Jiang Luo read through the messages, and his frown finally eased.
Wenren Lian had also arrived at Dawu Mountain. He didn’t come alone—he brought the special unit sent by the state to investigate Dawu Mountain, as well as the highly knowledgeable Qi Ye, Ge Zhu, Ye Xun, and Lu Youyi, who had insisted on coming after hearing Jiang Luo was injured.
They had arrived a day earlier than Jiang Luo and had already conducted a rapid inspection of the mountain. The “dragon eye” was elusive and unpredictable—so far, the special forces composed of ordinary people hadn’t found any traces. But they were already hidden throughout the mountain forest, ready to support Jiang Luo at any time.
Jiang Luo replied: “We’ll arrive at Dawu Mountain at five o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
When writing his report to the state, Jiang Luo had made his own condition perfectly clear. After discussions at the higher level, the order came down: to give Jiang Luo full support.
As the leader of a national department, the stronger Jiang Luo was, the more advantage the country had in its plan to sweep through the metaphysical world. Moreover, according to Jiang Luo, the metaphysical world was facing an unknown catastrophe. To ensure they could weather this disaster safely, the state would provide everything Jiang Luo needed in hopes of seizing the initiative in the chaos.
Wenren Lian soon replied with new information: “Although the troops haven’t located the dragon’s eye exactly, we’ve narrowed down its approximate area. I have to say, placing Qi Ye in the Research Bureau was absolutely the right decision.”
Wenren Lian sent Jiang Luo the general location of the dragon’s eye — a radius of around 200 meters. That might seem like a large area, but in fact, it was an impressive feat. The dragon’s eye was the most spiritually active part of the entire dragon vein, constantly shifting location, with no fixed position and an elusive trail. There had once been an attempt to find the dragon’s eye of Kunlun Mountain, with a team of thirty people searching for a year without success.
Jiang Luo was both shocked and thrilled, and quickly sent his praise and thanks to each of them, one by one.
With the help of his companions and the state, Jiang Luo slept soundly that night, his mood lighter than it had been in days. The next morning, he was up by five.
The hotel restaurant was already full of people. Many breakfast items were laid out on the table. Jiang Luo grabbed a quick bite, and glanced at the bulging backpacks piled next to the table. He asked, “Are those our supplies?”
Tour guide Wang spoke with a mouthful of bun, “Yep, all for you. We’ll split everything up after breakfast.”
Just as they finished eating, the malicious ghost showed up, trailing in late. Only then did the group hoist their gear and prepare to set off.
As Wang the tour guide had said, the journey to Dawu Mountain was bumpy and difficult. Even Jiang Luo, someone who never got motion sickness, felt nauseous from the jostling. After getting off the bus, they boarded a local ferry, and it wasn’t until after four in the afternoon that they finally reached Dawu Mountain.
Dawu Mountain was a vast, undulating mountain range. Standing at its edge, one couldn’t see the other end. There were at least dozens of peaks, large and small.
It was a magnificent sight, but the sheer scale also made the task of finding the elusive dragon’s eye feel hopeless. Everyone knew this wasn’t something that could be rushed. They set up camp at the base of the mountain and rested overnight. Before dawn the next morning, the group was already geared up and ready to ascend.
The malicious ghost stood at the forefront. He looked up at Dawu Mountain, his expression unreadable.
Dragon veins could suppress malevolent forces — and Dawu Mountain was no exception. The closer he got, the more Chi You could feel his power being suppressed by the dragon vein. And this was only the base of the mountain. One could imagine how much weaker he would become deeper inside.
That was precisely why he couldn’t go with Jiang Luo to search for the dragon’s eye.
So, the malicious ghost had brought three others: Ge Wuchen, Teng Bi, and Lisa.
One was a monk, one a living corpse, and one a deep-sea creature. Even Teng Bi, the living corpse, still carried a trace of vital energy, so he wasn’t suppressed as much as the malicious ghost would be.
Aside from serving as a deterrent, the malicious ghost was practically useless here. But when the moment to depart arrived, Chi You didn’t move.
Ge Wuchen stepped forward and asked, “Master?”
Chi You suddenly smiled, his lips curling high. With interest in his voice, he said, “This mountain is quite interesting.”
After saying that, he unexpectedly stepped onto the mountain path.
This move took everyone by surprise. Daoist Elder Wei He stared at his back in disbelief.
