“I’m only saying that the piece of wood gives me the feeling of a coffin, but I didn’t say that it’s definitely it. Perhaps it’s not. Even if it’s real, there might not be a corpse inside. Even if there’s a corpse, it might not be a human corpse,” Zhang Chunqiu said as he beat around the bush.
“Then isn’t it as good as not saying anything? Are we still following?” Xia Liuchuan asked.
“Yes, of course. This concerns the Guardian’s ownership. It doesn’t matter if you follow or not, but I have to see the outcome with my own eyes,” Zhang Chunqiu said.
“In that case, what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Xia Liuchuan said.
The three of them set off again, but this time, they deliberately lagged far behind, trying to keep a greater distance from Zhou Wen.
However, after walking for a while, they felt that something was amiss. The surrounding fields seemed to be filled with a cold wind that made their hearts tremble.
“Old Zhang, why do I feel that something is amiss? Try divining again,” Xia Liuchuan said.
As he said, Zhang Chunqiu did another divination before his expression turned odd.
Seeing his expression, Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge knew that the situation wasn’t good. They hurriedly asked, “What’s going on?”
“The divination is still Sister Return Lightning Pool,” Zhang Chunqiu said with a bitter smile.
Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge’s expressions changed as well. During the first Sister Return Lightning Pool, they had encountered an electric beast. They met a Nightmare the second time. Now, they were encountering it again.
“Is this sister never getting married?” Xia Liuchuan said gloomily.
Xia Liuchuan’s words suddenly gave Zhang Chunqiu a flash of inspiration. He said in surprise, “Do you think that the divination of Sister Return Lightning Pool refers to that piece of wood?”
“What do you mean?” Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge didn’t understand.
“If my previous guess wasn’t wrong, that piece of wood is really something like a coffin. Do you think there’s a woman inside?” Zhang Chunqiu said in a bold and unconstrained manner.
“What woman? If it’s really a coffin, there should be a female corpse inside,” Xia Liuchuan corrected.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a woman or a female corpse. Over the past few days, no matter how I divine, the results are always Sister Return Lightning Pool. I think this matter definitely has something to do with that piece of wood.” The more Zhang Chunqiu spoke, the more convinced he was.
Xia Liuchuan was about to say something when he suddenly heard a roar. The fields beside them split open and a huge earth dragon crawled out.
Zhou Wen walked ahead. Although he felt that the atmosphere was somewhat odd his entire journey, he didn’t encounter any other strange things other than the electric-type dimensional creature.
Zhou Wen was in no mood to visit other dimensional zones. He walked whenever he could and rested when exhausted. He kept rushing towards the Imperial Capital, hoping to rid the crappy piece of wood from him as soon as possible.
Zhou Wen himself was fine, but Xia Liuchuan and company, who were following behind him, suffered. They experienced all sorts of difficulties along the way, almost losing their lives several times.
Xia Liuchuan ultimately couldn’t take it anymore and decided to take a detour back to the Xia family in the Imperial Capital.
Zhang Chunqiu decided to continue, but Brother Dugu didn’t plan on following.
“Young Master, everyone is here. When are we going to take action?” The members of the Dugu family came in front of Dugu Ge and bowed.
“Abort the plan for now,” Dugu Ge said.
Everyone was taken aback. One of them asked in puzzlement, “Young Master, why are you aborting it? This concerns your contractual with a Guardian.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain this matter to the elders in the clan. Just do as I say,” Dugu Ge said.
“Yes.” The group had just arrived and didn’t even get to rest. All they could do was turn back.
Xia Liuchuan rushed back to the Xia family. He wasn’t really afraid that he would encounter danger if he followed behind, but he had already received the news that the Xia family was prepared to attack Zhou Wen before he entered the capital. Xia Liuchuan wanted to rush back and convince Xia Dongyue to give up on this operation.
The wooden log Zhou Wen was carrying was indeed odd. Xia Liuchuan was afraid that the Xia family would end up dying as a result.
Xia Liuchuan embarked on his journey with light gear. He chose the shortest path and returned to the capital much earlier than Zhou Wen.
“Liuchuan, why are you back? Didn’t I tell you to follow Zhou Wen?” Xia Dongyue couldn’t help but frown when he saw Xia Liuchuan.
“Uncle Yue, can we abort this operation?” Xia Liuchuan was in a hurry to rush back because he might not be able to convince Xia Dongyue over the phone.
“Why should we abort it?” Xia Dongyue asked Xia Liuchuan.
“Zhou Wen is carrying a strange piece of wood to the Imperial Capital. That piece of wood has a strange background and is very sinister. I’m afraid something will happen if we touch him now,” Xia Liuchuan said.
“A piece of wood?” Xia Dongyue was a little puzzled. Xia Liuchuan had always been fearless, so how could a piece of wood make him so cautious? This was completely different from the Xia Liuchuan that Xia Dongyue knew.
Xia Liuchuan recounted what had happened when the three of them followed Zhou Wen.
“Zhang Chunqiu guessed that the terrifying Mythical creatures we encountered along the way are related to that piece of wood. I think it’s very likely,” Xia Liuchuan said.
“It sounds reasonable, but even so, it doesn’t mean that we can’t touch Zhou Wen. We can choose to carry out the operation near the capital. The dimensional zones there are under our control. We don’t have to worry about any break-out creatures causing trouble,” Xia Dongyue said after some thought.
“Uncle Yue, why take such a risk? The grudge between Zhou Wen and the bureau is known by the entire Federation. It’s highly likely that he came to the capital this time for the bureau. Why should we be used by the bureau?” Xia Liuchuan continued with his persuasion.
Xia Dongyue shook his head and said, “This is Old Master’s idea. You know his temper. No one can change what he has decided.”
When Xia Liuchuan heard the words “Old Master,” his heart sank. He knew that this operation was already a foregone conclusion and could not be changed.
“Liuchuan, you don’t have to worry too much. Although that piece of wood might be a little strange, with our Xia family’s heritage, there’s no need to worry about it. It’s just Zhou Wen. Taking him down isn’t difficult.” Xia Dongyue patted Xia Liuchuan on the shoulder and said, “Since you’re back, stay home and get some rest. I’ll get someone from the East Courtyard to handle this matter.”
“I hope so.” Xia Liuchuan felt that this matter wouldn’t succeed so easily, but there was nothing he could do.
The Old Master of the Xia family was the supreme existence in the Xia family. Even Xia Dongyue, who had become a member of the Senate, didn’t dare disobey his words. No one could change his mind.