27: Secret gathering, assassination of Chen Wenyuan

Late at night, hidden identity, afraid of being caught!

Qin Chuan easily started to imagine things after hearing Xuanxu's words.

Speaking of which, this five-foot-tall Daoist, his main job isn't attending funerals, and his side job isn't tomb raiding, is it?

I'm calling the police!

Despite this suspicion, could Qin Chuan say no?

Heh, Qin Chuan was very familiar with the slogan: Seeking dragons and dividing gold, observing the winding mountains—

Stop!

He shook these unreliable thoughts out of his mind.

Since Xuanxu had been 'testing' him, this free labor, for so long, then—something big was coming?

Qin Chuan conserved his energy and prepared himself!

Midnight.

Outside You Province City, at the mound of scattered graves.

Because the terrain here resembled a yellow dragon, it was also known as Yellow Dragon Ridge.

Qin Chuan wore black clothes, a bamboo hat, and a black veil over his face—costume director: FFF Group!

He strictly adhered to Xuanxu's instructions to hide his identity, ensuring that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

Hmm, his mother was gone, so he didn't need to worry about that problem.

Qin Chuan looked at the scattered graves and flickering phosphorescent lights before him.

He murmured, "I always feel like this is a geomantically auspicious place... suitable for burial."

"What are you muttering about, kid?" The elusive five-foot-tall Daoist had appeared behind Qin Chuan at some unknown time.

Xuanxu: "You came quite early."

Qin Chuan nodded, looked around, and asked, "Senior Martial Uncle, whose grave are we going to dig?"

"Hm?!" Xuanxu immediately glared at him. "How could you have such a thought? Digging graves harms one's yin virtue. We, people from outside the mountains, should pay even more attention to this. Oh, I forgot you're not a Daoist priest."

Then, before Qin Chuan could answer, Xuanxu didn't beat around the bush.

He simply said, "Go."

Go? Go where?

Just as he was wondering, he saw Xuanxu shout at a tombstone not far away:

"Open!"

As soon as the words fell, the tombstone, whose name was already unreadable, swayed and sank into the ground, revealing a deep, dark opening behind it.

"Hiss—"

Feeling the faint cool breeze coming from the opening, Qin Chuan really wanted to say: Can I just rub against it, and not go in?

"What are you standing there for? Get in!"

Before Xuanxu's patience reached its limit, Qin Chuan finally stepped into the opening.

—If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger cub!

He had gone all out.

After Qin Chuan's figure entered the opening, Xuanxu looked at the silent graveyard behind him and sneered.

Then he followed him in.

A moment later, when silence returned to the surroundings, a person walked out from behind another tombstone.

It was the goatee-wearing middle-aged man who had previously been following Su Jun.

His face was solemn at this moment, and he murmured, "Where did this Daoist master come from? How come I don't know there's such a person in the world?"

"Alas, I hope it doesn't affect Jun'er."

Inside the tomb cave.

The surroundings were pitch black, and he could only slowly grope his way forward.

—Qin Chuan and Chen Chuan have the ability of night vision, what does that have to do with me, Wang Xuan?

The cave was far from as narrow as Qin Chuan had imagined; instead, it was extremely spacious.

Judging by the cold wind blowing from all directions, it seemed to lead somewhere.

A moment later, Qin Chuan felt someone slowly approaching behind him.

Qin Chuan immediately said, "Senior Martial Uncle, how do we go next?"

"Oh? A new person has arrived? Heh heh, I'm not your Senior Martial Uncle."

Hearing the unfamiliar tone in his ear, Qin Chuan immediately became alert.

Then he was almost unable to open his eyes, stimulated by the light in the darkness.

"Hello, Master Wo."

"Master Wo? What kind of address is that?"

At this moment, Qin Chuan, relying on his strong physique, barely adapted to the light.

The newcomer did not conceal his figure like him; he was robust, and his bulging muscles made his monk's robe appear somewhat swollen.

Most importantly—a shiny, bald head! And it was glowing!

So bright!

As if sensing Qin Chuan's gaze, this muscular monk showed him a set of white teeth.

