Chapter 3552: Life Gate and Death Gate

After flying for ten hours, Ye Chen hurried back to Jin Ling.

At this time, the He family of Jin Ling and the ninjas sent by the Ito family joined forces, beginning to investigate all clues left when Xiao Churan departed.

Even though they were all seasoned experts, in dealing with such a painstakingly meticulous problem, they still found it difficult to increase their speed.

Moreover, according to Su Ruoli, each clue was like an endless maze; following it, one would find oneself going further and further, more and more confused, more and more chaotic.

Ye Chen knew this matter could not be resolved overnight, but he was also agitated by the feedback received.

Thus, after getting off the plane, he immediately called Lin Wan'er to ask where she was now.

At this time, it was seven o'clock on Friday evening, and Lin Wan'er told him: "I am at Zijin Mountain Villa, Young Master, do you seek me for something?"

Ye Chen said: "I have some matters I wish to consult Miss Lin about; I wonder if Miss Lin is available?"

"Available." Lin Wan'er said in a clear voice: "Young Master, come directly; I have prepared tea and await you."

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief, ordered Hong Wu and Chen Zekai to leave together, and himself drove another vehicle sent by Chen Zekai's subordinates, heading straight for Zijin Mountain Villa.

Upon arriving at Zijin Mountain Villa, the time was already eight o'clock in the evening; the villa was very quiet, and Qiu Ying Shan and his wife, having received Old Zhang's notice, waited together with Old Zhang at the villa gate.

Though several people were already of advanced age, they still treated Lin Wan'er with the obedience and reverence of children toward their mother; moreover, Ye Chen had shown them great kindness, so they dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Upon seeing Ye Chen, Qiu Ying Shan stepped forward and said respectfully: "Mr. Ye, you have come."

Ye Chen smiled and nodded, asking them: "Where is Miss Lin?"

Qiu Ying Shan then said: "Miss is waiting for Mr. Ye's arrival in the mountain-top annex."

Beside him, Old Zhang also bowed and said: "Mr. Ye, Miss has ordered us to guard below and not disturb; this old servant will not accompany you up."

Ye Chen knew their deep-rooted respect for Lin Wan'er, so he nodded and said: "Thank you for your trouble; I will go up first."

Thereafter, Ye Chen stepped onto the stone stairs and arrived outside the annex; at this time, the annex door was ajar, with a gap of nearly twenty centimeters, through which one could see Lin Wan'er seated beneath the Mother of Pu Tea, boiling water and brewing tea; he was about to knock politely, but Lin Wan'er in the courtyard said: "Young Master, come in."

Ye Chen did not linger further, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and entered.

At this time, Lin Wan'er wore a white long dress and draped a white fur shawl; seeing Ye Chen enter, she immediately rose and bowed: "I am busy brewing tea and cannot leave my post; I failed to greet you from afar, please forgive me, Young Master."

Ye Chen smiled and said: "Miss Lin, we are also comrades-in-arms through hardship, friends who have shared life and death; why do you still stand on ceremony with me?"

Lin Wan'er gave a sweet smile and said: "No matter what, propriety must always be observed; my grandmother taught me from childhood that even if one marries into a family, one must still observe propriety toward one's husband, let alone that you are my lifesaver."

Ye Chen helplessly shook his head with a wry smile and sighed: "And you are not my lifesaver either."

Having said that, he no longer stood on ceremony with Lin Wan'er and directly sat down opposite her.

After sitting down, Ye Chen then looked up at the lush tea tree above, marveling: "I did not expect the Mother of Pu Tea to have such tenacious vitality; in such cold weather, it remains lush and verdant."

Lin Wan'er nodded and smiled: "Although the Mother of Pu Tea failed its tribulation back then, it is now a reborn immortal-grade tea; ordinary weather can no longer affect its growth; it only needs to strive and await its next tribulation."

Having said that, she filled the teacup to eighty percent with tea and handed it to Ye Chen, saying: "Young Master, try a sip and see if it differs from before."

Ye Chen picked up the teacup, lightly sipped a mouthful, felt the tea carrying strands of spiritual energy enter his belly, and could not help but sigh: "It seems the spiritual energy is denser than before, but to reach a level greatly beneficial to cultivation, there is still a long way to go."

Lin Wan'er smiled and said: "Young Master, do not rush; in three to five years, the Mother of Pu Tea will grow lush enough to shade this courtyard; at that time, the spiritual energy contained in its leaves will also be richer, and then it can truly help you."

