Chapter 886: I Exist for You 22

Xuyuchuan was still forcibly detained.

He tried to find a way out, but no matter which door he opened, he always ended up in the room where the old monk sat.

"Don't waste your effort, young man."

The old monk's voice grew hoarse again; he closed his eyes, fingering his prayer beads, and let Xuyuchuan go in and out of the room.

"If I don't let you go, you'll never be able to leave."

Xuyuchuan's body gradually went numb; he stiffly turned and walked toward the old monk, a helpless rage lacking any conviction.

"What the hell do you want? Say it quick!"

Xuyuchuan snapped coldly, his lowered hand secretly pressing the watch he used to contact the Time Exchange.

"Sit."

The old monk noticed nothing, looked up, and gestured for Xuyuchuan to sit on the empty cushion opposite him.

His expression showed neither joy nor sorrow, revealing a detached indifference and compassion toward life and death.

"You used Yishen, siphoning his fortune value, rising steadily—did you ever think these gains must be repaid?"

"What nonsense are you spouting! Yishen... Yishen has such a strange ability; I merely made him more like an ordinary person!"

Xuyuchuan had long consoled himself this way, and over time he actually came to believe it.

"Self-deception..."

The old monk sighed, "How many like you have thought the same—temporary glory is nothing but illusion."

"What doesn't belong to you will never be yours."

Xuyuchuan had heard enough of this lecture; his brows knotted tighter and tighter, and he had no patience left.

"What does this have to do with you? Who are you exactly? Did Yishen send you to lecture me?"

Faced with his barrage of questions, the old monk's expression unchanged, his voice flat: "Just someone who ought to have died long ago in the river of time."

"Once, I too wanted wealth and honor like you, but ended up with nothing—like trying to fetch water with a bamboo basket."

"These days... it's not about helping that kid; I just want the Time Exchange utterly destroyed."

After finishing his explanation, the old monk slowly opened his eyes; cracks appeared across his wrinkled face, making him look even older.

"I advise you to mind your own business." Xuyuchuan received the vibration signal brought back by Number Two, his heart eased, and he gained the confidence to confront him.

"You think Yishen is some good guy, relying on that strange ability of his to crush anyone who displeases him into utter defeat."

The old monk listened to his words, his fingers spinning the prayer beads faster, his expression tightening, his eyeballs darting toward the door as if waiting for something.

In such tense atmosphere, Xuyuchuan's throat felt suddenly constricted, leaving him unable to utter a word.

Bang!

The room door was pushed open.

"Hahaha! You really came!"

The old monk laughed aloud, the glowing prayer beads coiled and shot toward Xuyuchuan, tightly wrapping around him.

"Ah!"

Xuyuchuan clawed at his throat with both hands, his cheeks bulging from suffocation, his face flushing red.

As the members rushing in with Number Two only tried to grab the old monk, seven or eight of them lunged—but caught nothing.

Number Two stared in shock at the old monk's face, nearly losing his voice: "You're still alive!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Number Two! Long time no see! Let the old geezer wait—I've got all the time in the world to play with you!"

The old monk dodged the members' encirclement, arms spread in laughter, locked eyes with Number Two, and vanished in an instant.

His voice faded into the void, the ruined temple began to tremble, and dissolved completely into nothingness.

In the final instant before his consciousness faded, Xuyuchuan realized the rotted cushion he sat on was nothing but tree roots—the ruined temple had never existed at all.

"It's him..."

Number Two stood frozen, a flash of insight crossing his mind before he realized he'd seized the wrong person.

"Wrong... the person appearing beside Yishen isn't a spacetime defector—it's him!"

"Number Two, who is he?" the newly arrived member asked curiously, having never seen Number Two so flustered before.

"His name is Huacishu, the first partner of the Time Exchange; logically, he should have been dead for centuries."

Number Two grew more shocked the more he spoke.

How can an ordinary human without any life‑value boost live this long!

The "old geezer" Huacishu spoke of is precisely the director who has just returned from an ancient timeline.

"Quick! Quick! Go tell the director—Huacishu nearly ruined our exchange centuries ago; his sudden return surely aims for the same!"

Number Two hauled Xuyuchuan up by the scruff like a dangling salted fish, linked to the exchange's signal track, and vanished into the woods.

Not to save him, but to study whatever was on his neck, hoping to find a weapon against Huacishu.

【Wuhu! Really thanks to the protagonist attacker!】

0731 cheered at the protagonist‑monitoring screen, then hurried to follow the tracking to pinpoint the Time Exchange's location.

【Can you find it?】 Jin Chen asked.

【The Time Exchange has no fixed coordinates; we couldn't locate it before, but now we can! Its current location is…… oh! a rundown warehouse door in the busiest part of town!】

0731 yelled excitedly.

Indeed, it's a great hidden‑in‑plain‑sight spot, and they're not afraid of being found.

【Exact location found… Host, charge! Straight to the lair!】0731 cheered.

Jin Chen opened his eyes, withdrew from the spatial screen, and tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the table.

Huacishu…

That netizen who had an evidence transaction with Shenshen, the old monk they have seen.

It seems there is still an unsolvable contradiction with the Time Exchange, huh, so for now their goals are the same as theirs.

There are still plenty of secrets; better let the bullets fly for a while.

But we still need to go to the Time Exchange's lair.

Having made the decision, Jin Chen immediately got up and ran into the Study, preparing to report briefly to Yishen.

"Dear Shenshen!"

Yishen made an affirmative sound, moved his gaze away from the papers, raised his head with a curved lip, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I've found the Time Exchange's lair already; I'm now preparing to go." Jin Chen explained, his clothes already on as he spoke.

Yishen immediately stood up and almost blurted out without thinking, "I want to go too."

"That place is definitely dangerous; I don't want you to venture into danger alone."

Yishen worried that Jin Chen would encounter danger, and Jin Chen was no less worried about him, huh.

He shook his collar, stepped closer a few steps, cupped Yishen's face and rubbed it.

"But you are their target; if discovered, you'd likely be used again."

"Believe me, I'll be back soon."

Yishen hesitated, pressed his lips tightly, remained silent for a few seconds, but was still persuaded.

"Then be careful; if you can't win, don't be reckless—we can think of other ways."

He reached out, touched Jin Chen's chest, squeezed out a fleeting smile, and said, "I'll wait for you to come back."

"Okay."

Jin Chen kissed his lips.