Was he unafraid of the dragon vein? Or did the dragon vein have no effect on him at all?
Thankfully, the malicious ghost stopped after only two steps. He looked up at the towering Dawu Mountain, eyes narrowing slightly. After a while, he turned his head and spoke with a faint, casual smile, “Teng Bi.”
Teng Bi stepped forward silently.
The malicious ghost spoke in a voice so low that only Teng Bi could hear: “Bring him back safely. Do you understand?”
Even if Chi You hadn’t said it, Teng Bi would’ve protected Jiang Luo with everything he had. He replied quietly, “Yes.”
He waited a moment longer, and when Chi You didn’t say anything further, he looked up — only to see that the malicious ghost’s lips were now pressed together in displeasure.
After a pause, the malicious ghost added, “Stay by his side at all times. Even Ge Wuchen — don’t let him get close to Jiang Luo.”
Teng Bi responded, “Yes.”
Chi You gave Dawu Mountain another glance. “Go.”
Daoist Elder Wei He and Jiang Luo were protected in the center, the tour guide leading the way up front. The group quickly filed onto the mountain path and disappeared from view.
Two hundred meters away, hidden in the woods, Wenren Lian and the others were watching through binoculars. Wenren Lian focused on Jiang Luo’s face. Seeing he looked well, Wenren Lian finally relaxed. He adjusted the lens backward and suddenly let out a soft “huh,” murmuring to himself, “He’s one of Chi You’s people too?”
Ye Xun asked, “Who?”
Wenren Lian lowered his voice. “That dead—standing with Ge Wuchen—”
His words abruptly cut off as he turned to look at Ge Zhu.
Ge Zhu had frozen in place. He stared at Wenren Lian, then suddenly grabbed another pair of binoculars and looked toward Jiang Luo’s group.
In the small circular lens, Ge Wuchen wore clean monk’s robes, a faint smile on his face. He held a string of prayer beads, and in front of him stood Dead Ghost guarding Jiang Luo with a large blade, alongside a little girl at the rear.
Ge Zhu’s expression instantly twisted into something deeply complicated. Fear, hatred, and a mix of other emotions flickered across his face.
Through gritted teeth, he spat, “Ge. Wu. Chen!”
He, a disciple of Buddha, had fallen so far as to become the subordinate of a malicious ghost?
Ge Zhu’s expression was cold and grim. Gripping his peach wood sword with murderous intent, he was about to rush out. “No! I can’t let him stay with Jiang Luo and that little girl. He’s definitely going to kill them—he will!”
Ye Xun and Lu Youyi hurriedly grabbed him, coaxing him like calming a child. “It’s okay, Ge Zhu, don’t be afraid. Jiang Luo and the others will be fine.”
“Ge Wuchen can’t beat Jiang Luo, and he wouldn’t dare to try. Don’t worry, he won’t do anything.”
Wenren Lian also spoke gently: “Ge Zhu, that little girl isn’t an ordinary child. She’s the leader of the blood eels we released at sea. Ge Wuchen won’t be able to hurt her.”
A dull ache throbbed in Ge Zhu’s head, his mind filled with the image of Ge Wuchen just now, blocking out his companions’ voices. He couldn’t help wondering: how could Ge Wuchen still smile?
After all he had done, after almost killing him, he could still live like nothing had happened. Emotions surged within him. Ge Zhu’s voice trembled, “Jiang Luo absolutely can’t go into the mountain with him. Ge Wuchen is cunning and treacherous—he’ll kill Jiang Luo… you have to believe me, I have to kill him, I must kill him.”
Wenren Lian couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
Every time Ge Zhu saw Ge Wuchen, he would lose all reason, consumed by hatred. Wenren Lian didn’t like Ge Wuchen either, but now wasn’t the time to act. If Ge Zhu rushed out and confronted Ge Wuchen, he might not even have the resolve to strike before Ge Wuchen seriously injured him instead.
Wenren Lian steeled himself and said coldly, “Ge Zhu! Stop it. You’re only going to ruin everything like this!”
Ge Zhu’s hands were trembling. Wenren Lian’s words made him freeze. His expression was like that of a wounded cub who had lost its mother. Finally, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
“Sorry,” he muttered, “I’ll hold it in.”
Lu Youyi coughed twice, trying to lighten the mood. He asked with deliberate curiosity, “Wenren, just now you said he—who were you talking about? Besides Ge Wuchen, is there someone else among Chi You’s people that you know?”
