Chapter Forty-Five: Hypnosis

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“It’s nothing, I just wanted to ask if you’ve eaten shit yet,” Chen Jin said, pinching his nose to alter his voice.

Then he hung up the phone directly.

“Brother… who was that?” Chen Lan asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing. Let’s head down the mountain,” Chen Jin replied, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Chen Lan nodded obediently.

Chen Jin seized the masked man from the ground and, without hesitation, powered off the phone that had started ringing in the man’s pocket, subjecting him to the same treatment he’d just received.

After leaving the cave, Chen Jin looked down the mountain. Gehong Mountain was hardly flat terrain—hills were common in Min Province—so he saw no one familiar below, just some tourists and mountain folks.

Dragging the masked man, Chen Jin led Chen Lan and Lin Qing down the mountain. It took them half an hour. The masked man regained consciousness once along the way, but Chen Jin knocked him out again.

On the way back, little was said. Chen Lan seemed unsure how to speak to Chen Jin now, and Lin Qing was shy by nature, even less likely to initiate a conversation.

Thus, Chen Jin was left in peace to drive, his mind busy piecing together the recent events.

From the day he first sensed the ghost woman in Zhang Hui’s snack shop, to their meal together at the Wang Family Restaurant, the conversations they’d shared these past days, and the strange behavior of Hao Lian that morning—Chen Jin felt he had long since become Zhang Hui’s target.

This plot must have been in the works for more than a day or two. And perhaps Chen Jin wasn’t the only target. Thinking back to the group leader’s mention of members disappearing on Gehong Mountain, it seemed likely Zhang Hui was behind that as well.

This conspiracy was certainly not Zhang Hui’s doing alone. Not just his brother-in-law, but the Hao siblings were highly suspect, and even Qin Yang was likely involved.

At this realization, Chen Jin couldn’t think of a single cultivator he truly trusted.

Wait—he remembered sending the masked man’s photo to the group chat. Zhang Hui must know it was him who called earlier, and that he had captured his brother-in-law.

Yet Zhang Hui hadn’t called him back. Some people in the group had responded, but only with things like, “Don’t know him,” or “What happened?”

Chen Jin couldn’t respond just yet. Now both sides were aware, no one could lurk in the shadows plotting anymore. He wouldn’t let Zhang Hui betray him and still expect his help, and Zhang Hui couldn’t kill him in secret and think his plan flawless.

Perhaps Zhang Hui was also wondering why Chen Jin hadn’t made contact yet.

They were both probing, both wary of each other.

An hour later, as dusk approached, Chen Jin returned to Xialake County with Chen Lan and the others.

“Remember not to speak of my cultivation to anyone,” Chen Jin warned them.

He then told Chen Lan to look after their father, and immediately set out again for Gehong Mountain.

Halfway there, Zhang Hui’s call finally came through.

“What did you do to Xiao Quan?” Zhang Hui asked anxiously.

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“He’s still alive,” Chen Jin replied.

“What do you want?” Zhang Hui persisted.

“What do you want?” Chen Jin retorted.

“I just want Xiao Quan back safe and sound,” Zhang Hui said.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Chen Jin responded with disdain.

“What do you mean?” Zhang Hui’s voice was tense.

“Exactly what I said. If this is all the sincerity you have for this call, I think I’ll just hang up now,” Chen Jin said.

He almost felt like the villain after saying that.

“But you have to tell me what you want,” Zhang Hui pressed, desperate.

“I want an explanation—for wanting to—”

Beep… beep… beep…

The call abruptly ended.

It wasn’t Chen Jin who hung up—it was Zhang Hui.

Seeing the call drop, Chen Jin didn’t bother to call back. He put his phone away, opened the car door, and dragged the masked man out.

He had driven far from town; only a winding road cut through the deserted landscape. The sky was growing dim, the sun about to set. Few cars passed by at this hour, and even if one did, Chen Jin didn’t care.

From the car, Chen Jin fetched a fruit knife.

He hurled it at the masked man, who was sprawled on the ground.

The knife embedded itself perfectly in the man’s right palm.

Blood spurted out.

“Ah!” The masked man woke with a start, trying to leap up.

But Chen Jin stomped on his chest, pinning him down and grinding his foot, intensifying the pain.

“If you don’t say something useful, I’ll grant you a death by a thousand cuts,” Chen Jin said, yanking the knife from the man’s hand.

The masked man, his senses returning, gritted his teeth—his pain evident only in a slight furrowing of the brow and a muffled groan. He didn’t scream.

“Your brother-in-law Zhang Hui just called me. He told me a few things, but then the call cut off. Tell me, do you think something happened to him?” Chen Jin asked suddenly.

Mention of Zhang Hui finally stirred a reaction.

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“Oh, and your sister—I saw her at the shop earlier when I returned. No wonder your face looked so familiar; you’re related to her,” Chen Jin continued.

“What?!” The masked man stared at Chen Jin in shock.

Finally, he spoke.

Chen Jin noted he’d found the right way to communicate with him.

“Your sister is right there,” Chen Jin said, pointing just above the man’s crown.

The masked man, lying on the ground, couldn’t see behind him.

“Sis! Sis…” he twisted his head, shouting hoarsely, “Why are you still here? Why?!”

‘Oh? Now that’s interesting,’ Chen Jin thought, glancing in the direction he’d indicated.

Of course, there was nothing there—just empty space.

Chen Jin was lying, but he hadn’t expected it to work so well; the man’s psychological defenses crumbled the moment his sister was mentioned.

“You want to see your sister so badly? Too bad—I won’t let you, not until you tell me the truth,” Chen Jin sneered, locking the man’s body in place with his own energy.

The masked man could only move his eyes and mouth—nothing else.

“Heh, such tricks stopped working on me three years ago,” the masked man sneered.

Even his facial muscles were immobilized, so he could only express disdain with his words.

“Impressive, but I really did see your sister. Open your spiritual sight and look at this photo,” Chen Jin said, holding his phone before the man’s face.

The screen was completely black.

But upon seeing that darkness, the masked man’s gaze froze and slowly became vacant.

“Just a few more years eating rice than me, that’s all,” Chen Jin scoffed.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Wu Quan…” the masked man answered dully, eyes lifeless, voice devoid of emotion.

He had already been hypnotized by Chen Jin’s illusion technique.

…