Chapter 495: Deep in the Dashan

He felt his trachea ignite with a boom in that instant, and that scorching, spicy sensation instantly filled his abdominal cavity.

He let out a miserable shriek, flopped onto the ground, and clutched his throat as he gasped violently; it felt as if someone had pinched his windpipe, and he was nearly suffocating.

"General Manager Chen, this, what is happening?" Chen Biao was given a huge fright; he had not expected the rat's reaction to be so intense.

"Don't worry, it's a normal reaction," Chen Yu said indifferently. "Clearing the toxins accumulated in his lungs; he will be fine in a while."

A full ten minutes passed before the rat managed to climb up; his face was deathly pale, and he was panting heavily.

His mouth and nose were filled with some black substance; this was what had been cleared from his lungs.

"How do you feel?" Chen Yu asked.

"Much, much better," the rat said, stuttering.

"From now on, you won't have a smoking addiction anymore, but you will still be unable to help thinking about those things; it depends on your own self-control," Chen Yu said.

"Rat, it's not easy to get back on the right path; live your life properly from now on, and hold back when you feel the urge," Chen Biao sighed and said.

"Thank you, General Manager Chen, I will," the rat nodded gratefully.

The two cars continued forward; Hunan Province is mountainous, and the only road to Qingshui Village, where Chen Yu was heading, was a dilapidated, barely passable path.

Fortunately, they had prepared off-road vehicles for the trip, so even on this bumpy mountain road, the cars could continue moving forward normally.

By the time it was nearly noon, they finally arrived at Qingshui Village, a small village with only a few dozen people.

Like most rural areas, the young people here had gone out to make a living, and the village was mostly populated by elderly people.

The village party secretary was already over seventy; hearing Chen Yu mention the name Zhou Cheng'en, the old secretary asked with some confusion, "Zhou Cheng'en? He has been dead for several years; why are you looking for him?"

"I am looking for him to understand some things that happened many years ago; has he already passed away?" Chen Yu asked.

Although he had known Zhou Cheng'en was deceased when he arrived, Chen Yu still could not help but feel some regret; if he could find him, perhaps he could clarify what happened back then.

"Yes, he has passed away. His son runs a company in Ning City, and he hasn't returned for many years either. A funeral was held at home when he passed, and he is buried in their ancestral grave now," the old secretary said.

"Then could you take us to see his grave?" Chen Yu asked.

"That's no problem," the old secretary muttered to himself, "Strange, why have several groups of people been looking for Zhou Cheng'en?"

"Has someone else been here before?" Chen Yu was stunned.

"Yes, there were two women; they even donated a lot of money to the village, saying it was to repair the road for us," the old secretary said.

"What are their names?" Chen Yu was startled; these two women must be He Lingyun and Mu Xi.

"The woman leading them has the surname He; they came this morning and have now headed in the direction of Cangtou Ridge," the old secretary said.

"Thank you, old secretary, we are leaving," Chen Yu stood up.

"You aren't going to see Zhou Cheng'en's grave?" the old secretary stood up.

"No," Chen Yu rose.

"You all head back to Ning City first," Chen Yu said to Chen Biao, "I have some private matters to handle; I will return to Ning City to find you after I am done."

"Very well, Boss," Chen Biao nodded.

Chen Yu drove one of the off-road vehicles, asked about the road toward Cangtou Ridge, and drove off in that direction.

He Lingyun had come out this time to relax; the scenery and local customs deep in the Xiang Region were indeed quite good, but she did not know that hidden beneath this beautiful scenery were dangers.

After traveling over ten kilometers on the mountain road, a river appeared ahead; Chen Yu checked the map, but there was no marking for Cangtou Ridge on it at all.

Just then, an old man herding sheep passed by, and Chen Yu went up to ask, "Old sir, may I ask where Cangtou Ridge is?"

"Cross the river and go west for another ten kilometers or so, and you will be there, but there is no road further ahead from that place," the old man glanced at Chen Yu, "It's getting late, why are you going there?"

"Looking for someone, thank you, sir," Chen Yu smiled.

"Young man, let me give you a piece of advice: don't go to that place at night," the old man shook his head and said.

"Sir, what's wrong with that place?" Chen Yu asked.

"The people in that place don't like dealing with outsiders," the old man said, "And that place is where the Corpse Drivers rest at night; I truly advise you not to go."

Chen Yu felt a shock in his heart, and a sense of foreboding immediately arose; he feared He Lingyun might have accidentally entered that place, and since it was already getting dark, he had to hurry over.

"Thank you, sir, I will be careful," Chen Yu said as he jumped into the car.

In the car, Chen Yu hurriedly dialed He Lingyun's phone, but the signal deep in the Dashan was extremely poor, and he tried several times without getting through.

Concerned for her safety, he floored the gas pedal and rushed in that direction.

He Lingyun was indeed at Cangtou Ridge.

She had come out this time to relax, so she had been sightseeing along the way while incidentally inquiring about news of Zhou Cheng'en.

But Zhou Cheng'en was already dead; however, Zhou Cheng'en's son was in Ning City, so she and Mu Xi discussed it and planned to travel a bit further before heading to Ning City.

But while passing through Cangtou Ridge, she was attracted by the architectural style of the place, so she decided to stay there for the night.

There was a homestay in this place, an inn with ancient-style architecture.

There were no guests inside the inn, nor were there any attendants; only the landlady was there.

This place was similar to a post station; there were few guests, and He Lingyun and Mu Xi were sitting in a pavilion chatting.

"Sister, don't be discouraged, we will find clues; Zhou Cheng'en is gone, but his son is still around," Mu Xi said, "Once we find his son, we will definitely be able to ask clearly about what happened back then."

"Mm, I hope so," He Lingyun nodded.

"The two of you, it is time for dinner," just then, a red shadow flashed, and a woman walked over.

This was the inn's landlady; she was dressed in a bright red ethnic costume, spoke slowly and affectedly, and her eyes always flickered with a strange light, giving people a weird feeling.

"Thank you, we brought our own things," Mu Xi glanced at her, her expression somewhat displeased.

She felt there was something wrong with this place, but it was rare for He Lingyun to like the scenery and style here, which was why she had decided to stay for the night.

However, there were many people from the He Family in Shengjing who hoped for something to happen to He Lingyun, so she was very cautious whenever she was out, and she would not eat anything from the outside if she could avoid it.

"Giggle, is Miss Mu afraid that I might poison the food?" the landlady laughed, "Ms. He, although our place is a wilderness shop, the dishes in the shop are very unique; are you sure you don't want to try them?"

"Not necessary," Mu Xi said coldly, "Leave at once."

"Mu Xi..." He Lingyun stopped Mu Xi, and she smiled slightly, "Thank you, we will come over to dine in a while."

"Very well, Liu Suiyue, I shall await the arrival of you both." The proprietress giggled, turned, and left.