Chapter 179 A Terrible Ability

Jiang Cheng choked on his own saliva, and it took him a long while to react. "Don't interrupt, I'm talking about serious business. That man downstairs can't be allowed to stay. I'll try to persuade him to stay at this inn, and then, when Liu Dadan and the others come tonight, they can just..."

"Kill him?" The fatty's eyelids twitched.

"Killing him is unnecessary, and it would only cause a big commotion. I'll have Liu Dadan take him away, out of Luo An City. Once he's gone, he won't be a threat to us anymore. We can just compensate him with some silver." Jiang Cheng was still patiently explaining to the fatty, and he felt that his temper had improved a lot recently.

After the two planned their story, they went downstairs, only to find that the table they had been sitting at was empty. The sweet potato seller was gone.

"He ran away?"

The two immediately chased after him, but when they got out of the inn, they saw the man still dutifully guarding his stall, hawking the sweet potatoes in his stove. The tense look from before was gone, and he had returned to his previous demeanor. Under his melon-rind hat was a flattering face, as if... as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Jiang Cheng and the others approaching, the man immediately came forward, smiling obsequiously and asking, "Oh, you two are done eating? Want to buy a few more to take home for your family to try?"

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Cheng and the fatty both felt a sense of familiarity. Wasn't this what the man had said the last time they came to his stall?

"Don't you remember us?" The fatty sized up the man suspiciously, wondering if he was playing tricks.

But the man seemed not to have heard the deeper meaning in the fatty's words. His flattering face revealed a professional smile. "How could I not recognize you two? You just bought ten sweet potatoes from me, and you even requested that I pick out the biggest ones for you. My little shop is honest with everyone."

After this speech, Jiang Cheng understood. The man in front of him seemed to have forgotten what had just happened. His memory had returned to a moment not long ago, their second meeting.

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. The fatty, understanding the situation, couldn't help but shiver. It was too strange. This ability was really too strange. Perhaps they had overlooked the strangeness of this ability because Lin Wan'er had no intention of harming them, but from another perspective, this ability could be considered heaven-defying.

However, as disciples, the more bizarre their abilities, the stronger the backlash they would suffer. This was an undeniable fact. The greater the ability, the greater the limitations. So, while Shao Tong possessed this terrifying ability, he must also be in a delicate state of balance. Once this balance was broken, he would die even more miserably and quickly than they would.

The man seemed only concerned about whether his sweet potatoes would sell. Seeing that the two didn't respond, he took the liberty of pulling a few sweet potatoes out of the stove and skillfully packing them up. "You two, listen to me this time. How about buying five? I'll wrap them up for you right away. Hurry home and open them while they're still hot."

Since the man's problem was no longer a concern, Jiang Cheng and the fatty naturally declined the man's offer. They turned and left, but not completely. They remained at the street corner, in the blind spot of the sweet potato seller's view.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Jiang Cheng and the fatty emerged from the street corner and looked towards the stall from a distance. Everything was as usual. The man guarding the stall was still actively hawking his goods, showing no signs of anything amiss.

This time, the fatty finally felt relieved. He turned to Jiang Cheng and whispered, "Doctor, it seems he's not pretending. He really did lose his memory. That part of his memory was erased again."

"Truly a terrifying ability." Staring into the distance, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but sigh. But while evaluating this ability, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but recall Lin Wan'er's face.

The clues were beginning to come together. The scenes that had unfolded in Mount Xieming not long ago were still vivid in his mind. Number Three's ability had been destroyed, and Lin Wan'er had been discovered in the cave in the mountain. At the time, he had been glad that Lin Wan'er had survived, but now, things were not so simple.

Thinking about it from another angle, Number Three's ability might not have been destroyed, but rather stolen. Not only had the other party stolen Number Three's ability, but the dreamscape they constructed with Number Three's ability was far more terrifying than what Number Three himself could have accomplished. If it hadn't been for Wu Ge's help, they all might have been doomed.

The power of that haunted building was too terrible, or rather... it was related to the Night Watcher Chairman, whom they had never met.

And now, Shao Tong had displayed abilities similar to Lin Wan'er's. This was definitely not a coincidence. If his guess was correct, then Number Three was not the only one whose abilities had been stolen in Mount Xieming. There was also Lin Wan'er. Her ability had been transferred to Shao Tong in an incomprehensible way.

However, there was still one thing that couldn't be explained. If Lin Wan'er's ability had been stolen, then someone as cautious as Lin Wan'er would have noticed it quickly. But strangely, Lin Wan'er hadn't told him. Jiang Cheng believed that Lin Wan'er wouldn't lie to him about such a thing, and she had no reason to lie to him, so... so there must be secrets hidden within.

As for what those secrets were, as long as he could survive this time, he would definitely find out.

"Where are we going now?" The fatty asked. "Back to the Marquis's residence?"

Jiang Cheng gradually withdrew his wandering thoughts and shook his head. "No, we're not going back yet. Liu Dadan said that there have been strange movements at Spring God Lake recently. Combining that with the information we have, what he said should be true, and this matter is definitely related to the Zhennan Marquis."

"We're going to Spring God Lake after tonight, so we must find out what exactly has happened there so that we can be prepared."

That's what he said, and the fatty understood, but where could they get information now? Lu Qin and Shao Tong might have it, but they definitely wouldn't share it.

Jiang Cheng seemed to have a goal in mind and turned to walk in another direction. The fatty hurriedly followed. After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, the fatty looked at the familiar road and his eyes gradually lit up.

"I get it, Doctor. We're going to find that antique shop owner you mentioned before. If I remember correctly, his surname is Qian, right? Shopkeeper Qian?" The fatty said with delight. How could he have forgotten about this?

Before long, they arrived at the front of the antique shop, but unfortunately, the shop was already closed. Jiang Cheng stepped forward and pounded heavily on the door. The door was bolted from the inside. He pressed his ear against the door and listened, but it was quiet inside.