Zhang Qiling had always been mysterious. He never spoke of his past, and Wu Tianzhen and Fatty, out of respect, never pressed him.
His life was simple, with no material desires and few social connections. Fatty and Wu Tianzhen had always believed they were his only two friends.
...Who would have thought that the rebellious Xiao Zhang would go out for a bit and bring back some strange new friends?!
Was this even reasonable?!
"Xiao Ge, that guy just now—"
Xiao Zhang immediately cut in, concise and to the point:
"Hei Yanjing. Exploring a forbidden land together."
Wu Tianzhen: ...
"That's it?!" He waited for a long time, only to see Zhang Qiling's expression clearly indicating he had revealed everything he knew and had nothing more to say. For a moment, Wu Tianzhen felt utterly bewildered.
However, on second thought, he realized this meant Zhang Qiling didn't know much about Hei Yanjing, or perhaps he knew but felt it shouldn't be shared with them. He then shifted to another question.
"Then, Xiao Ge, what did he mean by the day after tomorrow? Did you agree to something with him?"
As he said this, Wu Tianzhen suddenly thought of something.
"Damn it, you're not planning to go explore the forbidden land with him again, are you?!"
Zhang Qiling slightly raised his head to look at the large text [〈Yingzhou〉Unlocked] on the system screen in front of him, then guiltily turned his head, pretending to watch television.
Seeing his reaction, Fatty and Wu Tianzhen knew their guess was more or less correct. For a moment, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, as if their own child had started to go astray after making friends with people from the streets.
They exchanged glances. Wu Tianzhen turned off the TV with lightning speed, while Fatty plopped down next to Zhang Qiling and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Xiao Ge..." They wore identical "gentle" smiles.
"You're not planning to go by yourself, are you?"
Zhang Qiling: ...
He felt this was a fatal question. However, considering the meaningful look Hei Yanjing gave Wu Tianzhen and Fatty as he left, perhaps that blind man never intended to go alone in the first place.
After weighing his options, he decisively abandoned the mysterious blind man who spoke in riddles. He raised his head, his expressionless face displaying his sincerity and enthusiasm, attempting to convince Wu Tianzhen and Fatty that he had never considered going solo.
Whether Wu Tianzhen and Fatty believed him was unknown, but he felt they did.
So, after briefly explaining Hei Yanjing's proposal, the three of them sat together, lost in thought.
"Yingzhou?" Fatty scratched his head, recalling a place. "Isn't that Chongming Island?"
"When I went there before, the boss there kept bragging, saying their place had historical charm, that even the pig trotters had culture!"
"Anyway, Fatty didn't feel any of that. The trotters just tasted burnt."
"What's Hei Yanjing doing going to a place like that? Are there any good things there? Pig Trotter Immortal?"
Fatty's mind was filled with treasures and food. Wu Tianzhen, feeling speechless, interrupted Fatty's wild speculations.
"Fatty, please stop thinking about those pig trotters!" he explained. "I guess the Yingzhou Xiao Ge mentioned refers to the immortal mountain in 'Sailors talk of Yingzhou, its misty waves hard to find,' right?"
"Chongming was indeed called Yingzhou in ancient times, but that was a title bestowed by Emperor Hongwu of Ming when he was conquering the empire. Because the prefect of Chongming at the time, He Yongfu, had judged the situation wisely and surrendered promptly, the Emperor was greatly pleased and granted this honor, intending to praise Chongming's prosperity as no less than the legendary Yingzhou in the East Sea."
"That Hei Yanjing, being able to fight with our Xiao Ge for an afternoon without being killed, must be extraordinary."
"I think the place he specifically invited Xiao Ge to go to is unlikely to be that modern city, but rather, the true legendary Yingzhou of the East Sea!"
"That immortal land, alongside Daiyu, Yuanqiao, Fanghu, and Penglai, the island of eternal life that Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu searched for tirelessly!"
Zhang Qiling nodded, confirming Wu Tianzhen's guess was correct.
At that time, Hei Yanjing, midway through their fight, suddenly started talking about the legend of Yingzhou. Zhang Qiling initially thought he had gone insane from being hit in the head by his punch. After listening for a while, he realized Hei Yanjing's true intention.
Hei Yanjing had found a turtle shell that predicted the general location where the true Yingzhou of the East Sea would appear. He needed to find something there. Passing through Hangzhou, he suddenly remembered that Zhang Qiling seemed to enjoy venturing into such strange places, so he casually staked out the area.
To his surprise, he actually found him. What a coincidence!
Zhang Qiling found it rather absurd. Who, with a sound mind, would enjoy running to those places of feudal superstition?
However, the system excitedly popped up, flashing the mission before his eyes. This caused the cold snort he was about to utter to take a detour and eventually turn into an agreement.
...Looking at Hei Yanjing's gaze, Zhang Qiling felt he already knew what impolite thoughts were running through the blind man's mind.
Sighing, Zhang Qiling noticed that Fatty and Wu Tianzhen had already begun discussing how to sneakily acquire new equipment from Song Shuning. He therefore stopped paying attention to the blind man's psychological activities.
Yingzhou. He wondered what awaited him there.