night when we changed into the thermal underwear sent by Director Chen, Zhang Shan didn't have this black mark on his chest! It must have just appeared!

　　At the same time, I also vaguely remember that when I was flipping through the "Dream Record" just now, it seemed that one of the pages mentioned something about "black lines".

　　Yes! Look for it quickly, maybe you can solve the current dilemma.

　　After flipping through dozens of pages, I finally found the description of the "black line".

　　It turns out that this black line is called the Shengyin line, which starts from one point above the navel and ends at the valve, which refers to the Adam's apple. It appears when the yin energy in a person's body is greater than the yang energy. During this period of time, the person is in a state of suspended animation, which is the so-called "turtle breath".

　　That is to say, when the Yin line reaches the Adam's apple, the Yin will become extremely strong and completely devour the Yang. Naturally, there is no hope for the person!

　　Although Liu Yaer had done something to increase their Yin Qi before in order to enter the valley, it was just wrapped on the outside, and on the surface it looked like the Yin Qi was greater than the Yang Qi, but it did not affect the balance of Yin and Yang in the body.

　　Damn it! I couldn't help but curse Yao. This woman actually used such a vicious trick!

　　Fortunately, after explaining the origin of the prosperous Yin line, "Dream Record" immediately follows with the solution to it.

　　I read on and found that it was not as difficult as I had imagined at first. Especially for the seal holder, the method is very simple. Just stick the seal of inaction on the person's qi gate with the Yin line, and you can help him reverse the Yang, input the Yang Qi of the seal holder into the body of the rescued person, and absorb the Yin Qi out at the same time.

　　But in this way, the in and out is equivalent to the rapid reduction of the Yang Qi in the body of the person who holds the seal, and the rapid increase of the Yin Qi. When the person who holds the seal also has the prosperous Yin line, due to his special physique, although he will not enter the "turtle breath" state like ordinary people, the surrounding Yin Qi will be sucked in. If there is no extremely Yang object to suppress it, death will happen in an instant.

　　Therefore, in the last paragraph about the Shengyin line, it is written: "This is a one-life-for-one-life method. If you are not well prepared and do not have something extremely yang, you must never use the inverted yang to rescue. Remember, remember!"

　　Bullshit! Where can I find something extremely yang right now?

　　It took me another ten minutes to read the book. When I looked up at the Shengyin line on Zhang Shan’s chest, it had moved up three fingers and was only a little more than an inch away from the valve.

　　...No matter what! If we don't find a solution, Zhang Shan will die!

　　I gritted my teeth and placed the Wuwei Seal on Zhang Shan’s Adam’s apple.

　　I didn't feel anything at first, but the more I walked, the colder I felt. It seemed that my body no longer had enough heat, and every inch of it was icy cold from the inside out.

　　However, seeing the continuously declining Yinxian line, I feel relieved. It is all worth it!

　　Finally, as the last bit of the Yin line on Zhang Shan's belly disappeared, this guy finally began to react, and his breathing and pulse became noticeably stronger.

　　By this time, I was already numb from the cold and it was difficult for me to even take a step.

　　Soon, Zhang Shan's eyes regained their spirit. After blinking a few times, he was shocked to see me like this: "Uncle Master, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

　　I could clearly feel my strength slowly disappearing. I looked at the clock on my phone with great effort. It was already 5:10.

　　"...Hurry!...Hurry and find Liu!" I said weakly to Zhang Shan.

　　"Uncle Master, you... why are you so cold?! What happened to you?" Zhang Shan turned his head and found the Dream Record spread out on the table. After reading it for a while, he finally understood what was going on and shouted at me, "Are you going to die?! We don't have any extremely yang items with us, you are courting death!"

　　"Don't... don't talk nonsense! Hurry up... find Liu Yunlong and talk outside! Otherwise we will all die here!" I tried to move a few times, and fortunately, I could walk.

　　Zhang Shan stopped talking, put away the Dream Record, and walked quickly outside with me in his arms.

　　After searching several more houses, we finally found Liu Yunlong, who was lying in the arms of a dried corpse, sleeping like a baby.

　　They laid him flat on the kang in the room, pulled open his cotton-padded jacket and saw that his condition was indeed more critical than Zhang Shan's, and the Sheng Yin line was about to reach the valve!

　　"Put Liu against the wall and wait for me to pour the semen on him." I said as I rolled up my sleeves.

　　Zhang Shan held me back and said sternly, "No! Uncle Master, look at where you are now! If you try to make Liu Er lose his yang again, you will surely die!"

　　I opened my collar and looked down, only to see the black line extending to an invisible position behind my chin. It seemed that I was about the same distance as Liu Yunlong.

　　This must be caused by the special physique of the person who holds the seal. The Yin energy in the Wild Crow Ridge is extremely strong, and I have been absorbing it, so the speed at which the Yin line rises is also very fast.

　　"Look where he's gone!" I shook off Zhang Shan's hand, sat down against the wall and said, "If I don't help him stop, this guy might not last even five minutes!"

　　"But this is a life for a life, why do you have to do this? Do you want Liu to feel guilty for the rest of his life after he wakes up?!" Zhang Shan said anxiously.

　　"No!" I rejected him outright. "Any of us can die in the Taihang Mountains, except Liu! He shouldn't have come here. I want him to return safely!"

　　"...By the way! My blood is extremely yang!" Zhang Shan was silent for a moment, and suddenly said: "I'll give you some first, and when you're better, I'll help Liu Daoyang!" As he said that, the guy rolled up his sleeves and was about to cut his veins and bleed him.

　　I hurriedly pulled Zhang Shan and said, "It's too late! Listen to me, Mr. Qian gave me something, it's extremely yang, I left it in the police station in the town. After I help Liu Daoyang, I will enter the state of 'turtle breathing', and then you can carry me down the mountain immediately, maybe there is still hope!"

　　Actually, there is no such thing! But if I don't say that, Zhang Shan will definitely not agree to my giving Liu Yunlong a yang. If I let him bleed to save me again, I guess no one will be able to get out! So, I can only lie to him.

　　"Are you telling the truth?" Zhang Shan looked at me doubtfully.

　　"Really! Don't worry!" I continued to lie: "That thing was originally left to you by the old man. You just need to use it for me when the time comes. Don't waste any more time. Do you want to watch Liu die in this Huangya Ridge?!" After saying that, without waiting for his consent, I put the Wuwei Seal on Liu Yunlong's valve.

　　The cold air surged in again, and I didn't even have the strength to shiver.

　　...I was so sleepy. I wanted to pull Zhang Shan aside and tell him about his physique and the silver slipper, but I couldn't open my mouth to speak.

　　... Oh well, that's all! His fate depends on God! Fortunately, he still has his master, so there is still a glimmer of hope.

　　At the last moment before he lost consciousness, I seemed to see tears flowing from Zhang Shan's eyes. He stared at me and murmured, "Uncle Master, why are you doing this!~"

　　Chapter 51: Like Reality or Illusion

　　It was so dark that I couldn't see anything. But it didn't seem so cold anymore.

　　Am I going to die just like this?

　　How can I explain this to my family? Is it really worth it to sacrifice one life for another? I asked myself.

　　It's worth it! If I had watched Liu Yunlong die like that and didn't save him when I had the means, I would have lived in deep self-blame for the rest of my life.

　　Are people selfish or selfless?

　　On the surface, I sacrificed myself to save Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan. But I did it to avoid any shadow in my heart. Is it really selfless to do so?

　　…It seems that it is too difficult for me to explain all this clearly!

　　Forget it! I've already done it, and I'm going to die anyway, so why bother studying these things? !

　　Gradually, light appeared in my eyes, and I began to try hard to see clearly where I was.

　　A small stone suddenly hit me on the head, giving me a fright.

　　"What are you daydreaming about? Go to the front door and block that guy!" A familiar voice sounded in the distance. I turned my head quickly and saw Liu Yunlong clinging to a wall, yelling at me.

　　This place...seems a little familiar. Could it be...the back street of the Chinese medicine shop?

　　What is going on?

　　Liu Yunlong had disappeared from here before. Thinking of this, I quickly put aside other thoughts and looked up at him and shouted, "Hey! Wait!"

　　This guy was faster than a monkey. He jumped in before I could even finish my words.

　　"Damn! This unlucky kid!" I hurried back to the front door and rushed to the backyard.

　　As soon as I stepped into the door of the Chinese medicine shop, a dark shadow appeared inside and ran out. We bumped into each other and our heads hit each other with a dull thud.

　　"Ouch~" I touched my head which was hit so hard that I saw stars. I looked up and couldn't help but wonder: "...Liu Yaer! Why is it you?!" The person standing in front of me was none other than that damn fox.

　　This guy wasn't much better. He touched his head and yelled at me, "You two are planning to kill me! One of you shot me as soon as we met, and the other one hit me in the head before we even met! Ouch...it hurts so much!"

　　At this time, Liu Yunlong also ran in from the back door. Seeing it was him, he said coldly: "Was that you? Why are you back again?"

　　Liu Yaer looked back at him and said seriously, "I've figured it out. I'm a human now, so I have to act like one! If I leave my companions behind and walk away, I'm still a beast!"

　　"You are a beast!" Liu Yunlong cursed mercilessly, and then continued: "But this sentence sounds like a human being!"

　　"Hehe!~" Liu Yaer didn't mind this guy's sarcasm at all. After all, she was affirmed in the end.

　　"Huh?" After I recovered, I looked at Liu Yunlong and said, "Why did you come out again?" I clearly remember that he disappeared after he climbed into the yard!

　　"Why can't I come out? I can come out through the door!" Liu Yunlong stared at me and said, "Did this guy hit your brain?"

　　"Shut up!" When I saw that he was about to open his mouth, I waved my hand to stop him from speaking, and then rushed into the backyard.

　　When I came to the backyard and saw the coffins piled up everywhere, I was confused for a moment. Liu Yunlong behind me said to Liu Yaer: "Don't you think this medicine shop is weird? They sell medicine in the front and coffins in the back. Who would dare to buy their medicine?!..."

　　Strange, so strange! I was clearly dead, why did I suddenly return to the moment before Liu Yunlong disappeared? And now things are obviously developing in another direction, which is completely different from what happened just now.

　　...corpses! Yes, there is a mummy in each coffin! After staring at the coffins for a long time, I suddenly thought of this and quickly reached out and pushed open one of them.

　　Empty! He pushed open another one, still empty! He pushed open a few more... Without exception, every coffin was empty, just like a new one. No, to be more precise, it was just made.

　　"Lao Wang, what are you doing?" Liu Yunlong saw me constantly lifting the coffin lid and couldn't help but come up to me and urged me, "I've seen that Lao Zhang is not here. Hurry up and look for him somewhere else!

　　"Don't come over here!" I suddenly remembered that Yao had used a fake Liu Yaer to deceive me before, and maybe these two guys in front of me are also fake!

　　"What's wrong with you?" Liu Yunlong stared at me, confused.

　　"You!... Turn around!" My mind gradually became clear. I wanted Liu Yunlong to turn his back, so I cast a revelation spell on him. Whether it's true or not, I'll know after trying it!

　　"What? I won't!" Liu Yunlong rolled his eyes and refused directly: "You are abnormal. If you don't explain clearly, I can't listen to you!"

　　"You are under a curse! I will help you break it!" I lied to him.

　　"..." Liu Yunlong didn't say anything, and looked back at Liu Yaer. Seeing Fox nod, he reluctantly moved to my side, slowly turned around, and said, "Don't hurt me, or I'll never let you go!"

　　I didn't dare let Liu Yaer see me, so I quickly cast the Apparition Spell from behind, but this time I didn't ask her to wait for the signal.

　　"Are you okay?!" More than half a minute passed, and Liu Yunlong asked impatiently when he saw that I hadn't responded.

　　After I clicked it, I immediately knew that this spell would not work on him. So the guy in front of me is probably real.

　　So what happened just now was fake? ...That's not right! I wasn't dizzy or asleep, but I just switched from reality to fantasy? How could the Yao family do it so perfectly?

　　I didn't know for a moment whether it was true just now or it was true now. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I forgot about Liu Yunlong until he called me.

　　"...Oh! Okay, okay! Liu Yaer, come and take a look, why is my right arm so cold?" As I said, I walked towards Liu Yaer and stretched out my right hand to him.

　　"Oh!" Liu Yaer didn't think much about it and reached out to grab my wrist.

　　Good! As long as he touches my Wuwei Seal, I will immediately know whether this guy is real or fake!

　　Real willow buds will bounce back immediately when touched.

　　Just when his hand was about to touch me, this guy suddenly stopped.

　　“Hehe!” Liu Yaer saw me looking up at him, and pointed at the Wuwei Seal with embarrassment, “This… this thing of yours, I can’t touch it. Roll up your sleeves a little higher, so I can take a look at it.”

　　"Forget it." I put down my sleeves depressedly and said, "Let's go and find Lao Zhang! We can set off again after we find him!"

　　As I walked out of the Chinese medicine shop, I heard two people behind me whispering, "Did he really have a brain injury?"

　　"Impossible! I'm not broken, isn't his head tougher than mine?!"

　　"That's not necessarily true. Humans are the most vulnerable among animals!"

　　"What nonsense! I am also a human being! I don't have a fox's head now!..."

　　Forget it, at least I am conscious and can move now, so I should do what I should do! I should quickly find Zhang Shan, get out of this Wild Crow Ridge, and go to the next destination. Whether it is true or not, I will temporarily believe that what just happened was just a nightmare!

　　At least now I'm still alive.

　　Isn’t this the best outcome?

　　Chapter 52: Life and Death Test

　　But... where should I find Zhang Shan?

　　I was just thinking about whether to go to the room where I found him, but suddenly I heard Liu Yaer behind me whisper, "Look ahead, there's someone! Be careful!"

　　Looking up, we saw a person vaguely standing in the middle of the road about a hundred meters ahead of us.

　　"Is it Lao Zhang?" Liu Yunlong squinted his eyes and tried to look.

　　"Definitely not!" Liu Yaer's eyesight was better than ours, and she continued, "Zhang Shan is taller than this guy, and much more muscular!"

　　We stood there for a while and saw that the man in the distance didn't move, so we tried to slowly approach him.

　　When I was halfway there, I could already see the man's face clearly.

　　I started walking towards her quickly.

　　"Lao Wang, come back!" Liu Yunlong pulled me from behind and whispered, "We don't even know if that woman is a human or a ghost, don't go any further!"

　　"You two wait here for me!" I took his hand and said calmly, "I have something to say to her."

　　"You...you know each other?" Liu Yunlong's expression was as incredible as if he had seen an alien.

　　"I'll talk to her and come back to tell you guys." I made a gesture to both of them to rest assured and turned to walk towards the woman.

　　Finally coming closer, she was still wearing the standard attire of a woman from a hundred years ago, holding a swaddling baby in her arms, exactly the same as when we first met.

　　"Did you come up with all this?" I asked before the woman could open her mouth.

　　"Haha, you are really good!" Yao did not answer the question, but praised me first.

　　"Is this just a test from you?" I was a little angry. Although she didn't answer me, from her expression and tone, it was 99% certain that she had arranged the exchange of life for life.

　　"No, this is not a test from me, but a test for you." Yao smiled brightly.

　　I don't know why, but at this moment I felt that her smile was less calculating and more kind.

　　"My test?" I asked, somewhat puzzled, "What is the test? To see if I am willing to sacrifice myself to save them?"

　　"Yes! I want to see if you are a person who can do what you say." Yao admitted it very happily.

　　"But... aren't you going too far?" I couldn't help but frown and asked her, "Can't you try another way? Or at least say hello first! Do you know how tiring it is to do this?!"

　　"Don't be angry!" Yao said with a matter-of-fact expression. "If I tell you first, is this experiment still meaningful? Besides, is there any other method that is more effective and direct than this?"

　　I was speechless. Yes, only in this way can it be the most direct and real.

　　"...Then when did you decide to do this?" Seeing that she smiled without saying anything, I asked again.

　　Now my concept of time is completely messed up! From the moment I stepped into the Wild Crow Ridge, I have never calculated it correctly. Including the so-called "test" during this period, Yao's so-called, it was not even a second. I really don't know how this time passed!

　　"It started from the moment you saw through my illusion." Yao was referring to the time I dealt with that fake Liu Yaer.

　　"I want to know which time is real and which is fake?" I said it, and found myself really stupid! If the death was real, would I still be standing here? But that time always made me feel more real than now, it was really strange!

　　"Haha, is truth or falsehood so important?" Yao ignored my question again and asked back.

　　"This..." I didn't understand her intention for a moment.

　　"Okay! Let's put it this way. For now, let's assume that my test of you was fake, and this time it's real." Yao smiled and said patiently: "Although everything just now was fake, are you really doing it?"

　　"Of course!" I answered without hesitation, because I didn't know it was just an illusion, and I was really ready to die.

　　"Then it's over!" Yao listened to me and said, "Since the feelings are real and you are really doing it, is there any point in distinguishing true from false? I want to see your heart, not your appearance. So true or false doesn't make any sense at all."

　　"...I just want to ask which time is accurate." I was a little depressed. This Yao, I asked her about the time, but she talked to me about truth and falsehood.

　　"Don't you understand?" Yao smiled helplessly. "It's all fake, time is fake, space is fake, including you, including me, everything here is fake!"

　　Before I could come to my senses, she continued, "But everything is true, because your heart is true."

　　...Oh~! I finally understood that Yao had taught me a truth - there are many illusions in this world, but as long as you always hold a sincere heart, whether towards people or things, you can have a clear conscience, then what is the difference between truth and falsehood?

　　"Haha, you finally figured it out!" When Yao saw that my expression finally relaxed, she knew that I had figured it out.

　　"Yes!" I looked at her gratefully, but asked anxiously, "Then you... and the people here..."

　　"History is always true." Yao knew what I wanted to ask, and this time she took the initiative to answer: "The curse is true, and the legend is also true. And I really wanted to keep you here at first. But you made me change my mind."

　　After thinking it through, I felt that many questions became simpler. Putting aside the truth and falsehood, even the good and evil of human nature that Yao had asked before seemed to have a new understanding.

　　"Have you figured out the difference between good and evil?" I asked Yao with a smile.

　　"Maybe I have figured it out, maybe not." She gave me an ambiguous answer. She smiled and said, "A century-old knot is not so easy to untie. Anyway, I have decided to let you go. If you know the answer, you must tell me before the curse expires!"

　　"Haha, it won't take that long. Let's take your child as an example." I looked at the strange baby in Yao's arms and thought it was my turn to explain it to you, so I said, "For a newborn baby, what is good and evil to him? And what is good and evil to me? You think I am kind, but what if I suddenly want to kill him now?"

　　"You mean... they're all fake?" Yao knew it immediately.

　　"Yes! Good and evil do not always exist with a person throughout his life." I then said, "As the saying goes, one thought is heaven, one thought is hell. Good and evil are always just a thought away. They do not belong to any one person at any time, but they are always watching everyone."

　　It is like a person who has done good deeds all his life, but may do unimaginable bad things just because of a small evil thought; and a person who has committed heinous crimes may do one or more good things because of a sudden surge of conscience.

　　"…To the heart, good and evil are just illusions…" Yao thought thoughtfully.

　　"Haha, since they are all fake. Where does the good and evil in human nature come from? They are just like the time here. Which one is real and which one is fake; which one comes first and which one comes later? No one can figure it out except you!" I smiled at Yao, waiting for her to think it through thoroughly.

　　The woman lowered her head and pondered for a long time. Finally, she sighed and said, "You are really amazing, like a high monk. You took a big detour. Although you didn't discuss with me which comes first, good or evil, you denied the whole thing. Yes, since it's all fake, why should I insist on it?"

　　"That's because you're reasonable." I saw that Yao had finally figured it out, so I struck while the iron was hot and said, "We should judge with reasonable people and fight with unreasonable people. Everyone's life is a piece of paper full of words. When his life is over, even gods can't add or subtract even a stroke from this piece of paper. These pieces of paper are history, and only history is always true. So, let's release the wronged souls of Wild Crow Ridge! Let them go where they should go. History will seek justice for you."

　　Chapter 53: Dawn of Calamity

　　"Yes!" The woman agreed very readily. "Thank you, thank you so much! I will lift this curse as soon as you leave."

　　After Yao finished speaking, she looked down at the child in her arms, her face filled with a happy smile.

　　"Then you..." I began to care about her ending. But we all knew that Yao and her child were destined to disappear into thin air and never be reborn.

　　"Don't worry about me!" Yao comforted me, "Life is too tiring. Living this life is enough. Disappearing completely is the best outcome for me."

　　I didn't expect that she and Mr. Qian said exactly the same thing. Is life really that tiring? I found that there were still some things I couldn't figure out.

　　"Find your friend and leave quickly! He's waiting at the old place." The woman took one last look at me and turned to walk in the direction I was facing. "After daybreak, I will remove the fog barrier here. You must get out before sunrise. Also, remember to find a hundred-year-old ginseng to nourish your body after you get out."

　　"Wait a minute." I saw her leaving, so I quickly called out, "Where is Zhang Shan? Where is the old place?"

　　"The place where you rescued him." Yao turned around and said lightly.

　　"The place where I saved him...wasn't that an illusion?!" I came to my senses and shouted at her again.

　　Yao walked further and further away, and finally disappeared into the darkness, leaving only her last words still echoing in the valley: "True and false, false and true, true is also false, false is also true. Haha, as long as you are a human being, you will never be able to truly understand if you cannot escape from the secular world. Go quickly, we will never meet again."

　　"...You're talking about me, you're more like a hermit than I am." I muttered as I walked back. Although the problem was solved, I was not in a good mood.

　　After all, someone will soon cease to exist. It's like watching a terminally ill person dying, but there is nothing you can do.

　　Besides, this punishment should not have been imposed on Yao. Was she wrong? I don't think so. She was already in a desperate situation, and she was not allowed to resist? Now that's called "self-defense"!

　　Are the people here wrong? No, we can only blame the feudal society! It is clear that ignorance can really kill people.

　　Just as I was thinking about what Yao said, I heard footsteps behind me. It was the two of them walking towards me.

　　"Who is that woman?" Liu Yunlong came over and asked, looking at the figure in the dark.

　　"Yao." I answered weakly.

　　"Which Yao? Do we know each other?" Liu Yunlong was confused.

　　"...She...she is the Yao who cast the curse on this Wild Crow Ridge?!" Liu Yaer is much more familiar with the story of Wild Crow Ridge. We listened to his stories, so this guy understood it as soon as he heard it.

　　"How do you know her?" Liu Yunlong still looked puzzled.

　　Haha, I smiled. Do I know her? Do I know her or not?

　　I don't know either.

　　"What did you say?" Liu Yaer was more concerned about practical issues.

　　"We..." I suddenly woke up, turned my head and looked at Liu Yunlong and said, "What time is it now?!"

　　"Hmm... six forty." The guy looked down at the watch on his wrist.

　　"Six forty...six forty..." Only twenty minutes until dawn?! I jumped up and shouted, "Quick! Hurry up! Find Zhang Shan and run away! Yao's curse will be lifted after dawn, and this place will cease to exist!"

　　"But where is Lao Zhang?" Although the two men didn't know what was going on, they saw that I was extremely anxious, but they had no idea where Zhang Shan was.

　　"I know, come with me!" I said, looked around, found the room where Zhang Shan was found earlier, and ran straight there.

　　He broke open the courtyard gate and kicked open the house door. As expected, he saw Zhang Shan still sitting opposite the mummy, with a half-finished chess game on the table between them.

　　Ignoring the two guys' shouting, I tried to "clear Zhang Shan's mind" again. Unexpectedly, it still didn't work!

　　"Can't wake up?" Seeing that I had tried two or three methods and Zhang Shan still didn't move, Liu Yunlong suddenly became impatient: "Wait, I'll go find that woman!"

　　"Don't look for him anymore. We don't have that much time! Let's just carry him out! Quickly!" I made a prompt decision and directed the two of them to carry both the man and the chair out.

　　"Look at the watch, how many minutes are left?" I stood on the road looking around, wondering if there would be enough time to get to Nanshankou.

　　"Six fifty-two, eight minutes until seven!" Liu Yunlong reported immediately.

　　"...Go back! Exit from the North Mountain Exit! Safety first!" I thought about it. Although this place is right next to the North Mountain Exit, it should not be a problem to run to the South Exit in eight minutes. However, there are too many unpredictable factors, so it is better to proceed step by step.

　　Without any hesitation, the three of us carried Zhang Shan, who was sitting on the armchair, rushed out of the mountain pass, and plunged into the thick fog again.

　　"How do we get there?" After entering the fog, we were suddenly blind and Liu Yunlong could only ask us.

　　"I don't know either... This fog seems to be the reason for dawn. There is a strange smell in the fog!" Liu Yaer was unable to tell the direction by her sense of smell.

　　I took the opportunity to sniff hard, and sure enough, there was a pungent smell in the air, a bit like chemicals, which made people's heads hurt. Fortunately, the impact was not serious at the moment.

　　"Don't stop! Hold on. Yao said the fog will clear after sunrise!" I could only comfort them.

　　"You... aren't... afraid that she will cheat on you?" Liu Yunlong said while panting.

　　I didn't have any special reaction after hearing this. Since it has come to this, I'm in anyway, whether she cheated or not, so what does it matter if she cheated on me or not? Even if I wanted to turn around and go in now, I couldn't do it.

　　After walking for a while, it seemed that the sky was beginning to brighten, because the fog around us gradually revealed some hazy light yellow color.

　　"No, stop!" Liu Yaer suddenly stopped, put Zhang Shan down and said, "The strange smell in the fog is getting stronger. To prevent it from being poisonous, I'll give you half a minute to adjust your breathing rhythm. Otherwise, if you gasp so hard, you'll inhale more!"

　　Who would have thought that it would have been fine if he had just kept falling, but after this breath, Liu Yunlong supported himself on his knees and gasped for a few times, and suddenly his body tilted and he fell to the ground.

　　"Liu!" I hurried over to help him, but I didn't realize that I was already on the verge of dizziness. As soon as I bent over, my legs went limp and I fell beside the chair.

　　Damn it! Is it really poisoned?

　　Finally, I looked up and saw Liu Yaer running farther and farther away with his back to us.

　　Run if you can! Why not? Are you going to stay here with us and wait for death? I found myself being so easy to talk to for the first time... No... Just leave it to fate! ...

　　Is death really a relief?

　　…

　　"... Lao Wang! Lao Wang!" I found myself so tired that as soon as I closed my eyes, someone came to bother me.

　　Ignore him! Go back to sleep!

　　"Lao Wang! Wake up! I know you are conscious, you must try hard to open your eyes! Otherwise you will never wake up!" The voice sounded again, very familiar, but I didn't know who it was, and I was too lazy to think about it.

　　But you want to trick me? No way! I won't wake up when I sleep so comfortably!

　　"...You said that's not okay!" Another voice seemed to come into my ears. "Listen to me, Lao Wang, Ni Qian is married to someone else!"

　　Chapter 54: Determining the True and False Again

　　Nonsense! Where am I now? I'm in the mountains! I don't care who you are, you know better than me whether Ni Qian is married or not? Ignore it and go to sleep!

　　...Wait, I'm on the mountain? ...Why am I on the mountain?

　　Saving Zhang Shan... encountering heavy snow... bumping into Liu Yaer... exploring... Huang Ya Ridge!!!

　　Yes! I'm still in Raven Ridge!

　　What's the point of sleeping like this!? I immediately turned over and sat up.

　　"Bang!" Before I opened my eyes, my head hit something hard, and it happened to be the same place where Liu Yaer's head had hit before. This woke me up completely.

　　When I opened my eyes, I found Liu Yunlong squatting beside me, holding his head with a painful look on his face.

　　"What's going on?!" I had no idea what happened after I fell into a coma, and asked, staring at Liu Yaer and Liu Yunlong on both sides.

　　"...Oh? Don't mention it, Old Liu, your method is really good!" Liu Yaer looked at me with surprise, but was talking to Liu Yunlong.

　　"Damn... the price is a bit high, it hurts so much! Is your head solid, you old bastard?!" Liu Yunlong rubbed the place where I hit him hard.

　　I was too lazy to pay attention to them. I thought about what happened before and asked Liu Yaer, "Didn't you run away? Why are you back?"

　　"Who said I ran away?" This guy stared at me with his eyes wide open, and said unhappily, "I went to look for herbs. I was afraid that you would be infected with miasma and die!"

　　"Just forget it!" Liu Yunlong was immediately annoyed when he heard him say that: "Where are the herbs? When I woke up, you were not there! It's only been less than two minutes since you came back!"

　　"That's not my fault... I failed to run away and fainted!" Liu Yaer said with a wronged look on her face.

　　"Where's Zhang Shan?" I looked around. Zhang Shan was clearly carried out by the three of us, but where is he now? Could he have woken up a long time ago?

　　"Can't you three keep your voices down? You keep chattering away, aren't you annoying?" This guy's voice suddenly sounded behind me. Turning around, I saw Zhang Shan sitting in a chair, looking at us with a sleepy face.

　　Zhang Shan seemed particularly happy to see me. He stood up from his chair, squatted beside me, patted my shoulder and said, "Haha, uncle, I knew you would be fine!"

　　"What can happen to me?" My shoulder hurt from his pat, but my mind was a mess. What did this guy mean by saying this for no reason? He was the one who was missing and unconscious from the beginning to the end, why was he worried about me?

　　"The fact that Liu Daoyang is alive is not enough to worry me!" Zhang Shan said seriously.

　　"What?!" I was shocked. Wasn't that Yao's test for me fake? How did he know? Did he test both of us at the same time? ...That's not right! It was obvious that Zhang Shan didn't accept any test.

　　"How did you know?!" I quickly grabbed his arm and asked.

　　"How could I not know! You saved me first, and then we found Liu together!... You wouldn't have forgotten everything, right?" Zhang Shan looked at me with some surprise.

　　"Ah! Ah! What are you talking about! Lao Zhang, I was awake the whole time. When did I ask you to save me?" Liu Yunlong said unwillingly, "There are some people who, relying on their weight of more than 200 kilograms, refuse to wake up no matter what. We worked so hard to carry them out!"

　　"I'm telling you, my uncle is going to use his own life..."

　　"Stop arguing!!!" I was completely stunned. I covered my ears and yelled, signaling both parties to shut up and let me think it over first.

　　After sorting out my thoughts, I decided to start with the part I didn't know. So I turned to Zhang Shan and asked, "Old Zhang, according to what you know, what happened after you rescued Liu?"

　　"Hmm..." Zhang Shan raised his head and thought for a moment, then said, "After you helped Liu Daoyang, your breath became weaker and weaker. Seeing that you might not make it, I hurried to bleed you to save you. As a result, I lost a lot of blood, and after barely stopping the bleeding, I also passed out. I didn't know what happened after that, until I woke up and found myself here."

　　"What about Liu?" I asked him. It seems that whether Liu Yunlong wakes up or not is the key.

　　"Before I passed out, neither of you reacted at all." Zhang Shan said with his hands spread out.

　　I was silent. His situation was very suspicious. My initial guess was that Yao must have dragged us both into the illusion.

　　"You didn't really forget, did you, Uncle Master?" Zhang Shan saw my thoughtful expression and raised his hand and said, "Look, the wound from my bleeding is still there!"

　　There was indeed a large cut on this guy's left wrist, which was deep enough to see the bone. It was three fingers wide and the skin and flesh were turned outward. Fortunately, there was not much bleeding at this time.

　　Looking at Zhang Shan's face again, it was indeed a little pale, but his face was originally dark, so it was not very obvious.

　　"This...how is this possible?!" I muttered to myself, and suddenly remembered something. I quickly pulled down my collar and looked at my chest.

　　...a black line as thick as a little finger, extending upward from the lower belly to a place behind the chin that cannot be seen. ...It is a Shengyin line!!!

　　This... this is all so confusing!

　　Could it be that the scene between Zhang Shan and I was real, and the scene between me and Yao Shi was fake? But the armchair behind us was important evidence of our escape.

　　...Or maybe both are true?

　　I was trying to figure out what was going on inside when Liu Yaer pointed behind me and shouted, "Look at the chair!"

　　We quickly turned around and were stunned by what we saw. The originally brand new color of the armchair was rapidly oxidizing, the paint was peeling, and wormholes were appearing... After just a few seconds, only a piece of charcoal-like wood residue was left on the ground.

　　"Oh! My arm is healed!" Zhang Shan shouted again. I looked carefully and saw that this guy's left arm was intact. Where was the wound?

　　...Ah! ~~~~Seeing all this, I'm going crazy! Although I don't care about truth or falsehood, I also want to distinguish which is reality and which is an illusion?

　　No wonder this woman said at the end, "What is true is false, and what is false is true."

　　Or is it just as Yao said, all this is fake, and we have never actually entered the Wild Crow Ridge?

　　I looked down at my chest, and only my Sheng Yin line was still there. ...Oh, she also told me to get a hundred-year-old ginseng for nourishment, so she was waiting here!

　　"Have we really been in there?" Liu Yaer was stunned for a long time before suddenly saying this. Of course, this is what everyone wants to ask.

　　It seems that I am too constrained by this real world. Although I talked to that Yao very well, I still can't get around it when it comes to myself. It seems that I helped her solve the knot that had been bothering her for a century, but it was only because Yao stood at a relatively high level and was able to use a point to lead to the whole. What she couldn't figure out, anyone could give her a hint and she would suddenly understand everything. And I am still far behind, at most I can draw inferences from one example.

　　Well, I am just a mortal anyway, and I don't plan to become an immortal. I don't care whether it is true or false, or false or true. In a word, it is enough to be true in the heart, as for the rest, think about it if you can figure it out, and throw it away if you can't figure it out.

　　Life always has to go on. Time is equal to everyone. It will never give you a first-class seat while giving others an economy class seat. Don't say that people have different life spans. Life and life span are two different things. A long life span does not mean that life is necessarily wonderful; a short life span does not mean that life is meaningless.

　　As the saying goes, life lies in movement, and longevity lies in inactivity. The choice is yours.

　　So throw away everything you can't figure out and don't want to think about as soon as possible! Isn't it good to live an easy life like this?

　　As a human being, you should be ignorant at times!

　　"Look, the fog has finally dissipated!" Liu Yunlong's words pulled everyone out of their memories.

　　Chapter 55: Taihang Road

　　After the sun completely rose from the horizon, there was no trace of fog in the valley. The mystery that had entangled the Wild Crow Ridge for nearly a hundred years finally dissipated.

　　However, this also meant that the poor Yao mother and son also disappeared.

　　"Let's go! It's time for us to get on the road!" Zhang Shan patted the dirty parts of his body and led us into the valley again.

　　The two "guard" mummies at the mountain pass had long since disappeared.

　　When we climbed up the hillside and stood at the entrance of the valley, the scene inside stunned us again.

　　How could this be the prosperous scene I saw last night? There were broken walls and ruins everywhere, and weeds were growing everywhere. Even the main road in the valley was covered with weeds that were more than half a person tall.

　　Walking through the weeds, I was confused again. Has the Wild Crow Ridge always been like this? Or was it just the result of that sudden change? I'm afraid this will always be a mystery.

　　"I rocked and rocked until I reached Grandma's Bridge, and Grandma called me a good baby.

　　A bag of candy, a bag of fruit, and grandma bought a fish to grill.

　　The head is not cooked enough, but the tail is crispy. It makes a sizzling sound when served in a bowl, and it makes you feel like you have diarrhea after eating it.

　　Jumping and jumping, he jumped to the Fish-selling Bridge, and the baby laughed happily. ..."

　　It seemed as if a faint sound of children's songs was echoing in the valley.

　　A century of grievances ended at this moment.

　　Huang Yaling, the main road of Taihang, may soon be able to regain its important role and former prosperity. However, the legends about it may soon be forgotten by people. But history, as the only insider, will always remember it! I just hope that such a tragedy will not happen again.

　　We walked past one house after another, repeatedly comparing them with the ones we saw last night, but we rarely found any that looked familiar.

　　Soon, we left Nanshankou and followed a small path to quickly move towards Liu Yaer's home, which was ten miles away. On the way, I also told them a few of the details of my contact with the Yao family.

　　"Old Wang." After a while, Liu Yunlong pulled me and asked, "I still can't figure it out. Is that Yao Shi also the seal holder like you?"

　　"What do you mean?" I didn't understand what he was thinking.

　　"Think about it! If she wasn't the seal holder, how could she be so familiar with the curse? At that time, Yao was not dead yet, and she had just married into the family. How did she learn it?" Liu Yunlong analyzed.

　　I really haven't thought about this. It's over, why dwell on how it happened?

　　"Ouch! Lao Zhang, you tripped me on purpose!" As soon as the guy finished speaking, he yelled at Zhang Shan next to him.

　　"How do you know I did it on purpose?" Zhang Shan had a smile on his face and didn't apologize. It was obvious that he was just looking for trouble.

　　"Damn it! Just pretend to be a coward! Don't be so complacent, or you might fall down the mountain!" Liu Yunlong said hatefully.

　　"Oh?" Zhang Shan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you cursing me?"

　　"I'm cursing you! What can you do about it?" Liu Yunlong glared at Zhang Shan unwillingly.

　　"Are you the seal holder?" Zhang Shan resumed his evil smile and asked, "You are not the seal holder, so how can you curse people?"

　　"I..." Liu Yunlong was about to speak when he suddenly remembered why Zhang Shan did this. It turned out that there was a reason. He hurriedly asked, "So what do you mean-"

　　"Haha, get it?" Zhang Shan paused and said, "It's not just the seal holders or the ghost walkers who can curse! Everyone can do it, but they are accurate while you are not! The countryside is not like the city, who doesn't know about these mysterious methods? Besides, there were all kinds of shamans everywhere in those days, so there was no need to teach!"

　　"Okay, let's not talk about it now. Watch your step, the mountain road is dangerous!" I reminded them at the right time. Zhang Shan is really something. It just snowed, and the mountain road was narrow and slippery. He even deliberately tripped Liu Yunlong. If something really happened, it would be too late to regret it!

　　After more than three hours of difficult walking, we finally arrived at a hut near the top of the mountain at noon.

　　The hut was made of wood beams and covered with thatch. In front of the house was a small gravel road built by the owner himself, and behind the house was a half-acre vegetable field. Of course, since no one had lived there for several years, the field had long been abandoned.

　　It's a really nice and quiet place! I can imagine that when the spring comes next year, it will be surrounded by forests, with birds singing and flowers blooming. It will be very beautiful, but it's a pity that there is only a small bridge and flowing water missing.

　　Liu Yaer came to the front door of the hut, and before he could say anything, he suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times towards the hut, with a loud sound. I thought he would stand up after kowtow, but who knew that this guy turned around while kneeling and kowtowed three more times towards Liu Yunlong.

　　"...What do you mean?" Liu Yunlong was stunned at the time, and only asked stutteringly after receiving this great gift from him.

　　In fact, not only him, but even Zhang Shan and I didn't understand what was going on.

　　"Just keep it with you first and return it to me later!" Liu Yaer said as she stood up, pushed the door open and walked into the house.

　　"This... you can borrow first and then pay it back after you kowtow?!" Liu Yunlong asked us with wide eyes. But we didn't know what Liu Yaer was thinking.

　　When I walked into the house, Liu Yaer had already started cleaning.

　　There were few furnishings in the house. Facing the main door, there was a small square table with only two things on it - an incense burner and a seat. There were a few words written crookedly on the seat. I looked at it for a long time before I recognized that it should be the position of Engong X (unclear) Zhong. On the right side of the door was a stove, and on the left was a small bed and an empty bookcase.

　　Since there was nothing inside, Liu Yaer cleaned the place in two minutes, then went out and grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it, just as washing her hands.

　　"Okay! Liu, please do me a favor and return those three heads to me!" After lighting the incense, Liu Yaer sat up straight on the bench in front of the square table and said to Liu Yunlong seriously.

　　"By...by why?!" Liu Yunlong was of course unwilling and said as he took a step back.

　　"Please help me! I'll kowtow to my benefactor!" Liu Yaer looked at him with a pleading look on her face.

　　"Didn't you kowtow outside the house? Besides, you can kowtow if you want, why do you want Liu to kowtow as well?" I was also very curious and asked him.

　　"That's what you kowtow to the soul of your benefactor before entering the house. Now that I'm using his body, of course I have to kowtow to it! But I can't kowtow to myself, so I have to trouble you. Haven't I already kowtowed to you three times? Can't you just consider it as helping me pay it back to my benefactor? Please!" Liu Ya said, as if she was about to cry.

　　"This..." When Liu Yunlong heard what was going on, he didn't know what to say.

　　"Ahem..." Zhang Shan couldn't hold back his laughter and quickly pretended to cough, covering his mouth with his hand and saying, "Knock it! Who told you to owe me money?"

　　"I didn't intend to lend it to him~ He's just robbing me!" Liu Yunlong looked like he was about to cry.

　　But when I observed Liu Yaer carefully, he didn't really seem to be playing a joke on Liu Yunlong. There was a hint of sadness in his serious expression.

　　"Go ahead and kowtow! You are kowtow to the senior, what's the big deal?!" I also persuaded Liu Yunlong.

　　"It's not that I can't kowtow, but I always feel it's a bit weird..." Although Liu Yunlong kept muttering to himself, he finally knelt down and kowtowed three times to Liu Yaer who was sitting upright.

　　"All right!" Liu Yaer didn't waste any time. After he finished knocking, he immediately stood up and said to us: "Let's go, take the two shovels behind the door and follow me!"

　　Chapter 56: Letter from Heaven

　　Zhang Shan and I took a shovel and went to the hillside not far behind the house. From a distance we saw a small raised mound of earth. When we got closer we found that it was indeed a tomb. There was a small wooden sign in front of it with "Tomb of Benefactor Shan Zhong" still written crookedly on it.

　　This time I finally saw clearly that the old man’s surname was Shan and his given name was Zhong.

　　"Who is buried here? Your handwriting is terrible!" Liu Yunlong was depressed for a long time after being half-forced to kowtow. Now he caught Liu Yaer and asked.

　　We all knew that there certainly wasn’t an old person buried inside, because his body was standing nearby.

　　"I'm buried inside." Liu Yaer took the shovel from my hand and started digging.

　　"You?!" Liu Yunlong and I said in surprise.

　　"Yes, my fox body. Is there any problem?" Liu Yaer looked up at us and said, "If one day this body really fails, I can still continue to be a fox. Of course, I have to preserve it well!"

　　"Don't we have the Blood Soul Fruit? I'll find you a body and give it to you when the time comes! Leave this to me!" This was the first time that Zhang Shan had promised to do something for someone else.

　　"Alas, the body is easy to find, but the Blood Soul Fruit is hard to find!" Liu Yaer shoveled a few more times, stood up and said, "I don't know where my benefactor got the fruit from or when he got it. Now that he is gone, who can I ask?"

　　Seeing that no one said anything, Liu Yaer smiled and advised us: "Okay, hurry up and dig! I am very satisfied to be a human for these few years! If one day I really want to be a fox again, don't worry, I won't miss it! Being a human is too tiring! How good is it to be a fox? No worries."

　　I didn't expect that he would also say that life is tiring. It seems that this is a common phenomenon.

　　Without saying anything else, the four of us took turns digging out a large iron-clad wooden box that was buried.

　　Zhang Shan and I tried to lift it, but we didn't know what was inside the box, and it was very heavy. Fortunately, there were copper handles on all four sides, and we pulled it out of the pit and onto the ground.

　　Liu Yaer probably threw away the key long ago, so she just used a shovel to pry off the locks of the chain belt.

　　After opening the lid, there were two boxes, one large and one small, placed side by side. The large one was two feet square, and was carved from top-quality stone. Although there were no patterns, the edges and corners were quite delicate. The small one was made of wood, only slightly larger than the palm of a hand, and was stuffed into a gap on the side.

　　"Wow! I was wondering why it was so heavy!" Liu Yunlong exclaimed when he saw the big box inside.

　　"My body is in there... My benefactor said that only by using a stone box and sealing it with a secret method can we ensure that it will not spoil." Liu Yaer said as she took out the small wooden box from the gap and handed it to Zhang Shan.

　　"What's in it?" I couldn't help asking as I saw Zhang Shan carefully taking the box.

　　"I don't know either, because I haven't opened it." Liu Yaer shrugged and continued, "According to my benefactor, what's inside is the only way to identify his biological son. He said that as long as you read it, you will understand everything."

　　"Are you so sure that Zhang Shan is the son of your benefactor?" I was really confused. Since Liu Yaer could be sure, why bother with this?

　　"Of course not!" Liu Yaer looked at Zhang Shan and said, "But my benefactor said that anyone with the same blood as him could be the one. I've been looking for you for several years, and there's no one else except you."

　　"Isn't panda blood not hereditary?" Liu Yunlong also interjected.

　　"I don't care! Anyway, that's what he ordered, so I'll do it!" Liu Yaer faithfully carried out his mission.

　　"Open it and take a look!" I saw Zhang Shan staring at the box for a long time without saying anything, so I nodded at him.

　　"...Oh, okay!" I don't know what this guy was thinking, but when he felt me ​​touching him, he came to his senses, stretched out his other hand and pressed on the lid of the box.

　　I noticed that his hands were shaking slightly.

　　Alas... an orphan who has lived for 30 years suddenly gets news of a relative who is deceased. His psychological state must be complicated. He is afraid that it is true and he cannot bear the pain of separation between life and death; but he is also afraid that it is not true and everything will be in vain. It is really too contradictory!

　　After working for a long time, Zhang Shan finally opened the lid of the box and took out the only object inside - which looked like a letter.

　　After opening the envelope, he took out a piece of paper full of words and began to read it with a frown.

　　Liu Yunlong and I wanted to go over and take a look, but Zhang Shan was tall, and he deliberately raised his hand holding the paper a lot higher, intentionally not letting people around him see. We had no choice but to give up and wait for him to finish reading.

　　Everyone held their breath, but Zhang Shan kept a sullen face, and there was no sign of change in his expression. After more than a minute, he finally put his hand down, threw the letter to me, turned around, picked up the shovel and said to Liu Yaer, "Hurry! Hurry up and fill the things back, and then we will set off immediately! We must rush to Shanjia Village overnight!!!"

　　When I heard his arrangement, I was confused, but I still chose to look at the paper first.

　　This is indeed a letter. The words on it are written with a brush. They are vigorous and powerful, and obviously have a certain level of skill:

　　My dear friend, I am writing to you:

　　First of all, please forgive me for using this method to trick you here. But I know that I don't have much time left, so I can only use this last resort. No matter how you react, please read this letter before making a decision. If you are willing to help, the people of Taihang will definitely remember your merits; if you really don't have the ability, please give the letter to the person who brought you here, and I will still be grateful!

　　Without further ado, let's get back to the point. Please take my word for it.

　　My surname is Shan, and my given name is Zhong. I am the second village chief of Shanjia Village in Wuquan Town after liberation. Shanjia Village is located on the top of Taihang Mountain. It has been a mountain protected by dragon veins since ancient times. Although it has the appearance of a dragon, it does not have the aura of a real dragon, which is very unlucky.

　　I had dabbled in Feng Shui in my early years, and when I saw the terrain and due to my work, I was able to visit senior masters and consult ancient books over the years. Only then did I realize that Danjia Village is not simple.

　　Not only are these one hundred lawns home to the foundation stones of the 800-li Taihang Mountains, which naturally gather yin; the trumpet-shaped cave in front of it gets its name from its shape, and it has the tendency to absorb yin and reject yang, forming a rare "Ten Thousand Souls Rush".

　　Whenever the foundation stone has absorbed enough nightmare souls, it will temporarily break away from the entire mountain due to the unbearable pressure, releasing all the negative energy. But the price of this is huge. If the foundation stone loosens, the 800-li Taihang Mountains will shake along with it, and the loss of life and property will be incalculable.

　　According to the records in the local chronicles, there was a "Ten Thousand Souls Strike" that occurred 600 years ago during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. The specific circumstances at that time are not described here for the time being.

　　Here is the key point I want to make. "Ten Thousand Souls Strike" is not a natural disaster and can be completely avoided. As long as some of the blood of the relics is sprinkled on the base of the foundation stone, a large amount of negative energy can be neutralized and the disaster can be reduced to a minimum.

　　Of course, you don't need to sacrifice everything to do this. Just spread as much as you can according to your physical condition. If you happen to have a seal holder by your side, it would be even better. You can even exchange this 800-li Taihang for hundreds of years of peace at an almost negligible cost! Don't you think it's worth it?

　　According to my last calculation the day before yesterday, I must complete this task before the first month of the lunar year of Gengyin! I kowtow three times on behalf of the millions of people in Taihang to express my gratitude!

　　I am ashamed to be a person of Taihang and I am unworthy of being able to repay the kindness of my parents for raising me. It is the regret of my life!

　　Shan Zhong's cursive script and the Dinghai year...

　　"Old Wang, you also have something to do here!" Liu Yunlong came over and read it, then said to me.

　　It's true that I have something to do with it, but I don't know what to do! I guess the old man didn't expect Zhang Shan to meet a master who can do nothing.

　　Chapter 57 Common Goal

　　"Old Zhang, I don't understand something." After reading the letter, I looked up and asked Zhang Shan who was moving boxes with Liu Yaer, "Why didn't the old man tell us earlier? Why did he have to tell us when he was about to die? And he didn't even let Liu Yaer know?" It was obvious that Liu Yaer didn't know about this. If he knew, it would have been better to take us directly to Shanjia Village. Why did he have to come here and go through all the trouble?

　　"What? I'm in here too?" When Liu Yaer heard him mentioned, she immediately became interested. She didn't even lift the box, but jumped over and grabbed the letter and said, "Let me see!"

　　"Why are you asking such useless questions? Let's pick the important ones!" Liu Yunlong asked anxiously, "Which year is the Gengyin year in the lunar calendar?"

　　"Next year!" Since no one helped him carry the box, Zhang Shan had to stand up straight and said.

　　"That means... there are only a few days left?... But fortunately, we have time!" Liu Yunlong said after counting the days.

　　"Hey! You're not looking for your son? What do I think it is?" Liu Yaer finished reading the letter, shrugged and said, "I really don't know about this! The old man didn't tell me because I was still a fox at that time! It's amazing that I can remember his instructions! Do you still expect me to learn to read?"

　　I slapped my head and forgot about it! I always thought that the person standing in front of me was always a person.

　　"Then couldn't he tell you to come back when you can understand it?" Zhang Shan also had many things he couldn't understand. It seemed that he didn't quite understand why the old man did this?

　　"You've seen it too!" Liu Yaer held up the letter and said, "Time is tight. It took me nearly a year just to learn the basics of reading. Do you think it's more cost-effective to spend a year learning to read, and then find someone to read it after I understand it? Or is it more cost-effective to find someone directly and then read it?"

　　Zhang Shan and I looked at each other. We really couldn't treat Liu Yaer with common sense. It was thanks to the old man that he had such a far-sighted mind!

　　"Liu Yaer is right, time is running out! Let's set off for Banyan Village immediately, and then go up the mountain to Shanjia Village from there! We can talk on the way!" Zhang Shan paused and said.

　　"So urgent? Aren't there still a few days left?" Although saving lives is the most important thing, I still want to get things clear.

　　"Have you forgotten the soldiers at the foot of the mountain? Something must have happened up there, so the mountain is closed. Maybe it has something to do with this 'Wanhun Chong'. Let's go over there quickly to avoid any more trouble!" Zhang Shan explained as he led a few of us to bury the box again.

　　After finishing the things here, we returned to the front of the house. Zhang Shan said to Liu Yaer, "Your mission has actually been completed. We are going to set off for Banyan Village right away. Please tell me the route." What he meant was that Liu Yaer didn't have to go.

　　"Hmm..." Liu Yaer didn't know what she was thinking. She held her chin with her hand and looked up at the sky, thinking: "Logically speaking... I have done what my benefactor asked me to do back then, so I am free..."

　　I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. A fox is a fox after all. Everything is centered on itself. But he really has no obligation to go with us, so we can't blame him. Zhang Shan is still thinking clearly.

　　Who knew that this guy paused for a moment, and then continued: "Although the things that the benefactor ordered have been completed, the old man also said that he wanted me to fulfill his last wish. But now it seems that the old man's last wish is to keep the 800-li Taihang safe, not to find his son. Do you think I am ungrateful if I don't do it?"

　　When the three of us heard him say that, we all smiled knowingly. This guy has used the old man's body for good, and he is becoming more and more human!

　　Liu Yunlong walked over and put his arm around his neck, saying, "Haha, you are the only one with a messy mind! Just go, why do you have to find an excuse? Don't you have panda blood in your body? When the time comes, you and Lao Zhang can each put out 2 taels of it, and we will be done! There will be no need for that useless Lao Wang to show up!"

　　"The blood in his body has stopped flowing a long time ago, so it's useless! Now he's only supported by the Blood Soul Fruit." Zhang Shan said as he hit Liu Yunlong from the side.

　　"Who cares! One more person means one more strength! If you can't handle it, release Lao Wang. You two idiots can work together to fool around and get away with it. What are you afraid of..." This guy started talking nonsense when he was happy.

　　"Let's go! There are still a few things I don't understand in the letter. Let's discuss them while we're on the road." Zhang Shan also reached out and pulled Liu Yaer over, motioning him to continue leading the way. The four of us turned back to the path we came from and headed towards Huang Ya Ridge.

　　"Don't say anything yet! Let me ask first!" After getting on the path, Liu Yunlong saw Zhang Shan was about to open his mouth, so he quickly stopped him and said, "Why didn't the old man make the truth public? Or tell a unit like Song Dongfeng and his team to gather all the forces together to deal with it, wouldn't it be easier?"

　　"Do you know what the Security and Investigation Bureau under the Ninth Department of the General Staff does?" I turned my head and asked Liu Yaer.

　　Seeing him shaking his head in confusion, I said to Liu Yunlong, "Did you see that? Even he doesn't know. How can you expect an old man who has lived in the mountains all his life to know? Besides, such arguments were unacceptable when feudal superstition was being cracked down on!"

　　"Then...then we can also find other seal holders or panda blood!" Liu Yunlong, who never bows his head in front of me, said unconvinced.

　　"It's easy to find the seal holder, but it's hard to find the blood relic!" Liu Yaer continued his words, "But there is one most important thing. It was not until some time after the benefactor became unable to get out of bed that he found the method and deadline to break the 'Ten Thousand Souls Charge'. But at that time, even if he wanted to go by himself, he was powerless."

　　"Where did he find it?" I asked hastily.

　　“…in an ancient book.”

　　"Where are the books?" I remembered that there was indeed a bookcase in the old man's room, but there were no books in it.

　　"...I was forced to sell them all." Liu Yaer's voice got smaller and smaller as she spoke. "I had just become a human at that time, I didn't know anything, and I could only make a living by selling things."

　　We were all speechless. It was not his fault, after all, Liu Yaer didn't know about it, and the old man didn't tell us not to touch his books.

　　"Well~ What exactly is this cornerstone of Taihang Mountain?" Seeing that the situation was a bit dull, I changed the subject and asked Zhang Shandao as we walked.

　　"Like the foundation of a house, a mountain also has a foundation, which is the center of the mountain range." Zhang Shan roughly explained, and then said to himself: "Although I knew the foundation, I really didn't know it was under the Baicaoping. But now that I think about it, no wonder all kinds of exotic flowers and plants can grow there, it turns out that it is caused by the yin energy below."

　　"But there's still one thing I can't understand." I asked again, "Why doesn't the old man cast a wider net, but has to use the excuse of looking for his son? You know, relics are rare, and people like you who are of the right age are extremely rare. The chances are so low!"

　　"He is young and strong. Even if he loses too much blood, he will probably survive." Liu Yaer replied directly: "If it were a child or an old man, he would probably die if he let out a pound of blood. Who would be willing to do it?"

　　Wow! I didn't expect that so much blood would be needed! It seems that only Zhang Shan has this ability.

　　Anyway, this is exactly what I want! I was going to Shanjia Village originally, and now, even if I don't ask, Zhang Shan has to go! When the time comes, he will go to guard the mountain, and I will go to catch the silver slide, and finally get two ginsengs, and we can supplement together, then we will be complete!

　　The more they thought about it, the smoother it became. The three of them didn't think there would be any difficulty getting there. Chatting and laughing, they crossed the Wild Crow Ridge and followed another path towards Banyan Village.

　　Chapter 58: Arrival at the Mountain Village

　　We walked for a whole day without realizing it. After the sun went down, it gradually got darker. We were all hungry. Willow Buds became blind at night and had no idea where we were. Fortunately, there were no forks in the path, so as long as we kept walking forward, we would always get there.

　　It was probably almost midnight. We staggered here and there, and after struggling to climb a small slope, we finally saw some faint lights not far below.

　　"We're here, we're here!" Liu Yaer and I happily called out to Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong behind us. The four of us were cold, hungry and tired at this moment, so we ignored everything and rushed towards the light.

　　Just as we were about to descend the hillside into the village, two people suddenly rushed out from the darkness ahead and shouted at us: "Stop! What are you doing?!"

