"Was that a fragment of divine sense?"
Evan Lin slowly opened his eyes. The hotel room was quiet, and the overwhelming baleful qi that had filled the place before was now completely devoured by the three Maiden Spirits in the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll.
The three slightly ethereal Maiden Spirits now looked more solid, floating in the air with seductive faces full of happiness and satisfaction.
Looking at the pitch-black spiritual herb in his hand, Evan saw it now resembled a dead, withered flower in full bloom.
"I really do need to check out that ancient tomb."
Not long after, Old Liu and the others gradually returned from the hospital to the hotel. The original plan to leave River City and return to school the next day was disrupted.
Zeng Yuanhan and the rest were all kept behind to assist the police investigation.
After Evan asked Old Liu for leave, he took the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll and the withered spiritual herb and changed hotels.
In a business hotel, Evan devoted himself to cultivation. On the fifth day, Zuo He came to find him in person.
Inside the hotel.
Zuo He smiled humbly at Evan, while Zuo Shan stood beside him holding a box.
"There are ten century-old wild ginsengs in here. Please have a look, young master."
Zuo He gave Zuo Shan a look, and Zuo Shan immediately stepped forward, opening the box. Inside, ten ginseng roots were neatly arranged—not especially fat, but the medicinal aroma was strong enough for Evan to nod slightly.
These old ginsengs were nowhere near as potent as the ninth-grade spiritual herb Evan had eaten before, but at his current stage, they were still valuable supplements.
Seeing Evan nod, Zuo He and Zuo Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"As for the person you wanted us to find—we couldn't locate him..."
At this, Zuo He looked nervously at Evan, his tone low and cautious.
"Hmm?"
Evan frowned, and both Zuo He and Zuo Shan shuddered, quickly continuing: "That person vanished mysteriously after delivering the auction item, but we found this. Maybe it's what you want."
"Thanks, man!"
Evan nodded. "Alright, you guys can go."
Evan took it and held it in his hand, scanning it briefly.
"We found this parchment in that man's residence. It should be the tomb map you wanted."
"Dad, we can't just let him walk all over us! First ten herbs, now another ten—each one's worth tens of thousands! That guy's way too greedy!"
Evan carefully examined the cowhide scroll. It showed the layout of mountains and rivers, with skulls marking certain spots. On the far left, a crooked label read 'Niujiao Village.'
Tracing the lines upward, the final location resembled a walled area, marked with a tombstone symbol.
The annotations were clearly added by someone later.
Studying the map, Evan ran his finger along the lines twice, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes.
Judging by the distribution of mountains and rivers, the whole area was arranged like a formation. The skull-marked spots were array nodes that gathered baleful qi and channeled it into the innermost tomb.
Definitely not simple.
"Did you find out where this place is?"
Evan asked calmly.
Zuo Shan hurried to answer, "I had people compare the terrain and landforms. The closest match is the Thornridge Mountain area in Leyang City. But years ago, Thornridge Mountain suffered a fire—someone burned the mountain. And recently, forestry workers who went up never came back. Fifty-three people vanished in total."
Still talking, Zuo He and Zuo Shan left.
Back in the room, Evan looked at the map and muttered, "You dig your own grave."
As soon as Evan spoke, Zuo He and Zuo Shan felt like they'd narrowly escaped disaster.
"I'm going to Thornridge Mountain myself. As for you, when I return, I expect another batch of ten century-old herbs. If you manage to find anything over five hundred years old, I might reward you—not true immortality, but I can extend your lives by decades."
Evan spoke in a calm, even voice.
Zuo He and Zuo Shan perked up instantly.
"Thank you, young master!"
Evan nodded. "You may leave now."
"Then we won't disturb you any further."
Zuo He and Zuo Shan exited the room with utmost respect. Once outside, they finally relaxed.
"Dad, we can't just let him get away with this! He wants ten herbs, then another ten—each century-old root costs tens of thousands! That kid is way too greedy!"
Zuo Shan's tone was resentful, his face full of indignation.
Zuo He exhaled sharply, sneering, "No matter. If he's going to Thornridge Mountain, he might just die there!"
Ever since the fire, Thornridge Mountain is filled with deadly miasma—smell it and you die. If he goes, odds are he'll never return.
If he dies on Thornridge Mountain, fine. If he somehow survives, we can just say we warned him—he can't blame us! All we have to do is wait for Master Mo Yang to come out of seclusion. Once I tell him about Drake Huang being killed, Mo Yang will surely come and finish this kid off to avenge his disciple!"
Zuo He's face turned grim. "The Zuo family's blood debt won't be settled so easily!"
Also, after Drake Huang died, Qian Zhide seems uneasy. Medicine King Valley suspects Qian Zhide pulled a double-cross and sent a junior to mediate.
Thinking of this, Zuo He couldn't help but sigh. "The world is getting messier—feels like River City is about to have another storm."
"Don't worry, Dad. Once Master Mo Yang comes out of seclusion, everything will be taken care of!"
"Let's hope so."
Still talking, Zuo He and Zuo Shan left the hotel.
Inside the room, Evan looked at the map and muttered, "Those who bring disaster on themselves cannot live."
He hadn't killed those two outright because he wanted Mo Yang to show up for real.
Only by fighting true experts can you become stronger.
Besides, Evan was genuinely curious just how strong this world's so-called top experts really were.
The strongest he'd seen so far was Drake Huang, but even he wasn't a match for Evan, who was now just one step away from Foundation Building.
"He claimed to be the lowest tier, fifth-grade Vajra realm. But his externalized force was embarrassingly weak."
Evan put away the map and reached for the box of ten century-old ginsengs.