**Chapter 49: Someone Wants to Be His Father**
In the small conference room of the vacation homestay.
After explaining everything to the various spiritual ability users and urban legend experts who came to assist, Jumeng deeply bowed to them.
Feigning weakness and taking advantage of Tangcheng’s complex urban architecture to hide temporarily, she aimed to recover from her injuries while waiting for more reinforcements to arrive in Tangcheng.
When there were about half a day’s time left before the city barrier activated, she would charge back, trying her best to inflict damage on the invaders inside Peach Source, preventing them from relaying information about the counterattack and accumulating sufficient combat strength, thereby reducing the threat after the city barrier was activated.
This was the plan Jumeng had thought of from the beginning, but she didn’t expect that two uncertainties would emerge halfway: Mao Sanyou and Luxianbei.
The presence of Mao Sanyou gave her the confidence to increase the probability of success by ten percent.
As for Luxianbei…
With that guy’s current combat power and Jumeng’s understanding of her, who knows what kind of trouble she would cause? It would be best not to let her participate in the operation.
Jumeng thought as she gently rubbed her forehead and turned off her mobile phone.
“Everyone, if there are no issues, let’s start the operation after dark? At that time, Yuan Ye and everyone in Peach Source will assist.”
“Understood!” Everyone replied in unison.
————
Pain.
In a daze, Bai Kai felt a severe pain in the back of his head, as if he had been…
No! He had indeed been struck on the back of the head from behind with a spell.
A few minutes earlier, after receiving news from Ahua that Luxianbei was in trouble, he hadn’t had time to spend his last moments with the female companion from last night and rushed to Amber Hall. As soon as he entered, he was hit from behind with the [Spell of Strike 42: Thunder Bloom], instantly numbing his brain.
“d*mn it, what’s this lame idiot doing? Why did he ambush me?”
Bai Kai muttered to himself, slowly opened his eyes, and instinctively tried to raise his hand to check his injuries, but suddenly felt a tightness around his body.
He paused for a moment, looked down, and suddenly noticed that he was leaning against a marble column, sitting on a stone step, with deep gray three-fingered hands crawling all over him, resembling a cluster of barnacles growing on rocks.
As he struggled slightly, golden light slipped through the gaps of those hands, absorbing his spirit energy and growing wildly.
This was a sealing spell, the Three Fingers of the Stone.
“…”
Bai Kai remained silent for a while, recalling his previous application to participate in the support for Tangcheng’s red crow signal when his access was locked, and suddenly realized, furrowing his brows.
“d*mn it! Lame guy, are you there? Are you there? Hurry up and let me go, or you’ll be in for a surprise!”
“I’ll tell you, I already guessed you have a crush on our little Bei, you’d better come and let me go immediately, otherwise, I won’t agree to you two being together!”
Bai Kai yelled a couple of times, his voice triggered the hidden, activation-type spell left by Jiang Li above his head. Accompanied by a soft buzzing in the air and a sound like shattering glass, a piece of paper floated down, landing squarely in front of him.
【Stay in Huacheng, I will take care of Luxianbei.】
Bai Kai rolled his eyes, “You’ll take her back? Sounds good, but what if you can’t bring her back?”
As if in response to his question, the paper flipped over.
【If I can’t bring her back, I will accompany her in d*ath. P.S.: Li Xuan recently bought a new car, it has a lot of power, suitable for a road trip.】
“Pff—!”
Seeing Jiang Li’s message on the back of the note, Bai Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “Thinking of a convenient excuse for doing bad things without breaking the rules? That’s interesting.”
From Huacheng to Tangcheng, a journey of more than two thousand kilometers, even Bai Kai would struggle to make it, but with a good car, the situation would be different.
So, half a day later, Li Xuan looked at the sticky note left by Bai Kai on his desk, his mind instantly filled with vulgar language.
【Li brother’s new car is good, let me borrow it and take the girl I like for a road trip.
Left by Bai Kai.】
“Crash!”
Li Xuan grabbed the sticky note on the table, crumpled it up fiercely, and threw it into the trash can. After taking a few deep breaths to contain his rage, he quietly took out his phone and sent Bai Kai a message.
Li Xuan: “You’re going for a road trip, and you might pass through Tangcheng, right? I warn you, first, you must bring the car back to me; second, help me take care of my junior sister Fu Xinyi while you’re at it.”
