Chapter 19: Anyone Can Do It

The two spent the day searching for a place to buy new clothes to replace their own, but having wasted too much time on a tire pump, they found that most shops in the county seat had already closed early. They were left with no choice but to face one closed door after another.

Although Cheng Xiangru insisted he had brought a change of clothes, Leng Ying was adamant about purchasing new sets, so they continued their search.

Fortune finally favored their persistence, and they located a clothing store. Unfortunately, it was an unlucky find: the shop sold burial shrouds, all of which featured gaudy, bright floral patterns in vibrant reds and greens.

Leng Ying, however, was not picky. She chose a bright red shroud for herself and insisted with a firm attitude that Cheng Xiangru pick out a deep blue one. In the end, they even tried them on right there in the shop. The store owner watched, stunned, briefly wondering if he had mistakenly stocked couple’s outfits instead of funeral attire.

After buying the clothes, they found a small nearby eatery and ordered a bowl of noodles each. They drank every drop of the broth, worked up a sweat, and felt incredibly satisfied. By then, the sky had turned completely black, and there was almost no one left on the roads.

Leng Ying drove the car out of the county seat to the empty, desolate wilderness and began teaching Cheng Xiangru how to drive.

"Look down here. Your left foot controls the clutch, and your right foot handles the brake and the gas. When starting, press the clutch, shift into first gear, put your right foot on the gas without pressing down, then release the handbrake, press the gas, and lift the clutch..."

Leng Ying explained the entire process from starting to braking while gesturing, then turned to look at Cheng Xiangru. "Well? Simple, right?"

Cheng Xiangru scratched his face. "You said a whole lot, but I didn't understand a word."

Leng Ying covered her face with her hand, speechless.

"Forget it, I'll drive," she conceded.

However, Cheng Xiangru insisted, "How about I try? You can teach me from the side."

Leng Ying hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fine."

They swapped seats. Leng Ying patiently taught him the vehicle's various controls and explained the steps over and over. Cheng Xiangru worked until he was drenched in sweat, stalling the engine several times before finally managing to get the car moving, albeit at a snail's pace.

"You can try to go a bit faster," Leng Ying said, looking at the snowy scenery slowly receding past the window, feeling a bit restless.

Cheng Xiangru didn't have time to wipe his sweat; he gripped the steering wheel tightly, his body stiff. "Let me adjust a bit more, don't rush me!"

"Fine, take your time," Leng Ying said, shaking her head helplessly. She crossed her arms and leaned against the window, not bothering to look at him again.

Time passed, and eventually, Leng Ying fell asleep. Without her guidance, Cheng Xiangru actually began to relax. The car's speed increased, its path straightened, and the movement became smooth.

So, it really was just a matter of using one’s hands!

Driving for the first time, Cheng Xiangru was filled with energy. Guided by his phone, he cut through the ink-black night, driving toward the spot where he had parted ways with Boss Zhou and the others.

Around 11:00 PM, the navigation showed they were only two kilometers from their destination.

Leng Ying slowly opened her eyes and woke up. She glanced at the GPS, then sat bolt upright. "Stop the car, now!"

Startled, Cheng Xiangru slammed on the brakes. With a series of loud noises, the car decelerated rapidly and stalled, throwing them both hard against their seats.

"We aren't there yet!" Cheng Xiangru said, annoyed.

Leng Ying opened the door and jumped out. "Turn off the lights, shift to neutral, pull the handbrake, and change your clothes. We're walking the rest of the way."

"Change clothes?" Cheng Xiangru looked at her in astonishment, only to see she had already pulled the red shroud over her black down jacket. She took a small bottle of transparent liquid from her travel bag and began spraying it meticulously over herself and her bag.

Seeing Cheng Xiangru motionless, she frowned and urged, "What are you thinking? Hurry up!"

"Oh, right." Confused, Cheng Xiangru got out and followed her lead, pulling on the blue shroud and letting her spray him with the liquid.

He was about to ask what she was doing, but when he caught the scent of the liquid, he froze. It looked like perfume, but the smell was incredibly strange—intensely fragrant, yet laced with an indescribable stench. It was identical to the smell of the rags that had wrapped the jade ring key inside the Luoshu Box.

"What is this?" Cheng Xiangru asked, his breathing shallow and anxious.

Leng Ying leaned in to sniff him, satisfied that the nauseating stench had been covered. She nodded and tucked the bottle away. "This is 'Immortal Water,' an ancient formula for preservation and sterilization. Ancients sprayed it on corpses to keep them from decaying for a long time. It’s great for masking scents and repelling insects, beasts, and evil spirits. You’re lucky to have some!"

Immortal Water? Corpse preservation?

Could it be that the rags used to wrap the jade ring key were actually burial shrouds?

At that thought, Cheng Xiangru began to dry-heave uncontrollably. He decided that once he returned to Rongcheng, he would burn or throw away those rags.

Leng Ying told him to wait while she drove the beat-up van to a more secluded spot. When she returned, she gave him a black mask identical to her own.

"What are you planning?" Cheng Xiangru asked urgently.

Leng Ying smiled. "You've lived this long and never been inside an ancient tomb, right? I'm taking you to broaden your horizons and, incidentally, show you the true face of Goat-Beard."

"I..."

Leng Ying didn't give him a chance to refuse. "Enough, stop pretending. You agreed to buy the shroud, so you knew what I was taking you to do. By not refusing then, you already made your stance clear. Besides, look at it this way: maybe you'll see that Goat-Beard is exactly as he claims—truly here to help you find your father. Then you can follow him even more loyally, right?"

Cheng Xiangru couldn't argue, but he felt that by doing this, he was failing Boss Zhou’s trust—it was practically a betrayal. His heart was in turmoil.

Despite his hesitation, he followed her, picking up his pace. Perhaps, deep down, he still wanted to know if Boss Zhou had been lying to him.

The night wilderness wasn't as dark as he had imagined; the moonlight was bright, reflecting off the thick snow with a silvery glow that was enough to dimly light the path ahead.

After walking some distance, they found Boss Zhou’s car hidden in the darkness. Leng Ying suddenly accelerated, moving with light, swift agility toward the vehicle. Cheng Xiangru took long strides to keep up, but he couldn't match her speed and was soon left far behind. By the time he reached the car, she had already circled it twice and was leaning against the rear, waiting.

"They aren't in the car, so they must be tomb raiding. Come on, let's find them!"

Leng Ying pulled out a flashlight, shone it on the snow to find the footprints left by Boss Zhou’s group earlier, and led Cheng Xiangru into the unsettling darkness.

However, as they walked, Leng Ying stopped, frowning. She signaled for him to stop and look at the ground. The footprints in the snow simply vanished halfway up a small hill.

"How is that possible?" Cheng Xiangru felt his anxiety intensify. Could so many people have just evaporated into thin air?

The mountain wind howled, biting and cold, making him shiver. It made the surrounding darkness feel all the more ominous.