Chapter 157: The North Gate

Our group rested inside the tents arranged by Shen Mingyu. He had previously warned me that the deaths of those two people must be buried deep in our stomachs, or else unimaginably huge trouble would await me. Although I was not afraid of trouble, the people around me would inevitably be implicated, and that was precisely what worried me.

While I feared no trouble whatsoever, I had no wish to see harm come to those around me, so I gave Shen Mingyu my word and told him to rest easy.

In the end, Li Ling still proposed to follow the Southern Sect members back to conduct her research, and Shen Mingyu naturally agreed with pleasure. I had already mentally prepared myself for this; Li Ling's obsession with the ancient Guli culture was undoubtedly far greater than mine. Strange as it might seem, she had also assured me that she would contact me once the research was complete. Furthermore, she told me that she seemed to have found a way to help me, though she still needed to run tests. She would do her utmost to shorten the testing period and reach out to me the moment everything was ready.

Anna also stayed behind. Since her original purpose was to find Li Ling, staying with her was a matter of course. This Southern Sect camp temporarily lost its reason for existing, but many appearances still had to be maintained for the sake of outsiders. Therefore, the core members of the Southern Sect began escorting the items retrieved from the tomb on their return journey. My people and I followed their vehicles to the location where we had hidden our cars.

After getting out of the car, Li Ling whispered to me to set my mind at ease. Her trip was mainly because she had found some information on breaking the curse from that ancient corpse, and she was going with the Southern Sect members to conduct research. As it happened, the Southern Sect also needed a professional like her. Moreover, Li Ling solemnly warned me never to bring up the deaths of those two men again and to forget all about it. She said she had already guessed their identities, yet she still preferred that I remain in the dark.

Knowing would do me no good; it would only harm me.

As for the medicinal pills stored at the hotel, Li Ling explained that when she deposited them, she had instructed the hotel staff that only two people were authorized to retrieve them: herself or me. Therefore, as long as I went, I would be able to get them. Li Ling urged me to leave immediately after retrieving the items and stay in a safe place for a while.

Because Shen Mingyu had informed me that within the underground trade, someone was offering a bounty to track me down. He had even directly named the party behind the bounty: the Northern Sect.

After packing up my gear, I led my men back to the county town and headed straight to the hotel where Li Ling had left the pills. Sure enough, after I verified my identity, the front desk clerk handed me a small package. Returning to the car and opening it, I found the one and a half medicinal pills inside, exactly as expected.

I placed the pills securely against my chest and returned to the inn where we had been staying. With this phase of the matter temporarily concluded, Lei Jun and his three companions, along with Three Flat Melons, no longer needed to accompany me. I took the cash from my bag and added a generous extra amount to the agreed-upon price for them.

Zhang Feng and the others were extremely excited, swearing that whenever I had another job, they would come at a moment's notice. I was quite pleased as well; after all, who could predict what the future holds? What if I really needed to use them again? To begin with, we had shared hardships, which made them much more reliable to employ. By spending a little extra money to forge connections with such people, why wouldn't I do it?

As for Guo Fan and Liu Dong, they insisted on following me. Since neither of them had anything pressing to do at the moment and the pay I offered was quite good, they decided to cast their lot with me. On second thought, having two trustworthy people by my side was not a bad idea at all—handling everything entirely by oneself is truly troublesome.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Feng and the four others, Guo Fan, Liu Dong, and I left the county town. As for the van, I gifted it to Zhang Feng, leaving all the weapons and equipment behind as well. Zhang Feng gave me his solemn word that he would keep the gear safe for me, and the moment the need arose, he would drive it over himself. In his own words, he was done being a mercenary; he planned to take his savings, start some honest business, and settle down. However, if I ever had a job that required it, he wouldn't mind following me out for one last score. Hearing him phrase it like that, I somehow always felt like I was some kind of bandit leader.

Once the car started, Guo Fan asked where we were headed. Without a moment's hesitation, I told him we were going to Xilin County—I was returning to the Tomb Guarding Clan. I had already arranged with Li Ling that I would go back to the clan to await news and, incidentally, bring these two medicinal pills back home.

Moreover, I harbored a secret of my own: if the time truly came when the curse erupted, I did not wish to die out in the world. My father had written in his journal that he truly longed to return to the mountains of the Tomb Guarding Clan. Once I went back this time, I would inform the clan and have my parents' graves relocated there.

From my father's notes, I understood many things. In truth, the elders of the Tomb Guarding Clan had initially tried to stop my father from leaving the clan, but that was out of concern for his life. In the end, however, my father left anyway—he left carrying a mission, determined to find the secret of the curse so that all our people could return to the lives of normal human beings. The elders of the clan knew of this and ultimately gave their tacit consent.

I knew that those clansmen were my true flesh and blood, and their thoughts were very simple: once you stepped outside, death came quicker and grew increasingly agonizing. Only by remaining in the mountains could one stay normal. But the moment someone walked out, they were truly gone with no turning back, leaving the elders to silently pray for them in helpless sorrow.

Now, much like my father, I had begun to dedicate myself to the clan, using my dwindling life to exert my utmost strength in lifting a curse a thousand years old.

Xilin County was rather far away, but this time, we were in no great hurry. Whenever we grew tired, we would find a nearby place to rest. When we parted ways, Shen Mingyu had warned me that the Northern Sect had issued a bounty to hunt me down. It was a dangerous warning, and I had to remain constantly vigilant. Fortunately, I was not alone; with an experienced veteran scout like Guo Fan leading the way—he was an absolute expert in counter-surveillance—I did not have to worry too much about being tracked.

The journey to Xilin County took us a full five days. Fortunately, no unexpected incidents occurred along the road. The moment we arrived in Xilin County, however, I suddenly felt the palms of my hands grow hot. At first, the sensation was mild, but gradually, an itch began to spread all over my body. Lounging in the back seat of the car, I felt all my strength drain away.

That bone-deep itching, accompanied by a sharp pain, forced a groan from my lips.