　　We were all in a hurry to go into the village to eat and keep warm, but we never expected that two "Cheng Yaojins" would suddenly appear halfway, and even Zhang Shan was startled.

　　Moreover, the shouting seemed to be mixed with the sound of metal parts sliding. Could it be a gun?

　　"We are from the village and just came back from the foot of the mountain." Among the four people, Zhang Shan had the most say. He lived here, so he naturally opened his mouth to explain.

　　"Put your hands up first!" Although the two shadows' clothes and appearances could not be seen clearly, the light from the village could clearly show that they were holding guns.

　　One of the shadows slowly moved from the side to behind us and said, "Come back from the mountain? The mountain has been closed for a long time, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. It's strange that you can come up from the main road! Tell me, what is your purpose!"

　　"...We know what happened here! Take us to see your highest commander! I have something to say!" Liu Yunlong was silent for a moment and suddenly said.

　　This guy was obviously deceiving them, his purpose was to meet the boss directly.

　　After searching a few of us roughly, the dark figure behind us took out the pistol that Liu Yunlong had borrowed before going up the mountain, waved it in front of us and said, "Humph! People living in the mountains carry pistols? Even if you don't tell me, I will bring you to see it! Let's go!" Then the two of them pushed us down the slope.

　　Finally, we went down the path to the village. Previously, we couldn't see the village clearly because of the houses and trees. Now we found that the village was almost occupied by soldiers. Camouflaged military tents were set up everywhere. Teams of soldiers kept coming and going. I don't know what they were busy with.

　　"Don't look around! Keep your heads down and walk carefully!" The two "black shadows" were indeed soldiers. Each of them held a submachine gun and stared at us from the front and back, walking towards the place with the brightest light.

　　When I passed by a house, I felt vaguely that the door looked familiar, so I looked at it from the side.

　　Just then the door of the house opened and a man walked out. Our eyes met, and we were both surprised.

　　A woman in a cotton-padded jacket was standing at the door, holding a chamber pot in her hand. She seemed to have gotten up to go to the bathroom. She looked familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where she was.

　　This woman was the same, she just stared at me and murmured, "You...you are..."

　　She glanced back and saw Zhang Shan, then she shouted, "Shanzi, why are you here?!"

　　Oh~ Hearing her tone, I suddenly realized that this woman was Zhao Youde's daughter-in-law! I met her when I first came here last year, but neither of us expected things to develop to the current situation.

　　Zhang Shan smiled at her and was about to open his mouth when the two soldiers stopped him and said, "No talking! Go!"

　　Helplessly, we had to walk towards a huge temporary tent in the central square of the village under the woman's surprised gaze.

　　When I arrived at this tent that looked a bit like a "combat command center", I discovered that there was a military radar vehicle parked behind it. I don't know how they got there.

　　But the strangest thing is what happened? Why did they mobilize so many troops? Judging from the scale, there is at least a battalion stationed here. Just now, Zhao Youde's woman also saw that life in Banyan Village is still normal, and it doesn't look like anything happened!

　　Even if there was a plague, I didn't see people wearing chemical protective suits. How strange!

　　"Report to the battalion commander! We just caught four suspicious people on the path behind the mountain. They were carrying guns!" The soldier walking in front ordered us to stand in the open space next to the tent, walked to the door and shouted inside.

　　Soon, several soldiers came out. The one in front had two bars and one star on his shoulders and the rank of major.

　　This man was easy to recognize, with frowning eyebrows and a sturdy build. Except for being a little shorter, his physique and muscles were comparable to Zhang Shan. At first glance, he looked like the fierce Zhang Fei.

　　"You guys?" The battalion commander startled the four of us when he spoke. Wow, his voice was as loud as a bell, and he was so confident! Especially since he was closest to me, I could feel my ears buzzing.

　　"Tell me, what are you here for? Who are you working for?" Maybe he realized his voice was a little loud, so he lowered his voice a little and asked us in a low voice.

　　"Hey~Are you the boss here?" Liu Yunlong took half a step forward and asked him.

　　"It's me! If you have something to say, just say it!" The battalion commander became impatient and his voice suddenly rose two degrees.

　　"You should have the right to know about Document No. G07, right?" Liu Yunlong asked again.

　　"With so many confidential documents, how would I know which is which!" The battalion commander was almost unable to hold back.

　　"He has our work ID in his pocket, you'll understand if you take a look!" Liu Yunlong had no choice but to point at me and say.

　　"Give it here!" The big man was not polite at all. He took a step forward, stood directly in front of me, and stretched out his hand and said.

　　I took out the work permit issued by Song Dongfeng and handed it to him. The big guy grabbed it, opened it and looked at it for a long time, then glanced at us with a squint, and suddenly saluted me and shouted, "Hello, leader! Luo Shimin, the battalion commander of the 153rd Battalion of the XX Combat Brigade, reports to you!"

　　Oh my god, I was almost deafened! Liu Yunlong, who was standing by, couldn't help but cover his mouth and laugh when he saw me squinting and grinning.

　　"What are you laughing at? Don't laugh!" the soldier who was suppressing us reminded us again.

　　When Captain Luo heard him say that, he immediately turned his head, glared at the soldier and said, "Are you sick? Can't you see I've called your leader, and you still dare to yell? Are you not awake yet? If you are sleepy, run ten laps around the village for me before you go to stand guard!!!" The first half of the sentence was quite gentle, but the latter part became more and more fierce. I seemed to see the soldier trying his best to resist the anger brought about by his words.

　　"Yes!" The guy didn't dare to stay for a moment. After standing at attention and answering, he immediately ran out with his gun.

　　“Hahahaha!” Captain Luo turned around with a laugh, shook hands with each of us, and said in a loud voice, “I didn’t know you were sent by the higher-ups. I’m sorry for not treating you well! I’m sorry for not treating you well!”

　　My hand was pinched so hard that it hurt for a long time. I don't know if this guy is deliberately testing our bottom line or if he is born with such great strength. Looking at Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer next to them, they are also in trouble.

　　It was not until Zhang Shan shook hands with him that Captain Luo's expression changed. After a moment, both of them were silent, their mouths tightly shut, obviously competing against each other secretly.

　　A few seconds later, the two of them suddenly laughed at the same time and let go of each other's hands. Zhang Shan bowed and said, "I didn't expect that there would be a powerful general like Captain Luo in the army. I am so sorry for my disrespect!"

　　The man surnamed Luo waved his hand, made a "please" gesture and said: "Haha, the Security Investigation Bureau is indeed full of hidden talents! Please come in!" After that, he led us to the big tent.

　　"Why do I feel like I've been followed into the Black Wind Village?" Liu Yunlong said in a low voice as he looked at the situation.

　　I smiled and didn't comment. These two, both power players, must be sympathetic to each other~!

　　Chapter 59: Serious Situation

　　When we walked into the tent, we found that there were quite a few people inside, sitting in a circle, facing the wall. No one looked at us, but just operated the instruments in front of them. The sound of keyboards being tapped and ticking could be heard one after another.

　　After sitting down at a rectangular conference table in the middle of the tent, Captain Luo asked, "What instructions are there this time? Do you have to trouble you to go up the mountain in person?"

　　"We came here directly without any instructions." Liu Yunlong was well versed in the system and regulations. He never asked questions that he shouldn't have asked. He just answered honestly.

　　"Hey! Look at my brain!" Captain Luo was stunned for a moment, and quickly lowered his voice and said, "There's no need for you to come here to deliver a message. You must have received a notice from above to deal with the situation, right? I've heard about the Security Investigation Bureau a long time ago. Everyone in it has special skills and specializes in dealing with various difficult and complicated cases, and they rarely fail!"

　　"We didn't receive any notice from above. We came here on our own and don't have any mission!" I said directly when I saw that he was making random guesses.

　　"Oh! I know! I understand! Keep it confidential, keep it confidential! Haha, I won't ask anymore. If you need anything, just ask!" Seeing my serious expression, Captain Luo waved his hand and said cheerfully.

　　We were all very upset. What the hell was going on here? We hadn't even asked anything yet, but he asked everything first!

　　"Can I ask what happened here?" Liu Yunlong didn't ask, but that didn't mean I wouldn't ask. Song Dongfeng gave us the certificate for the Investigation Bureau to investigate confidential incidents, but he didn't ask this or that. What the hell is he investigating? ?

　　"I don't know!" Captain Luo sat up straight and answered when he heard this.

　　"You guys are keeping it a secret too?" Bringing such a large group of people to the mountains in the twelfth lunar month, as if they were going to a war, I don't believe he didn't know about it. Most likely he knew but couldn't tell.

　　"Haha, I really don't know!" Captain Luo saw that I had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "My unit is just stationed here on standby. Apart from being a signal relay and keeping in touch with people down the mountain, the rest is to wait for notifications from our superiors. We don't do anything else."

　　"But I don't think there is any emergency in this village? You didn't even enforce the curfew." Liu Yunlong asked from the side, trying to find some clues.

　　"Who said there's trouble in this village?" Captain Luo stared at us with wide eyes: "If there's nothing wrong, there's no need for a curfew!"

　　"Then you are..." Liu Yunlong deliberately left the sentence half-finished, waiting for the other person to fill in the blanks.

　　"We are just acting as the above..."

　　Just as he was about to get to the point, a few people suddenly came over noisily. Captain Luo heard the noise, paused for a moment, and went out to check the situation.

　　We quickly followed him to the open space outside the tent.

　　I saw a dozen people dressed as villagers walking over from a distance, holding sticks and other weapons in their hands, and they kept shouting: "Where are the people?! Where is that brat! How dare he come back? Mr. Wang, get out here right now!"

　　As I got closer, I discovered that the leader was Zhao Youde's eldest brother Zhao Youcai, and I had a vague impression of the few people following him.

　　When they saw me standing behind Captain Luo, they immediately became excited and raised their "weapons" to rush forward.

　　"What are you doing? You want to rebel in front of me?!" Captain Luo looked at the situation, put his hands behind his back, glared and shouted loudly, and more than a dozen people immediately wilted.

　　"He...he owes us money!" Zhao Youcai saw that I was blocked by several people behind and obviously couldn't rush over, so he had to point at me and said.

　　"You're talking nonsense!" Captain Luo didn't know the situation and didn't even ask. He just yelled at him, "He just came into the village a short while ago and has been staying in my battalion headquarters. Where can he borrow money from you?! Zhao Youcai, this is not the way you want to blackmail people, right?"

　　Obviously, Captain Luo has a thorough understanding of the situation in the village.

　　"It's not about tonight, you ask... ask him himself!" Zhao Youcai was so anxious that he stuttered when he saw that Captain Luo was obviously on our side.

　　"Captain Luo." I patted his arm and said, "That's right, don't worry about it. Liu Yaer, give me your fifteen hundred first." After saying that, I stretched out my hand to Liu Yaer.

　　Actually, the situation is like this. We agreed last year that I would remit 200 yuan to Zhao Youde's daughter every month as tuition, but I thought it was too much trouble, so I discussed with the village chief over the phone and decided to give it every three months. But I should have paid it at the beginning of last month, but Zhang Shan happened to agree to return to the mountains at that time, so I thought that I would come back with him anyway, and it was almost the New Year, so I gave her more money to show my sincerity.

　　As a result, I pushed it back for so long, and things happened one after another, and I gradually forgot about it. But Zhao Youde's wife saw it just now, and told his eldest brother, so he came to the door.

　　"I'm not warm yet..." Liu Yaer said, reluctantly taking the money out of her pocket and handing it to me slowly.

　　I took out another five hundred, making a total of two thousand, and was about to go over to give it to Zhao Youcai.

　　"Wait." Just as I took a step, Captain Luo stopped me and turned to them and said, "Let me tell you first, Leader Wang is from the upper level. I don't care what grudges you have, but don't do anything excessive. Leader Wang didn't want to argue with you before, otherwise, with his ability, he would have crushed you little ants long ago, and there would be no chance for you to be rampant here!? I'm watching, if you dare to make any small moves, don't blame me, Luo, for destroying the unity between the army and the people!"

　　After that, he let go of my hand and said to me with a smile: "Hey, don't be surprised! As the saying goes, poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. I know you are not afraid, but I want to warn them first, so as to avoid something that really affects unity and it will be difficult to deal with it when the time comes."

　　"Yes, yes! We dare not, we dare not!" After seeing us finish talking, several people looked up at them and quickly agreed.

　　I looked at Captain Luo with gratitude, took the money and walked up to Zhao Youcai, saying, "Here, I never go back on my word. I just decided to come a long time ago, so I wanted to give it to the mother and daughter in person. Since you are here, please pass it on for me!"

　　Zhao Youcai took the money, counted it, and asked, "How long do you think this is?"

　　"This is two thousand. Twelve thousand is Niu Niu's tuition for half a year, and the other eight hundred is extra money for the mother and daughter to celebrate the New Year. It's a little gift from me. I will continue to give them the money in three months!" I explained to him.

　　"Hmph, you're a good human being!" Zhao Youcai counted the money again, put it in his pocket, and then said to me: "Be careful, my brother is back! If he wants to take revenge on you, even the Lord can't protect you!" After that, he turned around and left.

　　When I heard this, I was shocked. How could I not understand? I quickly pulled him and asked loudly, "What did you say?! Zhao Youde is here?!"

　　"Let go! Don't blame me for being rude if you don't let go!" Zhao Youcai obviously didn't want to say more to me.

　　Suddenly, a few people behind me heard my shouting and immediately surrounded me.

　　Zhang Shan and the others have been paying attention to this place the whole time, so they naturally heard what I just shouted. They must have rushed over to find out what was going on.

　　"What are you doing?!" "Are we going to fight?" The farmers had just been suppressed by Captain Luo, and when they saw us surrounding Zhao Youcai, they immediately went wild.

　　Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Zhang Shan quickly pulled me behind him and said, "Go into the tent with Lao Luo and the others and wait. I'll go and ask about the details."

　　Chapter 60: First Scene

　　After finally driving the group of people away, Zhang Shan naturally followed them to find out the situation.

　　In Lao Luo's camp, I was always restless. When Zhao Youcai said his brother was coming back, he was naturally referring to Zhao Youde's nightmare. After all, his body was burned by Zhang Shan and me, and his soul was put into the golden coffin by me.

　　I didn't expect that I couldn't blow him up last time under the City God Temple! But since Chen Dong's body might not die, a nightmare is naturally no problem.

　　Could it be that...what I saw the night before was true?! Then...Ni Qian!

　　I dare not think about it anymore. If this is true, the matter is not just a difficult one. It is... a huge nightmare!!!

　　Seeing that we were silent, Captain Luo said slowly, "Don't take it too seriously. Since we were stationed in the village, we have investigated every household. Zhao Youcai is a bit of a scoundrel. Although he has never done anything too extreme, he still takes advantage of others and bullies outsiders from time to time. As far as I know, he has two brothers. His younger brother is Zhao Youde, who died of AIDS from selling blood last year. How can he have any brothers now? Don't listen to his mother's nonsense!"

　　After he finished speaking, he thought about it and felt that something was wrong, so he asked me again, "Why do you owe him money? Is it possible that you had a grudge against him in the past?"

　　I was in a state of confusion, so I could only give him a rough explanation of the situation. Of course, it was a "reasonable official explanation". To be honest, I was afraid that Lao Luo would think we were crazy, so I didn't mention Zhang Shan.

　　After listening to me, Captain Luo paced back and forth in the tent and said, "Anyway, there are many weird people in this village, and there are naturally many weird things! I remember that there is a guy named Zhang Shan living on the hillside opposite the village. He has been ignorant and uneducated since he was a child with his grandfather. He always tinkers with weird things and cheats people. After this guy went down the mountain half a year ago, there has been no news since then. I suspect that this big fight may be related to that guy!"

　　As soon as Lao Luo finished speaking, he saw Zhang Shan walking back from outside.

　　Liu Yunlong suppressed his laughter and greeted him, "Lao Zhang, I didn't expect that you don't have a good reputation in this village!~"

　　"What?" Zhang Shan at least didn't hear the first half of Captain Luo's words, and looked at Liu Yunlong with a question mark on his face.

　　"Haha! He is Zhang Shan!" Liu Yaer couldn't hold back any longer and pointed at Zhang Shan and said to Captain Luo.

　　"Ah? Don't be kidding! You have the same name, right?" Lao Luo looked at Zhang Shan in surprise.

　　I ignored them and walked over to Zhang Shan and asked, "How is it? What's going on?"

　　"It's hard to say!" Zhang Shan pulled us to a corner outside the tent, away from the crowd, and frowned, "It is said that Zhao Youde's daughter had a dream the night before. She dreamed that Zhao Youde came to see them and left a few thousand yuan. He also said that her father was doing something big in the mountains, and if he succeeded, he would be able to come back alive to see her."

　　"Isn't that bullshit?! This is too unreliable! Is it even a dream?" Liu Yunlong immediately retorted after hearing this.

　　"I also think it's a bit far-fetched, but it is said that his daughter Niuniu woke up early yesterday morning and really found a pile of money on the headboard. She counted it and found there were more than 5,000 yuan!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, we all fell silent. If this is true, then we need to think about the problem in a different way!

　　"Do you even need to ask? Someone must have sent it on purpose!" Captain Luo said, looking at the heavy expressions on the four of us, and couldn't help asking, "You don't believe that this is true, do you? Where are there ghosts in this world? People are just scaring themselves!"

　　"Ahem~ Lao Luo." I thought about how to explain this to him, so I said in the most easy-to-understand words: "Do you know what the Security Investigation Bureau does? It specializes in dealing with this kind of thing. Including Zhang Shan, he is not a charlatan. We are all people with special physiques and abilities, so we were recruited to deal with various emergencies caused by supernatural phenomena."

　　"..." After listening to this, Captain Luo stared at me for a long time, then looked at them and muttered, "I don't know if I'm crazy or you guys are crazy..."

　　"Why are you telling him this?!" Zhang Shan pulled me behind Liu Yunlong and complained in a low voice.

　　I gestured to him to calm down. If we want to understand the current situation, we must gain the trust of Luo Shimin. As the saying goes, no matter how good your martial arts skills are, you are afraid of a kitchen knife. Besides, he has all kinds of light and heavy weapons. Otherwise, no matter how capable the four of us are, we can't stand the whole battalion of soldiers. Besides, with their support, even if we encounter a difficult problem, it should be easier to solve.

　　While Zhang Shan and I were communicating, Liu Yunlong covered for us and said, "It's normal for you not to believe it. I started out as a criminal police officer and I didn't believe it at first! But in this world, just because you don't know something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

　　"...If you didn't have the work permits from the General Staff, I would have thought you were charlatans! It seems that the Security Investigation Bureau is indeed not simple!" Captain Luo's expression eased a little, paused, rubbed his hands and said: "But can you...can you show me a little bit so that I can open my eyes? Hehe!"

　　"That's easy! Liu Yaer, come and perform a magic trick for Captain Luo - turn a living person into a living person!" Liu Yunlong hurriedly pushed Liu Yaer beside him out, wanting him to use the same disguise magic he used before to deal with Lao Luo.

　　"What? I'm not a street performer!" It seemed that Liu Yaer had no intention of giving Liu Yunlong this face.

　　"Damn! Change quickly! Have you forgotten your mission! Change quickly, I'll give you a hundred yuan as labor fee, isn't that enough?!" Liu Yunlong had no choice but to tempt him with benefits.

　　"Two hundred!" Liu Yaer had already made up her mind and made the offer without hesitation.

　　"Just one hundred! Plus a bath and a meal! Do you want to do it? If you don't want to do it, I'll go find Lao Wang and Lao Zhang. It's not that you have to do it!" Liu Yunlong was anxious. When bribery failed, he threatened.

　　Liu Yaer had no choice but to stand facing Captain Luo and said, "Look carefully! I'll only do it once!" After that, he muttered something. As Lao Luo's mouth opened wider and wider, I knew he saw Liu Yaer's face changing rapidly.

　　Soon, Liu Yaer finished her work and sat aside, leaving Lao Luo dumbfounded.

　　"Hehe, do you believe it?" Liu Yunlong walked over and patted him to wake him up.

　　"...Gu...I believe it!" Captain Luo swallowed his saliva and nodded vigorously.

　　Seeing that he believed it, Liu Yunlong struck while the iron was hot and said, "You could also say that we have had a grudge against Zhao Youde for a long time. He has been suspected of several murders. If we catch him this time, we will beat him to hell! You must help us a lot when the time comes!~"

　　"Ghosts...you're catching ghosts too?" I guess Lao Luo is almost mentally overwhelmed.

　　"There are ways to arrest people, and there are ways to catch ghosts." I stared at Captain Luo and said, "Can you tell me why the troops came here? We are all in the Security Investigation Bureau, and we are all in the same system. And now it happens that there is a situation for us, so it is not too much to reveal it, right?"

　　"That's not too much!" Captain Luo finally recovered and said, "There are instructions in Document G07. There is nothing I can't tell you! It's just... I really don't know what happened! And the scene of the incident is not here. We have to go up from here. There is a small village near the top of the mountain. It should be in that area. Two reconnaissance companies have already gone there."

　　"Are you talking about Shanjia Village?!" Zhang Shan pushed me away and rushed to Captain Luo and asked.

　　Chapter 61: Urgent

　　"Are you talking about Shanjia Village?!" Zhang Shan pushed me away and rushed to Captain Luo and asked.

　　"I don't know the name of the village. We all use code names. The place is code-named Hill 96." Captain Luo answered truthfully.

　　"Don't worry, maybe it's not Shanjia Village." I motioned to Zhang Shan to calm down. There are so many small villages in the Taihang Mountains, like stars in the sky. Although they use code names to keep it secret, it may not be Shanjia Village.

　　Although I have more or less guessed that Danjia Village is most likely the most likely choice.

　　"You don't know this area." Zhang Shan looked at me and said, "Within a radius of ten miles, only Shanjia Village is higher than Banyan Village. And Banyan Village is the last stop to Shanjia Village, and it is also the only way to go!"

　　"That's it! Lao Luo, take us up!" Liu Yunlong heard Zhang Shan say that it must be Shanjia Village. He urged Captain Luo on the side.

　　"I can send you up, but I need to report first." Captain Luo said, and just as he turned around and walked out, a soldier came looking for him. When he saw us, he ran over and said, "Report to the captain! The leader of the front line on Hill 96 is calling! Please answer the call immediately!"

　　When Lao Luo heard the instructions from above, he immediately became alert. He walked into the big tent in two steps, picked up the only phone on the conference table, and said in a loud voice: "Report to the brigade commander! I am Luo Shimin! May I ask what instructions you have?"

　　I was shocked to hear this. A brigade has 3,000 to 5,000 people! What on earth was going on to mobilize so many troops? If it was really Zhao Youde, how big a mess would he have to have made to attract an entire combat brigade? !

　　The voice on the other end of the phone was no less loud than Captain Luo's. Even though we were standing two meters away, we could hear it clearly: "Xiao Luo! Are you dissatisfied that I didn't let you bring the troops up this time? Let me tell you, I kept you down there for the sake of that village! Only you can keep the situation under control, so with you here, I'm not afraid of any trouble in the rear!"

　　"Yes! The brigade commander is far-sighted and I will firmly obey your orders!" Although Captain Luo spoke loudly, his expression showed that he was obviously reluctant.

　　"Haha! Brat, I don't know what you are thinking. You might be cursing me in your heart!" The brigade commander over there is worthy of being a leader. He acted as if he had seen the situation here.

　　When Lao Luo saw that his lie was exposed, he didn't care about the four of us anymore. He immediately put on a desperate expression and said, "Hehe! Brigade Commander, you know, since the first day I joined the army, I have always been charging at the front. I'm not used to being suddenly thrown to the back. Just transfer me up! There's a political commissar here at the foot of the mountain, so there won't be any trouble!"

　　“Hahahaha!” After a hearty laugh, the brigade commander said, “Okay! But you have to finish this matter first, and then I’ll let you up! Remember, time is the most important thing! The sooner the better!”

　　"Please speak, Brigade Commander! Make sure the mission is accomplished!" Upon hearing this, Battalion Commander Luo stood at attention and shouted loudly.

　　"Wait a minute, I'll let the comrades from the Security and Investigation Bureau talk to you." After the brigade commander finished speaking, he probably handed the phone to someone else. Lao Luo took this opportunity to glance at us.

　　No one expected that besides the three of us, there were people from the Security Investigation Bureau here!

　　"...Hello, is this Captain Luo? Hello! I'm from the Security and Investigation Bureau..." The person on the other end picked up the phone. Although the voice was much lower, the familiar accent still reached our ears.

　　This is Song Dongfeng!!!

　　I looked at Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong. It was obvious from their expressions that they also knew who was on the other end of the phone. We both took a step closer to Lao Luo, wanting to hear clearly what Song Dongfeng was saying on the phone.

　　"...Captain Luo, I need your help now. Help me find three people!" Although Song Dongfeng always gives us the feeling of being unhurried, but at this moment, it sounds that his speech speed is not only hurried but also his thinking is a little confused.

　　"...These are three men, my colleagues! They should be within a hundred miles. I can't contact them now. Can you send your men to search the nearby villages? Once you find them, bring them up the mountain immediately!" Song Dongfeng paused here, and then continued: "Among these three men, one is very tall, about 1.9 meters tall, and the other two are less than 1.8 meters tall, and are all relatively thin. Their names are..."

　　As Song Dongfeng was speaking, Lao Luo looked us up and down with a strange look on his face.

　　I shrugged at him, walked up to him and stretched out my hand, motioning Captain Luo to give me the microphone.

　　The big brother smiled, showing a row of white teeth, and without saying hello, he just stuffed the food over there.

　　I picked up the receiver and put it to my ear, and heard Song Dongfeng talking to himself: "Hey! Captain Luo? Are you listening? We must find them as soon as possible! It's urgent!..."

　　"Okay! Stop looking, we are all here!" I knew the matter was urgent, so I interrupted him directly.

　　There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. Two seconds later, Song Dongfeng suddenly shouted, "Why did you come just now?! Where were you a few days ago?!"

　　"I was just about to ask you! What are you doing up the mountain?" I ignored his question and just asked.

　　"Of course I came up here for an urgent mission! Lao Zhang and Liu Er are here?" Song Dongfeng quickly answered my question and said, "That's great! Don't stay down there, let Captain Luo lead you up as quickly as possible!"

　　"Where are we going?" I actually already knew it was Shanjia Village, but I still wanted to get confirmation from him.

　　"Shanjia Village! Lao Zhang knows that his master has been living here!" Song Dongfeng said, and then added: "Get going immediately, come up immediately! I'm waiting for you! It's urgent! Remember, it's urgent!!!"

　　"What's the matter? You first..." I was halfway through my sentence when I heard the other end hung up.

　　When they saw me put down the receiver, they immediately surrounded me and asked, "What's going on?"

　　"Let's not waste any time and go up the mountain immediately." I looked at Zhang Shan and said word by word.

　　"You didn't say what it was about?" Liu Yunlong asked with a frown.

　　"No, I'll wait and see!" I replied weakly. It seems that this is definitely not an ordinary matter. It can make Song Dongfeng lose his composure. It is not just as simple as "tricky".

　　"What about me? Did they mention me?" When Captain Luo saw that they had finished asking, he hurriedly came up and pointed at his nose.

　　"Yes, you go up the mountain with the four of us!" I replied patiently again.

　　"...Then don't be stunned! Let's go!" After repeatedly confirming that he had heard correctly, Captain Luo suddenly became energetic and kept urging us.

　　"Aren't you going to make some arrangements? Bring some weapons with you." Liu Yunlong reminded.

　　"Where are the two reconnaissance companies up there? What weapons don't they have? If you need a mortar, I can assemble one for you right now!" Captain Luo said with his eyes wide open, and urged again: "Hurry up, hurry up! You all look like you're in your prime, how come you don't have any energy at all?!"

　　We couldn't help but shake our heads and smile bitterly. We had barely slept for two days and two nights, and had traveled a long distance, and only had one meal. How could we have the energy to do this? !

　　Chapter 62: Top of Taihang Mountain

　　Zhang Shan looked at the three of us, our listless faces, and said to Captain Luo, "Please prepare some hot water and dry food for us! We haven't eaten for two days. Let's work harder and eat while we travel."

　　"...Hey! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Captain Luo then noticed that not only were we dressed in rags, but we also had sunken eye sockets, like savages who had just come out of a primeval forest.

　　But then again, we really had just emerged from the forest.

　　Lao Luo quickly asked someone to fill four of our marching canteens with soy milk, and gave each of us two large loaves of bread, and then we slowly set off up the mountain.

　　To be honest, we really couldn't walk anymore! Our purpose was to spend the night in Banyan Village, and when we saw the lights of the village, all the energy we had was gone. Who knew that after entering the village, we didn't get to rest, and things kept happening one after another. Now, how easy is it to get back the energy, spirit, and spirit that we have lost? !

　　But after eating bread with soy milk, it is more or less useful.

　　But no one of us said anything, because Zhang Shan had clearly told us before we set out - although it was not far from Banyan Village to Shanjia Village, it would normally take less than an hour. But now it was after a heavy snowfall, and the mountain road was not only extremely steep, but we were marching at night, so we had to conserve our strength and last at least three hours.

　　We walked very carefully along the way. The narrowest part of the mountain road could only accommodate two feet standing side by side. Inside was a hillside, and outside was a deep abyss. No wonder the large army had to be stationed in Banyan Village. With such a road, it was difficult to transport food, let alone equipment!

　　There were several dangerous situations, but thanks to Zhang Shan and Lao Luo who intervened between the three of us, we avoided more dire consequences.

　　Although the mountain road was steep, we actually passed three military sentries along the way. Every time we passed, we had to show our ID to them, and there was a password that changed every two hours. If it weren't for Lao Luo leading us, we really wouldn't have thought it would be so easy to get up.

　　At nearly 3:30 in the morning, the five of us finally passed the fourth checkpoint, and the path in front of us gradually became wider and flatter. We knew that we had finally arrived at Shanjia Village!

　　When they saw the houses at the entrance of the village, Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer sat down on a big rock by the roadside and refused to leave no matter what.

　　Liu Yunlong was still panting as he said, "Oh my God! This is... life-threatening! Coming here once is more tiring than climbing the 18 bends of Mount Tai!"

　　"What's Mount Tai?" Captain Luo was quite relaxed, and said with a look of disdain: "Mount Tai is only more than 1,500 meters above sea level. The lowest point in Shanjia Village is more than 2,300 meters above sea level. Calculate how much higher it is than Mount Tai?"

　　"Can Taihang Mountain be so high?!" Liu Yunlong widened his eyes, a little bit unable to believe it.

　　Liu Yaer interrupted, "That's not high enough. The highest point is nearly three thousand meters! I've been up there once before, but I can't go up there with my old body now! Even if I could go up there, I'd freeze to death if I moved!"

　　One of the two sentinels guarding the entrance of the village went into the village to help us call Song Dongfeng. Since everyone was resting, I sat down on a stone nearby and picked up the kettle and shook it. There seemed to be something hard inside, making a rustling sound. It turned out that the temperature was too low, and the remaining soy milk had frozen into ice.

　　I remember learning in geography class that the temperature drops by 0.6 degrees for every 100 meters increase in altitude. I remember the temperature in Wuquan Town last night was minus 18 degrees. Now we have climbed more than 1,000 meters, so the temperature should be at least 7 or 8 degrees lower. No wonder we were frozen so quickly.

　　Fortunately, before we went out, Captain Luo found a military coat for each of us, so it wasn't so cold at the moment.

　　Just as I had recovered a little, I heard hurried footsteps coming from the village in the distance.

　　Turning around, I saw that it was Song Dongfeng leading a few soldiers, jogging over.

　　"Why are you so slow?!" When this guy saw us, instead of offering his condolences, he started to complain: "If you had come a little later, everything would have been delayed! Can you please have a sense of crisis?!"

　　I saw Liu Yunlong was about to reply, so I quickly stopped him. Song Dongfeng didn't know what we were doing in the past few days, so it's not his fault that he complained. Anyway, we are really trying our best to hurry on the road, so let him say whatever he wants~! Saying a few words won't lose any meat.

　　After he calmed down, he introduced Liu Yaer and Captain Luo. Song Dongfeng said that their brigade commander was waiting for him to report in front, and the old man excused himself and followed the soldier to the village.

　　Finally, we were the only ones left. Zhang Shan hurriedly asked Song Dongfeng, "What's going on? Where's my master?"

　　"I only arrived half a day earlier than you, and I only know the general situation. I'm afraid no one knows the details yet." Song Dongfeng's face immediately darkened when he talked about business.

　　"Just tell me what's the matter!" Liu Yunlong couldn't wait any longer and patted him on the side, urging him.

　　"...Well, to put it simply, all 27 households in Shanjia Village, with a total of 96 people, were kidnapped!" Song Dongfeng thought for a while and explained it to us as simply as possible.

　　"Kidnap?" "All of them?" We couldn't believe it! Who would go to such a remote place to kidnap people? And they kidnapped the whole village... I'm afraid I've never heard of this kind of kidnapping, let alone seen it!"

　　"Who is the kidnapper? Do you know?" Liu Yunlong asked.

　　"……have no idea."

　　"How many kidnappers are there? Is it a group crime or an individual act?"

　　"……have no idea."

　　"What's the purpose of the kidnapping? Is it for ransom or some political demand?"

　　"……have no idea."

　　"... Damn it! How can you say it's a kidnapping case when you don't know anything? What are you doing here?" Liu Yunlong started to curse when he saw that he didn't know anything. This situation was a huge joke for those of them who specialized in criminal investigation.

　　"Okay, where are the hostages? Where are these villagers?" I comforted Liu Yunlong and asked Song Dongfeng.

　　"The only thing we know right now is... the approximate whereabouts of the hostages." Song Dongfeng felt a little embarrassed after being scolded by Liu Yunlong.

　　"Did you hear that? It's just a rough whereabouts! You guys have spent so much effort but still haven't figured anything out?!" The energy that Liu Yunlong had just suppressed suddenly rose again.

　　"Where is my master? Where is he?" Zhang Shan asked Song Dongfeng again.

　　"Are you talking about the village doctor, Mr. Bai?" Seeing Zhang Shan nod, Song Dongfeng shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him. He is probably with other villagers."

　　"...That shouldn't be the case! Even though my master is old, seven or eight strong men can't get close to him." Zhang Shan was a little puzzled after hearing this and muttered to himself.

　　"Maybe the robber has a gun?" I reminded him.

　　Zhang Shan looked up at me and said, "It's not right to have a gun. My master only needs a handful of stones in his hand, so a gun is nothing!"

　　"Then you have nothing to worry about! Maybe the old man is mixing with the villagers and plans to act according to the circumstances." This is all I could do to comfort him.

　　"...That's possible...By the way, where did you say the hostages are roughly?" Zhang Shan thought about what I said, and perhaps felt that there was some truth in it, so he put his worries aside and asked Song Dongfeng again.

　　Chapter 63 Mysterious Barrier

　　"...That's possible...By the way, where did you say the hostages are roughly?" Zhang Shan thought about what I said and felt that it made some sense. He put his worries aside and asked Song Dongfeng again.

　　"After repeated estimates and explorations, we believe that the probability of it being in the small cave behind the village is the greatest!" Song Dongfeng said cautiously.

　　"La Ba Cave?!" Although I have been to this cave before, and it is the only entrance and exit to Baicaoping, I only learned this name through the letter from Liu Yaer.

　　"I don't know the name of the cave, but it is very likely that the villagers are concentrated there!" Song Dongfeng once again clarified his guess.

　　"You didn't see it, so how can you prove that the person was in there?" Liu Yunlong asked from the side.

　　"Come with me! You'll know after taking a look!" Seeing that he couldn't explain it clearly, Song Dongfeng simply waved his hand and led us towards the village.

　　There are only about 20 households in Shanjia Village. Since they want to leave as much flat land as possible for growing crops, people live relatively concentratedly. The only road in the village is only about 100 meters long and ends at the end. A very familiar house appears at the foot of the hillside.

　　This is Master Zhang Shan’s home.

　　I stood in front of the house, trying to compare it with my impression from a few months ago. After all, almost twenty years have passed, and although there are some differences, I can still vaguely see what it looked like before.

　　Zhang Shan saw me slow down and had a special liking for this house. He came over and said, "This is my master's home. When I was a kid, I lived here for a few months every year."

　　Of course I knew, I just didn't tell him.

　　Master Zhang Shan's hut was beside the path leading to the Laba Cave. After passing this house, we climbed up again. Half a minute later, we arrived at the foot of the cliff where the Cat Ear Cave was located.

　　Lao Luo has been guarding here. Next to him stands a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, who is wearing camouflage uniform and is not afraid of the cold. He stands with his hands on his hips, looking at us.

　　Song Dongfeng walked closer and introduced the man, "Captain Feng, these are my colleagues. They are here to help me deal with this incident. I hope you can give them your guidance!"

　　"Haha, no problem! You guys go and take a look first! If you find anything, we'll discuss it together after we see it!" This Brigade Commander Feng was the man on the phone just now. He was indeed quick-witted and full of energy.

　　After walking forward along the path for a few dozen meters, a large black hole on the edge of the cliff finally appeared in front of us.

　　The entrance to the cave was completely dark, with no lights on. There were only four soldiers guarding the cave, but they were all facing outwards, seemingly unconcerned about what was going on inside. I was very surprised to see them, why didn't they go in?

　　"With so many of you, you can't even get into a cave?" Liu Yunlong walked to the cave entrance and said while looking inside.

　　"Take a closer look! You'll understand at a glance." Since we were at the scene, Song Dongfeng didn't explain any more. He stood aside and motioned for us to go over and observe for ourselves.

　　In fact, I already felt something was wrong when Liu Yunlong was speaking just now. Anyone who has been to a cave knows that when you stand at the cave entrance and speak, the echo will be very obvious and loud.

　　But just now, whether it was Liu Yunlong or Song Dongfeng, there was no echo when they spoke.

　　Zhang Shan obviously discovered something. He slowly approached the cave entrance and stretched out his hand.

　　When he put his hand in the dark air at the entrance of the cave, he paused, then the guy stretched out his index finger, bent it down, and knocked in the air as if knocking on a door.

　　But something happened that surprised the three of us. Every time Zhang Shan knocked in the air, we could clearly hear a dull "dong" sound, which was actually like knocking on the door!

　　"This..." I stuttered as I walked to Zhang Shan's side and stretched out my hand. Before I could fully straighten it, I touched something hard.

　　Then I looked at the entire cave entrance again and finally found that it was a layer of hard shell that sealed the cave entrance. However, due to its black color and the poor light at night, we all thought it was a shadow caused by the cave entrance.

　　If you look closely, you can still see that this thing does not reflect light, and the junction with the cliff is a bit abrupt.

　　"What is this?" Liu Yunlong had been studying it for a long time. He looked at me and said, "It doesn't look like metal, it's not that cold, and it doesn't look like wood either. It looks a bit like plastic."

　　"Can't open it?" I didn't answer him, but asked Song Dongfeng directly.

　　"It's useless. We have used all the equipment that can be used. It is stronger than titanium alloy. Two rockets hit it, but it didn't even leave a mark." Song Dongfeng replied from the side.

　　"Then how did you find out?" Zhang Shan was able to grasp the fundamental problem.

　　Seeing that we had all checked, Song Dongfeng came up and said, "The day before yesterday morning, the postman went up the mountain to deliver a letter, but when he got to the village, there was no one there. He searched the whole village and found that there was something wrong with this cave. He was so scared that he quickly ran down the mountain to report the case."

　　"…Strange." Liu Yunlong said after hearing this: "This place should be under the jurisdiction of Wuquan Town, right? We were with Director Chen the day before yesterday, so why didn't we know about it?"

　　"He called the city's 110 directly." Song Dongfeng followed up, "For a major case of mass disappearance like this, the city bureau leaders are usually notified immediately. After reconfirmation, the troops are dispatched directly. Before the situation is clear, the fewer people who know about it, the better! Thanks to the snow, the people on the mountain couldn't come down, otherwise the news would have spread long ago."

　　"This is not plastic!" Liu Yaer remained silent, and he was observing us while we were analyzing it. He touched the black substance and said slowly, "This is most likely some kind of enchantment. Or a defensive body made from some kind of creature."

　　I was a little bit skeptical when I heard it. The hole was at least ** square in size. What kind of creature could have such a big shell?!

　　"Don't you know magic? Can't you just find a way to break it?" Liu Yunlong suddenly understood after Liu Yaer reminded him.

　　"No." Liu Yaer shook her head and said, "Although the spells are similar, each caster has his own casting routine and triggering conditions, the purpose of which is to make it impossible for anyone other than himself to decipher it. It's like someone's bank card password. It's useless to just know that it is six digits. You have to know which six digits it is!"

　　After hearing this, Liu Yunlong was speechless.

　　"Then how do you know there is someone here?" Zhang Shan asked another important question.

　　"Since we received a case of a large number of missing people, the army initially thought it was a mudslide or other natural disaster, so they borrowed a life detector and brought it here." Song Dongfeng said as he walked up to a soldier, who cooperated by handing him an instrument on the ground next to him.

　　"Look, this is it, come and see!" Song Dongfeng walked to the entrance of the cave with something that looked like a gas gun at a gas station, pointed the "gun muzzle" into the cave, and turned on the screen above.

　　Suddenly, lines started flashing on the several-inch screen above the handle, as if the signal was bad, with nothing but black and blue inside.

　　"Blue means there are signs of life and spontaneous heat generation." Song Dongfeng said as he pointed to us. "Maybe due to the distance, we can't see the specific shape. But there are obviously a lot of spontaneously heated things ahead, so we estimate that the villagers... not all of them, but at least a considerable number of them are here!"

　　Chapter 64: An unexpected discovery

　　Everyone fell silent. This situation was indeed very tricky. No wonder the troops had been on the move for more than a day but had made no progress. They only contacted Song Dongfeng when they had no choice.

　　"That's right!" It suddenly occurred to me that the horn hole has two openings, and the other opening is also exposed outside. I wonder if they have checked it?

　　Song Dongfeng hadn't said anything yet, but Zhang Shan rushed to explain: "Although that side is also exposed, after all, this cave runs through the entire mountain, and the cliff is bare with no place to start. I estimate that if you want to climb over the cliff, it will take at least three to five days. And this is under the condition of complete equipment. Without equipment, don't even think about it!"

　　"Well, we also sent skilled soldiers to check it out." Song Dongfeng followed up and said, "They can't even climb out ten meters. Even with equipment, a person's physical strength simply can't withstand hanging there for several days in a row and doing heavy physical labor. For the safety of the soldiers, this is not feasible."

　　"What about a helicopter? Wouldn't it be easier to just fly it up?" My eyes lit up when I thought of this. This method is both direct and feasible!

　　"Helicopters are usually low-altitude aircraft that assist in handling ground conditions. They usually only fly at an altitude of one to two thousand meters." Liu Yunlong taught me, "Even if we can fly up, we are surrounded by mountains, and there is a lot of fog. The convective air is very strong. It's too dangerous! If we are not careful, the aircraft will be destroyed and people will die!"

　　"Then there is no other way?" I asked them, completely at my wit's end.

　　"We are now evaluating the possibility of targeted blasting, which would allow the explosives to explode inwards along the hard shell or the boundary of the stone wall. In terms of power, it would be greater than those two shoulder-fired rockets!" Song Dongfeng paused and said, "However, there are several unknown situations that cannot be estimated by doing this."

　　"What's going on?" the four of us asked him at the same time.

　　"First, it just snowed. How far can the sound of the explosion be heard? Will it cause an avalanche? No one knows. Although nothing will happen here, once it affects the mountain, it may cause casualties or property damage. Second, there is the issue of the amount of explosives. We don't have the opportunity to conduct repeated experiments with the explosives we brought this time. At most, it is enough for two explosions. A small amount cannot blow it up, and a large amount may hurt the villagers inside. Third, if there are really people inside who control the villagers, then after the explosion, will they be forced to go to extremes? Thereby causing certain casualties among the hostages, no one knows. We also tried to chisel a hole in the rock wall next to it, but the shape of this barrier is very irregular, with protruding branches and parts that are wrapped inward. After digging more than half a meter, we still found that layer of shell." Song Dongfeng counted on his fingers and explained each link to us sentence by sentence.

　　Everyone was silent again. It seemed that we had no solution at all! Should we just wait here? But how long would it take for the situation to end? The villagers inside had no food or water, so they could hold out for two or three days, but what about a week?

　　Moreover, two days and one night have passed since someone discovered it, or even longer. How long can the people inside hold out? No one knows.

　　"Liu Yaer." After a long silence, Zhang Shan suddenly looked up and asked Liu Yaer, "Is it possible to break it by force with magic? Or is it troublesome?"

　　"...It's hard to say now." After hearing this, Liu Yaer touched the outer shell again and said while studying it: "The key is to first figure out how this thing was formed? Is it a mixture with magic, or an unusual natural growth? We must figure it out first before we can prescribe the right remedy."

　　As he spoke, he scratched at a small part of the protrusion on the edge of the shell and said helplessly: "This thing is too hard! If we can get a small piece off, maybe we can see what's going on."

　　"If it doesn't work, just give it a try!" Song Dongfeng turned around and said to a soldier, "Get a pair of hydraulic pliers!"

　　Two minutes later, an oversized hydraulic pliers arrived, along with Brigade Commander Feng and Lao Luo.

　　"Tell me, how big do you want it to be?" Song Dongfeng asked Liu Yaer when he saw that the two responsible soldiers were ready.

　　"It doesn't matter how big it is! As long as there is a cross-section, maybe we can tell what this thing is made of." As long as they can get it down, Liu Yaer doesn't mind how they do it.

　　The two soldiers chose a more prominent position and first clamped it. After trying, they found that the pressure of the hydraulic pliers was completely useless. They had no choice but to work together to pry it outwards in an attempt to break it off.

　　Half a minute later, the two men stopped panting, but the black shell was not damaged at all.

　　"Okay, you guys take a break, let us take over first. If we can't do it anymore, you guys can take over later." Zhang Shan saw that the two soldiers were obviously not strong enough, so he stepped forward to take over and said to Captain Luo, "Old Luo, come and help me!"

　　When these two people get together, the force they generate is incredible! I estimate it must be at least a thousand pounds, and more.

　　Sure enough, under the pulling and pushing forces of Zhang Shan and Captain Luo, they soon felt a small displacement.

　　"Snap!" After a few seconds, there was a crisp sound, and the black substance that was clamped finally broke. The hydraulic pliers were also declared scrapped, and the hook-shaped bite on it turned outward as if it had gone soft. This shows how powerful these two people are!

　　Liu Yaer picked up the black piece that fell on the ground, but didn't look at it much. Instead, she handed it to me first.

　　"What do you want for me?" I took the coin-sized thing and looked at Liu Yaer strangely.

　　"Don't you have spiritual eyes? Open them and see if you can find anything?" he taught me.

　　I still didn't quite understand, but I opened my spiritual eyes as instructed, and then asked, "How do you see? Where do you see?"

　　Liu Yaer looked at me and said helplessly, "I don't have your ability, so I don't know the details. Just look at the difference between before and after it was turned on, such as whether there is any change in color or brightness. If you can't see it, I will find some materials to help check."

　　"Oh..." I lowered my head and looked over and over at the broken thing in my hand, but I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

　　"…There's nothing different here! I think you should just use earthwork…" I looked for a long time but found nothing. I looked up and was talking to Liu Yaer when I found…I found that the barrier at the entrance of the cave was gone!!!

　　Just one meter inside the cave, there were two chairs, with two people sitting on each.

　　And these two people turned out to be Ni Qian and Zhang Shan’s masters!!!

　　When I saw this, I immediately rushed inside, but I didn't expect to hit the air at the entrance of the cave with a "bang". The impact was so heavy that my eyes went dark and I almost fainted. It took me a long time to recover.

　　"...Old Wang, are you crazy? The rocket launcher can't even be fired, do you want to use your head to ram it open?" Liu Yunlong looked at me with a question mark on his face.

　　After taking a few deep breaths, the pain subsided a little, and I reached out to touch it. It turned out that the layer was still there, but it suddenly became transparent. If you look closely, you can still see some gray color on the edge.

　　Something cool flowed into my eyes, but I didn’t care about that anymore. I lay on the transparent wall and shouted inside: “Ni Qian!!! Girl!!!”

　　But both of their heads were tilted to the side, their eyes were closed, and it was unclear whether they were dead or alive.

　　After shouting for a long time, I realized that it was useless and had to stop. Then I thought of the people next to me and turned my head to look. Everyone was looking at me with their mouths wide open, and the word "surprise" was on their faces.

　　"You...you all can't see it?" I was also confused and asked.

　　Chapter 65: The Kidnapper Appears

　　"You...you all can't see it?" I was also confused and asked.

　　"... Lao Wang, your head is bleeding..." Liu Yunlong said, pointing at my forehead.

　　I raised my hand and touched it, and it was indeed wet and sticky. But I didn't have time to care about that, I pointed at the two people in the cave and said, "Can't you see? Ni Qian is in there!"

　　Everyone shook their heads, only Liu Yaer stared at me for a long time, and suddenly said: "You just opened your spiritual eyes, right?"

　　...Oh! ~~~How could I have forgotten this!

　　Looking at the small piece in my hand, it is still black in color and has no transparency at all.

　　"Then this...why doesn't it become transparent?" I asked as I handed it to Liu Yaer.

　　"Isn't it transparent?" Liu Yaer was stunned, then looked at the thing and began to ponder.

　　After he reminded them, Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong also knew the reason. Zhang Shan came over and asked, "You said Ni Qian was in there? What did you see?"

　　"I saw Ni Qian and your master behind this wall!" I hurriedly told him.

　　"My master?" Zhang Shan asked curiously, "You have never met my master, how do you know him?"

　　I wanted to explain the previous dream to him, but I saw something that seemed to be swaying in the darkness deep inside the cave.

　　Gradually, it became clearer and clearer. It turned out to be a person limping towards the cave entrance.

　　“…Zhao Youde!!!” When the man came closer, I finally saw his face clearly and shouted angrily.

　　"What?!" Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong couldn't remain calm after hearing this.

　　Relying on that barrier, this guy pressed down with both palms, made a calming gesture to me, with his signature smirk on his face.

　　“…What the hell are you planning to do?!” I lay on the transparent barrier, beating it and yelling at him.

　　"What's going on?" Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong next to them were also extremely anxious.

　　Hi! I forgot in a hurry. I just learned a trick in "Dream Record". It can use the Wuwei Seal to make ordinary people have the ability similar to the spiritual eye in a short period of time. I remember that Mr. Qian also used it on them in the cave under the City God Temple.

　　"Come here, I can show you what's going on inside!" I called out to them and raised my right hand, ready to do as the book instructed.

　　"You'd better not do this." A slow voice suddenly came from the other side of the wall, sounding a little familiar.

　　I subconsciously stopped what I was doing and turned my head to look. Zhao Youde still had that disgusting expression. But I didn't expect him to suddenly say, "You are the only one allowed to see what's going on here, so don't do anything tricky!" After that, he gently pinched Ni Qian's neck.

　　"Hurry up! Don't be in a daze!" Liu Yunlong leaned his head closer to me for a long time, but when he saw that I didn't move, he couldn't help but urge me.

　　I motioned for them to wait a moment, then turned around and asked Zhao Youde, "What on earth do you want to do? We didn't take the initiative to provoke you, did we? Why do you always pick on me wherever you go?!"

　　"Haha, don't get excited, don't get excited." The more Zhao Youde said this, the more uncomfortable I felt. "Have you forgotten? My master told you to bring something to Taihang Mountain." This guy turned from Ni Qian to Master Zhang Shan and said.

　　"Your master? Who is your master?" I really don't know when did this guy become a disciple?

　　"Tsk tsk tsk! You can't do that! You are so young, but how can you be so forgetful?!" Zhao Youde looked like he was educating a child: "Who forced you into a desperate situation under the City God Temple, and finally forced that old bastard surnamed Qian to jump off the thousand-year barrier in order to destroy the centipede formation? Have you forgotten everything?"

　　"You said...you said Chen Dong is your master?! He is...still alive?" I was surprised.

　　"A broken grenade took my master's life. You really underestimate him!" Zhao Youde spoke with great pride, as if it was all his own ability.

　　...I never expected it, I really never expected it! Chen Dong is not dead!!! I looked at the "cripple" opposite me and didn't know what to say for a moment.

　　"Where are the things we want? Bring them here!~" Zhao Youde said while hooking his finger when he saw that I didn't say anything.

　　"What?" I was confused again. Chen Dong had told me to bring something, but before he could say anything, the situation took a turn for the worse. Until the end, we never talked again.

　　You're asking me for it now, where should I start?

　　"The pupil seal in your hand! The pupil seal that you cannot absorb! Got it?" Zhao Youde began to get impatient.

　　... Could it be that what Chen Dong has always wanted is that thing? ! Logically speaking, this thing was given to me by Liu Yaer, he shouldn't know about it! Besides, why didn't he just come to me directly if he wanted to do something? He had to go through so much trouble and offended everyone. I really don't know what he was thinking! ?

　　I was a little surprised because I did bring the pupil seal with me this time. Although Mr. Qian didn't figure out what was going on, it doesn't mean that Zhang Shan's master couldn't figure it out. He is the senior brother after all! It's not easy to keep something that you don't know whether it is good or bad, so I brought it with me to ask him for advice.

　　At this moment, the seal is in my shirt pocket.

　　"Don't tell me you didn't bring it. It's useless. I left half a day later than you just to bring your wife here. I know very well whether that thing is in your house. Since the master dares to let you bring it, it means he is absolutely sure that you will bring it! Do you understand?" Zhao Youde saw that my eyes were rolling around and directly dispelled my idea.

　　"...I want to ask, since you want this, why didn't you come to me and get it earlier? Why do you have to go through so much trouble?" Seeing that my thoughts were exposed by him, I had to delay time while writing "delay time" on Zhang Shan's arm behind my back with my hand.

　　"I can't tell you now. When you hand over the pupil seal, my master will tell you then!" Zhao Youde seemed to have had enough of wasting time with me and urged me.

　　"Just hand it over? Why don't you let them go?!" If I really have to give it, at least I have to exchange Ni Qian and Master Zhang Shan first.

　　"Hahaha!" Zhao Youde suddenly laughed when he heard me say that. After a long while, he said, "I thought you were really crazy and didn't mention the matter of my wife? You just remembered it now! Why did I bring your wife up here? The purpose is to be afraid that you won't give it to her when the time comes! As long as you hand over the pupil seal first, we will naturally let her go after we have it in our hands. This is what my master specifically told me! How is it? I think I'm being polite to you?"

　　"Ni Qian alone won't do! I also want to take this old man next to her away!" I said, pointing at Master Zhang Shan.

　　"Don't push your luck!" Zhao Youde's face turned dark. "If I have to release someone, I can only release your wife. My master may be polite to you, but if you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for threatening you with this girl's life!" As he said that, he walked back and stretched out his pair of dark and thin "claws" towards Ni Qian.

　　"Don't move! Don't move!" Seeing that the girl was in danger, I had to stop Zhao Youde's actions first, but I didn't know what to do next?

　　If we give it to him, this guy will definitely not use it to do good things! Since they want the pupil seal so much, it means that it is very important. If we give it to them, let alone ask for it back, I'm afraid we will all die!

　　But if I don't give it to her, it looks like Ni Qian will suffer soon, how can I bear this? !

　　And this damn Zhang Shan! I just wrote him a note asking him to come up with a solution, but this guy hasn't made any move yet!

　　I was at a loss when suddenly Liu Yaer's voice came into my ears: "Lao Wang, don't move! Don't have any special expressions or movements! Only you can hear what I say now, so do as I say!"

　　Chapter 66 How to Choose

　　Liu Yaer's words immediately brought me back to my senses. I pretended to cough as if I understood, and let him continue.

　　"Tell him that you don't have the pupil seal with you." Liu Yaer said quickly when she saw that I had given her feedback.

　　This guy said it without hesitation, as if he knew everything. Although I was surprised, this was obviously not the time to think about this issue, so I hurriedly said to Zhao Youde: "Don't hurt her! I'll give it to you!"

　　"Oh! That's right! Actually, I don't want to do this either. What a beautiful girl, isn't she? If I were still alive, even I would be tempted by her! Hehe." Zhao Youde said with a lewd smile, "Take it out!"

　　"I didn't bring it with me. I left it in Banyan Village." I said according to Liu Yaer's instructions.

　　"...You are playing tricks on me! You asked for this, you little brat! Don't regret it!" Zhao Youde was stunned at first, then immediately became angry and turned around to attack Ni Qian again.

　　"Wait a minute!" I hurriedly stopped him again.

　　When Zhao Youde turned his head, I began to turn out every pocket on my body to prove that the pupil seal was not on me. After turning out my coat, I slowly took it off under Zhao Youde's gaze and began to turn out the pockets of my clothes.

　　I did all these actions very slowly, with the purpose of making Zhao Youde believe that the pupil seal was really not with me.

　　Of course, it was Liu Yaer who asked me to do this. He had already managed to remove the pupil seal from my body, so I was naturally not afraid of being inspected.

