Chapter 55

Within several minutes of getting home, Chen Hao received a notification from his bank, informing that 200,000 yuan had been transferred to his account, not a cent less.

Chen Hao was dazed for a moment as he stared at the message, before letting out a sigh and turning off his phone.

Speaking of which, he truly felt sympathetic after hearing Bai Ru’s story today. She had put in so much effort for her father, yet, in the end, her contribution was easily erased when the illegitimate son appeared out of nowhere. This was truly saddening.

But the enmity in a rich and powerful family was way too complex and hard to explain clearly. Now that Chen Hao had the Pleasure Helping Spirit System, he had a goal to strive towards, so he didn’t wish to get involved in this.

Let’s take it one step at a time. It’s just a deal with a client. As for the rest, don’t even think about it.

After putting these irrelevant and complicated matters out of his mind, Chen Hao continued his daily cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, another few days had passed.

The buzz in Stone City was still going on, with no sign of dying out.

Because the tomb in Stream Mountain had attracted the archaeologists, a lot of information buried in the historic rivers had been discovered. Either by design or accident, under the relaxed attitude of the Stone City officials, continuous reports popped out in the media, which the public discussed with great relish.

This was part of the planning and tactics of the development, nothing to be surprised about.

However, what surprised Chen Hao was, as the reports grew in number, he and Master Long slowly became a hot topic of discussion. Their mysterious means were something the public delighted in talking about, a trending subject online.

It was alright for Master Long, for he had been in this line for more than ten years, had already achieved great fame to his name, and had a lot of connections.

However, there wasn’t any information on Chen Hao prior to this. It was like he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Thankfully, Shuanglong Group didn’t go overboard. They did a good job of keeping Chen Hao’s identity under wraps. Even if there were some hearsay, it wasn’t detailed. Also, no pictures had leaked, so Chen Hao went on living as usual and wasn’t much affected.

Of course, due to his new fame, several people had sought help from Chen Hao through Shuanglong Group. However, Chen Hao rejected them all.

Having been put in danger once, Chen Hao was now much more alert. Before he mastered his skills, he wasn’t planning to take on more missions.

He led a fulfilled and calm life, and the obvious daily improvement was his biggest motivation.

Just as Chen Hao thought that this was the way things would be for a long time, Zhou Gang’s call came.

“Hao’zi, I have good news. Wanna hear it?” Zhou Gang sounded very excited.

Chen Hao smiled. “Brother Zhou, don’t tell me that Zhao Yuan’s mother has been found?”

Zhou Gang gasped. “You’re indeed a great master with spot-on calculations!”

Chen Hao paused in surprise. He had merely made a wild guess.

That got him excited too. “Really? You’ve found her? Damn, you’re awesome, Brother, to be able to find a nobody from one hundred over years ago. Brilliant. I’m impressed.”

Zhou Gang was caught between laughter and tears. “Why? You didn’t think I would be able to find her?”

Chen Hao was a little awkward.

That was really somewhat the case. After all, it was a vast world, and more than a century had passed. Furthermore, it was a chaotic period then. Who would notice an elderly nobody who had passed away?

Chen Hao was prepared for the worst outcome. If she really couldn’t be found, he would find Zhao Yuan, placate him, and seek an alternative method to do a sending for his soul. Even if he couldn’t achieve Dao Attainment for this mission, it wouldn’t matter.

But surprisingly, Zhou Gang actually managed to find her! Tsk tsk, the police are truly impressive!

“But then, the situation is a little different. We only found the cemetery and can’t confirm which tombstone it is.” Zhou Gang elaborated.

After more than ten days of investigation, he finally heard about the story of the Zhao family from an eighty-year-old elderly person.

Back then, the Zhao family had, unable to withstand the intrusion of the bandits every so often, moved away. It was not a smooth-sailing process for them. After experiencing several battles and incidents, quite a lot of them had died.

These people were buried collectively in three cemeteries in different locations.

At the start, the Zhao family was still in existence, and they would send people to the cemeteries to sweep the graves. But later, they went their separate ways, so that stopped. Those tombstones that were initially erected were, of course, no longer there, so one could no longer tell whose body was buried there.

Chen Hao wasn’t disappointed to hear this. After all, he was relieved that they were able to confirm the location. He wasn’t counting on Zhou Gang finding the exact grave, for the latter wasn’t a deity or something.

“Okay, that will be enough. Thanks, Brother Zhou. I’ll go and tell Zhao Yuan at night. I believe he should be able to understand,” Chen Hao said with a smile.

Zhou Gang hesitated for a moment. “Why don’t I go with you? Also, that friend of mine has been wanting to meet you, but you have been busy with your cultivation. Let’s go together. Let that friend of mine expand his horizons. That guy is a really superstitious person, with plenty of deity figurines at his home. Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to.”

Chen Hao said with a smile, “It’s not a big deal. It’s fine so long as he’s not afraid. We’ll stay in touch via phone at night?”

Zhou Gang heaved a sigh of relief after Chen Hao agreed. He hurriedly said, “Sure, I’ll go and pick you up. I’ll get my wife to whip up a few dishes tonight. After we settle Zhao Yuan’s matter, we can come back for supper.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Hao was still grinning from ear to ear.

His hopes of obtaining Dao Attainment were getting closer. After receiving this reward, his abilities would advance further.

At 6 PM, Zhou Gang arrived at Lanyue Community, stopping in front of the waiting Chen Hao.

A slightly plump man in his thirties with big eyes and bushy eyebrows got out of the car first. With a cheerful smile, he opened the car door for Chen Hao, looking eager to please.

Chen Hao turned to look at Zhou Gang with a speechless expression.

Zhou Gang said helplessly, “Hao’zi, this is my friend Wang Zhen. He’s a huge fan of yours. I reminded him on the way here, but he’s still acting like this. There’s nothing I can do about him.”

Wang Zhen chuckled. “Master, I really admire you a lot. I’m a hardcore fan of yours. Do you think I have the talent for cultivation? Will you take me in as your student?”

Zhou Gang frowned slightly. “Brother Zhen, you didn’t mention this on the way here.”

Chen Hao waved a hand and smiled. “No need to stand on ceremony since there are no outsiders here. But as for taking in a student, I really don’t dare to think about that. After all, I’m also a beginner myself, and there are still plenty of things I’m unsure about. I don’t dare to teach anyone. Aren’t you afraid of becoming possessed by the devil?”

Wang Zhen was startled to hear this.

If these words came from someone else, he wouldn’t believe them. But hearing it from Chen Hao, he was entirely convinced. This was because he had, through his connections, heard a detailed recount of what happened in the tomb, so he knew that Chen Hao was a truly formidable master.

“Is it really so dangerous?” Wang Zhen flinched a little.

Chen Hao smiled, then started fabricating a story. “I can’t be sure if it’s dangerous. But cultivation is difficult. I started learning the basics at five and started properly cultivating at twelve. Now that I’m in my twenties, I have just passed the threshold and made some small achievements. You’re already so old. Are you really willing to spend tens of years and start from zero? You need to bear in mind that you’re not young anymore, so it might be more difficult for you than for me.”

Wang Zhen was dumbfounded.

The path to cultivation was indeed like what was depicted in the novels—requiring ten, twenty years. He wouldn’t be able to stand the long period of time.

“Err, then I’d better forget it. I think I might not be suitable for cultivation.” Wang Zhen was a little awkward.