Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

Chapter 98 All Parties Enter the Game

"Mr. Chen, please."

Outside the county government gate, two constables dressed in black robes and carrying swords at their waists stood on either side of Chen Qian, like two guardian deities.

The man on the left has a face as black as iron; his name is Ma Han.

The man on the right is thin and has a cold look in his eyes; his name is Zhang Long.

Both men had bulging temples and their breathing was accompanied by the sound of wind; they were both genuine masters of the Heart Fire Realm and were the most trusted confidants of County Magistrate Li.

"Thank you for your trouble, officers."

Chen Qian cupped his hands in a respectful smile, his expression composed.

He knew perfectly well that these two, ostensibly working together, were actually keeping a close watch on him.

"Patriarch Zhao has already contacted all the major martial arts schools; we can't fall behind."

Chen Qian mounted his horse and pointed his whip south of the city: "To the Wang family."

The Wang family mansion was not yet draped in mourning, but the atmosphere was already somber.

The disappearance of Second Master Wang Tong, along with the loss of all the elite troops he brought, was a devastating blow to the Wang family.

Inside the main hall, after listening to Chen Qian's account, Wang Lie, the head of the Wang family, had an unpredictable expression on his plump face, and the teacup in his hand creaked as he gripped it.

"You mean—the second brother isn't dead? He's just trapped?"

Wang Lie stared intently at Chen Qian, trying to find a flaw in the young man's face.

"Absolutely true."

Chen Qian remained expressionless, and even revealed a hint of anxiety at the right moment.

"Second Master Wang and Young Master Zhao joined forces to seize the immortal opportunity, but were ambushed by the Li family of Black Mountain. Now they are struggling to hold on with the help of secret techniques, waiting for rescue. Patriarch Wang, time waits for no one! If we are too late, that immense wealth will truly be lost."

Beside him, Ma Han stepped forward at the opportune moment and said coldly, "Patriarch Wang, the county magistrate attaches great importance to this matter, and Mr. Wen Ce has also foreseen a very ominous sign. This is an order to exorcise demons; we urge the Wang family to prioritize the greater good."

After a long silence, Wang Lie finally opened his tightly closed eyes a crack.

"What if I don't want to?"

Before Chen Qian could speak, Zhang Long preemptively bowed and said, "If Patriarch Wang is unwilling, please do not obstruct him and do us a favor!"

Wang Lie picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Let me think about it some more. This matter is of great importance, and we need the elders in the family to discuss it before making a decision. We're definitely anxious about our second son being trapped!"

"but----"

Wang Lie changed the subject, his brows furrowing as if he couldn't quite understand: "Mr. Chen, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Please speak, Patriarch Wang."

"You're saying that the Li family from Black Mountain was behind it—"

Wang Lie paced back and forth in the hall, then asked in confusion, "As far as I know, although the Li family of Black Mountain is mysterious, they have always been law-abiding for the past few decades, or even for the past sixty years. I have never heard of them doing anything harmful, let alone going down the mountain to rob treasures."

"Even when some herb gatherers accidentally wander into the depths of the Black Mountain, they are drugged and brought out; there are very few reports of them taking lives."

"How could such a reclusive family suddenly become so ruthless?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qian's heart skipped a beat.

Zhao Yuanshan said so, and Wang Lie said so too.

It's possible that one family was unaware, but it's highly unusual that the two major local bullies in Linjiang County were completely oblivious to the Li family's "misdeeds."

"Perhaps—this opportunity to become immortals was too tempting, causing them to tear off their masks."

Chen Qian calmly brushed it off, but inwardly he was in turmoil.

After leaving the Wang family residence, Chen Qian rode on his horse, his face grim.

The two constables followed behind, unaware of anything amiss.

Chen Qian quietly reached into his robes and pressed down on the leather bag containing the soul soil and paper doll heads.

A huge logical flaw stood before him.

Li Chengyun once told him personally that the current Li family of Heishan is a group of thieves. Because of the curse that their bodies rot, they need to capture four or five living people every year, plant a mark on them, nurture their souls for ten days, and then harvest them to "extend their lives with their own."

Four or five a year.

Ten years is forty or fifty.

Over the past few decades, at least one or two hundred people have mysteriously disappeared or died suddenly.

In this small Linjiang County, how could two or three hundred lives be lost without a ripple?

How could the Zhao family, who control criminal matters, and the well-informed Wang family be completely unaware?

unless----

Those people don't even exist?

Or perhaps their disappearance was perfectly erased by some force?

"master."

Chen Qian silently recited in his mind, his voice transmitted through the leather bag: "Disciple just heard Patriarch Wang say that the Li family of Black Mountain has been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures for decades, not even daring to step on an ant. This seems somewhat different from what you said about 'reclaiming lives every year and using souls to prolong life'?"

"Could it be—that I misheard? Or is Patriarch Wang's eyesight failing?"

There was a moment of silence inside the leather bag.

Then, Li Chengyun's sinister laughter echoed in Chen Qian's mind: "Hehe—a vegetarian chanting Buddhist prayers?"

"Kid, are you doubting that I'm lying to you?"

"Your disciple wouldn't dare," Chen Qian replied respectfully, but the sharpness in his words remained undiminished. "However, since I am currently in the thick of it, if the information is incorrect, it could ruin Master's grand plan. If it truly happened, the files in Linjiang County wouldn't be completely clean. Unless—"

Chen Qian paused, then probed, "Unless those who were taken from Linjiang County weren't even from there? Or perhaps they were some kind of—people no one would care about?"

"You're smart."

Li Chengyun was not provoked. Instead, he displayed a cold indifference as if he had seen through the fickleness of human nature: "Dossiers? Dossiers are written for the living, and also for people of status."

"Do you think they'd be stupid enough to target rich kids and sons of officials?"

"Their targets are always those nameless ghosts."

"Wandering beggars, lonely travelers, child prostitutes sold into brothels, orphans in the deep mountains —"

"These people, once they're dead, are simply gone, like autumn leaves rotting in the mud, unnoticed by anyone. No one reports them to the authorities, no one claims their bodies, so where do the files come from? Where do the rumors come from?"

Li Chengyun's voice was low and somber: "They even employed a group of human traffickers, specializing in abducting people from other places and sending them to the foot of Black Mountain. In the eyes of those powerful lords, the Li family was naturally a law-abiding, reclusive family. As for those vanished figures—who cares?"

Chen Qian tightened his grip on the reins slightly.

This explanation is both reasonable and extremely cold-blooded.

"But Master—"

Chen Qian didn't give up there. Instead, he astutely pointed out another suspicious point: "Since they only arrest nameless criminals, why did they choose me this time?"

"Although I have no power or influence, I am registered in Linjiang County, and I have family and neighbors. If I were to disappear, it would definitely attract attention. This doesn't fit their low-key style, does it?"

The paper head in the leather bag seemed to freeze for a moment.

After a long while, Li Chengyun's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of deeper meaning: "Because—you are different."

"What's different?"

"Hehe, you'll see when the time comes."

Li Chengyun clearly didn't want to elaborate on this issue and abruptly cut off contact: "Stop talking nonsense and get on with the business."

Chen Qian slowly released his grip and looked at the bustling street ahead.

Li Chengyun is lying.

Or rather, he concealed the most crucial information.

"That old man doesn't seem to be entirely honest either!"

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