Chapter 2: The Senior Brother's Mask

When Lin Wan emerged from the secret passage, the night wind battered her face, carrying the distinct, damp chill of the tomb soil. Her clothing snapped crisply in the gusts. Crouched at the cave's mouth, Xiao Jiu gripped a rusty bronze key in his palm. The moment he spotted her, a flash of frantic worry ignited in his usually timid eyes.

He shot to his feet, his knees clacking against the loose gravel, but the pain vanished instantly as he rushed to her side, his breath ragged and broken. "Senior Sister, what the hell just happened in there? I watched through the crack, and that ghost fire looked like it had you backed into a corner."

Lin Wan didn't answer right away. Her gaze swept past him into the dead, silent darkness deep within the cave. Her fingers traced the Remnant Jade against her chest, feeling the faint, slow pulse of Shaqi within it. Her voice was low, laced with a weariness he could barely detect. "He knelt and begged for his life, but I left him down there to keep the paper effigies company. But something’s off."

Xiao Jiu held his breath, leaning forward, trying to read the truth in her cold expression. Lin Wan paused, a flicker of wariness crossing her eyes—an instinctive defense against the unknown. "That green light didn't belong to this tomb. It was a mark left by something of a much higher caliber."

Zhang Beichuan might have panicked, but the 'Big Boss' he slipped out was the real thorn in our side. The crisis wasn't over; it had just shifted from the open stage to the shadows, lurking like a venomous snake in the corner, watching our every move.

The return route twisted through the hills. Moonlight filtered through sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on the muddy path. Just as Lin Wan prepared to pick up the pace to clear the area, frantic footsteps erupted ahead of her, accompanied by heavy, ragged breathing.

Zhang Beichuan burst out of the underbrush, stumbling and crashing. His once-refined clothes were in tatters, splattered with mud and blood, as if he’d just crawled out of the gates of hell. When he saw Lin Wan, his face twisted into an exaggerated mask of concern and terror—so clumsy it looked like a bad actor on a cheap stage. Zhang Beichuan shouted, "Wan-er!

I thought I’d never see you again!" He didn't step closer; instead, he maintained a distance that felt both safe and suffocating. His eyes weren't on her face. They were locked on the Remnant Jade hanging at her waist, its faint glow cutting sharp and bright against the darkness.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he tried to mask his greed. "Those things were just... unnatural. Senior Brother is a coward, I'll admit it, but I went in to save you. Are you okay? Are you hurt? And that jade... do you still have it?"

Lin Wan stopped. Her eyes, sharp as a blade, sliced through Zhang Beichuan’s fake mask. She scoffed silently. She knew this wolf in human skin had finally lost patience and bared its fangs.

Seeing Lin Wan stay silent, Zhang Beichuan grew more desperate. He even reached out to touch her arm, but she sidestepped, cold and detached. He pulled his hand back, rubbing his fingers together, and shifted to a tone of 'buddies talking' to try and corner her morally. Zhang Beichuan said, "Wan-er, let me be straight with you.

The Big Boss up top has spoken. He said this Remnant Jade is tied to some major treasure, and it needs to be handled by a specific person. So, my return wasn't just to get you out; I’m also here on orders to protect you. Honestly, in this line of work, you’re too dangerous alone. Having Senior Brother watching your back is better than getting played by some shady side-path practitioners, right?"

His eyes darted to the jade, greed shining through with zero shame, as if the stone was made of flowing gold. Lin Wan watched him, a faint, mocking curve on her lips.

Zhang Beichuan’s lie was full of holes. His claim of 'being sent to protect' fell apart instantly, because his behavior in the tomb had already exposed his ties to the masterminds. Plus, his attempt to snatch the Remnant Jade earlier said it all. Lin Wan’s voice was ice, like wind whistling through dead branches. "Senior Brother, that doesn't make sense.

If you were sent to protect me, why did you try to demand the jade first instead of saving me when I was at the entrance? Protection means guarding the person, not grabbing the item. That performance was rough, even for a beginner."

Zhang Beichuan’s face darkened instantly. The veneer of fake concern crumbled like peeling paint, revealing the vicious beast underneath. He stopped hiding. His eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at Lin Wan, his voice low but freezing. Zhang Beichuan snarled, "Lin Wan, don't push your luck!

You think your blind eyes can see through me? You're naive. In this business, whoever holds the resources holds the power. I'll tell you right now: the water behind that jade is ten thousand times deeper than you think. Only I can handle those old monsters. Only I have the standing to touch the core."

"Hand over the jade quietly, and I’ll let the past slide. Otherwise, don't blame Senior Brother for being unkind." Lin Wan didn't flinch. She took a step forward, entering his strike range. The Remnant Jade in her palm grew hot, a signal that the Shaqi was agitated. Her gaze was chilling as she looked at Zhang Beichuan. "You want to snatch it?

Then let's see if you have the skill. Or if you have the lifespan to pay the price."

Zhang Beichuan was intimidated by her aura, but greed finally crushed his fear. He lunged, claws out, reaching for the jade at her waist. Lin Wan expected this. She didn't dodge; instead, she flicked her wrist and tossed the Remnant Jade at him. Zhang Beichuan overjoyed, thinking she had surrendered, opened his arms to catch it.