As an individual who browsed the internal network dozens of times a day to stay updated on various internal information of the Siye Society, he had certainly seen the red crow signal from Tangcheng and knew that his promising junior sister was also on the rescue list.
However…
Jiang Li had left, Bai Kai had slipped away, Gu Liuxi had canceled, and Mushang was a perennial introvert who wouldn’t leave unless it was for a major disaster. If he also went, Huacheng would be left with only An Qing as an effective combat force. If something went wrong in Huacheng, who would take responsibility?
————
Relying on her rich experience of failing the driving test several times, Luxianbei drove the truck around the distillery’s empty lot a few times and finally felt she was barely ready to hit the road, then parked on the side of the road.
Jumping down from the truck, she took out her phone to check, and seeing that Jumeng still hadn’t replied, she furrowed her brows.
“Something’s not right! No reply to messages, phone isn’t turned off, what’s Stinky Sister doing?” Luxianbei wondered as she looked at the mobile phone screen.
“Could it be that she wants to find a deserted place in the last moments of the strange being and quietly watch the revolving lanterns, reminiscing about life?”
If that were the case, Stinky Sister, a legend that had existed for more than five thousand three hundred years, must have experienced a multitude of things. Wouldn’t the time for the revolving lanterns be longer than for others?
If that were true, wouldn’t it delay the onset of d*ath?
Just as Luxianbei was lost in thought, her phone suddenly vibrated; it was a call from Professor Ma.
“Hello, Professor? Is there something going on?”
“Hmm? What’s with that voice? Are you sick again!?” Professor Ma said in surprise, a hint of concealed excitement in his voice.
Luxianbei, “…”
What are you so excited about? Am I being sick something worth getting excited about?
“Yes, Professor, I’m sick again.”
“Well…” There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Professor Ma continued, “Since that’s the case, let’s forget it. Your current state probably isn’t convenient to appear before everyone.”
At last, he scolded angrily, “Hmph, that old thief Hou Jun, I can’t bear to coexist with him!”
Luxianbei caught onto the furious intent in Professor Ma’s words, which seemed like he would swallow Professor Hou alive. She quietly asked, “Professor, what’s Professor Hou done this time to make you so angry?”
“That old lecher actually sent a photo of me with Liu Xiaoyou to your master, saying that I abused my position for personal gain and messed around with a female relationship!” Professor Ma gritted his teeth. “Your master didn’t even accept my video call last night!”
That Professor Hou really is… Luxianbei’s eyelid twitched slightly as she secretly cursed. It seemed that she indeed wasn’t suitable to appear in front of Professor Ma and the project research team members.
With Jumeng in front and calamity behind, switching between them every two days, it was likely that the rumors about Ma’s chaotic personal relationships would solidify.
Reigning in her thoughts, Luxianbei returned to the topic and asked, “By the way, Professor, why were you in such a rush to find me?”
“Oh, that’s it.” Professor Ma said, “Your senior Mao Sanyou, the one who went to pick us up at the airport last time, do you remember?”
“I remember. What’s wrong with him?”
“He got into trouble, just moments ago.” Professor Ma’s tone was serious.
“Earlier, he was in an empty classroom next to the conference room, rechecking those eliminated suspected counterfeit artifacts alone, and shortly after entering, a scream suddenly came from inside. By the time we rushed over, he was lying on the ground, covered in bl**d from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.”
“After everyone hurriedly took him to the hospital for an examination, we found that despite not having any visible injuries, he had suffered extensive high-temperature burns internally.”
“Seeing him like that reminded me of the student who was attacked by an urban legend in the Literature Building a few days ago. I tossed some coins, and sure enough, it was related to some mysterious power, so I wanted you to come see, but the group is still gathered near the old building; it’s not a good idea for you to act out with your illness.”
Luxianbei, “…”
My good professor, he himself is a spiritual ability user, and his issues must be related to mysterious powers!
No matter how many times you toss coins, it’s going to yield the same result.
However…
Luxianbei frowned slightly and asked, “By the way, Professor, which hospital is Mao Sanyou in now? If I can’t go to Tangcheng University, I can check the hospital first.”
“Oh, oh, fine, it’s good that you go check. He’s at Tangcheng University Affiliated Hospital, in the intensive care unit.”
