Chapter 316: Yun Chuan

"That's right. This phone is very important to me." I didn't deny it, shifting my gaze from Tie Ningxiang to the device. "Did you see what's on it?"

Tie Ningxiang nodded. "Ever since the hidden corpse case at Anxin Hotel, you've been active at the front lines of various murders. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but it's happened too many times. I can't convince myself of that anymore."

She handed the Underworld Live Show Phone back to me. "I assume this is the encrypted communication device your handler uses to contact you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to brush it off, casually stuffing the phone into the Black Leather Suitcase.

Tie Ningxiang didn't press the issue. "I have no intention of prying into your secrets. I just want to help you. That hasn't changed since we first met at Anxin Hotel. I know you distrust the police for various reasons, but I still hope that one day you'll tell me the truth and let me share the burden."

She spoke with absolute sincerity. I sat in my chair and pondered for a long time, but still chose to refuse. "Senior, one day I'll tell you everything, but not now. Please don't investigate this yourself, either. It involves an existence even more terrifying than Lu Xing or the Two-Faced Buddha."

Tie Ningxiang didn't push it. Leaning against the desk, she sighed. "Alright, let's drop the subject for now. I called you here today for something else."

She produced a file from behind her back and handed it to me. "After you and Lu Xing fell from the dam, the police conducted a search and salvage operation but didn't find Lu Xing's body. Your long saber was recovered, but the cultural relics department confiscated it. Getting it back will be somewhat difficult."

I flipped through the file. Interspersed within were several autopsy reports. The first belonged to Qiu Ren, the second to a middle-aged man dressed in mourning garb, and the third to a young man whose head had been severed.

Those last two were the people whose fates bore draping hemp and Mourning Guest. Lu Xing had pushed them off the dam as a sacrifice to the heavens.

"Is one missing? Draping hemp, Mourning Guest, mourning gate... I remember there was also a middle-aged woman tied up in a fishing net who got pushed off the dam."

"That last woman didn't die. She was treated in the hospital for two days and has already regained consciousness. She even said she wants to thank you properly." Tie Ningxiang's expression turned a bit strange. "Do you know who she is?"

"Who?" That night on top of the dam, I had grabbed her hand first, intending to pull her up, but then Lu Xing attacked. Left with no choice, I had to let go, having the Fate Ghost support her to slow her descent.

"The second daughter of Li Changgui, the richest man in Xinhu City."

"That matches my guess. Her hands were unblemished. She was between thirty and forty but took excellent care of her skin. There wasn't a single wrinkle on her face, her makeup was flawless, and the coat she wore was clearly expensive."

"You're quite observant. Were you plotting something?" Tie Ningxiang teased. "Li Changgui died of illness a short while ago. The company shares and over a hundred million in family assets were inherited by his eldest son, Li Chunqiang. The second daughter, Li Jingyu, was not only dismissed from her corporate positions but even had her personal real estate reclaimed by the company. The night before Lu Xing kidnapped her, she happened to be drinking herself into a stupor alone at a bar."

I frowned, instinctively feeling that some sort of trouble was about to come knocking. "What does that have to do with me? I saved her life, all things considered. She can't exactly bite the hand that saved her, right?"

"Who knows?" Tie Ningxiang took a letter from her pocket and handed it to me. "She wrote this for you after she was saved. The envelope is sealed shut, so we don't know what's inside, either."

To avoid trouble, I didn't even look at it and shoved the letter straight into the Black Leather Suitcase. "Senior, is there anything else?"

"Well, the main reason I asked you here today is to ask you a few things about Xinhu High School." Tie Ningxiang tried her best to keep her tone steady, but I still caught a trace of unnaturalness in her voice.

"What about Xinhu High School?"

"Thirty-two bodies were discovered in the Incineration Trench. The time of death was five years ago. I searched the entire archives just to find a few sparse words about the cause of death—it claims they committed suicide, and the information was suppressed to prevent public panic." Tie Ningxiang tapped her fingers on the desk. "There is evidence indicating that you hid in Xinhu High School while evading the police warrant. You must be quite familiar with the place, right?"

"Senior, you absolutely must not interfere with this case. Even now, I haven't fully figured that school out." Just thinking about Xinhu High School sent an eerie chill through me. I originally thought the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends and the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman were the greatest secrets hidden inside, but every time I stepped onto the campus, an uncomfortable sensation would wash over me. What was even more bizarre was the 'No Trespassing' warning sign on the school fence. Every time I went there, the sign would end up buried deep in the dirt, even when I tied it tightly with wire.

