Chapter 142 It Shouldn't Be

Finally, there's different information! Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up, and he immediately straightened his back. "Could there be an inside story to this?"

Elder Zhao nodded slightly, speaking in a casual tone:

"After the end of the War of Resistance, the Tongzhou Association believed there was no need to hide anymore and wanted to take the opportunity to become the official organization of the Second District. So, according to regions, they established seven major branches across the country: North China, Northeast, East China, Central China, South China, Southwest, and Northwest."

"Unexpectedly, not long after, fierce conflicts broke out within the Tongzhou Association. Some people didn't want to become puppets of the West and withdrew from the organization to set up their own shop. But this was not the fundamental reason for the Tongzhou Association's dissolution."

"The real reason was that the comprador government was driven to a corner, and the new government had a very strong sense of sovereignty and unwavering determination. In addition, the internal conflicts of the Tongzhou Association were intense, with members constantly leaving the organization. Therefore, the Tongzhou Association dissolved hastily before it even had time to establish an official organization in the Second District."

Although Elder Zhao laid the groundwork for a long time without getting to the point, Zhang Yuanqing and Zhao Chenghuang listened with great interest.

"The infighting in the North China branch occurred under this background, but it wasn't infighting, it was a massacre." Elder Zhao finally lifted the red veil and was about to get to the main topic.

"Massacre?" Zhang Yuanqing and Zhao Chenghuang exchanged glances, and the former asked, "Who launched the massacre?"

Elder Zhao shook his head. "I only know that before the Tongzhou Association disbanded, the higher-ups of the North China branch suddenly summoned all members for a meeting. The result of that meeting was that everyone died."

Zhang Yuanqing frowned.

"In the case of infighting, there would always be a winner in such a large-scale battle. The possibility of everyone dying together is not high. If it was a massacre, it would indeed make sense. One must remember boquge."

"The meeting was convened by the North China branch itself. The only possibility is that it was done by the Tongzhou Association headquarters. But why massacre the members of the North China branch? Elder Zhao, how did you find out about this?"

Even Gang Leader Jiang wasn't clear about the details.

"Because there was a survivor in the North China branch back then. When the members were summoned for the meeting, he encountered an accident on the way, delaying him. When he arrived at the meeting place, he only saw a ruin covered in blood and fire. Not even the bodies of those members remained." Elder Zhao took a sip of tea. "You actually know that survivor, and you've dealt with him quite a bit."

He put down the teacup and, before Zhang Yuanqing could speak, said, "He is Shanhe Yongcun, the Great Protector of Dark Night Rose."

Shanhe Yongcun?!

This news caught Zhang Yuanqing off guard. He didn't expect Shanhe Yongcun to be related to the Tongzhou Association. However, combined with what Pure Yang Zhangjiao said last night to scare him, it seemed to match.

Shanhe Yongcun is the Great Protector of Dark Night Rose, involved in a secret history of the Tongzhou Association, so Lingtu arranged for Pure Yang Zhangjiao to appear and scare him, aiming to prevent him from exploring this matter.

While Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were racing, Zhao Chenghuang suspiciously said:

"Grandpa, how could Shanhe Yongcun tell you these things? I remember your relationship isn't very good."

Elder Zhao said calmly, "Shanhe Yongcun was recruited into the Taiyi Sect by me, and I once saved his life. Besides, our relationship is excellent, but we rarely interact."

Rarely interact is considered an excellent relationship... Zhao Chenghuang didn't dare to retort and nodded with a stern face.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing regained his thoughts and looked at Elder Zhao. "Regarding the massacre of the North China branch, what else did Shanhe Yongcun say?"

Elder Zhao shook his head. "He wasn't in the first batch. He only obtained his character card at the end of the Republic era. At that time, he was just a mid-level member. In that accident, he was just a lucky survivor."

The issue of the Free Federation only recently broke out, and then the Tongzhou Association was implicated. Before that, even first-batch members like Elder Zhao didn't know much about the Free Federation.

Of course, they wouldn't get to the bottom of things and investigate Shanhe Yongcun in detail. Now it's too late to investigate further.

But if Shanhe Yongcun doesn't know anything, why did Lingtu arrange for Pure Yang Zhangjiao to scare me? This doesn't make sense Zhang Yuanqing frowned.

Even if Shanhe Yongcun knows something, he has already betrayed the Taiyi Sect. The higher-ups of Dark Night Rose are all protected by Taiyin, and they can't be found, let alone captured.

In that case, what was the point of Pure Yang Zhangjiao scaring him last night?

Unless the problem isn't with Shanhe Yongcun, Elder Zhao is inherently hiding other secrets, and this secret is something Lingtu doesn't want me to know, or rather, doesn't want to be made public...

What secrets could Elder Zhao have? Zhang Yuanqing's heart suddenly stirred, and he looked at the rigid and serious old man and said:

"Let's not mention Shanhe Yongcun for now. Elder Zhao, you seemed surprised when we mentioned the Tongzhou Association just now. What did you think my purpose was for this trip?"

After a pause, he simply got straight to the point: "What's in the basement?"