　　I didn't stop until I was left with only my thermal underwear, because it was clear that I didn't have the pupil seal on me.

　　"You... saw it, right? I really don't have it on me!" I said to Zhao Youde, shivering with cold.

　　"Hmph! Don't play tricks like this on me! If it's not on you, it could be on any one of them!" Zhao Youde pointed at Liu Yunlong, Zhang Shan, Liu Yaer and Song Dongfeng who were nearby.

　　"In short, if you want to hide the pupil seal on purpose, then I can only..." Zhao Youde was halfway through his words when he suddenly looked back, as if someone was calling him from deep in the cave.

　　...After a moment, this guy turned around and said to me hatefully: "Hmph! You're lucky! My master will give you half a day, go down the mountain and get the pupil seal! Remember, you must come back here before twelve noon and bring what you should bring! Don't be clever, otherwise you'll just have to wait to collect the bodies of these two people!" After saying that, he pulled the backs of the two men's chairs, one in each hand, and slowly walked towards the depths of the cave.

　　Only when I could no longer see them did I finally breathe a sigh of relief and sit down on the ground. The bruised area on my forehead started to feel a burning pain again.

　　Zhang Shan picked up all the clothes on the ground, handed them to me and said, "Put them on first."

　　"Oh..." I took it numbly, and suddenly turned back to look at Liu Yaer and asked, "Did you see everything?"

　　"Haha, don't forget, I can walk between the Yin and Yang." Liu Yaer said proudly: "Although I don't have your spiritual eyes and can't see through this barrier, I can hear clearly what the person inside said!"

　　When he said that, it reminded me that when Zhang Shan first met this guy at Beizhakou, he couldn't see him.

　　Finally, he put his clothes back on. Song Dongfeng led the brigade commander Feng and couldn't help but walk up to him and ask, "What's going on? Are all the hostages inside?"

　　"Shh!" Liu Yaer quickly gestured to them to keep quiet, and then whispered, "Let's go down first, it's not safe here."

　　After going down the hill, we came to a house in the village with better conditions, which was used as a temporary command post by Brigade Commander Feng and his team. Not only was there hot water, but there was also a charcoal brazier, so it was quite warm to sit around it.

　　I described to them in detail what had happened. Everyone was silent, obviously thinking about their own problems.

　　After a while, Commander Feng put out the cigarette in his hand and said in a deep voice: "I just want to figure out what they are going to do? What is their purpose?"

　　"What seal do you want to change for?" Lao Luo looked at me and asked.

　　"Definitely not." Liu Yaer answered for me: "That person made it very clear that Tong Xi could only replace Lao Wang's girlfriend, not one more person! Obviously, their main purpose of kidnapping the entire village is not this!"

　　"That means they have some other purpose. They are threatening us with the lives of the entire village to make us cautious. They will not consider the hostage issue until they have completed their task," Song Dongfeng continued to analyze.

　　Zhang Shan sighed and said, "In my opinion, it's far more complicated than that. Think about it, this is a remote place with less than a hundred people in the whole village. If they want to do something here, with Chen Dong's skills and abilities, he is not afraid of being discovered. Why would he take hostages? It's a waste of time to do this!"

　　"...So, these people must have other uses!" Liu Yunlong understood the meaning of Zhang Shan's words and murmured, "What exactly is the use?"

　　"I'm afraid we'll have to ask them themselves to find out." Zhang Shan said with a wry smile.

　　Ask themselves... This sentence reminds me of something.

　　"Okay, since we can't figure it out for the time being, let's talk about the next one. Can we use that pupil seal to exchange for the girl? I need your unanimous opinion!" Seeing that he could not analyze the result, Brigade Commander Feng immediately turned to the topic of redeeming the hostages.

　　"It can't be done!" Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer were still waiting for my opinion, but Zhang Shan answered immediately.

　　I looked at him in astonishment. Liu Yaer winked at Zhang Shan, signaling him not to rush to express his opinion. Liu Yunlong asked directly, "Old Zhang, let's talk about rescuing the hostages now. Wouldn't it be good to rescue one more? Besides, it's Ni Qian!"

　　"I'm not cruel, just listen to me." Zhang Shan spread out his palms, signaling to calm down first, and then slowly said: "I think everyone knows who Chen Dong is, especially Uncle Master, you know it best. He is a ghost who has reincarnated for 600 years with his memories! This guy is not only powerful, but also meticulous, and he looks three steps ahead. All of us together are no match for him. The last battle at the City God Temple seemed to be a lose-lose situation. What was the result? What did he lose? Just a few ghost soldiers, even Zhao Youde was unscathed. And what about us? My great uncle is dead!"

　　Zhang Shan paused, and then continued: "I said so much, not to say how much hatred I have for him. Instead, it is to illustrate how terrifying this guy is. Think about it, such a terrifying and powerful person, what can't he do? But what? He wants this pupil seal now. Think about it, why? There is only one reason, this pupil seal can definitely bring him what he wants! Let's go back to the point, Chen Dong has lived for 600 years, what else is there that he can't let go of? In his eyes, power, money, and women are all gone. So what else does he want the most?"

　　After saying this in one breath, Zhang Shan looked at me in silence.

　　"...ability...to surpass everything, to look down upon everything, even close to the ability of God!" I finally figured it out and gave a summary.

　　"So, do you think we can still give him this pupil seal now?" Zhang Shan asked, looking around at everyone.

　　Chapter 67: Second Plan

　　"Then...then I can't just look at Ni Qian like this..." Liu Yunlong stopped talking halfway and looked at me with an embarrassed look on his face.

　　And I, paradoxically, want to die at this moment!

　　I was thinking that if it really didn't work, I could just give them the pupil seal and then rob them! But after hearing what Zhang Shan said, I was completely at a loss. It's not that he was exaggerating, but this guy's analysis was too accurate! It's entirely conceivable that if the pupil seal was given to Chen Dong, things would definitely develop in this direction.

　　By then, not only us, but perhaps everyone will have to live under the rule of that madman.

　　Disregarding the lives of millions of people for the sake of Ni Qian, the price is too high!

　　But...if I could save her but didn't, would I convince myself?

　　The answer is obviously No. I will never forgive myself!

　　What should I do? What should I do? ! !

　　…

　　Song Dongfeng saw what I was thinking and asked Zhang Shan, "Give them a fake one to fool them first. As long as we can hold out until Ni Qian is replaced, is that okay?"

　　"What do you think?" Zhang Shan looked at him with a wry smile and asked back.

　　Everyone knows that this is impossible. Using such a trick to deceive a person who has "lived" for more than 600 years is just asking for humiliation.

　　"...What if this happens?" Lao Luo suddenly straightened up and said, "Just follow what we gave them, and then we will formulate a detailed battle plan. If you give it to him, he will definitely find a way to open the barrier at the entrance of the cave. Because only in this way can we get that thing in! Right? Then we set up snipers in the distance. As soon as this guy opens the barrier to take the pupil seal, we will kill him, and then the assault team ambushed on the side will follow at the same time and quickly enter the cave to eliminate the other person. In order to ensure the safety of the hostages, we only need to kill them as soon as possible and leave no one alive! Is this okay?"

　　"It's okay to deal with ordinary people, but Zhao Youde is not a human being, he is a nightmare. Tell me how you beat him? You can't even see him!" Liu Yunlong was also quite anxious and denied it directly.

　　He used to love using weapons, but later on he found that guns were of no use at all in this line of work.

　　"Then what should we do?" Seeing that nothing worked, Liu Yaer sighed helplessly again.

　　"Yeah...what should we do?" Zhang Shan also sighed.

　　Hearing him say that, my heart immediately sank. If even Zhang Shan has no idea, then I'm afraid there really is no way out!

　　After a while, Commander Feng fiddled with the small fragment he had just broken off, muttering with his head down: "If we want to stop them, I think we must first know what they want to do." He looked up at us and continued: "Now, in addition to knowing these two people, we have also confirmed that the villagers are in their hands, and we know nothing else. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. I think this will not be conducive to our formulation of a targeted combat plan in the next step."

　　"Besides the two of them, are there any other accomplices?" Lao Luo asked me after listening to his leader's words.

　　"There shouldn't be any more." Although I didn't see him, I don't think there would be a third person. Even Zhao Youde doesn't count. His existence is only due to Chen Dong. If Chen Dong is controlled, with my current ability, I can easily deal with him.

　　But as long as Chen Dong is here, we have to take this guy Zhao Youde seriously.

　　"Damn it! What the hell is going on? I want to catch someone to ask about this but I can't find anyone!" Captain Luo was obviously not a think tank type of person. Seeing that there was no way out, he couldn't help but curse.

　　Ask someone...

　　I scratched my head fiercely and said weakly, "Is there another room? I want to be alone."

　　"...Okay, we have learned everything we need to know, and you are tired." Song Dongfeng stood up and said, "When people are confused, their brains don't work well. How about this, it's not even four o'clock yet, the four of you rest here for a while! Brigade Commander Feng and I will go and take a look at the situation, maybe we can make other discoveries. I will call you at five o'clock!" After that, the three of them got up and walked out, closing the door behind them.

　　Suddenly, there were only four of us left in the room. Liu Yaer couldn't help but mutter, "What time is it? Who still has the mood to sleep?! Even I'm worried about you!"

　　"Hey, you don't understand, do you?" Liu Yunlong approached with a smug look on his face and said, "Old Wang has something else to say, so he sent them away!"

　　I looked at him and couldn't help but smile. If I were to say that I knew what was in my mind, I'm afraid only my childhood friend Liu Yunlong could tell. Even Ni Qian couldn't do that.

　　"Old Zhang." I didn't respond to their conversation, but asked Zhang Shan directly, "Do you still remember what Mr. Qian said to me in Song Dongfeng's office before the last battle at Chenghuang Temple?"

　　Zhang Shan looked at me for a long while, then shook his head blankly, obviously unable to remember.

　　In fact, when I first started to guess what they were up to, I had some vague ideas, but I could never get the exact information. It was not until Captain Luo said he wanted to catch a tongue to interrogate that I suddenly remembered that if I wanted to know what Zhao Youde was thinking, there was a shortcut in front of me.

　　Mr. Qian once said that if you want to know what Zhao Youde was doing, there are two ways. The first is to ask their accomplice at the time, who was also my boss, Zhang Guoxiao.

　　But Zhang Guoxiao was later rescued by Chen Dong, and finally fell into the Thousand-Year Unbreakable Pass. In the end, we were unable to pry any useful information out of him.

　　But even though the second one was useless, the old man still said it.

　　Now is the time to use it!

　　"I want to enter the golden coffin and bring out Zhao Youde's soul." I looked at Zhang Shan and said word by word.

　　Zhang Shan was shocked when he heard what I said. He was stunned for a long time before taking a deep breath and saying firmly, "No! Absolutely not! One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand no! I won't let you do this!"

　　"What if I'm determined to get in?" I said calmly. This question was not to ask for his consent, but just a necessary notification for me.

　　Once the thought came to my mind, I decided to do it without even a tenth of a second's hesitation.

　　To save Ni Qian, this is the only thing I can do right now, there is no other way!

　　Enter the golden coffin and bring out Zhao Youde's soul. Then, when they meet tomorrow at noon, try to get him close to Zhao Youde's nightmare. Finally, use the secret technique in "Dream Record" to make their thoughts communicate with each other, and then you can know what Zhao Youde wants to do.

　　If the situation is good, I might be able to help Hun take away the nightmare. Even if this method can't save Ni Qian, at least I can know what Chen Dong and his group are planning, and my trip won't be in vain.

　　"Have you ever thought about it? What if you can't get out? Didn't you hear what my great uncle said, from ancient times to the present, no one has been able to come out alive!" Zhang Shan seemed to have remembered what Grandpa Qian said that day.

　　"How can we know if we don't try?" I had already made up my mind, so no matter how he tried to persuade me, it was useless. If we try, we will have at least a 1% or 1/1000 chance; if we don't try, we won't have even a glimmer of a chance!

　　"...No! Absolutely not! You are going to die!" Zhang Shan stood up and yelled, pointing at my nose.

　　"If I don't do this, I will live in darkness all my life. Do you want me to do that?" I looked up at him and said slowly.

　　"But...but it's not your fault that Ni Qian is like this!" Seeing that he couldn't persuade me, Zhang Shan became so anxious that he was about to cry.

　　"Then let me ask you." I had already thought of a set of excuses, so I couldn't help but make this guy quibble: "In the air-raid shelter in Bishagang, why did you cut off your arm to save me? Is it your fault that you cursed the corpse? You didn't have to do that. But tell me the truth, if you didn't do that and I died, what would happen to your life?"

　　"I...I..." Zhang Shan opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

　　Chapter 68: Final Arrangements

　　"Haha." Seeing that Zhang Shan had nothing to say, I stood up and patted him, saying, "You should know that we were not as close as we are now, but you were willing to risk your life to save me. What's more, it's Ni Qian and your master who are on the verge of death. You don't want to see me living in the shadows for most of my life, do you? Besides, it doesn't mean that I will die if I go in. Don't forget, I am the seal holder of the Human Ghost Double Chi!"

　　"But..." Zhang Shan wanted to say something, but I stopped him: "Okay, don't say it unless you can think of a safer way right away. I promise you that after I go in, I will weigh the pros and cons. If I find that it is impossible, I will come out as soon as possible. Is that okay?"

　　"Lao Wang, it's no big deal! I'll go with you!" Liu Yunlong said, patting his chest.

　　I patted him again and said, "Haha, I appreciate your kindness. Living people cannot enter other people's dreams. If you can all enter, Lao Zhang won't have to worry anymore."

　　Seeing that his persuasion was useless, Zhang Shan could only shake his head and go to prepare the hypnotic drugs for me to fall asleep, while Liu Yunlong went to inform Song Dongfeng and Brigade Commander Feng about my next move so that they could find a quiet place where I would not be physically disturbed after I fell asleep and searched for my soul.

　　Liu Yaer and I were the only ones left in the room at this time. This guy was helping me relax and trying to get myself into a better mental state.

　　"Old Wang, you must remember this. Regardless of success or failure, you must come back before noon!" Liu Yaer said as she stuffed a small object under the skin of my left arm. "This is for you to see the time. It starts counting after you fall asleep. It's not even five o'clock now, so it will start counting from when you go in at five o'clock. After six hours, that is, at eleven o'clock in the afternoon, this thing will automatically disappear, and you'll know it's time to come out. I think an hour should be enough, after all, I still have to spend most of the time looking for Zhao Youde."

　　I looked down and saw a small red mark on my left elbow, which was cone-shaped and a bit like a barb stuck in the flesh. But I moved it a few times and it didn't hurt, and there was no other impact.

　　"Liu Yaer." I answered him, thought for a moment and asked, "There is something I haven't had time to ask you. Where did you get this pupil seal from?"

　　Because there were so many people around, I didn't mention this. This pupil seal was given to me by Liu Yaer. No one knew about it except Zhang Shan and the three of us. I was afraid that if I said it then, everyone would point the finger at him again. Zhang Shan never mentioned it, perhaps because he took this into consideration.

　　With a powerful enemy at hand, the fewer things like this that may affect internal unity, the better.

　　There's no one around now, so I finally got the chance to ask.

　　"Alas..." After hearing this, Liu Yaer also stopped what she was doing, sat down next to me and said, "If I had known that thing could cause such a big disaster, I would not have given it to you! You also know that in order to find the 'son' of my benefactor, I have been collecting pupil seals everywhere in the past few years. I have only one purpose, which is to find it as soon as possible through so many souls. As for how these souls died and what their purpose is in staying in the world, I don't ask at all. Anyway, everyone gets what they need! ~ They just need to help me pay attention and inquire while doing their own things. During the day, they will hide here with me. When there are many, I can carry dozens of them at the same time, and when there are fewer, there are more than ten or twenty. As for when and where this pupil seal came from, I really don't remember. Until one time I tried to communicate with the soul inside and was almost sucked in. Then I felt something was wrong and was a little scared. So when I saw you, the seal holder, not long after, I suddenly thought of giving it to you. I thought you would be able to calm it down..."

　　Listening to Liu Yaer's words, it seems that he gave it to me because he was afraid that this pupil seal would harm someone. But he didn't expect that I, as a seal holder, have limited abilities.

　　…By the way, in the air raid shelter below Bishagang Park, the boy also said that this thing was not simple. But why couldn’t I, Zhang Shan, or Mr. Qian see any difference?

　　Maybe it's because we are all human beings? Liu Yaer is only half a person at best.

　　After a while, Liu Yunlong led Song Dongfeng in. Because this matter was too complicated, I told Liu Yunlong not to tell them too much. Just say that I know what they want to do and I plan to give it a try. Don't say it in a scary way, like there is no return.

　　Song Dongfeng didn't know the truth, so he just gave me some symbolic advice, but when he saw that I insisted, he stopped talking. Then he told us that we could stay in this room, and he would send someone to guard the surroundings. Except for Zhang Shan and the other three, no one else would be allowed to come in before noon tomorrow.

　　As soon as Song Dongfeng went out, Zhang Shan came in with a wine gourd in his hand.

　　"Uncle-master, I still want to advise you. Once you drink this wine and enter the golden coffin, none of us can wake you up again unless you come out by yourself. If you can't come out, you will be a vegetable in this life, waiting to die of old age in your sleep." Zhang Shan came closer and gave me one last piece of advice.

　　"Lao Zhang, needless to say, I have already made the worst plan. If we really fail, I'm afraid you will have to work hard to rescue everyone safely. As for Ni Qian, I can only say that I did my best. If she is alive in the end, please tell her that I ran away with someone else, and don't say such a thing!" I explained every detail.

　　If the girl knew that I became a vegetable because of her, given her personality, she would probably have to live with me, a "living dead" for the rest of her life. What's the point then?

　　"Don't worry, uncle. As long as I'm alive, I'll stay by your side until you wake up!" Zhang Shan said firmly.

　　I know that I can't persuade him, because once I go in, I won't be able to make decisions on what happens outside. But this guy...

　　After hesitating for a while, I decided to tell him about Zhang Shan's health and Yin Liuzi's situation. After all, the old man is in Chen Dong's hands and his life or death is uncertain. And I'm about to take another risk, and no one else knows about it except the two of us. I can't let Zhang Shan lose his life like this.

　　After telling him everything, I didn't expect Zhang Shan to be surprisingly calm.

　　He stared at me for a long while before he sighed and said, "Uncle Master, you are really good at hiding! I was wondering why you kept going up the mountain, is it because of this? I, Zhang, have lived for more than 30 years, how can I not let go of such a small thing? How many people who walk in the underworld can have a good beginning and a good end? My grandfather's was a miracle. If you enter this line of work, you must be prepared to lose your life at any time. Aren't you underestimating me too much?!"

　　"What the hell am I talking about! Isn't it just a silver coin? Leave it to me!" Unexpectedly, Liu Yaer suddenly interrupted and said, "I know where to find those little guys. I used to think they were too skinny and I wouldn't eat them when I saw them!"

　　Well, I didn't expect that the expert was right beside me, which saved me a lot of worries.

　　"Liu..." Putting this matter aside, I said to Liu Yunlong, "What I am most worried about is my mother. In the future, during the holidays, I can count on you to go..."

　　"Stop!" Liu Yunlong interrupted me as soon as I heard a sentence, pointed at my nose and said, "What are you doing! Are you making arrangements for your funeral? I'm telling you, Mr. Wang! If you want to go, you must have the belief that you can definitely come back! If you don't have that confidence, then don't go! Don't keep giving instructions. Listen carefully, Ni Qian and your mother, no one will help you take care of them! If you're afraid that they're not doing well, go and come back quickly! Take care of them yourself in the future! Don't be like a woman and keep giving instructions!"

　　No one expected that Liu Yunlong would suddenly scold me.

　　I was also stunned by this guy's noise, but then I realized that he wanted me to have confidence and the belief that I could come back alive. Otherwise, if he told me everything, I would probably give up hope of living at the last critical moment.

　　But this guy's way of expression is really different!

　　After figuring this out, I couldn't help but look up and shout towards the roof, releasing all the pent-up emotions through this shout, and then laughed: "Haha! Good scolding! Don't worry, I will definitely bring Zhao Youde back! Once the matter is resolved, the four of us will get drunk tomorrow night!" As I said that, I stretched out my left hand and placed it between the four of them.

　　"Okay! We'll wait for you to come back and get drunk together!" The three of them also stretched out a hand and placed it on mine.

　　Chapter 69: The Golden Coffin Appears Again

　　Everything was ready. After I sat down on the kang in the corner of the room, Zhang Shan was still standing in front of me with the wine jug, hesitating whether to give it to me.

　　Without waiting for him to hand it to me, I snatched it away, unscrewed the cap, and took several gulps.

　　Suddenly, the strong liquor mixed with an indescribable herbal flavor rushed from the throat to the top of the head, and then fell into the stomach. The burning feeling filled the entire chest.

　　"...Wow! It's so strong! What kind of wine is this?" It took me a long time to catch my breath, and my facial features were all tense.

　　Zhang Shan did not answer me, but slowly said: "Uncle Master, no one knows what is inside the golden coffin, you must be extremely careful! If you see that something is not right, it is better to find a way out as soon as possible."

　　"Got it! Don't worry." After I answered him, I suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "Didn't you make a wax seal from my wrist last time? Why didn't you do it today?"

　　"That's used to wake you up, but this time you're going to be put into the golden coffin, and that thing can't wake you up." The more Zhang Shan spoke, the uglier his expression became.

　　Well, this is really a light trip!

　　Liu Yaer reminded him again: "Old Wang, remember to come back within an hour after the mark disappears..."

　　But my consciousness has begun to become blurred.

　　Finally, my eyelids could no longer support me, and I closed them and fell into a deep sleep.

　　I really had no idea how to find Zhao Youde. I could only take things one step at a time. Who knows what's inside the golden coffin? Anyway, I would never give up until I could find him!

　　…

　　I slowly opened my eyes again, and vaguely felt that I was still in the same room, lying on the kang, facing the roof. However, there seemed to be two missing figures beside me, only one person was left.

　　"Haha! You are finally here!" An old voice sounded beside him.

　　I tried to raise my hand and found that I was able to move it. I rubbed my eyes and finally saw the old yet familiar face in front of me.

　　"It's you!!!" I sat up and saw the person next to me, and was surprised.

　　I really didn't expect it to be him! What a surprise! But, seeing him again, all the memories of the past two and a half years came back to me.

　　If it weren't for him, would I still be an ordinary city worker today? If I thought so half a year ago, I don't think so now.

　　At this moment, I prefer to believe in fate.

　　"What's wrong? Are you unhappy to see me?" Seeing that I was stunned and speechless, old man Zhang Shixun still asked me with a crooked smile on his face.

　　"No... No..." I waved my hands hastily. But then I thought, since the old man appeared here, it means... he is really dead.

　　"You..." When the words came to my lips, I didn't know how to express it.

　　“Hahaha!” The old man still laughed heartily. He patted my shoulder and said, “Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God! I can die without any illness, you should be congratulating me!”

　　"Oh..." I didn't know what to say when the old man blocked my way. I couldn't just say "Congratulations on passing away without illness", right?

　　"I know everything. I've come here specifically to help you!" Mr. Zhang said calmly, his hand still on my shoulder.

　　"How...how did you know?" I was surprised. Could it be that he had been following us?

　　"You should ask, what is there that ghosts don't know! Haha." The old man seemed to be in a very good mood when he saw me, and he kept talking: "As soon as I got back from beating that nightmare of Zhao Youde, I targeted him. It seems that he followed Chen Dong and did something bad!"

　　"You know?!" I jumped up immediately after hearing what the old man said, and pulled him to ask, "Do you know what they are going to do?"

　　If the old man knew, wouldn't it be so easy for me! I don't even need to enter the golden coffin, I will understand everything after sleeping for a while.

　　"I don't know." Old Man Zhang pushed me to sit down and said slowly, "Don't worry. The barrier at the entrance of their cave is extremely solid. It is impervious to water and fire. Even the Soul Nightmare cannot pass through it. So, let's take a long-term view!"

　　"Then who are you?..." I was a little at a loss as I felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over my head.

　　"Haha, what are you doing here? That's what I'm doing here!" The old man smiled mysteriously and looked at me.

　　"You want to... enter the golden coffin with me?!" I immediately understood.

　　Old man Zhang didn't answer me either. He stood up and said, "Why are you still standing there? Let's go!"

　　"Oh..." I hurriedly got down from the kang and followed the old man into the yard.

　　In the middle of the courtyard, my rusty golden coffin was placed. The old man came closer and looked back at me, implying that I should hurry up and open it.

　　I pushed open the coffin lid and asked the old man hesitantly, "Do you really want to go in? It's extremely dangerous in here!"

　　"Haha, if I don't go in with you, you really won't be able to get out!" The old man smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about me, an old man! I'm dead, so what should I be afraid of? One more person means one more strength! Don't be so stupid, time waits for no one! Follow me!"

　　After saying that, the old man didn't wait for me to say anything else, and jumped into the golden coffin by holding on to the edge.

　　I was afraid that something might happen to him, so I didn't dare to delay and jumped in as well.

　　...Alas, success or failure depends on this time! But Master Zhang's presence still adds a lot of confidence. After all, I have no idea. Following him, an experienced horse who knows the way, maybe I can really succeed!

　　It was pitch black inside the golden coffin and I couldn't see anything clearly, not even where the old man in front was. But it was clearly like a circular pipe that extended downwards.

　　At the beginning, I tried to use my hands and feet to support the wall of the pipe to prevent myself from sliding down too fast. But the diameter of the pipe became wider as I went further, and after descending for about a few dozen meters, I could no longer reach the sides, so my speed gradually increased.

　　Gradually, the speed became faster and faster, and I found that I could no longer control it, as if I was riding a roller coaster.

　　But...when will this constant acceleration end?

　　Finally, after turning countless bends, the pipe became straight, and I vaguely saw a small red dot appear in front of me, and it was getting bigger and bigger.

　　Soon after, a dark figure rushed into the red circle. It should be Mr. Zhang. But... when I saw the red circle clearly, all the hairs on my body stood up! This... this is actually the exit! And... and it seems to be a long distance from the ground!

　　If I fall down, won’t I die?!

　　Before I could finish my thought, I rushed out of the pipe. There was indeed a bottomless abyss below! At this moment, I had no time to observe the surrounding environment. I only knew that the surroundings were blood-red. After my forward momentum stopped for a while, I began to fall.

　　"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I couldn't help but scream.

　　It's over! Died before achieving success, is this the fate of being put into a golden coffin? No wonder no one who came in could get out alive. Alas... I should have known that I should not have let Mr. Zhang come with me! Isn't this a waste of an extra life! ...Oh, no! It's a soul!

　　Chapter 70: The Taste of Life (1)

　　Before I could finish shouting, I fell heavily to the ground.

　　This is really solid! I'm afraid it will be beaten into a meat patty.

　　"Stop shouting! Call everything nearby over!" Old Master Zhang's voice suddenly sounded beside him.

　　...Hey? I'm not dead?! I quickly got up...Yes! I was fine, nothing happened, no pain or itch.

　　Looking up, I found a row of small black dots neatly arranged on the stone wall several hundred meters high. I didn't know which one we fell out of.

　　"Are we really not dead?" I asked the old man doubtfully. There is no reason why we wouldn't die after falling from such a height!

　　"Don't forget that this is a dream." The old man walked up to me, patted my head, and continued, "To put it bluntly, the golden coffin is a prison for serious criminals. How can we kill everyone who is thrown in?! Stand up and leave here!"

　　Walking aimlessly behind the old man, I finally had time to observe this place.

　　The eyes were filled with red, blood-red, which was really a great test for the visual nerves. This should be a round continent, surrounded by cliffs thousands of meters high, like a knife, leading straight to the red dome. And the row of small black holes were almost in the middle.

　　The old man said that each black hole should be connected to a golden coffin and have a corresponding person who holds the seal.

　　There is red soil and various plants that I can’t name all around me. I don’t know if they are red in nature or just used as a backdrop.

　　The surrounding trees are tall and short, sparse and dense, but there are only trunks and branches, without a single leaf. It looks extremely desolate.

　　After walking for a long time, the old man and I climbed up a small hill that was relatively high nearby and looked around.

　　Although I saw a lot along the way, I was still stunned when I saw the whole picture of this red world. As far as my eyes could see, there were undulating mountains and leafless tree trunks everywhere, as if there had just been a fire. It was strangely quiet, and I couldn't hear anything. My ears could only feel the "buzzing" roar produced by the extremely quiet state.

　　The area here is not big, but it is not small either. It is definitely larger than Zhengzhou City. But on second thought, how many nightmares have been thrown in here by the seal holder over the past thousands of years? This place is not big enough to accommodate!

　　I couldn't help but throw the question to the old man. He thought for more than half a minute before he pinched his waist and said, "Logically, everyone has his own world, and the same goes for souls and nightmares. It seems that this place is just a place that restricts their activities. As for thoughts, we have to find them ourselves!"

　　"So do you think this place is real or just an illusion?" I found myself falling into the vortex of truth and falsehood again.

　　"Haha, does it matter whether it's real or not?" The old man turned around and looked at me and said, "Whether it's real or not, you're already here. Is there any point in studying it? But it's true that I need you to protect me here."

　　"Why?" I didn't understand. The old man was also known as a well-known figure in the 800-li Taihang Mountains. Did he still need my protection?

　　"Because of absorbing the pupil seal, it is the mental power that increases. What we see of each other now are all illusions. Only those with strong mental powers have stronger power. For example, you!" The old man stared at me and answered word by word.

　　Well~ I shrugged, it doesn't really matter. In the past, it was Zhang Shan and Mr. Qian who protected me, but I didn't expect that today it would be my turn to take on the responsibility alone!

　　But... "How can I find Zhao Youde?" I couldn't help but ask.

　　"Haha, that depends on fate! This is my first time here, too." The old man gave a nonchalant answer and walked down the hillside with his hands behind his back.

　　Looking at those small black dots on the cliff in the distance, I had new worries. Even if I found Zhao Youde, how could I get out?

　　I followed the old man down the mountain, around a small slope, and came to a dense forest of dead trees.

　　I took a quick look and found that the forest was quite large, with no end in sight. The trees here were obviously denser than the ones we had just seen, and their roots were intertwined. Many branches on the ground and the roots below were intertwined with each other, which looked a bit scary.

　　I was hesitating whether to go in, but Mr. Zhang had already walked to the outermost tree trunk.

　　"Please be careful!" I warned him and hurriedly followed him.

　　Since the roots of many trees are half exposed above the ground, you have to be extra careful when walking, otherwise you might trip.

　　I was still observing the situation around me, but the old man went behind a tree and didn't come out for a long time.

　　After waiting for a long time, the old man still didn't come out. I was a little anxious, so I couldn't help but walk over. When I got behind the tree, I saw him with his hands behind his back, his body slightly bent, staring at the tree trunk without blinking.

　　"What are you doing... Ouch!" I followed his gaze and looked to my side, only to find that there was a naked person "growing" on the back of the tree trunk!

　　Fortunately I was mentally prepared, otherwise I would have been really scared.

　　Why do we say he grew on top? Because the upper body of the man is outside the trunk, starting from the lower abdomen, including the hands, the rest of the body is inside the trunk, and from the edge, it looks pretty good.

　　This was obviously a man, his entire body was blood red, he had no hair or eyebrows, and he looked like he was dizzy, with his head down and his eyes closed.

　　"What... is this thing?!" I walked to the old man and looked at it for a long time, but I still didn't know whether it was a person or a monster.

　　"There's not just this one, look back!" The old man said casually, still staring at the "monster" in front of him, without looking at me.

　　I looked back and saw…Wow! There was a human figure under almost every tree in the forest, with the upper body sticking out and the lower body inside the tree.

　　Before, because I was far away, I didn't look carefully at the red area and thought it was all vines from the dead trees. Now I see that they are all human-shaped! And they are basically growing in the same direction.

　　"…Oh my God! This…this is the entire 18th level of hell!" The more I looked at it, the more frightened I became. If this is really a person…oh no, nightmare, then what are they doing? Are they trapped here voluntarily or are they forced to do so?

　　The old man was more direct. He stretched out his hand and pinched the "person" in front of him.

　　"What materials?" I didn't dare to move, for fear of causing trouble again, so I had to ask the old man.

　　"Hmm...it feels like flesh! Feel it!" With the old man's permission, I slowly stretched out my right hand and gently pinched this "person's" cheek.

　　...Sure enough, it feels delicate, tough and elastic when touched, and it is indeed the texture of skin.

　　"But... there shouldn't be any living people here!" I was confused. The golden coffin didn't exist in the real world, so where did the living people come from?

　　"Pinch your face." The old man turned his head and looked at me, saying, "Do you feel the flesh? What are you now? A person or a thought?"

　　Seeing that I was stunned and speechless, he continued: "This is a common perception. No matter how the outside world changes, the mindset will not change. It is what it should be, and that is what is reflected to you."

　　To be honest, I didn’t quite understand, so I reached out my hand again and wanted to touch somewhere else.

　　But just as we touched his skin, this man actually raised his head and opened his eyes, staring at the two of us with his blood-red pupils.

　　Chapter 71: The Taste of Life (2)

　　Chapter 71: The Taste of Life (2)

　　It's bad! The moment he stared at me, I knew I was in trouble! Not only could I not look away, I couldn't even move my body.

　　Although I can't see the old man next to me, I guess he should be in the same situation.

　　I kept my eyes on that person. I don’t know how long it was, I even suspected that I was hallucinating. I seemed to find that he was slowly growing hair, eyebrows, and beard, and his skin color was gradually returning to normal.

　　It wasn't until his pupils returned to their normal color that I finally realized I could move.

　　It’s just that… the man in front of him had returned to his normal appearance. Under his messy hair was a depressed-looking face, and he was wearing a wrinkled khaki jacket.

　　Behind him, the shadow of the tree had long disappeared, replaced by a gray wall.

　　Gradually, I began to hear sounds in my ears, and not just a little bit, but extremely noisy.

　　The man took one last look at both of us, then turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

　　The old man and I looked at each other for a moment, both in amazement.

　　We were actually in a crowded farmer's market, with vegetable sellers, fish sellers, chicken sellers... all in a mess. The nearby merchants were all promoting their goods, and the people who came to buy vegetables were also carefully selecting what they wanted to buy, and no one noticed us.

　　"This...what's going on?!" I asked the old man in great surprise, but my voice was too soft and he probably couldn't hear me.

　　"Follow him first, we can't get lost! The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it!" When the old man saw the man walking away, he didn't bother to observe and pulled me to chase him.

　　This is obviously a northern city, but I couldn't tell where exactly it was because the market was too chaotic and I couldn't hear the accent.

　　After following the man out, we crossed two blocks and came to a newly built residential area. The man stopped, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and sat on the flower bed outside the gate to smoke.

　　I tried hard to figure out where this place was, but after searching for a long time, I didn't see any road signs or any obvious regional symbols.

　　We hid behind him on the other side of the flower bed. The old man was also looking around. After a while, he retracted his gaze and whispered to me: "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the memory of that man."

　　"Memory? Isn't the nightmare's memory incomplete?" I asked him hurriedly after hearing him say that. Because Zhang Shan once said that after a person dies, his memory is divided into two parts, the good part goes to the soul, and the evil part goes to the nightmare.

　　"Do you know what kind of nightmare is usually put into the golden coffin?" The old man asked instead of answering me.

　　"Hmm..." I vaguely remember this, and it seemed that Zhang Shan also said it.

　　"Everyone will have a soul nightmare after death." Seeing that I was still thinking about it, the old man had to explain it again: "Under normal circumstances, the soul of a normal person is often stronger than the nightmare. When a person dies, the soul will absorb the nightmare. So in most cases, the seal holder does not need to take action. Only when you encounter a person whose soul is absorbed by the nightmare, will you catch him and put him in the golden coffin."

　　At this point I basically remembered everything, and continued, "That is to say, most of the nightmares here possess all the memories of this person's previous life."

　　"Right!" The old man looked at me approvingly, then pointed at the man smoking in front of him and said, "You saw the forest outside just now. We should still be standing here, but we have been included in his memory. Can we get out? How can we get out? Or how can we find Zhao Youde? It all depends on him."

　　"Him?" I stared at the man, puzzled. Just by entering someone's memory, I could find Zhao Youde? Isn't the old man's thinking too simple? !

　　"Well, it's just that I'm not sure how to find me. We need to follow and wait a little longer. Maybe the answer will come out soon." The old man was not sure what to do next, so he just played by ear.

　　After smoking two cigarettes, the man stood up, patted his already dirty pants, and walked into the community.

　　We both hurriedly followed in.

　　"Did you notice anything wrong?" the old man asked me as we walked.

　　"Well...if this man came here, he must be looking for someone for something. His home wouldn't be here!" I speculated, looking at the back figure hanging far ahead.

　　Because it was obvious that his family was not well-off, and this was a newly built middle-class and high-end residential area. How could a slovenly, unkempt man have the money to settle down here? Of course, this was possible, but the fact that he was smoking at the gate of the residential area just now also proved that this was not his home. Who would smoke at the gate of the courtyard when they were going back to their own home?

　　"Yes! So we just watch from the side and don't follow too closely." The old man agreed with my point of view and reminded me at the same time.

　　Soon, the man arrived in front of one of the buildings, looked around, and then entered the building.

　　"What should we do?" I was afraid that he would lose his target once he went in, so I hurriedly asked the old man.

　　"Don't be anxious, stay calm." The old man was not anxious, but put his hand on my shoulder, signaling me to calm down.

　　Fortunately, we were lucky. The man just entered the building and started knocking on the door of the house outside the first floor. Even though we were hiding dozens of meters away, we could still see it clearly.

　　After a while, the door opened. The man had no intention of going in, but was talking to someone in the room.

　　"Would you like to come closer and listen to what's going on?" I turned around and asked the old man.

　　After getting permission, we took a detour and came to the doorway from the other side. Just then, we heard a male voice impatiently saying, "I've told you many times! There is no woman named Huang Juan here!"

　　"Impossible, I've followed her for three days, there's no way I'm wrong! Just let me see her once! Just once, I'll leave after I've finished talking!" Another voice followed.

　　Both of them spoke Mandarin which was not quite standard, so it was hard to tell where they were from. But now it was clear that the voice that said he wanted to see Huang Juan should belong to the person we followed all the way here.

　　"Are you annoying? I'm telling you you've come to the wrong place! You've come to the wrong place! It's never-ending!" The man in the room had obviously lost his patience and yelled at him, "Get out of here! If you don't leave, I'll call security!"

　　"Can you let me in and take a look? If Huang Juan is really not here, I promise not to come again!" the man outside pleaded.

　　"Are you kidding me?!" The man in the room was so angry that he laughed and said, "This is called trespassing, do you know that?! And I let you come in to take a look? You are a policeman! If there is nothing wrong, just get out!" After he said that, we heard a bang, which should be the door being closed.

　　The old man and I were about to leave to avoid being discovered by the man. But after taking only two steps, we heard the man knocking on the door again. Since he refused to leave, we were happy to continue eavesdropping.

　　He kept knocking for about ten minutes. I was almost tired of hearing it, but he was still hammering away.

　　The door finally opened again, but this time no one inside said anything. Instead, the man outside suddenly shouted in joy, "Juan'er!"

　　"Mr. Zheng, what are you planning to do?" A woman's voice rang out from the room. "We are no longer friends, and I gave you 20,000 yuan to take care of our son. Is that enough? That's 20,000 yuan! You may not even earn that much in 10 years!"

　　"Well... Juan'er, haven't we divorced yet? Then you are still my wife." The man said reluctantly.

　　Chapter 72: The Taste of Life (3)

　　Chapter 72: The Taste of Life (3)

　　"Hmph!" The woman sneered disdainfully. Then she said, "You don't want to divorce me. Do you think you can tie me down like this?"

　　"Okay, Juan'er, I was wrong about what happened before. I shouldn't have slapped you last time. Can you admit my fault? Come back with me! Our baby cries and calls for you every day at home!" the man pleaded.

　　"No, let's get this straight!" The woman didn't even think about it and replied, "I never blamed you for that slap you gave me. On the contrary, I have to thank you! If it weren't for that slap, I really wouldn't have been determined to leave! Don't you see what kind of life I've been living in the past two years since I married into your family? Why should I go back with you? In the wind and sun, eating coarse food? And I have to take care of your paralyzed old mother! I've had enough!"

　　"Juan'er...you can't say that." The man was obviously holding back his anger, trying to calm himself down: "Your family wasn't well off back then. If we hadn't been neighbors for decades, when your father passed away, there wouldn't even be enough money for his burial. It was all paid for by our family..."

　　"Enough!!!" The woman suddenly shouted angrily, interrupting the man's words: "It's because I have experienced too many hard days like this, so I can't stand it anymore! I don't want to live like this anymore! I want to live the life I want while I am still young!"

　　"...Oh~ I understand. You don't have money to buy medicine for me again, so you come here to ask me for money?" The two were silent for a moment, and the woman suddenly said in a sarcasm.

　　"Juan'er, I really don't want anything! Look, this is the 20,000 yuan you gave me last time. I didn't touch a cent. It's all here. Give it back to the owner. Let's go!" The man begged again. "I know I'm poor, but if you're willing to come back with me, we can work hard together. Within ten years, I'll buy you a big house, jewelry, and beautiful clothes. Okay? I'd rather starve than treat you badly!"

　　"Ten years... ten years..." The woman repeated this twice, and suddenly said loudly, "In another ten years, we will both be nearly forty years old. I have wasted the best days of my life on a loser like you, and you still have the nerve to say that! Come on, I won't waste my words on you. There is ten thousand yuan in this envelope, and this is the last time I will give it to you. Take it and do whatever you want with it! Let me go back with you, and don't ever think about it again!"

　　"Juan'er!" The man suddenly cried out miserably, and said in a sobbing voice: "I kneel down for you! Please! Even if not for me, please think about our child and go back!"

　　The woman was silent for a moment, then said, "Look at you! You will never be a good-for-nothing!" After that, she slammed the door again with a bang.

　　The old man and I also figured out that the man's family was too poor, and his wife married him and lived with him for two years, but she couldn't stand it and ran away! Then she came to the city and hooked up with a rich man. I don't know where this man got the news from, but he came all the way here again.

　　The man sobbed twice, and then we could vaguely hear footsteps in the stairwell. We both had to step back quickly and sit down in front of a flower bed.

　　Sure enough, the man walked out wiping his tears, holding a manila envelope in his hand. It should be the 10,000 yuan that "Juan'er" gave him.

　　After he came out, he took a quick look, then squatted where we had been eavesdropping, took out a pack of crumpled cigarettes, lit it and started smoking.

　　After a while, I got a little impatient and asked the old man, "What should we do? We can't just follow him all the time, right? This will waste too much time! We only have six hours!"

　　"Don't be impatient." The old man comforted me in the same tone: "Remember the structure of the forest? Whether it is the branches on the trees or the roots underneath, they are all connected and entangled together. Now we have to wait for a while to prove whether my judgment is correct."

　　"What judgment?" I asked confusedly. It seemed that the old man had never said what his judgment was before.

　　The old man asked me to sit down in front of the flower bed nearby. From here, we could just see half of the man's figure, which was enough for us. Then he said to me: "Everyone's thoughts and memories are independent, but humans are social animals. One or two independent people cannot form a society. So the forest we just entered is like a society, connecting the thoughts of everyone there, which is why we have what we see now."

　　"So you're saying... this is not actually that man's memory?" I didn't know whether I understood or was confused.

　　"No, this should be his memory." The old man smiled and continued, "But since every tree is connected, the thoughts should also be connected. Although this is the memory of that man, I think it should intersect with other people. So, I'm waiting for a time point. At this point, maybe we can get out of this man's memory and enter another person's memory."

　　I am sure I understand a little bit. It is just like in the daily society, everyone has their own life, unrelated to each other, but some events, such as marriage, work, shopping, etc., can make two people who originally had no intersection in life step into a common living environment.

　　For example, when you go to a supermarket to buy something, your life and the life of the supermarket cashier are originally unrelated to each other, but the moment you check out, you two have a so-called "common environment" for a short period of time.

　　But... "According to you, every person on this street is a nightmare?" I asked again.

　　"Not necessarily." The old man continued, "This place is still based on the memory of that man. Those walking on the street may be the memory of another person, or they may be people or things that have a special impression on this man, and he has remembered them. So they are reflected in his memory. The time point we have to wait for is a special situation that can attract everyone's attention, so as to find the memory of another person and jump out of here and go to another place. At that time, everything that exists in the man's memory will definitely be attracted by the special situation, and those other memories that have no intersection will not pay attention to it."

　　"What special circumstances?" I am still more concerned about this. If there are no special circumstances, won't we be trapped here for the rest of our lives?

　　"So you have to wait!~ I don't know either." The old man smiled helplessly.

　　"But that's just jumping from one person's memory to another person's memory. We still haven't jumped out. How can we find Zhao Youde?" I found a new problem.

　　"Are you sure Zhao Youde isn't here?" The old man stared at me and said, "Should we first make sure Zhao Youde isn't here before deciding whether to go out?"

　　"That makes sense, so how do we find it?" I also know that since there are no clues, the dumbest but most effective way is the process of elimination. However, these are human memories, which sound enormous to me. Moreover, they are not just those of one person. Looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack!

　　"Haha, then we have to analyze Zhao Youde! But the premise for doing so is to prove whether my judgment is correct! If it is feasible, this road will work. If not, we have to find a way to get out first." The old man looked like he was confident.

　　Well, after all this talk, I still have to wait. I can only continue to watch this depressed man smoking in frustration.

　　Chapter 73: The Taste of Life (4)

　　Chapter 73: The Taste of Life (4)

　　It wasn't until he finished his fifth cigarette, put it out on the ground and stood up that Mr. Zhang and I quickly regained our spirits and kept an eye on his next move.

　　Unexpectedly, the man's face was gloomy at this time, and he was completely different from before. After he stood up, he did not choose to leave, but walked into the building again.

　　This time we didn't dare get too close, but hid in a depression in the building about ten meters away and eavesdropped.

　　There was still the sound of "bang bang bang" of banging on the door. After a moment, the man in the house roared: "Are you done yet?! I've given you the money, what else do you want?!"

　　"Don't worry." The man outside the door was quite calm, and then said: "I've thought it through, I'm leaving! I'll take the 20,000 yuan, but I can't take this 10,000 yuan. Open the security door and give it to you and I'll leave. Don't worry, I won't come back again."

　　There was silence in the room for a moment, and then a woman's voice was heard. There was a sound of the door opening, and she said, "Zheng Shixi, I hope you keep your word and we can part ways in peace. If in the future...ah!!! What are you doing?!" As she spoke, the woman suddenly screamed.

　　I quickly looked around. Fortunately, it was noon and every household was eating, so there were not many people in the community.

　　In the blink of an eye, the place suddenly became noisy. It was probably because the woman opened the door and Zheng Shixi took the opportunity to grab her and pull her out. From time to time, the man in the inner room could be heard beating and scolding him to let go.

　　Finally, after a long struggle, a muffled "bang" was heard, and the room suddenly became quiet. After a moment, the woman panted and cursed, "Zheng Shixi, you asked for this! I don't want this ten thousand, take it to see a doctor!"

　　From the tone of voice, it seemed that someone had hit Zheng Shixi during the scuffle, and it was quite a hit.

　　Seeing that this situation would not produce any immediate results, the old man and I slowly moved towards the entrance of the building.

　　"Juan'er! I beg you! Come with me!" Zheng Shixi's voice with a hint of tears sounded again.

　　"Let go! I will hit you if you don't let go!" The man who was with "Juan'er" was completely furious. He said this without waiting for Zheng Shixi to express his opinion, and then a few muffled "bang bang" sounds were heard.

　　By this time, I had already reached the entrance of the staircase and slowly looked inside. I found that the person we had been following, Zheng Shixi, was lying on the ground, holding the left leg of a woman in her twenties, and refused to let go. Another man found a golf club from somewhere and kept hitting him on the head.

　　However, the woman named "Juan'er" had a cold expression, crossed her arms, and didn't care about the life or death of her husband at her feet.

　　After watching for two seconds, I turned around and whispered to the old man: "What should we do? Should we help him?"

　　Mr. Zhang didn't say anything, but waved his hand, indicating that he should stop looking and be careful not to be discovered, and continue listening.

　　The man beat her for a while, then stopped, probably because he was afraid someone might get killed. The woman next to him said, "Zheng Shixi, look at you, you wimp! I shouldn't have married you in the first place!"

　　"I... am not a coward... I am not..." Zheng Shixi might have been a little confused from the beating, and his words were incoherent, just repeating over and over again.

　　"Forget it, let's go in! She deserves it!" The man who was with Juan'er advised.

　　When we all thought that the matter was over, we suddenly heard Zheng Shixi shout: "I am not a loser!!!"

　　When I heard him shout like that, I hurriedly tried to stretch my head to see what was going on, but the old man grabbed my shoulders and I couldn't move.

　　I turned around and was about to ask him why he didn't let me see, but before I could open my mouth, there was a sudden loud bang in the stairwell, and the glass windows of several nearby buildings exploded.

　　Because it was too close, my ears were buzzing for a long time. Fortunately, I didn't stretch my head to look! Otherwise, I would have been blown away!

　　When I turned around again, I was really shocked. Just three or five meters outside the doorway, there was half a person lying... yes, half a person! Only the area above the belly was covered, and the lower half of the body was probably still in the stairwell, with intestines scattered everywhere.

　　Rushing into the building, it looked like a scene that had just been attacked by a missile. There were broken limbs here and there, it was a horrible sight.

　　"Xiao Wang! Hurry up!" The old man waved at me from outside and said anxiously, "We've been waiting for this moment! Hurry up and don't let anyone find us, otherwise it will be difficult for us to get away!"

　　"Oh...oh!" I then remembered that this was in the man's memory. Since this scene was his memory, it must have really happened.

　　When I hurriedly ran past the half of his body outside the building, I saw that Zheng Shixi obviously had an explosive tied to his chest. I didn't know if he was dead at this moment, but his eyes were staring at us.

　　Unexpectedly, he finally chose such an extreme and tragic method to defend his dignity.

　　Is it really necessary?

　　When we arrived at the gate of the community, there were still people coming and going. After all, the explosion was so loud that it could be heard within a radius of one or two kilometers, not to mention the entire community. Everyone was walking inside to see what was going on, and only the two of us rushed out.

　　"Xiao Wang, pay attention to everyone! See if there is anyone who doesn't care about what's happening here. That might be the person we're looking for!" The old man told me while pushing through the crowd around him.

　　"Are you sure this method will work? It won't be wrong?" I asked still a little worriedly.

　　"How will we know if we don't try?!" The old man continued, "But hurry up. If we don't find the second person quickly, we might end up following Zheng Shixi through the last stage of his life again. That would be a huge waste of time! Use your senses and follow him immediately when you find him!"

　　When I arrived at the gate of the community, I realized that there were quite a few people startled by the explosion, and people from nearby areas kept pouring in. There were heads everywhere, and I was dazzled.

　　Seeing that staying in the crowd was not a solution, and I was constantly pushed and couldn't get out, I simply pulled the old man back, followed the flow of people, went around to the iron fence, and planned to climb out from there.

　　As soon as I arrived at the flower bed, the figure of an old lady attracted my attention.

　　This person was also very ordinary. It was a bit of an exaggeration to say that she was an old lady. She was probably in her fifties, dressed fairly neatly, had curly hair, and was holding a puppy in her hand as she walked slowly past the fence.

　　Why did he attract me? Because no matter whether it was a person or a dog, they were completely indifferent to what was happening here, as if they didn't see the hundreds of people blocking the door at all. I observed her for a few seconds, and never looked inside.

　　"Have you figured it out? Come on, follow me!" The old man also noticed something unusual. He made a gesture and we took advantage of the chaos to climb over the community fence and chased after the woman.

　　This old lady was just taking a stroll, not only leisurely but also very slowly. After following her for a while, I became a little anxious and asked Mr. Zhang beside me, "Master, if she is another nightmare, then if we follow her, wouldn't it be the same as entering her memory? But there is no change around us!"

　　In my heart, I may have already regarded old man Zhang as my master, so I just said it out loud. But the old man seemed quite surprised that I called him "master" for the first time. He was stunned for a while, then smiled kindly and said, "Haha, that's because you didn't look carefully. Look, that car, keep your eyes on it!"

　　I followed the old man's finger and saw a hatchback car coming from afar on the fast lane. When it met another van driving in the opposite direction, a miracle happened! After passing the van, the private car disappeared! Instead, a red taxi passed by us at high speed.

　　Chapter 74: The Taste of Life (5)

　　Chapter 74: The Taste of Life (5)

　　"This..." I looked at the scene in front of me, surprised. After a long pause, I asked, "Why... why is this happening?"

　　"This means that we are jumping into the memory of the woman in front." The old man said calmly.

　　"Then we can find Zhao Youde through this woman?" I asked.

　　"Haha." The old man stopped following the woman, pulled me to sit on the river bank that appeared behind me at some point, and said, "Okay, no need to follow. Now let's analyze how to find Zhao Youde."

　　"Not following anymore? Then at this moment..." I was afraid that the target would be gone and we would be trapped in this place.

　　"Haha, since we have found a way to jump between Nightmare and Nightmare's memory, we naturally don't need to follow him." The old man said confidently: "As long as we can determine where Zhao Youde will appear, it can be said that we will find him very quickly."

　　"Oh..." I had no choice but to sit down and listen quietly to the "master's" teachings.

　　Seeing me sitting upright and looking at him, Mr. Zhang showed a satisfied smile, cleared his throat, and said, "In fact, it is not difficult to find Zhao Youde, as long as he is here. Now we are forced to come in, and I wonder if there are other mangroves like this in other places? Maybe there are, and they exist separately; maybe there is not, and there is only one; maybe there are, but they are all interconnected. So, since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. Let's check if there is any here first?"

　　"First, let me ask you." The old man paused, then continued, "You have also met Zhao Youde. Where is he from?"

　　"People from Banyan Village." I didn't know if this was the right answer, so I said in a low voice.

　　"Haha, what are you afraid of? I won't hit you!" The old man patted me on the shoulder, signaling me to relax, and then reminded me: "You are right, but we have to choose a larger area first, so that we can gradually narrow the search area by adding layers. After all, the nightmares collected by the Master of the Seal can be found anywhere."

　　"Oh, then first of all it should be... the mountain people of Taihang Mountains." I think this range is large enough.

　　"Yes, first of all, let's define the accents and regions, then we can only pay attention to those people here who obviously have northern characteristics, or those who don't look good, like Zheng Shixi just now. Because this kind of person is more likely to have intersections with Zhao Youde!" The old man helped me draw the first big circle.

　　I roughly understood that we must first find people with similar characteristics to take us to places where Zhao Youde had lived or been. For example, some people with southern accents who drove cars would naturally have no intersection with Zhao Youde.

　　"Didn't you just say that this might be the impression of the owner of the memory? It doesn't necessarily have to be another memory." This is the only thing I don't understand.

　　"Haha, you silly boy!" Grandpa Zhang touched my head and said, "Memory is also thought, it is conscious. The special incident just now allowed us to distinguish which are the impressions of the memory owner and which are other thoughts. What if you do it again in reverse?"

　　"How do we do it the other way around?" The more I listened, the more confused I became.

　　"For example, like this." The old man suddenly shook his arm. We were sitting on the river bank at this time. Following his arm, I was swept backwards, and then I lost my balance and fell into the river with a "plop".

　　Fortunately, the river was not deep, so I immediately got up and yelled at Old Man Zhang on the bank: "What are you doing?! Why did you push me down?! Look, I'm all wet!"

　　"Haha, look carefully, are you wet?" The old man asked me while lying on the river bank, stretching out his hand.

　　"..." I really didn't notice it before, but when I touched it, I found that even though I was standing in the river, my hair and clothes were still dry. But when I scooped up some water, the texture was still there. It was as if I had been covered with waterproof glue, and I didn't get wet even a little bit after the water ran out.

　　After being pulled ashore, I was very surprised, but the old man still said cheerfully: "Strange, right? That's because the memory owner has no relevant memory of falling into the river in his life, so you will not have the feeling of falling into the water in his memory."

　　Seeing that I understood a little, the old man continued, "By the way, turn your head and look, are there many people looking at us?"

　　"...Yeah." I turned around as he asked, and found that many people were walking and looking at us, and some even stopped to look at us.

　　But... not all people. Those who didn't look at us didn't not see us, but they simply didn't look at us at all.

　　"Do you understand?" the old man asked, putting his arm around my shoulders.

　　"...Oh!~~I understand!" I turned around and immediately pulled him to analyze: "Before, because it was Zheng Shixi's memory, everyone in his memory would pay attention to it without exception, after all, it was such a loud explosion. And those who didn't pay attention to it didn't belong to his memory. Now, on the contrary, because the two of us don't exist in the memory of this old lady, no matter what we do, the part that belongs to her memory will not pay attention to it. Instead, the focus is on other people, those memories with thoughts!"