There had to be someone or something else hidden within Xinhu High School. It was not a place to tread lightly.

"I never said I was going to poke my nose into it. This is an order from above. The Public Security Department is sending specialists to investigate. I'm just giving you a heads-up."

"Specialists?" A sudden thought struck me. "You mean Daoist priests like Lu Jin?"

Tie Ningxiang nodded. "They should be arriving in Jiangcheng soon. Those people have a grudge against you, so you'd better be prepared."

Tie Ningxiang waved her hand as she finished. "Your clothes, keys, and those Talisman Papers are all in the first locker by the door. Wu Meng has already handled the rest of your miscellaneous affairs. Bai Qi is watching the door at the guardhouse. As for the young man who impersonated you and kidnapped Jiang Chen, we've arranged bail for him; he should be released tomorrow. Finally, if you have the time, you should take a trip to the hospital. Ye Bing has been in a deep coma for almost three days now, and Jiang Fei is currently looking after her."

I retrieved my clothes and pulled them on over my hospital gown. The Talisman Papers wrapped in my raincoat were all perfectly intact. "Ye Bing? I think I'll pass. I have other things to do at eight o'clock tonight."

"I think it would be best if you went to see her. Besides, the Daoist master and disciple you ran into at Xinhu High School that night are also in the hospital. The old Daoist's condition isn't very optimistic."

"Daoist Priest Xianqing? Alright, I'll head there right now."

Leaving the police station, I first ran to the guardhouse to pick up Bai Qi, and then Wu Meng drove me to the hospital.

"Bai Qi, wait for me here. Don't run off." I had Bai Qi wait in the shade of a tree to guard the Black Leather Suitcase, then entered the hospital wearing my gown.

Before I left, Tie Ningxiang had already told me the room numbers for Ye Bing and Daoist Priest Xianqing. I first rushed to the general inpatient ward on the second floor. The environment here was quite ordinary; beds were in short supply, and there were even patients sitting in the hallway hooked up to IV drips.

Pushing open the ward door, the three-person shared room appeared cramped. The air inside was stagnant, and the sharp smell of disinfectant stung my nose.

Daoist Priest Xianqing had removed his loose-fitting Daoist robes and was sitting cross-legged on a hospital bed.

"Daoist Priest, pardon the intrusion."

Hearing the noise, Daoist Priest Xianqing slowly opened his eyes. "Destined Patron, are your injuries no longer an issue? I saw the court trial this afternoon on TV. The innocent have nothing to hide; your inner knot should be untangled by now."

"I still have to thank you for stepping in to help at Xinhu High School. If you hadn't stopped Ye Bing, I wouldn't have been able to get away to stop those people." Sitting by his bed, I finally noticed—without the cover of his Daoist robes—just how frail and emaciated Daoist Priest Xianqing really was. He was practically nothing but skin and bones, a stark contrast to the impression he had given me before. "Daoist Priest, your body..."

Daoist Priest Xianqing waved a hand. "My days are numbered. To have made it out of that night with my life is satisfying enough."

"After I left with Yun Chuan that night, what else happened? I heard Ye Bing fell into a coma, too. And what ultimately happened to that fox corpse?" I poured out all the questions weighing on my mind.

"After you left, I invited the Ancestral Master to possess me and act as a guardian. It was only by joining forces with that other possessed girl that I barely managed to suppress the fox immortal. Once the girl's spiritual sense was exhausted and she collapsed to the ground, I was left standing alone. No match for the fox immortal, I could only watch helplessly as it fled after damaging my dantian and Dao foundation."

"The Fox Immortal Corpse is that powerful?" In my original impression, the Fox Immortal Corpse could at most fight to a draw with the possessed Ye Bing. I hadn't expected it to take on two opponents at once and still escape with ease.

"The Fox Immortal Corpse is not as simple as you think." Daoist Priest Xianqing let out a sigh. He glanced out into the corridor, then turned his head to me. "Destined Patron, while Yun Chuan isn't here, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Tell me. As long as it's within my ability, I'll definitely help you." I didn't hesitate to agree immediately.

"If I don't survive this tribulation, I hope you can help me take care of Yun Chuan. He hasn't seen much of the world. He has only ever studied corpse driving with me and has no other trade to feed himself. I'm afraid he might stray down the wrong path."