255: Baimuxianjun

Lu Jianchuan immediately walked to the wall. Relying on the memory just branded into his mind, his fingers precisely pressed and rotated the wood grain on the side of the wardrobe in a specific sequence and intensity.

"Click... Creak..."

The sound of gears clicking rang out again as the wall silently rotated inward, revealing a pitch-black passage leading downward.

The two exchanged a look and, without hesitation, immediately activated their transformations.

Lu Jianchuan had a silver-gray bracelet on each wrist. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and as the two bracelets lightly touched, silver biomass instantly covered his entire body, turning him into the "silver skeleton."

Wei Ziqing pressed his hand against the platinum belt at his waist—armor interwoven with plain white and black-gold instantly constructed itself, turning him into the "Hero Shadow."

One after the other, the two quickly slipped into the passage.

The passage initially consisted of descending stone steps, but it soon became level. The walls on both sides turned into smooth alloy material, and embedded LED cold lights on the ceiling illuminated the passage brightly. The air was filled with a faint scent of disinfectant and the more subtle hum of electronic equipment in operation.

"This dungeon... is way too modern."

Before they had gone far, Lu Jianchuan abruptly raised his hand to signal a stop. Just above the corner of the passage ahead, a shiny black hemispherical surveillance camera was pointed in their direction, its red operation indicator light glowing quietly.

"Camera," Lu Jianchuan whispered, his body moving as he prepared to step forward and destroy it.

However, just as he approached the camera and had only just raised his arm before even touching it—

The crimson active orb in the center of the silver-gray armband on his left wrist suddenly lit up of its own accord. Several tiny black-red electrical arcs burst forth, leaping through the air and precisely connecting to the camera's interface and casing!

Lu Jianchuan's movements paused. He was first startled, then immediately realized—the only one capable of remotely intervening with his equipment in such a manner at such a moment could only be that mysterious... "The Forger?" he whispered subconsciously.

As if in response to him, the lens of the camera wrapped in black-red electrical arcs actually bobbed up and down, making a clear nodding motion.

"It really is..." Lu Jianchuan breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his hand, saying to Wei Ziqing, "It seems we don't need to expose ourselves for now."

Wei Ziqing also saw that extraordinary scene and nodded.

The two ignored the "taken over" camera, maintained their vigilance, and continued deeper into the passage.

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing carefully moved deeper along the modern corridor secretly taken over by "The Forger." The corridor was silent, save for their extremely light footsteps.

"Why do all these secret organizations love burrowing into mountain bellies and underground?" Wei Ziqing lowered his voice, unable to resist complaining again. "There's no sense of freshness at all."

Lu Jianchuan didn't respond. He noticed that the indicator lights of the cameras along the way remained lit, as if they were functioning normally. But as they passed, the lenses of several cameras would slightly rotate to track them and then give a gentle nod, like a silent greeting.

Seeing this, Lu Jianchuan understood. This wasn't a simple shutdown or shielding; "The Forger" had directly hacked the System, performing real-time calculations and control to show the monitors a false image of everything being normal while providing them with convenience and guidance.

They moved forward all the way without encountering any obstacles. When they approached the final heavy metal airtight door, it also silently slid open to both sides.

What surged out from behind the door was no longer the smell of artificial lighting and synthetic Materials, but natural air carrying the scent of earth, vegetation, and moist water vapor. The light also became soft—not lamp light, but filtered skylight coming down from somewhere above.

They walked out of the passage and found themselves in a natural hollow surrounded by towering, steep mountain walls.

Beneath their feet was soft earth and grass. Dense trees and shrubs grew around them, vines hung from the rock walls, and the faint sound of gurgling water could even be heard.

There were no man-made buildings or modern facilities here. Everything appeared primitive and quiet, exuding a natural Concept of being isolated from the world, as if it truly were a place for an "Immortal" to practice in seclusion.