Zhao Chenghuang entering the basement was a clumsy move, but it was also a lucky accident. Elder Zhao must have thought that he instigated Zhao Chenghuang to sneak into the basement to explore, and that his purpose for this trip was also the basement.

So when he mentioned the Tongzhou Association and showed no interest in the basement, Elder Zhao was surprised and stunned.

After asking this question, Zhang Yuanqing was prepared for Elder Zhao to turn hostile.

Unexpectedly, Elder Zhao calmly sipped his tea, saying indifferently:

"You want to know what's in the basement?"

"Can I know?" Zhang Yuanqing asked back.

Elder Zhao silently drank his tea. When the teacup was empty, he seemed to have figured something out and said in a deep voice:

"I don't allow Chenghuang to approach the basement because I don't want my descendants to be stained with this karma. If you insist on getting to the bottom of it, then come with me."

Zhang Yuanqing and Zhao Chenghuang stood up at the same time, but the latter was forced back by a glare from Elder Zhao.

Elder Zhao, who was sitting on the wooden stool, turned into starlight and dissipated.

Zhang Yuanqing also used Star Evasion, following Elder Zhao's aura to the underground.

He appeared in an old, dark tunnel, with walls built of cement. The cement on the ceiling was cracked and weathered, revealing dense roots.

Elder Zhao stood in front of a decaying wooden door and looked back.

"Come in!"

With a grating sound, he pushed open the wooden door and entered the darkness-shrouded basement.

Zhang Yuanqing lost Elder Zhao's aura. The latter seemed to have entered another world.

Secrecy? It seems that the things in the basement can't be exposed to the light Zhang Yuanqing quickly stepped forward and entered the dark basement.

The special vision of a Night Wanderer allowed him to see through the darkness effortlessly, reflecting the scene inside the basement in his eyes.

The basement was about twenty square meters, and the only furniture was a dilapidated long table with a pottery pot on it.

That was all.

On the other hand, the ground and walls were covered with spirit talismans and formations, specifically the "Secrecy" formation that Zhang Yuanqing hadn't even mastered.

Zhang Yuanqing was stunned in place. This was different from what he had imagined. Such a simple basement didn't match its status as the Zhao family's forbidden area.

What did Elder Zhao want to hide?

He turned his gaze to the table and the pottery pot. As a Ruler, he could tell at a glance that both items were ordinary and did not possess any spirituality.

At this moment, Elder Zhao walked to the pottery pot, reached out, dug open the black soil inside the pot, and pinched out a grain of black seed the size of a fingernail.

He looked back and said in a deep voice, "Do you know what it is?"

"A seed," Zhang Yuanqing replied.

"Do you know its origin?" Elder Zhao asked.

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.

Elder Zhao slowly said, "It was left behind by Lingjun's mother."

The relic of Lingjun's mother? Hearing Elder Zhao's explanation, Zhang Yuanqing was initially at a loss. He didn't understand what was so special about Lingjun's mother's relic that Elder Zhao was so apprehensive about, even going so far as to set up a Taiyin formation in the basement.

But soon, he searched his mind for information that he had almost forgotten.

In the pa pa audio between the Demon Monarch and Teng'er's mother, there was a conversation about Lingjun's mother.

——Lingjun's mother claimed to have discovered a terrifying secret, suspected that she wouldn't live much longer, so she called her sister, who is Teng'er's mother, hoping that she could raise Lingjun.

Not long after, Lingjun's mother entered a dungeon and never came out again.

She died in the dungeon.

At the thought of this, Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted, but on the surface, he pretended to be puzzled. "Lingjun's mother's relic, is it worth you preserving it so carefully?"

He didn't expect that the bedroom drama he had accidentally heard would actually have a sequel.

Elder Zhao shook his head slightly:

"Before she returned to Lingjing, one day, she suddenly came to me, hoping that I could help her keep this seed. She said that the seed contained a secret and asked me to keep it safe. If I accidentally revealed its existence, even I might face a fatal disaster."

"I asked her what to do with it, and she said she didn't know either."

"Not long after she handed the seed to me, she returned to Lingjing."

No wonder Elder Zhao doesn't allow anyone to enter the basement, no wonder he said he didn't want Zhao Chenghuang to be stained with karma Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood, and then questioned, "Why did she give such an important thing to you instead of to Elder Miao?"

"The one surnamed Miao doesn't know Taiyin secrets." Elder Zhao said lightly, "Fengluan is my student. There's nothing surprising about her entrusting the seed to me."

Zhang Yuanqing had long known that the Star Lord and the current Qing Emperor were cousins, so the Taiyi Sect and Baihua Association were very close. It wasn't surprising that Lingjun's mother was Elder Zhao's student.

He said in a deep voice:

"So, Lingjun's mother was silenced?"

Elder Zhao sighed. "No, she did return to Lingjing in a dungeon. This is what I saw with my own eyes. The maids who monitored and served her can all testify. She was just unlucky and encountered an S-level dungeon."

So, it's really just a coincidence? Zhang Yuanqing stared at the seed. "Have you tried to crack it?"

