Under Neil's arrangement, the entire timeout room was emptied. However, Neil also said in advance that he could only give Xu Qian three days. After those three days, no one would be able to keep it a secret anymore.
However, Xu Qian didn't see any of this as a big problem—he had the Great Sage.
This Great Sage is not that Great Sage, but the Great Sage Equal to Heaven from Journey to the West. Although he appears for a very short time, he is very effective!
The Great Sage jumped off Xu Qian's back, scratched his furry head, and walked to the front of the temporary control room. At Xu Qian's command, a pile of rubble rained down from the sky, engulfed in terrifying flames. Then, a black-gold staff fell, and the next second, a figure appeared in the center of the raging flames, a bright red cloak billowing high in the air—a sight both dazzling and magnificent.
Xu Qian couldn't help but get excited for a second. This was Sun Wukong, the national hero, his eternal idol!
Just as everyone was excited, the once quiet pause room was also stirred up by waves of excitement. It has to be said that the charm of the 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven' was quite touching. According to Xu Qian, almost no demon race could resist such an impact, considering that their nature is to admire strength.
Although the appearance time of the strongest king was a little short, the effect was very powerful. Here it comes.
Xu Qian turned his gaze to the door.
Before them emerged a pure white wolf, its deep blue eyes devoid of any warmth. At first glance, it resembled a snow-capped mountain, unreachable and unattainable.
Xu Qian smiled and gave Xiao Qing a hint: communication is something your demon race should handle themselves.
Xiaoqing was somewhat reluctant. Her relationship with the wolf clan was not good at all, and she wouldn't have come if it weren't for the Great Sage's sake.
Taking advantage of this moment, Xu Qian squatted down in front of the Great Sage, and the Great Sage quickly climbed up his shoulder.
The entire interaction between the two was observed by the White Wolf, but before he could question them, Xiao Qing, who was now at full power, had already walked up to him.
At this moment, the white wolf clearly realized that the 'person' in front of him was also a demon, just like him. Even though the snake clan had always been at odds with the wolf clan, he was very calm at the moment, and even a little happy.
The reason? Maybe it's because I've been lonely for too long.
Perhaps because of the other party's sudden kindness, Xiaoqing coughed twice and chose to restrain herself, after all, she was also an elder in terms of age.
After learning more about the situation, Xu Qian gained a clear understanding of Bai Lang's identity—just as he had guessed, the Bai Lang in front of him was the legendary Duan Tinglan, but earlier than he had imagined. The real Duan Tinglan had died when he was assassinated in the hunting grounds, and Yan Shou, who was Bai Lang, had chosen to impersonate Duan Tinglan at that time.
"The price is... he has to pay for the Duan family for thirty years," Xiaoqing said.
“…The Duan family?” Xu Qian narrowed his eyes.
Xiaoqing glanced at Yan Shou, then at Xu Qian, and continued translating: "...The ancestors of the Duan family were half-demons, born with the ability to communicate with all living things. Yan Shou, who was seriously injured in the internal strife of the wolf clan, originally wanted to take advantage of... ah no, it's... that..." Xiaoqing gave a knowing look and said, "Later, the Duan family discovered his substitution, and he had no choice but to make a deal with the Duan family and become Duan Tinglan."
"Then, what about that mask?" Xu Qian glanced behind him; that thing was much more powerful than the 'Samoyed' in front of him.
Yan Shou hesitated for two seconds, then explained—
[That's... a shackle.]
Perhaps it was because Yan Shou was becoming increasingly powerful that the Duan family became more and more wary. So they conspired with the wolf clan to set a trap, tricking Yan Shou into wearing the mask under a false pretense. From then on, he was controlled by the Duan clan. Only on the night of the full moon could Yan Shou, who had transformed into his original form, briefly break free of the mask. But when the sun rose the next day, the mask, known as the 'shackles,' would return to his face.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qian's brows furrowed deeply, the ugliness of desire laid bare in the face of self-interest.
Historical records also document what happened afterward, and at least on the surface, it is true. Thirty years later, Duan Tinglan died of 'illness,' leaving behind only this mask and himself, who was imprisoned by that mask for life.
The story of Yan Shou has ended, but their mission has not been completed. The souls of those still lying in the hospital are still inside that mask.
Regarding this, Yan Shou bluntly stated that he couldn't help them because he was also one of those imprisoned by the mask and was truly powerless to do anything about it.
[unless……]
"Unless what?" Xiaoqing pressed.
[Unless one possesses the Jade Pearl, one could escape simply by using the blood of a blood relative, but this Jade Pearl has long since vanished...]
Xiaoqing blinked, looked at Xu Qian beside her, and said, "He said there has to be a jade bead, don't you have one...?"
"The jade bead?" Xu Qian was stunned. He seemed to actually have that thing, but... he had thrown it into Blue Moon Valley.
The two men stared at each other, and the scene fell silent. Xu Qian waved his hand, grabbed the Great Sage, and walked out, calling out, "I'll be right back, wait for me—"
Xu Qian went straight to his dormitory and opened the map of Chongqing—the "Swift Travel" feature was loading.
Ten seconds later, he arrived safely on the outskirts of Chongqing, and then—he got soaked to the bone.
It's pouring rain in Chongqing right now; the rain is so heavy that it's almost impossible to open your eyes.
Xu Qian wiped his face in annoyance and immediately put an eggshell on himself before he could open his eyes and see his surroundings.
Yes, there's no one around, and no surveillance cameras.
He took out the motorcycle from his backpack. It was a brand new motorcycle that he had only bought a month ago, and this was a good opportunity to practice riding it.
Thankfully it's late at night and there's a downpour, otherwise if a passerby saw this, it would definitely become a funny trending topic.
Xu Qian rode all the way to the foot of the mountain. The rest of the way would be faster using his superior lightness skill, and the mountain was still undeveloped and quite safe.
And so it went until he successfully reached the sinkhole—or, to be more precise, the sinkhole that had been submerged by a flash flood.
Xu Qian stared blankly for two seconds, then could only manage a wry smile. This Chongqing, after all, has water in its name, so it's normal for it to have so much water... right...?
Just as Xu Qian was thinking about how to get in, there was a sudden loud 'boom' from the bottom of the sinkhole, which startled him so much that he almost slipped.
"What's going on?" Xu Qian peeked inside and saw that three small yellow dots had suddenly appeared on the previously clean minimap, and they were getting closer and closer to him...
Author's Note: This story will undergo a major revision after completion. The main plot will remain largely unchanged, but the changes will be in the details, as this is my first time writing a story-driven novel.
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