Chapter 116: Zero Path in the Lost Realm

The night in Xi'an after the rain was bone-chillingly cold, and the atmosphere in the alley was even more stifling and tense than the gathering storm clouds that preceded the downpour.

Wu Guangen shook his head, rubbed the tip of his nose, and gritted his teeth as he barked at Zhang Qinglin, "That’s not something you need to worry about. Just hand over the jade tiger and come with me!"

"Who knows if he’s telling the truth? Only a fool would believe he’s letting bygones be bygones. Besides, how would he even know the jade tiger is with you? Don't waste your breath on him, let's just bolt," Cheng Che whispered, leaning close to Zhang Qinglin’s ear while eyeing the group ahead.

"Mmm. He didn't get bitten to death by those bats; he’s lucky. But it makes no sense that he didn't come looking for revenge immediately after escaping the ancient tomb. Look at those small red welts on his face—they were definitely caused by bats," Zhang Qinglin replied in a hushed tone, his gaze locked on Wu Guangen.

After the two whispered back and forth for a while, Wu Guangen, seeing them remain unmoved and trading words, felt his temper flare.

"Well? My polite invitation isn't enough? Must I have my brothers behind me come forward to invite you personally?"

The five or six thugs behind him took long strides forward, cracking their knuckles. Sensing the situation turning dire, the men prepared to rush them.

Zhang Qinglin shoved Chi Tan aside, then turned and spread his arms to block the path before Cheng Che and the others, shouting at Wu Guangen, "Not interested. I’m not doing this business."

With that, he turned to run. But after only a few steps, more men emerged from the mouth of the alley, cutting off their escape.

Wu Guangen’s men were closing in from behind. Seeing this, Cheng Che leaned toward Wan Qing and said to Zhang Qinglin, "I’ll hold them off. You guys hurry back to the hotel, grab our things, and bring the car around to pick me up."

Wan Qing clenched her fists. "No, it's too dangerous for you alone. I’ll stay behind, you guys go!"

"Both of you, stop! They’re after the jade tiger. Take Chi Tan and get out of here!" Zhang Qinglin pushed Chi Tan toward them and engaged Wu Guangen’s men in a brawl.

Seeing this, Wan Qing swung her fists and charged at the men blocking the alley entrance behind her.

Despite his lean frame, Chi Tan was no slouch in a fight. He wrapped his arms tightly around a man trying to attack Cheng Che and slammed him hard against the nearby wall.

Cheng Che spun around and landed a punch on the man’s head, knocking him out cold. Shaking his throbbing hand, Cheng Che grinned at Chi Tan. "Not bad!"

Chi Tan just gave a silly laugh, shaking out his hands.

Wu Guangen stood in the middle of the alley, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching the fierce fight as if it were a performance.

Although Wan Qing’s arm was injured, it didn't hinder her movements; she floored three men in short order. Cheng Che urged Wan Qing to take Chi Tan and go, deciding to stay and assist Zhang Qinglin. Zhang Qinglin was currently surrounded by four men, locked in a stalemate.

"I told you, you’re missing out on a great deal. Don't you feel like you're losing out? Fine, take them," Wu Guangen said, tossing his finished cigarette aside and stepping to within a few paces of them.

"I said no," Zhang Qinglin replied, scanning the men before lunging forward.

"Fine. Take them down and get the jade tiger."

Once Cheng Che saw Wan Qing and the others running far away, he stepped over the men groaning on the ground and rushed to help Zhang Qinglin. Cheng Che grabbed one of the four, pinned his wrist to the ground, and was about to land a few kicks when he was blindsided by another man. Instead of delivering a beating, he ended up on the receiving end of several kicks himself.

Zhang Qinglin glanced down and spotted a long wooden club. He snatched it up—having a weapon was better than fighting barehanded—and swung it at the two men behind him.

Seeing Cheng Che curled up on the ground, being kicked and beaten, Zhang Qinglin swiped the club at the attackers. He pulled Cheng Che up and asked if he was okay. Cheng Che wiped his bleeding nose and shook his head.

"You want the jade tiger? Here, take it!" Zhang Qinglin held the club across his chest and hurled the object he had been clutching in his hand.

They watched as the object flew over the heads of the men toward the wall, followed by a sharp "clatter."

The men all turned their heads toward the wall. As Wu Guangen shouted at them to retrieve the jade tiger, Zhang Qinglin threw down the club, and he and Cheng Che bolted.

"You just threw the jade tiger to them! That’s a treasure—won't it get damaged like that?" Cheng Che asked, glancing back at the alley entrance now far behind them.

"Don't look back, just run! Otherwise, we’re going to get beaten, and it’ll be a nasty one," Zhang Qinglin said, wiping the corner of his mouth.

Cheng Che chuckled. "Hah! The 'brilliant' Master Wu is probably going to have a heart attack!"

"Let’s just get out of here first. Damn, they’re catching up! Move!" Zhang Qinglin shouted, catching the sound of footsteps and yells behind them as he glanced back.

They sprinted desperately toward the main road—the same one they had driven in from during the day. Exhausted and gasping for air, the two leaned against each other on the side of the road, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, a car sped toward them from the right, its headlights flickering as it pulled to the curb. Cheng Che waved his arms, recognizing his Jaguar.

Seeing Wu Guangen’s men closing in, Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che dove into the car, and Wan Qing slammed on the gas, roaring away.

"Chi Tan, show them this," Wan Qing said with a heavy expression, glancing at the rearview mirror.

