"Brother Chun is inside, I'll call him for you."
A quick-witted young man responded and ran inside. A moment later, a burly northern man emerged, beaming.
"Ah Wen, you've come to see me. Is there some good business opportunity you want to help your older brother out with?"
His face was extremely fat, and when he laughed, his eyes narrowed into slits, making him look quite comical.
Xiao Wenbing curled his lip in disdain and said, "What business? I've come here to ask for a favor."
This big, fat guy is Ye Qingchun, the friend who helps him sell gems. He's one of the top gang leaders in the city.
"Sure, just give me a word, and I, Ye Qingchun, will definitely get it done for you," Ye Qingchun said loudly, sounding very enthusiastic.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly. If it weren't for the gemstone, he probably wouldn't have agreed so readily.
"Youth, the reason I came here this time is to rent a car."
What do you want to do?
"Um……"
Seeing Xiao Wenbing's hesitant expression, Ye Qingchun slapped his forehead and said, "I'm used to this, don't mind me. Do you want a new or used car, a high-performance one or an average one? What brand?"
"Second-hand, it's fine, nothing too fancy, and preferably not too flashy. I just need it for transportation, and I'll be back in a few days."
"Go outside?"
"Yes, on official business."
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
Ye Qingchun was a straightforward person. He quickly had his underling drive over a 2007 Santana station wagon and said, "I don't know what business you need, but since you don't need a fancy car and are going on a long trip, this 2007 station wagon is a good choice. What do you think? If it doesn't work out, I can get you another one."
Xiao Wenbing glanced at it and said, "With you handling things, what could I possibly worry about? This one will do."
After saying that, he took out a stack of tightly bound old newspapers from his travel bag and threw them to Ye Qingchun.
Ye Qingchun pinched it in her hand, tossed it back to him, and laughed, "We're brothers, why are you being so polite? Take it back."
This contains the 60,000 silver dollars that Xiao Wenbing just withdrew from the bank.
Handing the money over again, Xiao Wenbing said seriously, "Brother, to be honest, the place I went to this time was a bit strange. I'm not even sure if I can come back. You should keep this money, just in case..."
Ye Qingchun's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Where are you going, little brother? How about I accompany you?"
"Haha." Xiao Wenbing chuckled, "I'm not going to fight, what are you going there for?"
Ye Qingchun blushed. Aside from his impressive fighting skills, he really didn't have anything else to boast about: "What you're saying is so...so strange, so..."
"Thank you very much." Xiao Wenbing laughed loudly, "I will definitely ask you to stand up for me if I ever get into a fight in the future."
"Don't worry, as long as it's you, brother, I'll be there whenever you call."
Xiao Wenbing nodded, got into the car, and was about to start the engine when he saw Ye Qingchun open the car window and throw the stack of money onto the back seat: "No matter where you go, take this money with you."
A feeling of gratitude welled up within him. Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment, then reached into his pocket with his right hand. When he pulled it out, there was a small bag inside, containing the remaining jewelry.
"Help me sell them, same old deal, 50/50 split, I'll come back to collect them."
Volume One: Farewell in the Mortal World, Chapter Five: The Fake Blind Man
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After saying that, he stepped on the gas, and the car roared away.
The reason he chose to drive himself to Xiaoputuo was because he didn't know what was in the safe Lu Jun had given him.
If it were contraband and someone found it, that would be a real injustice.
Moreover, it's impossible to bring this on a plane, and even taking it on a train poses certain risks. If anything were to happen, you'd be risking your life.
Therefore, driving yourself is the safest and most reliable option.
His skills were just passable, but he had plenty of energy. The highway journey was tiring and a bit lonely. However, after several days of travel, he finally arrived in Ningbo.
Downstream from Ningbo, on Dongqian Lake, he randomly found a hotel, parked his car, finished his meal, and then found a small boat to take him to Xiaoputuo.
Although it's not peak tourist season, there are still quite a few tourists on Xiaoputuo Island. There are quite a few foreigners with high noses and blue eyes pointing and talking, seemingly quite satisfied.
Xiao Wenbing made his usual rounds, going through caves, visiting temples, and riding horses. However, he couldn't find anything out of place.
What caught his eye most were the fortune-telling stalls set up behind the park.
Each stall had a sign with all sorts of advertisements, some quite mysterious and varied. However, most of them clearly stated: Blind fortune teller.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly. Where did all these blind people come from? He wondered how many of them were actually blind.