　　"Well, that's about it!" The old man smiled, twirling his small goatee.

　　"But... Zheng Shixi is dead after the explosion, and the old woman has walked so far away. Logically... their memories won't last so long or so far, right?" I just figured it out and dug myself a hole again.

　　"Are you confused again?" The old man explained patiently as if he was giving me a lesson: "Memory is thought. It not only preserves things, but also fills in the unknown parts by itself. For example, when you sleep at night, does time move?"

　　"Of course!" I replied directly.

　　"Yes, you knew that he was going to leave, but you were sleeping during that time and you didn't see it. How did you know he was going to leave?" the old man asked back.

　　"This... this is common sense~!" I feel that there is nothing else to say except this reason.

　　"Haha, so the fact that we are here now is also common sense to the old lady! She just passed by here, so in her subconscious, this place is like this and has always been like this. Look over there!" The old man said, pointing to the taxi that was just there.

　　The car had driven so far away that I could no longer see it. As soon as I looked back, I saw it driving past me on the side road and heading straight for the corner.

　　"Oh... memory makes it repeat infinitely?" I finally understood.

　　"And more!" The old man put away his smile and said to me, "You have to understand that we are now in a golden coffin. What is imprisoned inside is a nightmare, not a human, so..."

　　"So theoretically, Nightmare's memory should be more than that of humans! Because they also have the part after death. This is why we can still see the later content of Zheng Shixi after his death, right?" I finally understood and directly took over what the old man said.

　　"Haha, you are a teachable kid!" Old Man Zhang patted my head as if rewarding me, then stood up and said seriously, "The lesson is over. Now we should look for clues about Zhao Youde!"

　　"Then let's first find a northern mountain man who looks somewhat similar to Zhao Youde?" I asked.

　　"Well, come and look for it!" The old man continued, "I was so busy talking to you just now that I didn't really look at it. You'd better look carefully!"

　　"No problem!" Now that I understood, I was naturally full of confidence. I stood up and looked at the people who looked at us in my memory one by one.

　　Chapter 75: The Taste of Life (6)

　　Chapter 75: The Taste of Life (6)

　　After a moment, I locked onto a northern man who was dressed similarly to Zheng Shixi and a bit rough.

　　The old man didn't comment, but followed me.

　　Tracking people is a boring thing, especially when we are tracking ordinary people. Who would walk down the street every day and look back to see if there is anyone behind them? So once you lock on to someone, just follow them.

　　After thinking for a long time, I opened my mouth and asked again: "...Master, I want to ask another question. What would happen if we were also exposed to the explosion when Zheng Shixi detonated it just now?"

　　Because I fell into the river just now and nothing happened, so I naturally thought about the consequences of the explosion.

　　"I don't know either. Why don't we go back and try?" The old man raised one eyebrow and teased me.

　　"Forget it! I won't do it!" I said quickly waving my hands.

　　"Haha, remember, from now on, no matter whether it is true or false, anything that threatens life is always a taboo! Don't try it! Many times, truth is false and false is true!" The old man looked at me and said earnestly.

　　As I walked, I found something was wrong ahead. Two hundred meters away, the street scenes, houses and everything were gone. Only a large white mass was left, extending all the way to the sky.

　　The person we had been following, when he reached the white background, just took a casual step and disappeared into it.

　　I hurried over to the white background, and I felt around but couldn't find a place to pass through. I had no choice but to turn around and ask the old man what was going on.

　　"Need I ask? You followed the wrong person!" The old man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The woman's memory stopped here, so this happened. There were so many people just now, and any one of them could have left. You would have remembered it wrong! Oh... you are too smart! There are always things on your mind; Shanzi is too dull, and once he makes a decision, he won't let go."

　　We had no choice but to go back and choose another one, and then we followed him all the way. Fortunately, this time we were right, and the man in front of us led us a long way.

　　Taking advantage of the opportunity to follow him, I asked the old man again: "Now that we have found someone who looks similar to Zhao Youde, what's next?"

　　"Next! Let me ask you, what did Zhao Youde do before he died?" The old man never answered me directly, but guided me while asking questions.

　　"…selling blood?" I replied.

　　"Yes, where can I buy it?"

　　"Those people in town who collect black blood?"

　　"What are you going to do with the black blood you collected?"

　　"Sell to...small hospitals and clinics?"

　　"Okay! We're here!" The old man asked this and suddenly pulled me to the side, giving up following the man in front.

　　Turning around, I saw a sign that read "Jinqiao Town Health Center" hanging on the gate of the courtyard behind me.

　　"...Jinqiao Town?" I read the words above, but I had no impression of this name at all.

　　"It should be a small town in Hebei. Let's wait here!" said the old man.

　　"Waiting for what?" I asked.

　　"Wait for the black blood collector to come!" The old man found a place to sit down.

　　"But... Zhao Youde is dead, but the people who collected his blood may not be dead!" I couldn't get over it when I thought about it. Since this is Yan's memory, it must be a dead person. How long has he been dead? How can those people who collected black blood not be dead? Even if they are caught, it is not necessarily a crime punishable by execution.

　　"Mutual attraction, understand?" The good-tempered old man was almost annoyed by my question. "If there are buyers, there must be sellers. They don't necessarily have to be related people. In order to support this non-existent world, they need to interweave with each other. If there is no such intersection, we can't jump from one person's memory to another person's memory."

　　"Oh... then let's wait for the person selling black blood to come, and then we can follow him to find Zhao Youde, right?" I didn't dare to ask any more questions and took the initiative to speculate.

　　"Well, that depends on how many people here have been locked up because they died from selling blood." The old man simply leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.

　　I don't know how long it took, but I looked at the mark made by the willow bud on my left arm again and again. Fortunately, it was still bright red and had not disappeared. This meant that there was still time.

　　Finally, when I was bored and didn't know whether to sit or stand, a very shabby van came rumbling in the distance.

　　I thought he was here to sell blood, but this shabby van didn't turn in when it arrived at the entrance of the clinic. Instead, it continued to emit thick smoke and turned at the corner in front.

　　The old man finally opened his eyes, and without saying a word, he pulled me into the clinic. We walked around the two-story buildings in front and came to the back, only to find that there was actually a back door, and the broken van was parked at the back door.

　　"How do you know this is for blood donation?" I was surprised and asked the old man in a low voice.

　　"Haha, if you stay in small places often, you will naturally know it!" Old man Zhang smiled mysteriously, stopped talking, and pulled me to look.

　　In fact, there was nothing to see. After a while, a man came out from the back door of the clinic, whispered something to the driver in the driving seat, and then stuffed an envelope into the driver's seat.

　　The driver got out of the car and opened the back door. The two of them stuck their heads in and looked around for a long time before they brought out a plastic box and handed it to the man from the health center.

　　The whole transaction process was very quick. After closing the back door, the driver didn't say anything to the man. He got in the car and left.

　　"Chase!" The old man pulled me back to the front door, and we just happened to meet the minivan coming out of the alley behind and driving past us with a "thump thump" sound.

　　Whether we could find Zhao Youde depended on this one move, so without saying a word, we chased after the broken van.

　　But no matter how broken the car was, it still had four wheels. No matter how strong we were, we were still human and could never outrun a car! After chasing for several hundred meters, the minivan ran further and further away.

　　I knew I was going to lose the van if I didn’t think of a solution, so I jumped onto a passenger tricycle on the side of the road. I called out to the old man behind me to get on, and said to the driver, “Hurry up! Catch up with the van in front!”

　　I was so focused on the van in front of me that I ignored the changes around me. Not only did the old man not get in the van, but the driver also didn't move.

　　"Hurry up and start the car!" I couldn't help but push the driver from behind. The guy turned around, and I was stunned. I pointed at him and said, "You...you are not..."

　　This is actually the person who has followed us all the way, and everyone in this memory!

　　But...didn't he go out? Why did he appear here again?

　　The old man quickly pulled me down and whispered, "Silly child! We can do whatever we want here, but you can't affect them, otherwise it will alert the owner of the memory!"

　　"Then...what should I do?!" I looked at the person sitting on the tricycle, helpless.

　　"Haha, whoever causes the trouble is responsible for it." The old man looked at me and said lightly.

　　"Who are you?" The man looked at us for a long time and finally spoke.

　　Chapter 76: The Taste of Life (7)

　　Chapter 76: The Taste of Life (7)

　　"Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing, we took the wrong road!" I smiled at him awkwardly and pushed the old man to leave.

　　"Stop!" the man said as he jumped out of the car and blocked our way.

　　"You come as you please and go as you please. Where do you think this is?!" the guy said with a ruffian look on his face.

　　"I'm sorry! Brother, I really have something to do!" I watched the broken bread disappear around the corner and became extremely anxious.

　　The old man whispered in his ear: "This guy might be a gangster. You have to know that none of those who are locked up here are easy to deal with!"

　　"What are you talking about, old man?!" The man got angry when he heard it and reached out to grab the old man.

　　I stretched out my hand to open it, and patiently said, "What do you want to do? We didn't provoke you, and we've apologized. Is it necessary to make such a fuss?"

　　"What do you want to do? I want to beat you up!" The guy was already angry, and when I blocked his attack, he became furious and swung his fist at my face.

　　I wanted to hide, but then I thought that the old man was standing behind me, so if I hid, wouldn't I hit him? As soon as I hesitated, the fist of the man in front of me hit me firmly on the bridge of my nose.

　　It was strange. I thought the punch was very powerful, but even though I felt it, it was like being touched by someone. It didn't hurt at all. The man was stunned for a moment when he saw that I didn't move, but just tilted my head. There was no pain on his face.

　　"Haha, kid, remember it clearly! I said I rely on your protection, so you won't hide?" The old man came out from behind me, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Since the order has been broken by you, let's make the best of it! You have the greatest mental power here, it will be easy for you to deal with him!"

　　After saying that, he turned around and sat on the back of the three-wheeled motorcycle, looking like he was waiting to see a good show.

　　“…Good boy, I didn’t expect you’ve practiced before! You’re quite resistant to blows!” This man didn’t believe that he couldn’t hurt me at all, and as he spoke, he punched me twice in a row, hitting my chin and right temple respectively.

　　To be honest, it doesn’t hurt at all, it’s even... a little comfortable!

　　Seeing the idiot-like look on the guy's face, and considering the old man's instructions, I naturally had no intention of showing mercy. I pinched my knuckles and said with a sly smile, "Hey, after you're done, it's my turn!"

　　"Be careful, don't use too much force, otherwise..." Before the old man could finish his words, I punched this guy in the face. He immediately flew out and fell two meters away.

　　Seeing him lying on the ground motionless for a long time, I felt a little uneasy. Could it be that he was crippled by a punch? I didn't even dare to use my full strength!

　　"It's broken!" The old man jumped out of the car, walked over to me and said, "I told you not to use too much force, but you didn't listen!"

　　"I can't kill him, so what's there to be afraid of?" I knew I didn't listen to the old man, but I still muttered to myself.

　　"I was afraid you might wake him up!" Old Man Zhang said, and then asked me, "Where did that minivan go just now?"

　　"Over there." I just showed it to him while still wondering what "wake up" meant?

　　Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound nearby. I turned my head and saw that the modified three-wheeled motorcycle had fallen apart for some reason! All the parts were rolling on the ground.

　　"Run! This guy is about to wake up!" The old man hurriedly pulled me and chased in the direction of the van.

　　I didn't bother to ask any more questions and quickly ran towards the distant street corner.

　　The houses, cars, and trees around me all disintegrated into pieces one after another. Even a little sparrow on the wall not far ahead, I found that after it fell to the ground, its head and claws were all broken into pieces, like a toy.

　　What worries me most is that the street corner where the van disappeared is gradually turning white. This means that the place is no longer in the memory of the man I knocked down. We must run in here before it completely decomposes!

　　But both the speed of decomposition and the speed of turning white in the distance were faster than the speed at which the old man and I ran.

　　Finally, when the street corner was about to become too dark to see anything, we arrived at the place and the old man pulled me inside.

　　This feeling is really a bit... strenuous! We are like two ants that have fallen into a honey pot, struggling to push forward in a very sticky state.

　　After great effort, we finally squeezed in and fell in the middle of the road.

　　I looked back and saw that the "parts world" behind me had long disappeared, replaced by a small town and streets connected to the front.

　　"What will happen if that person wakes up?" I couldn't help but ask as I looked at the old man.

　　"I don't know. Maybe we'll wake up at the same time. Or maybe we'll be trapped in there." The old man got up and said as he tidied his clothes.

　　"This... this is..." I looked around and found that this place looked extremely familiar.

　　"Haha, we are so lucky! This is Wuquan Town." The old man also looked around and said with a smile.

　　"Willn't that mean we will find Zhao Youde soon?" I quickly jumped up from the ground and asked him.

　　"Come on, I'll take you to the place where black blood is collected!" The old man waved his hand and led me to the corner of the street.

　　In the middle of a market, just as we were about to enter a shabby alley, a thin man came out, limping, and we met face to face.

　　It’s Zhao Youde!!!

　　...I didn't expect it to be so fast!

　　His pale face was obviously from selling blood. When he saw us, he quickly put on a more energetic expression and greeted Old Man Zhang, "Hey! Master Zhang is here to visit the market too?!"

　　"Haha, hello!" The old man greeted calmly. "Come down the mountain to buy some daily necessities. Are you done shopping? Why don't you come with us?"

　　"You guys?..." Zhao Youde looked at the old man, then at me. His expression changed drastically in an instant, and he pointed at my face and said, "You...you are..."

　　"Hey." I shyly walked up to him, trying to get close to him. Unexpectedly, he suddenly stepped back, but he lost his balance and fell on a pile of waste paper boxes behind him.

　　Seeing that I was about to pull him, he quickly pointed at me and shouted, "Don't come near me! Don't come near me! Go away!"

　　"You...what are you doing? I'm here to help you!" I said in confusion.

　　To be honest, I had the urge to hit this guy when I saw his face. He really hurt us a lot, and Mr. Qian paid the price with his life. Although I know that the person in front of me is not the same as the one who hurt us, I still can't get over it.

　　"...Help me?" Zhao Youde looked at Old Man Zhang in confusion.

　　"Haha, we are really here to help you and take you away from here." The old man stretched out his hand to him and continued, "Youde, you don't believe others, but we have lived in the same village for decades. You should believe what I say, right?"

　　Zhao Youde was pulled up by the old man. He straightened his worn-out clothes and looked up and asked, "Take me away? Where are we going?"

　　"Go back! Let's go home!" Old man Zhang looked at him with a kind expression on his face.

　　"Go home? Okay, I've made an appointment with Blind Li from the village. We'll meet at the mountain pass later. Let's go back together!" Zhao Youde probably thought that having money in his pocket could alleviate the urgent needs of his family, so he hurriedly said to us.

　　"No, not back to this house!" The old man still smiled and shook his head: "We are going to take you out!"

　　"Go...go out?" Zhao Youde looked around and asked in confusion, "Where are we going? What about my wife and Niuniu?"

　　"Nothing here is real. It's your memory, or you could say it's a dream." I couldn't help but confess to him.

　　"...Dreaming? Are you kidding me?!" Zhao Youde looked at me for a long time and laughed.

　　"Well, let me ask you something." I walked up to him and asked, "Don't you know me? How did we meet?"

　　"How did you know each other..." Zhao Youde looked at my face and fell into deep thought.

　　Chapter 77: The Taste of Life (8)

　　Chapter 77: The Taste of Life (8)

　　"Well, let me ask you something." I walked up to him and asked, "Don't you know me? How did we meet?"

　　"How did you know each other..." Zhao Youde looked at my face and fell into deep thought.

　　"Remind you?" Seeing that he couldn't remember, I continued, "We didn't meet before you were alive, but after you died... on the sixth night."

　　"...I...you...it's you! It's you who locked me up!" Zhao Youde finally remembered and pointed at me and said in a trembling voice.

　　To be honest, I really don't want to admit it, after all, I didn't understand anything at the time. But this matter is always a knot in my heart. If I don't take him out for a day, I will feel uncomfortable for a day.

　　Seeing that Zhao Youde was a little excited, Mr. Zhang waved at me and said, "Xiao Wang, wait for us on the side. I have something to say to Youde."

　　"Oh..." I tactfully walked more than five meters away and stood in front of a stall selling pirated discs to watch the movie.

　　Although my eyes and body were here, my attention and ears were on their side. Unfortunately, the market was too noisy, and the old man deliberately lowered his voice to speak, so no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hear a single word of their conversation.

　　After listening for a while, I became too lazy to listen anymore and just stood behind the crowd and watched the video.

　　After a long time, someone patted me from behind. I turned around and saw Zhao Youde's face in front of me. I suppressed the urge to punch him on the spot and followed him back to the old man. But I didn't expect that when this guy came back, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to me three times.

　　"You...what are you doing?!" I was stunned.

　　"Thank you! Thank you on behalf of our family!" Zhao Youde was still kneeling on the ground, speaking to me sincerely.

　　"Get up first!" I came to my senses and hurried forward to pull him.

　　"Master Zhang told me everything." Zhao Youde got up and took my hand and said, "This matter is not your fault. You can help my daughter Niuniu go to school. I really don't know what to say."

　　"Okay, okay! What's the big deal? We're here to rescue you, aren't we?" I am already very satisfied to be forgiven by him.

　　Zhao Youde rubbed his face vigorously with his hands for a few times, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Okay! I'll go with you. That nightmare has committed so many evil things, and I have to bear some responsibility!"

　　Great! I really didn't expect it would be so easy to find Zhao Youde and persuade him to come back. Mr. Zhang really made an indelible contribution! If it weren't for him, I don't know where I would be wandering now!

　　But...how can I leave?

　　I turned around and asked the old man. He smiled mysteriously, pointed at Zhao Youde and said to me: "Hit him!"

　　"Ah?!" We were both stunned at the same time.

　　"Didn't you say... once you hit her, there's a chance..." I was about to finish my sentence, but the old man interrupted, "Go ahead! We'll talk after you hit her, and be hard this time!"

　　"Oh..." I agreed and said to Zhao Youde, "Don't worry about it. Only by waking you up can we leave."

　　Seeing him nod, I didn't give him time to prepare, I punched him, and he flew several meters away. To be honest, I felt a little evil at this moment... I had wanted to punch this face for a long time, but it was a pity~ Although it was the same person, one was good and the other was evil, and they had different thoughts.

　　The scene before my eyes began to disintegrate again. The house fell apart into bricks, and the bricks broke into powder...

　　A gust of wind blew by, and I opened my eyes shivering. The world in front of me was still full of red. We had indeed come out!

　　Looking at the strange smile on the old man's face next to me, I finally understood.

　　"Hey, old man!" I pulled him away and said, "You always know what to do in many places. And you also know that it's actually very simple to find Zhao Youde, but you still took me on such a long journey. Do you always want to train me?!"

　　"Haha, you're right! I'm just training you!" Old man Zhang admitted it very readily.

　　"But this takes time! Aren't you afraid of wasting time?" I had no complaints about him training me, but I felt that the time and place were not right.

　　"Haha, of course, besides that, I know one more thing." The old man held up a finger. "These people's memories won't waste time. The two of us were in there for less than two minutes at most."

　　"No... Impossible?" I think we have been in there for at least three or four hours. I quickly looked at the mark in the armpit, which was still bright red. It was obviously still early.

　　"Master Zhang is right, the flow of memory is very fast." Zhao Youde came out from somewhere, still wearing his weird suit.

　　"That's fine!" I felt relieved and said, "We have plenty of time to find a way out now."

　　"No, now is the time to start getting nervous!" The old man put away his smile and said seriously.

　　"Why? Can't we just find a way to get out? It's been less than an hour since we came in! Plenty of time!" I asked in confusion.

　　"The problem is, I don't know how to get out." The old man frowned.

　　"...Are you...testing me again?" I looked at him for a long time, not knowing whether it was true or not this time.

　　"This time it's real. Our test has come to an end. Let's hurry up!" The old man sighed, turned and walked out of the woods.

　　It turns out that Zhang Shan and we got it wrong. Finding someone doesn't take time, but getting them out is the most difficult!

　　Zhao Youde and I followed side by side behind him. After we got out of the woods, the old man just walked aimlessly. After a while, he would stop to look here or touch there.

　　After walking around the forest for most of the way, we came to a small earth slope about ten meters high. This place was very special, the color was darker than other places, dark red, and there was no plant nearby.

　　The old man stood still, perhaps hesitating whether to go up. Zhao Youde and I came over and were about to ask for instructions on the next step, but we heard a "woohoo" sound coming from the top of the slope.

　　At first glance, this sound sounds like the wind blowing something. But it is very similar to another sound. Friends who have raised dogs must have heard that when a dog is eating, you cannot get close to it or grab its food bowl, otherwise it will make a "woohoo" sound in its throat to warn you. This is very similar to what we hear now.

　　The old man didn't say anything, but gestured for us to go up and take a look, and the three of us slowly climbed to the top of the slope.

　　Only when I got up did I realize that this place was like a meteorite crater. From the outside, it looked like a slope, but when I got to the top, I saw that it was actually a pit. In the middle of the pit were several huge black objects that seemed to be moving.

　　"What is this?" I asked Zhao Youde beside me in a very low voice.

　　"...I don't know either." Zhao Youde squinted his eyes and looked for a long time, then replied to me.

　　"You've been in here for so long, how could you not know?!" I looked at him distrustfully.

　　"Pa!" The old man hit me on the back of my head from behind. "Keep your voice down!"

　　In fact, we were all talking quietly, but the time the old man slapped me, I don’t know how he hit me, but it was so perfectly placed that it made a crisp sound.

　　The black objects in the pit suddenly became agitated, and when I looked more clearly, I saw that there were actually three of them...or three dogs!

　　I don't know how to describe these guys in front of me. Their bodies and heads are very similar to canines, but the smallest one is more than three meters long. They are all black, with only a tuft of red hair around their eyes, mouths and foreheads. And there seem to be some scales on their backs, which are shiny.

　　When they turned around, I also found that the group of guys were surrounding a person! It was the man who was awakened by me just now. At this time, except for his head, it was basically impossible to tell where the rest of him was.

　　Nightmares can be eaten? But at this moment, there was no time to think about this. The old man had already stepped back and said to us: "Why don't you leave quickly? Are you still looking!?"

　　Chapter 78 Quicksand Crisis

　　Chapter 78 Quicksand Crisis

　　"Oh!" Zhao Youde and I quickly looked away and ran down the hillside. But at the last glance, I seemed to see those guys walking towards us... Buddha bless you! I hope it's not true!

　　I jogged all the way to the bottom of the slope and looked back. Fortunately, no one was chasing me! I was trying to calm my nervous nerves when I saw three black shadows leaping over my head.

　　"Run!!!" The old man just took a glance and immediately turned around and ran back the way he came.

　　When I looked again, the three huge monsters had already started rushing towards us.

　　"... Damn it!" I shouted and hurriedly pulled Zhao Youde to chase after the old man.

　　The old man wanted to escape into the woods first, as they were too big to be very agile in there. But they seemed to have guessed our intentions and did not chase us directly. Instead, they rushed to the edge of the woods from the side and blocked our escape route.

　　Old man Zhang obviously didn't expect them to be so smart, and was stunned for a moment. I quickly ran forward and said, "Run back! There is no place to hide on the way here!"

　　There was no choice, so the three of us turned back and continued running. Zhao Youde has had unsteady legs since he was a child, so I had to pull him from time to time.

　　Fortunately, for some reason, these three monsters always waited until we ran far away before catching up with us two or three times, and they never caught up with us. With their speed, it would only take them one or two seconds to catch up with us.

　　After running for a long time, I finally discovered that it was not that they were afraid to come up, but it was a hunting method, just like a cat catching a mouse. They would not kill it immediately after catching it, but would play with it again and again, until the opponent was exhausted, and then take its life and feast on it.

　　Unfortunately, we are the three poor "rats". But we know we can't escape, but we are unwilling to do so. We can't just stand there and wait to die, right?

　　What’s even more annoying is that they always stick to the woods, with a clear purpose to prevent us from getting into the woods! I guess they also know that it will be difficult to catch us in the woods.

　　We ran around the "meteor crater" for a while, and the terrain ahead made us even more discouraged. Apart from some crooked tree trunks, there was actually a large open area, and only about 300 to 400 meters away did some boulders and bushes begin to appear.

　　It was too late for us to go back even if we wanted to.

　　"Keep trying! You must persevere and reach that side, only then there is hope!" The old man looked back and quickly pointed to the stone circle opposite the open area and gave instructions to us.

　　It's nothing for me, the key is that Zhao Youde is too slow! Pulling him slows me down, and carrying him on my back slows me down even more. I'm not Zhang Shan, who can carry two people like nothing happens.

　　To be honest, it was only about 300 to 400 meters, and I was confident that I could run past them, but the monsters behind us were losing patience. They no longer chased us for a while and rested for a while, but started to hang around 20 meters behind us, waiting for us to get tired.

　　As we were about to reach the center of the open space, they finally lost their patience and began to speed up and rush towards us.

　　Hearing the rustling sound of claws scratching the ground, I couldn't help but look back... Wow! One of them was only three or five meters behind Zhao Youde, with its bloody mouth wide open.

　　"Be careful!" Zhao Youde and I shouted at each other at the same time.

　　While I was shouting, I was pulling him to the side. He was shouting at me because there was a log in front of me. When I turned around, it was already under my feet. As I was still pulling him, I tripped while running fast, and we both fell forward at the same time.

　　At this moment, the monster hanging behind Zhao Youde opened its mouth, flew into the air, and bit him. It flew past us from behind as soon as we fell in front of it, and we escaped in confusion.

　　Seeing that guy in front of us didn't land steadily, rolled and walked a long way, and knocked over a lot of fallen broken wood. We didn't dare to stop, and quickly got up and chased after the old man.

　　But just as he caught up with him, Old Man Zhang stopped running. Instead, he stood there, staring at the monster struggling on the ground in front of him.

　　I looked back again and was also surprised. They were chasing us very closely, but the other two were standing very well behind the dead wood where we had just tripped, and they refused to chase us no matter what.

　　"What's going on?" I asked the old man, still in shock.

　　"Just look at your feet and you'll understand." Old Man Zhang was still staring at the monster in front of him and said calmly.

　　We both looked down quickly and found that this open space was full of fine sand in long strips, extending from one end to the other, a bit like a dry riverbed.

　　My feet felt very soft and my shoes were buried in the sand. I exerted force on my legs to pull them out, but my feet were unstable. After swaying for a while, I finally stabilized with the help of Zhao Youde. When I looked again, the sand was almost up to my knees.

　　I was shocked and asked the old man: "This... is this quicksand?!"

　　Although I have never really encountered it, even if I have not eaten pork, I have seen pigs running. This is clearly what quicksand looks like! The more you move, the faster you sink and the deeper you sink.

　　"Hurry! Take off my belt!" Old man Zhang didn't explain, but turned around and stretched out his hand to us.

　　This time I went up the mountain, wearing one pair of pants and one belt. I had just changed out of the jeans with a belt before going to Huang Ya Ling, and now I was wearing a pair of sweatpants with only elastic bands. Zhao Youde was quite quick after hearing this, and he quickly pulled out the belt and gave it to the old man.

　　"Only one?" The old man looked at the one-meter-long belt, smiled helplessly, and pointed to a piece of broken wood more than two meters in front of him and said, "I'll crawl over first, and when it's fixed, I'll pull you two over. Don't move! You're stuck too deep and can't be pulled out!"

　　Among the three of us, the old man's was the shallowest, just reaching his calf, while Zhao Youde and I were already past our knees, and mine was almost reaching my waist.

　　I saw the old man squatting down at a very slow speed, trying to lie flat on the sand, and then slowly moving his feet back and forth. After a while, he pulled himself out of the sand and crawled towards the broken wood in front.

　　One end of the broken wood is facing us. It should be no problem for Mr. Zhang to climb up there, use his belt and jacket to throw it over and pull us over.

　　The monster that had bitten us before was now struggling at the other end of the broken wood. Just as the old man's hand was about to reach a fork in the wood, the creature kicked that end with its leg, and the whole piece of wood immediately swept horizontally towards the old man's head.

　　Thanks to old man Zhang's quick eyes and hands, he supported himself with both hands and legs and stood up in the critical moment. The piece of wood just stuck to his belly and rolled away, turning over many times before stopping more than ten meters away.

　　This time, the old man had to stand up to avoid the wood, but he sank back into the hole, deeper than before. And within a few meters, there was no more broken wood to stand on.

　　The three of us stared at the monster with murderous eyes at the same time. If it weren't for it, we might be safe now!

　　But an animal is still an animal. No matter how smart it is, it won't know to stay still like us. The more it moves, the deeper it sinks. It keeps rolling, and the sand gradually covers its belly, neck... When only its head is left, it actually spits out a large mouthful of blood and finally sinks completely. There is only a shocking crimson left on the ground.

　　I know that the pressure of the quicksand was too great and after being completely buried, it could not bear it, and its entire abdominal cavity was squeezed, causing it to vomit blood.

　　Seeing this scene, I felt so happy. But then I thought, will we end up like it?

　　Chapter 79: Enemies Meet

　　I know that some friends are reposting my article, so today I would like to communicate with you about the two issues that have been criticized the most, namely the title of the story and the protagonist.

　　"Golden Coffin Devouring Souls" tells the story of what happened after my golden coffin mistakenly took in a soul. So I think this name is reasonable. It can't be called "What Happened After the Golden Coffin Took in a Soul", right?

　　Of course, more criticism is directed at the ability of the protagonist. If you think it should be a bloody storm after seeing the name, and the protagonist is smart and strong, relying on the golden coffin magic weapon, leveling up and fighting monsters, frequent big moves, and finally invincible and other YY content, please click carefully. The protagonist here is an ordinary person. I just want to express the transformation process of an ordinary young man. How to go from passive to active through a series of events, and grow from avoiding things to taking on responsibilities. Although the protagonist is not strong, he is real. In my opinion, this is the reaction that a normal person should have.

　　To be honest, I often read YY articles, but I can't bring myself to write one myself, haha. To borrow a phrase from youli, many of us may not be better than the protagonist if we encounter these things. Of course, this metaphor is not appropriate. I just want to say that if you want to use this novel to bring in the character "I" and regard it as yourself, and then achieve spiritual satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. I can only say sorry, please read it with caution. Haha!

　　Heroes are not invincible. Reality is always cruel. Even if your ability is low, those who have the courage to face it are heroes. For every friend, as long as you have the courage to face all kinds of setbacks in life, you are the only Hero!

　　Chapter 79: Enemies Meet

　　The two monsters standing next to the quicksand saw that their companions had not escaped after all, so they raised their heads, wailed for a while, then turned and left.

　　It seems that even they have given up on us, so is there any hope for us?

　　At this time, the quicksand had already covered our chests, and except for our raised arms, everything else was below the sand.

　　Mr. Zhang took a few breaths, threw the belt back to Zhao Youde, and said slowly, "Well, let's leave it to fate! At worst, we can be buried in here for a thousand or eight hundred years! What's the big deal?"

　　"How can that be possible?!" I got anxious when I heard him say that: "They are waiting for us outside! There are hundreds of lives in Shanjia Village! You won't save them?!"

　　"We've tried our best. What else can you do?" The old man looked at me and said, "After death, people shouldn't be involved in the affairs of the world. They can only leave it to fate!"

　　I was unwilling to give up, so I tried to move a few more times, and immediately sand poured into my mouth, making it impossible for me to speak.

　　...Damn it, is this really the end of me? That would be too unfair!

　　The last glance was of the belt waving in Zhao Youde's hand...

　　I don't know how long it took, but I suddenly felt something in my mouth, which was full of sand. I quickly sat up and vomited it all out, and then cleaned the area around my eyes before I dared to open them.

　　...Where is this place? The red color suddenly disappeared, which made me feel a little uncomfortable. However, in the dark space, I could still see a trace of red light from a distance.

　　Zhao Youde was right next to me, also spitting out sand from his mouth. There was another person not far in front of me, but it was too dark to see clearly.

　　"Who is it?!" I asked nervously.

　　"Xiao Wang, come and take a look." Old Master Zhang's voice sounded from that direction.

　　Knowing it was him, I quickly got up and walked over, only to see the old man squatting beside the big monster that had been trapped earlier, looking at something.

　　I looked around and saw piles of sand. I looked up and saw it was also pitch black. Did we fall down?

　　"Look here." The old man's words drew my attention back. I saw him pointing at the neck of the monster. Although the light was very bad, I could vaguely see that there was a large pool of blood there.

　　"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" I didn't understand why he asked me to look at this. There was sand in my throat and even my voice changed when I spoke.

　　"Don't you find it strange?" The old man turned his head and looked at me and said, "We all saw that this guy spit out blood at the end. Logically speaking, even if it died, it was because its internal organs were squeezed. But now it is obviously not the case. This wound in the throat is the real cause of its death!"

　　"Maybe... he got caught on something when he fell from above." I looked up again and guessed.

　　"No!" My speculation was directly denied by the old man. "This wound is not only smooth, but also has a beginning and an end. The possibility of it being caused by human beings is far greater than that caused by nature! Look here..."

　　I was about to ask the old man, "You woke up earlier than me, so you should know more than me," but suddenly I saw a dark shadow flash behind him and quickly approach us. The old man was completely focused on the monster corpse in front of him and didn't notice it at all.

　　The most important thing is that when the black shadow moved, I seemed to see a flash of cold light, and then I thought about the wound I just mentioned, and I suddenly understood that there were actually other people here besides us!

　　"Be careful!" I had no time to warn the old man, so I pushed him away, kicked my feet, and rushed towards the cold light.

　　The black shadow was originally aiming at the old man, but he didn't expect that I would react so quickly. It immediately changed direction, aimed the cold light at me, and stabbed me in the chest.

　　In fact, this man's movements were not very fast in my eyes, much slower than those disgusting "big dogs". But I was inexperienced in fighting, so in order to prevent him from changing his moves, I had to take the risk of dodging to his side when the cold light was about to touch my chest, and at the same time raising my right hand to cut off the back of his neck.

　　The opponent was obviously an expert. When his attack missed, he anticipated that I would make a move, so he lowered his body and took advantage of the momentum to rush out.

　　All this happened in a flash. When we stopped, the two of us exchanged positions, leaving only Old Man Zhang sitting on the ground and the monster's corpse.

　　He looked down and saw that his clothes were still torn, which showed that the other party had a sharp weapon in his hand. Maybe he was the one who ended the monster's life.

　　"I didn't expect that! There are actually experts guarding the Fantasy Sand Temple!" Unexpectedly, when the other party spoke, it was a woman's voice.

　　"Phantom Sand Temple...Phantom Sand Temple..." The old man stood up while muttering to himself. It was obvious that he was quite unfamiliar with the name.

　　What shocked me was that the voice sounded quite familiar and I had just heard it not long ago!

　　"Friend, don't be hasty. We fell down accidentally. We have nothing against you." The old man persuaded the black shadow with the attitude that it is better to mind your own business.

　　"Oh? So you are just passing by?" The female voice said in a rather sarcastic tone in the darkness, and then added: "I don't believe you!" Before the words fell, she rushed towards me again, even faster and more ferociously.

　　Unfortunately, it was too dark here and I didn't dare to retreat, for fear that there would be some mechanism or trap behind me, so I had to bite the bullet and face it.

　　Since we had fought once before, the opponent probably knew my ability. Although her body was fast this time, the cold light was obviously weakened and slowed down, so I guessed that she was mainly focusing on the follow-up moves.

　　Sure enough, when I got close to her and was about to grab her wrist that was shining coldly, she suddenly shrank back and hit me in the chest with her other fist.

　　Although I knew the result long ago, I still found it very difficult to cope with it. Seeing the fist coming, I had no choice but to stretch out my other hand and block it in front of my chest.

　　With a dull thud, we both bounced back to where we were. Although it didn't hurt much, I was a little dizzy and it took a lot of effort to stand still.

　　"Hmph! Who do you think I am? I'm nothing but this!" The female voice smiled contemptuously and was about to rub her body and go up again.

　　"Gao Yuan! It's me! Wang Ziqi!" I hurriedly shouted towards the female voice.

　　If I heard correctly, the black shadow in front of me should be Gao Yuan’s nightmare. It was the one who put me into the golden coffin at the last moment in the city hospital. It was also the only time that my golden coffin "took the initiative to attack".

　　In fact, from the first sentence, I had already vaguely guessed that it was her, but I didn't know what sharp weapon she was holding in her hand, and every move was intended to kill me. It was only until this moment that I had time to shout it out.

　　"...Wang Ziqi?" Gao Yuan kept repeating my name, trying to get closer to see her more clearly. I hurriedly moved closer, until we were almost face to face, and finally I could see her face clearly. I smiled and said, "See? It's me?"

　　"Oh... it's you!" She finally saw my face clearly, and suddenly stabbed me with a cold look. At the same time, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm stabbing you, you bastard!"

　　Fortunately, I thought of the possibility of change when I heard the first half of her sentence. After all, I was the one who locked her up. When this woman sees clearly, it is much more likely that she will kill him than to stop fighting on the spot.

　　I called her just to verify whether it was her. I didn't expect her to let me go.

　　So, as soon as Gao Yuan raised her hand, I moved. Before her arm was raised, I grabbed the wrist that was holding the cold light and pulled it forward. At the same time, I took advantage of the momentum to rush forward, circled around her, and locked Gao Yuan's entire arm behind her back.

　　Chapter 80: Fantasy Sand Temple

　　Chapter 80: Fantasy Sand Temple

　　I have been using this trick since I was a child, and I never expected that it would come in handy at the critical moment!

　　"Let me go! Otherwise I will make you pay!" Gao Yuan struggled for a few times, but unfortunately several major joints were frozen. Even if he was not afraid of the pain, he could not move anymore. He could only keep threatening in his mouth.

　　"Haha, I can let you go. But you have to tell us what the Fantasy Sand Temple is? Why are you here?" The old man walked up to her, looked at her with a smile and asked.

　　“…Why should I tell you?!” Although Gao Yuan was controlled by us, he did not intend to give in.

　　At this time, I also saw clearly what she was holding in her hand. It was dark blue in color, about a foot long, and shaped a bit like the tokens used in ancient times, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a sharp tip.

　　Looking down at the monster next to me, I understood that the thing Gao Yuan was holding was extremely similar to the scales on the monster's back, and it was even possible that it was taken from it.

　　"Haha, if you don't want to talk about it, I can ask someone else, right?" The old man pointed at the monster's corpse on the ground and said, "You killed this guy, right?"

　　"Yes!" Gao Yuan rolled his eyes and answered reluctantly.

　　"What's it called?" the old man asked.

　　"I don't know either... I only know that according to legend they guard the Fantasy Sand Temple." Gao Yuan paused, but immediately answered fluently.

　　"Oh? So this Fantasy Sand Temple must be very special?" The old man looked around and said casually.

　　"Hmph! You don't have to beat me around the bush!" Gao Yuan straightened his body and said, "It's not impossible for me to tell you, but I have a request, and you must agree to it first!"

　　"Tell me about it?" Old Master Zhang narrowed his eyes and looked at her.

　　"No, you must agree to me first before I can tell you!" Gao Yuan raised his head and said firmly.

　　"You must be joking!" I said from behind her, "We promised you, and then you said you want my life, so should I give it to you or not?"

　　"Of course not!" Gao Yuan immediately said: "My request is not only not difficult, but also will not do any harm to you. As long as it can be done, I promise to write off our grudge! How about it?" After saying that, she turned her head and looked at me from the side.

　　I looked at the old man and asked for his opinion. What on earth is this sister up to?

　　"Okay! I promise you!" The old man answered very straightforwardly.

　　I originally thought that he would bargain, but then I thought, Gao Yuan appeared here alone at this time, and two of the three of us are seal holders. Although seal holders are not popular in this golden coffin, after all, one is experienced and the other is strong and capable of working, so Gao Yuan’s requirements are basically obvious - this woman should need our help!

　　Since she didn't want my life, there was nothing to be afraid of. After I let her go, I quickly took two steps back to prevent her from attacking me again.

　　After Gao Yuan was free, he turned around and said while moving the arm I had locked, "Looks like you guys are planning to go out, right?"

　　The old man and I remained silent, knowing that she had something else to say.

　　"Do you know how to get out?" The beautiful woman raised her eyebrows and stared at me. "Since you haven't even heard of the Huansha Temple, you naturally don't know it. As for how you got in, I don't want to ask. Now there is a way for you to get out. How about it, is it a good deal to make with me?"

　　"You want us to take you out, right?" The old man immediately grasped Gao Yuan's intention.

　　"Wrong! I'm the one taking you out!" The woman walked up to the old man and said word by word, "Just help me and follow my instructions!"

　　"Haha, what's the difference?" I spread my hands towards her, and then said, "It's totally possible to make a deal, but you have to promise us that you won't do bad things after you get out!"

　　"I never did anything bad!" Gao Yuan was not happy to hear that. He rushed to my face and questioned, "Tell me, we have met many times before. What bad things have I done?! I just dragged you two into the illusion once. It was for your own good. I was afraid that you would die in Zhang Haitao's hands! In the end, I didn't recognize the kindness of a good person! What else is there? Tell me! Tell me!"

　　I thought so too. This sister can be regarded as a good nightmare picked out of a million! At the same time, I also understood why she was willing to promise to let bygones be bygones. I sent her in and then sent her out. It was like canceling out the two.

　　Now that we have drawn up a united front, there is nothing to hide.

　　It turned out that just as Gao Yuan walked here, the monster fell down, and it seemed to be dead. Gao Yuan saw that the scales on its back were very sharp, so he wanted to break off a piece to use as a dagger. After a long time, the monster didn't move at all, so Gao Yuan tried to get closer. Who knew that just after he pulled it down, the monster might have felt it, and suddenly raised its head and bit him. Thanks to Gao Yuan's quick reaction, he took the scale in his hand and stabbed it into the guy's throat, bleeding him out completely.

　　Then, the three of us fell down.

　　"What kind of monster is this? Why is it in a golden coffin and seems to be alive?" I pushed the corpse next to me with my feet, feeling very curious.

　　"It's normal to have life. The golden coffin is a world parallel to reality." Old Master Zhang said as he examined the corpse, "It's just that the entrance to this world is very special. Even if you are dreaming, if you don't step in, you are still in reality; once you step in, it means that the world over there is closed, and you are born here. Haha."

　　"Birth... Why is it so awkward?" I pondered the meaning of the old man's words. "So you mean, we will die in here?!"

　　"Nonsense! I won't leave here in a hurry unless I die! This is not a place for people to stay!" Gao Yuan said to me with a squint.

　　"What about that time in the mangrove forest..." I remembered that I was fine when I fell into the water before, and I didn't feel any pain when I was hit. It didn't look like I would die!

　　"In the mangroves, you are in someone else's memory. It's like dreaming in the real world. Dreaming usually doesn't kill you." The old man stopped "harassing" the corpse, stood up and said to me: "But it's different in the golden coffin. This place doesn't belong to anyone's thoughts. It's not yours, nor mine. It exists alone. It's just that your thoughts can lead here. Do you understand?"

　　...Oh~ I really will die! I just don't know where I will go if I die here? But I agree with what the old man said: no matter whether it is true or false, imaginary or illusory, any life-threatening thing, no matter when and where, don't do it if you can! Maybe the fake will become real.

　　"Okay, then can you tell us what's going on here?" After I figured it out, I started to discuss the main topic with Gao Yuan.

　　"Wait a minute!" Gao Yuan said, whistling, and then yelled into the darkness behind me: "You bastards, when I was fighting, you hid more tightly than the other! Now that we're not fighting anymore, get the hell out of here!"

　　The three of us were all shocked. We didn’t expect that this woman actually had a helper!

　　Chapter 81: Legend of Fantasy Sand

　　Chapter 81: Legend of Fantasy Sand

　　After a while, three men came out of the darkness, pushing each other to come in front of Gao Yuan, bowed their heads and said, "I'm sorry, big sister!"

　　"Pa!" Gao Yuan slapped the one standing in the front without giving any explanation: "Are you afraid that I will hit you? That's the least of it! You want to go out in this state? You will die on the way!"

　　"...Yes, sister, we know we are wrong!" The guy covered his face and responded timidly.

　　I find it quite interesting, three grown men, worshipping a woman as their leader, yet they are so afraid of her, not retaliating when she scolds them or fights back when she hits them.

　　"Haha, you're living a very comfortable life here! You have all the younger brothers, and you're surrounded by people every day. Who would dare to mess with you?" I couldn't help but sarcastically said from the side.

　　"Get lost!" This nightmare of Gao Yuan and that soul are two completely different personalities, one is gentle and polite, the other has a hot temper. After scolding me, she continued: "If these guys had a little bit of ability, I wouldn't have to worry about them! They were all good at eating, drinking, gambling, and smoking when they were alive, but they didn't have the courage or strength!"

　　That's right~ She's already done all the eating, drinking, gambling, and smoking, it's a wonder she still has the strength! No wonder she asked us for help, these three guys looked like noodles standing there, they would fall down if the wind blew, they might not even be qualified to be cannon fodder!

　　"Baldy! Tell them about the Fantasy Sand Temple." Gao Yuan grabbed the bald man hiding at the back, pulled him in front of us and ordered.

　　"Yes, yes! Well... then let me tell you." The bald man looked at Gao Yuan guiltily and asked for instructions.

　　"Hurry up and tell me in detail!" Gao Yuan said impatiently.

　　"Tell... everything?" The bald man was still a little worried.

　　"Pa!" Gao Yuan slapped him on the head again and said, "Why are you talking so much nonsense! How can someone help you if you don't tell them everything?!"

　　"Yes! Yes..." The bald man was hit and immediately became honest. After clearing his throat, he slowly told us: We are now in the Fantasy Sand Temple. How did it appear? Who created it? Just like the world inside the golden coffin, no one knows.

　　But one thing is very clear, and almost all the nightmares in this golden coffin know it - the Fantasy Sand Temple can allow nightmares to return to the real world!

　　What’s strange is that these nightmares not only know about the Fantasy Sand Temple, but also know where it is, but for hundreds of years, no one has been willing to come.

　　It stands to reason that going back there is much better than staying in this godforsaken place, so why has no one tried? This story started hundreds of years ago.

　　The bald man said he couldn't remember exactly when it was, but that year, rumors about the Fantasy Sand Temple suddenly emerged from underground. Not only were they well-reasoned, but someone even drew a map. At that time, everyone wanted to get out, and later on, almost everyone had a copy of the map.

　　Although the nightmares were all evil-minded, they also understood the principle that there was strength in numbers. Moreover, it was clearly marked on the map that the Huansha Temple was within the sphere of influence of these "big black wolfhounds".

　　When the rumors reached their peak, someone finally started to organize. Except for those who were dreaming in the mangroves, almost all the nightmares were mobilized. The mighty army headed towards the muddy river above our heads.

　　As a result, after a fierce battle with the "big black wolfdog", Nightmare's team suffered heavy losses, some died, some escaped, and it is said that there were less than a thousand people who finally descended to the Huansha Temple.

　　After that, it was a long wait. When the people who escaped had almost forgotten about it, someone else escaped from the Magic Sand Temple. According to them, no one who went down could return alive. Without exception, all of them died in "A, B, C, D, and E"!

　　For a period of time afterwards, although some people organized small-scale teams to try, they could not even pass the "big black wolf dog" level and could not get close to this muddy river at all.

　　From then on, no one dared to try to get out. At least they could stay alive here, so why bother trying to go over there?

　　The bald man stopped here, apparently he had finished speaking, and looked at Gao Yuan, waiting for the next instruction.

　　"Where's the map? You just talk about it but don't let me see it!" Gao Yuan slapped him on the forehead again, but this time it was much lighter.

　　"Oh...oh!" After getting permission, the bald man hurriedly took out something from his arms, came in front of us, and gently unfolded it.

　　This thing should be made of tree bark, with a certain hardness, but it can be rolled together. When he pulled it open completely, I saw that this dark red material, which was 20 cm wide and 40 cm high, was painted with various white lines, and the white seemed to have some fluorescence, so even in poor light, I could see it clearly.

　　After looking at it for a while, I gradually realized that the drawing above should be the floor plan of the underground palace we are in. It is actually very simple, a bit like a real estate floor plan, but if this floor plan was displayed outside, no one would buy it!

　　We are now standing in the outermost corridor. Going forward, there are four square rooms neatly arranged in a zigzag shape. Each room is marked with a word, namely A, B, C, and D. At the end is a large circular room with a word in the middle - Wu!

　　It turns out to be this Wu! When the bald man was talking about it just now, I thought it was the Wu in Wushi! And if we talk in order, this Wu should be after Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.

　　There is a small path that connects the five rooms in the circle. In other words, if the last circular room marked "悟" is the destination, we must pass through the four rooms in front to get there. Moreover, this is an underground palace, and the possibility of taking a shortcut is almost zero.

　　After taking a general note, the old man withdrew his gaze and asked the bald man in front of him, "You three, do you want to go out too?"

　　"Hehe!" The bald man smiled embarrassedly and said to the old man, "Please take the trouble to take us out! We really can't stay here any longer! The nightmares in the golden coffin are more ferocious than each other. Whoever is the most ferocious is the boss. We have never robbed or killed anyone in our lives. At most, we have been stealing a little bit from time to time. We don't have any good hobbies. After coming here, we are bullied every day..."

　　"Pa!" Before the guy could finish his words, Gao Yuan slapped him hard on the back of his head. "Oh, after all this time, you mean I bullied you?!" The more the woman listened, the more she felt something was wrong.

　　"No... I didn't mean that! Don't misunderstand me, big sister!" The bald man realized that he had let the cat out of the bag, and hurriedly explained: "Thank you for thinking highly of us and taking us away from here. Regardless of whether it works or not, we will never be able to repay your kindness even if we die!"

　　"Hmph! You're such a sweet talker!" Gao Gaoyuan got the answer he wanted and said with satisfaction, "Okay! I've said everything I need to say, let's get ready to go! A, B, C, D, Wu, I don't believe it, how powerful can it be?!"

　　"Let's go, let's go together!" Seeing them moving forward, I also called out to the old man and Zhao Youde. After all, there is strength in numbers, and if there is any danger, it will be easier to share the burden.

　　The group of seven people then followed the secret passage and headed towards the "Palace A" which was closest to us.

　　Chapter 82 A, B, C, D (1)

　　Chapter 82 A, B, C, D (1)

　　Actually, it is called a temple, but to me, it looks more like a cave. However, this cave is very strange. The ground and walls are quite smooth, as if they were carved out by a knife.

　　As we walked, the stone walls on both sides gradually narrowed, until they were only about three meters wide, and the top was still dark. Fortunately, the red light in front was getting stronger and stronger, so we didn't have to worry about lighting.

　　Judging from what is shown on the map, this only path has no turns and is surrounded by stone walls. We don't have to worry about any secret passages or mechanisms. As long as we keep going straight, we will always get there.

　　After the red light completely illuminated the entire passage, we finally arrived at an extremely spacious hall.

　　The width of this place was beyond my imagination. Judging from the map, if we follow the proportions, the width of this hall is at most several times that of the corridor.

　　It may also be that I overestimated the ability of the map maker, and he had no intention of following the scale at all, because at this time, the length and width of this hall are at least more than 300 meters, and every three or five steps on the surrounding walls, there is an oil lamp, emitting bright red flames, which looks very strange and eerie.

　　What made us most scared was that as soon as we entered the hall, we found a huge pit several dozen meters deep, which almost occupied half of the entire hall, and the pit was filled with white bones.

　　In front of us, on the other side of the pit, there are two platforms that get smaller as they go up. Between the pit and the two platforms, three flights of grand steps connect them. It looks a bit like the Golden Palace in the Forbidden City.

　　Of course, I mean the momentum, not the decoration style...

　　Walking to the edge of the pit, I looked down cautiously. There were so many bones piled up that I couldn’t even see the bottom of the pit. I had no idea where all these bones came from... Could it be from someone who came in last time?

　　But the biggest problem is how do we get over there? This pit is at the end of the corridor, and we can't just jump down and walk back. Besides, at this height, no one can guarantee that they won't get hurt if they jump down.

　　Gao Yuan carefully observed the edge of the wall of the passage for a long time, turned back and said: "Stop looking, let's go! There is some space next to the wall, enough for us to go to the other side." After that, she took the lead and walked out by clinging to the wall.

　　When we saw her leaving the corridor, we hurried over to check for fear that one of us might accidentally fall. We then discovered that there was a 30-centimeter-wide platform along the wall in the hall, parallel to the corridor floor. Gao Yuan was carefully lying on the wall of the hall, slowly moving towards a corner.

　　"Haha, good! You know to leave a way for us, then let's go!" Seeing that this method was feasible, Mr. Zhang said nothing more, and after giving us instructions, he followed him out.

　　When Gao Yuan's brothers saw that the two of them had gone out, they also rushed to the platform. I signaled Zhao Youde to go first, and I watched from the back. His legs were not very good, and if he accidentally fell, I could still help him if something happened.

　　Fortunately, the wall of the hall is still flat, and although the platform is narrow, as long as you stick close to it, nothing will happen. And every three or five steps there is a lamp stand nailed to the wall, which is also a good support.

　　Soon, we passed a corner of the hall, and after another hundred meters or so we would be on the flat ground on the opposite side.

　　Until I was the last one to come down and stand on the ground, everyone felt that this was a bit too easy! Could it be that after hundreds of years, some of the mechanisms in these halls have become ineffective? Seeing that half of Hall A had been passed, but nothing had happened, people's emotions gradually became high, and they all had some confidence that they could escape successfully.

　　But I think this is just a moment of calm before the storm. From the annihilation of the thousand-man assault team hundreds of years ago to the pit full of bones behind, it can be said that the Magic Sand Temple is definitely not as simple as failure! At least no one who can get out alive has appeared so far.

　　The smoother things are in the beginning, the more tragic things will be later on!

　　We were not interested in the things in the pit, after all, reaching the end quickly was the most important thing. There was nothing on this floor except the stairs, so we didn't need to rest, so we climbed up the stairs in the middle of the hall to the top platform.

　　When I could see the highest platform, I was still confused. There was nothing here except a chair in the middle and a door on the wall at the end. Behind it should be the corridor leading to the second hall.

　　This chair is a bit out of place. The body is made of bright red wood, and the backrest and seat are made of golden satin embroidered with silver threads, which looks quite luxurious. If you look at it at first glance, it has a European furniture style, because in China for thousands of years, there have been very few people who have added these materials to a chair. Of course, except for the royal family.

　　Gao Yuan, Mr. Zhang and I walked in front, ignoring the chair, and came to the stone door on the back wall. We wanted to study how to open it first.

　　Unfortunately, I searched every wall near the stone door, but couldn't find any mechanism. I tried to push it, but the stone door didn't move at all.

　　"Well, it seems that the mechanism is not here. We have to look here carefully. Want to go through quickly? I'm afraid it's not that easy!" The old man studied the stone door for a long time, and seeing that there was really no way, he said to us helplessly.

　　"Big sister! This chair looks really good!" Gao Yuan's three younger brothers did not follow. In their minds, it was the problem of us "high-level executives" to figure out how to get out, and they just had to do their best. So at this time, the three guys were looking around the chair in the middle, scrambling to try to sit on it.

　　"You three, don't move!" Gao Yuan turned his head and saw this scene, and hurriedly shouted to stop them.

　　But they had already studied it for a long time, looked at it, and sat on it. Now the three of them had discovered the emerald green stone inlaid in the middle of the top of the chair back and were trying to pick it off.

　　Since there was nothing to study near the stone gate, the three of us turned around and planned to take a look at the chair, perhaps we would find something.

　　After taking two steps, I didn't know where the guys moved the chair to. Suddenly, three people flew into the sky, and then the dust on the ground around the chair was also blown up. Before we could react, a powerful airflow blew all of us up and smashed us hard against the wall behind us.

　　Before it even hit the ground, another gust of dust blew in, going straight into the mouth, nostrils and ears. In this situation, everyone had no choice but to close their eyes.

　　The strong wind blew with dust for a long time before it stopped. I opened my eyes while picking the sand out of my ears, but what I saw shocked me.

　　This was no longer the bright red hall from before, but a magnificent palace! In front of me were three steps with white marble handrails, with dragon and phoenix patterns carved in the middle. In front of the bottom step, there were hundreds of people in gorgeous clothes kneeling, but no one dared to look up.

　　And I sat on the luxuriously decorated gilded chair on the top level.

　　"Go to court!!!~~~" A shrill voice suddenly shouted beside me, which scared me.

　　"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" Hundreds of people below heard these two words and shouted at the same time, their voices reaching the sky.

　　Chapter 83 A, B, C, D (2)

　　Chapter 83 A, B, C, D (2)

　　After bowing three times, everyone still knelt there and dared not raise their heads. But I was thinking about something else.

　　What on earth is going on? I was clearly in the stone hall just now, but a gust of wind blew out a throne room? This is ridiculous, right? Where are Mr. Zhang and Gao Yuan? I can't be the only one here, right?

