Chapter 454 - 357: Part 2
The atmosphere of this place was like an Immortal Realm.
It took a full two hours for the three of them to reach the summit.
Beneath the sunset’s afterglow, a figure about 1.7 meters tall stood silhouetted against the light.
He stood facing the direction from which Wen Ying and the others had just arrived.
He was bathed in light, his entire body seemingly dusted with the sun’s afterglow, giving him an otherworldly appearance.
The sight left one momentarily dazed.
"Doctor Wen, Little White, Kong Jian?"
The man spoke first, identifying all three of them at a glance.
It was one thing if he recognized Doctor Wen and Kong Jian; after all, they had been on the livestream.
But no one besides them knew Little White’s identity, yet this man had named her instantly.
"Who are you?"
Wen Ying might have paused to think, but Little White blurted the question out directly.
"Jiang Zhishang."
"That’s a pretty ordinary name. What are you doing on a mountaintop pretending to be some enlightened master?" Little White grumbled, dissatisfied.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Jiang Zhishang, Wen Ying followed him.
To her surprise, there was a courtyard not far from the summit.
The house, its walls, and other structures were built from wood.
As they rested, Wen Ying realized that the person who had wanted to see her was this very young man in front of her.
But Wen Ying sensed a strange aura from him.
Someone led Kong Jian and Little White to see their rooms, and afterward, they went to play on a swing somewhere on the mountaintop.
Wen Ying looked at the teacup in front of her, poured milk directly into it, and then added a small packet of sugar.
She stirred it.
Jiang Zhishang watched this with a faint smile, but he didn’t say anything to interfere.
"Mr. Jiang, you look so young. I wouldn’t have expected you to enjoy such an old-fashioned tea-drinking style. Since I’m here, I won’t beat around the bush. Who are you? What’s your position? And why did you ask for me?"
Jiang Zhishang took a sip of tea and looked at Wen Ying. "I hear Doctor Wen is skilled at divination. Why don’t you perform one for me?"
’Divination? What she did had never been divination.’
But looking at Jiang Zhishang’s fate, though it was shrouded in a heavy mist, she still got a very strange feeling from it.
But it didn’t feel dangerous.
"Your fate is shrouded in a heavy mist. Honestly, I can’t see through it."
’It wasn’t that she couldn’t pierce through some of it—after all, Wen Ying was now a Cultivator.’
’But Wen Ying felt it wasn’t worth the effort. Since he had invited her here, he should be the one to tell her the truth.’
’He shouldn’t make her waste her cultivation.’
Jiang Zhishang didn’t seem to be in a hurry to explain his purpose. Instead, he invited Wen Ying to stay on the mountain for a few more days.
She hadn’t expected this simple-looking mountain to hold so many secrets.
Little White and Kong Jian were having a great time.
They were barely seen during the day.
During her stay on the mountain, Wen Ying discovered a strange phenomenon.
Subtle changes were occurring in Jiang Zhishang’s body. In order to confirm this, an idea formed.
After half a month on the mountain, Wen Ying finally managed to get him to sit down with her to fish in a newly dug pond nearby.
"You sought me out because of the mist, right? You want me to get involved in all this?"
"To resolve it completely, if possible."
"Why do you think I have that ability? If I’m not mistaken, you’re a Cultivator as well, aren’t you?"
Jiang Zhishang fell silent for a moment at Wen Ying’s words, then nodded.
"But I cannot leave this place."
"You seem quite fond of Little White?"
"Young children always have a way of making one feel young and vibrant again," Jiang Zhishang replied with a smile.
"But I feel you treat Little White much better than you do Kong Jian. The gift you gave her wasn’t some ordinary object, was it?"
Jiang Zhishang smiled, not answering the question. "I mean her no harm."
’Wen Ying had to admit that was true; otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed here this long.’
"Karmic ties."
"So, you have some connection with Little White’s ancestors?"
"Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you. I just want to know—your invitation for us to come here, that was on behalf of the higher-ups, right? How much authority do you have?"
"Full control."
Those two words took Wen Ying by surprise.
Perhaps seeing Wen Ying’s doubt, or perhaps to show his sincerity, Jiang Zhishang explained, "I’ve reached an agreement with the highest authority. In these matters, I have the final say."
"And if I refuse?"
"That is your prerogative, Doctor Wen. I only hope you’ll take a look at the recent mist-related incidents that have been occurring."
In the half-month that Doctor Wen had been on the mountain, several mist-related incidents had occurred across Flower Country, resulting in considerable casualties.
It took an hour to go through the data and footage. Afterward, neither of them spoke for a long time.
"Why is your body aging so quickly?"
Jiang Zhishang seemed surprised that Wen Ying would ask a question that had nothing to do with the matter at hand.
"I..."
"Don’t even think about lying to me. If there’s no trust between us, how can I believe you?"
Jiang Zhishang was silent for a long moment before sighing. "I didn’t expect you to find out so quickly. My body is indeed... For me, the drawbacks of cultivation outweigh the benefits. My fate was probably sealed long ago."
"You’re the nation’s greatest hidden protector, aren’t you? The mist never invaded Flower Country before because of you, right? And now that your body is failing, you can no longer suppress its emergence?"
Jiang Zhishang neither confirmed nor denied it, instead gazing into the distance.
He looked toward the blue sky and the flowers and plants that covered the mountainside.
It was as if he was looking through them to some unknown, faraway place.
"Doctor Wen, your reputation is well-deserved. My own existence is perhaps just an accident, but it’s an accident that has managed to do some good for the country."
WOOF WOOF WOOF! WOOF WOOF WOOF!
Suddenly, the sound of barking rang out, followed by Little White’s shout, "Dahuang, don’t run! I promise I won’t pull your tail this time! We of the Fox Clan always keep our word!"
Dahuang ran behind Jiang Zhishang, looking at the two children with what seemed to be lingering terror.
’One was a fox, the other a human, but they were so scary!’
Wen Ying could see the look of grievance in the dog’s eyes as it looked at Jiang Zhishang...