645: Chapter 641: The Last Bus 645: Chapter 641: The Last Bus “Could it be that the people from the Sima Family are here because of this map?”
Ye Tian mentioned the person who had come to Lingyin Temple to provoke them earlier, and the abbot said, “This man, a few days ago, had visited Lingyin Temple, wanting to examine the ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map’ in the library, but he was rejected by this old monk.
Unexpectedly, he returned today, and even resorted to violence.
Had it not been for Ye Tian’s intervention, I fear the entire Lingyin Temple might have been demolished!”
“What do they want this map for?”
Ye Tian couldn’t help but wonder.
Even if this ancient map was combined with the current map of Jiangcheng, it would at most reveal clues about the great disaster that occurred over a thousand years ago.
What was the purpose behind Huang Bo and the Sima Family behind him investigating this?
Abbot Ling Tong shook his head and said, “As for this, this old monk is also at a loss.
However, that person once said to this old monk, ‘Those who hinder the Sima Family’s ‘millennium plan,’ must die!'”
“Millennium plan?”
Ye Tian found this term even more unfamiliar.
Could it be that the Sima Family had been brewing one thing for over a thousand years?
Exactly what kind of family would spend over a thousand years preparing for one thing?
And did this thing have anything to do with the great disaster that happened in Jiangcheng over a thousand years ago?
Although he still hadn’t obtained any concrete clues, Abbot Ling Tong’s words had indeed pointed Ye Tian toward a clear path.
“Thank you, Abbot Ling Tong.
Our conversation today has truly opened my eyes.
However, it is getting late, and my companion and I must be leaving!”
Ye Tian bid farewell to Abbot Ling Tong, who did not stop him.
“Ye Tian, I am grateful to you and this old monk for having this deep conversation today; it is thanks to you that I have made up my mind!”
“What?”
Ye Tian was puzzled by what Abbot Ling Tong meant, when the abbot suddenly struck the ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map’ with his palm!
The ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map,’ already nearly destroyed, could hardly withstand the forceful blow from Abbot Ling Tong and instantly turned into a pile of scraps.
No skilled restorer could possibly return these scraps to their original state as the ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map.’
“Abbot Ling Tong, what are you doing?”
Ye Tian was puzzled by the abbot’s actions.
Abbot Ling Tong sighed and said, “Ye Tian, I was forced to do this.
If this ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map’ really has a relation to the great disaster from a thousand years ago, then the Sima Family’s purpose in obtaining this ancient map might be to recreate that ancient disaster.
To prevent immense suffering, it’s better to destroy it.”
“…”
Although the abbot’s explanation sounded reasonable, Ye Tian was well aware that his motives were not solely that.
If the destruction of the ‘Yu Gong Jiuzhou Map’ was intended, he could have done it alone when he was in the library; why invite him in and have a conversation before acting?
“Ye Tian, please take care, Amitabha!”
Abbot Ling Tong clasped his hands together and solemnly bowed to Ye Tian, signaling him to leave.
Without lingering in the library, Ye Tian took Bai Lan and left Lingyin Temple straight away.
It was late, and Ye Tian, accompanied by Bai Lan, descended the mountain and waited at the bus stop below.
“Ye Tian, you and the abbot spoke at such length in the library, what were you really discussing?”
Bai Lan looked at Ye Tian curiously and asked.
“Well, when men get together, they naturally discuss some private matters!”
Ye Tian said with a mischievous grin, making Bai Lan blush instantly.
Surely Ye Tian and the abbot hadn’t been discussing those kinds of things in the secretive library?
But then she thought again, Abbot Ling Tong, being a highly respected monk, surely wouldn’t indulge in such shameless banter like Ye Tian, so his statement must have been a bluff.
“Hmph!
You’re trying to trick me!”
Bai Lan huffed.
The fact that she had partially believed Ye Tian’s nonsense made her feel embarrassed about her gullibility.
“Hehehe~~~~~ Sister Lan, don’t be like that!”
Yet Ye Tian maintained his jesting demeanor, wrapping his arms around Bai Lan.
Since it was already dark and the bus stop was in a secluded area at the foot of the mountain outside Jiangcheng, there was no one around, allowing Ye Tian to act as he pleased.
“Let go…”
Bai Lan whispered a curse and struggled gently, but the feeling of being held by Ye Tian was so comforting that after a slight struggle, she didn’t resist anymore and instead nestled into Ye Tian’s embrace.
“Lan, thank you.
If it weren’t for you this time, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to gather so many clues!”
Ye Tian sincerely said.
Although Bai Lan didn’t know what clues Ye Tian had gathered at Lingyin Temple, as long as Ye Tian was happy, she would be happy too.
