Chapter Forty-Eight: I Saw You

Hearing the woman’s words, Chen Jin felt that this group was done for.

“Don’t go. Think about how many of you are left now?” Chen Jin called out.

“Nine. Why do you keep asking that? I’ve already told you, there are only nine of us, never fourteen,” Zuo Dingshan replied, irritated by Chen Jin’s persistence.

“I’ve recorded our conversation just now. Listen to what you said about your numbers.” Chen Jin continued.

He took Wu Quan’s phone and held it to his own microphone, playing back the recording.

The audio went as follows:

“Can you tell me the names of the fourteen people you mentioned?” Zuo Dingshan’s voice.

“Have you left the village?” Chen Jin’s voice.

“No, can you repeat the names of the fourteen people you mentioned? We need to confirm whether your advice is deceiving us.” Zuo Dingshan’s voice.

“How many people are left among you now?” Chen Jin’s voice.

“Ten.” Zuo Dingshan’s voice.

After the playback, silence stretched on the other end.

Chen Jin played another recording:

“Good, no change. Let me list them: first, the group leader Zuo Dingshan… then Zhuang Yan, Zhang Hui, Hao Lian and Hao Lian, Qin Yang, Zhang Jianping, Li Hua, Lan Xingwu, Qi Mingzhi, Lin Lin, Zheng Yumai, Zhao Yunlan, Chen Yawen—these fourteen. Tell me, which four names are missing?” Chen Jin’s voice.

“Zhang Hui, Hao Lian… uh, Hao Lian, and Qin Yang.” Zuo Dingshan’s voice.

…

When the playback ended, Chen Jin immediately asked, “Which names among these are missing now?”

“We’re leaving. Hurry up, let’s go,” Zuo Dingshan said.

He addressed his own group.

“You’ve already been affected. The moment that woman spoke, you changed your minds about leaving. While some among you can still realize something’s wrong, heed my warning and leave quickly—get out of this village,” Chen Jin urged.

“Go, now!” Zuo Dingshan commanded.

Beep… beep… beep…

The call ended. Chen Jin saw it disconnect and let it go.

Wu Quan’s voice rang out again. “My brother-in-law… what happened?”

“He’s probably dying. You heard everything just now, didn’t you?” Chen Jin replied, indifferent.

He was preparing to reverse the car. Whether those people survived was up to their own fate. He’d done all he could; his help ended here. Though he wanted to know whether the world he’d traveled to had left traces behind, if so, he’d need to be careful in future journeys. If he triggered a time paradox, he might vanish altogether—what then?

Yet, even if he was eager to confirm his suspicions, he would not risk his own life by staying in that village. Its strangeness had fooled him once already, back in the Eastern Jin era. If not for a stroke of luck, he might have been trapped. Even though the one-eyed gentleman had manipulated things then, a millennium had passed since. Who knew what had changed?

Perhaps even masters at the Soul Gathering stage would not survive if they entered. Best to avoid it, never throw yourself in recklessly.

“Let me go. I need to go to Mount Gehong,” Wu Quan said suddenly.

“To save your brother-in-law?” Chen Jin asked.

“Yes.” Wu Quan nodded.

“He’s done for. This is the outcome he wanted, isn’t it? Seeking virtue and meeting his end—he’s fallen into the pit,” Chen Jin scoffed.

“I have to find him,” Wu Quan insisted.

“How old are you?” Chen Jin asked.

“…So what if I’m just acting on impulse? You don’t care about anyone there, but I do. That’s why I have to go,” Wu Quan replied.

“I only want to mock your childishness. Your brother-in-law is absolutely dead. You should return to Xiahu and inherit his snack shop,” Chen Jin said dismissively.

“…Let me go, and I’ll tell you where the medicinal primer is,” Wu Quan bargained.

“Young man, don’t forget you were hypnotized by me just now. The primer, ha, wouldn’t I easily find out about these things?” Chen Jin retorted.

He was bluffing; he hadn’t gotten the information about the primer yet. Wu Quan had broken free from the hypnotic trance before Chen Jin could ask.

This was someone with a resolute mind. Practically all who set out on the path of cultivation had firm wills. Otherwise, how could they begin in an era where the world’s energy was so depleted? In ancient times, fools might have managed, but nowadays, it was impossible.

“If you ask that question, I’ll definitely wake up,” Wu Quan said calmly.

“I’m not interested in your so-called primer that reverses life and death. I have no designs on it,” Chen Jin replied coolly, unfazed at being contradicted.

“I can give you my family’s cultivation method and the records of my ancestors’ cultivation,” Wu Quan offered.

Chen Jin was tempted.

He was genuinely interested. Since obtaining Xin Yang’s memories, he had gained considerable experience in cultivation, but that was only from one person. What Wu Quan offered were the records of generations of ancestors.

“Do you have them with you?” Chen Jin asked hesitantly.

Wu Quan shook his head.

Of course, such valuable things wouldn’t be carried around. What, was he expecting to be killed by some “protagonist” and have his secret manual looted? This wasn’t some bizarre martial arts novel; no one would carry their cultivation manual with them.

“You want me to fetch it myself? Do you think I trust you?” Chen Jin questioned.

“It’s all I have,” Wu Quan said helplessly.

Indeed, Chen Jin had no lack of money; cultivators rarely did. Precious items, even less. As for herbs, Wu Quan probably had none, and they wouldn’t sway Chen Jin anyway. So he could only offer his family’s heritage.

“Is your brother-in-law really so important?” Chen Jin finally asked.

“He’s my last kin in this world,” Wu Quan said solemnly.

…

Chen Jin drove alone back to Xiahu County. In the end, he let Wu Quan go.

He felt he wasn’t moved by Wu Quan’s ancestral cultivation manual, but by his devotion to his brother-in-law. He decided to let him go, to let him pursue and protect his own kin.

Well, Chen Jin himself probably didn’t believe this reason…

Beep… beep… beep…

Just as Chen Jin was about to reach Xiahu County, his phone rang again.

Zuo Dingshan was calling.

“Hello…”

“I see you now, troublesome little brat—hehehehe…”

A cackling laugh, like a hen clucking, echoed in Chen Jin’s ears.

…