Chapter 163: The Gathering
Chapter 163: The Gathering
As the statue completely disintegrated, Chen Chuan witnessed the dematerialization signs on his Second Self slowing down significantly, allowing him to finally relax and withdraw his hand. A faint white mist emanated from his body.
Looking down at the pile of ash beneath him, Chen Chuan decided there was no need to rush down the mountain that night. He could wait until morning to leave. So, he returned to the temple, replaced a few torches, added some incense, and sat down again.
Various insect sounds filled his ears, as if a wall of isolation had been broken, and the world regained its vibrancy.
Chen Chuan focused his mind and began using his breathing technique to guide the altered tissue. The previous assault had been too intense, causing even his Second Self to feel unstable. The altered tissue almost couldn't maintain its normal, orderly growth. Now, with a calm mind, he could concentrate on sorting it out.
The latter half of the night was relatively peaceful, and as the pleasant bird songs filled the air, the Mountain God Temple welcomed the morning light.
Chen Chuan opened his eyes, noticing that the dematerialization signs on his Second Self hadn't weakened at all, indicating that the invisible assault was still ongoing. This time, he had no idea how long it would last.
This phenomenon wasn't a good thing for others, but it was ideal for him.
The hauntings he had encountered in the past, the ones with the widest impact, also had the longest-lasting assaults.
This led him to wonder why no one had dealt with this haunting in such a long time. The reason was simple: it was a losing proposition.
For ordinary people, what kind of haunting was the best to deal with?
Undoubtedly, it was the one in the theater. Despite its potential harm and lethality, its proximity to the upper echelons meant that handling it would solve their problems and increase one's influence, resulting in a higher reward.
It was also because of this that Chen Chuan was called an expert after dealing with the haunting in the theater, even though those upper-class individuals couldn't distinguish between a haunting and a haunt.
As for hauntings in remote areas, even if one went through great hardships to deal with them, the reward was meager—just some money painstakingly saved by the villagers. It might not even cover equipment and transportation costs, and one could easily lose their life. So, who would be willing to take on such tasks?
Chen Chuan gazed at the bright light shining in from outside, landing on the mottled walls. A few birds, seemingly from nowhere, perched on the walls, adding a touch of vitality to the eerie temple.
He stood up, picked up his machete, and walked out of the temple. The pile of ash was still there, and he used the flat side of his blade to probe it. Beneath the ash, he uncovered a pale, sharp-toothed upper jawbone, unlike any human's.
In his peripheral vision, he spotted something else. He used his knife again and found a yellowed note in the ash pile. He picked it up and examined it, noticing strange symbols drawn on it, composed of dots and long lines, seemingly made with vermillion ink.
After some thought, he recalled that this might be a ritual prop from the esoteric sect, as Director Lei had mentioned. He remembered the esoteric sect from the Three Mountains Legend, wondering if they had left it behind. He didn't understand this, but all rituals tended to leave traces of their setup nearby. So, he decided to explore the surroundings.
Indeed, he discovered more than he expected. On all eight sides of the mountain peak, he found buried skeletons, each sitting with their head placed on their abdomen.
Notably, the heads had undergone special treatment and hadn't turned into white bones. Instead, they resembled the withered state of the haunting's head he had removed earlier.
From this, he deduced a clue: the haunting might have been handled by the so-called esoteric sect followers, as mentioned in the legend. Their purpose might not have been to eliminate the haunting but to utilize it.
The severed head might have been placed inside the abdomen by these esoteric sect followers.
However, this was likely an ancient matter, too distant in the past to discern its original intention. Perhaps he could ask Director Lei about it later; he might know something.
Chen Chuan had always been intrigued by mysterious phenomena and was curious about the methods used to restrain and control hauntings.
After some contemplation, he returned to the temple, took out a camera from his bag, and tested it. It still worked. Currently, it seemed that only the theater haunting had a corrosive effect on objects. Perhaps each haunting's assault was different, but his Second Self had blocked most of the damage, so he couldn't discern the differences.
Carrying the camera, he stepped outside again and took several photos of the temple, the unearthed skull, and other noteworthy areas.
He planned to use the photos of the temple and the ash pile to prove he had completed the mission and would take the rest of the evidence to Director Lei for further inquiry. However, he was busy at the moment, so it would have to wait.
After handling everything, Chen Chuan packed up, ensuring nothing was left behind, and descended the mountain, returning to the village from which he had started.
The villagers, upon hearing of his return, gathered around to inquire about the situation.
Chen Chuan assured the elderly man, "Sir, I've dealt with the haunting. You won't have to hide far away at night anymore."
The villagers found it hard to believe, as the haunting had troubled them for decades. "Young man, are you sure it's gone? Just like that, after you went up the mountain?"
