*
The car sped along the rugged mountain road, and Nanqing sat in the back seat, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Qin Mobei sat to her right, wearing a light gray short-sleeved shirt and khaki casual pants, a combination Nan Qing had put together for her. She really didn't want to see him wearing the same few black shirts all the time. At that moment, he was playing with a strand of her hair in his hand, occasionally pinching the soft flesh around her waist.
In the driver's seat sat Su Lin, wearing a moon-white Chinese-style collared shirt with knotted buttons and sunglasses. Even through the sunglasses, Nan Qing could still sense that his gaze kept sweeping towards the back seat in the rearview mirror.
Nan Qing: "......"
She just wanted to have some fun, who knew it would turn out like this.
The mountain road grew narrower and narrower, with the shadows of the trees on both sides swaying in the breeze. Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, dappling the interior of the car. Qin Mobei's hand had somehow slipped to the back of her neck, his cool fingertips lightly caressing her sensitive skin.
Nan Qing couldn't help but shrink her neck, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.
"What are you hiding for? Sit down properly."
At this moment, some noises suddenly came from the front seat. Su Lin pressed the accelerator harder, and the car accelerated suddenly.
"We're almost there."
Su Lin's voice remained clear and gentle, but in the rearview mirror, his gaze behind his sunglasses lingered for a moment on Qin Mobei's hand that was holding Nan Qing's waist.
Nan Qing chuckled twice, trying to change the subject: "Um... is the stone tablet that Old Ghost mentioned at that fork in the road ahead?"
No one answered.
Qin Mobei's fingertips slowly moved up her spine, so gently that Nan Qing felt a slight tingling sensation. Su Lin's gaze also fell on her again through the rearview mirror. Although his sunglasses obscured his eyes, Nan Qing instinctively felt something was amiss...
The temperature inside the car seemed to be gradually rising.
Nan Qing, unable to bear it any longer, slapped Qin Mobei's hands away, saying, "You two..."
"arrive."
Su Lin suddenly slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a steady stop beside a secluded mountain road. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around with a gentle smile on his lips.
"Qingqing, it's time to get off the bus."
Qin Mobei straightened Nan Qing's slightly disheveled clothes, got out of the car first, then turned around and stretched out his hand to Nan Qing: "Come here."
Nan Qing glanced at Qin Mobei's outstretched hand, then at Su Lin, who was already standing outside the car with a smile on his face, and suddenly realized that... this "fun-seeking" trip might be much more exciting than she had imagined.
They arrived at Qingming Mountain at noon.
The three of them walked up the mountain path, with Su Lin leading the way, holding a plain white oil-paper umbrella with faint blue runes appearing on its surface.
Nan Qing walked in the middle, dressed in casual hiking gear, as if she really was just here for fun.
Qin Mobei walked behind her, his gaze never leaving her, always fixed on the person in front of him.
The three stopped in front of a shady basin.
Su Lin took out an ancient bronze compass from his body. As soon as the compass was taken out, the needle vibrated violently and made a faint buzzing sound.
"The Yin energy is gathering; it should be in this vicinity."
Nan Qing sniffed and agreed, "Yes, the stench is wafting out."
Following the increasingly strong stench in the air, the three crossed a small hillside and came to a man-made mountain path. At the end of the path was an iron fence with a sign that read "Geological Exploration Institute".
On the sign, there was an inconspicuous talisman painted in red paint, which ordinary people would not recognize, but Su Lin and Nan Qing recognized it at a glance as the "Yin Locking Pattern" used to suppress the corpse transformation.
"This brand is quite interesting!"
Nan Qing was about to take a closer look when Qin Mo suddenly raised his hand and waved it, causing the iron railings in front of him to fall down without any wind. At the same time, he pulled Nan Qing into his arms and half-hugged her.
Don't touch it, it's dirty.
"If you find it interesting, then go in."
After saying that, he put his arm around Nan Qing and walked inside. Su Lin watched their backs from behind, paused for a moment, and finally followed in silence.
The road ahead widens and the trees along the roadside gradually thin out. Occasionally, you can see surveillance cameras on some of the trees, their red indicator lights flashing, and the cameras slowly rotating as they move.
None of the three paid any attention to the cameras and continued walking slowly along the road. After turning the last bend, a dark cave suddenly appeared in their sight.
In front of the cave entrance, there were actually two "people" dressed in what looked like security guard uniforms standing there.
"Security personnel?"
Nan Qing was very interested in the two "people". Their skin was an unnatural bluish-white, like corpses that had been soaked in water and then dried. They wore special goggles with various talismans engraved on the lenses.
Perhaps sensing human presence, the two "security guards" abruptly opened their eyes, their gazes behind their goggles fixed on the three of them. One of the guards forced out a hoarse voice, slow and intermittent, like the broken notes of an old radio cassette tape:
"Research...Important...Place...Prohibited...Entry..."
Nan Qing's eyes flashed with interest, and she smirked as she patted Qin Mobei, who was holding her.
"Hey, Qin Mobei, you're one of us!!"
Qin Mobei snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain as he looked at the two "security guards." He also pinched Nan Qing's waist as punishment, clearly dissatisfied with her "kindred spirits."
"Get out of the way."
Just those two simple words made the two "security guards" freeze suddenly, their eyes behind their goggles trembling violently as if they had seen something terrifying, and their knees made a cracking sound as if they were being forcibly suppressed by some force.
They held on for less than three seconds before collapsing to their knees with a thud, heads bowed low, almost touching the ground, cautiously making way for the cave path behind them.
At the same time, the sound of unhurried footsteps came from inside the cave.
A middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe slowly walked out of the cave. He had a dignified face, slightly graying temples, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. He also held a compass in his right hand.
"We apologize for not welcoming our distinguished guests properly, as they have come from afar."
He seemed completely unsurprised by the arrival of Nan Qing and the other two, and his gaze fell directly on Qin Mobei, his eyes filled with fervor.
"Especially this one... truly a delightful surprise!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com