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墨書 Inktalez
At a nearby hospital to Mianyang Train Station, I lay comfortably in a private high-end ward, playing on my computer while Qu Liang sat beside me, peeling an apple. Life felt bright and sunny.
I had been beaten up by Liu Yunchong at the train station, resulting in minor fractures in my left arm and right leg. Now, both were in casts, and after a couple of weeks of rest, I would be able to walk again. The cast could be removed in about a week.
“Knock knock~~” A series of knocks echoed from outside the door. The train conductor entered, carrying a basket of fruit. However, he wasn't in his work uniform today; instead, he wore casual clothes that looked clean and neat.
“Jiang Ling, how are you feeling?” the conductor asked as he placed the fruit on the bedside table and sat down beside me with a smile.
“Feeling better! Thank you for your concern!” I nodded. At that moment, Qu Liang poured a glass of water for the conductor. After he took the cup and chatted with me for a while, he finally got to the main point.
“Jiang Ling, I came here to tell you two things!” The conductor set the cup aside and spoke seriously. “The first is about Liu Yunchong. All the police stations near Mianyang Train Station participated in the hunt for him yesterday! But so far, we haven't found any trace of Liu Yunchong. We have applied for a nationwide manhunt for him, and our efforts to capture him will continue!”
“I understand! What’s the other thing?” I nodded, not surprised by the outcome of the manhunt. As a Grave Robber, Liu Yunchong always erased his traces after each tomb raid to evade police capture.
The conductor had expected me to be filled with resentment towards Liu Yunchong and blame them for not catching him. However, seeing that my emotions hadn’t changed, he let out a long sigh of relief and continued with a smile: “Jiang Ling, the other matter is regarding your compensation. Our department held an emergency meeting yesterday concerning your compensation package. First, all medical expenses and living costs for you and your girlfriend during your hospital stay will be covered by us; second, your information has been added to our train transportation system so you can travel for free on any train; third, regarding your injuries and damages, we have decided to compensate you with fifty thousand yuan.”
The conductor pulled out a transparent bag containing fifty thousand yuan in cash. He handed it to me with a smile and asked, “Jiang Ling, are you satisfied with our handling of this matter?”
“It’s acceptable!” I replied as I took the bag and handed it over to Qu Liang. Their handling was proper enough that I was satisfied with the outcome. I had lost Qu Liang's treasure map; if I used this money to take her on a trip, it would be a decent result.
Of course, these thoughts were just in my mind. Once my left foot was ready to walk again, I intended to head into the deep mountains of Mianyang to seek revenge on Liu Yunchong.
After chatting with me for a while longer and noticing my distracted demeanor, the conductor bid farewell and left.
Qu Liang held onto the money with an excited smile on her face and asked playfully, “Jiang Ling, if you give me this money, don’t think about getting it back!”
I couldn't help but laugh at Qu Liang's greedy expression. Gently ruffling her hair, I said, “Qu Liang, this money isn’t just for you; I want you to use it to help me with something!”
Hearing my words, Qu Liang pouted unhappily, pushed my hand away, and said, "Jiang Ling, what do you want me to help you with? You want to spend so much money!"
I held Qu Liang's hand, excitement sparkling in my eyes. "Qu Liang, go to Spirit Ghost Street and find Shop No. 1. They can spread the news there. Use this money to circulate the information about the treasure map and let everyone know it exists!"
After the treasure map was stolen last night, Qu Liang told me she had a photo of it, just in case something like this happened. It was precisely because I knew this that I devised this plan.
Qu Liang looked at me in confusion, not quite grasping what I meant. I cleared my throat dramatically and explained, "Liu Yunchong took the treasure map and will definitely go treasure hunting. Neither of us can take him on alone, but there are others who can deal with him. If we spread the news, those greedy Grave Robbers will flock to it. At that point, someone will take care of Liu Yunchong, and we can benefit from the chaos!"
