What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

"Hey, Brother Chen, you've finally decided to open your eyes."

A slightly rounded and familiar voice came from the side.

I turned my neck with difficulty and saw Jin Wanliang sitting in a folding chair.

He wasn't wearing that flamboyant Tang suit today; instead, he wore a dark gray casual outfit.

He was holding an apple in his hand, the knife tip spinning with practiced ease, the peel hanging down in a long, intact strip.

When he saw that I was awake, a look of relief appeared on his round face.

He then quickly put down the apple and the knife and went to the bedside.

"Old Jin..."

When I opened my mouth to speak, I found my throat was incredibly dry and my voice was so hoarse that I could hardly recognize myself.

Jin Wanliang reacted quickly, poured a glass of warm water, inserted a straw, and held it to my lips.

"Drink slowly, don't choke. You slept really soundly, anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to become a sleeping god."

I greedily took a few sips of water; the warm liquid slid down my throat, finally bringing back a bit of the feeling of being alive.

"How long did I sleep?"

I asked, each word spoken slowly, accompanied by a faint stabbing pain in my chest.

Jin Wanliang stretched out one hand and waved his five fingers in front of me.

"For five whole days. From the day the folklore bureau people carried you out of the ground until now, you've been lying here like this."

If their people hadn't said that you were just severely overdrawn by your evil energy and your body was protecting itself, I would have considered asking them to invite some guardian spirits to call back your soul.

Five days.

I was slightly startled.

No wonder I felt like my meridians were like a cracked riverbed, with not a trace of malevolent energy in sight.

The backlash from the Demon-Slaying Technique, combined with my final hard-fought impact from the Gu King, almost cost me my life.

I recalled the last scene that happened in the basement that day, the complex look in Jiang Ling's eyes, and Lu Yan collapsing in the mud.

"Where's Lu Yan? How is she?" I asked anxiously.

Jin Wanliang pulled back the folding chair and sat down, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

"Director Lu woke up earlier than you; he opened his eyes two days ago. However..."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "She's no longer in Jiangcheng."

"Not in Jiangcheng? What do you mean?"

Jin Wanliang sighed: "Two days ago, Longhu Mountain sent a special plane to pick them up and take them back."

I couldn't find out the specifics, since that's an internal matter for their sect.

Hearing him say that, half of the weight that was hanging over my heart lifted, but the other half hung even higher.

It's a good thing that Lu Yan woke up; at least it proves that her life is not in danger.

However, his return to the mountain after waking up suggests there's more to the story.

"Where's my phone? Could you get it for me?"

Jin Wanliang pulled a slightly cracked phone from the drawer of the bedside table and handed it to me: "I've charged it for you."

When I pulled this thing out of your pocket that day, it was almost ruined by the muddy water. Luckily, domestically made phones are sturdy.

I took the phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I swiped the screen and found Lu Yan's number.

Dial the number.

The phone rang for a long time, so long that I thought she wouldn't answer, before that clear and familiar voice finally came through.

"Chen Yang? You're awake."

Lu Yan's voice sounded very soft, revealing an undeniable weakness, but her tone remained steady.

"Yes, I just opened my eyes," I replied softly.

"I heard from Lao Jin that you went back to Longhu Mountain? What happened to your injuries?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a faint chuckle.

"I won't die, but my vital essence is severely depleted. My master was afraid that I would suffer from chronic illnesses, so he forcibly brought me back."

Right now, he's lying in the quiet room behind the mountain, drinking those terribly bitter medicinal soups.

Hearing that she could still joke around finally eased my tension.

"That's good. If it weren't for your last net that day, that thing probably would have been taken away."

"It's my duty."

Lu Yan paused, her tone becoming more serious.

"Chen Yang, stay in the hospital during this time and don't go anywhere."

I'm going back to the mountains to recuperate this time, and I probably won't be able to return for at least a month or two.

The situation in Jiangcheng... might change somewhat.

"change?"

"The incident at Wandie Valley has caused too much of a stir, especially since it involves the Holy Maiden and that Gu King."

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has already intervened, and the subsequent handling will be very complicated.

In short, you focus on recovering from your injury, and we'll talk again when I get back to Jiangcheng.

"Okay, I understand. Focus on recovering."

After hanging up the phone, I leaned against the pillow, looking at the continuous spring rain outside the window, but in my mind I was reviewing the last few words Lu Yan said.

The situation in Jiangcheng may change.

When Jin Wanliang saw that I had hung up the phone, he cut the peeled apple into small pieces and handed them to me, then leaned closer mysteriously.

"Brother Chen, Director Lu spilled the beans to you on the phone, didn't he?"

I chewed on my apple and mumbled, "She only said that the General Administration had intervened, but didn't go into details."

Jin Wanliang chuckled and rubbed his hands together: "That's right, after all, she works within the system, so there are some things she can't say outright."

But who am I, Lao Jin? Everywhere in Jiangcheng, in every street and alley, I have my ears!

He lowered his voice with a solemn expression: "While Director Lu is recuperating in the mountains, the Jiangcheng Folk Customs Bureau cannot be left without someone to take charge."

I heard that the General Administration has already made a decision and will send an acting director down in the next few days.

Moreover, accompanying the acting director was a special envoy dispatched from the General Administration.

"Special envoy?"

"That's right, it's said that this commissioner's identity is not simple."

He was not an ordinary civilian cadre, but a powerful figure in the General Administration who was specifically in charge of "major and serious folk criminal cases".

On the surface, this trip is about handling the aftermath of the Butterfly Valley case, but in reality...

Jin Wanliang pointed to the door outside the ward.

"They're probably here for the Gu King that Director Lu trapped in his lightning net."

I knew it in my heart.

That Gu King was indeed incredibly powerful.

Even disregarding its value in the art of Gu poison, the sheer toxicity it carries, if released even in the slightest, could instantly kill many ordinary people.

This kind of thing absolutely needs to be strictly controlled.

Now that the authorities have captured the Holy Maiden and obtained the Gu King, they are absolutely not going to let her go easily.

The underlying power struggles and research value are likely unfathomable.

"Old Jin, where is that saintess... being held?"

Jin Wanliang shook his head: "I don't know."

The day the person was carried out, they were immediately taken away by an armed escort vehicle sent by the provincial bureau and reportedly imprisoned in a top-secret underground prison.

Brother Chen, I have to remind you, the State Administration will definitely send people down to talk to you, the person involved.

You'd better be careful then.

"I know," I replied casually.

After I closed my eyes, I was thinking about something else entirely.

The saintess was captured, but where is the copper coin sword she took with her?