Chapter 140 - 105: Repaying a Favor
The weather was indeed turning.
It started with a few scattered drops, but after a while, the rain grew heavier.
After some considerable effort, Jiang Ran and his group had gathered all the nearby corpses onto the flatbed carts.
One cart wasn’t enough, but Jiang Ran had indeed come fully prepared.
They had a full three flatbed carts, which was just enough to load all the prominent corpses from both the Heartless Ghost Mansion and the Heterodox Manor.
To others, they were nothing of value.
But to Jiang Ran, they were life-saving medicine.
’Though, I wasn’t the one who killed most of them...’
’But the system never said they had to be my kills to claim the reward, did it?’
’At least, it never said so before. I’ll just take them and give it a try.’
There was also another matter...
The young manor head was still nowhere to be found.
It was unclear if he was still somewhere in the Valley of Rebirth.
Jiang Ran didn’t go looking for him.
After all, conditions within the Valley of Rebirth were hardly suitable for exploration.
Now, with the rain, the difficulty had doubled.
Besides, the deeper one went into the Valley of Rebirth, the thicker the fog became. If he failed to find the man and got trapped himself, the loss would far outweigh any potential gain.
After careful consideration, he decided on a different course of action.
He would lead the group back.
But the rain was getting heavier and heavier.
Jiang Ran, Li Tianxin, and Ghost Thirteen each pushed a cart.
It was manageable for now, but soon the mountain path would become slick with mud, making the carts difficult to push.
What a waste it would be if a corpse or two fell off.
Liu Wenshan, meanwhile, was being supported by Ye Jingshuang and Shi Miao.
While his condition wasn’t so severe that he needed to be carried, walking another twenty li in the rain was still a great strain on him.
Thus, the group first exited the Valley of Rebirth, then decided to find a place to shelter from the rain before continuing.
A place to take shelter wasn’t hard to find.
Not far from the Valley of Rebirth was a cave.
It was a spot Jiang Ran had scouted out over the past two days.
At the time, Jiang Ran had discovered a bear here.
He had no intention of killing it, and with important matters to attend to, he simply shook it off his trail.
Who would have thought the bear, not knowing what was good for it, would follow him deep into the Valley of Rebirth? He saw it get trapped, unable to find its way out, tormented by the encroaching miasma.
Unable to bear its suffering, Jiang Ran had put it out of its misery.
Now that they needed a place to shelter from the rain, the cave was perfect.
He led the group there with practiced ease.
The cave wasn’t very spacious, however. The three flatbed carts wouldn’t fit inside, so they had to be hidden somewhere outside.
Only then did everyone file into the cave.
The smell inside was not pleasant.
It was, after all, a cramped space that had been occupied by a wild animal, and it was filled with all sorts of strange odors.
Jiang Ran led them to a spot to sit. After a moment of them all just looking at each other, Li Tianxin was the first to speak.
"So, this is what you’ve been busy with for the past two days?"
The question was, of course, directed at Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran nodded lightly.
"I previously asked Lord Chang and learned of three particularly dangerous locations, so I went to investigate them myself.
"Of the three places Lord Chang mentioned, only the Valley of Rebirth was suitable. It held a natural geographical advantage.
"As for the haunted village, that was just a legend. I waited there for a whole night. Forget ghosts... there wasn’t even anyone pretending to be one.
"And as for Dragon Slope... there’s actually an Ancient Tomb beneath it.
"The soil there is loose, there are traps and mechanisms underfoot, and with tomb raiders digging tunnels, when people pass over it, the ground can’t support their weight and they fall in."
"Beneath Dragon Slope... is an Ancient Tomb?"
Liu Wenshan listened in surprise. "I didn’t even know about that."
"Do you know which dynasty it’s from?"
Li Tianxin’s interest was piqued as well. "Why don’t we go check it out in a couple of days?"
"If you want to go, go by yourself," Jiang Ran said with a smile. "But that place was plundered long ago. And the technique wasn’t that of mere tomb raiders; it was like a plow had gone through, leaving nothing behind."
A thought struck Li Tianxin. "Could it have been the Government Office?"
"Nine times out of ten, you’re right,"
Jiang Ran said, "The former County Magistrate once went to investigate Dragon Slope, but he never said a word about the specifics. He just forbade anyone from setting foot on it..."
"So that’s how it is."
Li Tianxin came to a realization. "He was afraid of people finding out. A pity... what a pity."
His face was indeed filled with regret.
It seemed he was quite disappointed about not being able to go dig up a grave.
’When did Jiang Ran make so many friends?’ Ye Jingshuang wondered, looking from one to the other.
Jiang Ran glanced at her, only then remembering that he hadn’t made introductions. He pointed to Li Tianxin and Ghost Thirteen and introduced them to her.
But when she heard the name "Ghost Thirteen," her expression changed instantly.
After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly,
"The Heartless Ghost Mansion... what exactly happened?"
Ghost Thirteen’s brow furrowed. He now knew about the matter of the Red Maple Ye family.
He knew what that band of ghouls and monsters who had left the Heartless Ghost Mansion had done...
Faced with the inquiry from Ye Jingshuang, a victim of their deeds, he hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.
"I really cannot disclose the situation within the Mansion.
"It is an ironclad rule...
"However, regarding the matter of the Red Maple Ye family, I will report it in full detail to the Mansion Master after I leave.
"I trust the Mansion Master will give you a proper explanation."
Since he had said as much, Ye Jingshuang did not press the issue further.
Before today, she certainly wouldn’t have let it go so easily.
But now she had learned from Tong Wanli that the Celestial Palace had long anticipated the chaos at the Heartless Ghost Mansion; it could very well have been part of a conspiracy.
’If that’s the case, then I’m afraid the Heartless Ghost Mansion is also a victim in this affair.’