As he spoke, he picked up a pair of binoculars, intending to take a look at Jiang Luo’s group. But Wenren Lian reached out and blocked the lens, speaking with a straight face, “Lu Youyi, there’s a wasp nest right behind you.”
Lu Youyi jumped up in fright, pulling his jacket over his head. “What the h*ll! Why the h*ll are there wasps here?!”
Wenren Lian took the binoculars and looked off into the distance. Only when Teng Bi’s figure had disappeared did he finally say, “Ah, my mistake. It’s just a bird’s nest.”
He couldn’t let Lu Youyi see Teng Bi.
Lu Youyi was a sentimental person. If he saw Teng Bi here, it would only bring him sorrow.
If they could avoid meeting, it was best not to meet at all.
Seeing everyone’s attention shift, Ge Zhu quietly stepped back, retreating all the way to the rear. When no one was paying attention, he turned and ran into the forest.
Ge Zhu couldn’t rest easy about Ge Wuchen.
He was afraid the same tragedy would repeat itself. At the very least, he wanted to secretly follow behind Jiang Luo to keep watch. He wouldn’t appear or interfere—he just wanted to make sure that Ge Wuchen wouldn’t once again kill someone he considered family.
Just like the three senior brothers Ge Wuchen had killed before his very eyes.
***
The mountain path was steep, and the higher they climbed, the more desolate the scenery became, and the colder the air.
Though they didn’t know the precise location of the Dragon Eye, heading toward the dragon’s head was certainly the right direction. The tour guide, Wang, led the way at the front. Having grown up in the mountains, he was very familiar with the terrain. They hadn’t encountered any wild beasts along the way, and after nearly three hours of trekking through the Wushan Mountains, they finally reached the dragon’s head just as the sun climbed high in the sky.
Daoist Elder Wei He studied the map. The Dragon Eye wasn’t easy to find, so they decided to split into two teams. Daoist Elder Wei He and the tour guide headed north, while Jiang Luo led the others south.
Originally, Ge Wuchen was supposed to go with Daoist Elder Wei He’s group, but he calmly followed Jiang Luo with Lisa in tow. Jiang Luo didn’t stop him and merely asked while hiking, “Aren’t you afraid Daoist Elder Wei He might run away?”
Ge Wuchen smiled mildly. “At this point, running would offend both sides. As long as Daoist Elder Wei He still cares about the Lian clan, he’ll do his best to find the Dragon Eye.”
Jiang Luo had only asked casually. He kept moving, using the compass to navigate toward the location Wenren Lian’s team had identified.
The deeper they went, the fewer birds and beasts there were. Before long, Jiang Luo found himself within the estimated range of the Dragon Eye. He stopped and looked around. They had entered deep forest terrain, surrounded by untouched wilderness.
Ge Wuchen asked, “You think the Dragon Eye is nearby?”
Jiang Luo replied perfunctorily, “More or less.”
Ge Wuchen started inspecting the environment, hoping to find signs of the Dragon Eye. Lisa clung to his hand, blinking her round eyes at Jiang Luo. She slowly chewed on a piece of dried meat and said, “Lisa knows there’s a cave nearby. That’s where the Dragon Eye is.”
Jiang Luo turned around at her words. Lisa grinned, “Pretty brother, if you let that big tiger out and give it to me, I’ll tell you where the cave is.”
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow, half-skeptical. “How do you know it’s the Dragon Eye? Sounds like you’re making this up.”
Lisa pouted in protest, “Lisa is telling the truth. There’s a little river outside the cave, and it’s full of piranhas. They’re the ones who told me.”
Jiang Luo burst out laughing. “Piranhas? Hahaha. You’re a deep-sea fish and you can talk to piranhas?”
The more he laughed, the more upset Lisa became. She started rattling off more details about the cave. The soil was moist, and bright red mushrooms grew at the entrance—far too specific to be a made-up story. Jiang Luo coaxed all the information he could from her, then squatted down to test the soil’s moisture content.
After digging down a bit, Jiang Luo felt moisture. He looked around—though it was early spring and the old leaves in the mountains hadn’t fully fallen, new sprouts were already starting to grow. On closer inspection, it was clear that the fresh green weeds on the southwest side were more abundant than in other directions.
That meant there was water underground to the southwest.
Jiang Luo stood up, satisfied. He smiled and patted Lisa on the head. Lisa looked a little surprised by the affection.