　　"Your Majesty? Your Majesty..." I was thinking about something when the old eunuch beside me who shouted "Go to court" whispered, "Your Majesty, the ministers are waiting for you!"

　　"Oh..." Although I couldn't see what I looked like, I was sitting so high and everyone below was kneeling down to me. I should be able to guess what role I was playing with my toes!

　　"Everyone...everyone, please stand up!" After I came to my senses, I said, imitating the lines from ancient costume dramas.

　　"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The civil and military officials below shouted again and then stood up together.

　　Only then did I see clearly what the people were wearing. This was obviously not the Qing Dynasty. The officials' clothes were of more than one color, with large belts around their waists and hats on their heads that looked like two insect wings, which was quite reminiscent of the Tang and Song dynasties.

　　"The emperor has issued an order. If you have a document, please report it as soon as possible. If not, please leave the court!" The old eunuch next to me may have seen that I was not "in good shape", so he considerately urged the court officials in the hall.

　　"I have a certificate!" As soon as the words fell, a man standing in the front row of the hall walked out and said with his head down: "Your Majesty, the rebellion in western Sichuan has been quelled. The leaders of the rebellion, led by Hu Qing'an and others, were escorted to Beijing yesterday and are now waiting for their fate outside the palace!"

　　It was hard to see what this person looked like. He was more than a hundred meters away from us. I could only roughly judge from his voice that he should be an elderly person.

　　I began to regret not studying history well in school. I didn't even know where I was or what time it was.

　　"Your Majesty? Lord Yang asked you what to do?" The old eunuch saw that I was distracted and had to remind me again.

　　"Oh...oh! Let's release them all! Just tell them to live a good life when they return home and not to have any evil thoughts." I don't even know what I'm doing now, how can I care about this? So I said casually.

　　"Boom!" There was a sudden noise in the hall below, as if everyone was discussing my approach.

　　"Your Majesty!" The old minister who had spoken earlier had stopped talking for a while, and hurriedly said loudly: "They have committed the serious crime of supporting an army to cause chaos and proclaiming themselves kings! According to the laws of our dynasty, they will be executed along with their entire clan and torn into pieces by five horses!"

　　"What?!" I sat up straight as soon as I heard it and asked, "Isn't this... too heavy?!" Although I am not very proficient in history, I have often heard of the extermination of nine clans and the five horses dismembering the body! Could it be that I would take the lives of hundreds of people with just a few words? This is not okay, absolutely not!

　　"According to the laws of our dynasty, anyone who commits a rebellion will be sentenced to death. This is the rule of our ancestors, and we must not violate it, Your Majesty!" Seeing that I actually sympathized with the rebels, the old minister simply knelt on the ground and tried to persuade me, his voice shaking.

　　"Your Majesty, the laws of our dynasty have never changed since the founding of the dynasty. They must not be abolished because of this! Otherwise, no one in the world will be able to obey in the future!" Another minister knelt down beside him and said in a trembling voice.

　　"I agree with you!"

　　"I agree with you!"

　　...In less than a minute, all the ministers in the hall knelt down again with a clattering noise, with only one purpose - to make me take back what I had just said and agree with their "punishment opinions."

　　Damn it! This is bullshit! I haven't even come to my senses yet, and they've thrown such a big bomb at me. I can't accept it, and I can't refuse it! Regardless of whether all this is an illusion or not, I can't kill thousands of people with just one sentence!

　　"Alright! Shut up!" My head was getting louder and louder with their noise, and I finally couldn't help but yell.

　　Suddenly, there was complete silence. I felt quite satisfied now. This was the good thing about being an emperor. Normally, no one dared to go against your will as long as you got angry. It was nothing like people nowadays, who were scolded by their bosses every day at work, and who waited so hard to get home after get off work. Those who were not married were scolded by their mothers, and those who were married were scolded by their brides.

　　"How about this!" Seeing that no one dared to speak, I stood up and said, "The leaders will be sentenced to life imprisonment. Forget about their family members. Is that ok?"

　　I thought if I compromised a little, they would be able to accept it, after all, I had to conform to the social situation at that time. But who knew that these guys would not buy it at all, and the crowd started to buzz again. Some people even became increasingly emotional, and no longer cared about the hierarchy between the emperor and his subjects, and they just knelt there and raised their heads to yell at me.

　　I was completely annoyed. I felt uncomfortable wearing this thing on my head, so I grabbed it off and threw it down the stairs. With a "snap", the emperor's complicated hat was smashed to pieces.

　　The hall finally fell silent again.

　　"What's going on? I don't think they want to rebel, it's you?!" In order to vent my anger, I didn't care anymore and just said whatever came naturally.

　　Since the day I went up the mountain, all kinds of invisible pressures have come one after another, and things have been happening one after another, endlessly. Up to now, not only have I not solved a single problem substantially, but they have been piling up more and more, and I can no longer hold it in any longer.

　　Thanks to these guys, they did this. No matter what the situation is, this place doesn't belong to me anyway, so I might as well take this opportunity to vent my anger. Who let them give me the status of emperor? I'm just looking forward to it! In this day and age, who will listen to you when you vent your anger at them? !

　　"I deserve to die!" Seeing that I threw away the crown, they knew that the "boss" was really angry, and very angry, so they quickly lowered their heads and said this common phrase.

　　I didn't want to stand there any more. I couldn't even see any of their faces! So I walked down to the middle of the ministers, looked at them one by one, and asked, "Who among you can tell me how many people in their nine clans were executed?"

　　"Your Majesty!" The old minister who spoke first lay on the ground, staring at the corner of his robe, and said, "There are a total of 37 bandit leaders. We have already found and imprisoned a total of 913 of their relatives and clansmen."

　　"Well! It's almost a thousand, why don't you round it up to an even number?" I mocked him, "That is to say, if I were the leader of the bandits, I would have to kill even my third aunt's nephew's son-in-law's cousin's brother-in-law, right?"

　　"Your Majesty, although I have not yet figured out who you are talking about, anyone who has had contact with the bandit leader should not be spared!" This old guy still hasn't figured out what I am thinking, and he is still emphasizing who should be killed.

　　"We are the founders and protectors of the country, not killing machines!" I picked up the broken crown on the ground, walked up to the old man and said, "The most important thing is to win over talents with virtue. If they really killed people because of the rebellion, then one life for one life, I will never say anything! But the incident was obviously caused by one person, why do you have to count all the aunts and uncles? It's quite easy for you. It doesn't matter if you kill one more or one less, right! Because the accounts are all on my head, and the history books will talk about how many people I killed this year, and they will never write how many people you killed. Is it easy to be an emperor? Tell me?"

　　"I...I deserve to die!" The old man probably finally understood what I meant, and he started shaking all over. To put it bluntly, I was telling them: You want to kill someone, and then let me take the blame! ? You guys are really good at settling accounts!

　　"You don't need to say this. You won't die even if you say it a hundred times!" Since I decided to vent, I might as well give him another dose of strong stuff. "It's useless to say those empty words! How about this, I'll give you the throne, and you can be the emperor for ten days or so, how about that?" As I said that, I pulled off the old guy's hat and put the not-so-complete crown on his head.

　　Chapter 84 A, B, C, D (3)

　　Chapter 84 A, B, C, D (3)

　　Suddenly, the old minister convulsed all over, then his body tilted and he collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

　　I knew that no matter how much I scolded him, I wouldn't have the strength to put the hat on his head, and the old man couldn't hold on and fainted.

　　"Ouch! Look at this." I pretended to look regretful, picked up the crown from the ground, and asked others, "How about one of you try it? Don't worry, I'm absolutely sincere!"

　　"Bang!" When these guys saw what happened to that old minister, they forgot to even kneel. They stood up and ran towards the entrance of the hall regardless of everything, fearing that they would be slow and I would hit them on the head again.

　　Suddenly, everyone left the Golden Palace, leaving only the old minister who was still "blowing bubbles".

　　"Hmph!" After venting my anger, I felt much better. I turned around and walked back to the throne at the top, ignoring my disheveled hair.

　　What's good about being an emperor? Can you really have the final say? I don't think so. At least in this matter, I can't make the decision! If it were a hundred years ago, there might be many people who wanted to be emperor. In today's society, with abundant material life, I'm afraid most young people are unwilling to do so. They can have fun however they want. Why should they care about the whole world?

　　...Also, what is this Golden Palace?! The stairs are high and long, just like the hall just now! I spent a long time climbing up, feeling dizzy and tired, and only climbed halfway. My eyes were glowing red, and it seemed to be getting darker...

　　Finally I reached the top, and when I looked down, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t expect that after wandering around in a hallucination and having a tantrum, I would be back so soon!

　　It was still the high platform in Hall A. The old man and Gao Yuan were standing in the middle looking at me. Zhao Youde and two other people were following on the steps not far behind them.

　　But there was one exception, the thinnest and tallest of Gao Yuan's three younger brothers. This guy was sitting on the middle chair, grinning foolishly and looking down.

　　"You all just did..." I looked at several people, not knowing how to explain this.

　　The old man nodded at me and said, "It's the same for everyone. Go back and satisfy your desire to be an emperor!"

　　I was still in shock when the tall, skinny guy sitting on the chair suddenly laughed loudly, startling everyone: "Hahaha! Great! All the foreign envoys who come to pay tribute today will be rewarded!"

　　"Ma Gan'er! Wake up!" Seeing that something was wrong with him, the bald man and another man rushed forward and tried to pull him off the chair.

　　I took this opportunity to look back. It didn't matter. The situation below was extremely strange! The bones in the pit had formed a pattern and formed human figures one by one. On the steps in the middle, there were hundreds of complete skeletons kneeling, just like the courtiers in my hallucination just now, even the position and distance had not changed!

　　In the large pit at the bottom, there were two phalanxes of skeletons standing face to face on the left and right, like the guards guarding outside the palace.

　　"Assholes!!!" The tall and thin man suddenly shouted. I turned around and saw him grabbing the bald man's collar. His eyes were full of bloodshot and he shouted loudly: "How dare you rebel! I will kill all nine generations of your clan! Someone, come! First take down these traitors and throw them into the prison!!!"

　　After saying that, he glanced at each of us, meaning that no one should be left alive.

　　"This... what is going on?!" Zhao Youde had been hiding beside me the whole time. Seeing the situation was so strange, he couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

　　"It's obvious that those who are willing to be the emperor should stay, and those who are not willing should wake up." Gao Yuan looked at the tall and thin man and said disdainfully: "Let's go, he chose his own path, no one forced him. If he wants to be the emperor, let him be the emperor here!"

　　Just as he finished speaking, the "cracking" sound of a hard object colliding behind him attracted us to turn our heads again. We saw the skeletons in the two square formations at the bottom of the pit, now walking up the steps in neat steps.

　　There is no need to ask, they must have received instructions from the tall and thin guy to catch us.

　　"Let's go!" The old man made a prompt decision and waved his hand, signaling us not to worry about that person anymore and that the most important thing was to escape from Palace A immediately.

　　But when we returned to the stone door on the back wall, it was still tightly closed. The six of us tried everything we could to open it, but it showed no sign of opening.

　　The skeleton army has reached the highest point, and under the command of the tall and thin man, they gradually formed a semicircular encirclement around us.

　　"Look here!" In the crisis, Gao Yuan finally discovered an oval groove the size of a palm in the middle below the stone gate. However, this place is always in the dark, and we have been looking for the mysteries on and around the stone gate, so who would pay attention to the ground below?

　　When I saw this shape, the first thing that came to my mind was the green stone just above the back of the chair in front of me, because they are almost exactly the same size!

　　"Xiao Wang, take them with you to stop these shameless guys!" The old man must have thought of this and quickly gave the order: "The girl and I will go grab that chair!"

　　"Okay!" I agreed and immediately rushed towards the chair and the tall and thin man.

　　"Stop them!" The tall and thin man stood up and issued a general attack order. Suddenly, the encirclement shrank rapidly with us as the center.

　　The few skeleton soldiers closest to me in front immediately rushed over, apparently to ensure the personal safety of their "Emperor".

　　Although we are very close to the tall and thin man now, we have no time to take care of him. The swarming skeleton soldiers soon pushed us behind Grandpa Zhang and Gao Yuan.

　　Fortunately, these guys don’t have weapons, otherwise we would be dead here in an instant.

　　"Okay, let's retreat!" The old man quickly pried off the palm-sized emerald green stone, and as soon as he held it in his hand, he immediately turned around and shouted at us.

　　Fortunately, we were not surrounded from behind. After a few attempts, I found that those skeleton soldiers could not cause any substantial damage. As long as I used a little more strength, these guys would scatter at the touch of a button.

　　The problem is, there are just too many of them. I even saw from the corner of my eye that some of the guys who were previously scattered were slowly regrouping on the ground. It might only take a few seconds for them to stand up again. If we keep fighting like this, we will be exhausted sooner or later!

　　"Ouch!" During the retreat, Zhao Youde accidentally tripped over something and was immediately surrounded by several skeletons.

　　I was shocked. Anyone could throw it, but not him! Without thinking too much, I rushed back, kicked away the two guys in front of me, grabbed Zhao Youde's outstretched arm, and forcibly pulled him towards the stone gate.

　　The old man behind had already placed the stone in front of the stone door. As expected, after a sound, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a long and narrow passage behind it.

　　But we were getting into more and more trouble. I used one arm to pull Zhao Youde, and the number of skeletons that fell on us gradually increased. Although they couldn't hurt me for a while, the pile of skeletons was a weight that could not be underestimated, so our speed was getting slower and slower.

　　Chapter 85 A, B, C, D (4)

　　Chapter 85 A, B, C, D (4)

　　Just as he was at a loss, suddenly a cold light flashed beside his cheek, and several skeletons flew out at once. This time, not only were they broken into pieces, some bones were even cut off in the middle, and it would be difficult to heal them.

　　As expected, Gao Yuan showed up and helped me clean up the guys next to him while saying, "Why do you have to save him? You might as well die in it!"

　　How could I have the time to explain this to her? But thanks to her help, I finally got Zhao Youde back and pulled him into the passage behind the stone gate.

　　When Zhao Youde finally climbed in, the stone door closed quickly, except for the tall and thin man outside who wanted to be emperor.

　　Turning my head, I saw that the old man was holding a lever extending from the wall, which should be the mechanism for closing the stone door.

　　After resting for a while and calming down our nervousness, we stood up and walked forward again.

　　No one wanted to talk. We had already lost one person in just one A Hall, the entrance. Who knows what powerful things might be waiting in the next few places!

　　The passage was still calm. As I walked, I thought of a question and turned to ask Gao Yuan, "The illusion just now was that I was the emperor. You are a woman, can you be one too?"

　　"What? A woman can't be the emperor?" Gao Yuan glanced at me.

　　"So...you..." I immediately thought that there were women who became emperors in Chinese history.

　　"Well, you know what, it feels pretty good!" Gao Yuan thought about it before saying it, and seemed to be quite nostalgic.

　　Sigh... I'm caught in the vortex of truth and falsehood again. Obviously, through the thin tall man's behavior, it is obvious that all this is fake, just an illusion. But to the thin tall man, it is all real.

　　Therefore, truth and falsehood only lie in the human heart, and everything else is objective. If your heart believes it is true, then nothing will work.

　　After a while, we arrived at the second large room - Hall B.

　　It had been planned long ago that we had to be absolutely sure before going in, otherwise if there was any emergency, we would not have time to make plans.

　　But when we reached the door, the things inside Hall B instantly disrupted our plans.

　　The area here is about the same as that of the Jiadian, but there are dozens of gullies on the flat ground, like trenches. It is hard to see from a distance, but when you get closer, you will find that each ditch is filled with glittering things, so dazzling that we can't open our eyes for a while.

　　"...Oh my God! We are rich!" After the bald man and the other man saw it clearly, they immediately forgot our previous agreement. While looking around, they came to the outermost deep ditch.

　　Every ditch was filled with all kinds of gold, silver and treasures! Just from what I saw, there were all kinds of utensils and decorations made of pure gold, as well as various gems and rare items.

　　Gao Yuan did not try to stop them. He let the two bald men jump into the deep ditch and grope around in the pile of treasure.

　　However, we didn't see anything life-threatening so far, so we felt relieved and carefully came to the first deep ditch.

　　The layout here is even more infuriating. Although each trench is filled with treasures, it is four or five meters wide, cutting horizontally from one end of the hall to the other. With our skills, no one except Gao Yuan and I can jump over it directly.

　　In other words, if we want to get to the other side of the hall, we have to climb over these dozens of deep ditches. There is no other way.

　　The bottom of the ditch was filled with treasures, and I didn't know how deep it was, but the gold and silver were not so abundant that they were two meters lower than the flat ground we were in. At this time, the bald man and his partner had already jumped in, picking up things they thought were good.

　　"Why didn't you stop them?!" I complained to Gao Yuan in annoyance. She allowed me to jump down like this without knowing the situation clearly. What if something went wrong?

　　"Let them explore first, and then we go, isn't it safer?" Gao Yuan said nonchalantly. It turned out that she really intended to use her younger brother as cannon fodder.

　　"You..." I pointed at her, not knowing what to say. Then I thought, after all, it's a nightmare. Even if Gao Yuan's nightmare is excellent, she can't compare with Hun.

　　Since I couldn't make any sense, I had no choice but to squat down and shout to the bald guy and the other guy, "Don't pick them up. Be careful of the danger! Even if we like these things, we can't take them away. Besides, you are all dead people, so there is no point in having these things!"

　　"Oh..." After I reminded them, the two finally understood a little. They reluctantly left some big things behind and climbed up from the other side of the ditch.

　　"Let's go!" Gao Yuan saw that nothing happened when the two of them came up from the other side, so he said hello to us, took a running start, and jumped directly over.

　　She can, but I can't. The old man is okay, but Zhao Youde has bad legs and feet, so someone must be whipping him from below before he can climb up, so the three of us honestly went down from this side and climbed up from the other side.

　　By the time we passed the first ditch, Gao Yuan and his younger brother had already climbed over another one and were heading towards the third ditch.

　　The old man and Gao Yuan both regarded money as dirt, so there was no need to worry. But I always thought that as long as I had enough money to spend, it was fine. Moreover, I knew very well that I couldn't take these things away even if I wanted to.

　　When pushing Zhao Youde up the second ditch, he obviously didn't use as much strength as before. I looked up and found that this guy was holding a golden egg inlaid with gems in his right hand. It was the size of an egg and was extremely exquisite and noble.

　　"Why are you taking this? Don't you know you can't take it with you?" I waited until I climbed up before I grabbed him and asked.

　　Zhao Youde looked at the jeweled golden egg in his hand and said with a bit of melancholy: "Alas~ I was used to being poor when I was alive! When I see these things, I don’t know why, but I always feel more at ease holding them in my hands." After saying that, he took one last look and threw the "egg" in his hand back.

　　I looked ahead and vaguely saw the bald man and another person constantly picking up things from the ditch. They knew they couldn't take them away, but they couldn't help but grab them. Perhaps this was a specific manifestation of this group of people. No matter if it was mine or not, I would hold it in my hands for as long as possible.

　　However, I always feel that things are not that simple. As the saying goes, there is no free lunch in the world. If there is a room full of gold and silver treasures for you to take, it would be strange if there is no price!

　　I told Zhao Youde a few words and told him not to take anything from the ditch again. As for Gao Yuan's two younger brothers, I couldn't say anything more. After all, their eldest sister was there. If I went up to them and scolded them, I would inevitably be accused of meddling too much!

　　I counted in my mind until I had crossed seventeen ditches, but I saw Gao Yuan and the others stopped here, staring at the front, not daring to go down.

　　"Why don't you move on?" I asked as I climbed up and saw the eighteenth and final ditch in front of me.

　　This ditch is extremely wide, more than ten meters wide, and even an Olympic champion cannot jump over it. So we have to go down into the ditch first, walk to the other side, and then climb up to reach the back door on the opposite side.

　　But no one dared to go down because of another reason.

　　Chapter 86 A, B, C, D (5)

　　Chapter 86 A, B, C, D (5)

　　In this eighteenth ditch, not only is there no treasure, but there are also dozens of human-shaped sculptures sparsely placed. Although their postures are different, they have one thing in common: these sculptures look like they are gilded, dazzling the eyes.

　　"Baldy, go down and take a look!" Gao Yuan obviously intended to make full use of the "cannon fodder" and said to the bald man.

　　"Oh...oh!" The elder sister ordered, and the bald man dared not disobey. Besides, there didn't seem to be any danger at the moment, so he was relatively brave. He walked to the ditch and was about to jump in.

　　But this guy picked up a lot of things along the way. At this time, he had more than a dozen gold chains hanging around his neck, and various expensive bracelets on both wrists. He also had rings on eight of his ten fingers except the thumb. When he walked, his whole body jingled.

　　"Put all your things here before you leave!" I couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so I whispered to the bald man.

　　"Hehe!~" The bald guy smiled embarrassedly when he heard my instruction. After thinking for a while, he took off the dozen necklaces around his neck and threw them on the ground. Maybe this guy felt too tiring to wear them.

　　I originally wanted him to take them all off, but he was afraid of being scolded again, so he threw the necklace away and jumped into the ditch.

　　At this moment, everyone was watching his every move below.

　　The bald man came to the nearest statue, observed it carefully for a long time, and suddenly shouted, "Sister! Come and see! These people look like real people!"

　　We saw that he had been down there for quite a while and nothing happened, so we all jumped into the ditch and came to the golden statue.

　　When I walked in, I was surprised to find that not only was every detail of this thing lifelike, even the hair was gold! How much trouble would it take to make such a delicate thing by hand? !

　　The old man was more straightforward. He just broke off a strand of hair and looked at the broken part.

　　"This is not a sculpture, there is a real person inside." The old man looked at it for a long time, handed it to me, and said calmly.

　　I took it and looked at it, and sure enough! There was a black hair wrapped in the middle of the golden hair!

　　Could it be that... these people were cast in place? !

　　"We can't stay here for long! Go there quickly!" Gao Yuan knew what was going on just by looking at my expression, without even having to look. He looked around vigilantly and immediately gave the order.

　　We didn't dare to stay any longer and quickly reached the other side of the ditch. The old man and Gao Yuan climbed up first, and I had to push Zhao Youde from below.

　　"Hey! Hey! Baldy, come and see what's wrong with my feet? Why can't I move them?" Another man was about to climb up, and suddenly turned to ask the bald man.

　　He was sandwiched between me and the bald guy. I don't know if the bald guy saw it or not, but I saw it. The guy's legs were actually golden at this time, and the gold seemed to be flowing and spreading rapidly towards his waist.

　　I understood it instantly! Anyone who took anything from the ditch would be left here!

　　"Hurry! Throw away those things on you!!!" I shouted at them frantically.

　　But it was too late. I saw the bald man suddenly raised his hands and took a few steps back. The eight rings in his hands had melted away, and were replaced by two gilded "gloves". The bracelet on his wrist had also disappeared.

　　“Ah!!!~~~~” The guy screamed at the top of his lungs. Seeing that I was still down there, he quickly ran over and hugged my legs with his “golden hands” and said, “Save me! I don’t want to stay here like this, save me!”

　　I looked down and saw that the flowing golden water seemed to be spreading towards my legs. I was immediately frightened.

　　"Kick him away! Do you want to die too?!" Gao Yuan shouted from the platform.

　　I finally reacted, hardened my heart, and kicked the bald man who was holding me away. Fortunately, his hands were no longer able to move freely, otherwise I would have been implicated as well.

　　The bald man was knocked to the ground by my kick. He just raised his upper body and tried to sit up, but the layer of gold had already spread to his chest and abdomen, making him completely unable to move.

　　I watched helplessly as his face was finally devoured. The bald man managed to say "save me" once more while his mouth was still able to move, but I was powerless to do anything.

　　Finally, everything returned to peace, except that there were two more lifelike "golden men" here.

　　I climbed up, looking at the bald man in the distance and the other person right under my feet, not knowing what to say. Maybe if I had said a few more words to them and thrown those things away, these two guys could have escaped.

　　The old man peeled off a piece of gold as big as a fingernail from my trouser leg, threw it back and said, "Don't be greedy. Alas~ It seems that the way back is really not that easy. The road to the Huansha Temple is also the way to purify the soul. I finally understand why no one has been able to get out for thousands of years. This road is too difficult. The creator set the conditions so high that even souls cannot cross it. The golden coffin is not without human feelings, but if you want to complete the purification and finally leave, you don’t have the courage and perseverance to ascend to heaven. I’m afraid you will have to stay here, right?"

　　Zhao Youde kept patting his chest and muttering to me: "What a close call! If it weren't for you, I would have ended up like them!"

　　"Humph! You choose your own path!" Gao Yuan still showed no mercy and said coldly: "Those who want power and money, what will it do in the end? If you have lost your life, what do you need those things for?"

　　So, although women are sentimental, they often do everything to achieve their goals, which indirectly contributed to her current pace. Because Gao Yuan's desire to go out has completely covered everything.

　　After taking one last look at the two of them, we had no choice but to move on.

　　The stone door of Hall B had already been opened, and there were only four of us who stepped into the passage.

　　As we walked, I asked the old man, "If Palace A is power and Palace B is money, then what are Palace C and Palace D?"

　　"Haha, if I let you guess everything, then it would be too easy!" The old man didn't care at all and was not worried about the situation later.

　　"We can assume several situations so that we can be prepared when the time comes!" I don't quite agree with his approach of improvising.

　　"Why, do you have so little confidence in yourself?" The old man patted my shoulder and said, "No matter what assumptions you have, it is better to have a normal heart, a positive heart, and a kind heart. These things, to put it bluntly, are like laws, only targeting those with bad intentions. Have you studied law before?"

　　“Oh…” Although I understood what the old man said, I still felt a little uneasy.

　　"Hmph! There's no need to worry about so much. You just need to have one firm belief, that is, I want to get out! Don't touch anything else. I don't believe that I can't get out!" Gao Yuan interrupted.

　　“But if the golden coffin has its beautiful side, and the Fantasy Sand Temple is a test for nightmares who want to leave, then why are those who can’t pass not let go, but instead stay here?” I’m still a little confused.

　　Chapter 87 A, B, C, D (6)

　　Chapter 87 A, B, C, D (6)

　　"Have you ever played video games?" Gao Yuan took the initiative to explain to me this time: "In video games, there may be a level that you can't pass, but if you play it a few more times, you will be able to pass it!"

　　"Haha, that's about what I mean!" The old man was amused by her analogy and continued, "But don't you think this is more like life? It won't give you the chance to regret or start over, because you can only choose once for everything in your life. Although it's a bit cruel, it makes sense. People are often like this! Otherwise, how can one misstep lead to eternal regret?"

　　Yes, although the truth is exaggerated here, Jin Guan is not wrong. You get what you choose. The tall and thin man chose power and he got it; the bald man and the other two chose money, and they became priceless treasures.

　　Did they make the wrong choice? If it were in the outside world, I wouldn't think so. Because life is short, everyone has his own pursuits and paths to take, and it's hard to say who is right or wrong.

　　But here, with the same goal, they were wrong, terribly wrong. In order to seek momentary pleasure, they eventually lost themselves in various temptations and achieved their goal.

　　The price is to stay here forever! No turning back!

　　Thinking of this, I quite agree with Gao Yuan's words. Since you have a goal, you must achieve it at all costs. This is not only to reflect your own value, but more importantly, people will grow through constant training and temptation.

　　The further we walked, the more humid the passage became. It was originally relatively dry, but if we touched the outer layer of our clothes, we would know that it was getting damp. Could there be an underground river?

　　"Listen! There's a sound ahead!" Gao Yuan was walking when he suddenly stopped with his hands and said.

　　I pricked up my ears, but could only hear a buzzing sound coming from the other end.

　　"Is that the sound of flowing water?" I couldn't hear it clearly, so I couldn't help but ask her.

　　"...It doesn't look like it, it sounds like... a human voice!" Gao Yuan was obviously not completely sure. He tilted his head and listened for a long time before speaking with a hesitant expression.

　　"Haha, isn't it good to have someone here? Maybe they have the same goal as us!" The old man was relieved. He smiled and walked over first with his hands behind his back.

　　After walking another hundred meters, I found that the sound was indeed made by people, not only men, but also women. What's even more strange is that it sounded quite lively, a bit like... playing!

　　The passage was already filled with white mist. After turning a small corner, another scene that made us open our mouths wide appeared in Hall C.

　　Hall C was still the same size as the previous two places. It was not only filled with steam, but also decorated quite luxuriously. In the middle of the hall, there was a blood-red pool with many men and women soaking in it, apparently bathing. In addition to the large carved beds that could be seen everywhere, there were also various strange-shaped utensils that could not even be named.

　　But I soon understood the purpose of these things, because in the distance there were several pairs of men and women doing obscene movements on those instruments.

　　"Lust is a sword hanging over your head. Just go ahead and ignore them!" The old man said after taking a few glances, frowning.

　　In fact, when I heard the frolicking sounds, I had already vaguely guessed what this test was about. It was obvious that all the men and women in the hall, without exception, were naked, playing, frolicking, and doing whatever they loved most.

　　But there is one thing that is very strange, where do all the women here come from? The men are all skinny, with sunken eyes and skin and bones, and they obviously look like they are insatiable.

　　I even saw a man lying in a corner with his eyes wide open, almost as thin as a skeleton. Although I didn't know whether he was dead or alive, the men and women who ran past him didn't check on him, and some even stepped directly over him.

　　The four of us carefully walked around the pond and slowly moved towards the other side, trying to avoid those people who were already having fun. They were also very cooperative, no one bothered us, and they only cared about whether they were happy or not.

　　To be honest, I can't stand watching this scene. Although I have seen similar short films before, they are far inferior to the immersive experience.

　　Just with this little thought, my blood suddenly started boiling and I felt hot and uncomfortable.

　　"It's understandable that young people are full of energy. Remember your purpose and think about the endings of the first two halls!" The old man was walking in front of me all the time. Maybe he heard my increasingly heavy breathing, so he immediately spoke to remind me.

　　Wow! This sentence was like a basin of ice water in the dog days of summer, which immediately chilled me to the bone. Only then did I realize that I had almost fallen into a demonic state. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths, and my heart gradually calmed down. When I opened my eyes again, everything in front of me could no longer penetrate my heart.

　　As expected, here, no evil thoughts can arise at all!

　　Zhao Youde walked steadily. I wanted to ask him why he was fine, but then I thought that this guy was a soul and naturally would not have any bad intentions. When Yidian took something just now, he was just subconsciously curious and just took a look.

　　As I was walking, two naked women with nice figures ran past me, laughing. However, the face of the woman in front looked a little weird. Her nose and mouth seemed to have no muscles at all, and they kept swinging back and forth on her face, which made people's hair stand on end.

　　Seeing her like this, I naturally paid attention to the two of them. At this time, the naked woman in front ran to a dark corner, turned around and said to the one behind her: "What a nuisance! It's loose again, come and help me!"

　　"You! What a trouble! Turn around quickly and don't let anyone see us!" The person behind her saw her out-of-control facial features and immediately came over, busying himself behind her while complaining.

　　The next scene directly stimulated my eyes and heart!

　　I don't know what the naked woman at the back did, but a black cut appeared on the back of the man in front. In the blink of an eye, a monster with pointy ears and a pointy face came out from inside. Its face was covered with black hair, and two fangs extended from its mouth, pointing upwards.

　　Because that corner was right next to a big bed and was very hidden, I couldn't see other places clearly.

　　Oh my god! What kind of monster is this?! Could it be that those men were with these things... I didn't dare to think about it anymore, because I found that my stomach began to churn with nausea.

　　I was staring at them in a daze when this monster suddenly turned his head and looked at them. Suddenly, our eyes met. I was startled and quickly turned my head and quickly caught up with the old man and Gao Yuan.

　　I hope these guys don't come looking for me! Although I'm not afraid, I don't want to get involved either!

　　Looking at those women now, how can I still feel anything? Although they look like fairies, with curves in all shapes and sizes, they are so ugly inside, just like painted skins! And those men, who would have known that the one who moaned and flirted with them all day long was actually a monster that looked like a mouse? !

　　After walking a few steps, I felt a little worried and was about to look back to see if I was being watched, but Gao Yuan suddenly let out a low "Ah!", attracting the attention of the three of us.

　　It turned out that he had walked to the side of the skinny man who was lying on the ground. Maybe Gao Yuan thought he was dead, so he didn't walk around him, but walked close to him.

　　But who knew that just when Gao Yuan stepped on the ground in front of him, this guy suddenly turned over, put his arms around her and hugged her right leg.

　　Chapter 88 A, B, C, D (7)

　　Chapter 88 A, B, C, D (7)

　　Gao Yuan was naturally startled by him and couldn't help but scream. Fortunately, this place is a little remote, or maybe people just ignore us. After looking around, we saw that everyone was having fun and doing things as usual, and no one was paying attention to us, so we felt relieved.

　　"..." Although the dying man was holding Gao Yuan, he was still muttering something.

　　"What did you say?" I was a little curious and couldn't help but bend down and get close to him and ask.

　　"I want……"

　　Gao Yuan saw me looking at her while listening to the man talking, and my expression became more and more strange. She couldn't help asking, "Are you done? What did he say?"

　　"Cough... don't ask, I'll help you!" I coughed embarrassedly to hide the embarrassment in my heart, and reached out to pry the man's hand away.

　　But I didn't expect that he seemed to be dying, but he held me very tightly! There was no space at all. I had all the strength, but I didn't know where to start.

　　"Alright, alright!" Seeing that I had been busy for a long time but had not made any progress, Gao Yuan became even angrier. He pulled me up and asked, "What did he say to you?! Learn it for me!"

　　"...Let's not talk about it anymore! I didn't hear it clearly either!~" I thought about it and still couldn't tell her, so I could only say nonsense.

　　"Hurry up and tell me!!!" This woman was really hot-tempered. She grabbed my collar and it seemed that if I didn't tell her, the only outcome would be a beating.

　　"Well... let me tell you, you are not allowed to be angry!" There was no other way. I couldn't get punched by a woman over such a trivial matter, but I still had to get the vaccination beforehand.

　　Gao Yuan had already raised his right hand, obviously too lazy to talk anymore, just waiting for me to tell the truth.

　　"He said... he wants to do that with you!" I held it in for a long time before I could finally speak it out incoherently.

　　"What? What's the matter?" Gao Yuan didn't understand for a moment and asked.

　　"Hey! That's it!" I had no choice but to be straightforward. I clenched my right fist, extended the index finger of my left hand, and made a piston movement.

　　"..." Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Gao Yuan held his fist in his hand for a long time, and finally reacted. He grabbed me and shouted, "You bastard!" He was about to hit me.

　　"It's him! He said it! Not me!" I quickly pointed at the man under my feet and shouted, to prevent her from accidentally hurting friendly forces.

　　Gao Yuan then remembered that there was someone next to her. She looked down and saw the man at her feet looking up at her and smiling, revealing a mouthful of yellow and dirty teeth.

　　"You son of a bitch! How dare you tease your grandmother!" Gao Yuan raised her other foot in anger and kicked the man in the head. She was really pissed off this time and used all her strength. I guess the skinny guy under her feet would have a broken neck at best, or even die.

　　In a flash, before I could see clearly what happened to him, I saw a black thing flying out from under Gao Yuan's feet. After slid for a while, it fell into the pool of blood in the middle of the hall with a "plop".

　　When I looked back at the ground in front of me, I found that the man was only a body, with no trace of his head. What was even more shocking was that the broken part of his neck was filled with rotten flesh that looked like a torn quilt. It had long lost its normal color, and even no blood was left.

　　After the sound of "thump", the whole hall suddenly became quiet and everyone turned their eyes to us.

　　Without his head, the man's strength faded and his hands gradually loosened, but Gao Yuan and I stood here, looking at everyone in the room, not knowing what to do.

　　"Hi~ young man! I haven't seen you before. Are you just here?" Just when everyone was standing there, suddenly a woman's arms put around my neck from behind and spoke gently.

　　"Boom!" When people saw their companions coming over, they immediately relaxed and continued to play their own games.

　　I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although I didn't know what the consequences would be if I continued to face them, if I provoke so many people to deal with the four of us, it would be a big deal.

　　But when I turned around and saw the woman in front of me, my heart, which was already running out of power, suddenly rose to my throat like an elevator.

　　The two women in front of me were none other than the one hugging me, and the one who showed me the true face of the monster just now!

　　"What's wrong? Why do you have that expression? Am I not beautiful?" Seeing that I looked unhappy, the woman used her seductive skills and rubbed her firm breasts against me while speaking.

　　"Beautiful... beautiful!" I promised her carelessly. Although I knew that under this beautiful appearance, there was another completely different and terrifying appearance, people are always deceived by their own eyes. The little rabbit in my heart, which I had suppressed with great difficulty, showed signs of stirring again.

　　"How shameless!" Gao Yuan watched this scene from the side and cursed in a low voice. I don't know if she was referring to that freak woman, or me? Or maybe she was referring to both of us.

　　Just when I didn't know what to do, two figures suddenly rushed over from behind the woman. "Why don't you leave now?!" The old man and Zhao Youde each took Gao Yuan and me, pushed the woman aside, and ran outside.

　　We didn't care about so many things along the way. We kept pushing away the people running towards us and rushed towards the exit.

　　But as we were about to reach the small door, the only two naked women standing in front of us turned around, and we all gasped. It was indeed those two women!

　　How did they get here? Why were they faster than us? These were not the main issues to consider now. The most urgent thing was how to get rid of them and leave Palace C.

　　"Haha, are you leaving?" The two naked women faced the four of us, three of whom were men. They walked up to us shyly without any sense of shame and said, "Our rule is that everyone who comes here must stay! You can enjoy the happiness of having two wives. This room full of women is yours, you can have whoever you want!"

　　"As for you!~" The naked woman who had revealed her true appearance earlier came to Gao Yuan and said, "You can also stay. As long as you are a new man, we can give it to you first! What do you think? New men are very popular!~"

　　"Hmph, what if I say no?" Gao Yuan was too lazy to argue with them, and as soon as he finished speaking, he kicked the naked woman in front of him. A white shadow flashed, and when he looked again, he found that the woman suddenly moved back two steps in an instant, just avoiding Gao Yuan's attack range.

　　Sure enough, although we don’t know what they are, their speed and explosive power are far superior to ours.

　　Gao Yuan didn't wait for her to catch her breath, and rushed forward immediately, showing the "scale dagger" that had been inserted in his waist. Although the two were fast, one dodging and the other attacking, it was enough to show the difference in skills.

　　"Beauty!~Don't waste your energy!" The naked woman was not nervous at all while dodging, and she even had time to talk: "Don't you like men? Look at me. We often do the same thing!"

　　Gao Yuan said nothing, not paying any attention to her teasing. After a moment, there was a "swish" sound, and the woman was cut by Gao Yuan's blade. A half-foot-long button was cut on her left arm, revealing the black hair inside.

　　"Hmph! If you don't accept my toast, then I'll punish you!" The naked woman was really angry. After adjusting herself, she rushed towards Gao Yuan at lightning speed.

　　"Be careful! Avoid her!" I noticed that she had obviously increased her speed this time, so I quickly reminded Gao Yuan to dodge first. Unexpectedly, this elder sister did not flinch at all. When she saw the naked woman rushing over, she raised her dagger and rushed forward.

　　Chapter 89 A, B, C, D (8)

　　Chapter 89 A, B, C, D (8)

　　After a muffled sound, Gao Yuan flew out diagonally. The naked woman was so fast that even I couldn't see clearly how she did it.

　　"Are you okay?" I ran over and checked on Gao Yuan. Fortunately, his face and expression were normal, and he didn't look injured.

　　"Don't worry about me! Let's deal with these two bastards first! Otherwise, no one can get out!" Gao Yuan pushed me away and said.

　　I stood up and was about to try to communicate with them, but the naked woman in front of me seemed to see through my thoughts and rushed to say, "Brother! If you hadn't looked at me once, I would have let you go. But now you know my true appearance. According to the rules of the Huansha Temple, there are two choices: one, stay with us; two, never open your mouth. You choose!"

　　I was about to say something else, but Mr. Zhang was already fighting with another naked woman in the distance. What the hell was there to say? I shook my head, said nothing, and rushed towards the naked woman in front of me.

　　Seeing me approaching at a very fast speed, the naked woman just curled her lips slightly and stood there without moving. Seeing her like this, I was actually a little flustered. Not moving meant that this guy didn't take me seriously at all.

　　Fortunately, there was still time, so I quickly assumed several ways of her counterattack to ensure that at least I would not be knocked down by one move, and then I accelerated and rushed forward.

　　When I got close, I had already used more than half of my strength in my fists. Even if I couldn't hit her this time, I had to force the naked woman to retreat. Only in this way could I take the initiative. When it comes to fist and kick skills, I am simply a layman. I have nothing but strength.

　　Even when I extended my fist, the naked woman remained unmoved. When I was less than 20 centimeters away from her face, the monster finally began to tilt its head to one side. When I saw her move, I immediately retracted my fist, and while she was confused, I took advantage of the momentum of the rush, raised my right knee, and rammed her chest.

　　The naked woman really didn't expect me to have such an unconventional move. Because after raising my legs, my lower body has lost its center of gravity. Once it hits her, we will both fall to the ground. It's too late to change my moves now.

　　Seeing my knee touching her chest, I couldn't help but feel ecstatic. Could it be that I could cripple her with just one move?

　　Wishes are always good. Just as I pushed her up, the naked woman retreated again. But because I had already started running forward, she was jumping back on the spot, so her speed was naturally much faster. So even though the force was weakened a lot, she was still pushed hard by me and fell three meters away.

　　The naked woman suffered losses at the hands of Gao Yuan and me repeatedly, and finally got angry. She grabbed the cut on her arm and pulled it, directly tearing off the layer of skin above her belly.

　　So, a "monster" with a delicate lower body and a body covered with black hair appeared.

　　I was just amazed at its skull-like claws and two large fangs when it let out a strange cry and rushed towards me. We were only three meters apart, and it was furious and extremely fast.

　　Before I could react, I felt a sudden force knocking me flying. After sliding for a few meters, I fell to the ground and slid a long way before stopping.

　　The monster was pressing its two claws on my shoulders and opening its bloody mouth.

　　I wanted to move, but my upper arm joint was restrained, so I could only bend my lower arm, which was just a little short of hitting it. I watched as the monster licked my nose with its thin and long tongue and was about to bite down, and I had no way to do anything.

　　Damn it, I'm not really going to die here, am I?! But being dead is better than being alive! Doing that with a bunch of monsters here all day long... I feel sick just thinking about it!

　　There was a "clang clang clang" sound, and before I could hear what it was, a hard object suddenly came into my hand. I grasped it, and it turned out to be a long metal object. I immediately thought of the scale that Gao Yuan had been holding. She must have seen that I was in a critical situation and threw the dagger from the ground to me.

　　It was noisy here, with many people running around, but no one near the exit. If I hadn't been lying on the ground, I wouldn't have heard the sound. The monster on my body wouldn't have heard it either, but it had already made its "preparations" and opened its mouth as wide as possible, biting towards my neck.

　　"Die!" I used all my strength to swing the dagger with my forearm and stabbed it into the guy's ear. The force was not enough and the tip popped out from the other side of his head.

　　The monster immediately stopped moving, and stared blankly for a long time with its mouth open, as if it was holding its breath. I didn't dare to move, for fear that I wouldn't be able to hurt it. Who knows what these guys in the golden coffin are made of?

　　Finally, after staring at me for a while, it may have completely lost its life signs, and a lot of pink liquid rushed out of its nostrils and mouth with a "whoosh". It sprayed all over my head, chest and abdomen like blood, and it smelled extremely fishy.

　　I realized then that it was dead, and I quickly pushed it away. After I sat up, before I had time to wipe the disgusting stuff off my face, I saw the old man and another naked woman fighting fiercely.

　　The old man had learned martial arts since he was young, and was much better than me, but at this time he was already a little reluctant, and could only barely protect himself. Zhao Youde was unable to help at all, and stood helplessly beside Gao Yuan.

　　Seeing this, I didn't bother to think about it. I pulled out the dagger from the monster's body beside me and rushed towards the old man and the others. It just so happened that when I rushed over, I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the old man, the naked woman just happened to have her back to me. I naturally didn't hesitate to swing the dagger and cut her from top to bottom, destroying the "coat" she gave me.

　　Suddenly, a monster covered with black hair jumped out from the human skin.

　　It probably didn't know it was being attacked by me, and was startled when it suddenly saw the hair on its arm. The old man seized the opportunity and kicked it in the chest, causing it to roll over a dozen times and slip away for a long distance.

　　This guy stopped right next to the body of his companion. The monster turned around and saw that his companion was dead. He did not get up to trouble us, but suddenly raised his head and howled like a wolf.

　　The roar immediately attracted the attention of the people in the whole hall. I thought that there would be a commotion when the men saw these two monsters wearing human skin. But I didn't expect that they simply ignored them and showed no interest, and continued to have fun with the women under them.

　　However, several naked women nearby saw this and quickly moved towards us.

　　"Hurry up and go! We can't beat them!" Seeing that several more people were coming, the old man hurriedly called Gao Yuan and Zhao Youde to gather at the exit.

　　These naked women were very decisive. They took off their skins as they walked, dug the ground with their four claws, and ran towards us. In a blink of an eye, the distance between them was less than 20 meters.

　　We entered the passage behind the exit and ran forward desperately, hoping that after reaching Dingdian, these guys would not be able to enter due to the boundary. Of course, this was just my wishful thinking.

　　We ran for a long time, and because our steps were so messy, we couldn't hear anything behind us. Just as I turned around to take a look, Zhao Youde, who was in the front, suddenly shouted "Ouch!", and then I bumped into the old man.

　　Maybe Zhao Youde discovered something special, and Gao Yuan and the old man in the middle stopped in a hurry. But I was looking back at this time, only paying attention to whether there were any pursuers, and I didn't know what was happening in front of me. I bumped into the old man first, and then the old man bumped into Gao Yuan, and Gao Yuan bumped into Zhao Youde. This chain reaction directly caused everyone to fall forward.

　　Chapter 90 Successful Return

　　Chapter 90: Successful Return

　　"Ah my!" This is Zhao Youde.

　　"Wang Ziqi! You are a guy who is always causing trouble but can't do anything good!" This is Gao Yuan.

　　"Hahahaha!" This is Mr. Zhang.

　　Why is this so? Because the reason why Zhao Youde stopped was because there was a big pit in front of us. Originally, the three of them had stopped, but when I bumped into them, everyone fell down one after another.

　　Before I fell in, I took a look. The pit was quite narrow, only about two meters wide. However, the light in the passage was dim, and I couldn't see anything unless I got close.

　　With Gao Yuan and the old man's skills, they could have easily jumped over if Zhao Youde hadn't been in front of them. But the problem was that the two of them were sandwiched in the middle. I pushed from behind and Zhao Youde stepped back, so neither of them could jump up and they were sandwiched between us and fell down.

　　There seemed to be a bottomless abyss below the pit. After the initial noise, no one said a word. Who would be in the mood to chat while falling down?

　　So I fell into endless darkness and quickly lost consciousness.

　　It felt like an eternity had passed, and suddenly I reached bottom and hit a hard object.

　　"Ah!" I sat up subconsciously, and what came into view was a dim room. On the square table in the middle of the room, there was an oil lamp.

　　This is... This is the room where I entered the golden coffin!!! I'm back!!!

　　Thinking of this, I quickly turned over to look for the old man and Zhao Youde, but there was no one in the room except me. How... How is this possible? I can't be the only one back? ... Wait, let me calm down, there must be something wrong!

　　After thinking for a long time, I finally realized that the old man and Zhao Youde were spirits, and I couldn't see them without opening my spiritual eyes. I quickly opened my spiritual eyes... As expected, two people were sitting at the square table, looking at me with a smile on their faces.

　　"We...are out?" I asked the old man in disbelief.

　　"What do you think?" The old man opened his hands, gestured towards the house, and asked me.

　　"Then... who is that?" I wanted to ask Gao Yuan, but my brain was a little insufficient and I forgot her name for a moment.

　　"Humph! A blind cat meets a dead mouse!" A familiar female voice came from behind. After that, she walked out from the corner and continued, "This is also in line with the characteristics of the Huansha Temple. The less people dare to do it or are willing to do it, the more correct it is."

　　"Are you sure... this isn't another illusion?" I still couldn't believe it. Since the Huansha Temple was so strict, how could they allow such a loophole to exist? !

　　"There's no way to be sure!" The old man shrugged helplessly and said, "If it's fake, then it proves that the Fantasy Sand Temple is still flawless. If it's seamless, how can we tell whether it's real or fake?"

　　"So what you mean is... no matter whether it's true or not, just treat it as if it's real?" I have gradually figured out the old man's style of dealing with things by remaining unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances.

　　"Haha!" The old man stood up and patted me on the shoulder, saying, "Not bad, not bad! You learn really fast. I always believe that I am not wrong. If you are more calm in the future, you will definitely be the most successful seal holder!"

　　I'm a little depressed. What does this have to do with anything?

　　"Oh, right! Where are Zhang Shan and the others?" Coming to my senses, I quickly pushed open the door and looked out. I didn't expect it to be still dark. It looked like it took less than two hours to get out, but... I remembered it was longer than that! The mark in my arm was still as red as blood.

　　There was no one outside the door. Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong, Song Dongfeng and the others were all gone. Even the guards on duty were nowhere to be seen. Could it be that something big happened in the cave and they all went over to provide support?

　　"Master! Please help us before dawn! With you here, our chances of winning will be much higher." I turned around and asked for Master Zhang's opinion.

　　"Haha, okay! Consider it a gift from me to you as your apprentice!" The old man agreed without hesitation.

　　"Then you..." I looked at Gao Yuan again, wondering what she was thinking. If he joined, I would be more confident, but this woman's nightmare was a little strange.

　　"I won't get involved in your affairs!" Gao Yuan said as she came to the door. I had no choice but to give way to her. After walking out of the house and doing some stretching exercises, Gao Yuan turned around and said, "Okay, our cooperation ends here! I'll keep my word, and we won't owe each other anything in the future! Let's go our separate ways!"

　　I knew she was planning to leave. That's right, it didn't bother her in the first place, and I had no reason to ask her to help, but I couldn't help but remind her: "Don't forget what you promised me, just don't hurt anyone. If you can do that, I promise I won't take you in this life!"

　　"Humph! With your half-baked skills, you're so excited just because the master praised you?" Gao Yuan mocked me, then turned around and said, "Well, I hope we'll never have anything to do with each other again! Now I'm leaving, cherish your lives! I don't have anything else to say."

　　After saying that, she didn't look back and walked quickly into the darkness at the entrance of the village.

　　"Let's go!" The old man and Zhao Youde also came to the door, signaling that we should hurry up and act.

　　A few steps out of the courtyard, Zhao Youde suddenly pointed to a place not far ahead and said, "Look!" I looked carefully and saw two people lying under an old locust tree by the side of the road.

　　After quickly approaching, they found that they were two soldiers, lying on the ground with their eyes closed. It was unknown whether they were dead or alive, but there were no obvious scars on their bodies and no bloodstains.

　　"...It's hopeless." The old man leaned over to take a look, then stood up and said.

　　Oh no! My heart skipped a beat. There was no sound coming from the direction of the horn hole. The village was extremely quiet. Could it be that Zhang Shan and his men...were completely wiped out? !

　　Thinking of this, I hurriedly accelerated and ran towards the trumpet cave at the entrance of the village.

　　Along the way, I could see the bodies of soldiers lying on the ground from time to time. The more I went forward, the more people there seemed to be. My heart sank. An ominous premonition slowly rose in my heart.

　　Finally, we arrived at the foot of the hillside at the entrance of the cave. The only way to describe this place is "corpses everywhere". The mountain road was full of people lying in all directions, and there was almost no place to step.

　　"Zhang Shan! Liu Yunlong!..." I really couldn't accept this scene. I couldn't help but shouting them while walking, hoping to get a response.

　　Logically, they shouldn't have attacked before I arrived? It was clearly still dark! Could it be that... I woke up too late instead of too early? ... Did I sleep from the early hours of the previous day until the next night? !

　　This thought was too horrible, but the mark of the willow buds was still there, and it couldn't be explained no matter how.

　　We walked up the mountain carefully, trying not to step on the people lying down. When we arrived at the entrance of the trumpet cave, we found that the barrier had indeed been removed. It was pitch black inside and we couldn't see anything.

　　But the person leaning against the mountain wall at the entrance of the cave made my heart skip a beat - it was Liu Yunlong!!!

　　"Liu!" I ran over and shook him while touching the aorta on his neck... There was no movement! In a panic, I looked around and found Song Dongfeng, Brigade Commander Feng and Battalion Commander Luo were still lying around, but there was no sign of Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer.

　　The old man had already checked everyone, and when he saw me looking at him, he shook his head helplessly, meaning that no one was alive.

　　"Impossible... This is impossible!" My mind exploded instantly. I hugged Liu Yunlong and couldn't believe what was happening in front of me.

　　"Even if they are dead, I should still be able to see them with my spiritual eyes! This is absolutely impossible!!!" I shouted in despair to the old man.

　　Chapter 91: The Final Checkpoint

　　Chapter 91: The Final Checkpoint

　　The old man walked forward, helped me up and said, "Think positively. Life and death are impermanent. If the person just died, you won't see the ghost nightmare. They are likely still wandering in the brain, absorbing the part of the memory that belongs to them."

　　"...Where is Zhang Shan? Where is Zhang Shan?" I didn't hear what the old man said at all. I gently put Liu Yunlong down and looked around for Zhang Shan.

　　"Hahaha, Zhang Shan is in there, but I advise you not to go and see him. He is much more miserable than these guys outside!" A familiar voice came from the cave.

　　I looked back and saw that it was Zhao Youde's nightmare that came out!

　　"Son of a bitch!!!" I was so angry that I had no place to vent my anger. When I saw the culprit, I was so angry that I didn't even have the energy to talk to him. I rushed towards him with my fists clenched.

　　This guy wanted to say something, but my fist had already hit him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Then I rode on him, punching him on the head while cursing, "Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch..."

　　After hitting him with all my strength for dozens of times, I was exhausted and had to stop to catch my breath. But the guy under me suddenly started to laugh, which made me shudder.

　　"Hey, have you had enough?" Zhao Youde moved his arm away and said unharmed, "Three minutes, just three minutes, my master will be able to complete all the preparations for the Ten Thousand Souls Charge. By then, not only you, but everyone in the world will have to obey his arrangements!"

　　Then I remembered that I forgot to use the power of the Wuwei Seal in my rage. Although I vented my anger, I didn't cause him any harm.

　　"Hmph, three minutes? Three minutes is enough for me to kill you first!" As I said this, I took the power of the circle of heaven and the circle of earth, made a finger gesture with my left hand, and was about to point at him.

　　This is the most direct and effective move recorded in the Dream Record. As long as the soul or nightmare is hit, there is only one ending without exception - vanishing into thin air! Since the book says that the seal holder can only detain and deal with nightmares, but not destroy them, this method is against the harmony of nature and should not be used unless it is absolutely necessary. So I just took a quick look at it at the time and didn't remember it. I didn't expect it to suddenly pop up at this time, so I used it.

　　Because anger and hatred had already covered my normal thinking, it stands to reason that the culprit should be Chen Dong, but this series of things were all done by Zhao Youde's nightmare under his orders. In my opinion, Chen Dong is not so hateful, but this guy in front of me is the one I want to eliminate the most.

　　This nightmare had no idea what I was going to do and thought I couldn't do anything to it, so it just lay there staring at me and laughing.

　　Seeing his nonchalant expression, I lost my last bit of hesitation. Just as I was about to hit this guy between the eyebrows, suddenly a pair of hands stretched out from under my ribs and forcibly pulled me up.

　　"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!!!" My upper body was restrained, but my legs were still kicking in the air, trying to take the opportunity to stomp a few more times.

　　"Calm down!" The old man behind me saw that I was still furious and gradually increased the strength of his arm. After more than ten seconds, knowing that I couldn't break free, I finally calmed down, panting heavily.

　　"Okay! I'll let you go, but you can't do that anymore!" The old man felt that I was no longer exerting force, and slowly withdrew his arm that was holding me.

　　"Why don't you let me avenge them!!!" I turned around and glared at Old Man Zhang.

　　"Will revenge be useful?" The old man was not in a hurry. He looked at me and said seriously, "Even if you take revenge, what can you do? They won't come back alive. You must remember that your goal is to stop Chen Dong!"

　　“Hehe, they’re not actually dead.” Zhao Youde’s nightmare got up and said, “These guys just had their souls taken away by my master. If you’re brave enough, you can go to my master and ask for them back. Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to have the ability to do so, ahahahahaha!”

　　“You…” I had nothing to say to this guy anymore and was about to go up and grab him.

　　"Don't worry, let's see what they are planning to do?" The old man hurriedly pulled me over, and then gave up Zhao Youde's soul. The two identical people looked at each other like this, and I knew that the old man was planning to use the soul to read Yan's thoughts.

　　"...I...I can't read his thoughts." Zhao Youde's soul looked for a long time and said to us nervously.

