Zhu Shan’s attention shifted to the scroll in her hands.

"What is that, Little Ling?" he asked.

Ye Chen’s heart skipped slightly.

She had been holding onto it without realising.

Zhu Shan’s gaze was focused and scrutinising.

She couldn’t refuse.

Suppressing her hesitation, she handed it over.

"I found it in the coffin," she said, keeping her tone steady. "I don’t know what’s written on it."

Zhu Shan took it without waiting.

"An unknown script?" he said, opening it.

His eyes moved across the contents.

Then he nodded slowly.

"Indeed. Even I cannot understand it."

His interest didn’t decrease. If anything, it grew.

"This is not ordinary," he said. "I have a friend who specialises in ancient texts. I will have him examine it."

He rolled the scroll back up calmly.

"Leave this with me."

Ye Chen lowered her gaze slightly.

"Then I’ll leave it to Uncle Zhu."

Her voice sounded obedient. Even respectful.

Zhu Shan’s expression eased slightly.

That form of address pleased him more than he expected.

But his attention remained on the scroll.

He held it firmly, satisfied with the haul.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen’s expression remained calm on the surface.

Inside, she was grinding her teeth.

’Old bastard...’

’Do you think I can’t see it?’

The moment Zhu Shan heard about the treasure, his attitude toward the scroll had changed.

Those few extra glances and that slight shift in tone.

None of it escaped her notice.

’What a Hypocrite...’

But she said nothing.

Because she couldn’t.

Right now, she had no strength, no leverage, and no position to argue.

The scroll was already out of her hands.

Trying to take it back would only expose her.

And possibly get herself killed.

Zhu Shan, on the other hand, had already made his decision to return. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He glanced once more around the chamber. There was no sign of Ye Chen.

No hidden mechanism they could find that might have been an exit.

Since Ye Chen had already escaped, lingering here wasn’t worth it.

He exhaled lightly.

’This tomb is so strange.’

There could be multiple exits.

Chasing blindly would only waste time.

More importantly, he had already been away from the sect for too long.

His priority was to get back to the sect and invite Elder Song to dinner before the python’s meat is spoiled.

Zhu Shan turned around.

"Let’s go," he said.

The group began to move.

Behind them, the chamber returned to silence.

And Ye Chen, their target, walked along with them quietly.

---

Some time later, they left the tomb behind and stepped out of the valley.

The air outside felt fresher, but the tension didn’t ease. The gunmen quickly spread the drones to search for Ye Chen in the valley. Though they didn’t have much hope. Lu Shixun was carried carefully, though his condition still looked critical.

Zhu Shan walked at the front, his expression calm as usual.

Then his phone rang.

He picked it up without hesitation.

"Hello, Sect Leader?"

His tone changed slightly, becoming more respectful.

"What? ...Red Cloak bastards?"

His brows furrowed.

"I see... No, I’m done here. I’ll return immediately."

He ended the call shortly after, his expression turning more serious than before.

Behind him, Ye Chen’s eyes sharpened.

’Sect Leader...’

That single term was enough to confirm something important.

This old man wasn’t alone. He belonged to an organisation.

And not just any organisation.

If someone like Zhu Shan was only a part of it, then there must also be other superpowered people like him.

Maybe even stronger than him. After all, there’s also a sect leader to whom even Zhu Shan was so respectful.

Ye Chen’s thoughts began to move faster.

’If that’s the case...’

A possibility formed in her mind.

’Then they might have a way to deal with my current condition.’

Her fingers tightened slightly.

If she could find a solution without resorting to surgery, that would be far better.

She raised her head and spoke.

"Uncle Zhu... do you have superpowers? How are you so strong?"

Her tone softened slightly, carrying a hint of curiosity and admiration.

She didn’t like speaking like this.

But she knew it worked well on this lecherous old man.

See...

Zhu Shan laughed.

"Superpowers? Bwahaha!"

He shook his head slightly, though he didn’t hide anything.

"In a way, you could say that. But in proper terms, I am a cultivator."

"Cultivator?" Ye Chen’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Like the ones in novels? Flying on swords and living forever?"

Zhu Shan coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed by the excitement in her expression.

"I am far from that level," he said. "Only the sect ancestor can do things like flying on swords. As for immortality... that’s just a legend."

Ye Chen nodded slowly.

But her thoughts were already clear.

Even if Zhu Shan considered himself "not strong," his power was still far beyond anything ordinary.

He could kill people effortlessly.

Break stone with his bare hands.

That alone was enough to entice her.

’If I had that kind of power...’

Her eyes darkened slightly. She wouldn’t have ended up like this. Nor would she have been chased and forced into this situation.

The desire to grow stronger emerged in her heart.

’I want that power.’

At this moment, her longing for strength rose sharply. It even began to rival her desire to fix her current condition.

She hesitated briefly, then spoke again.

"Uncle Zhu... is it possible for me to become a cultivator too?"

Zhu Shan paused.

He turned and looked at her carefully.

His gaze lingered for a moment, as if measuring something.

"You want to cultivate?" he asked. "Why?"

Ye Chen clenched her teeth slightly.

"For power," she said directly. "If I had strength, I wouldn’t be threatened... and I wouldn’t be in this situation."

Her thoughts were much simpler.

’If I had strength, I would have killed you already.’

Zhu Shan didn’t know that.

In his eyes, her answer only confirmed something else.

’That evil brat...’

His expression darkened slightly.