Chapter 1 With Lin Wan'er

Having worked with Luo He on missions before, Jiang Cheng knew Luo He's abilities well. In fact, he had suspected this not long ago, but hearing it from Lin Wan'er made it a reality.

In other words, the chairman used Luo He's abilities to kill so many people. Knowing Luo He's personality, Jiang Cheng feared that he would collapse upon learning all this.

"Also, when I took that bus back to the real world, I didn't see Wu Yingying, the Ghost Bride," Jiang Cheng said suddenly.

The Ghost Bride was a very important part of the plan, responsible for marking the landing point for the portal. This was planned by Lin Wan'er long ago.

Hearing this, Lin Wan'er frowned, an unusual expression appearing between her brows. After a long silence, she said, "I'm not sure about these things either. The Ghost Bride is one of the two enforcers on the bus, the strongest existence besides the old chairman. Nothing should be able to threaten her."

"If she disappeared for no reason, then something must have happened on the bus."

Saying this, Lin Wan'er looked up at Jiang Cheng and comforted him, "But you don't have to worry too much. After all, she has been on the bus for a long time. I think even if she encounters a crisis she can't handle, she will find a way to escape. It's not that easy to attack an enforcer on the bus, as it will face the backlash from the old chairman."

Although worried about the Ghost Bride's safety, Jiang Cheng couldn't do anything else at the moment. "Then this portal plan can be considered a failure. I want to know, besides the disciples you transported to the mountains, do you have any other frozen disciples as a backup?"

"There are still some, you can rest assured about that." Lin Wan'er's eyes paused slightly, and her voice lowered, "And even if these disciples are useless, we still have an ace in the hole. As long as he's there, he alone can impact the current bus. That will be your best opportunity."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng was slightly shocked. Having boarded that bus several times, he was fully aware of how terrifying that bus was. Over the years, there was only one person named Xia Tan, and the resistance army he led, who could impact the bus. "Who is the helper you found?"

Lin Wan'er's expression became solemn. "Gong Zhe."

After a moment, Jiang Cheng's pupils shrank. He remembered this person, a member of the Xia family, Xia Meng's bodyguard, who had even threatened him. "It's him..."

"Yes, his door is on the verge of collapse. He reached an agreement with me not long ago. I promised to protect the Xia family for him after eliminating the Night Watchers, and he will help us impact the old chairman's domain."

To the current Jiang Cheng, Lin Wan'er hardly held anything back anymore. The final moment had arrived, and he needed to face his destiny.

"Where is Gong Zhe now?" Jiang Cheng asked.

Unexpectedly, Lin Wan'er shook her head this time. "I don't know. He should still have his own things to do. The executive department minister who was killed recently was one of his few friends. He will definitely avenge this. Recently, my mole in the Night Watchers sent news that a deputy minister of the executive department and the heads of various regions have been killed one after another. Judging from the traces left at the scene, it can be confirmed that it was all his doing."

Recalling his first meeting with this man, Jiang Cheng still felt lingering fear. He simply stood there, giving people a sense of immovability. Being stared at by those deep eyes felt like being chosen by death.

"Xiao Cheng."

Lin Wan'er's voice interrupted Jiang Cheng's thoughts. The latter was stunned for a moment, then looked at her, clearly waiting for her next words.

"Our plan has been destroyed by the Night Watchers. From now on, they will only be more vigilant. Before the mole inside is found out, none of our plans can be kept secret, so..." Lin Wan'er pursed her lips, with apology and unwillingness on her face, "So from now on, you can only rely on yourself."

"You've done a great job, thank you."

Jiang Cheng leaned down and gently hugged Lin Wan'er, just like he remembered. Lin Wan'er's body tensed, and after a long while, she slowly exhaled. Finally, she leaned back on the pillow and waved to Jiang Cheng. It was obvious that Lin Wan'er was very tired, and this fatigue was not just physical, but mental.

After leaving Lin Wan'er's ward, Jiang Cheng returned to the starting room. But after pushing the door open, only Fatty was sitting blankly in his seat. "Where are they?"

