Chapter 295: Hidden Hazard

"Hmm, you take care too."

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then sent a brief message over.

After that, his phone fell silent, and no further messages arrived.

Jiang Cheng inhaled deeply, secretly feeling relieved.

He hadn't expected the Dawn Society to act so quickly.

If, after returning, he hadn't gone to the Black Market but stayed home, what would have happened? He didn't dare to think about it.

Putting down his phone and walking to the window, he saw that he was in a villa divided into three floors, three households, and he occupied the third floor, roughly two to three hundred square meters in area; the living conditions were certainly far better than before.

After leaving the place provided by the Dawn Society, he followed Black Market people in a circuitous route, changing cars twice, before winding up in the luxurious residential complex called Dinghu.

Here it is mostly villas; the distinction is between single-family homes and a few duplexes occupying an entire floor, the latter being more common. In addition, there are supporting amenities such as supermarkets, parks, clinics, etc., so even without leaving the complex, daily life poses no problem.

Before departing, the Black Market people told him to rest well; someone would come looking for him early tomorrow to sign a contract, then take him to a laboratory to teach him how to do Refining Alchemy.

After comforting his family for a while, Jiang Cheng finally returned to his bedroom, his mood still unsettled.

Outside the window, armed guards with loaded rifles patrolled from time to time; reportedly they were led by Force Warriors, making the security several times higher than that of those upscale neighborhoods.

Nevertheless, Jiang Cheng did not feel at ease.

There were two main concerns.

First, this defensive force could easily stop ordinary people and low-level Force Warriors, but dealing with Senior Original Force Warriors was difficult.

If the Dawn Society learned he was hiding here, slipping in wouldn't be hard; even if they eventually discovered him, the time before discovery would already be enough for them to accomplish many things.

Fortunately, so far his whereabouts hadn't been exposed, but if he or his family went out, there was a chance they'd be discovered.

Compared with the first point, the second was more urgent.

It was his identity.

For those who attended the Auction, regardless of background, the Black Market wouldn't inquire, but what about those who joined them?

Jiang Cheng was certain.

If they let him stay here, after he left they would investigate his background, just as a little over an hour ago he contacted them to ask where to meet, and they immediately asked where he lived.

The intention was obvious.

Thus, two options now lay before him.

The first: conceal.

It was the best.

But also the hardest, even impossible.

Because achieving this required lying.

And what place is this? The Black Market's headquarters, where the number of Spiritual Thought Masters would certainly be large.

Just like that man he met at the Auction, who could sense through Spiritual Power whether someone was lying; here, there are probably many who cannot reach that level. Compared with last time, his Spiritual Power had improved, but whether he could still bluff remains uncertain.

Even if we take a generous view and assume the other side can't detect his lies, can he answer a barrage of question after question flawlessly without a slip? The second option: lay his cards on the table.

It has pros and cons.

On the plus side, he wouldn't have to strain to find excuses; instead, he would appear sincere and full of goodwill.

Moreover, after appropriately revealing his own strength, he would attract Black Market attention and be regarded as a prodigy.

The downside.

If his strength hasn't developed, it would hand a leverage to the other side; should he become disobedient, they could instantly report him to the Dawn Society, even give him a green light for the Dawn Society's assassins to come after him—his situation would be obvious.

Thinking this, Jiang Cheng knit his brows.

So, concealment was still the best.

The question was, could he truly keep it hidden?

The next day.

Morning. The family gathered around the table for breakfast.

Although nothing was lacking here, the atmosphere at the table was unbearably dull.

Jiang Cheng instead wore a smile, because the more this moment arrived, the more, as the family's pillar, he could not show anxiety.

His reassurance improved the mood somewhat, but the Old Man and Chen Sao's eyes were still full of worry.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Jiang Cheng's expression shifted slightly, he smiled at his family and walked toward the door.

Honestly, his mood was a bit tense now.

But what must come will come.

He opened the door and a slightly plump middle-aged man appeared, his face bearing a friendly smile that gave a gentle, approachable impression; moreover, he was carrying gifts in his hands.

Chen Sao and the other two stood up from their chairs.

"Sorry, sorry, for the disturbance."

The middle-aged man looked very apologetic.

"It's fine, please come in."

Jiang Cheng smiled and said.

Don't be fooled by the man's cheerful grin; Jiang Cheng had an intuition that this fellow was harder to handle than Bing Li.

Bing Li belonged to the type whose smile is obviously false, so people naturally stay wary.

But this man was different; his smile seemed genuinely able to affect others, making them feel he was kind and thus lower their guard.

The middle-aged man walked in smiling, handed two gift boxes—one to the Old Man and one to Chen Sao—explaining one was to replenish qi and blood, the other for beauty and skin care; then he pulled a phone box from his pocket, gave it to Lin Yue, saying it was the latest smartphone and hoped Lin Yue would like it.

The three were at a loss, simultaneously declining while looking at Jiang Cheng with pleading eyes.

The middle-aged man also looked over with a smiling gaze.

Jiang Cheng inhales deeply and says, "Since this is older brother's wish, you may take it."

The three of them glance at each other, and only then dare to accept.

"Heh heh heh, little brother, shall we go out and chat?"

Jiang Cheng nods, gives his family a reassuring look, then follows the middle‑aged man outside.

The two go down the stairs, walk slowly along the path, and then the middle‑aged man's voice sounds, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Yang Chun, one of the people in charge here, and you?"

He turns his head, smiling broadly.

Jiang Cheng, however, feels an invisible pressure.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Cheng still says his name.

"Jiang Cheng."

Yang Chun's two eyes smile, narrowing into a slit.

"You were previously a member of the Dawn Society?"

Jiang Cheng nods; evidently, what happened in the Outer City District is hard to escape the Black Market's eyes.

It's just unknown how the Black Market's intelligence network in the Poor District is.

"You're quite honest."

Yang Chun nods, "I thought you'd fabricate some lies to deceive me; many people did that before, of course, in the end they couldn't hide it from me, heh."

He smiles.

"Last night many were looking for you, especially at your residence; it seems the Dawn Society definitely issued a mission to hunt you down. Can you tell me why you left the Dawn Society?"

(End of chapter)