"Mountain?"
Lu Fei raised his eyebrows.
"Which specific mountain? If there are few people on the mountain, there is indeed a possibility of encountering something dirty."
"It seemed to be called Wangyun Mountain! It's a scenic area." Zhikang's father tried hard to recall, "Their university organized an activity for public welfare, picking up trash in the scenic area."
"Zhikang went along and even stayed overnight in the mountains, saying it was camping with his classmates."
Zhikang's mother's eyes widened, as if she remembered too.
"Yes! That was the time, when he came back the next day with a not so good complexion, said he was tired, didn't eat and just lay down to sleep, then woke up saying he was thirsty, and drank three bottles of water in a row."
"I thought he was just exhausted from going to the mountains... If I had been more alert then, and taken him for a check-up earlier..."
"It's all my fault..."
Her lips trembling, Zhihao's mother had red-rimmed eyes, full of regret, her body swaying unsteadily.
"Sister-in-law, how can you blame yourself for this!" Aunt Dong, the soothsayer, quickly took her cold hand and supported her to sit in the living room.
"Zhihao must have encountered something unclean. If anyone is to blame, it should be those harmful unclean things!"
"Don't think too much about it. What we need to do now is deal with these unclean things, avenge Zhihao, and let him rest in peace, so he can move on to his next life with a clear heart."
"Zhihao... really can't come back to life, can he?" Zhihao's mother looked intently at Aunt Dong, her tears on the verge of spilling over.
Unable to bear to see her like this, Aunt Dong lowered her head and thought for a moment before comforting her again: "Sister-in-law, you have to face reality. Zhihao was a good boy, and he certainly wouldn't want to see you sad. Here's what I'll do: once Manager Lu gets to the bottom of this, I will help you call Zhihao up, so you two can talk."
"R-really, we can still talk to him?"
"Do you forget what I do? I may not have many other skills, but you can trust me completely on this, I promise you!"
Aunt Dong patted her chest emphatically.
"Okay, okay..."
Zhihao's mother held tightly onto Granny Dong's hand, unable to hold back her tears.
Zhihao's father was also wiping away his tears beside them.
Huzi felt a lump in his throat.
The malevolent entity was truly too terrifying for ordinary people. If he hadn't been lucky enough to find the Sinisterium Pawnshop on the antique street, he probably wouldn't have made it either.
He couldn't even imagine what his parents would do if he were gone?
Granny Dong comforted the elderly couple.
Lu Fei had already found Wangyun Mountain online.
The scenic area was quite ordinary.
However——
Lu Fei looked at the map, his eyes narrowing.
Wangyun Mountain and the back of Lingyun Temple are very close to each other!
"This is definitely not a coincidence!"
The Grandmaster that harmed this child must be related to the Grandmaster of Lingyun Temple!
I wonder if any other students have been affected?
"Uncle, quickly ask Zhihao's classmates where they went camping and if any other students have fallen ill with the same symptoms as Zhihao."
"I'll ask right away!"
Zhihao's father was taken aback, realizing the seriousness of the situation. He hurriedly wiped his eyes and walked over to make a call.
He made several calls and finally got the information, his expression turning complicated.
"They are all fine... They sent me some material, which includes the route for their trash collection and a camping plan, something called a strategy, but I can't understand it."
"Manager Lu, you're a young man, take a quick look."
Lu Fei sent the document to his phone and opened it for a look.
The trash collecting route was within the scenic area; he quickly skimmed through it, focusing on the camping sites.
"A hidden gem for watching the sunrise, a less crowded...Spirit Cloud Peak! Spirit Cloud Peak is the mountain behind Spirit Cloud Temple."
However, the terafu (a type of valuable fungus) is so precious, with a single piece worth six figures, how could Spirit Cloud Temple let the terafu be left elsewhere?
There must be something fishy about this!
Lu Fei thought for a moment and decided to make a trip to Spirit Cloud Peak.
"Manager Lu, it won't be dangerous for you to go up that mountain, will it?" Mr. Zhihao was somewhat worried.
"Don't worry, Uncle, this is what I do. If nothing else, I can take care of myself," Lu Fei smiled. "Don't think too much about it. I'll try my best to get to the bottom of things and let the child rest in peace sooner."
Mr. Zhihao hurriedly tried to give Lu Fei a red envelope, but Lu Fei politely declined, which moved the couple to tears again.
After stepping out of their house, Lu Fei decided to take action right away.
The longer they delayed, the more the elderly couple would suffer. Besides, the Lingyin Society's welcoming ceremony was in two days, and he wanted to get this business done before then.
As soon as the car door opened, the little black dog jumped out and started circling around Lu Fei.
When visiting a customer's home, it was inconvenient for Lu Fei to always bring the dog with him, so sometimes he left it in the car, making sure the windows were open so it wouldn't suffocate.
"With my old arms and legs, I won't be a bother to you." The Fortune Teller Dong did not get in the car, and she now had even more respect for Lu Fei.
"This thing is too sinister; Manager Lu, you must be very careful!"
"Don't worry."
Bidding farewell to the fortune teller, Lu Fei and Hu Zi took the Tai Sui from the rice jar and set off for Lingyun Peak.
The route planned in the guide was very detailed. Following the instructions, Hu Zi drove and parked the car, and the two of them entered the mountain.
Compared to Dàyīn Mountain, a mountain next to the city like this was child's play.
The two of them didn't have much trouble finding the spot to watch the sunrise as mentioned in the guide.
It was a small gap on the mountain peak, with relatively fewer trees and flatter terrain, offering a good view of the surrounding peaks and sea of clouds.
"Boss, look over here."
Hu Zi pointed to a spot nearby where there were traces of a campsite and a fire that had been lit.
"Ta Sui needs to be soaked in water, but there is no water here." Lu Fei looked around, feeling very puzzled, "Hu Zi, look around and see if you can find any clues."
"Yes."
Hu Zi was very enthusiastic; he also wanted to quickly put the poor child's soul to rest.
They say that good people are rewarded for their kindness, but that child came into the mountains to do a good deed and lost his life instead. It really seems unfair by the heavens.
The two of them, along with the small black dog, started moving around on the mountain peak.
The small black dog ran around, sniffing everywhere, and suddenly stopped at a place, barking straight at Lu Fei.
"What did you find?"
Lu Fei hurried over; at times like this, the little black dog was much more useful than Hu Zi.
The little black dog used its two small paws to dig at the soil.
"Is there something underneath?"
Lu Fei immediately called Hu Zi over, and the two of them broke off some branches and started digging where the little black dog had been pawing.
The soil here was very loose, and no wild grass grew, with just a thick layer of fallen leaves on the surface.
After a while of digging, the soil below became wet and began to emit a strong, foul smell.
"Hu Zi, stop!"
Lu Fei carefully pushed aside some of the soil and found a mass of rotted, slimy substance underneath, resembling brain matter or bone marrow, which was extremely disgusting.
"What the heck is this? The smell is unbearable!"
Huzi fanned his nose with his hand.
The small black dog, overcome by the smell, hid behind Lu Fei.
Lu Fei cautiously observed for a while, confirming that the mass was indeed dead before tentatively using a branch to poke and move it.
"Hmm? There's something."
When the branch touched something hard, Lu Fei clamped it out, and his expression immediately changed.