Chapter 197

"The Kunlun Project...", Xu Jianhua raised his index finger and poked heavily at the two characters for "Heavenly Ladder," his voice lowered to a whisper, "To put it plainly, the core is right here."

"Those grandsons from the Tongtian Pavilion went to such great lengths to make such a big move, it's nothing more than having their eyes on that treasure of the Qin family."

The string in Lin Yu's brain snapped with a "buzz," and stars danced before his eyes.

"We must find a way to contact the Qin family." Lin Yu rubbed his temples, muttering to himself.

He looked up, his gaze carrying a hint of expectation as he looked at Xu Jianhua: "Old Xu, you have connections everywhere, can you..."

Xu Jianhua smiled bitterly and shook his head, his expression like someone who had bitten into half a lemon: "The Qin family is not an ordinary household at all. If they aren't willing to show themselves, even the Heavenly King himself couldn't find the door."

Lin Yu's brow knitted into a ball, his fingers subconsciously touching the jade pendant in his pocket, his fingertips rubbing back and forth over the patterns on it.

Suddenly, a "ding" of inspiration flashed in his mind!

Zhang Tianhua's wife, wasn't she a daughter of the Qin family? Perhaps he could find a way to the Qin family through this connection.

This matter couldn't be delayed, so Lin Yu immediately took out his phone and dialed Zhang Tianhua's number.

"Old Zhang, what have you been busy with lately?" Lin Yu deliberately made his voice sound more relaxed.

"So-so, just brought Mu Mu back from rehabilitation."

Lin Yu pondered his choice of words: "I have a matter I'd like to ask for your help with... it involves the Qin family."

There was silence on the other end of the line for several seconds.

"Where are you? Let's talk in person."

Half an hour later, the two met in a private room at a remote teahouse.

Lin Yu didn't beat around the bush and poured out the whole mess about the Tongtian Pavilion, the Shennong Secret Treasury, and the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder in one go.

Zhang Tianhua frowned as he listened, his expression becoming increasingly unpleasant: "This matter... I have to weigh it carefully."

Lin Yu wasn't in a hurry and just waited quietly for the other party to think it through.

"Sigh..." Zhang Tianhua let out a long sigh, as if he had made a difficult decision, "I can help you make the connection to the Qin family, but let me say this first."

"Please speak." Lin Yu nodded.

"The Qin family is not at all the same as those upstarts outside. They have so many rules you could write a book, and their tempers are foul. Whether you can move them, I have no idea." Zhang Tianhua paused, then added, "Furthermore, once you get involved in this, it's the same as completely tearing off the mask with the Tongtian Pavilion. You must weigh this clearly."

Lin Yu grinned: "Old Zhang, do you think I'm the type of coward?"

Zhang Tianhua laughed too, slapping Lin Yu on the shoulder: "I knew you were a bold kid!"

He took out an old-fashioned phone and dialed a number. The phone rang for a long time before it connected, and a voice as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together came through the receiver.

Zhang Tianhua muttered a few things into the phone, using only underworld jargon that outsiders couldn't understand. After hanging up, he let out a long breath: "It's done, the Qin family elder has agreed to meet you."

"Where are we meeting?" Lin Yu asked impatiently.

"Wolong Villa on the outskirts of the city, tomorrow night at eight." Zhang Tianhua paused, "Remember, only the three of you go; too many people will easily cause trouble."

"Understood." Lin Yu nodded, though his heart was pounding.

The Qin family elder chose to meet in such a place, what exactly was their plan?

Night fell, and Lin Yu, Zhang Tianhua, and Xuanyuan Qing drove straight to Wolong Villa. Along the way, the atmosphere in the car was as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Xuanyuan Qing held Lin Yu's arm tightly, her small face deathly pale: "Uncle Lin, this place is creepy, I'm feeling terrified..."

"Don't let your imagination run wild, I'm here." Lin Yu comforted her, though he was feeling uneasy himself.

The car drove into the villa gate, and a cold, damp air rushed toward them. Weeds grew wildly on both sides of the road, and several dilapidated villas loomed in the night, looking exactly like several baring-fanged, claw-wielding ghost shadows.

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in the middle of the road ahead, blocking their path. Zhang Tianhua slammed on the brakes, the screeching friction sound particularly harsh in this deathly silent place.

"Who?!" Zhang Tianhua barked, his hand already reaching for the weapon at his waist.