Having said that, she comforted Ye Chen: "For you, three to five years is merely a snap of the fingers; it will pass quickly."

Lin Wan'er's original intention was to say that Ye Chen's lifespan would certainly reach several hundred years; if the secret of the ring were unlocked, perhaps even a thousand years; in the long river of a thousand-year life, three to five years is indeed nothing.

But hearing this, Ye Chen felt something else.

How could three to five years be a snap of the fingers?

If I cannot find Xiao Churan, I fear my days will feel like years; I do not covet the spiritual energy of the Mother of Pu Tea, but if Xiao Churan also must wait three to five years to be found, I truly do not know how I would endure.

Seeing Ye Chen's worried expression, Lin Wan'er, thoughtful and perceptive, immediately sensed something amiss and thus asked with concern: "Young Master, are you troubled by something?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly, sighed lightly, and told Lin Wan'er in full detail about the departure of Xiao Churan and her family from Jin Ling.

After hearing this, Lin Wan'er was first slightly surprised, then understood something, and said: "Tang the steward, who has secretly protected you for many years, can be said to be one of those who know you best; once he begins to guard against you, he will certainly do better than others; thus I think this matter is not promising."

Ye Chen sighed: "I know it is not promising, but I still wish to find Churan as soon as possible; I wonder if Miss Lin could help analyze and offer some pointers? At the very least, help me cast a divination."

Seeing Ye Chen's dejected appearance, Lin Wan'er felt somewhat pained; she took out nine copper coins from her bosom, cleared half the tea table, and carefully scattered the nine copper coins upon it.

Then, she frowned and stared at the nine copper coins, her face full of doubt.

Ye Chen could not help but ask: "Miss Lin, what does the divination show?"

Lin Wan'er frowned and said: "Very strange; it simultaneously shows two utterly different divinations: the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death. Young Master, since you are seeking a person, the Gate of Life represents something easily obtained, while the Gate of Death represents something like seeking a needle in the ocean."

"This..." Ye Chen heard it and felt confused, instinctively asking: "Miss Lin, where would such a divination come from? Is this not completely contradictory?"

Lin Wan'er silently calculated with her fingers, the more she calculated the more astonished she became, and said doubtfully: "The divination indeed shows this; regarding whether we can find Lady Ye, the divination indicates one life and one death, meaning this matter has two possibilities, each fifty-fifty: extremely difficult to find and extremely easy to find; and the factor that determines these two possibilities lies solely in one person."

Ye Chen pressed: "What does that mean?"

Lin Wan'er said: "The Gate of Life and the Gate of Death are both under the control of one person; if this person opens the Gate of Life, your search for Lady Ye will be as easy as turning over your hand; if this person opens the Gate of Death, your search for Lady Ye will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Ye Chen could not help but say: "Then does this not refer to Tang Sihai and the mastermind behind this matter? The whole affair is under their control."

"No." Lin Wan'er explained: "Whether it is Tang the steward or his mastermind, in this divination, both belong to the Gate of Death, for even if they had the ability to let you find Lady Ye, they would absolutely not do so, since they went to such lengths to take Lady Ye from your side; they would never admit their efforts were wasted."

"It is like someone being kidnapped; the kidnapper is his Gate of Death; although the kidnapper also has the ability to spare his life, it is nearly impossible to do so; his Gate of Life must lie either with the police or with some other third party, but impossible with the kidnapper."

Ye Chen nodded and suddenly understood: "This means that the one who truly influences the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death is someone other than me and Tang Sihai and his group."

Lin Wan'er nodded and said: "Exactly so."

Ye Chen hurriedly asked: "Then is it Detective Li? I asked him to help investigate this matter; does the success or failure of the whole affair depend on him? If his investigative direction is correct, or if he finds that crucial opportunity, could he resolve the problem?"

Lin Wan'er hesitated and said: "This... I cannot say for sure."

There is something she did not tell Ye Chen: opening the Gate of Life or the Gate of Death lies in that person's single thought; that is, the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death are both fully under that person's control.

If it were merely letting Li Yalin investigate the case, and if he investigated correctly it would open the Gate of Life, if incorrectly it would enter the Gate of Death, then this would seem different from what the divination shows.

If one insists on relying on Li Yalin, a reasonable explanation is that Li Yalin discovered the Gate of Life but hesitated whether to inform Ye Chen.

In that case, his left hand holds the Gate of Life, his right hand the Gate of Death; life and death are thus in his single thought.

But is it truly so?

Lin Wan'er dared not confirm this in her heart.