“…”
After hanging up the phone, Luxianbei looked at her mobile phone with a complicated expression, lost in thought.
Last night, after sending Jumeng back to Chunfeng Residence, she had contacted Mao Sanyou. He confirmed that he hadn’t been injured when dealing with those attackers during the day and even wanted to invite her for a drink.
According to Professor Ma, this morning the project research team saw a lively Mao Sanyou, which indirectly proved he hadn’t been hurt.
He managed to deal with those attackers alone, indicating that his strength should not be trivial; there was no reason he would have been injured by the bedraggled pickle sealed within the artifacts.
And the internal organs suffering extensive burns…
“So, he suddenly encountered something else this morning?” Luxianbei murmured. “Could it be a retaliatory strike by the companions of those guys from yesterday?”
“Forget it, it’s better to go to the hospital and check it out.”
No matter what, Mao Sanyou’s sudden injury must be related to Jumeng. Since she couldn’t reach Jumeng, perhaps she could find some clues from him, Luxianbei thought.
————
As the sky darkened, it was as if it sensed that something was about to happen, with dark clouds quietly piling up above the sky, shedding white snow.
At Tangcheng University Affiliated Hospital, in the intensive care unit.
The corridor, filled with a faint scent of disinfectant, echoed with the monotonous beeping of machines.
Inside the ward, Mao Sanyou, who lay unconscious on the hospital bed, was connected to various tubes.
He was sleeping restlessly, as if suffering from a terrifying nightmare, his eyelids fluttering incessantly, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“…”
Vivid and exaggerated images flowed through his mind, with a hissing buzz ringing in his ears. His resistance was futile, like a ship that had lost its anchor, slowly being pulled into an amorphous whirlpool of dreams.
In that bizarre illusion, Mao Sanyou found himself stepping once again into that mystical and familiar massive cavern.
The space inside the cave was oddly inverted, pitch black, with twisting and steep narrow passageways that seemed not meant for humans. The slippery gray-black paths made it impossible to walk, with the walls lined with rotting nests of birds that emanated a musty odor.
Mao Sanyou wandered continuously through the identical-looking routes, unable to see the starting point looking back and no endpoint in sight ahead, as if trapped in a massive labyrinth.
In this despairing darkness, he suddenly sensed the existence of some living creatures softly hissing. They flapped their wings, swirling hot winds through the passageways, surrounding him, crowding together with him.
Listening to the howling songs drifting in the darkness, he suddenly “saw” paintings on the walls.
Not seeing with his eyes, but with some unknown organ.
Those murals were absurd and distorted, with the paint yet to dry, continuously flowing with an indescribable stench, akin to some biological fluid.
Suddenly, a strong golden light flared at the end of the passage, as if to illuminate the entire world.
In that breathtaking brilliance, Mao Sanyou saw a horrifying sight he could never forget in his life.
He saw his father, his father who had long passed away.
But it wasn’t the gentle figure he knew; it was a corpse, a rotting corpse.
Qunyang’s gigantic body, like a building, stood at the end of the “maze,” completely decayed, black bl**d oozing from its remains, soaking the dark feathers and falling into the abyss along the drooping wings.
Yet it was still alive, emanating astonishing heat and an awe-inspiring golden glow.
Suddenly, that corpse opened its eyes, those twisted and malicious non-human pupils froze, as if they intended to pierce through Mao Sanyou’s body, staring at him fiercely, revealing a sinister smile.
————
“Quick! Rescue, rescue, the ICU patient has stopped breathing!”
A sharp scream echoed in the corridor, yanking Luxianbei’s consciousness from Mao Sanyou’s nightmare. She activated her spirit energy and calmly retracted the pale tendrils generated by Jumeng’s natural talent skill, her expression grave.
Just now, while trying to probe into Mao Sanyou’s dreamscape, she discovered two shocking things.
First, Mao Sanyou was the offspring of a powerful urban legend called Qunyang, who possessed the powers of the golden crow.
Second, his father, who was supposed to be dead, for some unknown reason, had suddenly risen from the dead.
In simple terms, someone wanted to be his father!
But how does this relate to Stinky Sister? Luxianbei thought, and at the end of the corridor, a familiar figure flashed past her peripheral vision.
Upon focusing, she realized it was Hu Yue, the visiting professor who had arrived in Tangcheng on the same flight as her…