“Ye Tian, as long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me.
I don’t understand your world, but being able to help you even a little fills me with contentment,” Bai Lan said timidly.
At this moment, she bore no trace of the strong woman she usually was, appearing instead as a bashful, delicate woman.
Blushing deeply and feeling warm all over, Bai Lan quietly reveled in the feeling of being in Ye Tian’s arms, a sensation that made her never want to part from him.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian could clearly smell Bai Lan’s body fragrance, a unique scent of a mature woman, which was distinctly different from Yun Xinyan’s…
After leaning on each other for a while, the bus back to the city finally arrived.
It was the last bus of the night, and if they were any later, they might have had to spend the night in the outskirts of Jiang City!
“What a rare sight!
I thought there would be no more passengers here, but to my surprise, I’ve picked up two!”
Upon seeing Ye Tian and Bai Lan board, the bus driver couldn’t help but comment.
He then glanced at the bus stop sign—Lingyin Temple Station—and understood why the two passengers were heading back to the city so late.
“I see, you must be pilgrims!
So devoted, to be offering incense so late—I’ve never seen that before!” he said, then stepped on the accelerator, driving the bus towards Jiang City.
Ye Tian and Bai Lan ignored the driver’s comments.
The bus was empty, harboring no other passengers, so they sat in the last row, with Bai Lan still resting her head on Ye Tian’s shoulder, silent, just enjoying the moments alone with Ye Tian.
The driver simply focused on driving, unperturbed by the passengers’ intimacy.
The bus had been driving for one stop, still several miles away from Jiang City’s downtown area.
It should have been a stop without any passengers boarding, but unexpectedly, three more passengers got on.
These three passengers were dressed in coarse clothes, resembling farmers who had just come from the fields; however, all three were skilled martial artists, something Ye Tian could tell at a glance!
“That’s really strange!
I thought it would be an empty run back, but here we have a few more passengers,” the bus driver remarked again, and the three passengers, disregarding him, dropped their coins into the fare box and took their seats.
They paid no mind to Ye Tian and Bai Lan sitting in the back, merely casting a fleeting glance…
The bus set off again, and the three passengers began chatting.
One passenger exclaimed excitedly, “I don’t know what stroke of luck it was this time, but we actually managed to kill the ‘Great Ape King.’ That beast isn’t usually so easy to handle!”
“Indeed!
Had that fellow not been injured, how could we have ambushed it successfully?
It’s a pity, though, that there was so little monkey brain for three of us to share.
How could that be enough?” another passenger said.
The third passenger chimed in, “Don’t be too greedy.
The brain of the ‘Great Ape King’ is an extremely nourishing item.
We’re lucky to have had a share.
For regular martial artists, it could increase one’s power by fifty years.
Although its effects are limited for us who cultivate the force of nature, it still equates to years of practice!”
The three passengers chattered away, oblivious of the driver at the front and Ye Tian and Bai Lan nestled together at the back.
Though engaging in playful bickering with Bai Lan, Ye Tian paid close attention to every word of the passengers’ conversation.
“Indeed, the ‘Great Ape King’ not only has tough skin and strong muscles, immune to swords and spears, but most importantly, this beast had even mastered the Method of Flying.
Ordinary qinggong would have no effect on it, making it extremely difficult to capture,” one said.
“True, I wonder which expert was so powerful as to leave the creature with severe wounds, preventing it from flying and escaping, forcing it to meditate in the woods for healing.
Without that, how could we have plucked such a big ‘ground peach’?” another discussed.
“But who exactly wounded the ‘Great Ape King’?
Judging from its wounds, it seems to have been struck by a ‘Life Weapon,’ and not just any low-grade ‘Life Weapon.’ Could there be someone in Jiang City with a ‘Life Weapon’ other than the Sima Family?” they pondered.
“Who knows?
Before coming to Jiang City, I heard that there are also many traditional experts here.
Although they don’t match up to us cultivators of the force of nature, they are still formidable and having one or two ‘Life Weapons’ among them wouldn’t be too surprising.”
“Speaking of the Sima Family, the ‘Great Ape King’ was indeed a divine beast raised by the Sima Family.
Now that we’ve killed this beast and consumed its brains, if the Sima Family comes looking for revenge, we might be in big trouble,” one said.
“What’s there to fear?
We killed that beast when no one saw us.
The Sima Family isn’t divine, how could they possibly know it was us who struck the killing blow?”
…
As it was the last bus of the night, the three passengers spoke without any reservations, letting slip words in their excitement.
Ye Tian might have found a hint of interest in their conversation!