The passage exit was cleverly hidden in a rocky depression covered with vines, concealed by the surrounding forest. Looking across this mountain-ringed hollow, no signs of people could be seen for the moment.

Using the dense trees and rocks as cover, Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing moved and scouted carefully within this hidden valley hollow. They tried to avoid potentially open areas, feeling their way along the edges of the mountain walls and vegetation.

After a period of cautious searching, they finally saw the scene not far below through the gaps in the leaves from a higher rocky platform.

There was a small patch of relatively flat open ground with a clear mountain spring beside it. Currently, three people were standing on the open ground.

One of them was the very "Immortal" wearing Hanfu and a silk blindfold whom they had fought and who had escaped in the ruins. At this moment, a peaceful, even kindly smile was on his face.

Standing opposite him was a young boy with a face full of tension and unease—it was exactly the child from the village named Little Stone. The child's small hands were clutching the hem of his clothes, his body slightly shrinking back, and his large eyes were filled with fear of the unfamiliar environment and people.

The third person was the highly respected "Third Grand-Uncle" from the village. He was leaning over slightly, saying something to the "Immortal" with a respectful attitude, occasionally patting Little Stone's back as if to comfort and encourage him.

They were a bit too far to hear the specific dialogue, but the process was clear from the body language:

The "Immortal" leaned down slightly and spoke to Little Stone in a gentle tone, presumably to soothe him;

Third Grand-Uncle was also chiming in from the side, saying things like "be good" and "a bright future."

In a child's simple perception, facing a respected elder from the village and this "Immortal" who appeared to have an "Immortal style" and a gentle voice, that initial fear was gradually replaced by confusion and a hint of naive curiosity. The clenched hands slowly relaxed, and the body was no longer so tense.

Soon, Third Grand-Uncle seemed to have completed the hand-over. He bowed to the "Immortal" again, then turned and left along the hidden path he had come by, leaving the Immortal and the child alone.

The smile on the "Immortal's" face seemed to become more pronounced as he slowly reached out and took Little Stone's hand. The child hesitated for a moment but did not pull away.

Then, the "Immortal" led Little Stone by the hand and turned to walk slowly toward the deeper part of the valley where the trees were even denser.

Seeing the "Immortal" leading Little Stone toward the depths of the valley, Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing immediately followed soundlessly, using the terrain and vegetation to hide their figures.

They were fully focused, their muscles tensed, prepared to strike at any moment to save the child. No matter what, they could not possibly stand by and watch a child come to harm.

The two trailed them all the way through a denser patch of forest until the entrance of a natural cave half-hidden by vines appeared ahead. The "Immortal" led Little Stone and walked straight inside.

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing exchanged a look and approached even more carefully, finding a visual blind spot at the side of the cave entrance and holding their breath as they looked inside.

The interior of the cave was more spacious than imagined, with skylight filtering down through cracks in the ceiling. The furnishings inside were simple, consisting only of a stone bed, a stone table, and such, making it look more like a simple place for ascetic cultivation. At this moment, besides the "Immortal" and Little Stone who had just entered, there was another person in the cave.

That person appeared to be about twenty or thirty years old, with a thin face and a pair of carefully trimmed moustaches. He was wearing a simple dark gray long robe and was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed.

His aura was heavy and condensed, completely different from the ethereal feeling of the Hanfu "Immortal," carrying more of an indifference that came from long-held high status.

The Hanfu "Immortal" led Little Stone forward a few steps and bowed respectfully to the person on the stone bed, his tone carrying obvious awe: "Master, your Disciple has brought this term's 'Immortal Seed.'"

The moustached man on the stone bed, called "Master," slowly opened his eyes. His gaze swept over the somewhat cowering Little Stone like something tangible. After a moment, he nodded slightly, his face expressionless, his voice flat yet carrying an unquestionable authority:

"Mhm, not bad." His gaze fell back onto the child as he spoke slowly, "From this day forth, you must remember your master's title—Hundred-Eyed Immortal Lord."