The black shadow turned around slowly, and by the light of the headlights, Lin Yu saw the other's appearance—an old man wearing a black robe, his face covered in layers of wrinkles.

"Qin family elder?" Lin Yu tried asking.

The old man didn't make a sound, just pulled at the corners of his mouth in a sinister way, then turned and walked toward the depths of the villa.

"Follow!" Lin Yu signaled Zhang Tianhua with a look.

The car started up again, slowly following behind the old man. After turning seven or eight corners, the old man stopped in front of the largest villa.

The three got out of the car and followed the old man into the villa. The hall was so dark one couldn't see one's own fingers.

"Snap!" The old man snapped his fingers, and a dim oil lamp lit up.

By that faint light, Lin Yu examined his surroundings—old furniture, damaged calligraphy and paintings, and yellowed black-and-white photos hanging on the walls.

Those photos were all of blurry figures with hollow eyes, looking hair-raising just to see.

"Sit down and talk." The old man pointed to several grand master chairs nearby.

After the three were seated, the old man spoke slowly: "What do you want to ask about?"

Lin Yu didn't beat around the bush and asked straight to the point: "What exactly is the blood feud between the Qin family and the Tongtian Pavilion?"

A cold glint flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes: "This matter, it's a long story..."

He paused, as if recalling something: "Decades ago, the Qin family and the Tongtian Pavilion were originally one family, jointly guarding a massive secret."

"What secret?" Lin Yu asked hurriedly.

The old man didn't answer directly, but asked instead: "Have you heard the legend of the ancient times when humans and gods lived together?"

Lin Yu nodded: "I've heard a little."

"Legend has it that there is a Heavenly Ladder in the Kunlun Mountains, connecting the mortal world and the Immortal Realm. Mortals could climb the ladder to the Immortal Realm and obtain the art of immortality." The old man said slowly, "The Qin family and the Tongtian Pavilion were the guardians of the Heavenly Ladder."

"Then what happened later?" Xuanyuan Qing couldn't help but interrupt.

"Later, well..." A look of pain flashed in the old man's eyes, "Human greed knows no bounds; the ancestors of the Tongtian Pavilion had crooked thoughts, wanting to swallow the Heavenly Ladder alone and wipe out the Qin family..."

He sighed long: "In order to seize control of the Heavenly Ladder, the Qin family and the Tongtian Pavilion fought a battle, with countless deaths and injuries. In the end, the Qin family lost and could only flee far away, changing their names and surnames."

"After that battle, the Heavenly Ladder closed along with it, and no one could find it again." A hint of loneliness appeared in the old man's eyes, "The secret the Qin family guarded for generations also rotted in their stomachs."

"Then what is the Tongtian Pavilion planning by restarting the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder now?" Lin Yu pressed.

The old man sneered: "What else could they be planning? Isn't it just wanting immortality, wanting to become immortals!"

"But wasn't the Heavenly Ladder closed?" Xuanyuan Qing asked in confusion.

"Closed doesn't mean destroyed." A sharp light flashed in the old man's eyes, "As long as you gather the nine tokens, you can open the Heavenly Ladder again."

Lin Yu's heart stirred, and he blurted out: "The Shennong Secret Treasury?"

The old man nodded: "That's right, the Shennong Secret Treasury is the key to opening the Heavenly Ladder."

He looked Lin Yu up and down: "Since you were able to find this place, you must have already grasped some of the ways. To tell you the truth, the Qin family also has one of the tokens."

"Then why don't you stop the Tongtian Pavilion?" Xuanyuan Qing asked.

The old man smiled bitterly: "The Qin family has long been severely damaged, how would we have the ability to go head-to-head with the Tongtian Pavilion? Furthermore..."

He stopped mid-sentence, as if there were something difficult to speak of.

"Furthermore what?" Lin Yu pressed relentlessly.

The old man was silent for a long time before slowly saying: "Furthermore, there has been a bit of a mishap within the Qin family..."

He raised his head, a hint of sorrow flashing in his cloudy eyes: "The Tongtian Pavilion's ambition is not just to restart the Heavenly Ladder, they also want to..."

The old man didn't finish his sentence when his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wow."

"Elder!" Zhang Tianhua exclaimed, hurriedly stepping forward to support the old man.

"Go quickly..." The old man used his last breath to push Zhang Tianhua away, "The Tongtian Pavilion... has already..."

Before he could finish, the old man's head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last on the spot.