　　"W...what? How is this possible?!" I simply didn't believe it. After going through so much trouble to bring him out, he turned out to be of no use. This was absolutely a complete blow.

　　“Hahahaha!” Zhao Youde’s nightmare laughed wildly at this time: “It’s useless, I knew you would use this trick, I prepared for it long ago! There is less than a minute left! Just wait for the world to be shrouded in darkness! Hahahaha!”

　　"If I don't kill you today, I'm not Wang! Even if I die, I'll take someone with me!" I rushed forward again and grabbed his collar. The series of blows made it impossible for me to think about anything else. I just wanted to break Zhao Youde's nightmare.

　　The old man suddenly changed his mind at this time and said to me: "Let's go in first. After you deal with him, come in immediately! Remember, use your brain and stay calm!" After that, without waiting for my response, he looked at me meaningfully, and pulled Hun into the cave.

　　I was still thinking about his last look, but Zhao Youde said, "Hey, it's useless for you to do anything! Even if you run from here to inside, it will take more than half a minute. It's too late!"

　　"Zhang Shan and the others are still alive! You should get rid of that nightmare first!" The old man who ran into the cave suddenly shouted at me. This was undoubtedly the most effective cardiotonic and immediately filled me with hope.

　　"Hmph! What's the point of being alive? You're just like a moth flying into a flame!" Although Zhao Youde's soul had no ability to resist, he still refused to give in.

　　The old man is right! We must get rid of this guy first! He is already a bad guy. If we let him go again today, who knows who he will turn to next time!

　　I once thought about putting her in a golden coffin, but I always felt that it was too easy for him! As the saying goes, if you kill someone, you pay with your life. Mr. Qian died indirectly at the hands of this guy, including Ni Qian, who was also kidnapped to the mountain by others. Including this time when Liu Yunlong and Song Dongfeng could not wake up, all the accounts should be attributed to this nightmare.

　　If he doesn't die, it will not be enough to appease the public anger!

　　Thinking of this, I made up my mind and pinched my fingers once again to completely destroy him.

　　"Crack!" Just when I was about to light it for the second time, there was a sudden thunderclap in the sky, hitting the top of the mountain opposite the cliff with a loud bang. Looking up, I found that the sky was already covered with dark clouds. On the top of the mountain, gray and white clouds, like smoke, swirled and turned, and the center gradually condensed into a peak, slowly protruding downwards.

　　Seeing this amazing sight, I was stunned and temporarily let go of Zhao Youde.

　　"Haha! The time has come! Master is breaking through the last barrier, and the world will be ours from now on!" The Nightmare in front of him naturally also saw this scene and cheered.

　　Soon, this thick dark cloud reached behind the mountain and began to surge rapidly, as if something below was absorbing them and continued to surge there.

　　Is it really true that everything is irreversible?

　　Although I have no idea about how Chen Dong completed the so-called final hurdle, but just seeing that he can stir up the heavenly phenomena with his mortal body, he can be said to have entered the realm of half-human, half-god.

　　Chapter 92: The Evil is Executed

　　Chapter 92: The Evil Man is Executed

　　The guy next to him was already dancing with joy and talking nonsense, as if the world already belonged to him.

　　"Shut up!" I had lost the desire to kill him at this point, but it was difficult to hide the pain and frustration of failure.

　　"Hehe!" Zhao Youde's nightmare was already extremely arrogant. He came to the side, patted my shoulder and said, "Don't worry! I won't kill you! I want you to watch how I take over this world! All those who have bullied me, I will make them live a life worse than death! All the rich people, I will make them..."

　　This guy kept saying "I want..." many times, obviously planning to take revenge on the whole society once he gained power. But I have decided to let this guy go for the time being and help Zhang Shan and the others if I can. Even if we both perish, I cannot let Chen Dong achieve his goal!

　　I had just taken two steps when there was a sudden flash in the cave, like a camera flash, which instantly illuminated the area as bright as day. Then a strong wind blew me back. My eyes were temporarily blinded by the flash, and I could only stand there and wait for them to recover.

　　"This... Master has done it! Master succeeded!" As soon as I regained my vision, I saw Zhao Youde's nightmare jumping happily in front of me, ecstatic.

　　The clouds above my head gradually dispersed, the night sky returned to calm again, and my heart sank.

　　"Master! You must give me what you promised right away!" Zhao Youde limped into the cave in ecstasy.

　　I just stood there in a daze. If this really means that Chen Dong succeeded, then we are done for, everyone is done for!

　　"Swoosh", a black shadow flew out from the horn hole and fell several meters behind him.

　　I turned my head and saw that it was Zhao Youde's nightmare.

　　"You...you guys..." The expression on his face was extremely weird at this moment. He pointed at the darkness in the cave, stuttering and not knowing what to say.

　　"Haha, what's wrong? Are you disappointed to see us?" The old man's familiar voice sounded in my ears. I turned around again and saw that under the guidance of the old man, the souls of Liu Yaer and Zhao Youde followed him out.

　　"..." Seeing them, I was even more shocked than the guy on the ground. Did they defeat Chen Dong? !

　　Liu Yaer was covered in blood, and I didn't know if it was his own blood. When he saw me, he smiled and looked quite relaxed.

　　"Successful?" I suppressed my excitement and asked the old man for confirmation.

　　"Haha, what do you think?" The old man was obviously in a good mood and actually started to joke with me.

　　"Then...where is Zhang Shan?" I didn't see Zhang Shan, and my heart trembled again, and I asked anxiously.

　　"..." When the old man heard me asking about Zhang Shan, his face suddenly darkened and he didn't say anything. Looking at Zhao Youde and Liu Yaer, they both had the same expression.

　　"What's wrong with Zhang Shan? Tell me!" I couldn't stand the silence, so I grabbed Liu Yaer's shoulders and asked loudly.

　　"Uncle Master, I'm fine." Before Liu Yaer could speak, Zhang Shan's voice rang out in the cave. Although it sounded a little weak, it was obvious that he was not seriously injured.

　　"You guys just lied to me!" I thought the three of them were playing a trick on me on purpose, so I punched Liu Yaer and ran into the cave, wanting to meet Zhang Shan out.

　　As soon as I reached the cave entrance, the big man walked out with heavy steps. I thought I would feel relieved after seeing him, but when I saw Zhang Shan clearly, I knew that the old man and his men had not lied to me.

　　Zhang Shan was indeed fine. At most, like Liu Yaer, he had a lot of blood on his body. However, he was holding a person in his arms at the moment. His neck was tilted to the side and his hands were hanging down. It was obvious that there was no sign of life.

　　When I saw the man's face clearly, I was suddenly blinded and almost fainted. Fortunately, Liu Yaer supported me from behind, and after a few swayings, I recovered and finally did not fall.

　　The person in Zhang Shan's arms is Ni Qian!!!

　　I slowly approached and gently stroked the girl in front of me. Her eyes and mouth were tightly closed, but her face looked like she was asleep, except that she was not breathing or having a heartbeat.

　　"Uncle Master, I..." Zhang Shan understood what I was thinking and wanted to say something, but I stopped him by waving my hand.

　　"I just want to know who did it?" I said calmly, but I was already filled with anger in my heart.

　　"We know that you are very, very upset, but Chen Dong is dead and reduced to ashes. Forget it, all the grudges are over." Liu Yaer patted me on the back and said.

　　"Pah!" I pushed him away, finally unable to suppress the resentment in my heart, and yelled at them, "End? What do you want me to do? Ni Qian, Liu Yunlong, Mr. Qian, and all these people all over the mountain, can Chen Dong handle it all by himself?!"

　　"Then what do you want to do? Whip his corpse?" Liu Yaer knew that I couldn't accept it at the moment and she didn't get angry.

　　"What should I do...what should I do..." I actually didn't know what I should do, but if I didn't vent this anger, I would go crazy! Although we won in the end, the price was so high!

　　When I turned my head, I just saw Zhao Youde's ghost getting up and trying to slip away when we were not paying attention.

　　I rushed over in two or three steps, blocked him, looked at him with murderous eyes and said, "Don't even think about running away. So many people have died. I'm going to grind you to dust!!!"

　　Zhao Youde knew that the situation was hopeless, and he knelt down in front of me and said, "Plop, please forgive me! I am willing to take responsibility, and you can put me in a golden coffin. As long as you don't let me turn into ashes, you can punish me in any way you want! Please!"

　　"Now is not the time for you to have the final say." I slowly lifted him up. I spoke word by word, "Even if I kill you a thousand times, it will not be enough to relieve the hatred in my heart! Be prepared, the process will be very, very painful!"

　　After saying that, I pinched my fingers again and was about to press on her forehead.

　　Although this technique is simple, there are different requirements for where to press the point. If you press the point between the eyebrows, he will soon turn into ashes. But I think this is too easy for him, so I decided to press the Tianling point on the top of his head. If you press a finger there, his Tianling will open up, and the Yin energy will leak out, which will attract other nightmares nearby to absorb them. It is said that the person who is being summoned will feel as if his brain is being eaten away, and his spirit will be extremely frustrated, and he will eventually become a "dementia nightmare" without any memory or thinking.

　　"Old Wang!"

　　"Uncle Master!"

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer both saw what I was going to do, and immediately rushed forward to stop me, saying, "You can't do this! This move is detrimental to the harmony of nature, and you might even fall into the devil's way because of it!"

　　"Fuck the devil!" I shook my arms and shook them off, saying, "I only know that if I don't let this guy suffer the greatest torture in the world, I will never be able to get rid of the hatred in my heart!!!"

　　"Uncle Master! Think twice!" Zhang Shan had no choice but to put Ni Qian down, walked to my side and said, "He is not the culprit, at best he is just a puppet. Why would you risk your life for such a guy?!"

　　"Yes, Lao Wang! Think about it carefully! The seal holder has his own rules. If you break them, it will be like embarking on a road of no return! What happens in the future will not be up to you!" Liu Yaer also advised seriously.

　　"Hey! Stop arguing, both of you!" The old man came up and said, "Zi Qi, I just want to say one thing: many things don't necessarily have to have results, and no one necessarily has to take responsibility. The same is true in life. Don't deliberately pursue results. Knowing when to stop is often the wisest approach. But this requires great courage and broad-mindedness. Think about it carefully! One thought can lead to heaven, and one thought can lead to hell! Don't let revenge blind your eyes."

　　After saying that, the old man turned around and said to Liu Yaer and Zhang Shan, "Come with me! Don't disturb him anymore. Let him think about it slowly!"

　　"But..." Zhang Shan wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the old man: "Okay, stop talking! Believe in your uncle, since he has the talent and ability, he will definitely make the right choice!"

　　I looked at Ni Qian and Liu Yunlong lying on the ground, then looked at Zhao Youde's nightmare in front of me, and I didn't know what to do for a moment.

　　I'm not afraid of the consequences of beating this guy up, but the old man is right. This guy in front of me is not the culprit. Should he bear all the responsibilities? In other words, should I follow the rules, or should I kill him at all costs to relieve my hatred?

　　Should this matter be stopped now?

　　If I put him in the golden coffin, the matter should be over. If I torture him to death out of anger, what is the difference between me and this guy? Will I become another Chen Dong soon? In order to achieve my goal, I will do whatever it takes?

　　……I have no idea!

　　Chen Dong was willing to do anything to achieve his goal, even sacrificing hundreds of lives all over the mountains. And I, in order to avenge them, insisted on torturing Zhao Youde's nightmare first, and then completely breaking it up. What can I gain? What will I lose?

　　The answer is clear. I will lose my principles and stance in life and all I will get is the momentary pleasure after revenge.

　　So, is it really that important to achieve the goal? If I was wrong just now, when should I choose to stop?

　　…

　　No one dared to say a word, waiting for my final choice.

　　"......Pah!" I said nothing and slowly loosened my hand. Zhao Youde fell to the ground.

　　Zhang Shan and the others also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was obvious that I had finally figured it out, let go of the hatred in my heart, and got my mind back on track.

　　"Thank you! Thank you!" Zhao Youde's nightmare also knew that he had escaped a disaster, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to me repeatedly.

　　"Haha." Mr. Zhang came over with a smile, put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Got it? Let go when it's time. It looks like you've closed one door, but in fact, another door has already been opened and is waiting for you over there!"

　　I smiled at him sheepishly and said, "You are right. Hatred cannot justify one's behavior, and revenge cannot solve the problem. Letting go of hatred is the only key."

　　"Well, okay, I know you're still feeling bad. Look back!" The old man said without further ado, pulling me around.

　　The scene before me shocked my eyes again.

　　Soldiers all over the mountains were seen slowly crawling up one by one. Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer were taking care of Liu Yunlong, Song Dongfeng and others who had already opened their eyes.

　　"What's going on?!" I couldn't hide my excitement and pulled the old man to ask.

　　"Haha, don't you understand? You saved them." The old man stroked his goatee and said, "One thought is heaven, one thought is hell. This is the best description!"

　　Even though I can’t figure it out, I don’t plan to think about it anymore. I’m still alive, so why can’t I think about it anytime in the future?! Haha!

　　I even saw Zhang Shan running to help his master out of the cave, followed by villagers from Shanjia Village...

　　The sky gradually turned pale.

　　Mr. Zhang removed his hand from my shoulder and said, "Okay, you guys are great, I'm relieved, and the mission is accomplished. Let's... say goodbye now, shall we?"

　　"Master!" I knew he was going to leave, so I quickly pulled the old man's sleeve and asked, "Are you sure I want to be the seal holder in this life?"

　　"Haha!" The old man called Zhao Youde's soul over and laughed heartily: "Do you still remember the poem I gave you at the beginning? Hundreds of sons and the sea of ​​gold, two paths running together to control thousands of souls.

　　What is destined to happen will eventually come true, and the magic sword should not be directed at good people.

　　There is a golden incense three feet above the forehead, which can help you without any action or seal.

　　Mortals can manage the affairs of heaven and earth, but the right path in the world is vicissitudes. "

　　"Yeah!" This was the gift the old man gave me before I left Taihang last time. He was still alive at that time, but now we are separated by heaven and earth.

　　"Have you really understood the meaning of the Wuwei Seal?" The old man continued, "Wuwei means to stop doing nothing. The highest state of Tao is nothingness. Since it is nothingness, what is Tao? What is not? Is it important? What is yours is yours, and what you should take care of should be taken care of! Don't force yourself, go with the flow, and you will gain the support of everyone. The path of a seal holder is actually the path of a human being. What you have more is just a little ability and responsibility. Is this really heavy? Haha."

　　After the old man finished speaking, he patted Zhao Youde and said, "Haha, this kid won't understand for another 10 or 20 years. Let's not wait any longer. Let's go!"

　　"...Master! Then what should I remember?" I was still pondering the old man's meaning when I looked up and saw that the two of them had already walked a long way away, so I hurriedly asked.

　　"It's best to forget everything! Just remember one thing - the righteousness of the world is vicissitudes! Hahahaha!~" The sun finally rose, and the old man and Zhao Youde also disappeared into the depths of the cave.

　　Chapter 93: A Dream

　　Chapter 93: A Dream

　　"Well... benefactor, what should I do?" As I was watching the two of them, Zhao Youde under my feet suddenly said something that scared me.

　　"Hide in my pocket first. It will be daybreak soon. Don't be afraid of turning into gas. Just come out." To be honest, I still don't know how to use the golden coffin to capture the nightmare. The last time I captured Gao Yuan, I was completely confused.

　　"Don't dare, don't dare!"...After he hid, I had time to observe the people around me.

　　Liu Yaer was describing the final decisive battle in vivid detail to Liu Yunlong and the others; Zhang Shan was busy explaining things to Song Dongfeng and taking confidentiality measures; Brigade Commander Feng and Lao Luo were constantly directing the soldiers to clean up the battlefield and comfort the villagers.

　　But...why is something missing? ...Ni Qian!!! Where is Ni Qian?!!!

　　I remember that after Zhang Shan put her down, she was not far from me, but now she is nowhere to be seen!

　　How could it be possible that everyone was there, but she was the only one missing?! I searched everywhere for her, feeling extremely anxious.

　　When I arrived at the entrance of the cave, I found a person waving at me in the deep shadows. I took two steps forward and found out it was Gao Yuan.

　　Seeing me approaching, she pulled me up and walked towards the depths of the cave without saying anything.

　　"What are you doing?!" I was confused.

　　"It's time to go!" The sister said without saying a word.

　　"Go? Where to?" My mind was full of question marks.

　　"Why are you talking so much nonsense! Come with me!" she said, and started running with me.

　　I tried to break free, but found Gao Yuan's hand clenched tightly. I had no choice but to follow her. The trumpet hole wasn't deep, and it would take two or three minutes to reach the other side. Let's see what she was up to.

　　But as I was running, I realized something was wrong. Not only did the hole seem to have no end, but what was even stranger was that we were not the only ones running, and there seemed to be other people's footsteps beside us.

　　"Wait!" I was getting more and more confused, so I stopped and asked Gao Yuan, "What's going on? Where are you going?"

　　"Get out! Hurry to the next place." The sister replied to me impatiently.

　　"Next?..." I was confused again, where is the "next place"?

　　"Haha, good job! You should have passed Ding Hall successfully. We are only one step away from success." The voice of Mr. Zhang sounded beside him.

　　"What?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I feel like I can't stand this kind of stimulation anymore. I thought everything was done, but who knew it was just a dream.

　　"Why are you looking at me?" The old man saw that I had adapted to the darkness and was staring at him with my eyes fixed. He smiled and said, "I told you at the beginning that it's hard to tell the real from the fake. Be prepared."

　　"...Then why don't you have to answer the multiple-choice questions? Are you making things difficult for me?!" I had no choice but to accept this reality, but I wanted to know whether they in the illusion just now were real or fake.

　　"Haha, do you know what Ding Dian tested you with just now?" The old man paused, asked himself and answered: "Ding Dian can be said to not exist, it is testing you to see if you can let go of hatred! This is very important for Yan! You are very good! I am happy for you! Of course, Youde and I are both souls, so naturally we don't have hatred, so I will accompany you!"

　　"Oh..." I roughly understood and looked at Gao Yuan again. She was a nightmare, so she must have struggled painfully before she could survive, right?

　　"Don't ask me!" The sister shrugged and said, "My enemies are Zhang Haitao and old man Qian. One harmed me and the other was an accomplice. But they are both dead." The enemy is dead, so the illusion is easy to expose. So for Gao Yuan, it is not difficult to find. I even suspect that she has not entered the illusion.

　　"...No!" I thought about it again, and suddenly said to the old man: "Did you know from the beginning that this was fake? And you deliberately let me make the decision on my own?!"

　　Because I remembered that he had stopped me from destroying Zhao Youde before, but he suddenly changed his mind halfway. The contrast between the two was so great that it was very suspicious, including that meaningful expression... I didn't expect that this old man, who had tricked me in the mangrove forest, would repeat the same trick again!

　　"Haha, don't get excited!" The old man saw that I looked unhappy and quickly comforted me, "We didn't even take this test, so it was naturally your illusion. But I can't help you. Only you can make the final decision on your test. Do you understand?"

　　"..." Although I understand, I feel a little depressed. This feeling is like chasing a girl. She plays with you for a whole day, eats with you, watches movies with you, and holds your hand. But before she goes home at night, she tells you that she is just playing with you, don't take it too seriously, there are many good girls, let's just be ordinary friends! As a result, I went home and slept for a while, and woke up the next morning to find that I was still a bachelor.

　　"Aren't you afraid that I won't be able to control myself in the end?" I asked worriedly.

　　"To be honest, I was also nervous at the time. Didn't you see that I kept reminding you?" The old man said seriously at this time: "But I would rather take a gamble. If you win, you will have a big leap in cognition. I think it's worth it!"

　　"What if I lose?" I really want to know the ending.

　　"If you lose, I'm afraid you'll have to continue that story forever." After the old man finished speaking, I couldn't help but gasp, and I almost got lost in the illusion again! One thought to heaven, one thought to hell, it's really fucking weird!

　　"Have you finished asking? Now that you have figured it out, hurry up and go! Look at your arm!" Gao Yuan had already become impatient. When he saw us stop, he pointed at my arm and urged me.

　　I looked down and saw that the red mark left by Willow Bud had disappeared! This meant that there was less than an hour left!

　　After telling them, everyone suddenly became nervous and moved forward quickly.

　　Finally, after a few minutes, we walked out of the long and narrow corridor and came to a small round room.

　　Compared with the three halls in front, this room was a bit shabby, with an area of ​​less than 30 square meters. On the wall opposite the door, there was a two-meter-square ancient official script "悟" character engraved. The surrounding walls looked like they were painted, smooth and clean.

　　Yes, we did pass the fourth checkpoint "Ding" and came to the last room. The map also clearly indicated that the Fantasy Sand Temple ended here, so in this small room, there must be a way to get out of the golden coffin!

　　There was a small oil lamp on the ground in the middle of the round house, and four yellow cushions were neatly placed on the ground next to it, in four directions: front, back, left, and right, surrounding it.

　　The space is very small, and we can tell at a glance that there are no doors or exits, so we can only pin our hopes on the secret passage. Gao Yuan couldn't hold back any longer, and said as he walked in, "Let's look for it first! There must be a trap!"

　　Since it is so difficult to get out, the exit will definitely not be easy to find. None of us was discouraged, and we surrounded the wall of the round house, knocking and studying it inch by inch.

　　In particular, the big word "悟" is the object of our study.

　　Chapter 94: Perfect Internal Conflict

　　Chapter 94: Perfect Internal Conflict

　　Ten minutes later, the three of us stood up helplessly. Because this place is too small, we searched it over and over again three times, even picking up the oil lamp and the futon to look underneath, and we can almost confirm that there are no traps or secret passages.

　　But Gao Yuan still did not give up and continued to search hard.

　　"Stop for a moment, this way of looking is not a solution!" I saw her movements getting bigger and bigger, and I knew that this sister was getting angry. She couldn't accept that she came here after going through so much hardship but didn't get what she wanted.

　　Gao Yuan pretended not to hear anything and knocked on the wall with the "dagger" in his hand, making a "bang bang" sound.

　　"Stop! You can't find it!" I saw that it was useless to say it calmly, so I had to go forward and pull her.

　　As my hand touched her arm, my vision blurred. When I could see clearly again, Gao Yuan had already put the dagger against my throat.

　　"What are you doing?" I was a little confused. I was trying to persuade her with good intentions, but why did she suddenly turn hostile? It seemed like I had never offended her before.

　　Looking at Gao Yuan again, his eyes were bloodshot, a sign of extreme anger.

　　"Don't let me hear the words 'no' or 'can't find' again! Otherwise, I will cut off your tongue first!" Gao Yuan pushed me heavily against the wall, got close to my face, and spoke word by word.

　　"Okay, okay! Don't get excited. Ziqi means that the way you're looking for it is not a good idea!" The old man walked forward, gently stretched out his hand, and pulled back her arm holding the dagger.

　　I am also a young man. How can I feel when I am threatened by a woman so nakedly? When she put her arm down, I couldn't help but mutter, "You have no subordinates left, and you still think you are the boss?"

　　"What did you say? Do you dare to say it again?!" The sister had just been calmed down by the old man, but after hearing these words, she turned around and pointed at me, wanting to pounce on me again.

　　"What? Don't think I'm afraid of you. Even if the knife is on my neck again, I can still cure you, believe it or not?" I took a step forward and confronted her.

　　"Okay! Okay! Okay!" The old man suddenly said three "Okays" in a deep voice, looked at the two of us with a gloomy face, and was obviously a little angry, then looked up and said: "You haven't even left yet, and you're already fighting? If you can leave with one less person, you two can fight, I have no objection! How about it? Today I will be a witness, whoever wins, will leave!" When he said the last sentence, he glared at us one by one with a sharp look. Suddenly, the resentment in my heart disappeared.

　　Yes! ~ It would be great if a duel could solve the problem! Obviously, the winner doesn't mean he can go out. The reason why the old man said this is that we are still trying to settle personal grudges at this last critical moment. It's really a bit indecent when I think about it.

　　Gao Yuan's eyes gradually returned to their normal color, and she must have realized this. But the lesbian was shy and embarrassed to admit her mistake, so she turned around and sat on the futon next to her.

　　"Well, since we don't want to fight anymore, let's study business." Seeing that we had stopped fighting, the old man said in a friendly voice: "A, B, C, D, and Wu, can be said to be the five major tests for a nightmare to get out. We have passed the first four levels. I think that throughout history, there are very few people who can finally reach this 'Wu' Hall, maybe even none! We can get to this step quickly, but think about it, it is one step at a time, full of dangers, how easy is it?! Therefore, the most important thing right now is how to work together to understand this 'Wu' and achieve our ultimate goal."

　　We were silent, knowing that he had more to say. Sure enough, the old man paused, and then continued, "The main problem now is this 'enlightenment'. What exactly does it want us to understand? Only if we guess its purpose, we will have the key to open the door. Ziqi, I have always said that what you lack now is that you are still not calm enough in dealing with things. Impulsiveness is a taboo for the seal holder. Calm down and tell me what you think?"

　　The old man threw the question at me. I was stunned for a moment, and had to bite the bullet and said, "I originally guessed about the Bing and Ding Palaces. Although there are some ways to follow, I always feel that this enlightenment should be different from the previous four. The Jia Palace is power, the Yi Palace is wealth, the C Palace is *, and the D Palace is hatred. It can be said that the major components of bad thoughts are basically all included. So I think that this "enlightenment" should be outside of them, or even above them!"

　　"Huh, aren't you just trying to say that 'enlightenment' might be a more noble spirit?" Gao Yuan interrupted me after hearing what I said, "Do you really need to beat around the bush for just one sentence?"

　　"Yes! That's what I meant!" I didn't know how to summarize it, so I didn't mind her sarcasm.

　　"Well, that's right! Your deduction is in a good direction!" The old man nodded in affirmation, then looked at the cushion on the ground and smiled bitterly: "Haha, are you asking us to learn from the old monk's meditation? When will you think of it and figure it out, and when will you let us go?"

　　"How can that be possible?" I got anxious when I heard that. There was no mark on my arm, which meant that it was already past 11:00 am outside, and there was less than an hour left until noon. Every second counted. Now I had to "realize" something here, which was obviously a waste of time!

　　However, the effective solution that came to my mind immediately seemed a bit far-fetched.

　　"Look! What is that?" After falling into silence for a while, Zhao Youde, who had been sitting on a mat to rest, suddenly jumped up and shouted, pointing at a corner of the wall.

　　We looked in the direction of his finger and saw a small piece of wall the size of a palm falling off the wall to the right of the word "悟". Behind this thin layer of wall was another layer, and there seemed to be something written inside.

　　This shouldn't be possible! We looked for it several times but couldn't find it. How come it appeared automatically at this moment?

　　After thinking about it again and again, I realized that Gao Yuan and I almost had a fight after I gave up the search. The place where she pushed me to the wall should be there! The wall was probably peeled off after my violent impact.

　　It was so strange that the four of us knocked on it from front to back several times, but not a single piece of skin came off. When we stopped looking for it, it was bumped out. Fortunately, it was finally found and not missed.

　　At this time, the old man and Gao Yuan had already surrounded them.

　　I also hurried over with the oil lamp, and after a look I realized that the color of the wall inside was exactly the same as that of the outside. In addition, the outer layer was extremely thin, so even if a piece fell off, it would not be easy to find.

　　But we were lucky because there was a bright red diagonal line under the fallen piece, which Zhao Youde saw clearly.

　　In order to see what was underneath, Gao Yuan had already started scraping the top layer of wall with the scales. Soon, a uniquely shaped sketch appeared before us.

　　The painting on the wall is three feet square, composed entirely of bright red lines, without any other colors. Although the lines are extremely simple, we can quickly see that the painting on the wall shows four people sitting on cushions, surrounding an extinguished oil lamp.

　　To be honest, these characters are all made up of lines, which is completely different from the ancient Chinese depiction method. They are somewhat abstract. If you say they were drawn by a child, I'm afraid some people would believe it!

　　As for who is drawn above, there is no need to know, because the faces are all big white slabs with no nose or eyes.

　　Chapter 95: Picture Talk

　　Chapter 95: Picture Talk

　　"Damn! This guy is so lazy! He didn't even draw his face!" Although I thought so in my heart, I still believed that the creator must have had other intentions for not drawing it.

　　"There's more next to it!" After Gao Yuan finished looking at this picture, he immediately discovered that there was another corner exposed near the door behind him, which was obviously not in the already "exposed" picture.

　　Sure enough, two minutes later, the next picture appeared in front of us. This time, three little people, hand in hand, walked towards a glowing coffin, leaving only their backs. Compared with the previous picture, there was one less person.

　　Since it exists on the right half of the character “悟”, it is very likely to exist on the left half as well!

　　Without bothering to figure out the meaning of these two paintings, we moved to the left for a "field investigation".

　　Finally, our hard work paid off. After our "all-out destruction", the walls of the entire house were completely stripped clean without a single piece left.

　　Four simple drawings then appeared before us.

　　Judging from the style, it is obvious that these are the work of the same person, and the four paintings from left to right seem to be illustrating an event.

　　The first painting on the left shows four people standing there, each with one hand raised, pointing at each other. The second painting, to the left of the word "悟", shows four people sitting on cushions according to their positions, which is almost identical to the third painting on the right, with each sitting upright, the only difference being that the oil lamp between the four people in the second painting is lit.

　　To the left of the word "悟" are the third and fourth pictures discovered earlier.

　　After watching it continuously, the four of us looked at each other in shock for a long time, not knowing what to say.

　　Although the painting is simple and easy to understand, the meaning of the last one is very clear, which is that after completing the first three steps, you can get out of the golden coffin.

　　But what do the first three pictures mean? Why is there one less in the last picture? This is what we want to know most.

　　"Just point at someone... and you can get out?" I pondered over it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so I imitated the posture of the person in the painting, raised my arm, and pointed at Gao Yuan who was right opposite me.

　　"Hmph! You're so smart!" Gao Yuan glanced at me, crossed his arms and said disdainfully: "Then you point at me, who can get out? Or can I get out?"

　　"I'm just making inferences!" I said helplessly, "Maybe it's just like you said, one of us won't be able to leave. Maybe it's the one pointing, or maybe it's the one being pointed at. It's hard to say."

　　"That's pure bullshit!" Gao Yuan turned his face away with an expression that said "you're boring" and muttered to himself.

　　"Okay! I'm talking nonsense, so you say it! If you're right, I'll listen to you, isn't that enough?" I was getting a little angry after being ridiculed by her continuously, so I simply crossed my arms and stared at Gao Yuan without saying a word.

　　"I don't know either." Gao Yuan was very direct. He leaned back and said frankly.

　　"You..." I stared at her with my eyes wide open. "You know nothing, and you don't even express your opinion. You don't even let me speak, and you just criticize me. I wonder how can you be so petty, woman?!"

　　"I didn't stop you from speaking, I just asked you to make it more reliable." Seeing that I was angry, Gao Yuan sneered instead.

　　"Why am I unreliable?" I felt like my whole face had been pulled down and stepped on by this elder sister, and I felt a little frustrated.

　　"Can you please use your brain a little?" Gao Yuan said, and walked directly to the fourth picture and continued: "In the first picture, they are pointing at each other. Even if one party cannot come out, there should be two people, not three. Look at the first picture again. I am pointing at you, and you are pointing at me at the same time. So tell me how to calculate it? Who is pointing? Who is being pointed at?"

　　"..." I was speechless. I was only trying to infer the first picture, but she insisted on connecting them. Of course, that didn't make sense. I couldn't even figure out one picture! How could I understand them all? How could that be so easy?

　　"Well, the first picture is indeed difficult to understand. If you can't understand it, just skip it and look at the following ones first. After all, we are short of time." The old man interrupted us at the right time and interrupted our quarrel.

　　The second and third pictures are much easier to understand. The general meaning is that people should first sit down according to the positions of the cushions on the ground, and then... blow out the lights... and then they can go out?

　　Not to mention them, even I don’t believe it! If it’s really that simple, I’ll thank it!

　　"How about this!" The old man suggested, "Since we can't think of anything, why don't we just sit down and follow the second painting? Maybe we'll find something."

　　This was a good suggestion, and it was easy to do. We immediately put the cushions in the right position and sat down. I had my back to the door, facing the word "悟". Opposite me sat Gao Yuan, and on my left and right sat the old man and Zhao Youde.

　　"Okay, I think we can't see anything no matter how hard we try. We might as well just blow out the candles and see what's going on!" The old man continued when he saw that everyone was seated.

　　"But...if it's really like the painting on the wall, and one person can't get out, what should we do?" What I have always been most worried about is the fourth painting, because I don't know who will be unable to get out. Neither I, the old man, nor Zhao Youde can accept it.

　　First of all, I must go out. A large number of troops outside are waiting for my news. There may be a bloody battle, and they can't do without me.

　　Secondly, Zhao Youde must also go out. The purpose of our coming here is to save him. If he can't get out, it will be more troublesome than if I can't get out.

　　In the end, the old man came purely to help me, but we left and left him alone, which is absolutely unacceptable.

　　Of course, the best outcome is that Gao Yuan stays here, and the three of us go out. She is a nightmare, so it is not unfair for her to stay here. But the problem is that I didn't build this Huansha Temple. If it listens to me, it won't be so troublesome.

　　"Haha, then life and death are determined by fate!" The old man was still so cheerful at this last moment: "Anyway, I can't think of it. If you don't act quickly, by the time you figure it out, the fighting outside will have already started. Wouldn't our efforts have been in vain?"

　　"I agree!" Gao Yuan agreed very readily this time. I don't know if she was deliberately belittling me and praising the old man, or if she had other plans.

　　Zhao Youde also patted me on the shoulder and said, "Why not take a gamble? Whether or not you can go out is another matter. If you delay things outside, maybe the world will change."

　　"But..." I thought about it and finally shut up. Since the three of them agreed, why should I object? And what the old man and Zhao Youde said was right. I can afford to lose everything, but now I can't afford to lose time. It should be noon outside soon, we must act quickly!

　　Seeing that I had nothing to say, the old man smiled and said, "Since you have no objections, I'll blow out the candles!" After that, he took one last look at us, leaned over and blew out the candle in the middle.

　　Chapter 96: Dark Hint

　　Chapter 96: Dark Hint

　　As soon as the candle went out, the room suddenly became dark.

　　I was waiting to see what would happen when a strong wind suddenly blew in front of me... Could it be that I could really get out once the lights went out?

　　But I immediately gave up this idea because the wind came from the opposite direction and was mixed with a hint of murderous intent.

　　…Oh no! It’s Gao Yuan!!! When the faint blue light appeared in my eyes, the dagger was already at the tip of my nose.

　　"Ouch!" I screamed and immediately leaned back. Only in this way could I escape. Fortunately, she made some mistakes in her judgment in the dark. The dagger was always stabbing straight ahead. If Gao Yuan had stabbed downwards at this time, I guarantee that there would be a transparent hole in my belly.

　　Finally, her arms were so long that she stopped at one point. Gao Yuan must have felt that she had missed the target, so she had to move her dagger upward to the right, brushing against the tip of my nose, and retracting it.

　　I escaped the danger, but I felt numb all over. I could even hear the sound of her dagger cutting my hair.

　　But Gao Yuan was not stupid either. She realized that I was lying on the ground. The blue light just reached its highest point and suddenly turned 180 degrees and stabbed downwards.

　　I thought to myself, it’s over! There’s no way to escape this time!

　　Immediately afterwards, a gust of wind blew from the left, and I knew that the old man had moved.

　　"What are you doing?!" The dagger finally stopped three inches above my belly, accompanied by the old man's questioning voice.

　　"I don't think it's necessary to go through so much trouble!" Gao Yuan said coldly: "Let me kill one, and the remaining three can get out, right?" After saying that, she moved again, probably turning to attack the old man.

　　This sister's idea was quite simple. She thought that if only three people could go out in the end, then there would be only three people left, and there would be no choice.

　　But...it would be nice if that were true!

　　From the sound, the old man and Gao Yuan had already exchanged several moves. I was afraid that he might make a mistake, so I pounced on him following the blue light.

　　If Gao Yuan fought one of us alone, she could still fight evenly, but if it was a 1vs. 2 fight, she naturally had no chance of winning. So after a few moves, she was restrained by the old man and the dagger was taken away by me.

　　"Two men, defeating the minority with superior numbers, what's that considered a big deal?!" Gao Yuan must have lost his ability to move, so he started cursing at us.

　　"Hey! It's you who wants to kill us first? And you don't allow us to resist?!" I really can't understand this sister's thoughts.

　　"Hmph! Since you are in power now, whatever you say is right. Just kill me! I have nothing to say!" Gao Yuan knew that he could no longer resist and said miserably.

　　"Why should we kill you? Are we sick?" I felt a little amused and helpless when I heard that.

　　"Kill me. There are just three of you, so you can get out naturally!" Gao Yuan said as a matter of course.

　　"I think you are the one who is talking nonsense!" I finally got the chance. I wanted to call her a bullshit, but I felt it was not nice to say that about a female comrade, so I had to change my words temporarily: "Don't you think about what these levels are testing? It's an attitude towards human nature. Although there are not many good people in nightmare, God is merciful and the golden coffin is indestructible. Even if you come here, there is still hope of getting out. What is it for? You still have the nerve to think that this final enlightenment is to kill each other!"

　　"Well, that's a good point!" The old man also said after hearing this: "Killing each other is definitely not a solution. Although enlightenment sounds a bit exaggerated, I don't think it is necessary to really understand something. Maybe it is just an opinion on a certain matter."

　　Gao Yuan fell silent in the darkness, unable to respond.

　　Anyway, I felt more at ease after taking the dagger from her. Since this woman didn't have that sharp weapon, I wasn't afraid that she would do anything weird again. After all, the three of us were empty-handed, and she was the only one holding a weapon, which made me feel a little uneasy.

　　I looked up and suddenly noticed something faintly glowing on the right. I looked carefully and found that it was the third painting, which was now emitting a green fluorescence.

　　Gao Yuan and Zhao Youde had their backs to the third painting, so they naturally couldn't see it. I was about to tell the old man, but I found that he reached out and pinched my arm, probably meaning that I shouldn't say anything for the time being.

　　Although I didn't quite understand what the old man meant, I still closed my mouth and looked at the painting.

　　But… the third painting at this time actually showed two completely different scenes from before the lights went out: the four people still maintained the same sitting posture, but three of them slightly raised one hand and pointed at the fourth person at the same time. And the one being pointed at obviously didn't know what was going on.

　　This... does it mean that three people have to work together to deal with one?

　　Oh~~~ No wonder the old man didn't let me say anything! Obviously, he should have noticed the strangeness on the wall early on. Three against one, so it goes without saying that the three of us will point to Gao Yuan together.

　　If she turns around and sees us when we talk, this woman is not stupid and will definitely fight us to the end with a desperate mentality.

　　But in the darkness, no one knew whether she looked back.

　　"Okay! Since the final test is 'enlightenment', we have also completed the third step in order. I suggest that everyone sit down, calm down, close your eyes and think about what to understand and how to understand it?" As expected, the old man was afraid that she would look back, so he said at the right time: "Who can get out and who can't? This is not a problem that can be solved by fists. This goes against the original intention of 'enlightenment'. Think more about the positive side of your life. Only by throwing away those dirty thoughts can you finally move towards the light!"

　　After that, he reminded us: "Zi Qi and Gao girl, you are different from us. One is a human and the other is a nightmare. You must try to suppress the evil thoughts in your hearts, only then can you cross this hurdle. Perhaps, whether we can get out depends on you!"

　　Gao Yuan still didn't say anything, and I just said "hmm", but my mind was full of the scene of the painting.

　　The room fell silent again, but at this moment an idea suddenly popped into my head.

　　To put it simply, "enlightenment" is just thinking. Since it is thinking, then this last step should not require action. As for the third picture after the lights go out, three people are pointing at one person at the same time. I think it should be just a thought in the mind, but it is difficult to express in the picture, so it is drawn more directly.

　　In other words, if the old man, Zhao Youde and I all think that Gao Yuan is not capable or that she should not go out, she will not be able to go out!

　　This is very likely! "Enlightenment" should be the summary and test of this trip to Huansha. Through everyone's performance in the process, the companions will finally decide who is least qualified to go out, and then keep him.

　　It's definitely possible! Fair! Just! Although it's not very public...

　　Thinking of this, I couldn't help but get excited. If my guess is correct, this is the ultimate way out!!!

　　However, I figured it out, but the old man might not be able to figure it out, and as for Zhao Youde, he might not even know it. But I couldn't let Gao Yuan know, because if she saw the picture on the wall, she would definitely try to disrupt and stop it, because she knew very well that the three of us were in the same camp.

　　Then, how can I tell my thoughts to the old man and Zhao Youde without letting Gao Yuan know?

　　Chapter 97 Final Choice

　　Chapter 97 Final Choice

　　But on second thought, the scene in the fourth painting has been engraved in our minds, so everyone should have their own ideas about who should stay in the end.

　　The old man, Zhao Youde and I are all family members, so we don't worry about who will be framed by the other party.

　　So, whether I said it or not, there was only one ending, that is, Gao Yuan had to stay! Even though she had never done anything bad.

　　While I was thinking, I felt something moving under my butt. When I touched it, I was shocked. A lot of sand was pouring out from the cushion I was sitting on, and it was slowly piling up and condensing, as if it was going to wrap us up!

　　Since we were both sitting, the sand had already reached my chest. I tried to push it, but this thin layer of sand wall was surprisingly hard. If I let them wrap around me, what would happen?!

　　There were movements on the opposite side and on the left. It seemed that everyone had noticed the subtle movement and were struggling to stand up.

　　"Don't move!!!" The old man suddenly shouted at this time: "Close your eyes and cross your legs, let go of everything, calm your mind, success or failure depends on this move! Remember! One word - enlightenment!"

　　As he spoke, the sand wall had automatically built up to the neck. Now even if we wanted to get out, it would be difficult.

　　I was just thinking of taking this opportunity to tell them to think more and put Gao Yuan in the position of elimination, since she couldn't do anything even if she heard it. But as soon as I looked up and saw the big word "悟", my heart beat wildly.

　　Just as my attention was distracted, everything suddenly became quiet. I knew that the sand wall had probably solidified and we were all trapped.

　　But... am I really wrong?

　　Since it is enlightenment, we should start from ourselves. We can't judge others, right? Then is it still "enlightenment"?

　　But...what can I realize myself?

　　After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out. But another thought suddenly popped up in my mind: If I had to keep one person, should I really choose Gao Yuan?

　　The old man is naturally not an option, and I have no reason to choose him; Zhao Youde is the purpose of our trip, no matter what the reason, he must go out! That leaves only Gao Yuan and I.

　　Although Gao Yuan wanted to kill me just now, she is indeed a rare nightmare. Not only has she not done anything evil, she has even helped us with her soul. I can only say that her current behavior is to survive in this golden coffin, and she has to keep herself in a strong position.

　　Can I really bear to choose her?

　　But if I don't choose him, should I choose myself?! Isn't this too ridiculous? I don't think I'm that noble.

　　Oh, right! How about thinking about it the other way around? Who will they choose? This may help me a little.

　　First of all, Gao Yuan, who will she choose? To know the person in her heart, we have to see who she will care more about after she goes out? Although the old man is the seal holder, his physical body is gone, so she doesn't have to worry; Zhao Youde has no ability, so she is not afraid of him; only me, not only am I alive, I am the seal holder, and I have threatened her before.

　　So if Gao Yuan has someone in mind, there is a 99% chance that person is me!

　　Next is Zhao Youde. Who will he choose? Me? The old man? None of them are likely. I think he should be like me and be more "optimistic" about Gao Yuan. But Zhao Youde didn't see the third painting behind him. I don't know whether he has this idea in his mind.

　　Finally, there is Mr. Zhang, who has been honest and kind all his life. Now I think he will hesitate between two choices. Either Gao Yuan or...himself!

　　Before entering the golden coffin, the old man said that he had experienced enough, and it didn't matter if he couldn't get out. He naturally wouldn't choose between me and Zhao Youde. What I'm worried about now is that he will want to stay and give the opportunity to Gao Yuan.

　　This kind of thing must not happen! I will never let the old man give up his right to leave! Even if he has to stay, it's me, not him!

　　After a round of speculation, I found that my thoughts had changed drastically in a short period of time.

　　The word "悟" kept circling in my mind. What should I do? !

　　Although Gao Yuan was put into the golden coffin by me, now that I think about it, she dragged Liu Yunlong and me into the illusion, so it should be harmless. Even if there was a car accident, we would not be killed.

　　To put it another way, although I don't want to admit it, I still forced her in in a panic due to my lack of knowledge at the time.

　　Could it be that... the time to pay back the debt has finally come?

　　Zhao Youde has to go out, and this has never changed. As long as he is outside, it should be enough. Zhang Shan and his men, relying on the powerful force of the army, once they know Chen Dong's intentions and take targeted actions, they are not without a chance of winning.

　　The one who worries me the most is the old man. I now think that the possibility of him giving up on his own initiative is getting higher and higher. It would be better for me to stay and accompany him, which would be worthy of the old master.

　　As for Gao Yuan... Alas~! Even if I owe you!!!

　　But what should my mother and Ni Qian do?

　　I can't help but think of what my father often said when I was halfway through doing something and didn't want to do it anymore: As a man, you must be brave enough to take responsibility. Even if the whole world doesn't understand you, as long as you think it's right, just do it!

　　OK! I felt relieved after thinking it over. What's the big deal?! If I don't go to hell, who will? ... But even if I want to stay, what should I do? Is it enough to just think about it? That's too advanced...

　　I thought about it, but I had no other options. This layer of sand was like an egg that wrapped us up in the middle. I tried several times but it didn't budge at all.

　　Alas! ~ Even if I want to be noble now, it seems that it is impossible!

　　I don't know how much time had passed, but I was feeling sleepy. Just as I was thinking about what it meant to sleep in a dream, I heard a "pa pa" sound coming from the sand shell above my head.

　　Just as he raised his head, there was a loud bang and a hole was chiseled open diagonally above him, and Mr. Zhang's face was outside.

　　"Haha, why don't you come out quickly? Are you planning to hatch eggs in here?" The old man still had a cheerful expression on his face.

　　Once the sand shell was broken, the force that solidified it seemed to disappear instantly, and it instantly turned into a pile of fine sand.

　　The old man stood in front of him holding Gao Yuan's dagger.

　　"You...this is..." Before I had time to talk to him, I noticed a familiar oil lamp burning on the table behind the old man.

　　…the familiar house, the familiar kang, the familiar furnishings, and the familiar door…we really came out! ! ! ! !

　　The old man didn’t say much to me, but continued to knock on another “egg” not far behind him.

　　I looked around the room and found that there was only one egg left besides the old man and I. To be honest, I was staring at it, nervous as hell. What if it was Gao Yuan who came out instead of Zhao Youde?

　　Finally, with the old man's powerful blow, the sand shell shattered, and Zhao Youde rolled out, lying on the kang and looking around in panic.

　　We...we did it!!!

　　"Gao...Where is Gao Yuan?" I couldn't help but ask the old man.

　　Chapter 98: The Last Journey

　　Chapter 98: The Last Journey

　　"Gao...Where is Gao Yuan?" I couldn't help but ask.

　　"Haha, it seems he stayed inside." The old man shrugged and helped Zhao Youde off the bed.

　　"Really came out? Could this be another illusion?" To be honest, I couldn't believe it. I was ready to sacrifice myself, but I didn't expect that they didn't want me!

　　"Look outside the door, your golden coffin is there!" The old man pointed out the open door. I looked out the window and sure enough, there was a golden coffin in the yard outside the house.

　　"This...is this mine?" I couldn't believe it. When did this coffin become so shiny and new?

　　"How... did we get out?" Zhao Youde was also puzzled. He asked the old man while cleaning the sand off his body.

　　"You didn't all think that Gao Yuan couldn't get out, so she stayed?" I didn't expect that things turned out to be the same as I originally thought.

　　"Haha, I know what you two were thinking at that time, believe it or not?" The old man was in a particularly good mood and bet with us: "If I guess wrong, I will jump into the golden coffin again!"

　　“……” Zhao Youde and I both stared at him, wondering what the old man was up to.

　　I know very well whether he can read minds or not. Then why does the old man know what we are thinking so surely? It is very simple, because he must be thinking the same as us... Oh!!! I understand!

　　"Have you thought it through?" Seeing my frown gradually soften, the old man encouraged me, "Tell me about it, and explain it to Youde as well!"

　　"'Enlightenment' is actually a test of the most brilliant part of human nature!" I stood up and said casually, "Only those who give up themselves and leave the hope of life to others can be true heroes. Therefore, Enlightenment's last request to us is - dedication. If I am not mistaken, you two must have chosen to stay at the last moment to help the other three."

　　Zhao Youde looked at me with his mouth wide open, and it took him a long time to recover: "So we just use our minds to think about it, and the Huansha Temple can find out? This is too magical!"

　　"Isn't the Fantasy Sand Temple considered a god?" I felt that anything could happen there. "If I don't look into your heart, how can I know what you really think?"

　　"So, it's not our fault that Gao can't get out." The old man concluded: "She can only blame herself for having such strong thoughts about getting out."

　　It was obvious that Gao Yuan's goal was to get out, so she would definitely not choose me, and she had no reason to choose me. Although it seemed a bit unfair, this was the rule of the game in the Huansha Temple, and no one could violate it.

　　"But... Master, I don't understand something." I thought of what happened after the lights went out, and couldn't help asking, "Since you let us figure it out on our own, why did you come up with that after the lights went out? Isn't that obviously misleading us?"

　　"Haha, this is the perfection of the Fantasy Sand Temple!" The old man still had some aftertaste when he said this, but he was not afraid. "It's not enough to just have a thought. You must have the will to persist and the determination to never change. Only by withstanding all kinds of temptations and tests and still keeping your own ideas can you finally get what you want. Do you know why Gao Yuan suddenly stabbed you?"

　　"Why?" I don't know why the old man asked this.

　　"Because the first painting behind you shows a person stabbing another person." The old man looked at me and spoke word by word.

　　...Oh! No wonder she attacked me soon after the lights went out. It turned out that she also saw the misleading painting on the wall.

　　Even I was almost fooled by the third painting, let alone Gao Yuan?

　　"I saw it too, but Master Zhang stopped me with a gesture." Zhao Youde also said.

　　"In short!" The old man suddenly raised his voice and said, "We came out and broke the record of this golden coffin for thousands of years. Of course, don't be proud. We came out not because those people before were bad people or not excellent; but because our purpose is special, we want to save people, so we made the final correct choice. However, I am still proud of you! You have surpassed yourself, and I believe that you will go further!" At the end, the old man patted my shoulder with a satisfied smile on his face.

　　"Okay! My mission is complete, and it's time for me to go!" The old man saw that I was in a daze, and reminded me, "Get ready to wake up! The people outside should be impatient! Youde, help them and go wherever you need to go. Don't linger any longer."

　　"You won't help us?!" I was immediately anxious when I heard him say that. The old man was quite nice in the illusion, why is he not so enthusiastic when he comes out?

　　“Haha!” The old man laughed heartily: “I just figured it out. It doesn’t matter whether I help you or not! Whether I’m here or not, the ending won’t change.”

　　"How can it be the same? With you here, we will have a lot more strength!" I didn't quite understand what the old man meant.

　　"No, it belongs to whoever it is. You can't push it to me, and I can't throw it to you." The old man's words were full of mysteries, and the more I listened, the more confused I became. "Don't worry, just do it! There have been many bad people in the past five thousand years, but have you ever seen anyone who really succeeded? Good will never triumph over evil, this is not just an empty saying, there is a theoretical basis!" The old man continued to encourage me.

　　"But...but..." I wanted to say something else, but I didn't know how to keep him. Maybe he was right, but if the old man helped us, even if he didn't do anything, it would be a spiritual encouragement and support for us.

　　"I know you have a lot to say." The old man put his arm around my shoulders again and said, "Let's deal with the things in front of us first, and we'll talk about the future later. As a person, don't take one step and think ten steps ahead. Life is not like playing chess. How big is the chessboard? Even if you can think a thousand or ten thousand steps ahead, you still can't get out. How great is it to let birds fly freely in the vast sea and sky? The most important thing is to take the step ahead steadily!"

　　"..." I was completely speechless. All the questions in my mind were suppressed by him.

　　"Let's go!" Seeing that I was still in a daze, the old man raised his arm and said, "I will send you off for the last time. Remember, some things cannot be forced. Everyone has his own path. How long you live, how much you do, and how others see you are not important! As long as you think it is worth it and right, do it! Not only must you finish it, but you must do it well!"

　　After saying that, the old man swung his arm and hit me.

　　"Pa!" I didn't expect him to hit me, so I didn't dodge. As a result, the slap hit me hard on the face, and I fell directly on the kang.

　　"Why did you hit me?!" I was seeing stars and struggled to sit up, but I couldn't open my eyes because of the sudden light that came from nowhere.

　　"Is it dawn?" I couldn't adapt to the strong light for a while and covered my eyes with my hands for a long time before I recovered. I found that the old man was gone and a pupil seal was lying quietly on the kang in front of me.

　　The pupil seal belongs to Zhao Youde, and I finally woke up completely.

　　Chapter 99: Substitute Failure

　　Chapter 99: Substitute Failure

　　Just as I was in a daze, the door was pushed open from the outside and two soldiers rushed in.

　　"Hello, Chief!" When the two men saw me, they immediately stood at attention and saluted.

　　"What time is it?" How could I care what they called me? I grabbed Zhao Youde's seal and stood up to ask.

　　"Report to the commander!" One of the soldiers stepped forward and raised his head and said, "It is now 12:06 noon! Captain Luo has instructed that once you wake up, go to the entrance of the trumpet cave to find them immediately!"

　　...Shit, it's already been six minutes since the agreed time! Could it be that they can't wait for me and are trying to find another way to force their way in?

　　"Let's go! Take me there quickly!" I said, put on my shoes, and followed the two soldiers towards the direction of the trumpet cave.

　　Before I even reached the entrance of the village, I saw Zhang Shan standing tall in the crowd, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. As long as they haven't gone up yet, it's fine. The only thing I'm afraid of is that when I get back, they'll think of another way. A strong attack is really a bad idea, and if it goes wrong, there will be a lot of casualties.

　　Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer were all standing together. I came behind them and asked, "What's going on in there?" To be honest, what I'm most afraid of now is that Chen Dong and the others can't wait for me, and will do something to Ni Qian and Master Zhang Shan.

　　Zhang Shan turned around, saw me, saluted, and said loudly: "Hello, Chief!"

　　"…" What's wrong with this guy? It's already this late, and he's still in the mood. Am I kidding?

　　Before I could figure out what was going on, Captain Luo next to me slapped him on the head and cursed, "What are you doing? You bastard! Do you know who you are now?!"

　　Seeing my puzzled expression, Lao Luo immediately pulled me to a secluded place aside and said, "I found these people with the same body shapes as Lao Zhang and the others, and then asked Liu Yaer to change their appearance."

　　"…Why are you disguising yourself?" The more I listened, the more confused I became. If you want to fight, then fight. Why do you have to get a few stand-ins and put them here for show?

　　"There's no other way! If you don't wake up, we're afraid that over time, they will do something bad to some of the hostages. That's why we have to resort to this last resort!" Lao Luo explained nervously.

　　"What does this have to do with disguise?" I still didn't understand their purpose.

　　"The people inside said that only you can go over! The others, especially Lao Zhang and his friends, must stay a hundred meters away where they can be seen!" Captain Luo finally pointed out the problem.

　　"Oh..." It suddenly dawned on me that Zhao Youde was not stupid either. He knew who posed the greater threat. He put forward this condition just to ensure that we could rush in and force our way in when he was least prepared.

　　This guy doesn't have much ability. Any one of us, Zhang Shan or Liu Yaer, can easily take care of him. So we have to be on guard.

　　"...Then if I didn't come, your disguise would be useless!" I asked curiously.

　　Lao Luo raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes and said: "Since they can change their appearance, you can do it too. If you don't believe me, look up!" As he said that, he pointed to the cave entrance a hundred meters above the hillside.

　　In addition to the person standing at the entrance, there were two people hanging upside down just above the entrance. They seemed to be using some special forces equipment and wanted to get down from above as soon as the entrance was opened to approach the target as quickly as possible. Anyway, they were outside the stone wall, and as long as Zhao Youde and the others inside didn't stick their heads out to look, they would never know.

　　The person at the entrance of the cave was nothing special, with a similar build to me. But the two people hanging upside down above, one tall and one short, one strong and one thin, were clearly Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong.

　　"Who's that person at the entrance of the cave?" Since he had his back to the hillside and was wearing a military coat, I looked at him for a long time but couldn't tell who he was.

　　"You!" Captain Luo replied quickly.

　　Nonsense, I know it's me, I just want to ask who is pretending to be me! Just as I was about to ask Lao Luo, I saw the "me" at the entrance of the cave suddenly said a few excited words to the inside, then turned around helplessly and walked down the slope.