After giving the blood eel leader a pat on the head, Jiang Luo headed southwest. “Let’s go. The cave is this way.”
Teng Bi followed without hesitation. Lisa’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. She muttered, “How does he know to go that way?”
After walking southwest for a little over ten minutes, Jiang Luo caught the scent of moisture in the air. Before long, they saw the cave Lisa had mentioned.
Sure enough, there was a swift river in front of the cave. It was about two meters wide, depth unclear. Teng Bi tossed in a stick, and when he pulled it out, it was full of jagged bite marks.
Though the river was wide, the men could jump across it. But for Lisa, it was trickier.
Lisa had her own way. She stood at the edge and whistled. In the blink of an eye, the piranhas in the river surfaced and gathered together, forming a bridge of fish.
Lisa lightly stepped onto the fish bridge and was the first to cross.
Even after she passed, the bridge didn’t disperse. But Jiang Luo and the others had no desire to step on those vicious-looking piranhas. Instead, they took a few steps back, ran up, and leapt across the river.
The cave entrance beside the river was well hidden, covered in layers of dried branches and vines. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t even realize a cave was there. Jiang Luo was now certain this was the place—this was the Dragon Eye. He wanted to send the location out, but when he pulled out his phone, he found there was no signal.
He wasn’t surprised. He pulled out a flashlight and a dagger and was about to enter the cave. But Ge Wuchen stepped forward and blocked him, walking in first. He said calmly, “Benefactor Jiang, leave the scouting to us. You just need to keep yourself safe—make sure nothing happens to you.”
The cave was pitch dark. The deeper they went, the narrower the path became. Teng Bi shielded Jiang Luo closely. Ge Wuchen, walking at the front, appeared relaxed but was clearly on alert. Their pace was extremely slow. Eventually, the passage narrowed so much that only one person could pass at a time.
Teng Bi, remembering what the malicious ghost had said, didn’t hold back just because Lisa was a child. He left her to take the rear guard and stood right next to Jiang Luo.
Lisa snorted but didn’t protest. She obediently took up the task of guarding the rear.
Seeing the three of them forming an impenetrable wall around him, Jiang Luo felt like lighting a cigarette again.
Because he knew—this kind of protection was all because of someone’s command.
At the end of the path, the passage turned into a flight of stone steps leading straight down.
The top of the stone stairs was arched. As they walked, their heads nearly touched the ceiling. Jiang Luo brushed his hands along the walls, collecting a thick layer of yellow wall dust on his fingertips.
He swept his flashlight around. The staircase was utterly silent—aside from their footsteps, there was no sound at all.
The silence was unsettling, giving a sense that one’s hearing had gone numb. Jiang Luo asked softly, “Ge Wuchen, how much farther ahead?”
Ge Wuchen said nothing.
Jiang Luo frowned. “Ge Wuchen?”
Suddenly, Ge Wuchen muttered, “Ge Zhu?”
Ge Zhu?
Jiang Luo’s brows furrowed sharply. He angled the flashlight past Ge Wuchen’s face to look ahead—but there was nothing. Just pitch-black silence.
But Ge Wuchen seemed entranced. He suddenly quickened his pace and ran forward, shouting sternly, “Ge Zhu, don’t go that way!”
Before anyone could react, Ge Wuchen had already dashed into the darkness and vanished.
Teng Bi immediately pulled Jiang Luo behind him, face tense as he stared ahead into the dark. He called out cautiously, “Ge Wuchen?”
His voice echoed down the stone stairs. Ge Wuchen didn’t respond.
Teng Bi frowned and was about to call again when Jiang Luo stopped him. “Don’t bother. There’s only one path. He’s ahead of us. If we keep going, we’ll catch up.”
Teng Bi nodded grimly. Lisa peeked her head out curiously from the back. “Is he crazy? Who’s Ge Zhu?”
“He’s been influenced,” Jiang Luo said as he brushed off the dust from his fingers. “I suspect this is an ancient tomb.”
Lisa looked puzzled. “An ancient tomb?”
“This staircase is called a Soul-Hanging Staircase,” Jiang Luo said, looking forward. “It’s a type of mechanism found in tombs, known for luring souls and confusing the mind.”
“We need to be extra careful from here on out. Everyone grab the shirt of the person in front of you, and keep one hand on the wall. Close your eyes and keep moving down.”