Hearing Jiang Cheng's voice, Fatty came back to his senses, the sadness and worry in his eyes pure and clean. "Doctor, they were called over by Old Man Luo, saying Luo He... Luo He he..."

The ominous premonition in Jiang Cheng's heart finally found its source. "What happened to Luo He?"

"He took advantage of the medical staff guarding him, cut his blood vessels with a knife, and is now being rescued. The two of them have already gone over," Fatty said almost crying.

...

Hundreds of miles away, Linxian Village. Although called a village, it is actually a bustling small town. Because there are many ancient buildings here, with a strong sense of historical culture, many costume dramas are filmed here. Over the years, it has accumulated a considerable reputation. Even now, in the off-season for travel, there are still many tourists.

On the westernmost side of Linxian Village, there is a wide lake. This place is relatively remote, so the development is not good, with only a few scattered buildings.

In contrast, this place seems more secluded.

But at this time, on a small road leading to the lake, five people were walking together. But strangely, none of the five people used flashlights to illuminate the way. They could see the road under their feet only by the faint moonlight.

Walking in the front was a burly man. The strong man was blind in one eye, and his face was covered with old scars, making him look fierce.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the one-eyed strong man spat on the ground and cursed, "What are these damn Candle Holders up to, calling us to this godforsaken place?"

"Take it easy, take it easy." Another man dressed as a white-faced scholar smiled and said, "No matter what their plan is, as long as they give us everything they promised without missing a penny."

The white-faced scholar carried a bamboo basket on his back. A lid was fastened on the basket, and the lid moved from time to time, as if there was something alive inside. Slowly, a few strands of black hair protruded from the cracks in the bamboo basket, and then, as if driven by someone, they wrapped around the neck of a woman closest to the scholar.

But before it could touch the woman's skin, it was grabbed. The woman wore a silver crown and silver ornaments all over her body, reflecting a strange light in the night. Her eyes were unusually bright. "You evil scholar, how dare you use a dead man's scalp to touch me? Have you lived enough?"

The man called the evil scholar turned his head and laughed. "Gu witch, I wouldn't dare to think about you, and you also know that there are many women who want to have a one-night stand with me. I'm dazzled by the choices."

"Hehe, these stupid women are probably unaware that death is imminent. This evil scholar is not interested in women, but in their scalps."

The Gu witch ruthlessly exposed the true colors of the evil scholar. This evil scholar was also one of the most unpopular among the disciples, after all, his methods were not presentable.

Among the men there was the evil scholar, among the women there was the flower-picking woman, both were notorious figures. Some people even wondered who would have the upper hand if these two met.

Hearing this, the evil scholar was not angry, still laughing, and patted the bamboo basket behind him, coaxing in a syrupy voice: "My dear, I know you miss me, but your husband is too tired today, I will favor you tomorrow night, your hair is the best I have seen in the past two years, I will not forget you."

As if the thing in the basket really understood what the evil scholar said, it actually slowly shrank back, behaving more obediently than a newly-entered maiden, causing the others to frown, after all, everyone knew that the evil scholar's basket was just a bloody scalp.

But strangely, although there was only a scalp left, the hair was still growing, and growing faster and faster, and it could still communicate with the evil scholar and be controlled by him.

"Damn, it's really disgusting to the extreme!" The one-eyed strong man couldn't help cursing after seeing this scene, "One of you, one flower-picking woman, and that Candle Holder, you three are all the same, low-down things, sooner or later you will be caught and have sky lanterns lit on you!"

"Hehe, blind tanner, why are you showing off now? Back then, you didn't even dare to fart in front of the flower-picking woman. If it wasn't because she thought you were ugly, you would have been taken into her room that night and become husband and wife for one night. How could it be your turn to jump around and fart here!"

Being poked in the sore spot, the strong man immediately widened his only remaining left eye. "Fart your mother, I will skin you alive and make a new outfit for myself!"