"This seed was cultivated by Fengling and requires special techniques to allow it to take root and sprout. I've tried many methods, but none of them can revive it. Since I can't ask a Wood Sprite for help, I gave up." Elder Zhao pinched the seed, rubbing it back and forth with his fingertips:

"I've observed the stars countless times, and I haven't observed the date of its birth in the river of fate, nor have I seen anyone with whom it is entangled in karma. Perhaps someone has shielded its fate, or perhaps it inherently has the ability to prevent prying eyes. I really don't know what to do with it, so I simply put it in the basement."

Zhang Yuanqing then asked, "Then why are you telling me this today?"

Elder Zhao flicked his finger and sent the black seed flying into Zhang Yuanqing's arms, sneering, "You're not my great-grandson, so why insist on getting involved in karma? What does it have to do with me?"

"." Zhang Yuanqing quickly flicked the seed back. "Let's leave it with Elder Zhao for now. This place is protected by Taiyin, which is very safe."

Safer than putting it in his inventory.

Elder Zhao's expression was serious. "Yuan Shi Tianzun, I brought you here not because I wanted to pass the buck to you, but because you are the best candidate to unlock its secret."

He flicked it back again.

While saying he wasn't passing the buck to me, he ruthlessly passed it over Zhang Yuanqing gave a forced laugh. "So, I am the chosen one?"

Elder Zhao shook his head. "The karma on your body is a mess. It won't make much difference to have one more or one less. Furthermore, I don't have the determination to unlock the secret left by Fengling, but you do. As we all know, Yuan Shi Tianzun is inherently rebellious and has a rebellious bone. I have great confidence in your character."

The two flicked it back and forth, and finally the seed was left in the basement.

After all, it had been in the basement for more than twenty years and had been fine all along. The safest thing to do was to maintain the status quo.

Zhang Yuanqing promised Elder Zhao to help investigate the matter and promised not to reveal it to anyone.

Back in the courtyard, Zhao Chenghuang used the excuse of seeing Yuan Shi Tianzun off and left with him. After walking out of the old alley, he couldn't wait to ask:

"What's in the basement?"

Zhang Yuanqing said unhappily, "Although you're not my great-grandson and insist on getting involved in karma, I still won't tell you."

Zhao Chenghuang: "???"

Songhai.

In the Fu family's villa, in the bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing's main body fell into deep thought.

He was now a master of the "turtle style", entrusting all affairs to his clone, with the main body remotely controlling it. Under the great background of demigods not taking action, there was almost no danger.

His current level wasn't enough to make a demigod take action.

Getting back to the point, Zhang Yuanqing found that things were becoming increasingly confusing. He originally suspected that Lingtu's purpose was to prevent him from investigating Shanhe Yongcun, but later he suspected that Lingtu's real purpose was to prevent him from discovering Elder Zhao's basement.

But when he left the Zhao family's courtyard, he realized that something was wrong. Lingjun's mother entrusted the seed to Elder Zhao for safekeeping. This matter was protected by secrets, and Lingtu couldn't possibly know about it.

Since he didn't know, how could he prevent it?

Free Federation.

In a lakeside villa, in a bedroom with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, Zhai Cai sat cross-legged on the bed, his chest and abdomen rising and falling rhythmically, his nostrils exhaling brass-colored light.

During this period, he had been preparing for a dungeon. The last dungeon had been eight months ago.

According to the pattern of a Level 7 Ruler, there must be one dungeon within a year.

In other words, he could enter a dungeon at any time in the next two months.

Zhai Cai's current experience value was 95. Entering another dungeon below A-level and above C-level, he could smoothly advance to Level 8.

With his hidden points, this dungeon would be at most A-level, most likely B-level, not a big problem.

Every excellent genius should learn to control their hidden points, ensuring that the difficulty of each dungeon they enter does not exceed B-level is the safest way to level up.

They can "turtle" all the way to Level 8, or even Level 9.

The price is that, based on the long cycle of Ruler dungeons, "turtling" to Level 9 may take half a century or even longer.

Before long, Zhai Cai finished meditating and prepared to go outdoors to hone his sword skills and physique. Just then, the Lingjing notification sounded in his ears:

Ding, the Lingjing map is opening. Enter Lingjing in 20 seconds. The Lingjing you are entering this time is "Twilight of the Knights", number: difficulty level: S

Type: Solo (Death Type)

Main quest: Survive for 30 days, or eliminate all enemies.

Note: Non-Lingjing items cannot be brought in.

Lingjing introduction: Darkness covers the earth, the blood moon descends, and the demons in the shadows awaken from their slumber one after another. They have surrounded the Holy See!

Zhai Cai's face turned pale, and his eyes revealed unbelievable shock, as well as a trace of despair.

An S-level dungeon in the Ruler stage?

"This is impossible, impossible, my hidden points can't reach the threshold for S-level!"

He rushed out of the room, roaring, "Yuzuriha Inori, my dungeon has descended, S-level Twilight of the Knights..."

He disappeared in the room, leaving only a lingering echo.

(End of this chapter)