The old man, though skeptical, clung to hope, asking, "Is what you're saying true?"
Xiao Wei Driver said beside him, "Expert Chen didn’t come to deal with this Haunt for the money. There’s no need for him to deceive you."
However, his words only made some of the villagers more skeptical. If you’re not after the money, what are you here for? In today’s world, they couldn’t believe someone would do something for free.
Chen Chuan didn’t bother to persuade them further. It was impossible for them to abandon decades of wariness with just his words. He said, "If you’re not reassured, we can do things the way we did before. I’m sure that after some time, things will become clear."
After saying this, he bid farewell to the elder and patted the hunter who had led him. This time, the hair on his wrist didn’t react at all.
Under the villagers’ half-believing, half-doubting gazes, he got into the car and returned to the city.
After returning, he first went to the company and handed the photos to an employee to develop. He then casually wrote down the commission record. Ren Su was quite excited after reviewing it.
"Expert Chen, this commission has never been resolved before. Once it's confirmed, the company's reputation will improve."
Chen Chuan said, "That’s good. Mr. Ren, I might have some things coming up, and I might need to leave for a while. I might not be able to take on any more commissions for a bit. I apologize in advance."
Ren Su wasn’t surprised. Then he realized something and said earnestly, "Expert Chen, although our company isn’t large, we still have some resources. If you need any help, please let us know. The company will do its best to assist."
Chen Chuan said, "If I need it, I will."
After leaving the company, he went directly to Cheng Zitong’s private training room, hoping to use the power as much as possible before the dematerialization signs completely disappeared.
During his training, he also checked the overlap time. The result didn’t disappoint him; this time, it increased by over an hour, comparable to the gain from the Infinite Defense Certificate exam.
Actually, although the Infinite Defense Certificate exam was dangerous, he had some confidence beforehand. This time, he didn’t plan to resolve everything in one go, and he made some wrong judgments, taking a significant risk. It was a very close call, but he managed to pass.
This brought the total time to over five hours.
At this rate, he would eventually reach the 24-hour overlap limit. He sensed that after reaching this boundary, his Second Self might undergo further changes.
He stayed there for two days. Although the dematerialization signs were still present, the semester was nearing its end, and there were some matters at the academy that needed attention. In particular, Cheng Zitong had withdrawn the money from the two golden tickets for him. This time, the amount was significant; one golden ticket was worth ten thousand Jinyuan currency, and the other was worth forty thousand.
He guessed this was likely the reward the Makar people had given to the team led by Mitai. For a country, this amount wasn’t much, but for a wilderness team, it was a considerable sum.
Good news should be shared with others, so he invited all the team members who had gone to the wilderness that day to have a meal at Duiyi Hotel again.
Before the meal, following the previous agreement, he distributed the money to everyone according to the pre-discussed shares. Everyone knew how much they were supposed to get, so there was no dispute.
As the dishes were served and everyone started eating, Wei Chang’an said to Chen Chuan, "Junior Brother, I’m graduating this semester. But if you need anything, just call me on the phone number on the name card. If you can’t reach me, you can find Old Four."
Beside him, Cai Sai added, "Right, if you can’t find Wei Ge, just find me."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Wei Ge, I won’t forget you if I need help."
"Then it’s settled."
The two of them clinked glasses with a smile.
Lin Xiaoti said from the side, "Little Brother Chen, I’ve passed the admission test. If I pass the re-examination in two months, I’ll be entering Wu Yi Academy. We’ll be classmates next semester."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "I wish you good luck on your re-examination, Xiaoti."
Lin Xiaoti was He Nan’s disciple, carefully trained from a young age. Although he hadn’t seen her skills in action, her movements were agile and graceful, indicating a solid foundation. The little girl was very lively and knew many techniques, making her quick-witted and resourceful. Passing the re-examination shouldn’t be difficult.
After the meal, Chen Chuan parted ways with everyone and returned to the school with a few classmates. Most of the students were already looking forward to the holiday, and the campus had a rare relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
However, he knew the real tests were just beginning, and it was far too early to relax. While others were planning where to go for the holiday, he continued to refine himself in the private training room.
In the afternoon, the phone rang in the living room. He stopped and walked over to pick it up. Cheng Zitong’s voice came through the receiver:
"Xiao Chuan, Old He sent a telegram. He agreed. The academy will be on break in two days. If you have any family matters, take care of them first. Once you set a time, I’ll get your ticket. This will be a sudden training session, and it shouldn’t last too long. Make the most of every day. I’ll prepare the training drugs you need in advance."
Chen Chuan said calmly, "Thank you, teacher."
After hanging up, he had a premonition that this might be his last chance to boost his strength before the Mutual Aid Society reacted. He had to seize this opportunity firmly.
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(End of Chapter)
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