Chapter 236: Simply Shameless!

Lin Xuan had intended to refuse, but seeing Zhang Chulan's look of being determined not to stop until his goal was reached, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. This young man's persistence was indeed impressive. After pondering for a moment, he nodded gently: "Very well."

"Great!" Zhang Chulan was ecstatic and immediately waved to his companions, "Everyone, come over!"

"Shameless!" Wang Zhenqiu muttered under his breath, but a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. Having an unfathomable expert like Lin Xuan accompanying them was indeed quite reassuring.

Just then, Zhang Chulan's phone chimed. He took it out to look and saw a message sent by Xu Si, attached with a high-definition map.

"This is..." Zhang Chulan examined it carefully, his eyes widening, "A detailed map of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley? Even the internal structure is marked so clearly! Where did Fourth Brother get this?"

"Looking at this precision," Wang Zhenqiu leaned in to study it, "it should have been surveyed using the latest satellite technology."

With the map as a guide, the group soon arrived deep in the canyon. However, at this moment, two massive figures suddenly leaped down from the rock walls, blocking their path. It was those two terrifying Golden Silk Monkeys.

"Watch out!" Zhang Chulan and the others immediately assumed a fighting stance, though a sense of despair welled up in their hearts. Their previous encounter made them clear on how terrifying the monkeys here were.

Yet the scene that unfolded the next moment left everyone speechless. The moment those two majestic Golden Silk Monkeys saw Lin Xuan, they bowed in unison, performing a standard gesture of submission. The fierce glint in their eyes vanished, replaced by genuine reverence.

"This..." Lu Lin's eyes widened, finding it hard to accept the scene before him, "Could it be that they know Lin Daozhang?"

Zhang Chulan was even more shocked, unable to even speak properly. Weren't those two ferocious monkeys supposed to be arrogant and domineering, showing no mercy to any intruder? Why were they so respectful now? The contrast was simply too great.

Lin Xuan merely waved his hand lightly, and the two Golden Silk Monkeys immediately retreated to the side, clearing a path for the group. The level of their tameness was as if they were born to obey Lin Xuan.

Passing through a deep, secluded passage, the group arrived before a massive stone door. This door was pitch black, covered in intricate Runes. These Runes intertwined to form an extremely complex combination lock.

"These Runes..." Zhang Chulan leaned in to study them closely but couldn't make heads or tails of them, "They seem to be some kind of ancient script, but the arrangement is too peculiar."

Wang Zhenqiu also tried to crack it, but after studying it for a long time, he made no progress: "This isn't an ordinary Rune Array; it seems to contain some kind of special pattern."

Just as everyone was at a loss, Xiao Qing suddenly stepped forward. Her fingers tapped lightly on the Runes, her movements flowing like water, as if she were playing a silent musical score. As she completed her final movement, the stone door emitted a slight vibration and slowly opened.

"This..." Wang Zhenqiu was dumbfounded, "How did you do that?"

Xiao Qing blinked triumphantly: "Benefactor taught me. These Runes are actually a type of ancient musical score; as long as you touch them in the correct rhythm, you can activate the door mechanism."

Zhang Chulan and Wang Zhenqiu expressed that they had learned something new, and the group immediately headed inside the stone door.

Inside the stone door was a spacious stone chamber, yet the scene before them left everyone stunned. There were no imagined treasures or rare items, only some seemingly ordinary objects: an old-fashioned camera covered in dust, a few yellowed journals, some sealed boxes, and some papers that looked like research notes.

"Just this?" Heiguan'er looked incredulous, "Are you kidding? Everyone went through so much trouble just for this junk?"

Zhang Chulan and Wang Zhenqiu were unwilling to give up and searched the stone chamber carefully, trying to find more clues. However, after searching for a long time, they found nothing else besides the items visible on the surface.

"It seems there really is only this much," Zhang Chulan sighed and took out his phone to send photos of the scene to Xu Si, "What exactly is special about these things?"

Xu Si replied quickly: "Interesting. You guys come back first; the mission is considered complete."

"Zhao Dong means the same," not long after, Xu Si sent another message, "He said these things are enough. It seems we guessed the direction correctly."

Zhang Chulan put down his phone, looking thoughtfully at the seemingly ordinary objects. Although he didn't understand what was so special about them, since even Zhao Dong valued them so much, there must be an astonishing secret hidden behind them.

When leaving the stone chamber, Zhang Chulan couldn't help but look back. This place, filled with mystery, might still hide more unknown secrets. But at least for now, their mission was complete.

On the way back, everyone was immersed in their own thoughts. Those seemingly ordinary objects, Wugensheng's collection, the abnormal behavior of the Golden Silk Monkeys—everything seemed to indicate that a greater puzzle was waiting to be unraveled.

"Lin Xuan Zhenren." As they neared the valley entrance, Zhang Chulan finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you know something all along?"

Lin Xuan stopped and turned to look at him: "Knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing. Some truths are better left until you are ready."

This vague answer did not resolve Zhang Chulan's doubts; instead, it made the mystery in his heart even deeper. But he also understood that some things indeed needed to be taken step by step and could not be rushed.

When they walked out of the canyon, the morning sun was just right. The group looked back, and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley remained shrouded in a layer of mysterious mist.

Zhang Chulan stood at the valley entrance, watching the backs of the other Temporary Workers as they left one by one, an indescribable and complex emotion welling up in his heart.

"Lin Xuan Zhenren," Zhang Chulan turned to Lin Xuan, who had been standing to the side, with anticipation on his face, "Why don't we go together? It's on the way anyway."

Lin Xuan shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains: "You should go back to report. I still have some matters to attend to." His tone was calm but carried an unquestionable majesty.

"But..." Zhang Chulan wanted to say something more, but when he met Lin Xuan's eyes, which were as deep as an ancient well, all his words got stuck in his throat. The power contained in that gaze made him involuntarily choose to back down.

"Take care." In the end, he could only utter these two words and turned to board the taxi that had been waiting for a long time.

Through the car window, Zhang Chulan saw Lin Xuan's figure gradually disappear into the morning mist. That figure was like an unsolvable riddle, carrying an indescribable sense of mystery. He suddenly understood that some people were destined to be impossible to see through, just as unfathomable as this Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.