After catching his breath, Zhang Qinglin took the letter, exchanged a look with Cheng Che, and pulled the parchment from the envelope.

As Zhang Qinglin opened it, two striking lines of text appeared: *If you want to know the whereabouts of Wu Mingshi, go to the West Gate Forest Farm in Lintong District.*

"Wan Qing, where did this letter come from?" Cheng Che asked, shocked.

"Found it in the gap of your room door. There was nothing else on the envelope but those words," Wan Qing replied, her eyes fixed on the road, watching a car approaching in the rearview mirror as she shifted gears with a calm demeanor.

It seemed this person knew their every move and likely knew exactly what they were doing.

Cheng Che held the parchment and voiced his own thoughts. "We don't know if the information in here is true or false. And the fact that it mentions Lintong District, which is right here in Xi'an, is too much of a coincidence. Wan Qing, didn't you already have some leads on Wu Mingshi? Call Xiao Fei and confirm."

Cheng Che pulled out a map of Xi'an he had fished from under his seat and pointed to the circle he had drawn around the Lintong District.

The dim light of the streetlamps flickered across the car body. Zhang Qinglin nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is too coincidental. But I have a feeling that whoever is behind this likely has already tracked Wu Mingshi’s trail."

"What makes you say that?" Cheng Che’s gaze sharpened as he set down the map and looked at Zhang Qinglin.

"Everything we’ve encountered on this trip to Qinghai feels like a scripted play. Why did the obsidian Qilin end up in my hands? Why did we all get poisoned the moment we arrived at Xia Temple? And why did the car break down so conveniently on the way to the hospital? The hospital fire wasn't an accident either—why did the people hunting me know I was there? Then the car crash, finding the jade tiger, and just when Old Fan was about to spill the truth about Master Ma, he gets poisoned and falls into a coma. And now, how did Wu Guangen know I had the jade tiger? I couldn't figure it out until this letter appeared. All of this is just too convenient," Zhang Qinglin said, rubbing his forehead.

Wan Qing had pondered these questions as well, but for now, their priority was shaking off Wu Guangen.

"Sister Wan Qing, they're catching up!" Chi Tan, curled up in the passenger seat, sat bolt upright in alarm as he saw a black car speeding like the wind in the rearview mirror, closing in on their Jaguar.

Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che looked back. The wide national highway was empty save for the Jaguar and the black car, both racing like they were on a track, neck and neck.

Wan Qing’s arm was injured, and the recent brawl had reopened the wound. Sweat beaded on her temples as she furrowed her brows, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Cheng Che noticed her condition. "Wan Qing, let me drive."

After Wan Qing stabilized the car, the two quickly swapped seats. Cheng Che took the wheel, his eyes locked on the rear left of the Jaguar.

The black car was right on their tail. Cheng Che shifted gears and floored the accelerator. A flash of cold,霸气 (imposing) light crossed his eyes. He leaned his chin forward, tilted his head, and said to the three in the car, "Hold on tight. I’m going to show them a thing or two!"

In Cheng Che’s hands, the Jaguar became a perfect leopard, weaving and blocking Wu Guangen’s car, forcing them to trail behind in defeat.

But Wu Guangen was a tough opponent; he rammed the Jaguar’s rear bumper time and again, infuriating Cheng Che. Checking the fuel gauge, Cheng Che decided he was done playing. He slammed on the gas and sped away.

They drove along the highway for a long time, until the headlights of Wu Guangen’s car were nothing more than a faint point of light, before Cheng Che finally slowed down.

As the car leveled out, Zhang Qinglin sat up straight and looked out the window. The sides of the road were silent and pitch black; not a single light from a house could be seen.

The streetlights along the national highway suddenly flickered and died. Fortunately, the Jaguar’s headlights remained intact, brightly illuminating the road ahead. After driving a bit further, they reached a fork. Cheng Che stared at the junction, blinked, and asked, "Which way now?"

"Which highway are we even on? We should be heading toward Beijing," Wan Qing said, rolling down the window to look for road signs, but the area around the junction was completely void of them.

Zhang Qinglin used a flashlight to check the map for their general direction and location. "We turned off the main street onto the highway, then exited the highway and made three turns, and then..."

Zhang Qinglin traced the path on the map with his finger. They had left the highway and never returned to their original route. According to the map, they were far off course, and it was impossible to determine their exact location.

"We aren't on the highway anymore. Wan Qing, do you see any landmarks?" Zhang Qinglin asked.

"Nothing. Looks like it’s about to rain. Just keep going for now," Wan Qing replied, shaking her head. She watched as lightning and thunder rolled toward them from the distance. A gust of wind blew in, and she quickly rolled up the window.

"Alright, I’ll keep driving."

Zhang Qinglin put away the map and stared ahead. A gust of wind howled past, whipping up dead grass and leaves, and then huge raindrops began to splatter against the windshield with a rhythmic *tap-tap-tap*. Thunderstorms in this region usually came and went quickly.

The wipers swung frantically, but the rain was so heavy that the road became completely blurred. They had no choice but to push forward slowly through the gale and downpour.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the entire heavens. For a brief moment, the swirling black clouds formed the shape of a colossal eye.

The lightning plunged from the sky, striking the ground just a hundred meters in front of the Jaguar. A deafening crack of thunder followed as the bolt arced forward for a few meters before vanishing.

Cheng Che slammed on the brakes, and the other three stared in terror.

The car remained motionless for half an hour. Gradually, the rain stopped. They had only heard stories of lightning striking so close, but they had never witnessed it themselves. They hadn't realized it could be so truly terrifying.