Chapter 76: Another mission!
The three returned to the villa. Chen Cheng had suffered internal injuries and urgently needed to go back to recuperate. Yang Kaiguang and Chu Tianqing tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. So, they readily fulfilled their promise and handed Chen Cheng a check for one million with both hands, saying:
"Master Chen, this is the incense money I offer to the founder of Taoism. Please accept it. I work in real estate, and I hope you can still lend a helping hand if I encounter similar situations in the future."
Chen Cheng didn't stand on ceremony and took the check, saying, "Okay, Mr. Yang, it is also the duty of our Taoist sect to slay demons and eliminate evil. I also suffered some internal injuries this time and urgently need to go back to recuperate. Otherwise, I would definitely like to have a drink with the two bosses tonight!"
Chu Tianqing asked, "Master Chen, how serious is your injury? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?"
"No need. I'm afflicted by Yin energy, and ordinary medicine won't work. I have herbs at home; I can brew them myself when I get back."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Chen Cheng bid farewell to the two men and drove away.
Three days later, Chen Cheng stood in the courtyard, breathing in the fresh air, feeling refreshed. After returning from Zengcheng, he told Lao Zhang what he had to do, then locked himself in the back hall to brew medicine and meditate. After his internal injuries healed a little, he cleaned several magical artifacts with talisman water and consecrated them on the ancestral shrine. Until last night, except for the broken piece of lightning-struck wood, the other three artifacts were all usable. Now that he had no ghost-catching or demon-exorcising missions, he didn't know how powerful these magical artifacts really were.
He opened his phone, and a barrage of messages flooded in. Three days ago, he had already told Zhang Qian that he needed to help Lu Xiachan's soul stabilize, and then have it help Zhang Qian offset his fate. Otherwise, if he didn't reply to her messages for a few days, given this girl's temperament, she would definitely come to the old teahouse to find him. Although she knew that Chen Cheng had important matters to attend to and couldn't reply to messages, she still sent several messages a day.
"Little sister Sisi, I'm out of seclusion!" (laughing).
After a while, the phone rang. Chen Cheng smiled slightly; he didn't need to guess that it was Zhang Qian.
"Xiao Cheng, why was your phone off yesterday?"
Upon seeing that it was Tian Wenzhong's, Chen Cheng immediately put away his nonchalant attitude: "Hello, Team Leader Tian, my phone had a problem, just got it fixed."
"Oh, I knew it. Don't go out these two days. Master Xu Gongyi, Wen Miao, and Lei Zhen from Group Three will contact you in the next couple of days. Go with them to Qianzhou. The officials there have requested assistance from the capital. You'll understand the details when you meet them!"
"Yes, Team Leader Tian!"
"Safety must be the priority in everything. If it's not safe, don't fight it head-on. Wait for Master Jingyang or Master Qianhe, understand?"
"Understood, Team Leader Tian."
"Okay, that's settled then!"
He let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was Zhang Qian calling. It seems his intuition wasn't right after all.
As evening approached, the phone rang again, and this time it really was Zhang Qian.
"You little rascal, did you miss me?"
"you guess"!
"Don't be ridiculous! I have some good news for you. The case has made substantial progress. We've identified the suspect and will be able to close the net in the next couple of days!"
"That's great news! Be careful, Sisi, and don't get hurt like last time. I've prepared the medicated mud; I'll give it to you when we meet again. You can use it a few times to get rid of the scars."
"Hmph, I was careless last time. Who knew that she, who is so thin and weak, would suddenly go crazy? But, I want you to apply the medicinal mud to me personally!"
Zhang Qian said in a coquettish tone.
"Hehe, of course it's good. I'll apply it for you. This medicated mud can not only treat scars, but also whiten and care for your skin. I'll apply it all over your body, okay?"
"Pervert, scoundrel, how come I never realized you were so bad?"
"Haha, if you had realized it sooner, you would have fallen in love with me long ago."
"Pah, you're so vain!"
