Volume 1, Chapter 130: Lingqin Tunnel. (Second Update)

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With Ye Zhi joining the group, their plans had to be rearranged. Fortunately, although Ye Zhi was a goddess, she was not at all finicky and was willing to follow any arrangement. Jiang Chen also learned from her that she had already reached the seventh level of the Formless Realm, only two levels away from becoming an Earthly Immortal.

Jiang Chen therefore decided that they would spend the first day investigating. Li Changsheng and Liuli would form one team, while Shen Huaizhu and Ye Zhi would make up the other.

None of them objected to the arrangement.

During the day, there were still quite a few tourists in the Lingqin area, and Jiang Chen was certain that the Japanese would not make a move in broad daylight.

So during the day, Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng disguised themselves as tourists and wandered around the vicinity.

“It’s already winter. How can there still be such heavy fog?” Li Changsheng rubbed his hands together and tightened his leather jacket around himself.

Jiang Chen, who was wearing a padded coat, said, “Don’t you know that Lingqin marks the dividing line between north and south? Wearing a leather jacket in the middle of winter—who else would you expect to freeze besides yourself?”

A chill misted from Li Changsheng’s mouth. “Hiss. I’m only dressed like this so I can look impressive in front of Liuli. Besides, do you think everyone is as popular as you? It’s incredibly difficult for me to find a girlfriend.”

Li Changsheng had stopped pretending altogether and put his intentions right out in the open.

Jiang Chen said slowly, “Liuli grew up in the Azure Cloud Sword Sect. What kind of man do you think she likes?”

They were walking along the road, but if they had been in a room with a stove, the two of them could probably have chatted all night.

“Someone steady and mature, I suppose. I’ve heard that those secluded sects are all rather old-fashioned,” Li Changsheng speculated.

That was an impressive instinct. Li Changsheng’s guess was entirely correct.

“Then why don’t you pay more attention to yourself and rein in your personality a little?” Jiang Chen asked.

Li Changsheng breathed a cloud of warmth into the air. “It’s not that I don’t want to change. The problem is, this is simply how I am. I’m willing to change for Liuli, but you have to give me some time.”

Jiang Chen thought about it and decided that Li Changsheng had a point. Personality was largely innate. Though it could be changed later in life, doing so was extremely difficult. The fact that Li Changsheng was willing to change for Liuli was already commendable.

It was just...

Was this really the right thing to do?

Jiang Chen shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. As they continued chatting, the two of them arrived at a construction site.

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“Let’s go. There probably aren’t any clues here.” Jiang Chen looked at the tunnel running through the mountain ahead.

Li Changsheng nodded as well. Just as the two of them were preparing to leave, a middle-aged, portly man in black leather shoes and a safety helmet blocked their path.

“Masters! You two masters are finally here! I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

The fat middle-aged man had an honest, good-natured appearance.

Yet the ingratiating smile on his face made it clear that he was asking them for a favor.

“You must have mistaken us for someone else, Boss. We’re just local tourists,” Li Changsheng explained.

The boss scratched his head. “Is that so? Then I must have mistaken you for someone else. Still, since you two are tourists, you should leave as soon as possible. This place isn’t safe.”

“Not safe? What makes you say that?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.

He did not believe that the boss knew anything about the Japanese. If he did, then those Japanese would be utterly useless—if ordinary people could discover them, they might as well not have come at all.

“Alas, I can’t talk about it. The people above have ordered us to keep quiet. They’re afraid it will spread and affect public opinion.” The boss lit a cigarette. Thin rings of smoke drifted into the air, while worry clouded his face.

“Boss, the two of us are half in the know ourselves. Let me guess—you ran into something strange, didn’t you?” Jiang Chen asked, probing indirectly.

“Oh? So you’re part of the circle?” The boss immediately relaxed. Pointing toward the tunnel, he continued, “In that case, it’s nothing. To be honest, even if I don’t tell you, someone else will. So I may as well explain.”

“Two days ago, we were renovating the tunnel when one of the workers accidentally broke through a section of the ceiling. At first, we thought it was nothing serious. But that night, a huge black python crawled out from inside and frightened several workers half to death.”

“We paid a hefty sum to bring someone here to investigate. And now I’ve run into the two of you.”

After hearing this, Jiang Chen felt there might actually be a clue.

“How about this, Boss? Once the masters your company hired arrive, let the two of us go inside with them and take a look. If anything happens, we’ll take responsibility for ourselves.”

The portly middle-aged man hesitated. Jiang Chen took two thick bundles of red banknotes from his bag and placed them in the man’s hands.

“Oh, this really isn’t necessary. I can take you in, but if something happens, don’t expect us to look after you while we’re running for our lives,” the middle-aged man emphasized.

Jiang Chen nodded. “Don’t worry.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fat man received a phone call and left, presumably to meet the people he had hired.

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Li Changsheng asked doubtfully, “Why aren’t we looking for the Japanese? What are we doing here? There aren’t even any clues.”

Jiang Chen smiled. “The clue is hidden among the people. As long as we observe carefully, we’ll find something. But this is the sort of clue that requires a close look.”

Almost every mountain tunnel had a guardian spirit beast. However, those creatures were usually white or some other color. Jiang Chen had never heard of a black one.

Then he remembered that there was a creature in Japan known as the Black Yuu. It was a type of Japanese snake—spiritually aware, black-bodied, and long, much like a python.

If this creature really was a Black Yuu, then they would almost certainly be able to locate the Japanese.

They had no other clues at present, so they could not afford to ignore anything that might lead them to one.

Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng waited nearby. Before long, the boss arrived with two men.

The pair wore cheap Taoist robes made from tattered cloth. Each had a diagram of the Eight Trigrams perched atop his head, and each carried an unblessed peach-wood sword on his back. Their entire appearance screamed fraud.

One of them had a thin mustache shaped like the character eight, while the other had a comparatively clean-shaven face.

When the mustached man saw Jiang Chen, he looked him up and down before giving a cold laugh.

“Whose child is this? Take him home quickly. If that evil creature hurts him, I won’t be held responsible.”

“Master, Master, please calm down. This is my friend. Don’t worry—he’s only here to have a look and won’t get in the way.” Since he had been paid, the boss was determined to do his job. He defended Jiang Chen while simultaneously placating the mustached man.

One had to admit, anyone capable of becoming a boss clearly had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“Hmph. If you hadn’t offered a hundred thousand, I might not have come. You should know that in a place like Lingqin, anyone without genuine skill wouldn’t dare set foot here.” The mustached man boasted without even blinking, as though every word were true.

“Then let’s go in. Once the matter is settled, I’ll treat you properly, Master.” The boss gestured for the master to proceed toward the tunnel.

Yet amid the swirling fog, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the side and slipped into the tunnel.

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