But the moment his fingertips brushed the jade’s surface, something happened. The jade’s warm glow snapped into a bone-chilling ice blue. A wave of frigid, piercing Shaqi shot up his fingers and invaded his body. Zhang Beichuan froze mid-air, his excitement instantly turning into pure agony.

He let out a wail, a sound that wasn't human, more like the death cry of a beast.

Lin Wan pulled back her leg, landing steady, watching Zhang Beichuan’s misery with calm eyes. Zhang Beichuan’s fingers swelled and blackened at a visible rate. His skin started to look like frostbite sores, the flesh rotting rapidly under the erosion of the cold Shaqi.

He curled up on the ground, hands clenched, nails digging into his palms, trying to fight the cold that had invaded his marrow with pain. Xiao Jiu was stunned, the bronze key slipping from his hand to clang on the ground. He wanted to rush in to help, but Lin Wan raised a hand to stop him. Lin Wan said, "Don't move, Jiu. What is not yours, do not force.

He was greedy for the Shaqi in people’s hearts. The Shaqi on this jade is just returning a debt he already owed. This isn't something we did. It’s the price he chose to pay."

Zhang Beichuan gritted his teeth in pain, his eyes burning with extreme ferocity. In his blurred consciousness, he tried to struggle up for one last counterattack.

Lin Wan’s eyes were blind, but boosted by the Fierce Omen Vision, she could clearly see the flow of Shaqi inside Zhang Beichuan and the opening in his next strike. His Shaqi was disorganized due to the pain, causing his center of gravity to shift left, creating a split-second rigidity in his right knee.

In the instant Zhang Beichuan lunged, Lin Wan sidestepped lightly. At the same time, her right foot kicked precisely on the outside of Zhang Beichuan’s right knee. The kick wasn't heavy, but the angle was vicious, hitting the weakest part of the muscle. Zhang Beichuan let out a dull groan, his legs giving way. He collapsed hard onto the ground, completely incapacitated.

He lay limp in the mud and water, his fingers a nauseating black-purple, unable to move a single muscle. Lin Wan looked down at him, her voice flat. "You said earlier that you’re the only one who qualified. Now look at that qualification. Can it even survive?"

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from outside the tomb area. Chen Lao walked up holding a lantern. In the dim yellow light, he saw Zhang Beichuan writhing in pain on the ground. Chen Lao frowned, stepped closer, and examined Zhang Beichuan’s rotting fingers. He let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with disappointment and regret. Chen Lao said, "Beichuan. Virtue lacking, heavenly retribution is clear.

If you had understood this sooner in your life, you wouldn't have ended up like this." He turned to look at Lin Wan, his tone shifting to serious concern. "Wan-er, I heard part of the situation. And the clue about the 'Big Boss' Zhang Beichuan let slip, plus that green light... what specifically did you observe?"

Lin Wan moved to Chen Lao’s side and gave a concise report on her findings, mentioning the high-level Shaqi mark in the green light and Zhang Beichuan’s description of the masterminds. Chen Lao listened, his face growing heavier. He knew this wasn't just about a jade piece; it involved deeper power struggles.

After hearing the report, Chen Lao fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting to the distant mountains. His voice was heavy and cautious. "Wan-er, that higher-tier existence you mentioned, and the masterminds... this likely touches on the core secrets of the tomb guardians. The Miao shamans once mentioned that some seals lock away things that transcend the boundary between life and death.

Now that Shaqi is leaking out, it means the balance is broken. The road ahead will be far more dangerous than we imagined." Lin Wan clenched her fists, a sense of unprecedented urgency rising in her heart. She knew this wasn't just about her life or death; it was a catastrophe that could ripple out to everything.

Chen Lao patted her shoulder, signaling for everyone to evacuate the scene. They would not stay here.

The three retreated along the mountain ridge. The moonlight was like water, pouring over them. Lin Wan secured the Remnant Jade, but as they walked, she felt the jade in her pocket suddenly become abnormally hot, as if some life force inside was waking up.

She stopped, pulled out the jade, and found the icy blue cold light had faded. In its place was a strange, warm halo. The Shaqi seemed agitated under the moonlight. Xiao Jiu watched the jade nervously, not daring to get close. Chen Lao also stopped, his gaze locked on the Remnant Jade, his face showing disbelief.

The jade’s light flickered, as if responding to Chen Lao’s stare, or showing something to Lin Wan.

The glow stabilized. On the semi-transparent surface of the Remnant Jade, a blurred image began to emerge. It was the silhouette of a young man, with a naive yet sharp expression Lin Wan had never seen on Chen Lao’s face. And those eyes... they were startlingly similar to Chen Lao’s.

Chen Lao trembled all over. The lantern in his hand almost slipped. He stared at the jade, his voice shaking so much he nearly lost it. "This... is this me? Me from thirty years ago? How can this be... why would this jade have my image..."

Lin Wan looked at her mentor in shock. All the clues were converging into a massive web, pointing to a shocking secret hidden for thirty years. This Remnant Jade was no ordinary object. It was intricately linked to Chen Lao’s past, and indeed, to the secrets of the entire tomb.