The two chatted on the phone for more than 20 minutes before Zhang Qian reluctantly hung up. Her colleagues were all working overtime, and she couldn't let her personal feelings affect the progress of the case.
Chen Cheng didn't tell her that he was going on a long trip to carry out a mission, afraid that she would be distracted at a critical moment and delay her work. He also needed to prepare well. This time he had three more magical artifacts, so he should be able to kill the Ghost King on his own!
The next evening, Chen Cheng was concentrating on drawing talismans. Now, with the increase in his mental power, the proportion of purple talismans had also increased. Before, he could draw one out of twenty, but now he could draw two. As for blue talismans, he could draw almost every one. He would occasionally fail, but that still made him unable to hide his joy.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Seeing that it was Master Xu Gongyi, he quickly answered it.
"Greetings, Master Xu."
"Okay, Xiao Cheng, we've arrived in Fengjiang. We'll pick you up and set off tonight!"
"So soon? We're on my turf now, can't I show you some hospitality and leave tomorrow?"
"We'll talk when we have time later. There's a real rush in Qianzhou, so pack your things first and we'll talk when we meet!"
"Oh well".
Twenty minutes later, Chen Cheng got into the 709's dedicated business vehicle. The driver was an old acquaintance, Ma Guangzu. In the passenger seat sat a beautiful woman in her thirties, and in the back, a man in his forties with a dignified face sat next to Xu Gongyi.
"Let me introduce you. Lei Zhen is the eldest disciple of Master Lingjun of Longhu Mountain."
"Hello, Brother Lei!"
Lei Zhen seemed to be a man of few words, and simply nodded at him.
"Wen Miao is a master of feng shui surveying and array formations. She is the youngest daughter of feng shui master Wen Daozheng and has inherited the true teachings of Master Wen!"
"Hello, Sister Miao!"
"Yes, I know you. You're a special guest in our group three, just like me."
Wen Miao turned her head and looked at him with a smile.
"Hehe, yes, Sister Miao."
"Master Xu, where is Brother Bai?"
Chen Cheng asked again.
"He has other tasks. This is a document from Qianzhou. Take a look at it first!"
Chen Cheng took it and examined it carefully.
In Qianzhou, there is a newly opened expressway connecting southern and northern Guizhou. In order to shorten the distance between the two places, several tunnels were built under the mountains, the longest of which is 23 kilometers long and spans several mountains.
The tunnel was plagued with problems from the start, with strange occurrences such as drilling rig malfunctions and roof collapses. Originally planned for three months, it took seven months to complete. Within just one month of opening, several traffic accidents and paranormal events occurred. According to a surviving driver, while driving normally through the tunnel and listening to music, the stereo suddenly started making crackling noises, accompanied by bursts of crying. The crying was sometimes high-pitched and shrill, sometimes low and hoarse, and no matter how he adjusted the stereo, it was to no avail. Some drivers and passengers also vaguely saw a funeral procession through the tunnel, all dressed in white mourning clothes, carrying white banners, and scattering paper money as they walked. But when they tried to look closer, the procession vanished.
These were relatively lucky; although they were frightened, they were not injured. Some were not so fortunate. One survivor, after receiving medical treatment, described how his car, carrying four people, was driving through a tunnel when his friend, who was driving, suddenly shouted that there was a woman with a child walking in the middle of the tunnel ahead. All three in the car saw her. His friend tried to brake, but found that the brakes had failed. Just as they were about to hit the mother and child, his friend swerved to avoid them, crashing into the tunnel wall. When he woke up, he found that all three of his companions were dead. Strangely, the car's dashcam did not show the mother and child he mentioned!
There was also a self-organized hiking group with four cars. After exiting the tunnel, only the lead car and the last car remained. The two cars in the middle mysteriously disappeared. The driver of the last car recalled that shortly after entering the tunnel, a thin mist rose up inside. He could only vaguely see the car in front of him. When he came out of the tunnel, he realized that he had followed the lead car!