"It's your first time here; you should have prepared some lighting items, after all, you're not like me..."

Saying that, he pointed to his head.

Qin Chuan: ...I'm sorry I can't emit light myself, light bulb monk!

After a silent complaint, Qin Chuan didn't respond, strictly adhering to the idea that the more you say, the more mistakes you make.

The monk didn't seem to mind, and took two steps forward, saying,

"Follow me, I'll take you to the secret meeting place. I don't know who your senior is..."

At this, Qin Chuan cursed Xuanxu inwardly to no end, while returning a smile.

And so, led by this light bulb monk, they passed through winding underground passages and arrived in a large hall.

Seeing the two arrive, everyone in the hall looked up in unison.

Qin Chuan: ...

He almost spat it out.

Originally, after seeing this monk arrive without any disguise, Qin Chuan thought Xuanxu was playing a trick on him by telling him to hide his identity.

But the situation in the hall now made him almost believe he had arrived at a human bewildering behavior awards ceremony.

There were quite a few people dressed in 'FFF Group' outfits, all black, similar to his.

Besides these, there were also people wrapped up like mummies, and some wearing comical masks...

Although human aesthetics were diverse, Qin Chuan still suggested they find some stylists...

Aside from these people, there were only two individuals in the hall who had not concealed their appearance.

One was the light bulb monk who had led Qin Chuan.

The other was none other than Xuanxu!

From Xuanxu's disdainful glance, Qin Chuan was 100% certain that this tsundere Senior Martial Uncle had recognized him.

But since he didn't come over to greet him, Qin Chuan didn't go up to him either.

So what did Xuanxu want him to do here?

He felt that this question might soon be answered, so he immediately suppressed his curiosity and waited.

For a while after that, more people gradually arrived in the hall.

After these people arrived, they acted like the previous ones.

Silence, waiting.

Among these people, there was a middle-aged man who made Qin Chuan somewhat curious.

Unlike the 'fully armed' others, nor like Xuanxu and the light bulb monk who made no disguise at all.

This man only had a piece of torn cloth covering his face, and from the missing piece of cloth under his long gown, it was evident it had just been torn off.

An accidental intruder?

Qin Chuan noticed the other people in the hall, and found that although they noticed this intruder, they didn't care.

It's none of my business, so I'll stay out of it.

And so, this person actually managed to blend in.

After another moment, when there were nearly a hundred people in the hall, Xuanxu finally spoke.

"No more waiting. The number of people is indeed less than last time... I hope the Daoist friends who didn't come are still alive. The people of You Province are getting fewer and fewer."

After saying that, he turned to look at the light bulb monk.

"Master Fenru, you go ahead."

Fenru?

Qin Chuan was startled by the light bulb monk's Dharma name.

Such strong resentment? He seemed like a very kind person...

Soon, he learned the origin of this Dharma name.

Fenru gently twirled the prayer beads in his hand, his tone still very gentle, but the content of his words sent chills down one's spine.

"Last month, the Three Laws Tribunal again destroyed thirteen mountain temples and arrested over a hundred of our fellow cultivators. It is rumored that among those who acted were Great Confucian scholars. The thirteen extraterritorial places were: Jiuhua Temple, Sengshui Temple, and Leiyun Temple. Those fellow cultivators who have connections with them, remember to cut off ties as soon as possible."

A silence fell over the hall...

Even so, Qin Chuan still saw their uneasiness from the squirming bodies of many people; it seemed those were the ones.

Then, Master Fenru said a few more things, mostly news from various parts of the world.

Originally, he didn't care, but as soon as one piece of news came out, it immediately caught Qin Chuan's attention.

"The plan of some fellow cultivators to assassinate Chen Wenyuan in Ying Province failed. Not only does he have a Great Confucian protecting him, but it seems there are also Hidden Dragon Guards secretly protecting him. Everyone, do not have such petty thoughts again. We, too, do not need such despicable methods!"

Qin Chuan: Hm hm hm?!

This wave, oh, this wave is called eating melon and finding it on yourself!