Seeing that the situation was not right and a fight might break out, the old man walking in the middle stepped forward. The old man carried a giant sword on his back. The sword edge was unopened and he was not skilled in moves. He took the hard path of one force prevailing over ten. "Say less, this is not our territory, and the Candle Holder is not as simple as you think. Don't talk nonsense, be careful of having your tongues cut off!"

The old man, nicknamed Mad Sword Immortal, was considered the leader of this group and was the first to become famous. Relatively speaking, he was also the first high-level disciple to be wanted by the Night Watchers, but later he reached a private reconciliation with the Night Watchers and became a dark army deeply buried by the Night Watchers on the surface. But this group of people were used to being lawless, and even if the Night Watchers directed them to do something, they had to give corresponding benefits.

Just like today, the Candle Holder in the Night Watchers personally invited them to come here, saying that there was a task for them. Of course, the Candle Holder said that he had also brought their rewards.

They were a few rare contracts, which were fatally attractive to these disciples.

"Candle Holder?" The one-eyed strong man laughed instead of getting angry. "What, do you still think it's decades ago? Now we are not the people who were chased like stray dogs. If we really annoy us, the five of us will make a big fuss in the Night Watchers. Hehe, at this juncture, the Night Watchers can't spare any strength to target us. If we make such a fuss, who will benefit from it is still unknown."

The one-eyed man was by no means a brave but brainless person. They also knew their current role, so they dared to ask the Night Watchers for exorbitant prices. If it were a peaceful time, even if he were given ten guts, he would not dare.

"Be careful, I don't want to remind you a second time," the Mad Sword Immortal lowered his voice.

Being reprimanded one after another, the one-eyed man was a little annoyed, but he couldn't get angry with his own people, so he had to vent his anger on the Candle Holder who had not yet met. "What are you afraid of? It's just a Candle Holder. If he treats us kindly, then fine, but if he dares to speak rudely, I will let him know how powerful I am!"

"Everyone says that the Candle Holder is very strong and elusive. I think it's just so-so. Otherwise, how come we haven't seen him appear after discussing it for so long? It's all exaggerated. I think it's just..."

Suddenly, the Mad Sword Immortal stopped, then turned around and bowed slightly to a dark place beside him, his tone very polite, "I wonder which senior of the Night Watchers is here, please show yourself."

At this moment, the one-eyed man, the evil scholar, the Gu witch, and another person who had been silent all along, shrouded in a gray robe, all looked to the side, but from their eyes, they did not find anything unusual.

Then, the Mad Sword Immortal bent his waist even lower, and his tone became even more respectful, "I am the Mad Sword Immortal, with four brothers, here today to keep our appointment, please show yourself."

A few seconds later, a faint laughter came from the darkness ahead. Just listening to the laughter, the one-eyed man, who had been rampant before, felt chills all over his body, as if he had been grabbed and thrown into an ice cave.

"Who! Who's there!" The evil scholar asked, mustering his courage.

"Hehe, aren't you... talking about me?"

Before the voice fell, suddenly a candlelight lit up, the candlelight faint, with a rare pale green color. It was a candlestick, and a slightly distorted face appeared beside the candlestick.

"Candle Holder!"

A burst of will-o'-the-wisp flashed before the one-eyed strong man's eyes. The next second, the Candle Holder's voice came from behind him, "I am very happy that everyone could come to keep the appointment tonight."

The one-eyed man was so frightened that he didn't dare to move. Even if he was stupid, he could see that the other party's strength was far above his group. The Mad Sword Immortal turned around and clasped his fist at the Candle Holder, "Greetings, Senior Candle Holder. Just now, my little brother said something wrong, please forgive us."

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense." The Candle Holder smiled gloomily. The candlelight swayed non-stop, as if it would go out the next second. Even more terrifying, there were terrifying sounds coming from around the candlelight, the cries of women, the laughter of children, the gasps of old people before death...

The one-eyed man was so frightened that he didn't dare to raise his head.

"Hehe, don't keep the Chairman waiting for too long. He doesn't have my good temper." Turning around, the Candle Holder supported the candlestick and led the way.