　　Sure enough, this person looks exactly like me! I have to admire Liu Yaer's disguise skills!

　　Soon, he came down to us, took off his military coat, and said to Song Dongfeng and Brigade Commander Feng with a discouraged look on his face: "No, we've been recognized!"

　　The voice is Liu Yaer's, it seems he is impersonating me. It makes sense, he has a strong ability to imitate, and we have similar body shapes, including the voice, which is something that others cannot do.

　　"How is that possible?!" Song Dongfeng and the others were standing at the front, and they didn't know that I had woken up. Brigade Commander Feng asked in disbelief, "You did it almost exactly the same, there's no way you could recognize me!"

　　"Where is the pupil seal? Wasn't it given to him?" Song Dongfeng was more concerned about my pupil seal. It seemed that it had been temporarily requisitioned by Liu Yaer.

　　"This Zhao Youde is so treacherous!" Liu Yaer frowned as she recalled what happened just now. "He didn't tell me about the pupil seal, but he came up and asked me to see what he had in his hand? How could I see? He was exposed right away! He even said at the end that no matter what the reason was, he was willing to wait for another ten minutes. After ten minutes, if Lao Wang still didn't show up, he would kill Ni Qian and Mr. Bai immediately!"

　　Zhao Youde was so smart! He knew that except for me, no one else could see what was going on in the cave. Including Liu Yaer, who could only hear but not see. So he tried it and immediately showed his true form.

　　"Isn't this crazy?!" Song Dongfeng also showed an angry expression, which was rare: "The pupil seal has been taken away, so why does he care who took it? Isn't it enough to take it? Why must Ziqi go?"

　　"I asked that too." Liu Yaer continued, "But he said he didn't believe me, because even if Lao Wang wasn't here, we could just come to him directly without putting on makeup. Since he was faking it, he must have some other agenda, so this guy refused to open the door!"

　　The three people in front suddenly fell silent. Needless to say, it was because the enemy had guessed their intention and they didn't know what to do next.

　　"If it doesn't work, wake Ziqi up!" After a while, Song Dongfeng looked up and said, "It's already this late. If he really can't be found, forget it. We can't just sleep there forever, right?"

　　Due to my specific instructions, they did not know the danger of entering the golden coffin.

　　"The problem is... we can't wake up Lao Wang, and... there's a good chance he'll never wake up." Liu Yaer had no choice but to tell them the truth, stammering.

　　"What?!" Song Dongfeng was furious when he heard this. He grabbed Liu Yaer and asked loudly, "What's going on? Did you know that he would be in danger when he went there?!"

　　After hearing this, I had already understood the general situation. I hid behind the tree and waved at them, "Stop making noise and come here!"

　　"... Lao Wang!!!" Liu Yaer came over to see me, and was so happy that she rushed over to me and grabbed me and said, "You're out? Are you okay? Has Zhao Youde been rescued?"

　　"What do you think?" I gave him a confident smile.

　　"That's great!" Liu Yaer immediately regained her confidence and said, "As long as we know their purpose, things will be much easier!"

　　"That's not necessarily true." To prevent him from being overly happy and losing his judgment, I had to pour cold water on him and said, "It's not difficult to know what they want to do? Even to stop them. The most difficult thing is how to save people and crush their conspiracy while ensuring that the hostages are not harmed!"

　　Chapter 100: Striving for a Place

　　Chapter 100: Striving for a Place

　　"Okay, I'll do it later!" Seeing that they were all looking at me, I volunteered, "What do you want? Tell me first so I can have a better idea."

　　"We must not give them the pupil seal!" Song Dongfeng said immediately: "We must try our best to bargain with them! Not only do we need to know what they want, but it would be even better if we can find a way to get them to cancel the barrier at the entrance of the cave!"

　　I looked at Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong above the cave entrance and saw that they were already looking up. I asked Liu Yaer, "Are you sure that your stand-ins here will not be discovered?" Since they were exposed just now, Chen Dong and his men will definitely be more vigilant. So this time, we not only have to achieve our goal, but also try to knock down the door, which is as difficult as climbing to the sky. If they find out that there is an ambush outside again, it will basically be a failure. They will definitely keep their word and kill the hostages to achieve the purpose of deterring us.

　　"Zhang Shan and the other two should be fine." Liu Yaer thought for a moment and said, "Just go ahead! I'll stand here in a while, still in your appearance, and deliberately let the people inside see it, which will also help to eliminate some of their vigilance!"

　　Everything is ready, I opened my spiritual eyes and slowly walked towards the cave entrance.

　　Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan, who were hanging on the top, saw me coming and quickly turned their heads down again and lay steadily on the rock wall. It was really hard for them. In such a cold day, they were hanging on the top of the mountain. You can imagine how it felt. Liu Yunlong's lips had even started to turn purple, and it was obvious that he was very cold.

　　When I arrived at the door, it was still pitch black inside and there was no one behind the barrier.

　　"I'm back." In order to prevent someone from observing from deep inside, I didn't look up at them, but covered my mouth with my hands and said.

　　"Old Wang?!"

　　"Uncle Master?!"

　　Even Zhang Shan, a steady man, cried out desperately when he found out it was me. You can imagine how he felt.

　　"Haha, what's wrong? You don't want to see me?" I still covered my mouth and began to imitate Old Man Zhang's ability to amuse people.

　　"Really... is it really you?" Liu Yun's head was tilted downwards, and coupled with his excitement, he spoke incoherently.

　　"Uncle Master, did you succeed?" Zhang Shan was still able to ask the right questions.

　　"Look!" I took out Zhao Youde's seal from my pocket and held it in front of me, also for them to see.

　　"That's great!!!" Zhang Shan was so happy that he felt dizzy. He shouted out loud, only to realize that his voice was a little loud, so he quickly covered his mouth.

　　"Don't worry! We will let you down soon. You won't be kept hanging for so long in vain! Hush~ don't make a sound!" I saw a figure gradually walking out of the darkness, and hurriedly reminded them in a low voice.

　　"It's your turn, seize the opportunity!" I held Zhao Youde's seal in my hand and communicated with him silently in my heart.

　　"No problem! Give me a signal when it's time to take action! But you must be mentally prepared. Once I know what he's thinking, he will naturally discover me. Make plans for the next step in advance!" Zhao Youde's soul also reminded me secretly.

　　Sure enough, Zhao Youde's nightmare soon limped out from the depths of the cave.

　　I was about to speak, but he stopped me by waving his hand: "You don't have to explain. I don't want to know where you went just now. Did you bring the things?"

　　I didn't expect this guy to be so strong right from the start. I had no choice but to take out the pupil seal from my other pocket and said, "Isn't this it? I brought it!"

　　"Okay!" Yan's eyes lit up when he saw what I was holding. He came to the side of the cave entrance and fiddled with it for a few times. A palm-sized hole opened up on the barrier of the stone wall. He said, "Give it to me!"

　　...Damn! This guy is so cruel! No one thought that this barrier would have this function! You can make any hole you want! I thought it would open up completely if I passed something over! This completely disrupted our plan.

　　I came to the small hole, my mind racing, wondering what I should do to make him open up a space big enough for one person to enter.

　　"Give it here! What happened?" Seeing me standing outside hesitating, Yan couldn't help but urge me.

　　...There's no other choice but to take a gamble!

　　"Where's Ni Qian? Didn't you say that you would let her go after I gave you the seal?!" After thinking it over, I made a prompt decision, took a step back, and asked Zhao Youde about his nightmare while holding the seal tightly.

　　"Just give me the thing, and I'll let her out in a while!" Nightmare said impatiently.

　　"No! I don't trust you!" I gritted my teeth and said, "I must make sure she's okay first, then I can deliver the goods and let her go!"

　　"Hmph!" Zhao Youde's face turned cold, and he said, "I see you haven't figured out the current situation yet? Now is not the time for you to make conditions! Either give me the pupil seal now, or wait for my master to complete the task and collect the body of your wife! These are the only two options, you can choose!"

　　After he said that, I became more determined. Why would Chen Dong risk waiting for me all night when he was surrounded by enemies and the situation could change at any time?

　　There is only one reason, without this seal, he can't accomplish anything!

　　So, as long as I don't give it to him, he has no choice. As for the conditions, we are not completely without room for maneuver. The key is how to propose? As long as it is within his acceptable range, there is definitely room for maneuver.

　　This is why I was so cruel and decided to take a chance with Ni Qian. If I succeed, we will all be saved.

　　Thinking of this, I was confident and squinted at Zhao Youde's nightmare and said, "That's fine! I'll give you two choices. Either let me see that Ni Qian is still fine, and we can get the goods in one hand and the person in the other; or, you kill your people and I destroy what I have!"

　　After saying that, I deliberately raised the pupil seal in my hand and gestured as if I was going to smash it against the cliff.

　　"Okay! Just wait for your wife's body to be collected!" Zhao Youde was of course not fooled at once, and said to me with gritted teeth: "I don't believe that you dare not care about this entire village and your wife?!"

　　"Why should I care?!" Now that I've spoken, I continue to lie to him, "The people in this village have nothing to do with me, so there's no need for me to pity them! As for Ni Qian, if I can save her, then I'll save her. If I can't, then it's just bad luck. Don't blame anyone else."

　　After a pause, I felt that the reason was not sufficient, and added: "Zhang Shan and I are now in the Confidential Incident Investigation Bureau, you should know that. I might as well tell you that our mission is different from that of the group of soldiers below. They are to save people, and the mission given to us by the higher-ups is to get rid of you at all costs! So, even if people die, it can't be blamed on me, there are still people to help take the blame. Why should I worry about them?!"

　　As I was speaking, Zhao Youde's expression changed several times, and it seemed that he believed 80% of what I said.

　　Seeing him hesitate, I quickly struck while the iron was hot and said, "So, think it over carefully! To be honest, this pupil seal is of no use to me. Even if I give it to you, I have a way to get it back. I am making a deal with you now just to make myself feel more balanced, so that I won't have regrets when I think about it in the future."

　　Of course, I said this for a purpose. It seems like I am expressing my attitude, but in fact, I am provoking Chen Dong from the side. He has been reincarnated for six hundred years, and he believes that he is far superior to modern people in terms of both kung fu and scheming. That's why I deliberately said "Even if I give it to you, I have a way to take it back" to arouse his competitive spirit. As long as he can hear it, there is no need to worry about him not agreeing.

　　Chapter 101: Forced Entry

　　Chapter 101: Forced Entry

　　As expected, Zhao Youde was about to speak, but he seemed to have heard something, turned back and looked into the cave, and lowered his head. It should be Chen Dong who was explaining something.

　　Half a minute later, Yan finally turned around again and said to me with a sinister smile: "Haha, my master said that he is very interested in making a bet with you. But we can't agree to your conditions. Now I'll give you the last minute to think about it. You have to think it over carefully. When the time is up, if you still insist, I will kill your wife immediately!" After that, he stood inside with his arms folded and looked at me.

　　Chen Dong is really not simple! He will never listen to my one-sided story. So, if you want to know whether I mean what I say, you just need to give it a try and you will know immediately.

　　The little bit of advantage that had just been established was immediately wiped out by his casual order.

　　The time for a real test for me has come. I must figure out within a minute whether they are serious or just testing me. If I want to regret it, it is still in time. But once the time is up, I will never regret it, which means Ni Qian will die soon!

　　I even heard Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan's breathing becoming faster and faster. It was obvious that they were also very concerned about my decision, but they were unable to speak.

　　"Fifty seconds left!" Zhao Youde's nightmare kept telling the time.

　　...No! I need to calm down! I have to calm down!!

　　"Forty seconds left!"

　　It took me nearly ten seconds to calm my nerves before I began to analyze Chen Dong's intentions.

　　First of all, I think there is a high possibility that he is testing me, that is, he is just talking but not doing anything. This possibility is at least 70%!

　　But 70% is far from enough. After all, it concerns Ni Qian's life. I have to ensure that the possibility is at least 99% before I dare to take the risk.

　　It is not difficult to know what Chen Dong is thinking. When Zhao Youde's nightmare was conveying his instructions, he missed a sentence, which was "He is very interested in gambling with me."

　　Of course, there are two kinds of bets: the first kind is whether I dare to "abandon" Ni Qian. In other words, whether I am afraid that the girl will be in danger and then hand over the pupil seal at the last minute; and the second kind is whether I have the ability to take the pupil seal back after giving it to him.

　　This guy is smart here. With just one sentence, two situations and four outcomes appeared, reducing my chances of winning to less than 25%. Which situation will he choose? How will he do it? It is completely left to my imagination.

　　"Thirty seconds left!"...

　　Damn it! The thoughts that I had just organized were pulled far away by Zhao Youde's nightmare! And I couldn't pretend to be thinking on the surface, otherwise it would be very disadvantageous to me.

　　I took out a cigarette from my pocket that I had just "stolen" from Captain Luo, lit it up and started smoking, smiled mysteriously at the nightmare inside, and continued to analyze nervously.

　　The first possibility is, is it worthwhile to gamble Ni Qian for the pupil seal? ... The outcome is obvious, we will sacrifice a hostage, my girlfriend, and possibly more. And they will lose the pupil seal in my hand.

　　…It’s not worth it! It’s not worth it! It’s not worth it for us or Chen Dong! Once the pupil seal is gone, killing more people will be useless to him.

　　So, none of us can afford the first possibility! The chance of winning is already greater than 85%!

　　Then there is only the second possibility!

　　"Twenty seconds left!"...

　　Since the first situation will not happen, then Chen Dong's so-called "taking a gamble" must mean whether I can still give him the pupil seal and then snatch it away. In other words, he has agreed to my conditions - hand over the person in one hand and the goods in the other!

　　Another important reason why this guy did this was that he was too confident! Since he was going to gamble, he had to find an opponent who looked like me, even if he wasn't evenly matched. So he was also trying to see if I was qualified to be his opponent. If I just tried to scare him, he would be exposed once he was forced, and I'm afraid he wouldn't be interested in gambling with me anymore.

　　...Well, it seems that the confidence level is over 95% now!

　　"Ten, nine, eight, seven..." Zhao Youde's nightmare had begun the countdown to the last ten seconds.

　　Although the chances of winning are already very high, as the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry...Okay! That's it! If I guess wrong, the worst that can happen is that I will give Ni Qian another life!

　　Finally deciding what I should do next, I slowly raised my right hand holding the pupil seal, and did not forget to give an evil smile to the guy inside.

　　As I raised my hand, Zhao Youde's facial features gradually moved upwards.

　　"...Three, two, one!" With the last shout of Nightmare, I swung the pupil seal and threw it towards the stone wall!

　　"Stop!!!" Zhao Youde's nightmare finally stopped me loudly at the last moment.

　　"What? You want to go back on your word?" I pretended that it took a lot of effort to stop the force and asked him with a smile.

　　"...Okay! You win!" Zhao Youde stared at me for a long time and said with a sigh.

　　How could I really smash it?! I was just pretending. Besides, I have tried to smash this seal before and it was impossible to break! I think Chen Dong also knew this very well, but why did he let Zhao Youde tell me to stop? His intention was obvious. He wanted to play this gamble with me! Let's see if I have the ability to snatch the seal from him again.

　　But unfortunately, I had no intention of giving it to him.

　　After Zhao Youde finished speaking, he tiptoed inside and looked down the hillside. I knew this guy was observing whether Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer were at a safe distance.

　　I was quite relaxed. Since they had compromised, they would definitely follow my request and either let me in to pick up Ni Qian or send Ni Qian out. Anyway, no matter which option I chose, the barrier at the door was destined to be opened.

　　"I'll open a crack now, you come in quickly. Don't be cunning! I'm warning you!" Zhao Youde saw "Zhang Shan" and "Liu Yunlong" not far below the mountain, and he felt relieved, and walked to the side of the cave.

　　This guy's movements were very strange, first he produced something from nowhere, then he patted and fiddled in the air for a long time like he was feeding a small animal. Then a miracle happened, one side of the hole began to melt, gradually, getting bigger and bigger, until it was big enough for one person to pass through, then it stopped.

　　"Come in!" The guy was guarding the entrance of the cave with a vigilant look.

　　I pretended to scratch my head and signaled to Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan above, asking them to come down immediately, and then I slipped into the horn hole.

　　After entering, I found that this barrier melted quickly and healed even faster! Seeing that it was shrinking under Zhao Youde's nightmare, and Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong behind him were still outside. In a critical situation, I had an idea and took out Zhao Youde's own pupil seal from another pocket, turned his body to face the cave, and said: "You keep your word, and I will also show my sincerity. As long as Ni Qian is fine, we can discuss anything. Here, take it first!" After that, I handed him the pupil seal.

　　Yan never thought I would be so straightforward! I handed over what they wanted most as soon as I came in. At first he was a little worried about the door, but as soon as I took out the pupil seal, this guy's attention was all on the glass eyeball.

　　Chapter 102: The True Image of the Pupil Seal

　　Chapter 102: The True Image of the Pupil Seal

　　"Hey, you have lived for more than 20 years in vain! Aren't you quite capable?" Zhao Youde saw the pupil seal and took it with a smile. But when he was about to say the second sentence, his face suddenly stiffened and he looked down at the pupil seal in his hand.

　　Before handing it to him, I secretly told Zhao Youde's soul that once they came into contact, they would immediately exchange thoughts. This guy changed color at this time, so he should know what was going on, because he was also receiving the memory of the soul at the same time.

　　“You…you…” He finally understood what was going on. His face changed drastically. He pointed at me and said, “You actually…put him in the golden coffin…”

　　"Haha, I don't have much ability." Seeing that he was about to throw away the pupil seal, I quickly grabbed this guy's hand and continued, "But I have a problem, that is, I will never leave things halfway done! Half a year ago, in order to take you in, I took your soul in by mistake. Today, I came here specially to settle the bill!"

　　Without Chen Dong, this nightmare is nothing, so under my control, he has no way out.

　　Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong had already rushed in, and the slowly healing hole behind them was only half the size of the original. I was just thinking about how to deal with this nightmare, when I saw a yellow light flying in from outside. Before I could see who it was, "Pah! Pah! Pah!" three times, the nightmare's eyebrows, chest and vest were dotted with red cinnabar, and he was immediately unable to move.

　　It was not until the yellow light stopped that I could see clearly that it was Liu Yaer.

　　The cave that Nightmare had opened just now was already intact. But the barrier at the entrance of the cave was quite interesting. It was like a one-way glass. From the outside looking in, you couldn't see anything; but from the inside looking out, you could clearly see everyone on the hillside in the distance.

　　Zhang Shan took one last look at the barrier behind him and said, "Let him stay here first! Rush in quickly! Watch out for Chen Dong's desperate actions!"

　　In other words, there are only four of us coming in at this time.

　　Fortunately, there seemed to be light deep in the cave. We didn't dare to breathe. After taking the pupil seal out of Yan's hand, we tiptoed quickly inside.

　　The Trumpet Cave is in an "L" shape. There is a straight path at first, and after more than 100 meters, there is a 90-degree corner and a left turn. Turning around, there is a relatively open space, and at the end is another cave entrance, leading to the Baicaoping.

　　During this journey, I received information from Zhao Youde's pupil seal while giving them a general idea of ​​the situation.

　　Zhao Youde's soul also knew that time was running out, so he only picked up the main thing and told me that Chen Dong had found what he had been looking for for six hundred years. This time, he made such a big scene in Shanjia Village just for the Taihang foundation stone under Baicaoping, and wanted to use what he found to try to take Wanhunchong for himself!

　　But this guy is very suspicious. Even his confidant, Zhao Youde's Nightmare, didn't know what to do specifically. He just followed orders to do some peripheral things. The specific key steps were all completed by Chen Dong himself. So the information we got from Tong Xi was surprisingly little!

　　As soon as I turned the corner, I heard a long-lost voice: "Haha, it's not easy! It's really not easy!"

　　At the end of the "L" shape of the trumpet cave is a narrow stone cave of several hundred square meters. It is not very deep, but it is more than 20 meters wide and three stories high. There are several piles of firewood burning around it, illuminating the entire cave with lights.

　　But what surprised us most was that there were hundreds of giant "silkworm pupae" hanging densely from the top of the cave, all hanging more than three meters above the ground.

　　…Looking more closely at those “silkworm pupae”, they turned out to be people! Each person was wrapped in brown stuff, with only a head exposed, and the head was facing down, facing a small bottle on the ground.

　　"Pop!" A sound came from a small bottle nearby. We looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the bottle was already half full of red liquid. Of course, it was blood!

　　And Chen Dong was standing at the entrance of the cave leading to Baicaoping!

　　After saying that, the guy clapped his hands a few times, then pointed at me and said, "Boy, I thought you didn't dare to bet with me, but I didn't expect that I was wrong! You have courage! You have guts! What do you think? Are you interested in doing something big with me?"

　　"Chen Dong! What do you want?!" Zhang Shan saw the culprit, his eyes were spitting fire. He grew up in this Shanjia Village, and now seeing his fellow villagers hanging there, with their lives hanging in the balance, he could hardly hold back.

　　"Haha, don't get excited!" Chen Dong was obviously very confident. He even took a step towards us and continued, "I just gathered these people for temporary use. I will release them after I'm done using them! After all, I have to be responsible for my future people!"

　　This guy has already thought of himself as the emperor before he has accomplished anything.

　　"What do you think? You won't consider it? I'm sincerely inviting you!" Chen Dong calmed down when he saw that we knew the villagers were alive. He then said, "Whether any of you wants to achieve great things in the future, I will support you!"

　　"Hmph! What makes you think you can do that? We have already figured out the situation here a long time ago. Do you think you can control the Wanhun Chong and Taihang Foundation Stone with your little Taoist skills?" After hearing this, Liu Yunlong couldn't help but mock him.

　　"Haha, you're right!" I didn't expect Chen Dong to admit it so straightforwardly, but he obviously had something else to say. "I have no ability to control any one of the Taihang Foundation Stone and the Wanhun Chong. But if I add this, it will be different!" As he said this, he took out something from his back, brought it in front of him, and stroked it while looking at it carefully.

　　This is... a pupil seal!

　　Of course I don't think that this is the one in my pocket. From the time I entered the cave until now, it is closest to him, but there is still a distance of 20 to 30 meters between us, so he has no chance to take it.

　　However, to be safe, I subconsciously touched my pocket.

　　But when I saw it, I was immediately scared out of my wits! The pupil seal that I had put in my right pocket had disappeared!!!

　　I touched my left pocket again, and there was one, but it was Zhao Youde's! I couldn't remember it wrongly, because I was afraid that it would be absorbed, so I deliberately put Zhao Youde's pupil seal in my left pocket. Could it be...

　　Chen Dong saw me looking at him, smiled slightly, took off the pupil seal in his hand with three fingers and said: "Are you wondering why it is here with me?"

　　I just stared at him, waiting for his answer. Anyway, this guy had no plans to take the next step for the time being. We can take it back later with our numbers!

　　"There's nothing strange about it." Liu Yaer suddenly added: "If I'm not mistaken, the soul sealed inside should be your own, right?"

　　"Oh? Incredible! Incredible!" Chen Dong's eyes lit up, staring at Liu Yaer and said, "I never thought you young boys are so capable!" This guy acted like an old man, and spoke to us as if he was educating children, which made people feel particularly uncomfortable.

　　"How did you know?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but ask Liu Yaer.

　　"This is not surprising, I've seen it a lot! The pupil seal is made of the soul, just like the nightmare and the soul are connected, they are attracted to each other. His own pupil seal can be taken away with just his mind as long as he is within close range." Liu Yaer explained to us in two simple sentences.

　　Oh! ~~ I suddenly realized that it was Chen Dong's soul, but he sealed it in a special way. No wonder this thing "ate" the dice, because the dice also contained Chen Dong's memory.

　　Chapter 103: The War is Coming

　　Chapter 103: The War is Coming

　　Chen Dong looked at his pupil seal, and seemed to be filled with emotion. He said to himself, "Alas, in the past six hundred years, even I don't know how many lives of my soul have been imprisoned here. But, it's finally time for you to play a role!"

　　"Since you could have taken it away earlier, why did you let me keep it with you?!" Ever since I heard what Liu Yaer said just now, I've always had a thorn in my heart. I feel like a fool, being fooled around by Chen Dong.

　　“Hahahaha!” Chen Dong laughed up to the sky and said, “That’s because I will still need your help in the end. Therefore, both you and the pupil seal must be present. Since both of us need to be present, is there any difference whether you hold it or I hold it?”

　　I vaguely realized that we might have fallen into the trap carefully set by Chen Dong again.

　　I wanted to ask him, "Aren't you afraid that I won't bring it with me?", but after thinking about it, I decided not to. Even if I didn't bring it with me, he would have a way to make me bring it with me, or even a way to get it back directly, so asking him would only bring shame upon myself.

　　"Stop talking nonsense! Release the villagers right now!" Zhang Shan had been impatient for a long time and finally couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted at Chen Dong.

　　"Haha, it seems... in the agreement just now, I only agreed to release the girl, not the villagers, right?" Chen Dong laughed and teased, and then continued: "However, if you are willing to cooperate with me, let alone these villagers, after I succeed, even if I give you a country to govern, it will be no problem!"

　　"What is your purpose?" I was very curious about his motive.

　　"This world has been in constant war for years, and it has almost never stopped since the existence of humans." Chen Dong probably wanted to impress us, so he began his speech: "I will use my own power to unify the world and bring it under the governance of the same regime. Naturally, no unpleasant things will happen. Isn't this good? The only way to eliminate war is to have a unified and powerful regime leading the way!"

　　"Bah! You are a dictator!" Liu Yunlong interrupted Chen Dong without any politeness.

　　"It doesn't matter!" Chen Dong shrugged and said, "You can say I'm a dictator or I want to be an emperor, but this is what I think. Whether you can understand it or not is your business. But as long as I have the possibility and ability, I will do it! And complete it!"

　　"Stop talking nonsense! Hand over the pupil seal!" Before Zhang Shan finished speaking, his figure had already started moving and rushed towards Chen Dong quickly.

　　Chen Dong had no intention of avoiding it, and he just stood there, holding the pupil seal, and looked at us with a smile. I was about to remind Zhang Shan to be careful, but the two of them had already faced each other.

　　I didn't see clearly what Chen Dong did, but after he easily dodged Zhang Shan's powerful punch, Zhang Shan suddenly flew backwards, obviously being hit.

　　"Bang!" Zhang Shan fell to the ground, somersaulted several times, and rolled back to a place not far in front of us, covered in dust.

　　"Bang!" I was about to help him up when a gunshot rang out. Liu Yunlong seized the perfect opportunity and quickly drew his gun and shot Chen Dong. In order to rush in, he and Zhang Shan both had guns, but Zhang Shan was too lazy to use them.

　　Looking at Chen Dong again, he immediately fell on his back on the ground, motionless.

　　...hit!!!

　　But before we could be happy, we saw him slowly stand up, and a small black dot appeared in the middle of his brow. Liu Yunlong opened his mouth wide, he knew exactly where he was hit.

　　Chen Dong scratched his forehead a few times, then threw a small object casually, which fell to the ground with a "dang" sound... It was a bullet!!! This... This guy, is he still a human? !

　　"It's okay! It hurts! Don't shoot randomly!" Chen Dong frowned and rubbed his forehead, and the bullet hole quickly disappeared.

　　"You...how did you...do it?" Liu Yaer was also completely shocked by this scene, and asked Chen Dong stutteringly.

　　"Haha, this is a secret technique from the northwest, called the Gathering Incense Technique." Chen Dong thought for a moment and said, "Don't you want to know why I captured so many people? It's for this! The name of the Gathering Incense Technique sounds warm, but it's actually much more terrifying to do! First, find ninety-nine people, and these ninety-nine people must be of the same clan and have close blood ties. Then, I will feed them a kind of herb. This herb can precipitate the essence in the human body and blood, and it will no longer circulate with the blood."

　　As he spoke, he came to the bottom of a villager hanging upside down, picked up a bottle, and continued: "Then, like this, I will hang them upside down. Three days later, when the essence in the body has settled in the blood vessels under the scalp, I will pierce a very small hole in the Baihui point on the top of each person's head. This hole must not be big, it must be very small, to ensure that only seven drops of blood are left per person every day. Finally, I will let out a part of my own blood in stages every day, and then transfuse their blood into my body. After 49 days of this, my body functions will reach the peak of human beings, and I can extend my lifespan by hundreds of years. I can detoxify and avoid all kinds of diseases. Even after my body is damaged, it will have a recovery and reconstruction speed that ordinary humans do not have at all."

　　"Ninety-nine people? Who are you kidding? There are only ninety-six people in this village!" Liu Yunlong remembered it very clearly, because last night in Banyan Village, we heard the code name "Ninety-six Highlands" from Captain Luo.

　　Suddenly, a clue flashed through my mind, and I hurriedly asked Chen Dong: "Those four children in the town at the foot of the mountain, you kidnapped them, right?!"

　　"Haha, you think very quickly!" Chen Dong pointed at me and continued, "Yes, there are only ninety-six people in this village, and one of them is an old man whose surname is not Shan, so I can only find four more from the foot of the mountain, and they must be people or descendants of Shanjia Village."

　　The one whose surname is not Dan is naturally Zhang Shan’s master.

　　"How many days have you been doing this?" Liu Yaer, who had been silent all the time, suddenly asked.

　　"Haha! I'm not afraid to tell you that I only did it for half a month." Chen Dong said cheerfully: "But it's enough. Although it still hurts to be beaten, the recovery time is slow, and if the injury is serious, you will die. But you don't seem to have brought in heavy weapons, otherwise I will really have to explain! Haha."

　　No wonder this guy is so fearless!

　　"I want to know..." I took the opportunity to ask him again: "You have never come out of here, so how did you get to the bottom of the mountain and capture those four children?"

　　In fact, this question is very important. No matter how powerful Chen Dong is, he can't clone himself. If someone else is doing it, it means that in addition to Zhao Youde, this guy has other helpers. Because Zhao Youde was busy taking Ni Qian up the mountain at that time.

　　"Before answering the question, would you please consider my suggestion again?" Chen Dong did not rush to answer, but lobbied us again.

　　"Just give up on this idea!" Zhang Shan seemed to be injured. He sat on the ground for a long time before he felt better. He stood up and replied to him sternly.

　　"He doesn't agree, what about you?" Chen Dong still didn't give up and asked the three of us again.

　　Chapter 104 Let’s Get Started

　　Chapter 104 Let’s Get Started

　　"I don't understand. If the incense-gathering technique is so powerful, why do you still need the pupil seal?" He can choose not to answer me, and I can choose not to answer him. Anyway, there is no need to rush into action until the problem is clear.

　　"Haha, the incense gathering technique only enhances the physical fitness, not the ability. And what I want is the supreme magic power that can rival that of God!" Chen Dong raised the pupil seal in his hand high up with an arrogant look.

　　"Then this pupil seal can make you like a god?" I deliberately said it in a non-convincing manner, hoping to lead him to tell us his thoughts.

　　"Hahaha!" Chen Dong laughed out loud after hearing that. Who is he? He is 600 years more worldly-wise than us. To be honest, I seem to be a little clever, but even if this guy sees through it, he will tell. Because Chen Dong is too confident, he looks down on us from the bottom of his heart and doesn't regard us as opponents at all.

　　As expected, after Chen Dong finished laughing, he rubbed his stiff face and said, "Okay! If you want to know, I'll tell you something! Otherwise, you won't believe it, and if you don't believe it, it will be difficult for me to recruit you."

　　After a pause, he continued, "Do you still remember my master's real name?"

　　"Zhou Qiao?" I have entered Chen Dong's memory and "played" the role of his master, so I have an impression of him. Chen Dong's master is the Taoist "Zhou Tiezui", whose real name is Zhou Qiao, and he is also the disciple that Li Shanchang entrusted the Hundred Legs Formation to before his death.

　　"Yes, actually what I told you last time was not the truth." Chen Dong put away the pupil seal, and continued with his hands behind his back: "My master was chased by Zhu Yuanzhang's soldiers for seven days and seven nights. He knew that if he didn't die, he would be found one day even if he ran to the ends of the earth. So he finally gave up everything and swallowed the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone on the Hundred-legged Formation, intending to hand over the formation manual and his life. My master thought that swallowing the Chicken Blood Stone was just to complete a blood curse, but who knew that it was not the case at all. Before he died, the Chicken Blood Stone in his body had already changed."

　　"Hmm..." Chen Dong paused and continued, "Let me put it simply. The bloodstone saved his soul and nightmare. Even if his body was destroyed, his soul and nightmare would not dissipate and would slowly merge into one, allowing him to reincarnate."

　　"Merge into one?" I was a little puzzled: "After becoming one, is it a soul? Or a nightmare?"

　　"Haha, it's similar to humans. Before death, there is no soul nightmare, only one spiritual body." Chen Dong smiled and said, "After each reincarnation, this unified spiritual body not only exists and has previous memories, but also a new soul nightmare will be generated in the new body. How to say it? According to modern psychology, such a person has a dual personality! And according to medicine, it is schizophrenia!"

　　I have some understanding now. It can be said that after a living person swallows the Yin-transforming Bloodstone, his spirit has completely transcended the physical body, and with regard to reincarnation, it is equivalent to skirting the law.

　　"You... have also swallowed the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone?!" Zhang Shan's thoughts went further and connected it to Chen Dong.

　　"Hehehe." Chen Dong smiled without saying anything.

　　"This... this is impossible?" I was a little bit incredulous: "Hasn't the method of refining Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone been lost long ago?"

　　"Don't you forget who his master is?" Liu Yaer reminded from the side: "Li Shanchang knows the method of refining the Yin-transforming Chicken Bloodstone. As his eldest disciple, how could you not know it? As the only disciple of his eldest disciple, you should also know it."

　　This fox knew it so clearly, it seemed that Zhang Shan or Liu Yunlong had told him about it.

　　"That's right, the piece you broke in the city hospital was not my master's, but was made by my master and me." Chen Dong "confessed" everything we guessed. We originally thought that there was only one chicken blood stone, but who knew that the truth was not like that!

　　...Oh! I get it! Since Chen Dong was willing to kill Zhou Tiezui, it means that he had already discovered all of Zhou Tiezui's secrets and that he was no longer useful, so he killed him and took the Hundred-foot Array Formation Manual for himself. At the same time, this guy reincarnated repeatedly in the past six hundred years, and in each life he sealed his soul and absorbed the nightmare.

　　As an insider, Chen Dong's natural light could not suppress Zhou Tiezui even if he removed his physical body, so this guy must have used some special method to seal Zhou Tiezui up...

　　...Seal? It suddenly occurred to me that the seal in his hand might be...

　　As soon as I looked up at him, Chen Dong seemed to see through my thoughts. He raised the corner of his mouth and said, "You must be wondering where my master is, right? That's right! This pupil seal not only contains my soul, but also his!"

　　Then what was he looking for after reincarnating repeatedly for six hundred years? Was it just to completely destroy the sealed Zhou Tiezui? ... This is unlikely. If Chen Dong wanted, he could find a place where no one would find it for ten thousand years and hide the pupil seal.

　　His actions clearly showed that the pupil seal had a more important use. Perhaps it was a magic elixir that could directly enhance one's abilities!

　　Thinking of this, I knew that I had asked all the questions I needed to ask. Whatever he had been waiting for or looking for in the past six hundred years, it seemed that he had already found the result. The pupil seal was in Chen Dong's hands, and he could complete the final step at any time. By then, even if we wanted to stop him, we would have no chance. We had to act now!

　　"It's not too late for you to turn back now!" I finally advised him, "You are going against the will of heaven by doing this, and it will not work!"

　　"Well! I can only express my regret!" Chen Dong shrugged his shoulders and said, "After saying so much, you still insist on your own way. Then I will solemnly introduce my two little pets to you. Maybe you will like them! As for your first question just now, there will be a result soon." After that, he waved to us, turned around and walked out of the cave to the Baicaoping.

　　"Stop!" Zhang Shan was afraid that he would leave in other ways, so he was about to chase him, but a strong wind blew up behind us.

　　"Be careful!" Liu Yaer was standing closer to the side, and perhaps she saw the danger behind her, so she quickly reminded.

　　Zhang Shan reacted quickly as always, and he rolled sideways and escaped from the range of the strong wind. I felt that the wind was coming from behind and above my chest, so I had to throw myself forward and try to lie on the ground.

　　As soon as I lowered my head, there was a "whoosh" sound, and a big guy flew past from above, brushing my scalp.

　　Before I could see what it was, Liu Yaer screamed at me again. But this time I couldn't hide, and when I felt something was wrong, something was already stuck to my thigh.

　　When I dodged the first attack, I had already leaned forward in order to lie down quickly, and now I couldn't move my legs. Suddenly, a huge force hit my legs, and I flew out.

　　I fell several times in the air, feeling dizzy, and landed heavily on the ground. Fortunately, I landed flat on my back. If I had landed head first, my neck would have been broken. Even so, I fell pretty hard, and I lay there for a long time without recovering.

　　My mind was confused and my ears were out of control. I could vaguely hear Zhang Shan and the other two shouting, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand what they were shouting.

　　I tried to sit up, and I felt like I was drunk, swaying, and my vision was blurry and double. It seemed that this was really serious! I used all my strength and borrowed the power of the "Human Circle" of the Wuwei Seal to tap my forehead. After this, the situation improved.

　　Chapter 105: Red Flame Leech King

　　Chapter 105: Red Flame Leech King

　　"Uncle Master! Get out of the way!"

　　"Old Wang! Be careful!"

　　As soon as I regained consciousness, I heard Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong and others yelling at me.

　　The strong wind from before appeared beside me again. I realized it and didn't dare to think about it. I immediately rolled to the left.

　　"Bang!" As soon as I left the previous position, I heard a muffled sound behind me. This time I was sure that there was no danger for the time being, so I dared to stop. I looked up and saw a huge... monster! It was lying where I was just now.

　　This "figure" looks familiar. It is called a monster because it is more than two meters long, with the same thickness from head to tail, and a diameter about the same as a bucket. It is covered with orange-red scales, which sparkle brightly under the light of the fire.

　　I was just about to get up to take a closer look when suddenly, from behind this "monster", another one flew out and rushed straight towards me. It was exactly the same size, and the end facing me had a circle of sharp teeth!

　　Red Flame Leech!!!

　　Damn! These are actually two oversized red flame leeches!

　　"Bang, bang, bang!" Liu Yunlong finally fired, but the bullet made a "ding ding" sound when it hit the animal. I even felt the bullet bounce off and stick to my scalp, and I didn't know where it flew to.

　　I had no choice but to roll over again. Luckily, this guy couldn't turn in the air, otherwise, even if it just fell down, it would have crushed me to death!

　　This time I fell under the villagers hanging in the cave, and I don’t know how many bottles I knocked over. Finally, a pair of big hands grabbed me and pulled me up.

　　"Uncle master, are you okay?" Zhang Shan's voice sounded in his ears.

　　I stood up and moved around. Apart from the pain all over my body from the collision, I was wearing thick clothes and my joints were still able to move, so it seemed that I didn't suffer any serious injuries.

　　"Look!" Liu Yunlong came over and whispered, pointing not far ahead.

　　I saw that the two oversized red flame leeches stopped chasing and fighting me and came to where I had just rolled, greedily sucking the blood flowing out of the broken glass bottle.

　　After seeing it clearly, I was even more surprised. These two red flame leeches were different from the ones we saw in the hot springs before. They did not move by curling up, but had four claws under their bodies near their heads and tails to support the weight of their bodies. But these claws looked like human hands.

　　At the end where the teeth were, that is, the head, there was a face that looked like a human, with eyes, nose, and mouth, but all facing the sky. The eyes were still open, showing a light gray color of death.

　　Obviously, Liu Yunlong's previous round of shooting did not cause any damage to them.

　　"What the hell is this? It's invulnerable to swords and guns!" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but exclaimed when he saw that they felt nothing after being shot and were still trying hard to suck the blood on the ground.

　　"Chen Dong is such a heartless guy! He actually connected a human body with a red flame leech!" Liu Yaer saw something and said with gritted teeth, "Look, there is a human face on the backs of these two guys. If I'm not mistaken, the head was transplanted on later! Including the hands, it is also to allow them to move on various surfaces."

　　I looked closely and it was indeed the case! I had originally thought that the human face was a natural formation, like some spiders with skull patterns on their backs. Who knew this was actually the case!

　　"But... what's the point of him putting his human body together with this guy?" This is what I want to know most.

　　"Didn't you hear what he said just now?" Zhang Shan interrupted, "I'll answer your first question right away. It seems that the four children who were lost in the town were probably brought up by these two things."

　　"No way?! The spring in the town can actually lead here?!" Liu Yunlong was shocked after hearing this.

　　"That's hard to say. You've seen what's inside, including the artificially blocked spring water, which is very telling! Even if it's impossible to get through, there must be a relatively hidden exit on the mountain." Zhang Shan frowned and said, "But I still don't understand how they brought those children out of the boiling hot spring passage and ensured that they didn't die?"

　　"It's so big, why don't we just swallow it first and then spit it out when we get here?" Liu Yaer said casually.

　　When Zhang Shan and I heard this, we were shocked. This is not impossible!

　　"Look...why are you looking at me? Do you think I'm right?" Liu Yaer found that we were both looking at him and felt a little embarrassed.

　　…Forget it, there’s no point thinking about it now. When I thought about the scene of swallowing it and spitting it out, my stomach started to twitch.

　　"So what you mean is... if we put a human head on them, they can be as sensible as humans?" I continued to think about Zhang Shan's words.

　　"He's definitely not as sensible as a child, but I guess he has a very simple way of thinking, and as long as he obeys orders, that's enough." Zhang Shan continued to reason.

　　"Okay! Stop analyzing. People are already here, why are you still studying that shit?" Liu Yunlong couldn't help but urged, "Find a way to get rid of them first!"

　　In fact, during the discussion, I had already tried to figure out how to deal with these two monsters. Although they were sucking blood from the ground, they were very sensitive to our every move. If we moved a little, the two guys would turn their dead faces on their backs and stare at us with their gray eyes, which made my hair stand on end.

　　Moreover, these two guys were blocking the road leading to Baicaoping. If we wanted to get through, we had to pass them first.

　　"Hurry up and think of a solution!" I also urged Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer anxiously. They should have dealt with this kind of thing before and know what to do. Otherwise, after they finish sucking the blood on the ground, they might come to attack us again.

　　But they were at a loss as to what to do. Just as they were at a loss, Liu Yaer suddenly shouted, "Oh no! Look at the hole!"

　　We looked in the direction of his finger and saw that the area around another hole not far behind the two monsters seemed to be shrinking. The thing causing this was the same translucent substance as the one at the previous hole.

　　This won't do!!! If that place is also sealed, not only will we be unable to get out, but we won't even be able to stop Chen Dong's next move, which means we will be completely defeated!

　　"It must be these two guys who are causing trouble!" I thought for a moment and said, "Just now I saw Zhao Youde's movements before he opened the door. It looked like he was feeding something. Maybe that barrier was created by these two guys!"

　　"I can't care about that anymore!" Zhang Shan looked around and said, "Uncle Master, I'll find a way to lead them away. The three of you take this opportunity to rush out and stop Chen Dong!"

　　"How can that be?! You can't beat them..." Before I could finish my words, Zhang Shan rushed towards the two red flame leeches.

　　"Liu! Cover Lao Zhang!" I saw that he had already started to move, so I had to tell Liu Yunlong while I rushed up. Although I didn't know how to subdue them, at least I could help Zhang Shan when he was in danger.

　　Chapter 106: A Secret Trick to Defeat the Enemy

　　Chapter 106: A Secret Trick to Defeat the Enemy

　　The reaction of these two red flame leeches was not slow at all. As soon as Zhang Shan moved, they stopped sucking blood and made a "woohoo" sound like a dog towards us.

　　After they confirmed that Zhang Shan was coming for them, the two guys immediately dispersed to the left and right.

　　They're scared? I don't believe it!

　　Sure enough, the two guys just moved a few steps to the left and right, and when they formed a certain angle, they bent their bodies and immediately rushed towards Zhang Shan.

　　"You go to the left, I go to the right!" I had already caught up with Zhang Shan, pushed him to the left, and went to the right. Zhang Shan wanted to pull me, but I had already run several steps away. He looked at me helplessly and had to accept this suggestion and go to the left.

　　The only difference between the one in front of me and the other one was that the face on its back had two small mustaches. It rushed a few meters, then raised its upper body and stopped moving. Soon, when I was three or four meters away, this guy suddenly straightened up and rushed towards me at a very fast speed, and at the same time his body was already in the air.

　　This was not the first time I had dealt with the Red Flame Leech. It seemed that this close-range "spear charge" was their specialty. I naturally would not be fooled. I had already placed my left hand on the Inaction Seal, intending to strike a fatal blow to it when the opportunity arose.

　　Finally, when this thing flew to my chest, I twisted my body and turned sideways, and stretched out my left hand, intending to tap it first. But when I pointed my finger in front of its mouth, I suddenly thought of a problem - this thing has nothing but a big mouth and teeth! Where should I tap? !

　　I was distracted for a moment when I felt my finger touching it, so I quickly pulled my hand back. Then there was a crisp "crack" sound, and the teeth of this guy hit each other. Fortunately, I pulled my hand back quickly, otherwise my finger would be gone!

　　But when we passed by, I saw the face on its back... That's right! Touch the face! My mind raced, and I reached out my hand again. But the opportunity was fleeting, and I stretched out my whole arm, but I still couldn't touch the face. I just scratched its tail and separated.

　　We stopped three meters away with our backs to each other. I quickly turned around and wanted to take a look at Zhang Shan's situation, but this guy didn't give me any time to rest. He shrank his body and flew towards me again.

　　All right! Come on! I'm going to give you a taste of your power this time!

　　I prepared myself again and rushed towards the red flame leech in front of me. This was a bit like the horse fighting duel of European knights, they didn't dismount, the horses didn't stop, and they would stagger after one move.

　　This was a great opportunity, and I did the same as before. When we were about to collide, I twisted my body to the side, waited for the guy's front teeth to pass, and then I reached out and pointed at the face.

　　But as soon as I stretched out my hand, the thing actually moved! I don't know how it spun in the air, and suddenly the face turned to the outside. Now I couldn't see it, and I couldn't even reach it with my hand.

　　I was wondering what this guy was up to, and I was still staring at its middle body in a daze when I felt a strong wind blowing on my right face. Turning my head, I finally realized that I had been tricked! I didn't expect that I would be bitten by the snake instead of catching it. This guy not only turned around, making it impossible for me to succeed, but also bent its body to form an "L" shape!

　　By the time I noticed it, the bucket-sized body had already reached my chest. At this height, I couldn't escape it no matter I squatted or jumped. I had no choice but to watch it knock me down. Fortunately, I was only swept by it. If I was knocked over directly, I would probably have broken several ribs!

　　He rolled on the ground and was about to stand up when a mouth as big as a basin and full of sharp teeth appeared in front of him.

　　"Bang! Bang! Bang!..." The gunshots rang out again.

　　It seemed that I hit this guy. He paused, gave up on me temporarily, raised his upper body, turned his head, and looked for the "person who hit him".

　　The gun must have been fired by Liu Yunlong. Although we know that it cannot cause any harm to him, it is still a good way to attract attention.

　　Taking advantage of this opportunity, I quickly climbed up. The big bug really gave up on me and rushed towards Liu Yunlong.

　　"Get out of the way!" I saw Liu Yunlong standing still, shooting at the red flame leech, as if he wanted to shoot out all the bullets in the gun. I couldn't help but shout at him. Because this guy doesn't seem to be very fast now, but when he gets close, he will suddenly rush. At that speed, Liu Yunlong will definitely not be able to dodge!

　　But Liu Yunlong acted as if he didn't hear anything and fired a shot from time to time. Until the red flame leech came to a distance of three meters, it suddenly shrank and then bounced, flew off the ground, and flew towards Liu Yunlong.

　　I thought it was over, even if Liu Yunlong didn’t die, he would be seriously injured!

　　"Bang, bang, bang!" Three more gunshots were heard, and the man and the bug rolled into a ball and slid far away on the ground.

　　"Liu!" I saw this scene and didn't react until they both stopped moving. I didn't care about Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer and hurried towards Liu Yunlong.

　　Damn it! If Liu Yunlong makes any mistake this time! I will cut Chen Dong into pieces!!!

　　When I saw it in front of me, my mind went blank.

　　The red flame leech lay on Liu Yunlong's body, twitching from time to time, and Liu Yunlong had his eyes closed. His arms were clenched together because he had just held the gun, so everything below the elbows was swallowed by this guy.

　　"Damn it! Spit it out!!!" I punched and kicked the red flame leech, but it refused to let go.

　　After venting his anger, he calmed down a bit and remembered to use the Wuwei Seal. He quickly tapped the disgusting man's face, but there was no movement.

　　I tapped it two or three times, but it still didn't respond. I lost my composure again, went to the other side of the red flame leech, picked it up, and pulled it while cursing, "Open your fucking mouth!"

　　"Ouch! Don't move, don't move, don't move!" After just pulling twice, Liu Yunlong's voice was heard from the front.

　　"Liu!" I quickly put down the guy's tail, went back to the front, and asked randomly, "You're not dead?!"

　　"Nonsense! Have you ever seen anyone die immediately after an arm injury?!" Liu Yunlong rolled his eyes at me and said, "It hurts so much when you pull it. This guy is dead! You have to pry open his mouth first before you can get my arm out! The flesh is stuck in his teeth!"

　　"Dead?" I was very surprised. Wasn't he invulnerable? "How did he die?"

　　"Ouch~ It's bulletproof on the outside, but it can't be bulletproof on the inside, right?" Liu Yunlong must have been in great pain, and said with a grin, "Help me first~ Boss, pull it out first!"

　　"Oh!" Then I understood why Liu Yunlong didn't move just now. This guy was waiting for the moment when the Red Flame Leech flew into the air and opened its mouth, so he shot into its body.

　　It's a pity that he could think of this! It's so dangerous. If he's not careful, the red flame leech has three layers of teeth inside and outside. If he doesn't die after being hit, this guy will strangle him again, and Liu Yunlong will lose both arms!

　　But he was lucky because he remained in the same position without moving, which was equivalent to stretching his arm out for the thing to swallow, which also alleviated the impact to a certain extent.

　　Chapter 107: Broken Bridge

　　Chapter 107: Broken Bridge

　　I used all my strength to pry open the mouth of the red flame leech, and watched its teeth emerge from Liu Yunlong's arm one by one. Only when almost all of them were pulled out did Liu Yunlong carefully pull his hands out.

　　The two arms were so horrible to look at. They were hanging on the cliff outside the cave entrance before, and they were already wearing thin clothes to avoid being in the way. Now they had almost no sweaters or anything else, and the red flame leeches had bitten them into half sleeves. The hands were not injured, but the arms were covered with cuts and teeth marks, some of which were so deep that the bones could be seen. It was almost impossible to find a single intact area.

　　"Fortunately, I can move. My tendons are not injured!" Liu Yunlong tried to move his fingers and asked me, "Where are Lao Zhang and the others?"

　　...Yes! Where are Zhang Shan and the others? I was so busy with Liu Yunlong that I forgot about them!

　　I turned around quickly and saw two people standing with their backs to us not far away, and in front of them was another red flame leech. But I don't know what happened? The red flame leech kept spinning and rolling in place, but didn't attack them.

　　As I walked over with Liu Yunlong, I discovered that Liu Yaer was holding...half a human head! The reason why it was half a head was because the head had no back, and the brain was exposed.

　　Looking at the red flame leech on the ground, there was obviously a big bloody hole on its back, and blood was oozing out continuously.

　　"Injured?! Let me see!" Liu Yaer turned around and saw Liu Yunlong's bloody arms. She hurriedly pulled him to sit aside, took out some medicine powder from her pocket, and helped him deal with it.

　　This guy went to treat Liu Yunlong's injuries, so he naturally handed the head to me. I picked it up and looked at it from left to right, and asked Zhang Shan, "How did you get this thing off?"

　　"This human head is connected to its central nervous system." Zhang Shan pointed at the big bug on the ground and said, "If Liu Yaer hadn't dug it off, I might have been injured too."

　　"Lao Zhang, use your gun to shoot it to death! Aim at the flesh hole! Don't let me see it writhing around again, it's so uncomfortable!" Liu Yunlong, who was sitting in the back, was also worried and said with a frown.

　　Zhang Shan pulled out his pistol and fired five shots, all hitting the bloody hole on the back of the red flame leech. The creature twitched for a while and finally stopped moving.

　　I threw away the head in my hand, and suddenly saw that after the insect died, a dark liquid gradually flowed out from its tail, just like incontinence.

　　I couldn't help but walk forward and take a closer look. I realized that this thing was very similar to the barrier at the entrance of the cave. Once it flowed out, it quickly hardened and scabbed, and it was extremely hard.

　　I didn't expect it! I really didn't expect that the barrier that we couldn't break through was actually the excrement of these two red flame leeches! This Chen Dong is really unfathomable! Just fiddling with the animals casually can keep us busy for a long time.

　　...Oh right! Barrier! I remembered that the hole leading to the Hundred Lawn seemed to be slowly expanding. Don't block it now, or it will be a disaster!

　　He turned around and looked over... Fortunately! Although a large part of it had solidified, there was still a hole in the middle that had not been filled. It might be because the two guys left the cave or died that they could not continue. But it was just enough for a man of Zhang Shan's size to get through.

　　"Hurry! Go to Baicaoping and stop Chen Dong!" Zhang Shan obviously thought of this as well. He waved his hand and immediately ran over.

　　We climbed out of the cave one by one, but the black smoke coming out from somewhere outside made us so choking that we couldn't even open our eyes.

　　Zhang Shan may have found the source of the smoke. He suddenly shouted, "Ah!... No! Chen Dong is setting fire to the ropes on the bridge. Hurry over!"

　　"Isn't it a chain bridge? Ahem...how could it burn out?!" I just climbed out and couldn't even find the bridge head in the smoke.

　　"It turns out that the chain was too old and had rusted through! It was taken down half a year ago and a new one was made to order. Now we're using a hemp rope as thick as a wrist, which catches fire easily!" Zhang Shan's voice was already several meters away.

　　The cave here happened to be in a valley, and there was no wind, so the smoke could not be blown away. But I didn't dare to delay, so I walked up as soon as I found the bridge.

　　The mountain stream between the cave and the lawn is nearly 20 meters long. Although it is not wide, it is bottomless. I remember that my legs were weak when I walked through it in my dream last time. Now the situation is critical, but I am not so scared.

　　It was not until the middle of the bridge that I looked back and saw that on both sides of the bridge, four hemp ropes as thick as wrists were burning fiercely. The smoke was pungent and unpleasant, and it was obvious that they were coated with some flammable substance.

　　Liu Yaer had also come out and just walked onto the bridge. I heard Liu Yunlong suddenly shouting behind the smoke: "Ouch! Come and help! There is something pulling my legs inside, I can't get out!"

　　Before this guy finished speaking, he could vaguely hear a sinister laugh coming from inside. ... Zhao Youde! This guy must have done this!

　　"Oh no! My immobilization spell has lost its effect!" Liu Yaer was stunned, shouted, and turned to help Liu Yunlong.

　　He turned around and took two steps when there was a loud "bang". The rope on the upper right side of the cable bridge was finally burned off, and the entire bridge tilted thirty degrees.

　　"Don't move!" Zhang Shan was only a few steps away from Baicaoping. Although he was fine, Liu Yaer and I were still in the middle and back. If we were separated, we would be in danger of falling into the ravine.

　　"Old Wang! Give me the pupil seal!" Liu Yaer didn't dare to move and turned around and stretched out her hand to me.

　　"...Oh!~" I was stunned for a moment, and then I realized that he was referring to Zhao Youde's soul, so I quickly took it out from my shirt pocket and threw it to him.

　　"Bang!" The rope on the lower right couldn't withstand the attack and broke at one end.

　　This is bad! The right side is completely broken, and there is no place to step on. We can only rely on the two on the left to keep from falling. I am fine, but Liu Yaer almost fell down in order to catch Tong Xi.

　　The guy just made a gesture with his fingers, drew a few times on the pupil seal, and said: "Okay! You have to solve your nightmare by yourself! I'll leave Liu to you!" After that, Liu Yaer threw the pupil seal into the smoke at the entrance of the cave.

　　"Come up quickly! This rope can break at any time!" Zhang Shan had already climbed onto the lawn and turned back to shout at us.

　　"Will Liu be okay?" I was still worried about Liu Yunlong, so I asked Liu Yaer anxiously.

　　"It's okay! That guy won't cause any substantial harm to Liu." Liu Yaer said as she walked over carefully, "I have strengthened the spiritual power of Zhao Youde's soul. If nothing unexpected happens, he will take away the nightmare."

　　I was relieved, but just as I turned around, the rope under my feet broke again. Fortunately, we held on tightly, and there was still one rope left, hanging in the middle of the abyss.

　　"Bang!" The last one finally couldn't bear the weight and broke completely.

　　"Ah!!!~~~~~" Liu Yaer and I pulled the rope, screaming at the top of our lungs, and crashed into the cliff opposite.

