Chapter 132: Shadows of the Cold Manor

The icy stone slab settled back into place with tight seams, completely cutting off the stale yin-cold air from underground.

Zhang Jun brushed off the grass and dirt from his hands, his motion clean and swift.

Lin Xue stood beside him; the night wind stirred her bangs, masking the lingering dazed look on her face.

The courtyard was dead silent; the wind rustling the dry grass made only a "shasha" sound, with nothing else.

The gray-robed old man who had been sweeping seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving not even a shadow.

"Let's go," Zhang Jun said, his voice low.

The two moved as fast as shadows gliding close to the ground; in a few leaps they vaulted over the courtyard wall and melted once more into the hutong's bottomless darkness.

Just as their silhouettes disappeared around the corner, the echo of their footsteps had not yet faded.

A black sedan slid silently to the hutong entrance.

The car door opened; Qin Yueyao stepped out in a dark-blue long gown, her stiletto heels clicking on the ground.

Behind her followed several Qin clan members, each with steady breath and synchronized steps.

Qin Yueyao didn't linger at the hutong entrance; she went straight inside, her goal clear—the unmarked small courtyard within the hutong.

The courtyard gate was ajar; a light push opened it.

Qin Yueyao stood in the overgrown courtyard, her gaze sweeping the surroundings before settling on the patch of earth at the east wall corner that showed clear signs of disturbance.

"Let's go down and see," she said, her voice low and tinged with chill.

Two Qin clan members stepped forward, felt around a moment, and found the mechanism to open the stone slab.

As the entrance opened, a chill wind carrying the smell of earth surged out.

Qin Yueyao did not descend; she stood at the mouth of the hole, sensing the leaking yin-cold.

Soon enough, those who had gone down came back up.

"Miss, inside is a stone chamber; the walls are covered in runes. There are traces of recent entry."

Qin Yueyao unconsciously twisted the corner of her skirt between her fingers.

Zhang Jun, Lin Xue… their movements were faster than she had anticipated.

What secret have they dug up in these old Medicine Sect grounds that even the Qin clan doesn't know?

As she pondered, another faint footstep sounded from the far end of the hutong.

Several black shadows, like ghosts, also slipped into this wasteland.

Leading them was Zhou Qian, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water.

Behind him followed two lackeys, their aura even more yin-cold than before—the two left after the Pan Family Garden lost one of their own.

Zhou Qian immediately spotted the open underground entrance and the group of Qin Yueyao standing beside it.

The air froze in an instant.

Qin Yueyao slowly turned to face Zhou Qian.

The two faced each other across half the courtyard's weeds, neither speaking, but the hostility and killing intent in the air made the night feel several degrees thicker.

Zhou Qian's gaze swept over Qin Yueyao, then shifted to the pitch-black hole, his eyes revealing undisguised greed and malice.

He didn't rush to act; he merely gave his lackeys a covert hand signal behind his back.

The two lackeys instantly dispersed—one blocked the courtyard gate, the other slipped into the rear courtyard's shadows, moving soundlessly, clearly intending to seal off the place.

Qin Yueyao watched Zhou Qian's small maneuver, neither stopping him nor leaving.

She merely lifted her chin slightly; the Qin clan members behind her also spread out, seizing advantageous terrain and forming a standoff with Zhou Qian's people.

After a brief silence, Qin Yueyao spoke first, her voice calm and even: "Mr. Zhou, coming to this deserted manor in the dead of night—are you also here to visit antiquities?"

Zhou Qian forced a smile uglier than a frown, his voice hoarse: "Miss Qin, aren't you the same? This place… hides plenty of good things."

His hand quietly pressed against a bulging object at his waist.

Qin Yueyao said nothing more, gave the hole entrance a deep glance, swept Zhou Qian with a look, then led her Qin clan out of the courtyard.

Their footsteps faded away, disappearing into the depths of the hutong.

Zhou Qian stared at Qin Yueyao's retreating back; his false smile collapsed completely, leaving only a thick, unfathomable gloom.

"Keep watch on them! If anyone else approaches this place, kill on sight!" he snarled at the air, his voice laced with madness, "Especially that Zhang and Lin lass!"

He knew full well that the Qin clan was not to be trifled with, but those two had ruined his plans, inflicted internal injury on him, and even broken a painstakingly refined corpse puppet—he absolutely could not let them go!

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the capital...

Lin Feng gripped his phone, palms sweating, voice trembling: "Mr. Zhou… Mr. Zhou, everything I said is true! My Lin clan does have some scattered records about the Medicine Sect and the medicine cauldron; though incomplete, perhaps… perhaps they could be of help to you…"

On the other end of the line came Zhou Qian's sinister chuckle: "Oh? The Lin clan is willing to bring out their bottom-of-the-box treasures? What are the terms?"

"All I ask is for Mr. Zhou to grant our Lin clan a modicum of protection; thereafter… if we succeed, just give us a share of the spoils!" Lin Feng nearly begged, "The Qin clan and that Zhang Jun are utterly despicable!"

"Fine, fine." Zhou Qian agreed readily, "Sort out what you know, have someone send it over. I'll see your 'sincerity'."

After hanging up, Zhou Qian's face showed nothing but contempt.

"The Lin clan? A rotting dog on a sinking ship—just trash to be used."

Hotel room.

Zhang Jun had just finished probing the surroundings with his inner strength when his brows furrowed.

"There are people watching outside, more than one group."

Lin Xue stood behind the curtains, revealing only a pair of clear, cold eyes.

"The Qin clan, the Zhou clan… possibly others as well."

On the way back, the feeling of being covertly watched never ceased.

Now it's even more obvious—several different auras, laced with malice, are circling outside the hotel.

"It seems that old manor is truly a hornet's nest." Zhang Jun walked to the table, sat down, and tapped his fingers on the surface.

"The runes in the underground stone chamber, the scratches on the table, and that sweeping old man… we have clues, but the trouble has grown as well."

Lin Xue sat down opposite him, the Profound Yin internal force in her body circulating slowly, trying to dispel the agitation in her heart.

"Those runes…… I seem……" she said, her voice catching halfway, her brows knitting tighter, as if trying to grasp something but grasping nothing.

Just then, the door was knocked on, urgently and frantically.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue exchanged a glance, then rose to open the door.

Outside the door stood Hu Lao, the old man's face full of anxiety, his lips trembling; seeing Zhang Jun, he grabbed him like a lifeline.

"Zhang…… Divine Doctor Zhang!" Hu Lao's voice changed tone, "Please, hurry and go see Third Master! He…… he's done for!"

Zhang Jun's heart gave a jolt.

"What's going on?"

"Just…… just a moment ago, the person suddenly went wrong! His whole body turned icy cold, even more terrifying than last time! He was spouting nonsense, and…… black qi was rising from his body!" Hu Lao said, tears welling up, "The people from the Qin family who came to see him could do nothing either, saying…… saying that the evil qi seemed to have changed!"

Liu San Ye's residence was brightly lit, yet it exuded a chill that could seep into the bones and a sense of oppression.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue followed Hu Lao quickly into Liu San Ye's bedroom.

A heavy yin cold qi mixed with a faint foul smell rushed over them, several times stronger than before.