This idea had taken me a long time to come up with. I had been waiting for the train conductor to send money over since I didn't have any on me. I thought I would have to wait longer, but their efficiency surprised me; they delivered the money today.
Qu Liang shot me a glare and said bluntly, "With just the two of us and our limited skills, you think we can benefit from this? If we don't get taken out ourselves, it'll be a miracle! But I'd love to see Liu Yunchong get caught off guard."
Holding the fifty thousand in her hands with a pained expression, Qu Liang said, "The fee for spreading information at Shop No. 1 on Spirit Ghost Street is ridiculously high—one hundred thousand at a time. This fifty thousand is only enough to spread half an hour's worth of news; who knows how many people will even hear it!"
Qu Liang took the money and found a secluded spot before opening a passageway to Spirit Ghost Street. She slipped inside.
The owner of Shop No. 1 on Spirit Ghost Street was rumored to be a powerful ghost king who ruled a mountain in the Underworld and commanded millions of souls. Although he established his own territory, he did not oppose the official forces of the Underworld; sometimes he even helped them solve problems. This is why his influence had remained strong for over a century.
Getting back on topic, Shop No. 1 relied on those millions of ghosts under the ghost king's command to spread information.
After Qu Liang handed over the money at Shop No. 1, waves of ghosts surged from Spirit Ghost Street into the human realm—there were as many as one hundred thousand of them. These ghosts were controlled by the shopkeeper; they dared not cause trouble in the human world but focused solely on spreading news. When their time was up, they would return to Spirit Ghost Street.
Each ghost held a treasure map condensed from Eerie Aura, most appearing in Mianyang City while only a few showed up in other areas. Wherever these ghosts appeared, there were often people from Yin-Yang Realms present; only those who had opened their Wisdom Eye could see them; ordinary people could not.
I watched as those ghosts wandered among the crowd holding up treasure maps while loudly proclaiming, "Shop No. 1 on Spirit Ghost Street is spreading news: There is an ancient tomb deep in the mountains of Mianyang! Anyone interested in exploring should come take a look! The treasure map is right here!"
In my hospital room, one such ghost appeared as well. It seemed concerned that I wouldn't understand the treasure map and took the time to explain it to me. Watching that ghost's professional promotional skills left me utterly impressed with Shop No. 1 on Spirit Ghost Street.
Half an hour later, the group of spirits returned to Spirit Ghost Street, but news about the ancient tomb deep in the mountains of Mianyang spread throughout Mianyang City’s Yin-Yang Realm, causing quite a stir.
In a teahouse in Mianyang City, five men dressed in suits, exuding a strong earthy smell, gathered to drink tea. Their ages varied; the oldest among them had white hair and was over ninety years old, while the youngest was in his forties, a composed middle-aged man.
These five individuals had ordinary appearances and a restrained aura, looking quite unremarkable, yet they were the leaders of the five major factions in the grave-robbing world of Mianyang City. They were gathered to discuss matters concerning the ancient tomb.
The oldest man took a sip of tea and spoke, “This morning, one of my subordinates informed me that he saw Earthwalker Dragon and Cloudwalker entering that burial mountain range with three others. It seems they are searching for that ancient tomb!”
Someone else chimed in, “My people spotted a group of Americans—around forty to fifty of them—who have rented an entire hotel at the foot of the burial mountain. They seem to be looking for something at Grave Hill and have been searching for quite some time!”
Another person added, “Ha! I didn’t expect others to underestimate us so much. They come onto our turf without even a greeting!”
After that, the five men quietly sipped their tea, and no one spoke further. After more than ten minutes, the youngest middle-aged man finished his tea and stood up to pour a cup for the other four. He said, “Since this has happened, let me—the youngest—take action! You brothers can watch from the side, and if I do anything wrong, please point it out!”
“Then it’s up to you!” The other four exchanged glances and nodded. The five men raised their teacups and downed them in one go before leaving the teahouse.
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