　　The rope is more than 30 meters long. Even if we were in the middle, such an angle and height would be fatal.

　　With two muffled thuds, Liu Yaer and I crashed into Baicaoping, the cliff wall of the Taihang Foundation. Fortunately, this place is relatively flat, without any protruding sharp corners, otherwise, we would be seriously injured just by this collision!

　　Despite this, we both felt dizzy, half of our bodies ached, and we almost couldn't hold on to the rope.

　　Chapter 108 On the Lawn

　　Chapter 108 On the Lawn

　　"Hurry up! There's still fire down there!" Liu Yaer kept urging me from below. As the rope came up, the flames at the break not only did not go out, but spread very quickly, already burning to his feet.

　　"..." I was hit so hard that my teeth were bared. I couldn't even speak, let alone climb up.

　　Just as I was trying to catch my breath and gather some strength, the rope began to rise on its own.

　　No need to ask, it must be Zhang Shan who is pulling us up.

　　After a while, we both climbed onto the lawn and lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Thinking back to that thrilling moment, I still feel scared. You know, it's a bottomless abyss! If you fall in by accident, you won't even be able to find your body!

　　Zhang Shan had already walked to the center of the lawn. A rectangular stone platform had risen there at some point. It was two meters long and more than one meter high. Chen Dong was sitting cross-legged on it with his eyes closed.

　　"Ni Qian!!!" I got up and saw that just behind Chen Dong, Ni Qian and Zhang Shan's master were sitting on two chairs respectively, with their eyes still closed. I couldn't tell whether they were dead or alive.

　　"Haha! You guys are able to get through like this, that's amazing!" Chen Dong happened to open his eyes at this moment, looked at us with a smile and said, "But that's good too, someone has to witness this great moment! Otherwise I'll regret it."

　　"What exactly do you want to do?" Zhang Shan came to five meters away from Chen Dong, stopped, and looked at him.

　　"Do you know what the ultimate pursuit of the Yin-walkers is?" Chen Dong glanced at the three of us and said softly, "In fact, you have misunderstood all along. Although the centipede formation is powerful, it is just a prop to achieve the ultimate goal. The real invincibility is this!"

　　As he spoke, he took out the seal from somewhere and looked at it carefully, as if he was looking at a treasure.

　　But what surprised us was that the pupil seal had completely lost its previous color, and instead exuded an enchanting red color, with something constantly flowing inside it.

　　"You...what did you do to Tongxi?!" I couldn't help but walk closer to see what was going on.

　　"Beautiful, right? Wow! It's truly the most breathtaking work of art in the world!" Chen Dong held up the pupil seal and ignored us, just talking to himself.

　　"Try to snatch it first!" Zhang Shan suddenly tilted his mouth and said to me in a very low voice.

　　"Haha! You have no chance!" Chen Dong had obviously heard our conversation. He no longer hesitated, holding the pupil seal in both hands, stood up, and slowly raised it above his head.

　　Suddenly, a myriad of red and yellow lights burst out from the pupil seal, surrounding Chen Dong, spinning continuously, and finally drilling into his ears.

　　"Damn it!" Zhang Shan cursed and immediately rushed towards Chen Dong.

　　But before he could reach there, something even more surprising happened. Chen Dong was absorbing the energy from the pupil seal while slowly floating up and breaking away from gravity!

　　"Hahaha! It's too late. The final ceremony has already begun. No one can stop me!" Chen Dong looked down at us, his eyes looking at three insignificant ants. "Only three more minutes! After noon, this world will be mine!"

　　"What on earth did you do?!" Our most unfortunate thing now is that, up to now, we still don't know what means Chen Dong used to complete his so-called "final ceremony."

　　"I am not afraid to tell you now!" Chen Dong stopped at a height of more than three meters and said, "Do you know how to refine the Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone?"

　　"What is it?" We can't hurt him now, so we can only try to find out more, and maybe we can find a way to deal with it.

　　"The method of refining Yin-transforming Chicken Blood Stone is actually very simple, but the materials are hard to find. Why have I waited for six hundred years? I'm waiting for this day!" Chen Dong paused, and then continued: "The materials are a seal holder who can run two paths at the same time, and a Yin-type relic blood owner. Just mix the blood of these two people together, and go through a few simple procedures, and wait for the two bloods to completely blend. It's just waiting for the moment when it will take effect."

　　"How do you have our blood?" I felt a chill down my spine. Although I had come into direct contact with Chen Dong, Zhang Shan and I did not bleed when we met him. Where did this blood come from?

　　"Forgot? Haha, let me remind you!" Chen Dong came down a little, looked at me and said, "Do you remember how your boss died the first time? And how did you save him?"

　　"..." Of course I will never forget this. Wu Guoxiao's death was strange because Zhao Youde's soul put a matchstick in the middle of the aorta leading to the heart. Just before the cremation the next day, Zhang Shan, Liu Yunlong and I broke into the crematorium at night and discovered this. At that time...

　　"Those hands and feet on the stretcher... were made by you?!" I finally remembered that in order to save Wu Guoxiao, Zhang Shan and I pushed him to the crematorium yard, but there was something sharp under the stretcher that cut our hands. I didn't expect that it was Chen Dong who had made the hands and feet long ago!

　　"What does this have to do with the pupil seal?" Zhang Shan was also very puzzled. Even though he collected our blood, Chen Dong obviously did not use it to refine the Yin-transforming chicken blood stone. Instead, he used it on the pupil seal.

　　"You still don't understand!" Chen Dong stretched out a finger and waved it at us, then continued: "The main purpose of your blood is to change the properties of objects. Since the extremely yang chicken blood stone can turn into yin, then the extremely yin pupil seal can naturally turn into yang."

　　Oh~ I understand! It turns out that Chen Dong is doing the opposite, turning the pupil seal into positive, because he now has a physical body and is a human. Then as a human, he must absorb positive things. He is not like me, who pursues both paths and is not afraid of yin and yang. If he insists on absorbing, he will be like Zhang Shan, who has to rely on special life-saving items to save his life in stages. So if Chen Dong wants to take the energy in the pupil seal for himself, he must first transform it into positive.

　　The reason why he asked us to be present today was just a double insurance. This guy... is too scary! Even if he has already completed something, he will have a back-up plan.

　　"After taking in so much Yang energy, aren't you afraid of bloating to death?!" Liu Yaer said hatefully.

　　"Afraid! Of course I'm afraid!" Chen Dong's face suddenly became serious. He flew around us and said, "So I have to find many soul nightmares at the same time and use a lot of Yin energy to neutralize them. This way, I can ensure that they will not be destroyed by excessive Yang energy. Originally, if it weren't for old man Qian getting in the way, I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to throw the centipede formation into the thousand-year barrier. But all this is unnecessary. In one minute, ten thousand souls will break through the barrier, and I will have the support of incomparably powerful Yin energy! The world is just around the corner! Hahahaha!"

　　We finally understood that the centipede formation was just a tool to neutralize the Zhuan Yang pupil seal. Chen Dong actually waited for six hundred years to achieve his goal, until Zhang Shan and I showed up!

　　Although the blood of the relic is rare, it can still be found if one wants to. Even if the owner's body is normal, he can find a way to turn it into a negative one. But the person who holds the seal with two paths is not someone who can be found just by looking for it. One can only wait!

　　Needless to say, if Zhou Tiezui did not have this physique, then Li Shanchang definitely did.

　　At this moment, Chen Dong's body was constantly emitting dazzling light because it had absorbed a large amount of positive energy.

　　Chapter 109: Ten Thousand Souls Breakthrough

　　Chapter 109: Ten Thousand Souls Breakthrough

　　The atmosphere had just fallen silent when the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to shake up and down.

　　...An earthquake? We are at the top of the mountain, nothing will happen, right?

　　"Bang!" The pupil seal in Chen Dong's hand fell to the ground. He quickly flew to the sky above the mountain stream where the rope bridge originally stood, opened his hands, and shouted as if no one was around: "Haha! Ten thousand souls rush! Come to me! I want to take all of you for myself!"

　　Some white air was already rising from the mountain stream, but it did not surround Chen Dong, but was circling above our heads. The ground was still shaking violently, and it was even getting more intense. I wonder if it will shake off the foundation stone of Taihang Mountain.

　　"This...what is going on?" I looked at the air currents swirling above my head, and even saw some blurry faces and shouting, but I had no idea what was going on.

　　"The Charge of Ten Thousand Souls has begun. The Taihang Foundation Stone can finally no longer hold so many soul nightmares, and it begins to release them outwards by shaking!" Liu Yaer walked over and said.

　　"We must find a way to stop him. We can't let Chen Dong come into contact with these nightmare souls!" Zhang Shan said as he looked at Chen Dong floating in the distance.

　　"We can't reach him!" I looked at Chen Dong's position, right at the entrance of the cave on the other side of the broken bridge. Even if we risked our lives and ran over, we might not be able to reach him.

　　"There's still time!" Liu Yaer said as she ran over, "These things are just gathering in the sky now. They will pass through the trumpet hole in a while, gathering from big to small, and only when they finally come out can they be effective. Ten Thousand Souls Breakthrough is for this last level!"

　　Oh~ No wonder Chen Dong chose to stop there, it turned out he was waiting for the Soul Nightmare to rush out!

　　Although we didn't have any good ideas at the moment, the three of us still ran to the broken bridge.

　　Chen Dong was obviously worried about being destroyed at the most critical moment. Seeing us approaching, he stepped back a little, always keeping a distance of more than fifteen meters.

　　More and more nightmare souls gathered above my head, howling and circling.

　　"Gun! Lao Zhang! Shoot him!" Although I knew I couldn't kill him, I still felt that if I could harass Chen Dong a little, it would be better than doing nothing at the moment.

　　"..." Zhang Shan touched it and said embarrassedly: "I just killed the bugs and threw them into the hole..."

　　...Oh, I really don’t know what to say.

　　Just as we were thinking of other solutions, the ghosts above us suddenly screamed at the same time, which scared us all. We saw them circle around the lawn and then rush to the back of the opposite mountain.

　　"Oh no! Wanhun Chong is coming!" Zhang Shan's face changed drastically and he looked at Chen Dong on the other side of the cliff.

　　Damn, this guy is so cunning! He didn't even give us a chance to die together!

　　"May God bless us!" Seeing this, Liu Yaer clasped her hands together and said, "I hope the soul nightmare forced out this time is not enough to neutralize the yang energy in his body, so that we can still have a last chance!"

　　When the powerful airflow disappeared from sight, dense gunfire rang out from behind the mountain. Apparently, they broke in from the front entrance and encountered the troops stationed by Brigadier General Feng.

　　When these guys gathered together, they obviously had the strength to compete with ordinary people, which is why they were seen by the soldiers behind the mountain.

　　"God bless you... God bless you..." Liu Yaer had already lowered her head and closed her eyes, muttering non-stop, waiting for the last few seconds to come. Zhang Shan squatted on the ground, pounding the ground in frustration.

　　Is this really how it's going to end? Are we just going to watch Chen Dong get everything he wants step by step?

　　I'm even thinking, if Chen Dong really succeeds, should we fight him to the end? Or should we first endure and surrender, and wait for the right opportunity to strike? ... No, he will definitely kill us first! Because we are his biggest obstacle, like a time bomb, always in this guy's heart.

　　Just when everyone was waiting for the last step, a dark shadow suddenly rushed out from the cave behind him, ignoring the danger of falling into the abyss, and tried to push Chen Dong away in mid-air.

　　…Liu!!! It’s Liu Yunlong!!!

　　But who is Chen Dong? As soon as Liu Yunlong rushed out, he already felt the wind behind him and quickly dodged to the side, and Liu Yunlong immediately missed!

　　"Liu!!!" The three of us couldn't help but exclaim when we saw Liu Yunlong miss his first jump and was about to fall into the ravine.

　　Just as Liu Yunlong's forward force gradually stopped, a white airflow finally rushed out of the cave. Those nightmares howled and crushed the barrier at the entrance of the cave into pieces, which showed how powerful they were!

　　We watched as the air current rushed out and lifted Liu Yunlong into the air again, forcing him onto the lawn.

　　"Lao Wang!!!~~..." I vaguely heard a familiar shout in the white air. Looking closely, I saw Liu Yunlong among them!

　　Ten thousand souls rushed out of the cave, reached the top of the lawn, and scattered in all directions. In just a few seconds, they shot to various places at the foot of the mountain and disappeared without a trace.

　　I was still thinking about what Liu Yunlong's shout and the white figure just now meant, but Zhang Shan and Liu Yaer had already dragged him over.

　　"Liu! Are you okay? Wake up!" Zhang Shan held him in his arms and patted Liu Yunlong's cheek, but he seemed to have fainted and would not open his eyes no matter how hard he tried.

　　"...You little bastard! You actually ruined my Wanhun Chong!" Just as we were busy waking Liu up, Chen Dong's voice sounded behind us again.

　　Turning around, I saw that he was still floating in the air, emitting even brighter light, but his face looked extremely ugly.

　　Although Liu Yunlong's last attack did not hit Chen Dong, his pounce forced him to move sideways subconsciously. It was at this critical moment that Wanhun Chong finally broke through the trumpet hole, escaped the constraints of the Taihang cornerstone, and completely dissipated.

　　It can be said that Liu's final desperate leap was absolutely successful! He prevented Chen Dong from absorbing the Ten Thousand Souls into his body.

　　So at this time, Chen Dong hated Liu Yunlong to the core.

　　"Protect Liu!" When Zhang Shan saw Chen Dong suddenly speeding towards him, he knew the situation was not good. He pushed the unconscious Liu Yunlong to me, then stood up, gathered his strength, and pushed Chen Dong who was swooping down with both hands.

　　There was no sound when the two men touched, but Zhang Shan flew backwards and fell several meters away.

　　"Wow!" Zhang Shan just managed to sit up and immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood.

　　Seeing that Zhang Shan had temporarily lost his fighting ability, Chen Dong once again turned his gaze to Liu Yunlong in my arms.

　　"I'm disappointed in you! Just wait for death!" Chen Dong said, swooping towards us again.

　　"Get out of the way!" Liu Yaer knew that I was holding Liu Yunlong and it was inconvenient for me to move, so she pushed us both to the side at the critical moment and quickly rolled to the side.

　　Bang! Chen Dong was obviously furious, otherwise he would have changed his tactics at the last moment. But he still hit the place where we were just sitting, and immediately sand and stones flew everywhere.

　　Chapter 110: All-out Attack

　　Chapter 110: All-out Attack

　　Stones were flying everywhere, and I had to lift up my coat and wrap Liu Yunlong up in it, for fear that he would get hit.

　　When everything stopped, I stuck my head out from my coat and saw that Chen Dong had picked up Liu Yaer and was strangling his neck.

　　"Stop!" When I saw this scene, I had to let go of Liu Yunlong and quickly gestured to him.

　　But Chen Dong no longer had the calm expression he had before. Not only was his face gloomy, but he also... seemed to be a lot fatter than before, with his cheeks swollen and shiny.

　　"What else do you want to say?" Chen Dong sneered, staring at me coldly and said, "It's nothing more than trying every possible way to delay time. I understand, it seems that there is no hope for you guys to change your minds. Therefore, you must pay the price for your almost stupid persistence!"

　　"No!!!" When I heard the last two words he said suddenly in a loud voice, I knew something was wrong and I rushed forward to try to rescue Liu Yaer.

　　But it was too late. After all, there were several meters between us, and Chen Dong had already grabbed Liu Yaer's neck.

　　"Crack!" After a crisp sound, I saw Liu Yaer slowly leaning against Chen Dong and collapsing on the ground, with her neck twisted in a strange posture.

　　"... Bastard! I will kill you!!!" I didn't expect that Chen Dong would actually do what he said and kill Liu Yaer in an instant. For a moment, the only thing left in my mind was anger, and I rushed towards him cursing.

　　"Hmph!" Chen Dong just glanced at me, and when he rushed in front of me, he just waved his hand, and I flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, and fell not far behind Zhang Shan.

　　"Want to die? I'll grant your wish!" Chen Dong did not touch Liu Yunlong, but rose into the air again, staring at Zhang Shan and me expressionlessly.

　　Needless to say, he must deal with the two of us who can still move first, and then deal with Liu Yunlong.

　　...Damn it! I didn't expect that we didn't even have the strength to fight Chen Dong for even a second! It's too tragic! If...if I could immediately notify Brigade Commander Feng and the others outside the cave, I would even ask for the Air Force to destroy this place, even with nuclear bombs! Even if more people are implicated, it's better than letting the world be shrouded in the hands of an ambitious man!

　　Just as Chen Dong leaned forward and was about to rush towards us, a puff of blood mist suddenly burst out from his neck.

　　Chen Dong was also stunned. He stopped, touched his neck, looked at the blood in his hand for a long time, and murmured, "No... Ten Thousand Souls Charge... I need Ten Thousand Souls Charge!"

　　Muttering to himself, he left us alone for a moment and quickly came to the altar in the middle of the lawn. He placed his hands on the altar, his face full of hesitation.

　　"The Yang energy in Chen Dong's body is too strong!" Zhang Shan crawled over and whispered to me, "He missed the Ten Thousand Souls Charge just now. If he doesn't quickly find a large amount of Yin energy to neutralize it, just like Liu Yaer said, his whole body will explode and he will lose this body."

　　When I thought of Liu Yaer, my breathing quickened again. I didn't expect that after just a face-to-face meeting, one of us would end up dead, one injured, and one unconscious.

　　But... even if Chen Dong's body was destroyed, he shouldn't be so panicked, right? This guy can reincarnate with his memories! ... Oh! ~ By the way, he waited for more than 600 years and finally caught me and Zhang Shan, two people with special physiques. If he waits for the next reincarnation to find us, it will be too troublesome! Besides, seeing that he is only one step away, how can he bear to give up?

　　"We must find a way to stop him!" Zhang Shan said, grabbing my right hand and saying as he worked: "This guy must be trying to sacrifice some of his Yang energy to penetrate the foundation stone, while forcing out some Yin energy to create another Ten Thousand Souls Charge!"

　　...No wonder he was hesitating. If he wanted to force out more nightmares, Chen Dong would have to sacrifice some of his Yang energy. For him, the power he would eventually gain would be greatly reduced. This was definitely not the result he wanted.

　　However, if he didn't do this, he would only have one way left, which was to continue reincarnation. Perhaps, he would have to wait another 600 years, because the most crucial pupil seal was gone.

　　As I was thinking, my right arm suddenly started shaking uncontrollably. Looking down, I saw Zhang Shan had used his own blood to draw strange symbols all over my arm.

　　At this time, these bloodstains seemed to have spirituality. Not only did they gradually merge into the skin, they even resonated with the Wuwei Seal to a certain extent, which was why they became uncontrollable.

　　I felt that this was a kind of power, a power that was about to burst out of the body and destroy everything!

　　"Cough!...Uncle Master, I'm sorry!" Zhang Shan was still coughing up blood, but only a small amount. He sat on the ground and gave me a wry smile, "I had no choice. This is a method to temporarily awaken the full power of the Wuwei Seal. It requires my blood to activate it. Your abilities will be greatly improved in a short period of time, but given your current situation, you can only last for a maximum of thirty seconds after fully releasing them! Once this time has passed, you will be in danger of being attacked by the Wuwei Seal!"

　　"Stop talking so much useless stuff! Tell me how to release it quickly!?" I didn't care about the outcome at all. I just wanted to stop Chen Dong as soon as possible.

　　“Just put your own blood on the circle of the Wuwei Seal, and when you collect it, you have to…” Zhang Shan was still talking, but I had already stood up, bit my left index finger, and put it on the circle of the sky.

　　"Remember! You only have half a minute!!!" Zhang Shan reminded again.

　　But I was already beginning to lose control of my arm, and my right arm was like a wild horse that had broken free from its shackles, dragging my body around in panic.

　　It took me several seconds to finally learn how to control it. Not daring to waste any more time, I pounced towards Chen Dong.

　　"Chen Dong! Die!" I felt that I had never felt such strong confidence and strength. I jumped onto the altar, swung my right fist, and hit Chen Dong who was standing below.

　　Chen Dong had no choice but to pull his thoughts away from the contradiction. He raised his arms, and his whole body was shrouded in a layer of golden light.

　　"Bang!!!" I punched him, and it made a very hollow sound. Chen Dong's face changed slightly, and he took two steps back. The light on his body dimmed a lot in an instant.

　　"Bang!!!" I didn't give him a chance to breathe, and threw another punch. This time Chen Dong retreated five steps, and the light on his body had basically disappeared. I knew that the opportunity had come! Success or failure depended on this final blow!

　　I took two big steps forward and, using the momentum, threw the third punch at him with the most power. The wind created by the punch surrounded the three-meter radius around us, preventing this guy from escaping.

　　"Roar!" Seeing that there was no escape, Chen Dong roared and stretched out his right fist to meet my fist.

　　"Bang!!!" As the wind from the fist dissipated after the impact, we both flew backwards at the same time.

　　Before we landed, we both spit out a large mouthful of blood in the air. This Chen Dong... is too powerful! I didn't expect that I, who activated the power of Wuwei Seal, could only fight him to a draw. At this moment, my chest was churning, and I felt indescribable discomfort, as if this punch had completely disrupted the order of my internal organs.

　　Chapter 111: Ruthless Backlash

　　Chapter 111: Ruthless Backlash

　　I just struggled to get up and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth when I heard Zhang Shan shouting in the distance: "Uncle Master! The time is up! Quickly take back the power! The method is..."

　　I was not willing to pay attention to him. Chen Dong was lying a few meters away and just raised his head. This is a great opportunity! Once lost, it will never come back! Without waiting for him to make the next move, I stood up and rushed to this guy and rode on him.

　　Chen Dong’s condition was still more serious than I thought. After all, I was able to get up after the punch, but this guy now let me ride on him and I had no ability to resist for the time being.

　　I didn't dare to hesitate and raised my right arm, intending to hit him again.

　　"Hehe!" This guy, with blood all over his mouth, said to me with a smile, "Come on! Kill me! In a few decades, I will be back! But what about you? Some will die, some will be injured, and the ones who are alive will be in their seventies or eighties by then, won't you be able to take them at my will? I've waited for six hundred years, I don't mind waiting a few more years! Come on! Hahahaha!"

　　In fact, I didn't hear a word of what this guy said. Riding on him, I could just see Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer lying in the distance in front of me.

　　...Damn it! Who cares when you come back?! If I don't kill you now, how can I face them?!

　　Amid Chen Dong's sinister smile, I finally clenched my fist and punched him in the face.

　　But... that powerful force seemed to be gradually draining from my right arm. I even saw the symbols on my arm turning from blood red to gray.

　　The moment my fist hit Chen Dong's face, my right arm turned completely gray like stone.

　　"Bang!" The fist hit Chen Dong's front teeth, and my arm was broken into pieces from the shoulder joint down after being hit!

　　This... is this the terrible backlash? !

　　Looking at my arm that instantly turned into pieces, I was so surprised that I was speechless.

　　"Hahahaha!" Although I had no strength left, I still knocked out a few of Chen Dong's front teeth and cracked his lip. "God's will! Do you know what God's will is? This is God's will!!!" Chen Dong said, and suddenly he exerted force on his waist. I couldn't adapt to the imbalance without my arms, and was knocked to the ground by him.

　　"If you want to blame someone, blame God for not giving you a chance!" Chen Dong walked up to me and kicked me in the temple.

　　I realized that I had lost my arm. I really didn't know if I would have the courage to live anymore. I was already stunned at this time, not caring at all about what this guy was going to do to me.

　　"Uncle Master!" Zhang Shan was also struggling to get up from a distance.

　　All right! Come on! Even if I fail, I'll die in a decent way!

　　Seeing that Chen Dong's toes were about to touch my temple, a blood vessel in his body burst again. This guy is still a flesh and blood vessel, so he naturally feels pain. Just at this moment, his body tilted and his toes brushed my face, allowing me to escape again.

　　Obviously, the explosion was in a relatively important part of his body. Chen Dong's chest instantly turned red. He bent down and covered his chest for a long time before he could barely stand up.

　　"Bang~!" The guy just stood up, and his left cheek burst open. Chen Dong had no choice but to give up on me again and ran to the altar immediately. He kept muttering, "I can't wait any longer... I can't wait any longer..."

　　"Come out everyone!!!" Chen Dong placed his hands on the altar, and the golden light on his body became brighter.

　　The Taihang foundation beneath my feet began a new round of shaking, and it was even more violent than the last time.

　　I was staring at Chen Dong in a daze when a small stone hit my head. Turning my head, I saw Zhang Shan holding a dagger and just cutting his left wrist. Both arms were covered in blood. I didn't know what he wanted to do.

　　"Uncle Master!" Zhang Shan saw me turn around and shouted, "You must find a way to completely destroy him! I can only help you this last time!"

　　...Oh no! I remembered! Shan Zhong, Liu Yaer's benefactor, wrote in his last letter: As long as the blood of the relic is sprinkled on the Taihang foundation stone, it can neutralize the large amount of negative energy and prevent the occurrence of the Ten Thousand Souls Rush. Could it be that Zhang Shan wants to...

　　"Lao Zhang...don't!" When I thought of this, I wanted to get up and go to stop him, but I forgot that I had lost my right arm, and my body tilted and I fell down again.

　　Zhang Shan had already stood up. He took one last look at Liu Yaer, Liu Yunlong and me, forced a smile, turned around and jumped off the cliff behind him!

　　"Zhang Shan!!!" I tried my best to climb over, but Zhang Shan didn't give me the chance to get close to me. He was still smiling at me until his last glance before he completely fell.

　　All my emotions collapsed in an instant. I didn't know what I was feeling at that moment. I cried and climbed to the place where Zhang Shan had just jumped. Looking down, I could only see the lingering clouds.

　　"Hahahaha! Come out!" After Chen Dong urged hard for a long time, he finally rose into the air again and floated towards the trumpet hole. The altar suddenly cracked, and white smoke rushed out from it.

　　Could it be that... Zhang Shan did not succeed? !

　　"Chen Dong! I'm going to tear you into pieces!!!" I struggled to get up and rushed towards him desperately. This guy had already flown out of Baicaoping, but I didn't care about his life or death at this moment? I only knew that Liu Yaer and Zhang Shan were dead, Liu Yunlong's condition was unknown, and I had already broken an arm. What was the point of living? As long as I could die together with Chen Dong, it would be worthy of everyone!

　　When I got to the edge of the lawn, I jumped up and rushed towards Chen Dong. But I was powerless and could not withstand any blows. Chen Dong did not even turn his head, but just swung his arm backwards, and I was knocked back to the lawn.

　　Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Is it that Zhang Shan has not met the conditions for neutralization? Or are we a step too late and unable to neutralize these soul nightmares before Chen Dong summons them?

　　Anyway, Chen Dong was about to complete the second Ten Thousand Soul Charge. What should I do? What should I do!

　　"Young man...young man..." Chen Dong was still looking at the air currents in the sky at the entrance of the trumpet hole. But a very slight voice sounded from the grass behind me.

　　"Who?!" I turned around vigilantly, but saw Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer lying more than ten meters away, while Ni Qian and Old Man Bai were sitting even farther away.

　　But the voice suddenly stopped after I turned around. As soon as I turned my head back, the voice of "young man" rang out again.

　　As a last resort, I stood up and began to scan the grass carefully.

　　It turned out that there was a gray round stone in the bushes about two meters behind me. This is... This is Chen Dong's own pupil seal! He just threw it here after absorbing it.

　　I picked up the pupil seal with my left hand, looking confused. This thing was sucked clean by Chen Dong, so it should be useless!

　　"You called me?" I knew it was a little ridiculous to say this, but I couldn't help but ask.

　　Chapter 112: Golden Sword and Black Armor

　　Chapter 112: Golden Sword and Black Armor

　　"Is it me, trying to stop Chen Dong?" Tong Xi suddenly heard a voice, which startled me. To be precise, it was a thought, not a sound, but to me, it was like hearing it.

　　"You... who are you?" I asked cautiously.

　　"Zhou Tiezui!"

　　"You are Zhou Tiezui?! You... haven't you been absorbed by him?!" I was shocked. The most important thing sealed in Chen Dong's pupil seal was his master Zhou Tiezui. How could this guy not take it away just now? Even if he didn't take it away, Chen Dong should definitely be able to sense it!

　　"Haha, he can seal me. I can also seal myself." The voice in the pupil seal paused for a moment, and then continued: "Chen Dong doesn't know what he will become after absorbing me. So I just need to deliberately reveal a small part to him, and then seal most of it so that he can't feel it. As long as Chen Dong feels that his body has a qualitative leap after absorbing it, it will be considered that he has been deceived!"

　　"Oh..." I seemed to understand a little. After all, my mind was extremely confused at that time, and it was not easy to understand the general idea.

　　The outer shell of the stone egg in his hand gradually fell off, and finally only the size of an egg was left, with a dark red light flowing inside.

　　"Hahaha! No one can stop me! This time, I will succeed!" Chen Dong suddenly shouted arrogantly at the entrance of the trumpet cave. I looked up quickly, and the white mist had indeed disappeared, with only a tail flashing behind the mountain top.

　　Wanhun Chong has completed its assembly and is ready to break through!

　　"Quick! The seal has been broken, absorb me!" Zhou Tiezui in the pupil seal also shouted at me: "Can you completely eliminate Chen Dong? This is the first step!"

　　"Oh!" I hurriedly exerted my strength, but found that my right side was empty. Then I remembered that my right arm was gone. Without my right arm, I would have lost the seal of inaction. How could I absorb the seal of pupil?

　　Maybe Zhou Tiezui also felt the urgency of time, and the pupil seal in his hand suddenly moved on its own and hit me in the chest.

　　"Ah!~" When my right shoulder joint was touched, it was the first time I felt pain since losing my arm, and I couldn't help but scream out loud.

　　The horn hole was hit by a sound of breaking air due to the sudden airflow, and this time, all of it rushed into Chen Dong's body without leaving a trace.

　　When I stood up by pinching my shoulder, I was surprised to find that my right arm had grown back at some point. It was not only stronger, but also covered with a layer of black armor and held a long-handled black gold sword in my hand.

　　This is……

　　"Bang!" A gunshot was heard from the cave opposite the cliff. Immediately afterwards, a cloud of blood rose behind Chen Dong.

　　Looking again, Lao Luo was walking out with a gun on his shoulder.

　　Sure enough, the first Ten Thousand Souls Charge had broken the barrier, and Song Dongfeng and his men had also arrived. At least the villagers should be out of danger now.

　　"Mortals..." Chen Dong did not check the wound on his back. He turned around, stared at the soldiers who kept rushing up and said, "You are seeking your own death!" After saying that, he raised his right hand and was about to swing at them.

　　"Stop!" Seeing the situation was critical, I subconsciously raised my right hand, and the big knife moved in a strange arc, avoiding the soldiers at the cave entrance and slashing towards Chen Dong.

　　Chen Dong did not dare to underestimate it. He gave up the idea of ​​hurting the soldiers and quickly floated upwards, barely avoiding my knife.

　　Even so, a knife mark more than ten meters long and bottomless appeared next to the stone wall where he was originally.

　　...Isn't this too powerful?! I looked at the big knife in my hand, my mouth wide open in amazement. Just standing there swinging the knife, I could actually split a crack in the cliff 20 meters away? This... is this still human power?

　　"Hmph! A flash in the pan!" After Chen Dong dodged the knife, he stood in the air and said to me coldly: "I don't care what method you used to become like this, but don't forget that your power cannot last long. One minute? Or three minutes? The Wuwei Seal is a bottomless pit. When it is completely digested, it will be what it is! Do you think you can take my life in just a few minutes? Now I will show you what eternal power is!"

　　After saying that, he cast out another layer of energy shield, blocking in front of him, and began to digest the white gas surrounding his body.

　　Wait until he has digested it before fighting? Then I am a fool! I stopped talking nonsense and slashed seven times in a row, each time breaking the barrier in front of him. But no matter how fast I moved, when the next slash came, there was a new one in front of Chen Dong.

　　But judging from the guy's face expression, he doesn't look very good either. He must be willing to sacrifice his internal strength to do this.

　　I had to stop and think about how to break the barrier and chop him at the same time. Otherwise, how long will it take to chop him? Chen Dong was right. My current situation cannot last long. Once time passes, it will be the same as it was. If I still can't kill him by then, it will be too late!

　　But I really can't bear to part with this arm. I wonder if I can keep it when the time comes?

　　Although Captain Luo and his men couldn't get through, they got a sniper rifle from somewhere and fired a whole box of bullets, but they couldn't hurt Chen Dong at all.

　　"Haha... I'm going to... do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chen Dong squeezed out a few words from his mouth, followed by a loud roar, and pushed his hands, and an invisible impact broke through and attacked us. Suddenly, sand and stones flew on the lawn, and nothing could be seen clearly.

　　Fortunately, this thing didn't cause any substantial damage, it just blinded me for a while. When the dust cleared, I looked up at him again, and he was staring at his hands with a serious expression.

　　"This... This is impossible!!!" Chen Dong muttered to himself, then turned to yell at me, "This is absolutely impossible!!! I took in Zhou Tiezui... and used Wanhun Chong to neutralize him... but... why is there no change? Tell me? Why is there no change at all?!!!"

　　Judging from the situation, although this guy's six hundred year old wish has been fulfilled, it is not what he wanted at all and it is a bit unbearable.

　　Although the Ten Thousand Souls Charge can be replaced by the Hundred Foot Formation, the Pupil Seal is not something that can be found casually, especially his own, which must be accumulated over many lifetimes. Chen Dong is not a seal holder, he uses Taoism, so apart from his own Pupil Seal, he cannot absorb other people's Pupil Seals.

　　But I'm also confused. Logically, this guy has achieved every step and should get what he wants, but why is there no response?

　　I took a quick look around and found a few pools of blood not far in front of me. They were vomited by me, Zhang Shan and Chen Dong... Oh!!! I got it!!!

　　After figuring everything out, I looked up at Chen Dong and asked him, "Do you want to know why it doesn't work? I can tell you!"

　　"Why?!" The golden light all over Chen Dong's body became brighter, and his skin even began to turn a golden color.

　　"Hmph! You deserve it!" I cursed him first, then said, "You know that Zhang Shan's and my blood can change the properties of matter. Since we can change the pure Yin pupil seal into extreme Yang, what about the ground below? This Taihang foundation stone, where all the souls are, is originally extremely Yin. Now our blood has been spilled on it. What effect do you think it will produce?"

　　"That's impossible!" Chen Dong immediately retorted after hearing this: "The refining method is not simple! And even if it works just by doing it casually, it won't produce an immediate reaction!"

　　"Really? Haha!" I looked at him and said word by word, "You are on top, you should be able to see it clearly. There are three pools of blood below, yours, mine, and Zhang Shan's. What do they put together?"

　　Chen Dong looked carefully at my feet. After a long while, he said in disbelief: "Three...three...three yang formation?!"

　　Chapter 113 Seeking Death Sanyang Formation is a

　　Chapter 113 Seeking Death

　　The Sanyang Formation is a very simple formation, so simple that anyone can use it. All you need to do is find three positive substances and place them on the ground in a triangle. The Yang energy in the middle triangle area will slowly increase. It is the most basic method used by charlatans to exorcise evil spirits.

　　Maybe it was God's will! Among the three of us, Chen Dong's blood can be ignored. The blood of Zhang Shan and I together has no attributes, it can be yin or yang, but it is sprinkled on the extremely yin Taihang foundation stone, and it automatically forms an extremely yang reaction. And the three mouthfuls of blood from the three of us just formed a regular triangle. The most critical point is that in the middle of this triangular area is the stone altar. The second Ten Thousand Souls Rush came from under this altar. It can be imagined that the things that come out of an extremely yang Sanyang formation, even if there is still yin, have already gone most of it, and there may even be a small amount of yang.

　　After Chen Dong absorbed it, it was not a timely help, but adding fuel to the fire!

　　To put it bluntly, he is courting death!

　　"This...how could this happen?...God doesn't help me...God doesn't help me!!!" After a long time, Chen Dong finally recovered from his shock, raised his hands high and shouted to the sky.

　　Humph! You want God to help you with something like this? Are you dreaming?!

　　"Bang!" After a gunshot, a cloud of blood mist burst out from Chen Dong's left hand, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I turned my head and saw that Lao Luo at the entrance of the cave did not shoot. It was obvious that the yang energy in his body was too strong and he exploded by himself. It just sounded a bit like a gunshot.

　　The guy stared at his broken wrist blankly, and suddenly shouted at me: "I have another way! You have a Yin constitution, and I can get through it by just drinking your blood!" As he said that, he rushed towards me quickly.

　　Humph! What a good idea! This guy has lost his mind and is now unprotected. I have already turned the blade on the ground upwards, waiting for him to get closer.

　　The people on the other side of the cliff didn't know what I was thinking, and they shouted to remind me. But I can't move, at least not now! If I'm too far away, Chen Dong will have time to react. I can only get closer, closer, until he thinks he has it under control, and then I can launch the final attack!

　　"Hahahaha!" This guy rushed towards me while laughing neurotically. When he was three meters away from me, the black gold sword slashed upwards from the bottom. When Chen Dong noticed it, the blade had already penetrated the flesh on the inside of the thigh.

　　"Ah!!!" Chen Dong knew there was no escape, he shouted in despair, and his body finally exploded.

　　"Bang!" I was blown back several meters and almost rolled down the cliff. When I got up, my whole body was covered with blood and flesh.

　　It's over! It's finally over! But I didn't have time to think about anything else, nor did I have time to care about the people on the other side of the cliff. While my right arm was still there, I immediately ran to check on Liu Yunlong and Liu Yaer.

　　... Fortunately! When I felt Liu Yunlong's pulse, I was finally relieved. This guy is not dead!

　　But Liu Yaer... had already lost all signs of life. I tried hard to hold his drooping head up, but I couldn't do it. Not only were my hands shaking more and more, but my eyes were also blurry, and tears kept welling up in them. The midday sun shone on my body, but it felt cold.

　　Is all this...really worth it?

　　Holding Liu Yaer, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, but when I looked up, I saw Ni Qian and Old Man Bai sitting on chairs with their eyes closed in the distance.

　　I stopped crying and gently put Liu Yaer down. I told Song Dongfeng to find a way to build a bridge as soon as possible, and then walked towards them. Although the fight was fierce just now, they were not affected at all, so it should be easy to wake them up.

　　When I approached Ni Qian, I thought she was tied to a chair, but they were actually sitting upright without any restraints.

　　I reached out my hand and was about to try to pat the girl, but she suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyes were full of murderous intent! I didn't have time to react at all, and Ni Qian kicked me in the lower abdomen with such a strong force that it was not hers at all.

　　“Hahahaha!” After kicking me away, Ni Qian laughed up to the sky and said, “Want to kill me? Is that that easy? Do you really think I was distracted just now? That’s why you succeeded?”

　　"Chen... Chen Dong?!" I knelt on the ground, holding my abdomen in pain, and called out his name with difficulty.

　　Chen Dong, who was attached to Ni Qian, did not stand up, but crossed his legs and said, "My body is ruined, so let it be! After living for 600 years, I think the most reasonable saying is, as long as there is green mountains, there is no need to worry about running out of firewood! Although you have burned my hard work for more than 600 years, as long as you, the master of the dual paths, are here, I think it will not be difficult to start over again!"

　　"You need... you need me to help you... don't... don't dream!" I struggled to stand up and replied reluctantly.

　　"Haha, you don't have the final say!" Seeing Ni Qian's face making Chen Dong's signature expression, he felt indescribably awkward! "Zhang Shan is dead, and the little fox's body is gone. As for your childhood friend, do you know what will happen to him?"

　　"..." I waited for him without saying anything. Could it be that... Liu Yunlong is still in danger?

　　Chen Dong didn't expect me to ask him, so he continued, "During the first Ten Thousand Soul Charge, he exposed himself at the checkpoint in order to push me away. That guy is just an ordinary person. If it were you and Zhang Shan, at best you would be seriously injured and it would take a month or so to recover. But he is different. I think you have seen it. His consciousness was pushed out and dissipated along with the Ten Thousand Soul Charge. Maybe he is now a million miles away from you! Hahahaha! Even if he wakes up in the future, he will be an idiot without any consciousness..."

　　This... is actually like this?! I have no doubt about what Chen Dong said, because just now I saw Liu Yunlong appear in the white mist after he was pushed up, but I didn't expect... it would end like this!!!

　　"So, even though you're the only young boy left, I still have confidence!" Chen Dong was still talking. I was already angry again. I opened my right hand, and the black gold sword that fell in the distance immediately returned to my hand.

　　"I'll kill you!!!" I held the knife in both hands, raised it straight up, and chopped at the person sitting in front of me.

　　But... this is Ni Qian!!!

　　The knife still stopped three inches above her head. If I cut her with this knife, wouldn't it kill Ni Qian as well? !

　　"What's wrong? Go ahead and chop it off!" The girl in front of him had a fearless expression: "Can't do it? I knew it! What can a person like you accomplish? With such courage, you still want to get rid of me? Although God doesn't help me, he doesn't help you much either!"

　　I stared at him without blinking, breathing heavily. Should I chop him or not? I really didn't know! If I didn't chop him, once he escaped again, it would be only a matter of time before he became invincible; but if I did chop him, how could I bring myself to do that?

　　"Snap!" Chen Dong* controlled Ni Qian and grabbed the blade. The sharp blade cut her hand and blood flowed.

　　"Cut it down! Come on! Right here!" He pointed at the top of his head and said, "One cut! I'll be gone! But, I'm sorry, I'll take someone with me even if I die! I'm afraid your girlfriend, if you want to see her again, you'll have to go downstairs~!"

　　This damn bastard!!!

　　Chapter 114: Is it all worth it? (End)

　　Chapter 114 Is it all worth it? (End)

　　I was still breathing heavily, but suddenly I noticed something shaking slightly from the corner of my eye.

　　Without Chen Dong noticing, I quietly moved my eyes to the side, and saw that Mr. Bai, who was sitting next to me, had his eyes closed, but his other hand was gesturing non-stop in a place where Chen Dong couldn't see.

　　The thumb and index finger are extended, and the other three fingers are folded... Then, the thumb, index finger and middle finger are pinched together, and the other two fingers are folded... Then the thumb and little finger are extended...

　　I understand! He is counting numbers with his hands! Eight, seven, six... and now he is counting to five!

　　Could it be... Could it be that the old man is sending me a secret signal? ! This is clearly a countdown! When the count reaches one, he will definitely take action!

　　"Four..." Although I don't know what the old man is going to do, he is undoubtedly helping me. In any case, get ready first!

　　"Three..." Under Chen Dong's surprised gaze, I slowly raised the knife in my hand and hung it three feet above Ni Qian's head.

　　"Second..." Chen Dong laughed contemptuously: "Haha, are you trying to scare a child? I'm afraid I know better than you whether you dare to chop or not..."

　　"……one!"

　　Sure enough! The old man suddenly jumped up, made a gesture with both hands, and tapped Ni Qian's neck and armpits. I don't know where these two places are, but a miracle happened!

　　I could vaguely see Chen Dong's figure was suddenly forced to move out of the other side of Ni Qian's body, for half a body length!

　　"Knife!!!" the old man's voice suddenly rang out!

　　How could I let go of such an opportunity?! The blade just swerved and cut right past Ni Qian's face.

　　"No!!!" Chen Dong's desperate cry rang out again. But I knew that this time, it must be true.

　　…

　　Darkness, endless darkness. I sat in the darkness, my right arm was gone after all. Opposite me sat another person, but it was too dark to see who it was. Between us was a set of black armor and a black gold long sword.

　　After a long time, I saw that he didn't say anything, so I couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

　　"You don't need to care who I am." The person on the other side finally spoke, but I couldn't tell his age from his voice, I just knew it was a man. "How have you considered it?"

　　"What are you considering?" I was confused. I definitely had never dealt with this person. If I had never dealt with him, then what was I considering?

　　"Do you want this set of armor and sword?" the person on the other side continued to ask.

　　"Why do I need these things?" I was still confused.

　　"With these things, you will not only be invincible, but you can do whatever you want. Even your lost right arm can be returned." This person was obviously very patient and spoke to me calmly.

　　"Oh?" I became interested and asked him, "Are there any conditions?"

　　"There are no conditions. These things are yours!" I couldn't hear any emotion in this person's words.

　　"Mine? Then who am I?" I sat up straight and asked him excitedly.

　　"You are me."

　　"Who are you?"

　　"Me, and you too!"

　　...Nonsense! I rolled my eyes at him in annoyance, even though I knew he might not be able to see it.

　　"Make a decision!" Seeing that I didn't say anything, the person on the other side asked me to make a choice again.

　　"I don't want it!" I rejected him without thinking. Why would I want invincible power? What's the use of it to me?

　　"Don't want it? Why not? This thing originally belonged to you!" The person on the other side obviously also has moments of impatience.

　　"Since it's mine, I can naturally choose not to take it! What's so strange about that?" I said as a matter of course. I have never seen anyone asking others whether they want to take their own things or not. What's nonsense!

　　"No, you can't escape it either. This is your fate!" The man was silent for a long time, and said coldly: "Even if you don't want it today, sooner or later, I will find you."

　　"Then we'll talk about it on that day!" I had already lost interest in talking to him. He didn't answer any questions and just forced me to talk. What was there to talk about?

　　He stood up and walked away. The person on the other side did not say a word until he was far away. Only the black gold sword could be seen shining from a distance.

　　This was a dream I had last night.

　　It wasn't until dark yesterday that Brigade Commander Feng and his men managed to get a tree trunk that was thick and long enough, and put it over the mountain stream to take us all in. During this time, I was holding Liu Yaer's body, not saying a word, and I didn't even know when my right arm disappeared.

　　Ni Qian was rescued by Mr. Bai early in the morning. Although she had a lot of questions in her mind, when she saw this tragic scene, she just sat quietly beside me and took care of Liu Yunlong who was still unconscious.

　　The villagers of Shanjia Village were all fine. Liu Yunlong was rushed to the military health station in Banyan Village. The good news was that he woke up quickly, but the bad news was, just as Chen Dong said, after he woke up, his eyes were always blurry. Apart from eating, drinking, and sleeping, he didn't even know how to urinate or defecate. He just sat there blankly all day, or stood, staring at one place, and looked at it all day.

　　The search for Zhang Shan started after I killed Chen Dong and lasted until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The order issued by Brigade Commander Feng at the time was: "We must find him alive or dead! We will not withdraw until we find him!"

　　Because the area where he fell was very narrow, it was not necessary to send out many people to search the mountain. The difficulty lay in the fact that there was an abyss beneath Baicaoping, and no one had gone down there for millions of years, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the search.

　　In the end, the troops even used the elevator, but still did not find Zhang Shan's body. Since the deepest part of the cliff is said to be a pool of water with no bottom, it is almost certain that Zhang Shan sank.

　　I was determined to go down, but since I only had one arm left, Song Dongfeng and the others dragged me back, saying it was extremely unsafe.

　　It was not until the fourteenth day of the first lunar month that I knew that even if Zhang Shan was still alive, his hope of survival was zero. Thinking that the next day was the Lantern Festival, I could not bear to watch so many people accompanying me to search for a body on the mountain, so I finally took the initiative to give up.

　　Perhaps, Zhang Shan would be very happy to be buried on the top of Taihang Mountain.

　　…

　　A month later, I fed Liu Yunlong lunch in the mental hospital, coaxed him to sleep, and walked out of the ward with Song Dongfeng.

　　When we got downstairs, Song Dongfeng looked up at the bright sun, squinted his eyes and asked me, "Have you really decided?"

　　"Hmm..." I also try my best to breathe in more early spring air. Zhengzhou, I don't know when I will come back to see you again!

　　"...Are you sure? Is it worth it for you to do this?" For more than 30 days, Song Dongfeng has been asking me this question.

　　I smiled at him and said, "Before we went down the mountain, Master Zhang Shan said that if nothing unexpected happened, Liu Yunlong's consciousness should be floating around, so it's still possible to find him."

　　"But the world is so big, where are you going to find one?! Besides, you have lost your arms and you no longer have the physique of a seal holder. This will be very dangerous!" Song Dongfeng frowned tightly.

　　"Haha, then it all depends on luck!" I shrugged, pulled my collar open to reveal the seal of inaction on my right shoulder. When I woke up the next day on the mountain, I found that the seal of inaction had already been moved here, and I still couldn't escape the fate of the seal holder.

　　"... Ziqi! Listen to me, it's not worth it! Do you plan to spend your whole life on this? Even if Liu knew, he would not agree with you doing this!" Song Dongfeng finally couldn't help it, came to the opposite side, pulled my shoulder and said.

　　"Whether it's worth it or not, only you know." I looked at him firmly.

　　"...Okay!" Song Dongfeng knew from my expression that he couldn't keep me, so he let go of my hand and said, "I can't persuade you, but someone can!"

　　I turned my head to follow his gaze, and Ni Qian was standing not far behind me.

　　Song Dongfeng stepped back tactfully, leaving us some space. Ni Qian slowly approached, pulled the empty sleeve of my right arm, and asked softly, "When will you be back?"

　　"At the fastest it will take a year and a half, at the slowest it may take ten or eight years, or even several decades." I told her the truth. I didn't want her to waste time like this.

　　Song Dongfeng paid us a lot of money for this mission, which was equivalent to our previous salary, which we could save for 40 to 50 years without eating or drinking. But these were earned with our lives. Liu Yunlong and I gave our share to our families respectively, and Zhang Shan's share I gave to his master, Mr. Bai. Even Liu Yaer got a share, which I gave to Mr. Bai. As for Ni Qian, I once thought about giving it to her, but then I thought, doing so is really a bit like... In the end, I gave up.

　　"I'll wait for you." Ni Qian said it very softly, but with a firmness that could not be refused.

　　"...Don't wait, it's not worth it." I blurt out. I don't even know when I will be back, how can I let her wait like this.

　　"Whether it's worth it or not, your opinion doesn't count!" Ni Qian replied to me without hesitation.

　　...Haha, I thought about it and burst out laughing. I was just trying to persuade Song Dongfeng! Now I am trapped in it again!

　　All right! Then let everything go with the flow!

　　I didn't say anything else and walked to the hospital entrance. Song Dongfeng and Ni Qian tacitly did not follow me but stood there.

　　I turned around and waved to them, then strode forward without looking back.

　　Liu, please wait! I will take you home!

　　The entire book of "The Soul-Eating Golden Coffin" has about 730,000 words in total. Thank you everyone!

　　Chapter 115 Another Ending

　　Flying Iron Wednesday, March 30, 2011 21:55654321 Actually, the above is the ending I want, but at the request of some friends, there is another ending for the next few hundred words.

　　Song Dongfeng looked at my receding back, sent Ni Qian away, and then sighed. He seemed to be talking to himself, but his voice was loud: "What are you trying to do?"

　　A tall figure walked out from behind a tree in the distance, approached and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Besides, this is his path, so he should walk it! If he doesn't leave today, he will have to leave sooner or later!"

　　"But this... I always feel that it's unfair to Ziqi!" Song Dongfeng looked up at the big guy and said.

　　"Ah...if it's unfair, then it's unfair!" The big guy sighed and continued, "When I was hanging on the tree, I figured it out. He and I are like two keys to the treasure for all those evil-minded ghost walkers. If these two keys are always together, they will definitely be remembered every day. It's better to separate them!"

　　"There's no need to hide it from him, right?" Song Dongfeng asked puzzledly.

　　"You've been in contact with us before, so you should know." The big guy said to him seriously, "If the shady man wants to know something, you don't necessarily have to tell him. So, this is the safest way!"

　　"Alas!" Song Dongfeng smiled bitterly until he could no longer see me, "I didn't know your friendship of life and death would end up like this! Is this God's will?"

　　After a pause, before the big guy could open his mouth, he continued, "I heard Ziqi talk about your fate wheel, the half-apple thing, what's going on? Will there be any more accidents?"

　　"Haha, the wheel of fate is just a saying! It doesn't represent God's will. If God really has an idea, he shouldn't have let Chen Dong live until now. Anyway, I don't believe it! Everyone's destiny is in their own hands, you are your own heaven! Where does God's will come from?" The big guy said with great pride.

　　"Okay! Anyway, I've helped you, so you have to help me when you have time in the future!" Song Dongfeng stretched, put down the burden in his heart, and negotiated the terms with the big guy.

　　"Okay! You're usually a nice guy! But when it comes to this, you act like a profiteer!" The big guy patted his shoulder affectionately and said, "But you have to wait for me to go back to the mountain and get the silver first, right?"

　　"Of course!" Song Dongfeng smiled shyly and said, "But I've already got the mission. I'll tell you first! Once you get up the mountain and find the silver, go and do it immediately. Don't come back!"

　　"Speak!" the big guy said without further ado.

　　"The mission is to secretly protect Ziqi, find Liu as soon as possible, and then come back!" Song Dongfeng said, looking at him with a sly smile.

　　The big guy was stunned for a moment, then a bright smile blossomed on his face. He punched Song Dongfeng lightly and said, "Haha, you are amazing! No more nonsense! I'm leaving!"

　　Turning around, the big guy put his index finger in his mouth and blew a loud whistle. After a while, a little golden fox emerged from the flowers and jumped around him.

　　"Haha, let's go! Take me to the mountain to catch little snakes!" The big guy picked up the fox and touched it, then turned around and smiled at Song Dongfeng, and walked in a completely opposite direction to me.

　　Song Dongfeng was stunned for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Alas, I have to continue recruiting people. I am the only commander left without any troops!"

　　The whole book of "The Soul-Eating Golden Coffin" is really finished!

　　A total of about 730,000 words. Thank you everyone!

　　Flying Iron Wednesday, March 30, 2011 22:30

　　New book announcement

　　Time flies, and it has been eight months since I finished writing "Golden Coffin Soul Eater". Many friends have suggested that I continue to write a sequel, but I have already said that "Golden Coffin Soul Eater" is just a practice. In more than half a year of writing, I have completed the two main sites of Tianya and Maopu, with more than 20 million hits (6 million on Tianya, 10 million on Maopu Original, and 6 million on Maopu Tietie). Xiaoke is already very satisfied.

　　Although "Golden Coffin Devouring Soul" seems to have many shortcomings now, and some of the plots are a bit far-fetched, it has always adhered to a principle - resolutely not charging. So for the entire 700,000-word book, I didn't ask you for a penny (of course, don't count your electricity and Internet fees on me). Xiao Ke naturally gave up many opportunities to make money. In fact, after saying so much, in one sentence, I really don't plan to write a sequel to "Golden Coffin". I'm sorry for everyone who still holds out hope!

　　Of course, today I am mainly talking about another thing - the new book "A Yuan Datou"

　　Xiao Ke has not been idle for the past six months. In fact, this is the story I wanted to tell first. Some friends may have heard me tell it before. But after all, it was my first time writing, and I was not very confident. I was afraid that some precious and real materials could not be accurately described in words, so I wrote "Golden Coffin" to practice writing, and at the same time collected and sorted out the content of this story.

　　In the six months since I wrote The Soul Eater in the Golden Coffin, I have compiled dozens of stories from my grandmother's hometown, as well as hours of recordings. Many of the stories in the book, at least in my grandmother's eyes, really happened. There is also a small part of my own personal experience in it, so it can be said to be a family memoir-style novel.

　　Of course, please don't ask me questions like "Is it true or false?". Believe me, this will seriously affect the story's appeal to you. However, for events narrated by my grandmother herself, whether she heard it or experienced it herself, I will confirm with her repeatedly and mark it in the text as "narrated by my grandmother". You can find it yourself when reading.

　　Background and location of the story:

　　Most of the stories in this article take place in a small county town in the rural area of ​​northern Henan. That is my ancestral home, and I will not mention it again. However, some of the local customs and scenic spots of my hometown are involved. Perhaps some careful friends or those who have heard of it can find out where it is. These are left for everyone to slowly verify in the future.

　　Note: 1. I will not make any explanation on the authenticity of the stories in the article, because at least my grandmother believes that they are true stories, and I have marked them.

　　2. From now on, I will change my pen name from bulepoint200 to Flying Iron. If you are interested in communicating with me, you can go to Sina Weibo @飞电铁, or directly copy the following URL: http://weibo.com/bulepoint200.

　　Any similarity to this story is purely coincidental and I would be honored to share it.

　　A Yuan Datou

　　A bizarre incident happened sixty years ago. The rogue soldier Ma Sanpao left behind a fake Yuan Datou coin before his death, which vaguely pointed to a secret treasure.

　　Some people are looking for the Yuan Datou coin, some are looking for the treasure, and some are looking for the third thing after the Yuan Datou and the treasure.

　　An adventure across northern China is about to unfold. The protagonist will take you to uncover the dusty history, explore the ancient city of Xi'an, uncover the secrets hidden for thousands of years in the depths of the Loess Plateau, find the traces of the lost ancient Kingdom of Qiuci, and the magical lakes on the northern grasslands.

　　Yuan Datou, treasure, and hidden secrets, which one is people's ultimate goal? We will reveal it to you one by one soon.