Chapter 63: Initial Intent Gradually Veering Off Course
Soon, night fell. Jiang Ce, whose biological clock had been altered by the nightly revelry in Yangcheng, causing him to languish all day, finally perked up.
“You’re here.” In the grand hall, Xuan Qing was briefing the people on this mission. Seeing Jiang Ce arrive, he nodded, then noticed something in his hand: “What did you bring.”
Jiang Ce raised the can in his hand and shook it, succinct: “Sterile milk.”
A somewhat familiar person near Xuan Qing sidled up familiarly, glanced at the words on the can: “This sterile milk of yours. Pretty high proof.”
“Don’t talk about proof high or low, just say if it’s sterile or not.”
“It really is, alcohol kills everything.”
Xuan Qing seemed displeased that Jiang Ce was drinking before the mission, reproaching: “The operation is about to start and you’re drinking, what kind of decorum is that?”
Jiang Ce smiled awkwardly: “Lately, Cao Gong and them have been dragging me to drink all the time, got into the habit.”
At these words, Xuan Qing forcibly swallowed the words he had prepared, and the crowd was also stunned.
Cao Gong invited you to drink? What a face you have!
A conspicuous bald head in the crowd couldn’t help but question: “Are you sure you’re telling the truth?”
Jiang Ce thought about it. Cao Gong and them, the key is those two words. Besides, Cao Gong’s own younger brother rounded up equals Cao Gong, so his words were absolutely without issue.
So he nodded, full of sincerity: “Absolutely true.”
The crowd drew in a sharp breath, all falling silent.
No matter how arrogant Jiang Ce was, he absolutely wouldn’t joke about Cao Gong.
So there was only one possibility left: Jiang Ce was not only a connections guy, but one with a very solid background.
Those with quick wits had already silently connected Jiang Ce’s arrogance with Xiao Lin turning a blind eye, speculating just how solid Jiang Ce’s connections were.
Jiang Ce’s gaze swept over, and everyone instinctively avoided his eyes.
But he fixed on the one person who least wanted to be noticed by him.
“Yo yo yo! Isn’t this Liang Zhi Zhou? Haven’t seen you in a few days, gotten so skinny?”
Liang Zhi Zhou looked elsewhere, ignoring Jiang Ce’s provocation. Jiang Ce sneered but didn’t stimulate him further.
This kid had been looking up at him arrogantly since he entered, eyes practically on his forehead, but after he casually brought out just a tiny fraction—not even one in ten thousand—of his backing, he didn’t dare look at him.
Hah, coward.
Xuan Qing had a bit of a headache. Jiang Ce’s reasonableness during the day had led to a misunderstanding, making him think he wasn’t as unreasonable as rumored, but reality had slapped him hard.
The troublemaker was still the same troublemaker, without the slightest change.
But he didn’t want to get involved and stir up trouble, so he pretended Jiang Ce had never shown off, instead chuckling and beckoning to him:
“You arrived just in time. We’re mostly prepared, let’s head out.”
Jiang Ce nodded and swaggered into the team.
Then, Xuan Qing led these white talismen, who were future prospects in Xiao Lin’s eyes but just lacked experience, and set off.
The people participating in this mission, excluding Jiang Ce and Xuan Qing, numbered five.
The highest cultivation among them was sixth rank, the most taciturn of the three sixth ranks from Ling Xun’s group last time, named Qin Shen Bo, a martial cultivator.
Then there were the brothers Liang Zhi Zhou and Liang Zhi Che. No need to say more about Liang Zhi Zhou; Liang Zhi Che was the one who had come up earlier to see what Jiang Ce was drinking, also a Confucian cultivator, eighth rank.
For some reason, he didn’t seem to dislike Jiang Ce like his brother did, always greeting Jiang Ce with a smile, so Jiang Ce was very wary of him, always feeling he was a smiling tiger holding a belly full of bad ideas.
Next was a seventh rank Daoist cultivator Jiang Ce hadn’t seen before, named Gongyang Dan, and that bald head who questioned Jiang Ce, a seventh rank martial cultivator named Lu Xing.
There wasn’t a single Buddhist cultivator in the entire team.
Jiang Ce saw it in his eyes but said nothing more.
Whatever, I’ll make a move. With me here, why worry the Buddhist Sect won’t prosper?
The seven rode in a van, bumping along all the way to the destination—Luocheng’s northern suburbs.
As soon as he got out of the car, Jiang Ce felt something off.
He stared gravely at the ground under his feet, silent.
Among the companions, seemingly only Liang Zhi Che had no prejudice against Jiang Ce, and curiously came up: “Any discoveries?”
“None.”
Jiang Ce lifted his foot and rubbed it on the ground in front of the van, offhand: “Stepped in cow dung.”
Liang Zhi Zhou leaped out of the car and coincidentally stepped in the cow dung Jiang Ce had rubbed on the ground, his face instantly turning ashen.
Jiang Ce grinned: “Feels good.”
“Jiang Ce you bastard!”
Liang Zhi Zhou flew into a rage, while Liang Zhi Che clapped and cheered.
Lu Xing and Gongyang Dan held Liang Zhi Zhou back, shouting not to act impulsively; Qin Shen Bo stood in the distance, hand on forehead, sighing.
The empty suburbs instantly became very lively.
“Stop fooling around!” Xuan Qing blew his beard and glared, standing between the two to call a halt, then pointed to the distant mountains: “The Great Tomb is right ahead, stop messing around, get serious!”
The crowd quieted down and looked in the direction Xuan Qing pointed.
In the night, the sprawling mountains resembled a recumbent beast. Perhaps influenced by the Great Tomb, a faint baleful aura permeated the dense woods, making one uneasy.
The group felt a slight chill, but only Jiang Ce suddenly spoke: “Can I take the valuable stuff inside?”
All eyes instantly focused on Jiang Ce: shock, confusion, disdain, astonishment, and realizations of “there’s actually this kind of play.”
Xuan Qing said sternly: “No, we’re here to investigate the corpse raising ground, not for grave robbery.”
“I can sell it in Yangcheng, won’t leave any traces.”
“That has nothing to do with it!”
Jiang Ce looked full of disappointment but didn’t argue further.
With Jiang Ce’s interjection, the heavy atmosphere eased considerably.
Led by Xuan Qing, the group melted into the night, crossing mountains and ridges to arrive at the Great Tomb’s entrance.
This was a very hidden cave, with the roots of a towering ancient tree right in front covering the entrance. If not careful, it was easy to miss.
“This is one of the Great Tomb’s entrances, but the search team didn’t go deep, only knowing there’s an artificially carved tomb inside, and a thick ghosts and monsters aura leaking out. Stick close to me, don’t touch things inside casually.”
Xuan Qing, still worried, exhorted repeatedly: “This isn’t for fun, it’s a matter of life and death, remember that!”
The crowd nodded, all perking up their spirits.
Jiang Ce trailed at the end of the team, observing the surroundings, with nearly eighty percent confidence in his heart that this was a corpse raising ground.
Because this cave entrance was buried in a basin surrounded by mountains.
Looking up at the crescent moon gradually obscured by dark clouds, he narrowed his eyes slightly and made a silent decision in his heart.
“It’s become a corpse raising ground, looks like the tomb owner must be utterly wicked. The burial goods are mostly ill-gotten gains. Taking his stuff is just doing heaven’s will, doesn’t count as grave robbery!”