Strangely, business here seemed to be doing quite well; at least from what Xiao Wenbing saw, there were one or two people in front of each stall.
He walked downhill, further and further away, until he reached the mountains. When he turned around, there was no one around him anymore.
He carefully took out the dark yellow paper that Lu Jun had given him from his pocket. The paper was covered with strange and unusual patterns, just like Lu Jun himself, which was full of mystery.
He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and used the lighter's flame to ignite the paper.
"call……"
It was unclear what material the piece of paper was made of, but it caught fire the moment the lighter flame touched it, and within the blink of an eye, it had burned to the very top. Xiao Wenbing was startled and quickly let go.
The fire burned extremely quickly; in just an instant, the paper had turned into ashes, which were immediately scattered far away by a gentle mountain breeze.
"Good heavens, what is this thing?"
Xiao Wenbing muttered to himself, everything about Lu Jun had a strange feel to it. It was a pity he hadn't scanned the piece of paper, otherwise he could have made one to study later.
For some inexplicable reason, Xiao Wenbing's gaze fell upon the ashes dancing in the air.
He seemed to sense a strange fluctuation circulating in space, a fluctuation that was remarkably similar to his supernatural ability.
After a while, the ashes dispersed.
However, Xiao Wenbing's mood gradually declined, and he did not wait for anyone.
He stood up, looked around, but still saw nothing.
"Playing tricks." Xiao Wenbing cursed under his breath, but he couldn't relax. If no one came to find him, wouldn't that mean these things couldn't be delivered to the destination?
What should be done if Lu Jun is unreasonable and insists on taking my life?
His lips twitched twice, and he lowered his head.
However, his movements abruptly stopped, and his gaze fixed on the ground. At that moment, there were two pairs of feet on the ground.
A cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. Who was this person who had been able to silently appear behind him without him even noticing?
Turning around abruptly, Xiao Wenbing finally saw the person's face clearly.
He was a fortune teller, and his attire was no different from the other blind men he had just seen, both real and fake.
"Hey... hello." Xiao Wenbing forced a smile and greeted him.
"Who are you?"
The fake blind man's face was not pleasant; he had a cold expression and no smile.
"That's what I should be asking you," Xiao Wenbing thought to himself, though of course he didn't dare say it aloud.
Because this person also gave him a very dangerous feeling, just like when he saw Lu Jun, Xiao Wenbing immediately knew that they were the same kind of people.
It seemed that his mission was accomplished. Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief, truly experiencing a feeling of relief.
"I am Xiao Wenbing, hello." She politely extended her hand and greeted him with her most friendly smile.
However, the fake blind man completely ignored his actions and coldly asked, "How do you have Senior Brother's talisman?"
"A talisman?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in surprise, then immediately realized that he was referring to the things he had just burned.
The fake blind man carefully examined Xiao Wenbing, and his expression suddenly turned somewhat surprised, no longer the cold, lifeless face he had before.
"Which sect are you a disciple of?"
"Sects? It seems there aren't any." Xiao Wenbing's lips twitched slightly. He didn't know what he was feeling at this moment. Sects? Such an ancient term probably only appears on TV.
"No sect affiliation?" A hint of surprise flickered in his voice, and the fake blind man immediately became much more polite: "Young brother, why is my senior brother's talisman in your possession?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Wenbing recounted in detail how he met Lu Jun.
Of course, he concealed the fact that he possessed special abilities, and as for the timing, he was even more vague. He glossed over why he waited ten days to set off and what he did in between, leaving no trace.
The fake blind man nodded repeatedly, and in the end he completely believed Xiao Wenbing's story.
At this moment, he was all smiles, a stark contrast to his aloof attitude when they first met.
"Brother Xiao, since it was your senior brother who sent you to deliver the message, I can't make the decision on my own. How about you come with me into the mountain gate?"
"Enter the mountain gate?"
“Exactly, I think everything will be settled after we meet my master. However, Brother Xiao, I guarantee you will definitely receive your share of the benefits.”
With a wry smile, even though he was unwilling, now that he had spoken, did Xiao Wenbing have any room to object?
Volume One: Farewell to the Mortal World, Chapter Six: The Mountain Gate
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With Xiao Wenbing's consent, or perhaps because someone understood the principle of pragmatism, the conversation between the two sides appeared quite harmonious on the surface, a win-win situation.
"Brother Xiao, since you don't have any martial arts skills, how about I give you a ride?"